Stupid blogger, lost my post so I have to type it all over again. Grrrr
I hosted my first poker party in my new basement pub room and learned a couple of valuable lessons.
First, despite the basement being normally cool, if you put 7 guys in a closed in room with no air circulation it will get quite warm and muggy. I'll break out the fan next time, not sure why I didn't think of that, other than it might have been the beer...
Second, no more stupid "non-poker" games that take three hours to play and have dumb start-over rules. No more, not again, not in my house. We will play poker, which shall be limited to hold 'em, stud, draw, maybe even a badugi, but no more 4-toed pete and up your giggy. I had already banned in-between the sheets but I should have gone farther and I apologize to the rest of you that suffered through those idiotic games.
Saturday we went down to IKEA in Shaumburg, IL to pick up some more shelving for the basement and we also hit Nordstroms since we don't have one here. I picked up a new robe from there (how exciting) and some cool shoes from the Clarks store.
What a pain driving in Illinois is. Everyone is in some sort of emergency on the freeway where they must drive 80+ mph despite the construction signs stating 45 mph and minimum $375 fine. I swear they're asses must be on fire. The other horrible thing is the tolls. They have a new system where if you have an IPass you can drive right on through without stopping, but if you have to pay cash, you sit in a line for 15 minutes waiting to pay your 80 cents, dollar or $1.60. And of course, no sign telling you how much this next one will be, you don't know till you get to the booth, then start digging for the change. I'm getting a pass next time.
Yesterday was the start of hockey season again. We started slow as we normally do and despite dominating play the first 2 periods we could only manage one goal. We gave up 5 in the 3rd to lose 6-1, but beer was good afterwards regardless.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Round 2, no 300 this time
I found out that many teams in the company bowling league don't bother to send out a request for subs so I just showed up at the lanes and found a team looking for a sub right away.
The lanes weren't quite as forgiving as last time at the place where I had the 300 and I struggled in the first game, not quite able to get in a groove. The 2 lanes were completely different and I couldn't get it quite worked out.
I managed to throw a 202 the first game. I seemed to get it going better in the 2nd game, starting with the first 7 strikes before succombing to a solid 10 pin in the 8th. I finished with a 258 and continued more of the same in game 3 for a 246 and a 706 series, lowering my average 10 pins from 256 to 246, hahahaha.
With the effect my average had on the team handicap we were lucky to win the 2nd game. My new teamates chided me that we won the one game I bowled my average. I like the league, some nice guys and since it starts at 4:30 and is only 3 man teams, I'm done by 6, so less likely to get much grief from Cdubya.
The lanes weren't quite as forgiving as last time at the place where I had the 300 and I struggled in the first game, not quite able to get in a groove. The 2 lanes were completely different and I couldn't get it quite worked out.
I managed to throw a 202 the first game. I seemed to get it going better in the 2nd game, starting with the first 7 strikes before succombing to a solid 10 pin in the 8th. I finished with a 258 and continued more of the same in game 3 for a 246 and a 706 series, lowering my average 10 pins from 256 to 246, hahahaha.
With the effect my average had on the team handicap we were lucky to win the 2nd game. My new teamates chided me that we won the one game I bowled my average. I like the league, some nice guys and since it starts at 4:30 and is only 3 man teams, I'm done by 6, so less likely to get much grief from Cdubya.
Finally, a winning night
After what was probably 6 weeks in a row of losing, we finally won at bowling last night. We won all 3 games, including a good come back in the 10th of the first game.
The Dude and Soup carried us with 616 and 592, respectively. I struggled a bit and shot 630 (226, 194, 210).
Friday night I will be hosting my first poker night in the new basement pub room. All seven guys from the bowling team will be there. Should be fun, I loaded up the mini-fridge with about 40 beers of 6 different varieties. Hope that's enough. The Badger hockey team is playing Boston College and it's on Fox Sports North so I'll have that on the big screen while we're playing.
On Saturday we'll be heading down to Shaumberg, IL to visit IKEA. I have some wood shelving from there in the non-finished part of the basement and want to add a couple sections to it so I can finally start putting all my crap away. Their prices are good and everything is super easy to put together. It's always a fun store to wander through.
