2009 is going to be great!!

I`m determined that this coming year will be a great year, as always its up to me to make sure of that. These are my goals for this coming year in no particular order.

1. To maintain and improve my running - I have spells where I go running regularly, I hadnt done a run for months but have done two 1 mile runs in the last five days and it felt quite easy, I think this is mainly down to the dance classes. I`ve thought about joining a running club (there is one in Beckenham which meets up on a wednesday) for quite a while but mainly because of my introvertedness and shyness I haven`t found the bottle up to go. I also want to run a 10k race or even a half marathon, I think this would be good for me.
2. To date more - I meet a lot of girls which I like and seem to like me and because of bad experiences I`ve had I look for reasons not to go out with. Dating is fun, much more exciting than a relationship and I need to get back on the wheel.
3. To be more social - I`m not a good mingler, it just dosen`t come naturally to me. I need to be a bit more bolder and go up to people and start more conversations, they won`t always be friendly back but that life. I need to be more chatty in pubs and at ceroc.
4. to keep trying to improve my golf - I`m not a great golfer but I could be much better. My swing needs working on and I sometimes get a little down with myself when I seem to be getting nowhere but I have to persevere. I still haven`t broken 45 around magpie but that is easily attainable this year.
5. To go to at least 2 new countries this year - Last year my holidays consisted of 2 weeks in Greece. It was a chill but it wasn`t me, it was a place for clubbers and I felt about 15 years too old. This year I`d like to go somewhere which would excite me a bit more. We will see.
6. To make better use of my freetime - I do keep myself busy but I still waste a lot of my sparetime. The house could be tidier, I could be fitter and I could go out more than I already do. But nobody is perfect!

7. To maintain my blog - My blog is one of ways that helps to give my life a direction and help me do the things that I really should be doing to be totally happy.

8. To be a better dad - I think I`m a good dad but I could be better. I spend a fair amount of time with my boys and try to make them happy. Sometimes work and other things get in the way and I can be a bit grumpy when I`m tired.

9. To smile more - you can never smile enough, thats for sure. I need to smile more and I do smile a lot more than I used to.

Cake and golf!

The boys stayed with me again this weekend, George went to a party at quasar so I just had Ben for the first couple of hours. The plan was to make a chocolate cake with Ben but I soon realised that I didn`t have a cake tin(I was sure that I did), so we went and got a new one after picking the George up. The boys helped whisk the mixture and the cake turned out really well.
On sunday it was Bens turn to go to a party. So I took George to a short par 3 golf course in Orpington. George took about 13 or 14 shots at the first including about 7 putts and was very frustrated but after that he played pretty well. He had a couple of 5s and a 6. He even his tee shot at the seventh beyond the green (hes usually short partly because some of the holes are too long for him). A good 7 iron form about 50 yards out onto the 8th green capped a good day.

Birthday Boys!

My bithday was on saturday and Georges was yesterday. I had a quiet one with the boys which included an Indian takeaway, watching the England - Kazakhstan game and also a film called Jumper which was pretty good.
I saw the boys after they finished school so I could give George his present which was a nintendo ds and some games, unfortunately hes a Chelsea fan and his mother bought him the kit. I`ve tried to educate him into supporting the mighty Charlton Athletic but to no avail.

Positive Max!

Ive got a touch negative lately, my friend feels that since I`ve stopped concentrating on my fitness I`ve become less positive about myself. So my goal for the next few weeks is to be more positive and happy with it.
I took the boys to the driving range a few days ago and weve started playing this game where we have a chip shot each from near to the green and the nearest to the hole wins. Amazingly Ben put his chip shot sraight into the hole to seal to deal!

I`m Back!

I got a bit disillusioned with blogging and maybe I`ve lost a bit of my discipline aswell. My computer access has been a bit more limited lately and I was extremely busy at work during August.
My golf hasn`t improved scorewise though Gary feels that my swing is a lot better(he says that my backswing is pretty good but I drop the club on my backswing rather than returning it down its original path).
I had two weeks in Greece in early september which were ok and my fitness regime has come to a complete halt.
Ive got a new car aswell which drives really nicely.
I`ve not been dancing as much lately for a number of different reasons but I haven`t totally given that up either.

It was wet,it was cold and my golf was bad. I shot 54 today at Bromley despite back to back pars at the 4th and 5th holes. I`m not swinging that well and I`ve lost any distance that I may have gained.
Hole..Par..Score
...1.......4........7..
...2.......4........5..
...3.......3........5..
...4.......4........4..
...5.......5........8..
...6.......4........8..
...7.......4........8..
...8.......4........5..
...9.......4........9..
............35.....54.

49 at Brnehurst.

Ive been to a couple of cerocs this weekend. On saturday night I went to Bromley with a couple of friends, there was a nice crowd there and the music was pretty good aswell. I didn`t get as involved as I could but still had a good night. On sunday night I went to Penge which was incredibly hot, apparently they`ve been planning to get air conditioning installed but it hasn`t happened as yet and I think this has affected the numbers. Hopefully it will be sorted soon because Penge is probably the friendliest of all the ceroc venues.

