This is the first blog I have ever written, and I'm not much

of a writer, so bare with me as I pop my blog virginity.It's

the thanksgiving holiday so I thought now would be a fitting

time to cook up something to talk about for a blog. I've got

plenty to be thankful for, and plenty to talk about.

 For the holidays I took a short road trip back to my parents

house to spend time with them for awhile. It's nice to get

back and get spoiled with free food, one of the few luxories

I had when I was younger. Back when being a gamer was much

easier, when my mother spoiled me with home cooked meals,

and when she would take care of laundry and there were no

bills to worry about. Those were definitely times to be

thankful for.

 That was back before there was Left 4 Dead and the only game

I hammered hours apon hours into was counter-strike. I used

to play with a team named GUE, and I would design maps that

would be used on our server. I was close with everyone on

the team and the people within the community. I considered

them all as my second family. I never played competitively

in CS though, but I had mean accuracy.

 Left 4 Dead was the first game I had ever played

competitively, or really considered competing in. I started

playing the day the game was released and was instantly

addicted. I quickly started my own team and our first event

we competed in was CAL. CAL died very quickly after a few

matches, but it was the starting point for me in competitive

scene for L4D. From there on I was determined to become a

top player and be known in the community. The team I had

started eventually fell apart, and I was left teamless and

alone. My hopes of becoming a good well known player seemed

grim, but I wasn't about to give up. I was determined to

show the community what I was capable of. I got into as many

scrims as I could to get my name out there, hoping I could

get the attention of some of the higher tier teams and

players. Then one night I caught a lucky break. Team Area 51

needed a 4th for a match and invited me to come play. Fool

had known me previously when he was trying to put a team

together again. He had tried me out and liked what he saw,

so he recommended me to the guys and I ended up being

recruited. This was my chance to make a name for myself.

Since then we had proven ourselves to be a worthy adversary,

and I had established a reputation within the community.

One thing I'm thankful for this thanksgiving is having the

opportunity to be apart of Area 51.  Area 51 has helped me

to succeed more in Left 4 Dead, and I proudly wear the 51 tag.

Hope everyone had a good thanksgiving, pz.