When I turn to my blog on a Friday there is a usually a feeling of some achievement, no matter how minor, hanging around. Tonight I begin writing this Friday evening, with an empty feeling inside. At the beginning of the week there was a burden of expectation to get a bucket load of work done. Instead work drifted away and I never truly applied myself to the best of my abilities. Yes I was slacking, I freely admit. The motivation has gone somewhat as I find myself struggling to focus on the numerous tasks at hand plus concentrate on the constant influx of calls. Perhaps this sounds silly in 21st Century but I wanted to earn my Bank Holiday and the extra day in bed. Weeks go by quickly and I will soon find myself in May. I was actually looking back through my archives to what I did last year. Amazing how reading a few lines from a posting brings it all flooding back, taking you back in time better than any DeLorean running at 88mph could do.

Heard the Mission Impossible 3 (or M:I 3) theme this week, via a preview on a web site. It sounds good, different. I look forward to hearing the actual song to go with the movie (if Mr. K. West has gone as far to include such a track). Listening to the song on Tuesday evening, made me think of Arsenal in the Champions League. You could almost put together a clip montage of moments when we were almost out of the competition, only to turn it around in the last minute. Consider our opening game, at Highbury against FC Thun. We were drawing 1-1 but Bergkamp came up with a magic goal seconds from the final whistle. Breathtaking football, little did we know how crucial that goal and more importantly win would be. Arsene constantly talked about how important it was to get off to a good start and win the group. Which we did. However I think after getting past one of the less challenging groups, nobody gave us a change against Real Madrid and from then on we have been running on pure self-belief. There are two players that have played a pivotal role in the Gunners success, both of whom have had their critics in the past. Gilberto, a rock ahead of the defense, cutting out major defense unlocking passes and keeping the player makers, Nedved and Riquelme at bay. Then we go for the hero of the hour, Jens Lehmann. Perhaps after this season the rest of the country will consider him a great keeper, although his temperament still is questionable. The German must be doing something right for the Guardian to include an entry on their News Blog. Our Champions League run, which has taken us all the way to Paris is nothing but extraordinary. The record 900 minutes of clean sheets is mind blogging, considering some of the soft goals we have leaked on the road in the League this season. May 17th, the days when heroes are truly born. As commentators always say, making it to the final is just part of the job, you have to win the trophy, as history remembers the losing finalists second. My own hope is that Dennis Bergkamp gets a final swan song at the peak of the European club game. It is what his long career deserves. He is perhaps my favourite all time Arsenal player, actually footballer in general, particularly having seen him score against Switzerland at Euro 96.

All the talk of M:I 3, means I have just booked tickets for myself and the rest of the family to go and watch the movie next Friday at Vue, Reading. I am really looking forward to the film, particularly as Cruise is one of my all time favourite actors. All the trailers have looked fantastic and it will be the highlight of my summer cinema viewing. In reality there is nothing else I am really looking forward to seeing this year, even though there are some great movies coming out. They are so great in fact I cannot think of a single title to include in this entry. Summer starts here then, with so much to look forward to over the next few months, sun, sea and football. Would more could you ask for? A Panini sticker album? My Dad left one on my desk this afternoon as I came home from work.