The Info Backstage

ESPN takes its’ show to Reliant Stadium in Houston where the Chiefs and Texans will collide. Kansas City is priced as a 6.5-point favorite and the posted total is hovering at 44.

Despite a triple digit advantage in yardage, the Chiefs wound up on the short end of a 14-3 final at Buffalo last weekend. The setback dropped Kansas City to 5-4 (SU & ATS) overall, but just 2-3 (SU & ATS) when away from Arrowhead.

Meanwhile, Houston was given the unenviable task of playing the undefeated Colts at the RCA Dome last week. The Texans were outgained by 210 yards in the 31-17 loss, but kept close enough to grab the green as a 17.5-point underdog

The result dropped Houston to 1-8 (SU) overall, while improving their record against the number to 4-5 (ATS) overall. In fact, it was the hard-trying Texans third consecutive pointspread win. Nevertheless, “Houston, we have a problem” protecting the quarterback, as Carr has been sacked 46 times in nine games.

The Texans feeble attack manages just 13.8 points and 215.9 yards per game. This has Houston ranked second to last in the NFL in both total offense and passing offense, as well as 30th in points scored. And losing tackle Todd Wade in last weekend’s loss to the Colts is not going to help matters.

So are the Chiefs an automatic tonight? Hardly. Sure they are the superior team, but they are shouldering a lofty pointspread despite having lost three in a row on the road.

Moreover, Houston’s record is a bit misleading due to a ridiculous schedule. The Texans have faced four teams with two losses or less (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Seattle and Indianapolis twice!).

Good luck with your bets tonight!

William Foote is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League.
Read all of his articles at http://www.procappers.com/William_Foote.htm

10 Easy Steps to Speed Up Your Computer – Without Upgrading

By Jim Shutes
Lapeer Tech Group

It seems that the longer you own your computer, the slower it gets! A lot of people will keep their computer until it gets so slow that they feel they need a newer, faster model. Some feel like the reason it is getting slower is because it is getting older, when that is just not the case. Your computer should run just as fast as the day you brought it home – if you follow these 10 Easy Steps to Speed Up Your Computer.

1. Empty the Temp directory regularly. After a short while, the temp directory fills up with hundreds of temp files that always get scanned over when Windows starts up and when programs launch. This slows everything down immensely.

Rule of thumb for Temp Files: If you don’t have any programs open (and nothing minimized in the bar below), then you shouldn’t have ANY temp files in your temp directory. If you do, delete them.

To delete Temp files, make sure NO programs are open, and…

a. In Windows 95, 98 or Me, go to C:WindowsTemp and delete everything inside the Temp folder.

b. In Windows 2000 or XP, it is a little trickier. First, make sure that you can see hidden folders. Double-click My Computer. Click on the Tools pull-down menu, and then on Folder Options. Click on the View tab. Scroll down and click on Show Hidden Files and Folders. Click Ok. Now you can go to the C:Documents and SettingsAdministratorLocal SettingsTemp folder. Delete everything here.

2. Empty the Temporary Internet Files regularly. To empty Temporary Internet Files, go to your Control Panel and double-click the Internet Options icon. Choose to Delete Cookies, and to Delete Files. This will clear all of your Temporary Internet Files.

3. Check your hard disks for problems.

a. For Windows 95, 98, or Me, double-click My Computer. Right-click the C-drive and click on Properties. Click on the Tools tab and choose to check the computer for problems. If you choose to do a Thorough Scan, this will do the hardware check for physical disk damage or sector damage. Choose to fix any errors it finds.

b. For Windows 2000 and XP, double-click My Computer. Right-click the C-drive and click Properties. Click on the Tools tab and choose to check the computer for problems. Click on Check Now. You will then have two check boxes. The top option is for the file check, and the second option is for the hardware (physical disk) check. Check either one, or both. At least check the top one. Hit ok, and reboot. This may take some time, but let it run.

4. An even more thorough disk check, would be to use a 3rd party utility. One of my favorites is TuneUp Utilities 2004. It does cost $39.99, but they do offer a FREE download trial of 15 days. This program does a really good job of fixing software and physical hard drive problems. It also tunes up your system for increased speed, and streamlines your operating system for peak performance. Download it HERE… http://www.lapeertechgroup.com/downloads.asp

5. Or, you can do a few of the performance tweaks yourself, if you have Windows XP. By default, EVERYTHING is turned on in Windows XP. It isn’t very streamlined for performance, but rather for appearance. You can turn off a few of the unnecessary features, and Windows will still work just fine, and maybe a little faster.