I was planning to skip golfing this week, after last weekend's painful episode. But now I'm thinking I might play 9 holes tomorrow afternoon. Looks like the sun might be coming out and it should be near 50. Haven't decided yet.
Watched Lost after bowling last night. We learned a couple more things. 1) The others are not on the same island! and 2) Ben (leader of the others) has a serious tumor on his spine and Jack is most likely there to operate on him (since, of course, he is a spine surgeon).
The Dude and Soup carried us with 616 and 592, respectively. I struggled a bit and shot 630 (226, 194, 210).
Friday night I will be hosting my first poker night in the new basement pub room. All seven guys from the bowling team will be there. Should be fun, I loaded up the mini-fridge with about 40 beers of 6 different varieties. Hope that's enough. The Badger hockey team is playing Boston College and it's on Fox Sports North so I'll have that on the big screen while we're playing.
On Saturday we'll be heading down to Shaumberg, IL to visit IKEA. I have some wood shelving from there in the non-finished part of the basement and want to add a couple sections to it so I can finally start putting all my crap away. Their prices are good and everything is super easy to put together. It's always a fun store to wander through.
I was planning to skip golfing this week, after last weekend's painful episode. But now I'm thinking I might play 9 holes tomorrow afternoon. Looks like the sun might be coming out and it should be near 50. Haven't decided yet.
Watched Lost after bowling last night. We learned a couple more things. 1) The others are not on the same island! and 2) Ben (leader of the others) has a serious tumor on his spine and Jack is most likely there to operate on him (since, of course, he is a spine surgeon).
Monday, October 23, 2006
That's enough golf for me
Saturday was the Ice Cube open at Door Creek golf course and it lived up to the name. Starting at 9:45, it was raining and about 43 degrees, but it wasn't horrible. No wind and the rain wasn't hard so no big deal. I still wasn't playing that well though. Unfortunately on the back nine the temp dropped and the wind picked up and the rain started coming down harder. By the end the wind chill was about freezing and I was a soaked puppy. In fact, the last 2 holes I couldn't even hang onto the club. On my drive on 17, my driver flew out of my hands about 40 feet while my ball went about 100 yards to the left. After that I was so worried about losing the club I could barely swing. Ended up shooting 103, but I did win a free foresome to Foxboro in the drawing afterwards. I think golf season is over.
Saturday night was bowling. Didn't do too badly, shooting 703 (218, 249, 236). Then we left to go to dinner and it was snowing! After dinner, it was snowing so hard I could barely see the road, kept staring at the flakes flying at me... we ended up getting almost 2.5" of snow, most of it melted though. Yesterday was just plain cold but warmed up enough to melt the rest of the snow. I guess we skipped fall and went right into winter already. Gonna be a long, cold, miserable winter. I'm going to need to take a trip south soon.
Tigers and Cards split the first 2 games of the world series with the Cards roughing up Justin Verlander in the first game and Kenny Rogers continuing his post-season magic with 8 shutout innings last night. But... the big controversy is, what did Rogers have on his hand in the first inning? To me, it looked like pine tar. He said it was a "clump of dirt" and he washed it off when he noticed it. The umpires and his own manager said that the umpires told him to wash it off. Rogers said no one said anything to him. Why lie about that? Is it really an issue if you're not cheating? And why didn't the Cardinals players insist that the umpires check him? They should have checked his hat, glove, sleeves, etc after they saw the substance. And if they found anything he should have been ejected. Of course, with a clean hand he pitched 7 more shutout innings so it's probably not a big deal.
Here's a picture, courtesy of ESPN, that shows his hand from last night and from game 3 of the ALCS. I see a brown spot both times. How come no one noticed this before?
Here's the picture (game 3 alcs on left, last night on right):
Saturday night was bowling. Didn't do too badly, shooting 703 (218, 249, 236). Then we left to go to dinner and it was snowing! After dinner, it was snowing so hard I could barely see the road, kept staring at the flakes flying at me... we ended up getting almost 2.5" of snow, most of it melted though. Yesterday was just plain cold but warmed up enough to melt the rest of the snow. I guess we skipped fall and went right into winter already. Gonna be a long, cold, miserable winter. I'm going to need to take a trip south soon.
