This past Labour Day weekend I was luckily enough to head up to the cottage but the weather prevented me from doing anything fun.  I was stuck in doors most of the time and with no internet, cable and with just a shit first generation xbox up there. I was hurting for something to do.  

It was late Saturday night and we have just finished playing a game of balderdash ( I told you I was hurting for something to do).  As I laid in bed trying to get a wifi signal for the 10th time I remembered that I had Portal on my PC.  

As I was booting the game up, I recalled where I left off.  It was at chamber 18 and for the life of me I wasn't able to beat it.  For about an hour I played this level and no matter what I did I couldn't complete this chamber.  This was about 2 months ago.  What hope did I have of further progressing in this game when I don't even remember the controls.

So here I was, facing this challenge and on the second try I completed the chamber and I was on to cake.  I couldn't believe it!  I flew through the level with ease!  I have the level complete before I even started the chamber.  

Now as a hardcore gamer you know you have had these mind over gaming actions where after some time apart from the title you were able to go back and crush the game.  

The first time this happen to me was when I first played Earthworm Jim.  It was the time challenge on the underwater where you had a 99 second to complete the maze.  Again I couldn't accomplish it if my live depended on it.  Sure enough when I got the game for Christmas, I beat the whole game before my parents were up to notice I opened all my gifts.  

These are gaming moments.  This is why I game.