To do this, right-click on My Computer and click on Properties. Click on the Advanced tab. Under the Performance section, click on the Settings button. On the Visual Effects tab, you will see a list of check boxes. By default, these are all on. You really don’t need any of them for Windows to run. Go through the check boxes one by one, and determine which ones you can and can’t live without.

6. Turn off Active Desktop. Active Desktop turns your desktop into a web page, and allows you to have things like a real-time calendar, and up-to-the-minute weather or stocks. These are nice, but really slow down your computer. And even if you don’t use Active Desktop for anything, just having it active can cause a performance decrease. Turn it off.

a. In Windows 95, 98 and Me, right-click on the desktop and in the pop-up menu, choose Active Desktop. Inside that option, uncheck Active Desktop. If there is no check next to it, then it isn’t on. Don’t choose it. Instead, just click the desktop again to get out of the menu.

b. In Windows 2000, right-click on the desktop and in the pop-up menu, choose Active Desktop. Inside that option, uncheck Show Web Content. Again, if there is no check next to it, then it is not on. Do not check it.

c. In Windows XP, right-click on the desktop and in the pop-up menu, choose Properties. On the Desktop tab, choose Customize Desktop. Now, on the Web tab, make sure that there are no websites chosen here. If there aren’t any, then Active Desktop is not on. Cancel and go back to the desktop.

7. Install and run a good AntiVirus program to keep out viruses that can take over your system. One of my favorites is AVG. It is not only a really good AntiVirus program, but it is also FREE! If you don’t have any AntiVirus software on your computer, get AVG AntiVirus NOW by downloading HERE… http://www.lapeertechgroup.com/downloads.asp

8. Get rid of Spyware. A lot of computer users have Spyware and don’t even know they have it, much less how to get rid of it. If your computer has been taking you to websites that you don’t want to go to, or if you get pop-ups when you aren’t even on the Internet, or if your computer has been running extremely slowly lately, for no reason, you probably have Spyware.

On all of the computers that I setup, I install two different AntiSpyware programs: AdAware SE and SpyBot. These two programs are highly recommended by TechTV (G4) and other computer authorities (including my own research on Spyware) and work very well together. They compliment each other and catch Spyware that the other misses, but together, do a very good job.

Get SpyBot HERE… http://www.lapeertechgroup.com/downloads.asp. Download all updates and run the Immunize option a couple of times.

AdAware SE does a good job when you keep up on the updates and manually scan your system with AdAware. Get it HERE… http://www.lapeertechgroup.com/downloads.asp

In some cases, when the Spyware has become too entwined into your system, even a computer repair technician can’t get rid of the Spyware. At this point, it is better to just backup only what you need and have the operating system reinstalled. Believe me, when your computer gets to this point, you don’t want to just put a “band-aid” on it. Just start from scratch with a clean system. It’s the best way to go.

9. Streamline MSCONFIG. One thing that really causes a HUGE performance decrease is to have unnecessary programs running in the background. Some of these programs can be seen in your System Tray (located next to the clock). These are tiny programs that are robbing you of memory and processing power. Some of them you need, while most you don’t. Some of the programs you DON’T need are printer icons, CD burning icons, shortcuts to programs (such as video settings), AOL, any Instant Messaging Programs, etc. Just because these programs aren’t always running, doesn’t mean that you still can’t print, burn CDs or Instant Message. They can all be run from a shortcut.

You can use a utility, called MSCONFIG, to turn OFF unnecessary Start Up items.

a. In Windows 98, Me, and XP, click on StartRun and type msconfig. Click on the Startup tab. This is a list of everything that is running in the background, some of which show up in the System Tray. Now, be careful, some of these you do need. Some items to keep are Ctfmon.exe (XP), Scan Registry (Win98, Me), Task Monitor (Win98, Me), System Tray (Win98, Me), LoadPowerProfile (Win98, Me), Rundll.32, any AntiVirus programs (such as McAfee, Norton, or AVG). Others, you can uncheck, such as NeroCheck, ypager, qttask, AOL, and any other Instant Messaging programs, or printing programs. Remember, if something doesn’t work, because you turned it off, it can always be turned back on. You just have to reboot every time you make a change here. But, as you uncheck the unnecessary programs that run in the background, you will see that Windows loads much faster, that there are less icons in the System Tray, and that your system is much more “snappy” and quick to respond.

b. In Windows 2000, MSCONFIG wasn’t supplied. You actually have to download and run an MSCONFIG utility. Download the MSCONFIG utility HERE… http://www.perfectdrivers.com/howto/msconfig.html.

