This shirt that I’m wearing is one that both Jeff and I received from a company we do business with. We don’t wear it often but when we do, we wear it on the same day. It’s been about 2 weeks since I’ve worn it. Today I’m wearing it and typing this entry before Jeff gets in. If he is wearing it to. I’ll leave it up to a brotherly bond.

The other reason I’m even going to the trouble of this is because the song Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand Was playing yesterday and I asked, “is that the song Mael likes?” He said, “no, he likes Counting Blue Cars. He also likes Candlebox Far Behind.” I have 594 songs on my playlist and within 2 songs (it may have been the next) of a shuffle, Far Behind started playing. It was wild.

I’ll shoot which shirt he’s wearing.

I haven’t posted in a few days and there is nothing to fear. I refuse to turn the blog into a complaint department and that’s all I would be using it for. The Matt Lauer news feels like the media is creating it’s own fake news right now. What’s hot? Sexual harassment. Do we know anyone who can come forward? Run it. I’m making light of this but it’s how I’m starting to feel.

Little parts of my life have been bothering me like my mouse not moving instantly when I try to move it. My Excel crashing. The constant pressure of always having to create. It truly never ends and there are times where if I can’t produce any relevant / exciting content, I’ve learned to just not. So, I’m good and all is fine. Life continues.

Mookie Betts walk off 300

Last night in league play I rolled a 725 series which is my highest to date and first ever 700 series. I ran 9 in a row in the first game only to blow the 10th shot and close out with a 278.  The 2nd game had 2 opens when I created a wash out on a bad first ball and also missed a single 9 pin for a 215 finish. The final game saw me miss a single pin by actually hitting it and missing the 3 in a 3, 6, 10  which had me finish at 232. I wouldn’t necessarily say this surprised me, but it’s nice to have some credibility behind my game that’s backed up by the actual numbers.

For people who don’t bowl, which I’d guess is most, a 725 would equate to about a 79 in golf. It’s good, but no one is going to be talking about it the next day. They average person though isn’t getting a 700 series. I wrote that I wasn’t surprised to get this because I have practiced to the point that I’m that good. I know that sounds conceded, but hear me out:

North Bowl

Practice – Most Fridays after work I go to North Bowl and roll between 8 and 15 games. I’ve put in a fair amount of work on the 10 pin and I’m pretty good at keeping my ball on the pocket side of the pins and not going Jersey.

Willingness to Learn – I took a lesson for $40 about 6 weeks ago and the teacher gave me one tip that I wasn’t using my left arm at all in my swing. I spent time understanding what he was talking about and then implementing it. It raised my MPH’s from mid 14’s to as high as 16 if I want to really throw it. It’s given me more pin action and obviously a higher ceiling.

Experience – Knowing when to move and where to play only comes from playing a lot. I don’t always play from the same starting spot. Last night in warm ups I noticed the lane wasn’t breaking as much as I thought it usually does so I moved right a few boards. As the night moved on, I moved left ever so slightly. At the end of the 2nd game I tried a new starting position, which didn’t strike, and I knew I shouldn’t mess with my starting spot and try to control the ball more.

People give me shit for using the Phase 1

Same Ball – I know this may go against more experienced players thought process but I like keeping the game simple and not having 3 balls to choose from. I see some people get so hung up that it must be the ball that’s not striking and certainly not them. I’ve bowled enough to hang with my ball and not blame it.

Luck – I had 3 or 4 Jersey strikes on the night out of 20+. If those aren’t strikes, I’m not getting a 700. I also didn’t leave any ringing 10’s. I wasn’t hitting the pocket squarely on every strike but the pins were reacting in a way that they would all topple over. It was great, but to expect it every time is optimistic.

Shape – Bowlers are out of shape and I think being physically fit can only be an advantage.

A 300 game isn’t far. Sam, good luck on this one. I think I’m a bit favored on the 300 and you may have the ad in the Sixers.

Adam and I went to Spin last night where he relentlessly beat me in Ping Pong. I was getting better towards the end so that trend won’t continue forever. Our server must really like Ping Pong because he challenged us to a game where if we (Adam) won, he would get us a free round and shots. The game was neck and neck and this was the unexciting conclusion. I think it was 18-20 when I started the video.

We then went to Fox and Hound to watch the football game. Adam left at halftime and I thought to myself, “what better time to produce some William Penn Snaps”. I wasn’t drunk enough at the time so I went to Tir Na Nog and did 3 Jamo shots and had 2 Guinness. These were the results. There were some more but these were the best.

Snaps

I was in Vegas for a trade show the last few days and came back unscathed. I know that’s harsh for the circumstance, but it has to be on people’s minds who visit even though you can’t really tell.

I stayed at the Luxor which is attached to the Mandalay Bay. I’ve been to Vegas many times so the glitz and glamour are nothing new. Even the gambling aspect loses its luster because I have a casino 5 minutes from my house. Nevertheless, the city is fun and I’ll go over a few of my observations.