Tigers and Cards split the first 2 games of the world series with the Cards roughing up Justin Verlander in the first game and Kenny Rogers continuing his post-season magic with 8 shutout innings last night. But... the big controversy is, what did Rogers have on his hand in the first inning? To me, it looked like pine tar. He said it was a "clump of dirt" and he washed it off when he noticed it. The umpires and his own manager said that the umpires told him to wash it off. Rogers said no one said anything to him. Why lie about that? Is it really an issue if you're not cheating? And why didn't the Cardinals players insist that the umpires check him? They should have checked his hat, glove, sleeves, etc after they saw the substance. And if they found anything he should have been ejected. Of course, with a clean hand he pitched 7 more shutout innings so it's probably not a big deal.
Here's a picture, courtesy of ESPN, that shows his hand from last night and from game 3 of the ALCS. I see a brown spot both times. How come no one noticed this before?
Here's the picture (game 3 alcs on left, last night on right):
Thursday, October 19, 2006
No Repeat
It's become fairly apparent that not all bowling alleys treat you the same way. After bowling one week at a different house and shooting my first 300 ever, coming back to our normal lanes was a nice slap in the face. No consistency in the shots, oil evaporates at an incredible rate and the shot just disappears if you ever found it to begin with.
I thought I threw the ball fairly well but just couldn't get anything going. Never had more than 4 strikes in a row and added a couple huge splits in the 3rd game. Ended up shooting 644 (213, 222, 209) which doesn't seem bad but I really wanted a lot more. The 3rd game was ridiculous. I started out with the first 4 after moving a board left from where I ended the 2nd game. By the 5th frame I had to move another board, then another and another. By the end I was shooting what I normally would shoot to cover a 6-pin. It's a joke. No wonder hardly anyone shoots a 300 there.
On the other hand, the other house is too easy. Another 300 there last night and they have more 300's than any other in the area. Isn't there a compromise somewhere in between?
Ok, enough of my bitching. The Mets beat the Cards to force a game 7 tonight. I think the Cards should have the edge with their pitching... wait, did I just say the Cards have a pitching advantage???? That hasn't been true all year but Suppan was awesome in his last outing and the Mets go with Oliver Perez who has been horrible all year and is going on 3 days rest. What is Willie Randolph thinking? It's ok, I want them to lose anyway, so, way to go Willie!
Cards/Tigers start on Saturday night.
I watched Lost when I got home last night. Still not telling us anything other than there's still a polar bear out there. Of course, they show highlights for next week that make it look like it will be really exciting. I'm sure it will turn out to be more of the same and I'll be disappointed again. Seriously, I'm about to drop this show from my rotation. There are so many excellent shows now, why do I have to put up with this?
Ok, back to work. I'm still waiting for an email from someone needing a sub for bowling tonight. Hopefully someone is sick. Well, not that I want people to be sick... it's just that... uh, I'd like to bowl again.
Later!
I thought I threw the ball fairly well but just couldn't get anything going. Never had more than 4 strikes in a row and added a couple huge splits in the 3rd game. Ended up shooting 644 (213, 222, 209) which doesn't seem bad but I really wanted a lot more. The 3rd game was ridiculous. I started out with the first 4 after moving a board left from where I ended the 2nd game. By the 5th frame I had to move another board, then another and another. By the end I was shooting what I normally would shoot to cover a 6-pin. It's a joke. No wonder hardly anyone shoots a 300 there.
On the other hand, the other house is too easy. Another 300 there last night and they have more 300's than any other in the area. Isn't there a compromise somewhere in between?
Ok, enough of my bitching. The Mets beat the Cards to force a game 7 tonight. I think the Cards should have the edge with their pitching... wait, did I just say the Cards have a pitching advantage???? That hasn't been true all year but Suppan was awesome in his last outing and the Mets go with Oliver Perez who has been horrible all year and is going on 3 days rest. What is Willie Randolph thinking? It's ok, I want them to lose anyway, so, way to go Willie!
Cards/Tigers start on Saturday night.