I played golf last night with my ex nextdoor neighbour at Barnehurst. I shot 49 despite some really awful golf including a 9 at the par 5 2nd. I managed back to back pars and was nearly achieved another of my goals of making 3 pars in a nine hole round. One problem that I have is that I really struggle on par 3s.
Hole...Par..Score.
...1........3.......5.....
...2........5.......9...
...3........3.......4..
...4........3.......6...
...5........4.......4...
...6........4.......4..
...7........4.......7..
...8........4.......5..
...9........4.......5..
............34.....49

Talking telephone numbers.

I didn`t play too well last night, well to be honest that is an understatement. Me and Gary had our usual thursday 9 hole at Bromley. I started 6,6,5,5,7,7 , it sounds more like a telephone number that a round of golf. My slice had suddenly reappeared to my horror aswell. Gary noticed that I was dropping my arms at the end of my backswing which could have been part of the cause. I will work on this on the range next week. Gary didn`t play very well either shooting 9 over, the only consolation was that the Bulmers we drank at the harvester after went down very well. On a more positive note, Eduardo Romero was only two shots off of the lead in the British Seniors Open and is giving me a good run for my money.
Hole..Par..Score
...1........4.......6...
...2........4.......6..
...3........3.......5..
...4........4.......5..
...5........3.......7..
...6........5.......7..
...7........4.......6..
...8........4.......6..
...9........4.......9..
............35.....57.

Good night at Orpington!

I went to Hayes ceroc on monday night, it was another of those ok nights when I didn`t really get that involved.
Ive been to the driving range twice this week, on monday I was at Bromley after I finished I started watching the guy on the bay next to me who had a very nice swing. He was using a mirror to check his backswing and I then realised how short my backswing was in comparison. With this in mind I went to the driving range at Sidcup I experimented with a longer backswing with the aim of gaining some extra distance on my shots, it was a bit of a disaster and hopefully it hasn`t messed my head up.
I went to Orpington ceroc last night and it was really good, I danced much more than I have been which is good.
I did another 2 mile run yesterday and it was incredibly hard, it was very hot and I hadn`t had a run for aboutfive days. I wanted to stop after about half a mile but
On the betting front Ive backed Eduard Romero for the British Seniors Open at 14-1 and I think he has got a real chance.

Terrific weekend in Camber!

Well, myself and the boys got back from Camber Sands this morning and we all had a really good weekend. The boys really enjoyed the various play areas, swimming pool and the arcades. They also played some crazy golf and we also had a trip to the beach aswell. I was able to keep an eye on them whilst watching the British Open golf on the television in the bar which was won by Padraig Harrington for the second year running. The camp was fairly well organised and Ben was disapointed to be going home. We watched a dvd in our chalet called `Nacho Libre` which was very funny and the boys loved it. All in all it was a terrific weekend and we will hopefully do something similar next year.

Best round this year!

I played golf with my friend Gary today and hit the ball probably aswell as I ever have. I shot a 46 which I was really pleased with but I still left 3 or 4 shots out there. Gary shot a 40 which is five over par but he is a 13 handicapper and very consistent.
Hole..Par..Score..
...1.......4........6...
...2.......4........4..
...3.......3........5..
...4.......4........6..
...5.......3........4..
...6.......5........5..
...7.......4........5..
...8.......4........5..
...9.......4........6..
...........35......46.
I was pretty close to all of the first 7 greens in regulation but because my chipping and putting was poor I didn`t score anything like I should have, so there is still much to work on.
Im going to attempt the 100 push up challenge which is a 6 week plan which hopefully by the end I will be able to manage 100 push ups. I also did another 2 mile this morning which felt a little bit easier than the last one.
I taking the boys to Camber Sands for the weekend which should be fun.

Driving better!

On monday I went to the driving range at Sidcup after work and hit 50 balls. I practised mainly with my woods as my driving has been inconsistent, hopefully this may have helped. In the evening I went to Hayes ceroc, I had a pretty good night though I didn`t get as involved as I should and didn`t ask that many girls to dance, I must make more effort next time.
I went to a pool match on tuesday night in Croydon. The pub was a bit of a dive but it didn`t matter as the pool team are a pretty good bunch of lads. I used to play for the team last season but dropped out so I`m no longer a member of a team, I`ve agreed to play again in the winter.
I played golf his morning with Mick and played pretty well shooting a 48 even though I went into four bunkers. I hit a lot of good tee shots and my driving was a lot better making the trip t the range on monday worthwhile. Coming to the last me and mick were all square, fortunately my par was good enough to win beating his bogey.
Hole...Par..score.
..1.........4........5...
..2.........4........4...
..3.........3........4..
..4.........4........5..
..5.........3........6..
..6.........5........7..
..7.........4........7..
..8.........4........6..
..9.........4........4..
............35.......48

Gremlins too scary?

