I hope you all had a great weekend! I did but unfortunately time flies when you're having fun and soon you're sat at your desk on a Monday morning wondering where the hell all that time went.
So this weekend, although we aimed for 'quiet', ended up being a mixed bag. It's been very fun but among all the fun, I came to stark conclusions in regards to both the swimming and gaming. 1. I have major trust issues with water and 2. I've apparently lost my Crash Bandicoot mojo. So without further ado...
We started off on Friday with playing some old PS2 games. Matthew had found some old games he used to play on eBay and as we were going down the nostalgic road, he started off the gaming with Spy Hunter and some Time Splitters 2. As we both had our turns at Spy Hunter, it was clear that I wasn't very good at all (I'd never even heard of the game before) and that Matthew had lost his old winning mojo. Next we tried Time Splitters and played on multiplayer; we'd be running around an abandoned hospital in the aim to capture and hold 'the bag' for the longest time and of course, trying not to die. As this is a FPS (first person shooter- I didn't know that acronym before now) and I have a fantastically shit track record of FPS games, I died many many times spinning around and firing shots at the ceiling completely unaware of what the hell was going on and least of all, who indeed had this illusive bag. Nevertheless, I tried over and over again, each time dying in hilarious circumstances. I tend to only get anywhere in FPS by fluke alone.
Now to Saturday morning and where the weekend really kicked off. In the morning, Matthew helped to set up the PS4. Mum wanted to go to a community day at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre in Quainton so we took her in Kiki and came back for a feast of nostalgic pleasure; it was Crash Bandicoot time! As the game loaded and the opening scene played, I was immediately taken back to my childhood. I remembered all those weekends caught up in the fun and frustration of difficult levels and getting the signature theme music stuck in my head. Soon it was time to play. Matthew had never played Crash before so I played the first few levels to show him the ropes. Only I died about a minute into game play. It seemed like it wasn't just Matthew who had lost his mojo. Soon both me and Matthew were playing, and not long after we found ourselves stuck at 'Native Fortress'. I had heard from many a gaming video and forum that the game had been switched up a bit and that the jumps had been made more difficult. I'll vouch for that now. The jumps are so precise that bouncing from box to box after getting up those wooden platforms can be such a headache and miss-timing just one jump can leave you tumbling back where you'd started in a soul-destroying defeat. In the spirit of gaining all the gems and relics, we attempted the time trial on the beginning level, 'N.Sanity Beach'. We played and played and played until our fingers were numb trying to get the best time in order to get the relic but it was no use! So we gave this up and played the 'Native Fortress' level again. We played and played and while I managed to get us a smidge further, we managed to lose all our lives meaning we had to start the level all over again! Soon, mum text to say she was ready to come home so we decided to have a proper break from this, go and get mum and then go swimming.
We went swimming on both Saturday and Sunday in Aqua Vale. It was a strange sensation getting back into the water after not being in it for years but I soon got a feel for it and started bobbing around to find a spot to try not to drown in. The water was only a metre deep so I was sure I couldn't quite drown...right? For both of the sessions we did, Matthew got me to try a few techniques with my arms and legs to help me stay afloat and then when I'd had a go, he would hold me while I went to open water. Only thing is that I came across a conclusion whilst in the pool; that while I love being in it, I have the most crippling trust issues with the water itself and it's ability to not drown me. Not so good when you're surrounded in it. This is how the swimming lessons went in a nutshell...
Matthew: "Julie, let go of the wall"
Me: "I can't!"
So while this sums up the roaring success of the swimming lessons, we still managed to have fun trying and I even let go of the wall a few times too! Admittedly this was followed by flailing, seizing up and panicking leading to me inhaling a huge amount of water, but the highlight here was that I did let go at some point and that is something at least. I'm determined to get over this ridiculous lack of faith and fear I have and will one day swim seamlessly. Slow and steady wins the race, right? I'd also like to thank Matthew for being so patient with me as I'm sure it took a lot for him not to shout "GET A FUCKING GRIP WOMAN!" (well 1. I was getting a grip- on the wall and 2. There were a lot of children about)
Soon we were home again and we then decided to play another PS4 game, Doom. Although I'd never played Doom before or any FPS due to my novice abilities, I rather liked the idea of letting go of pent up frustrations by shooting the shit out of a bunch of brain dead monsters and zombies! Only, when we did get to play, we'd turned the light settings down waaaay too low to our misjudgment, and as a result neither me or Matthew could see where the hell the monsters were, let alone where we were pointing the gun. Yet another frustrating scene to behold. As if that wasn't enough, we picked up where we left off with Crash and died in the same place about another 10 times!
So to conclude, this weekend has been fun as well as challenging for the both of us. While I've not mastered the art of swimming yet, I achieved a little something by not giving up and getting out straight away. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day, so with that I'll keep on trying and of course keep you posted. As for the gaming, the same analogy applies, and in fact I've been at the Bandicoot again since dinner and managed to conquer the 'Native Fortress', 'Up the Creek' and 'Ripper Roo' leaving me now to battle 'The Lost City' where reptiles lurk around every corner ambushing you and trying to kill you with their claws. I love learning new skills and techniques, even if they're frustratingly difficult and as this evening playing Crash again proves, practice (and plenty of persistence) pays off!
That's all for tonight, I'm off to fight those feisty reptiles, see you on Wednesday!
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