I watched Lost when I got home last night. Still not telling us anything other than there's still a polar bear out there. Of course, they show highlights for next week that make it look like it will be really exciting. I'm sure it will turn out to be more of the same and I'll be disappointed again. Seriously, I'm about to drop this show from my rotation. There are so many excellent shows now, why do I have to put up with this?
Ok, back to work. I'm still waiting for an email from someone needing a sub for bowling tonight. Hopefully someone is sick. Well, not that I want people to be sick... it's just that... uh, I'd like to bowl again.
Later!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Going for 2 in a row
Back bowling tonight for the first time since the 300... I'm assuming now that I have one I should be able to do that at least once a week now. :)
And I'm going back to Arby's tonight as I finally will have time for dinner before league. I haven't been this excited to bowl in a long time. Probably going to be way too jacked up to bowl.
On the hockey front, I got drafted by my friend Bill again. Season starts a week from Sunday (and goes through the end of April!). Should be a pretty decent team though there's a few new guys I don't know, hope they're good! At least we'll always have good beer after the games, since Bill only drafts people that will bring good beer.
Really busy at work, better get back to it.
Later
And I'm going back to Arby's tonight as I finally will have time for dinner before league. I haven't been this excited to bowl in a long time. Probably going to be way too jacked up to bowl.
On the hockey front, I got drafted by my friend Bill again. Season starts a week from Sunday (and goes through the end of April!). Should be a pretty decent team though there's a few new guys I don't know, hope they're good! At least we'll always have good beer after the games, since Bill only drafts people that will bring good beer.
Really busy at work, better get back to it.
Later
Friday, October 13, 2006
No Arby's = 300?
Ok, so maybe Arby's has nothing to do with bowling... I subbed in a company league last night and shot my first ever 300 game.
Bowling at lanes I haven't bowled at since I was 18 in juniors, I struggled to find the shot during warmups. I kind of muddled through the first 6 frames but found it late and had the last 6 strikes for a 248. It just kept going in the 2nd game until I found myself in the 10th with it going. First 2 balls I wasn't nervous and they were perfect shots. I started shaking on the last one though. The hit was light in the pocket and everything mixed well but the 8 pin was still standing for about 4 hours it seemed, but the other pins ganged up on it and knocked it backwards. What a relief, only took 33 years to do it! :)
I ended up blowing a chance at 800 with an open in the 7th frame of the 3rd game and shot 222 for 770.
Phew!
Bowling at lanes I haven't bowled at since I was 18 in juniors, I struggled to find the shot during warmups. I kind of muddled through the first 6 frames but found it late and had the last 6 strikes for a 248. It just kept going in the 2nd game until I found myself in the 10th with it going. First 2 balls I wasn't nervous and they were perfect shots. I started shaking on the last one though. The hit was light in the pocket and everything mixed well but the 8 pin was still standing for about 4 hours it seemed, but the other pins ganged up on it and knocked it backwards. What a relief, only took 33 years to do it! :)
I ended up blowing a chance at 800 with an open in the 7th frame of the 3rd game and shot 222 for 770.
Phew!
Thursday, October 12, 2006
No Arby's = Bad bowling
Well, I did it. Skipped Arby's in favor of drinking a few Guinness at the local sports bar for a co-worker's 40th bday. I knew it all along, I was gonna bowl bad. Maybe I talked myself into it, maybe not, but I had my worst series of the season with a 589. The lanes were great but I couldn't do a damn thing.
Maybe it was mixing Guinness and Smithwick's. I gotta quit doing that, I get the worst headaches the next day. Tonight is a retirement party at an irish pub after work, I think I'll just stick to Guinness.
The weather has changed for the worse. High of only 38 today after mid 20's over night and a light dusting of snow. But, I still have a tee time for Saturday morning. Looking like a high of 50 so it will be bundle up time. I like fall golf, fewer people out usually (unless it rockets into the 70's at which point the courses are packed) and it's not hot. Not a big fan of 95 degree golf, saps your energy.
Until tomorrow...
Maybe it was mixing Guinness and Smithwick's. I gotta quit doing that, I get the worst headaches the next day. Tonight is a retirement party at an irish pub after work, I think I'll just stick to Guinness.