On saturday I had the boys a little bit earlier than usual and I took them to `Rascals` at Bellingham. `Rascals` has ballpools, climbing frames, slides etc, and kids love it. Its sort of organised chaos. After that we went to the driving range, Ben wasn`t really in the mood for it and he didn`t behave to well so we left early. It was a shame because George wanted to stay longer. Later on we watched a dvd called `Gremlins`, I hadn`t realised how scary this film was and I gave the boys the option of turning it off after about half an hour but they was enjoying it so we watched it all. The boys mother gave me their school reports to read and both boys are doing really well.
On sunday I night I went to Penge ceroc with my friend and had a good night. We stopped for a drink on the way at the `Goose` but still managed to get there on time for the intermediate lesson. There was a nice friendly crowd at Penge as there always is and it was pretty warm but we still had very good night.

Nightmare finish!

I took the boys to the driving range on wednesday. It was raining but they was still happy to go and there wasn`t too many people there. George was struggling with his consistency again after the good form of the last week or so. Ben had a good time and is trying to do the things hes been taught including to keep his left foot on the ground on his backswing. He also has a habit of looking behind to see where his club is on his backswing.
In the evening my friend came round and we a film called `Into the wild` which was quite sad but still a terrific film.
Last night I played nine holes with my friend, he played really well going round in 38 which is only 3 over par. I didn`t strike the ball too well generally but still scored well and had only took 41 coming to the last. Unfortunately I took a 10 at the last to finish with a 51. My friend said that I don`t always complete my body turn through the ball which means that I leave the clubface slightly open. I also don`t follow through when playing bunker shots. So these are things which I have to work on.
Hole..par..score
..1.......4........5...
..2.......4........4...
..3.......3........6..
..4.......4........5..
..5.......3........4..
..6.......5........7..
..7.......4........5..
..8......4.........5..
..9......4.........10.
.........35.......51

Virtual Round.

I went to the driving range at sidcup last night. I didn`t get there until about nine o`clock which is thelatest I`ve ever arrived there. There had been times in the past when I could have got up there at a similar but chose not to thinking it would be closing up. I was wrong, it was packed! They have bout 80 bays and I struggled to find one that was empty. Eventally I did find one and I was swinging the club pretty well again. I played a virtual round of golf with myself where I tried to play all the woods and irons in the order that I would at Bromley, it was fun.

Hold-em or Omaha?

Yesterday I left work with the intension of picking the boys up and taking them to the park or the driving range but unfortunately it was raining quite heavily so with the consent of their mother we postponed it until wednesday. I had intended to go up driving range myself after and then go for a run aswell but had to have a bit of a rethink because of the weather. I decided to have a quick game of poker on the internet which I haven`t done for a while. I found a tournament that was starting soon and with an entry fee of only $10. Unfortunately I had mistakenly entered a pot limit omaha tournament (I usually play texas hold-em), I have watched omaha being played on the television before and it`s similar to hold-em (in omaha you start with four hole cards instead of two) but I wasn`t sure which starting hands to play and which to fold and at one point a friend of mine called me on the phone and I totally misread my hand. I think I ended up finishing 17th out of 36 players which is reasonable for a first attempt. I may have another game at some point this week.
The rain subsided after a couple of hours and I went up the driving range after all. I was swinging really well. I then went to Hayes ceroc and had a pretty good night.

Rafa wins classic final.

Ive had a pretty good weekend. My boys stayed over on saturday night as usual and we watched an episode of `Hustle` with some microwave popcorn.

On sunday we popped to the driving range in the morning and George hit his 7 iron over 70 yards on more than one occasion, he was putting his right foot at an unusually wide angle but I didn`t want to tell him as he was playing so well. Ben was hitting the ball fairly well aswell and he behaved a lot better too.

After that I took the boys and one of their cousins to see `Kung-Fu Panda` at Greenwich cinema, it was a pretty good film which they all seemed to enjoy despite the usual trip to the toilet halfway through the film. I then took them to my brothers house to play with their cousins for a few hours before dropping them back at their mothers.

In the evening I had planned to go ceroc wth my friend but because of a rain delay the mens singles final was still going at wimbledon, we watched the end of it in `The Goose` with Rafa Nadal winning a classic final 9-7 in the 5th set.

New landmark

Ive reached a bit of a landmark tonight. For the last month or so Ive been doing mile long runs around where I live. It was fairly difficult at first, I`d abused myself in the last few months or so and I needed to change by lifestyle so one of things I chose to do was running. The last week or so it had become almost too easy just to run a mile so I knew that I needed to push myself a bit more sooner or later and today was the day. Ive got a route which is about 2.3 miles around where I live so I decided to give it a go. The last half a mile or so was tough (I was doing something I tend to do when I struggle which is using pedestrians as a motivation to keep going - ie saying to keep myself that Im gonna look like a real fool to that guy or girl if stop now) but I finished and feel really good about it right now. Im off to ceroc tonight at Park Langley, its gonna be a good night.

My goals for July.