After you reboot, you will have a window that says that the configuration utility was edited. Just check not to show that in the future, a check box at the bottom. This just means that there was a change made to the MSCONFIG.

10. Defragment your hard drives. NOTE: to efficiently defragment a hard drive, it likes to have 25% free space. It can still do the defragmentation with only 15% free space, but it takes quite a bit longer. If you can, delete any unnecessary files before deframenting your drives.

a. To defragment your hard drives (in any Windows operating system), double-click on My Computer. Right-click on the c-drive and click on Properties. Click on the Tools tab and choose the bottom button, to Defragment Now…

Good luck. I hope this article has helped you. If you live in the Lapeer County, MI area, and would like a Professional professionally TuneUp your computer(s) in your home or business, please contact Lapeer Tech Group at (810) 793-1093, or visit our website at www.LapeerTechGroup.com

About the Author

I have worked in the IT field since 1989 and hold several Microsoft certifications. I am a network administrator and owner and operator of Lapeer Tech Group, located in Columbiaville, Michigan (just outside of Lapeer). During these years, I have supported both Macs and PCs, am an accomplished graphic and web designer, and have had the opportunity to support 2nd and 3rd level enterprise networks for GM, EDS, Delphi and Delco.

After the video production is ended the editing segment commences. Typically editing control units remain on the whole with the editing studios and the technically competent specialised professionals chip in high levels of creativeness for the duration of the editing task. Traditionally at some stage in the editing assignment the positive sections of the video footages are labelled & surplus sections are got rid of. There is numerous useful software that are in high demand for this specific job. The aim of the video is analyzed and subtle amendments are made as well. Audio clips and background music are also made use of through editing process. There is in addition Special Effect Generators (SPG) which makes the elected clips even more eye-catching. Several of the corporate businesses offer the footages & the editing services.

Today several video production and publishing companies operate to satisfy business objectives of different corporations. Besides corporate presentations, videos are also utilised to preserve valuable events of life for example weddings, birthdays, special celebrations; summer holidays and so on. Handy video cameras with digital chips are nowadays widely available on the market. Short films have turned out to be fairly fashionable in addition to being very educational and humorous. In fact videos allow people to relate better to the topic than any other form of online communications. If you are looking for a company that specialises in corporate video production in London then look no further than Vidify.

Today, a number of people are setting up video production companies as demand of these types of agencies are rising. It is also feasible to get lots information from the World Wide Web regarding video production just with some mouse clicks. The rise of online video market has assisted the expansion of commercials & to develop eye-catching commercials, a highly regarded video production business is needed. Online videos play a vital part in execution of business campaigns & nowadays online video marketing is a well-liked idea with the World Wide Web users. As a result, across the globe video production plays a main role.

Whether you hit the ball 200 or 300 yards adding an extra 10-15 yards to your driver gives any player confidence, and a distinct advantage over the competition.

The majority of instruction that we deliver is based upon customer feedback. Customers email us consistently with a breakdown of distance per club. They also provide where they would like to get to; usually 10-15 yards increase off the tee and on their approach shots.

The following tip is suggested to players who want an easy to implement way to generate extra distance off the tee. I don’t recommend this set-up from the fairway or around the green, but should give you and extra 10-15 yards off the tee. In the full swing DVD we gave you a section that focused on the driver, but as we all know there is more to learn. We are in the process of creating an entire DVD on the driver and successfully getting off the tee. But until then here is a tip that will help you add extra distance off the tee!

The following is a simple breakdown including different ways that power and distance is generated in our golf swing (I want you to understand what generates power):

Solid Ball Contact: Not on heel or toe.

Hand Rotation through the impact zone.

Weight shift through the ball.

Follow-Through position: This is more of a check point. Club face up at follow-through = less power. Club face down at follow-through = more power.

The Problem

Lack of distance off the tee.

The Solution

I am going to teach you a modified set-up that will allow for maximum power generation. Typically players that have a slight draw generate more distance than players that hit a fade, so this set-up will put you in a position to hit a draw. This is also true for players on the tour (other than Tiger who can hit a 320 yard high fade). The following are steps to modify your set-up in order to allow for maximum distance:

Go through your normal set-up routine. Always remember to bend at the hips and not the stomach or waist.

