I watched a program on BBC yesterday called Horizons. It basically reported about the New Orleans disaster and why it happened. It was a very informative program but it did make me realise just how stupid some Americans really are.

The program said that a large population of New Orleans stayed behind, why? Did they seriously believe that they were going to fight off the hurricane (and it’s 20ft high floods) with their pitchforks? Or maybe they thought they could rob it as it went rushing through their city?

They also interviewed some of the families, most said that they were going to move as it was not worth rebuilding. But one family said they were going to rebuild and gave the impression that they wanted the government to pay for the rebuilding work.

Apparently New Orleans is in a bowl and the entire city is sinking into this ‘bowl’ every year feet by feet. And with the marshes and the levy walls not protecting them anymore scientists are predicting that New Orleans will become a modern-day Atlantis within the next 50 years.

The people living there have two two options. Move or fucking drown!

Many people (well mostly Reiss) have asked me why I do not “do” relationships. I could write a thick book with the reasons but instead I shall let the lyrics of this awesome song do it for me.

Let You Down
By Three Days Grace

Trust me
There’s no need to fear
Everyone’s here
Waiting for you to finally be one of us

Come down
You may be full of fear
You’ll be safe here
But when you finally trust me
Finally believe in me

I will let you down, I’ll
let you down, I’ll
When do you finally trust me
Finally believe in me

Trust me
I’ll be there when you need me
You’ll be safe here
But when you finally trust me
Finally believe in me

I will let you down, I’ll
let you down, I’ll
When do you finally trust me
Finally believe in me.

I will let you down, I’ll
let you down, I’ll
When do you finally trust me
Finally believe in me.

Never want to come down
Never want to come down
Never want to come down

(Down, let you down)

I will let you down, I’ll
let you down, I’ll
When do you finally trust me
Finally believe in me.

I will let you down, I’ll
let you down, I’ll
When do you finally trust me
Finally believe in me.

Well my computer finally decided to go and die on me. The original parts of the thing was about 15 years old, I’d added certain new items like new ram and new hard drive over the years.

To be honest the processor was struggling more and more these days. I managed to strip the computer of the hard drive, CD Rom, floppy drive, RAM and the graphics card and modem.

I started using my Dad’s computer and by the next day that had decided to pop its clogs as well. So now we have no computer in the house, having both died about a day apart from each other.

So if anyone was wondering why I have been considerably quiet online for the past three weeks then now you know the reason.

But I have access to the internet shop around the corner so I should be able to get online for about an hour a day until the weekend when hopefully my new PC should be ready to pick up.

I was walking through the little garden next to Bethnal Green station, that is called Museum Gardens, I had a bag with me so I assume I was on my way to football training.

As I got to the end of the garden I noticed a lot of commotion outside the gates near the bus stop. There were people gathered around, police and paramedics scattered around with flashing lights literally all over the place.

As I left the gardens I noticed that Reiss’ mum and step-dad were standing amongst the crowd and they were crying, his mum was wailing like a banshee. I went over to see if they were OK and I saw Reiss lying on a stretcher being seen to by paramedics.

Jen was standing there crying. She told me that Reiss was sitting on the top deck of the bus when he was set upon by two guys who took offense to one of the international football shirts he was wearing, they stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach.

The paramedics suddenly started to carry the stretcher away, for some reason his mum and step-dad were now sitting on the stretcher as it was being carried, but instead of putting him in an ambulance they decided to get on the train with him to Whitechapel, where the hospital is.

As they disappeared into the underground I followed but I could not catch up with the stretcher, every time I started running the paramedics started running as well. I remember calling out to them to wait for me and his mum and step-dad (who were still sitting on the stretcher) turned to look at me but I could not catch them.

Then thousands of people came rushing at me from the opposite direction and I lost them.
It was at that moment that I woke up.

I have played a lot of football Play-By-Mail games in my time. I started playing my first Play-By-Mail game when I was eight years old, which means I’ve been playing them for twenty years!

From Soccer Supremo’s right up to KJC Games’ Extra Time version, I have played virtually all of the games you can throw at me with differing amounts of success. It normally does not take me long to suss out how the game works and start winning with ease.

I then gradually get bored with the game and move on to what I hope will be a better one, obviously it soon bores me. I think because I often suss out how the game is played and soon start “pissing the league” after you have figured this out there is no fun in the game.

A couple of years ago I stumbled across a new game that was being advertised in FourFourTwo magazine called Kickabout, it was boasting that it was unlike rival football Play-By-Mail games on the market today.

And let me tell you that it IS unlike any football game I have ever played!

It is the most difficult game I have ever had the pleasure of getting to grips with. There is no “system” to pissing the league as I have found at all the other games in the past. In fact the game is bloody hard, I almost bankrupted my first team until I was sacked and removed from the game.

I was lucky because a couple of weeks ago I was given a chance to run another team in one of their others leagues. This time I will not mess up as I am confident that I have picked up a couple of little tricks from the other managers in the game.

The team I am in charge of are called Paradise Celtic and they are in Division 3 of the Livingstone League. Last season they ended just two places away from the play-offs and are considered a mid-table bet for this coming season.

The fees are bloody cheap as well, about the cost of a pint of beer a month! If anyone fancies giving this a try then send an email to Chris at chris.spelbinder@btinternet.com and do not forget to let him know that Dean Saliba sent you!