Ive not really thought too much about my goals for this month but I would like to stick to whatever I come up with here because last month I got back into some bad habits. Maybe my first goal should be to stick to my goals.
Golf
To realise that the most important thing is to enjoy the game.
To try and hit my irons better and swing slower and smoother(ie a good tempo).
To get onto the green with some of my tee shots at the par 3s.
To drive the ball a little better.
To make at least 3 pars in one 9 hole round.
To improve my short game(ie putting and chipping)
To keep on developing my knowledge of the game
Ok, so I`ve really got into my golf lately.
Dancing
To always try to make sure that I have a good night.
To ask more `strangers` to dance with me
To be more chatty generally and mingle better.
To learn some more moves
Fitness
To run more often and further than last month and get up to running 2- 2.5 miles regularly
General
To be more tolerant with people
To tidy upstairs indoors

Good short game.

I played golf again tonight, I didn`t play that well to be honest but I had a really good night. It was more of a social game to be honest because the guy I played with is somebody that I hadn`t seen for about five years. Hes a real nice guy and a very good golfer aswell, he shot a 42 around Bromley golf course, I shot a lot more. we had a few drinks in the Harvester at Petts Wood after and he complemented me on my game which was very nice. He said that my short game was good and that my swing was a lot better than when we last played. I didn`t record my score but from memory -
Hole..Par..Score
..1........4........9..
..2........4........5..
..3........3........4.. .
.4........4........6..
..5........3........5..
..6........5........6..
..7........4........7..
..8........4........6..
..9........4........7..
...........35.......54
Thats not too good really is it? I hit my tee shot at the first into some dee rough and it took me four attempts to get it out. I was also scuffing a lot of my iron shots off of the ground so I need to work on my ball striking aswell.

Nice finish!

I played golf again yesterday and I played pretty good apart from a couple of holes in the middle on my round. I was 5 over par for seven of the holes but took a 7 at the short par3 5th and didnt even bother to record a score at the 4th where I lost 2 balls. I hit about 3 wild drives but chipped and putted well. I played the last four holes in only 2 over par which I was really pleased with.
Hole Par Score
..1.........4..........5...
..2.........4..........5...
..3.........3..........4..
..4.........4.........12..
..5.........3...........7..
..6.........5...........6.
..7.........4...........4.
..8.........4...........5.
..9.........4...........4.
.............35.........51
For arguments sake Ive given myself a 12 at the 4th though that is still probably a bit generous.
I watched a film called `Lucky Number Slevin` last night with my friend and I really enjoyed it, it was one of those films that didn`t quite make sense for the most part but all came together in the end. I recommend it.

Happy Gilmore.

I took the boys for a golf lesson on saturday morning which was very enjoyable.
Ben really struggles to concentrate for more than about 2 minutes and the coach had a tough time trying to show him anything. The 2 tips he did give to Ben were to - keep his hands together, and to keep his left foot on the ground on his backswing.
George gained a lot more out of the lesson, the coach showed him how to take a proper backswing, also to keep his hands together aswell(I should have noticeed that myself) and to widen his stance a little bit. George started hitting most of them much straighter and further and he was also maintaining his balance at the end of his backswing.
I worked saturday daytime in Deptford, in the evening the boys stayed over as usual and we watched a film called `Happy Gilmore` which they loved, its a comedy film based around golf.
On sunday I met with my cousin for a few drinks at a pub in Nunhead, hes moving to Ireland next week with his family which is a brave thing to do and I hope everything turns out ok.
Yesterday I took the boys to the range again and George done really well, hes even started to do some chipping. Ben was quite naughty but that is partly because he gets bored quickly and isnt aware of the danger that exists at driving ranges and golf courses.
When I got home I watched the end of the Murray /Gasguet match at wimbledon. Murray won in 5 sets in an absolute classic.

Drive for consistency!

My friend and I intended to go Sutton ceroc for a change last night but it didn`t quite work out like that. When we got to the venue there was only about enough room to swing a cat so instead we went to a pub in the town centre, it was still a good night.
I had a day off today and after a trip to Bromley I went to the driving range. I was trying to hit some straighter drives and it made a change to be able to take my time. After that I spent a lot of time putting and chipping but I still lack consistency.
I joined my friend in O`neills in Beckenham later on before we had a few games of pool and a couple of drinks in the Elmer Lodge. It was a good day all round.

Back to reality!

My golf returned to its usual standard today. I shot 48 last week, 58 this week which is frustrating. I was awful off tee, chipped badly and three putted two or three times(though I did leave myself a lot of long putts). On the plus side, I parred two holes, 2 and 8(I played 8 really well). I was just short of the green in 2 at the 1st and took a six, parred the second, bogeyed the 3rd. At the 4th I hit a good tee shot but then hit my second in the water, I then took a drop and hit my 4th straight across the green into the water on the other side, eventually taking a 9. I hit my tee shot in a bunker at the 5th and took a 8. At the par 5 6th I was just short of the green in 3 and took a 7. At the 7th I took a 6 but was a bit unlucky with my third shot. I played the 8th really well and managed a par. I lost my ball at the last and eventually ended up with 9.
hole par score
..1.......4......6...
..2.......4......4...
..3.......3......4...
..4.......4......9...
..5.......3......8...
..6.......5......7...
..7.......4......7...
..8.......4......4...
..9.......4......9..
..........35....58.