The weather has changed for the worse. High of only 38 today after mid 20's over night and a light dusting of snow. But, I still have a tee time for Saturday morning. Looking like a high of 50 so it will be bundle up time. I like fall golf, fewer people out usually (unless it rockets into the 70's at which point the courses are packed) and it's not hot. Not a big fan of 95 degree golf, saps your energy.
Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Mental Health Day
Monday I complained about needing longer weekends and Tuesday I decided to do something about it. I called in sick and slept till 8am, which for me, is like others sleeping till noon.
I relaxed, watched tv, played video games and just recovered. I knew Monday night heading home that I couldn't go through another day like Monday. My brain completely shut down. The guy I was mentoring was suffering because I couldn't do anything right. Better that he didn't have me around if my brain was going to misfire that badly.
Caught up on some tv last night too. Watched The Nine which was awesome. Also caught Friday Night Lights and Boston Legal. I didn't bother watching the tivo'd Smith I had as it's been cancelled already. I did watch Kidnapped, though it's been moved to Saturday's so it's probably on it's way out too.
So today I'm back at work and the brain seems to be firing on all cylinders again and it's bowling night... I'm a little nervous about bowling tonight. Cdubya made lasagna last night (awesome) but stated we'll be having it again tonight. I informed her that it's Arby's night but she insisted. I told her it will be her fault if I bowl poorly (it's never my fault, duh).
Later...
I relaxed, watched tv, played video games and just recovered. I knew Monday night heading home that I couldn't go through another day like Monday. My brain completely shut down. The guy I was mentoring was suffering because I couldn't do anything right. Better that he didn't have me around if my brain was going to misfire that badly.
Caught up on some tv last night too. Watched The Nine which was awesome. Also caught Friday Night Lights and Boston Legal. I didn't bother watching the tivo'd Smith I had as it's been cancelled already. I did watch Kidnapped, though it's been moved to Saturday's so it's probably on it's way out too.
So today I'm back at work and the brain seems to be firing on all cylinders again and it's bowling night... I'm a little nervous about bowling tonight. Cdubya made lasagna last night (awesome) but stated we'll be having it again tonight. I informed her that it's Arby's night but she insisted. I told her it will be her fault if I bowl poorly (it's never my fault, duh).
Later...
Monday, October 09, 2006
Weekends should be 4 days
I could really use 2 more days to recover from weekends. Seems like I get to work on Monday morning totally beat in need of some serious sleep.
This weekend started out with golf from hell on Friday afternoon. Half hour delay then 5 hours and 15 minutes to play 18, waiting on every hole. That took a toll on me.
I get home expecting to veg and watch tv to find out that Cdubya has been thinking about painting the kitchen and dining room and we should go get paint right now. Great, that's all I wanted to do... so that done, we grab some dinner, then I get to veg...
Saturday morning comes and it's game time. I wake up at 3:30am so I won't miss my ride at 8:30... makes total sense... 9:00 rolls around and I've put down a big bloody mary and we're over to the tailgate party and drinking till game time. Badgers have a blowout by the 3rd quarter so we head back to the tailgate and drink for another couple hours.
I roll in around 3:00 to find Cdubya has painted half the kitchen/dining room. Now, I'd like nothing better than to throw myself onto the couch and take a little nap but we all know that's not going to happen while she's working so I head to the basement where I half work, half zone out for 90 minutes and then we have to go bowling. Around 8:00 I realize I haven't eaten anything since 8am... we go out for dinner at the outback where it takes us about 45 minutes to get a table. Finally, I eat and feel half normal again. Time to go to bed...
Sunday rolls around and it's now time for me to finish the painting she started. Oh joy... that takes forever then I come to find out that our rug under the table doesn't match any more and we must have another one right now.
Needless to say I fell asleep at 9:30 and woke up this morning dead to the world... why must we go to work on Mondays?
On the bright side, it's supposed to snow later this week...
This weekend started out with golf from hell on Friday afternoon. Half hour delay then 5 hours and 15 minutes to play 18, waiting on every hole. That took a toll on me.