Close your stance: Move your trailing foot back so that the toes are parallel to the middle of your leading foot.

Put a little more weight on your front foot: Instead of 50/50 you’ll have 60% on your leading leg and 40% of your weight on your trailing leg. Essentially you’ll almost be leaning a little forward at set-up.

Knee bend stays the same and then simply take your normal swing, focusing on really shifting your weight and otating your hands through the impact zone. (We do advise you to shift your weight forward through the ball, but we DO NOT advise a weight shift back and away from the ball in your backswing.)

These modifications place your body in a very powerful position at set-up.

Again please only implement this set-up off the tee. You can try it with your irons on the practice range, and if you see amazing results then play around with it on the course, but please don’t change your entire set-up for the irons.

Kyle Hallberg and David Nevogt write golf instruction material that helps golfers of all levels reach their full potential and lower their scores. David is the author of “The Simple Golf Swing” which guarantees to have you shooting 7 strokes lower in only 1 week from today. You can find more of his golf instruction by going to http://www.golfswingguru.com.

We continue with playing golf and Rick’s story. It could be and will be your story. The principles and ideas you will learn about playing golf will affect your score for the better from this moment forward. Because we are not changing your swing, there is no chance for you to score higher than you do right now. There is more than a real good chance for you to score lower today and for the rest of your life. And the fun thing is that you didn’t have to change your grip to shoot your lower scores. Yippee!!!

Let’s now continue with the ideas that will lower your scores.

What Rick said is true. The Concept Golf way of learning how to play golf is for all levels of golfers, from the beginner to the Tour Player. You can benefit from these principles at your current playing level. The ideas in this book will immediately open your thinking to how to play the game of golf and have lower scores.

You can become a good golfer. Good doesn’t mean better than your neighbor. It means making pars, some birdies and shooting in the 70’s, maybe lower sometimes.

This book was written to help you improve your golf game, and consistently score lower, by making you a better player of the game. This book will reveal to you exactly what you need to do to become a good golfer. The ideas in this book will change your approach to the game — your game — and how you think about the game. You will shift your focus from the swing to playing the game. This book is not about the golf swing. This book is about playing the game — and knowing how to do it well.

You don’t have to be a great ball

striker to be a good player.

Be aware of these two traps: First, that “fixing” your golf swing will make you a par golfer; second, that you have to be able to hit mostly good shots before you should consider learning how to play golf. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The swing is one of golf’s tools. You should learn the foundation for your swing in a couple of hours. Most golfers think they will improve their golf game and shoot lower scores by “fixing their swing problems.” They think getting a swing lesson will fix everything.

Fixing your swing MAY help your game improve for a period of time — or it may not. At best, fixing your swing will result in a short term improvement in your game. BUT, by trying to fix your swing, you do run the risk — and it is a real risk — that you may do serious and permanent damage to your game and ability to score. It probably seems counterintuitive that trying to fix your swing may cause irreparable damage rather than fixing your golf game — but it is the truth. Many tournament winners on the PGA Tour have tried to fix or improve their swings after they have won — with disastrous results.

Concept Golf’s five swing principles were covered in detail in Golf Can’t be this Simple-The Swing, and they will be reviewed in this book. That review will be our only peek into the swing. Instead, we are going to help you become a better golfer by addressing the playing of the game and how to think like a professional. We are not going to get bogged down by the swing. I am going to define your goal and the goal of this book as helping you to become a par golfer. You should expect to shoot par for 18 holes more often than not. If this goal initially seems unrealistic and hard to accept, I encourage you to read the entire book, then make your decision.

Isn’t the swing supposed to be the most important aspect of your golf game? Many of the very best don’t seem to think so. Byron Nelson doesn’t have the classic swing, yet his 1945 record-low scoring average of 68.33 held for 55 years. Arnold Palmer’s swing isn’t a classic, but he won many tournaments and several majors. The list of winners who do not have classic swings can go on and on; Billy Casper, Fuzzy Zoeller, Ray Floyd, Billy Joe Patton, and so on.

The swing is just square one of the game of golf’s matrix. The wrong aspect of the game has been emphasized for some time. To a fault, traditional golf instruction has focused on the mechanics of the swing with the assumption that the swing is the only key to the game. Very little is actually said about how to play golf.

The second trap is that you must be a good shot maker to be a good player. You don’t have to be a great ball striker to be a good player. You certainly don’t need a picture-perfect swing to be a good player. You don’t need the latest high-tech equipment to be a good player. But you do need to know how to play the game.