Super sunday.

I had a good day sunday with the boys, we started with the usual McDonalds breakfast (I really need to get them out of that habit) and then we came back home and they played the playstation3 whilst I tidied up. Our neighbour then kindly offered to take the boys to the park with his two boys to play football. After that we drove to my mum and dads for dinner.
In the evening my friend and I popped to the goose for a couple of hours (I had one eye on the Italy - Spain match which Spain won on penalties) before we came back to my house to watch a film called `The killing of John Lennon`, which turned out to be a very good film.
On monday I went to Hayes for ceroc and had a fairly good night, there was some nice people there and a quite a few dances.
Yesterday I got my fingers burned on the tennis, I had £40 on Mahut to beat tursonov at roughly 11/10 but unfortunately tursunov won in 5 sets.

Saturday practise.

I went to the driving range yesterday before work. I hit a lot of wedges to try and help with my distance control for shots around 40/50 yards. I also hit qiute a few woods and most of them were moving left to right as usual, I only skyed one ball. I also done a bit of chipping and some putting. I still need to practise getting out of bunkers. A little boy got hit in the face during the group lesson which they have every saturday morning but after quite a few tears appaently he was fine.
The boys stayed over last and we watched Star wars which Ben really wanted to watch. I also done some microwave popcorn for them which they loved.

Diet comes to a halt.

Ive lost just 3lbs in two weeks despite running about a mile virutally everyday, eating better and much less and hardly drinking. I can see now how people get frustated when they fail to lose much even with considerable effort and changes in their lifestyle. I will continue for another two weeks and then see where I am then. There may have to be a rethink.
I went to O`neills in Beckenham last night with my friend, it was a good night and there is a good atmosphere in the pub. They have replaced the karaoke with a 70s/80s disco which is a bit of a shame, I preferred the karaoke.
Tonight there is a freestyle ceroc night in Orpington called `Gazzabash` which should be a fun night. These occur once a month and the proceeds go to charity which is another good reason to make an appearance.

Well played maximus!

I played my friend at golf this morning and duly won. I played pretty well and shot a 48(9 holes) which was better than I expected but to be honest Mick didn`t play very well. I hit the ball farly straight and a bit longer than I am used, chipped well but putted poorly. I also took 2 to get out of a bunker(I genuinely have no idea how to get out of a bunker). Being positive again I did have 2 pars and had putts for a couple of others.

Hole yardage par score
1 .............267........ 4...... 5
2 .............272........ 4...... 4
3 .............159.... ....3..... 4
4 .............346........ 4..... 5
5 .............138........ 3..... 5
6 .............465........ 5..... 8
7 .............351........ 4...... 6
8 .............365........ 4..... 7
9 .............289........ 4..... 4
...............................35... 48

As you can see I struggle with the last four holes but that is something which I can improve. My putting can improve for sure and my bunker play really must get better.

I took the boys to the driving range last night and they had a good time. George hit the ball a bit better, theres a target at the yard point which I was trying to get him to hit and he managed to once. Ben is slowly getting out of the habit of standing too close to the ball and he hit some good shots too. We did a little bit of putting after but Ben was getting a bit bored by then so we didn`t stay too long.
I went ceroc last night but I was very tired and struggled to get into it, my friend loved it and she had a great time. Its quite a long drive on a week night so we may not go again for a while.
My bet for Euro 2008 Romania were eliminated last night after losing 2-0 to Holland so its back to the drawing board.

Game on!

I`m playing golf tomorrow with Mick from work, we usually play nine holes of matchplay before work. I think we played six times last year and I`ve yet to win though I was 3up through 3 holes once and still managed to lose. It would help if I could hit the ball further and chip a bit better. Maybe things will be different tomorrow, we`ll see.
I`m going to ceroc tonight at Inn on the Park and will definately dance tonight after last weeks sit out. I haven`t been ceroc for over a week now which is along time away for me.
Also my bet for Euro 2008 - Romania need to beat Holland tonight to guarantee qualifying for the quarter finals, Holland are already through and should play a weakened side so the omens are good.

The Goose

It was close, my friend wanted to go Penge ceroc last night and I sort of did too but we didn`t quite make it. The idea was too have a drink in the goose and then go to ceroc for just the freestyle which nomally begins at about 8-30 but then we didn`t fancy it so we just watched a film instead called`he was a quiet man` starring Christian Slater which was just about as bad as it gets.
I did another run last night and another this morning so the new fitness regime is starting to gain pace.

Communion party.

