Life Tokens

I have decided i am a firm believer in the "token gesture". Especially when playing sports.

I'm not much of a sporty person myself. I don't specialise, I don't support any teams, and stay strictly mainstream, but you will often, from time to time, see me playing football, basketball, my martial arts....even cricket, which i don't like much. No matter what sport i play however, i always seem to do better in Defense, and here is where the "token" defense comes in. Say you're playing basketball, or football, and your on defence, and this guy is coming at you with the ball. Now, for whatever reason, you know this guy is gonna get it by you some how, hes just better then you, but you go in and you make a challenge anyway. Why? Because you're still getting in the way, and you're still forcing him to change his plans. Hopefully, change them enough so that someone much more skillful then you can sweep in and make the tackle.

Same can be said for gaming. I'm a gamer myself, not one of those super-gamers, who make a living out of it and everything, but i play a (Un)healthy amount of games. It's what Uni is for, but say you're playing...Halo, and your in a team, and you find yourself against an enemy, who you know is better then, you still throw yourself at him/her because a) you may just kill them and b) even if you don't you've weakened them enough for someone else on your team to come along and finish them off.

Speaking of Halo, we've finally hooked up my brother to Xbox Live, and we are enjoying it big time. I never thought Halo 2 could be so much fun online, and whats better, not everyone is a super-freak at the game. Of course, on the downside, me and my brother have uncovered some disturbing racial undertones of the game: If you were to explain to a newcomer, how exactly to play Halo, you would simply tell them this: "Kill anyone who is a different colour to you". In a team game, which is always the "Red" team vs the "Blue" team, it subtly teaches combatants the art of racial cleansing. Now there's a cheerful thought.

Started the countdown until Uni-day, I can't believe how quickly time is flying, and i didn't even get any summer romance in. Never mind.

Filling In

I went to the Dentists today, not the most thrilling experience in my life I can tell you. Don't really like going to the dentist, mainly because i can think of so many other things I'd rather spend my time doing. Also, being 19, I now have to pay £15.90 for every check up, which sucks major wong. Can't even get a student discount. Still, I get to sign my own form now. My brother also came for his check-up, but he can't sign his form, because under-18's aren't deemed to have the mental capacity to use a pen in such an official manner.

Today's visit held a nasty surprise, which came in two phases. Phase one: After poking around in my teeth for all of 2 minutes, he subtly pronounced "you need a filling". I was a little perturbed, but not overly shocked. Phase 2: I noticed the sign saying that i needed to pay £43.60 for it. Now that was shocking.

The worst part of it is i can't refuse treatment. I can't say "Thanks, but no thanks". It might be a little pretentious, but I seriously have no problem letting my tooth collapse in on itself, if it means i save £43. It's not like it's going to kill me anyway. Apparently you get stricken off the NHS register for refusing treatment, aka Blackmail.

Suspiciously enough, my brother (who eats just as much crap as me, and didn't even bother having braces) doesn't need a filling. I have a theory that, upon turning 18 (and thus being required to start paying) several fillings and other assorted dental ailments will suddenly pop up, out of nowhere. Only time will tell.

Wish me luck for tomorrow. Operation "Fill-it" will commence at 14:00 hours. I wonder what will hurt more, the filling of my tooth, or the needle needed to make sure i don't have to feel the filling of my tooth.....