As Time Goes By...

Cheque Mate
I'll start with some good news (for me anyway): I'd received a cheque out the blue a few months back, from the Inland Revenue, for a tax rebate of just short of £400. This was a complete surprise, something I certainly didn't expect. However, it had taken over 6 months to be forwarded to me from a previous address and hence the cheque had expired. I then had to write back to request a reissue. Several months later, after a few phonecalls, I finally received it. With this financial boost I've now managed to negate my overdraft in the space of a few months (one thing that's good about living with your parents and having social life == 0).
God bless the Inland Revenue (for now anyway, as invevitably the c**ts will take it all back off me gradually).

Hope Lies With the Neds
I finished reading 1984, George Orwell's nightmarish vision of the future (back when it was written, 1984 was the future). This dark tale of totalitarianism and repressed humanity I found gripping but it was gloomy and dark. Certainly not for the faint hearted. I enjoyed it though.

Amateur Evolution Soccer
I played football again on Tuesday. I still hadn't made a full recovery from the previous Tuesday as although my muscles felt much better, my stamina was low. I found that there were times when I could receive a pass and control the ball, but that effort alone was strenuous and I found it difficult to do much with the ball thereafter. I gave away possession a lot but on the plus side had a couple of decent moves. I thought my movement was good, going forward and tracking back, but other than that, if they'd played a 3 year old toddler in my place, nobody would've noticed any difference. I scored 1 goal, albeit not a great one.
The big plus is that this time I wasn't aching at all since playing. Last week, it had been so long since I did any proper exercise that my muscles were aching for 4 days afterwards! On the second day, transcending stairs was particularly tough going.
My aim is to gradually improve my fitness and eventually be able to make more of a contribution to the game.

And.. em.. Kilmarnock
I'm considering moving in with a friend from Kilmarnock who has recently bought a flat. This will probably be temporary as the commute will be a bit longer. However it'll do me good to be a bit more independent.