I did a mile run last night and another this morning, its starting to feel a lot easier. I didn`t really push it too much today and it felt good. I may try to push up a mile and a half and beyond next week.
I picked the boys up a bit earlier today and we went to my cousins daughters 1st holy communion party. I had a real good time and met a lot of family that I don`t see too often. My cousin and his family are moving to Ireland in about three weeks time and I wish them the best of luck. My uncle also came over from Ireland for the party and it was good to see him again too.

Motivation to run

I ran another mile yesterday but Ive barely lost 2lbs this week so I`ve got to try to keep motivated, this site should help.
http://running.about.com/od/motivation/tp/motivationtips.htm

Drink or dance?

I went to ceroc at Inn on the Park on tuesday but didn`t make the dancefloor. When we got there they played a couple of dodgy tunes which put my friend off so we just had a few drinks instead. The music improved to be fair and we later found out that it goes on until midnight which appealed to us aswell. First impressions can be deceiving so we will definately have to go again and dance next time too.

Putting game.

On tuesday I took my boys over thew driving range for an hour or so. They was both very well behaved which pleased me and for the first time in ages they hit all of the 50 balls. They didn`t even let me have a shot. George is still struggling with consistency but will be fine because he concentrates so much and thinks about what he is doing. Ben meanwhile continues to improve though his style is much more slapdash. We then went to the putting green and played a game where I would put the ball about 8 feet from the hole and the boys would try to hole out in 2 shots with George going first and Ben tapping in. I worked really well and they enjoyed it. Ive also ordered a book from amazon called teaching kids golf which will hopefully give me some fresh ideas aswell.

Lazy sunday.

Sunday was a lazy day for me, I just stayed indoors most of the day watching the tennis(Nadal destoyed Federer in the french open final) and some of the football(Austria v Croatia). I did managed to do another mile run as I did yesterday too.
In the evening my friend and I went to Penge ceroc. I had a pretty good night but didn`t have as many dances as I have had lately partly because I was a bit tired and also because the venue was very hot (they are getting some portable air con units in the next couple of weeks). The music was good as it usually is at Penge.
My tip for euro 2008, Romania drew their first match 0-0 with France yesterday though I`m not so keen on their chances now as they were very defensive in their approach.

Rochester danceathon.

After I finished work yesterday I did a mile run and the last half a mile or so was a real struggle but I didn`t stop. I currently weigh 14st10 and want to get down to about 13st7 in about 5 or 6 weeks time. I think that is an achievable target.
After that my friend and I went to ceroc at Rochester and I had really good night. The night started fairly slowly and the music wasn`t always that great, but my friend challenged me to dance with 15 people who I had not danced with before. I managed 12 which is pretty good for a shy guy like me and I probably did about 30 dances in all which is way above my average. All the girls I danced with were good fun and not too serious so all in all it was a terrific night.

Orpington Ceroc.

I forced myself to go Orpington on wednesday night but didn`t get there till about 10 o`clock which I regret because I need to do the intermediate routine more than I do in order learn more moves. I only danced with three girls who I hadn`t danced with before, then I went back into my comfort zone of dancing with girls that I know. This is something I need to overcome, especially at venues that I don`t go to so much such as orpington, but having said all that I`m glad that I went because I still had a pretty good time.
I`m going to Rochester tonight with my friend which has been good in the past so heres hoping for another good night.

Wednesday golf.

I took the boys to the driving range on wednesday. Ben behaved a lot better again so he is learning. We did a bit of putting first and Ben did really well, he knocked a couple of putts in from around 4 feet and couldn`t resist telling George that his putting was better George has become a bit inconsistent lately but once he gets through this he will be a lot better.
On the range Ben again performed really well, I was getting him to stand a bit further away from the ball and helping him line up the clubface. He hit some great shots of aroung 50 yards and straight. George struggled with his consistency partly because I feel that he swings the club too fast and loses control. But he has usually been the better of the two but lately Ben has come into his own which is good. They are away this weekend in Hastings with their mother so I won`t see them again untill tuesday. Hopefully they will have a good time.

My goals for June.

I feel that I need to reaccess my goals. Ive been fairly prudent in may apart from a couple of daft bets so the saving plan is still roughly on course. I expect to get a new car within the next month or 2. I didnt play much golf in may (in fact I still haven`t played on course since last year) but I did get to the range on a number of occasions. I still need to improve my social skills but whats new. Dancing wise I still have the odd spell where I struggle to ask girls to dance though its mainly those that I dont know. I also need to lose some weight, ceroc is supposedly a good way of keeping fit but isnt anywhere near as good as a workout physically. So I intend to run at least 3 miles a week. I cant think of anything else so my goals for june are currently -

keep on saving money
to play at least a couple of times on a proper golf course
to get out of my comfort zone and dance with more girls
maybe to learn few more moves
to run at least 3 miles a week
to have some new experiences

Double hustle.

