During a weak moment the other day I bought a new Playstation 2 game. I ummed and arred over this because I have it on good authority that JJ is getting some other video games for his Playstation this christmas but I gave in. It was a toss up between The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon and the new Crash Bandicoot game but JJ chose Spyro.

It’s a two player game so we’ve already wasted more hours than we probably should have on the game. I justify it to myself by saying that we’re on holidays and this is the sort of thing you’re supposed to do, spend time in front of a screen trying to figure out how to kill all those baddies.

Because it is a two player game we have to work together and we have huge arguments about where to go next and what to do next, but when it comes to the crunch, ie defeating those baddies, the teamwork effort comes to the fore and we triumph. Well usually.

And it helps having another mind on the game so when the generation X one fails, the seven year old one comes through. Yesterday Spryo and Cynder were in the enchanted forest. We’d found the key, unlocked the orb thingies to get to the raft to do the rescue and for the life of us couldn’t figure out how to get the damn raft moving. One dragon (Spyro or Cynder) could grab hold of the raft but not both of them. We tried one and two player mode and still nothing worked.

I’d just come out to the kitchen to look on the internet to try and solve the problem while JJ played around and he found out how to do it. Because these dragons can fly, one dragon was anchored to the raft and the other dragon flew and dragged the raft along. They dragons are anchored to each other by a line and the line only stretches so far.

I don’t know that I would have the patience to have figured this out myself, not without leaving the game for some time, but JJ figured it out. Clever boy.

When we finished the game Spyro: A new beginning I found that fairly frustrating because it wasn’t always clear where you had to go and it happens here too. I think something should be built in, some sort of timer, so that if you’re lost and have been lost for some time a clue comes up, or an option for a clue is available.

My other frustration with this game is that the two dragons look very similar in colour so when they are fighting the baddies it’s hard to tell which dragon you are in two player mode.

It’s a playstation free day today because we have other things to do around here like prepare for family on christmas day.

I’ve spent the morning waiting over half an hour just to buy prawns and then spent some time driving around the supermarket carpark to get the last bits and pieces I need for tomorrow.

And I feel really down today. Yesterday a friend rang at midday to invite me to drinks last night with them and some mutual friends who are in town. Drinks would be at their place but I wasn’t allowed to take JJ even though he would be in bed. It made me feel really unwanted and unloved. I know my son would have been no problem and I didn’t really see her problem with it.

Then I found out that another friend had a party recently that I wasn’t invited to. I’m not a really close friend but they did come to a party I had and we live fairly close to each other and get on very well. Again I felt really unwanted and unloved. It’s hard to switch off from these feelings and it’s not how I want to spend a couple of days that are supposed to be fun.

My posting frequency will be very light on here over the next couple of weeks so enjoy your holidays everyone.