I get home expecting to veg and watch tv to find out that Cdubya has been thinking about painting the kitchen and dining room and we should go get paint right now. Great, that's all I wanted to do... so that done, we grab some dinner, then I get to veg...
Saturday morning comes and it's game time. I wake up at 3:30am so I won't miss my ride at 8:30... makes total sense... 9:00 rolls around and I've put down a big bloody mary and we're over to the tailgate party and drinking till game time. Badgers have a blowout by the 3rd quarter so we head back to the tailgate and drink for another couple hours.
I roll in around 3:00 to find Cdubya has painted half the kitchen/dining room. Now, I'd like nothing better than to throw myself onto the couch and take a little nap but we all know that's not going to happen while she's working so I head to the basement where I half work, half zone out for 90 minutes and then we have to go bowling. Around 8:00 I realize I haven't eaten anything since 8am... we go out for dinner at the outback where it takes us about 45 minutes to get a table. Finally, I eat and feel half normal again. Time to go to bed...
Sunday rolls around and it's now time for me to finish the painting she started. Oh joy... that takes forever then I come to find out that our rug under the table doesn't match any more and we must have another one right now.
Needless to say I fell asleep at 9:30 and woke up this morning dead to the world... why must we go to work on Mondays?
On the bright side, it's supposed to snow later this week...
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Hanging the House
Bowling night last night. Always a good time but we finally hung the house* for the first time last night, meaning free drinks for the team! It was the first time our first 4 bowlers have all struck in the same frame this year (5 weeks). They were all brooklyn strikes (wrong side) too, which made it pretty funny. Of course my strike was perfect as usual. :) Only downside was we did it in the 10th frame of the last game so we were FORCED to stick around later to drink up.
Unfortunately, we only won 1 game but it was a blowout game so we were able to hang on to win total pins and went 3-4. We're sitting in the middle of the standings, not peaking too early.
I had a 640 to keep my average at 214. Lowest of the season so far is 610. I'm hoping to try to stay over 600 all year but I think it's probably impossible. Unfortunately for Cdubya that means eating at Arby's every Wednesday. It's not that I'm a superstitious person or anything, but I was a baseball player for 25 years and that means you don't mess with what's working. So, until I have a bad night we're eating there every Wednesday.
*hanging the house means all 5 bowlers get a strike in one frame.
Watched Lost when I got home. It was interesting, showing more new and puzzling things. Continues to make me ask more questions. I'm starting to think the writers are just making shit up as they go and there's no end result in their heads. I don't think they know the answers so they just keep introducing more questions as a way to try to keep viewers hooked. Every answer they do provide just leaves you with more questions and an empty feeling. At some point they need to answer a couple key questions or I'm going to give up on it.
That's it for now. I'm golfing tomorrow at noon and going to the Badger football game on Saturday so I probably won't post anything till Monday. The national champion Badger hockey team starts play this weekend too. Have a great weekend and Go Bucky!
Unfortunately, we only won 1 game but it was a blowout game so we were able to hang on to win total pins and went 3-4. We're sitting in the middle of the standings, not peaking too early.
I had a 640 to keep my average at 214. Lowest of the season so far is 610. I'm hoping to try to stay over 600 all year but I think it's probably impossible. Unfortunately for Cdubya that means eating at Arby's every Wednesday. It's not that I'm a superstitious person or anything, but I was a baseball player for 25 years and that means you don't mess with what's working. So, until I have a bad night we're eating there every Wednesday.
*hanging the house means all 5 bowlers get a strike in one frame.
Watched Lost when I got home. It was interesting, showing more new and puzzling things. Continues to make me ask more questions. I'm starting to think the writers are just making shit up as they go and there's no end result in their heads. I don't think they know the answers so they just keep introducing more questions as a way to try to keep viewers hooked. Every answer they do provide just leaves you with more questions and an empty feeling. At some point they need to answer a couple key questions or I'm going to give up on it.
That's it for now. I'm golfing tomorrow at noon and going to the Badger football game on Saturday so I probably won't post anything till Monday. The national champion Badger hockey team starts play this weekend too. Have a great weekend and Go Bucky!
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