I didnt go to Orpington in the end because work went on a bit longer than I expected.
I got involved in the tennis on friday having £50 on Andy Murray to win his match against some guy called Amagro - he lost.
In the evening I went to to Park Langley which wasn`t too bad and the dj was good.
The boys stayed over on saturday and we watched Britains got talent followed by a double dose of Hustle, my brother had told me to back the four girls with violins to win B.G.T at 6/4 luckily I didnt follow his advice cause he was well wrong.
On sunday I had to work but to the boys to my mums and hit some golf balls with them. In the evening I went to Penge ceroc which was a really good night and I had plenty of dances, the dj was on top form and hardly played a bad record.
Today I managed again not to have a drink and I also ran a mile, the plan is to run 3 miles a week!

Orpington tonight

I worked at deptford yesterday which was pretty mundane. After work I picked the boys up and they came to the driving range with me. Ben was a bit naughty again, I think he struggles with concentration. Funnily enough hes quite a good putter. The boys stayed over last night and we watched Hustle on dvd which they love. I may go Orpington ceroc tonight and hopefly have a better night than monday.
Todays motto is - live every day as if it were your last!

Penge is best!

I wnet Penge ceroc on sunday night and had a blinding night. For me Penge is the best ceroc venue because its feels that touch more friendly than the others. I didn`t miss that many dances and hardly had a bad one. I only had a couple of drinks aswell which is good for me. Afterwards I watched a film called `the others` with my friend which was a good film but a bit strange and didn`t totally make sense.
Last night I went to hayes ceroc which wasn`t nearly as good. It wasn`t that busy and some of my dances didn`t go too well.

Slimming cure?

Well Georgia didn`t win last night, Russia did. So my friend miscalculated but thats life. I took the boys to Bromley cricket club today for the match against the Bunbury team. The Bunbury side included Sam Fox(who still looks great!), Perry Groves, Paul Davis and Kenny Sansom(all ex Arsenal) and Devon Malcolm. Also in attendence were Lloyd Honeyghan, Paul Merson and Paul Elliott. We had some food and there was a compere telling some decent gags, my favourite being-

The best thing I`ve found for slimming is sun-dried raisins. It says on the packet to try tossing over `cereal`. Ive not lost any weight but I haven`t missed breakfast for 3 months.

Come on Georgia

I went ceroc last night with my friend at Park Langley and I had a good night. I had quite a few dances by my standards and I don`t think I had a bad one.
Today my friend talked me into backing Georgia for the eurovision song contest at 66-1. The singer was born blind, spent quite a few years in a refugee camp and is singing a song about peace. There must be only one winner!

Camber return?

I took the boys to the driving range again yesterday. George was hitting some great shots and the ball was going regularly over 60 yards on the fly. Ben was hitting the ball well too but he struggles with concentration probably because of his age. While I was giving Ben a bit of a pep talk the pro watched George play a couple of shots and he told George to widen his stance, George virtually done the splits which wasn`t quite the idea.
I went out to Patricks in Beckenham with my friend for a couple of drinks last night and she wants to go back to Camber Sands for the Bliss weekend in November. She had a really good time at the weekend so were going to provisionally book it up.

`69`

Well the weekend at Camber went pretty well. There wasnt as many people from the Kent area as there was at the bliss weekend in October which was a shame. I did a couple of classes on the saturday and had more of a relaxed sunday. The highlight of the weekend was the saturday night caberet which began with the karaoke winner from the bar the previous night. No expense spared eh! We didnt get back till about 3am on monday morning which meant that monday was a tough day for me.
Me and my friend won the doubles competition in our local snooker league last night and I also won the highest break prize with a 69. The guy presenting the trophies said it had been a long time since I`d had a 69!

Camber weekender!

Me and my friend are going to Camber Sands tonight for the Viva Las Vegas ceroc weekend. Ive been on a couple of these before and they`re pretty good. Hopefully it will be a good weekend.

Driving range hints

I found some tips on the internet for practising on the driving range.

When you get to the driving range start off hitting your short wedges then work up from your 9 iron through your lowest iron. This will help you find your swing and loosen you up. Studies show that wedges and irons are the clubs that help you score better scores so you definitely shouldn’t neglect them at the range.
Once you’ve warmed up with your irons and you are comfortable with your swing, take a few swings with the driver. Analyze how you hit the first couple balls. If you notice that you’re slicing or hooking the ball, use this time to practice techniques that will help you fix these problems. (Earlier, we posted videos that will give you advice on fixing your slice or your hook).
Don’t just mindlessly hit all of the balls in your bucket. Pretend you’re actually on the golf course and pick specific targets for each of your shots. This will help you determine the range and accuracy of each of your clubs so the next time you are on the course you will have a better idea of what you are capable of with each of your clubs.

I also found this great site. http://www.eatgolf.com/Videos.php

Good boys

I took the boys to the driving range yesterday and they behaved so much better after a lecture from their dad. I can be quite intimidating to a 4 year old! Ben hit the ball a lot better and was concentrating more than he normally does. George is getting his backswing more like the golf coach told him to and he cracked a couple of shots about 60 yards. I hit about 10 balls myself and hit them much better, when I just try to swing slow and smooth I hit the ball better. We had about half an hour up the park after aswell it was a good night.
I played some nine ball pool after with a friend and that was fun too. He aspires to be one of the best players in the croyon pool league. We will follow his progress.
While I remember my boys enjoy playing this horseracing game and they,ve got me into it too.
http://www.fetchfido.co.uk/games/r/racehorse.htm

Good Party.

