Bowling with the boys

Though I use the word boys in it's loosest possible sense. :-)

Last Wednesday night Vern, Lamont and I went bowling. It had been getting toward time I did some blokey stuff again so I sent out an email almost begging for blokey stuff. Buoyed up by my semi success the other night at bowling with the family it seemed to be a good idea to suggest that perhaps this time, rather than meet at a local bar, we go bowling. You can combine the two experiences; copious beer and bowling.

By coincidence, Vern had posted on his Phoenix meetup site[^] a suggestion that maybe this week was a good week for a get-together. Combine that with bowling and we had a winner.

So up I fronted, to find Vern already ensconced in the bar with a pitcher of beer. You have no idea how difficult it was for me type 'pitcher' there. It's a jug of the amber fluid and don't you forget it! Halfway through my first beer Lamont arrived, carrying his own bowling ball. Vern revealed he had his own ball and it was about that time I realised that I'd been snookered. These buggers have years of experience bowling.

We cope. I don't remember the frame by frame breakdown but I came last in each of the four games. Not by much come the last game though that may have more to do with the fact that, whilst I enjoy a drink, I don't drink much if I have to drive. Vern, knowing that I would drive him home, was not so limited.

About three frames into the first game Vern asked me the killer question. 'How are you aiming the ball'. I had to confess that I wasn't aiming it at all; trusting more to luck than to skill. He pointed out the dots on the player part of the alley and the arrows on the ball's part of the alley. Well bugger me drunk! I'd never noticed em. Suddenly it all fell into place.

After that I found it much easier to actually aim that ball at the target. I still guttered a few times but I also managed to Brooklyn a couple of strikes! Indeed, in the last game (in which I still came last), I got two strikes to Vern and Lamont nill.

We're bowling again next week. Oh the pressure!