• Gluttony Galore – The tourists are fat and lazy.  I’d go out on a limb and say 75% of people are overweight. It’s a problem that America is not dealing with and extremely transparent in Vegas.
• Absurd Pricing – In all of the hotels the beers are about $7. I also had a Gin and Tonic for $17. If you buy a PBR pounder on the strip side stores, it’s $1.19. Where all the money comes from is confusing. I can’t imagine most people have this money to blow like Birdman.
• The Vigil – I ran down to the Vegas “Welcome” sign and there was a memorial dedicated to all of the victims and it’s extremely sad. I read a card created from an elementary school class to their deceased teacher which shows you how far and personal these attacks reach. Sad stuff.

My Gambling

I won’t bore you with the trade show as I’m sure everyone only cares about my action. I started off losing the first 2 NBA games on Boston and Golden State for a combined $80. Then I rolled my account on the Sixers and hit the Raiders last night to put me in the green about $50. I used Bovada instead of booking the action at the book like Adam would prefer.

My first BJ session happened with 4 male students from Notre Dame. That didn’t cum out right. Shit. I started off playing 1 on 1 with the dealer and all was going well. Then these 22 year old finance students show up with scared money and cocky attitudes. They bought in from ranges of $40-$100 and would jump in and out of the shoe. They wouldn’t hit their 16’s either. Then one hand I had a 12 against a dealer 3 and I hit it. I busted and the guy told me “oh man, sorry, that wasn’t what the book says, I should have told you.” Nice kids but not people you want to play blackjack with. I lost $200 in that session.

My next session was a 1am session where I sat down for a 1 on 1 session against the dealer and I was joined by a meathead after not so long. He would stay on 5’s and 6’s. No lie. Then his GF got there and the dealer would tell her to hit and she wouldn’t understand what was going on. I lost $200 in this session too.

On my final day I played 1v1 against the dealer and finally had some success She was a nice and we had a fine time for about 3 8 deck shoes where I won $250. I left because at one point a fat gentlemen joined and didn’t hit his 16’s and I said, “fuck that”, no more putting up with people ruining the deck. I was always aware of this but am not a firm believer that you are fucking yourself by putting up with nonsense.

After the show I took one more stab at it and sat down with a guy who knew what he was doing. We played for a while relatively even when a 24 year old gamer sat down to my left. On one hand he had a pair of 6’s against a dealer 5, easy split. He doesn’t split and hits, catches a 5, and then HITS again to bust. The dealer flips over a ten and then a 6.  I nearly lost it when my 20 got beat on that hand and I walked away losing $125.

I was pretty steamed after that but I sat down 1 more time and finally had some luck. I bought in for $200 against and Asian female (the absolute WORST type of dealer) and started off with a $15 bet which won, then $30 which won, then $60 which won. I went for it one more time with a $100 bet and got 20 only to lose to her BlackJack 21. She left and a new dealer came in and I was joined by 5 other people who actually wanted to play blackjack the right way. I was pressing a bit at that point because I had to leave to catch a flight, and I ended up on the last hand betting $75, getting a double opportunity, and then winning which put me up $350 for that table and relatively close to even for the trip. I tipped the dealer $25 because at that point I was ecstatic to have clawed my way back after a losing trip for 99% of the time.

Fun times but glad to be home.

What’s Going On?

Title sung in the voice by the singer of the 4 Non Blondes. Actually better not to know what she looks like.

I’ve added another responsibility to my life which will push the posting of this blog back further on the priority list. I looked back at post counts and in years past I would hit 30+ a month. I’m lucky to hit the mid 20’s anymore. It’s because I don’t post as much garbage, but it’s also because my time is not nearly as ample.

I was voted the President of our bowling league in a weird circumstance last Monday night. There was a captain’s meeting and the question was posed “does anyone nominate anyone for President?” One guy, who I’d say I’m “friends” with, selected me. We’ve had some conversations before about some parts of the league that I would handle differently and he must have taken these conversations to heart. As such, the team captains elected me the new President over the old one. As President, my league responsibilities are minimal but that’s not the kind of person I am. I’ve decided to create a website for the league, I’d like to get some sponsorship money, and then have people who don’t own a bowling ball get a discount for buying one. These activities don’t actually take too much of my time but it’s another task to add to my list.

I also purchased a new camera which I’m not exactly sure how I’m going to use, but filming will be another useful skill. It’s somewhat amazing how blogging has essentially become my life. What started as a hobby is essentially “website building” and it is an effective means of disseminating information. Who would have guessed. I guess I would have accidentally. So with all that going on I’m doing my best to keep this website going strong but I’m being pulled in a lot of different directions with work which is not worth even getting into on this post. All I’ll write is that we’ve been doing a lot of business and it’s hard to keep up as is. I’ll expand in subsequent posts but not right now.

This guy is amazing. Normal people are probably like, “this guy is off his rocker.” I think he might be more advanced than anyone else on the planet. He doesn’t seem like he’s on drugs and the way this reporter is looking at him makes me think she’s the idiot, not him.  He’s just spouting off about tetrahedrons and meaningless existence and it looks like her head is about to explode. Apologies to Sam who told me to watch this and I stole it for my blog.

Then he follows it up with this banger. Great stuff.