You must change your thinking
if you are to become a par golfer

Playing golf is not a science, it’s an art. There are not hundreds of rules you “must” follow in order to play well. It is not a science that allows the golfer to choose the right club to have the shot end up exactly next to the pin more than occasionally.

How you think is everything. You express what you think – what you hold as true and real – be it wrong or right, false or true. Your golf swing reflects your concept of the swing. Your golf game reflects your concept of the game. Watch your thoughts very carefully.

This book will give you ideas that will change how you think about playing the game. These idea may actually get you thinking more about playing the game than about fixing your swing. That, in itself, would be a revolution for many golfers today.

You must change your thinking if you are to become a par golfer. You will change your thinking about yourself, the game, what’s important, and what’s not important. I will teach you how to plan each round, each hole, and every shot.

Golfers have gotten away from playing the game of golf and instead are in search of the “perfect” swing that will deliver the perfect shot every time. We have stopped asking, “What is the right shot?” and “What shot will make the next shot the easiest one?”

The questions I hear these days are, “How does my swing look?” “Am I holding my hands right?” “How can I hit it 300 yards?” and “Where did you get that driver?” There is little thought about the strategy of playing the game.

Knowing how to play the game is important — far more important than how to hold the club or how to make a backswing. Are you ready to learn how to play golf and consistently lower your score, forever? Read on!!

Palmer ….On Winning

“Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to is.” -Arnold Palmer, golf legend

John Toepel is a Veteran PGA Tour Player, instructor, author, and professional speaker. He is also the discoverer of Concept Golf, the quickest way to immediate, life-long lasting improvements to anyone’s golf game. To learn more about Concept Golf, including the most comprehensive golf instruction system ever, “The Concept Golf Perfect Shot Making System”, please visit http://www.conceptgolf.com/PSMS.htm and Discover the Par Golfer in You!

Pagan Parenting: Spiritual, Magical and Emotional Development of the Child
Author: Kristin Madden
Trade Paperback, 312 pages
Publisher: Llewellyn
Publication date: November 2000
ISBN: 1567184928

More Information:
http://www.ecauldron.com/cncbook.php?asin=1567184928

Neo-Paganism has come of age. When I first became a Pagan in the 1970s, very few Pagans I knew had children. This quickly changed, of course, as people started forming families, both traditional and non-traditional. Unfortunately, only recently have books aimed at helping Pagan parents raise their Pagan children been published.

In her deceptively short book, Pagan Parenting, Kristen Madden covers the basics of raising a child in a Pagan home. She provides games, exercises, and rituals for children of all ages and their parents to help a child develop his or her psychic and magickal abilities. Most are simple and easy for a young child to understand (shielding as being inside an egg, for example) and are designed around a child’s attention span.

While these activities are what the back cover blurb stresses, there is a lot more to this book: material that may actually be more useful and important to many parents. The chapter on the family covers things you will not find in standard books on families, such as communal and polyamorous families and families where parents are involved in alternate sexual lifestyles. The chapter on communities discusses Pagan communities, including things to consider when going to Pagan festivals with your children. This book helps parents answer a number of tough questions that generally aren’t answered — or even considered — in mainstream books on parenting. Unfortunately, some topics like deciding whether or not to homeschool, are given less attention than they probably deserve.

One thing I really like about this book is that the author doesn’t try to tell parents what they should be doing. Unlike so many books I’ve seen on raising children, the author of Pagan Parenting doesn’t have the one perfect child-raising system to sell the reader. The author doesn’t come across as “The Expert” lecturing parents on the “proper way” to raise their children. Instead she comes across as a friend presenting ideas and discussing methods other Pagans have used in particular situations.

I’d recommend this book to any Pagan with children or thinking of having children. It provides a thoughtful general overview of being a Pagan parent and raising a Pagan child in a Pagan family. It will not give you the answers, but it will give you ideas and activities. Most importantly, this book will make you think about your responsibilities and the decisions you are making from a Pagan perspective. Thinking about such things is something I think all parents should do.

This review is one of hundreds of reviews of Pagan, Wiccan, occult, and metaphysical books in The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum’s Books and Reviews section at http://www.ecauldron.com/bookstore.php.

About the Author

Randall Sapphire is the founder and co-host of The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum ( http://www.ecauldron.com/ ), a popular Pagan Interfaith web site and message board. He is also an editor at The Cheap Web Hosting Report ( http://www.cheapwebhostingreport.com/ ) and webmaster for a number of other sites.