I enjoyed my nephews 5th birthday party and the boys had a good time. My old man decided to tell me how fat I apparently am, I`m gonna have to start jogging again. I went ceroc in the evening at Penge and had a good night. Unfortunately the girl that does the lesson was taken ill and had to go to the hospital. Hopefully shes ok now.
I went to the driving range yesterday and hit 50 balls, I was awful. I practised putting after too which I`ve not done before. I`ll do some chipping next time too.
Last night we had the cup final in the snooker league which we won 3-0 and I didn`t even have to play. So thats the league and cup double for us.
Ive done a bit of tidying up on the front garden but theres still more work to do.
I watched tvam this morning and someone on there asked `when was the last time that you done something for the first time`. That will be another of my goals, to have more new experiences.

Nephews party

I went ceroc on friday night at Park Langley, it was ok but the dj wasnt that good. He played some weird tunes which were difficult to dance to.
Yesterday was a pretty dull day. I was working in sidcup and then my boys stayed over last night.
I took them to the driving range too and the youngest one really played up.
Today I,m taking the boys to my nephews 5th birthday party. It will give me a couple of hours to myself, I will try and tidy up the garden.
Tonight I`m going ceroc at Penge with my friend, its usually a good night.

My goals.

I think it is time to explain what my goals are. A friend of mine is an nlp practitioner and she feels that it is always important to have goals, I agree. I feel that it gives a person a direction in their life.

So currently these are my goals. -

To save up a certain amount of money by the end of the year. Iam about a quarter of the wa there but slightly behind schedule.
To open up a trust fund for my 2 sons.
To have more holidays ths year
To keep my house and garden tidier
To buy a new car

Golf
To shoot under 45 round bromley golf course
To improve my short game
To par a par 5

Snooker
To make more centuries and maybe even a 147

Had a good night!

I took the boys up the driving range last night, my youngest son has improved quite a lot lately though I wish he was a bit more patient. My oldest son is pretty good for a seven year old but hasnt quite got the hang of cocking has wrists on his backswing. I`ll take them for a lesson on sunday.
My friend came round last night and we watched a film called Mr Brooks which was a bit far fetched but pretty good all the same.

106 break!

The final of the snooker was simply too one sided to be true so I went to lewisham to play snooker with a friend. I didnt play particularly well but my action was a bit bit smoother towards the end and I managed the first century in a while which was nice. I still haven`t given up making another maximum. I chatted with my fiend on the phone later on and she told me how rarely I smile. I must work on that, funnily enough I still smile much more than I used to.

Lucky day!

Great news! Bury won 2-0 so Ive banked a nice few quid and still had enough left to have £20 on Romania for the European Championships @ 50-1. I didnt go golf with the boys in the end, instead we went to a pub which had a play area and they ran around whilst I had a couple of wkd`s which went down very nicely after the Bury result. Tonight I`m gonna watch the semi-final of the snooker, Perry v Carter. Its 12-12 at the moment and should have an exciting finish.

Day off!

What a relief. Im picking my boys up at 4 and they are staying tonight. We will probably go to the driving range and hit some golf balls. They like that.
Ceroc was ok last night. It wasnt that busy and I was struggling for a dance for the last hour or so.
Bit of a betting coup today, Bury to beat Accrington. Thousands of pounds going on bury so Ive joined in myself hopefully they will win.

Thoughts for the day.

Im at work till about 8 today and then I`m going to Rochester for ceroc with a friend of mine. Shes driving, Im drinking. Not a bad deal eh?
O`Sullivan is murdering Hendry in the snooker, hes 10-4 up and has won the last nine frames. hes just too good.
Ive been a bit of a devil and had £2 on Stephen leaney at 500-1 in the Wachovia golf and hes only 3 shots off the lead. Miracles do happen sometimes.

Betting philosophy.

You cant win at gambling, certainly not by punting anyway. When you lose, you need more money. When you win, most people increase their stakes to win more money. I know this but I have to have some sort of bet, I`m surrounded by gambling all day long for gods sake! So I just stick to betting on the lotteries. There are two daily lotteries in betting shops called 49s, plus you can also bet on the irish lottery on wednesday and saturday nights. I also bet on the national lottery twice a week, in total I lay out £22 a week. I only need to get all 6 once for a guaranteed million and anytime before the age of forty will do.

I always do the same numbers

4, 7, 13, 33, 35, 36

Don`t say I never told you so!!

About me

Im a 36 year old man who works as an assistant manager in a betting shop in the Kent area. My hobbies include golf, watching sport, watching films either at the cinema or on dvd and going to ceroc. I have 2 boys aged four and seven who stay with me every weekend.
Why Maximus you may ask? Well gladiator is one of my favourite films.