Metaphysics refers to the branch of philosophy that seeks to address all things Universal whether it is divine, cosmic, spiritual, or human. Ultimately, those who study metaphysics seek to address how we play a role in this continuum. It addresses those things perceived to be hidden.”

To that end, many institutions including seminaries, universities, schools of metaphysics, and the like have found it necessary not to make the teachings of all metaphysics available to the everyday individual. This exclusion technique is designed to keep the study of metaphysics “mystical and hierarchical.” So, where does that leave you?

Limited…you are limited to the few books published by Success Philosophers, Cosmologists, and Success Coaches. These authors may write something as vague as your thoughts produce the things in your life. However, they do not explain the metaphysics involved. They do not explain how .energy follows thoughts. They do not explain how .thoughts steer our lives in specific directions. Unfortunately, the most hidden of all branches of Metaphysics is Metaphysical Success

Philosophy or what is referred to as the Philosophy of Abundance. Why is it the most hidden branch of Metaphysics–because, most of the world’s governments and nations have become capitalistic societies. In order for capitalism to work, you must have two groups the haves and the have-nots.. You must have people who are in debt. You must have a large demand in order to have a large supply.

If everyone received Abundance Training, then there would not be the large gap between the haves and the have-nots. In fact, many of our issues involving poverty, homelessness, debt, broken homes, and broken families would be eliminated because people would have the tools to live in Divine Flow of wealth, success, financial freedom, love, devotion, and optimal health.

The governments of the world make their money from our poor health, debt, and struggle to “just get by.” Liberation comes with knowledge.

Now, because of the great demand in the desire to live abundantly, some Success

Philosophers and Psychologists have capitalized on this demand. Instead of providing teachings and trainings in Abundance, they now offer books, tapes, lectures, and workshops on .Behavioral Economics. While this subject has helped a few people who are in debt and earn about $100,000 annually, it is not inclusive of everyone. Behavioral

Economics are for people who have a substantial income but can’t seem to manage their money.

Abundance Training is much more empowering. It is about enriching the whole-self.

You are not affected by the conditions of the economy or limited because you don’t already earn a 6 figure salary. Your ability to increase your wealth, live in abundance, and have financial freedom is based on your understanding of Universal, Cosmic, and Spiritual Laws that govern the “flow “of wealth, success, love, devotion, financial freedom, and optimal health. Abundance Training teaches you how to operate in divine flow of this energy.

Wealth, money, success, love, health it is all energy. Once you know how to operate in the flow of that energy, you have the ability turn the unmanifested into the manifested. You can access intelligence of substance as it works to bring our true desires to fruition.

About the Author

Carmellita Brown is an Wellness and Success Coach. She is the instructor of the Online course “Abundance Training 101: The Universal Law of Abundance” available at: http://universalclass.com/i/crn/14056.htm and the online Course “Lose Weight While Becoming a Wellness Coach” available at http://universalclass.com/i/crn/9478.htm.

One of my great passions in life, if you could call it that is playing snooker. I became interested in snooker from watching players like Alex Higgins and Jimmy White in the 1980s.

At the age of around ten, I was bought a small five foot snooker table for Christmas. It was probably one of the best Christmas presents I was ever bought. I would seemingly be never off this little snooker table and would invite some of my friends round to also play.

When I was twelve, I joined a snooker club with a close friend of mine and we started to play on the full size snooker tables. The tables looked so massive and suddenly the art of playing snooker became that much harder.

My first aim was to get a break of ten, which was then followed with a break of twenty.

I became quite obsessed and some would say quite sad, as whenever I had any spare time or spare cash I would go down to the snooker club to practice. I would even practice their on my own. My ultimate goal was not to become a professional like my idols, Higgins and White but to achieve a break of one hundred.

I entered many tournaments with mixed success, I probably won twelve minor local tournaments. I also joined a league team and played on most Wednesday evenings during the snooker season.

At the age of twenty seven after playing snooker on full size snooker tables for fifteen years I finally managed to score my first one hundred break. A week later I managed to get another one hundred break, a bit like the buses hey!

I must admit my determination has now started to wane and even though I still love to play snooker, I have not managed another one hundred break since.

About the Author

Stephen Hill has a couple of websites at http://www.internet-webdesign.co.uk and at http://www.lasik-laser-surgery.co.uk.