Bowling was great!

What I mainly love about this 'sport' is that:

• you don't have to strain yourself to do good,
  
• nobody is trying to run you down (bad nobody!),
  
• you spend most of the time talking with your friends,
  
• drinking beer is encouraged, and
  
• you can actually win, even if you have only played twice in five years. Like me! :)
  

Now, what I especially like about going to a bowling alley, is that unique type of people. You know who I mean. The dedicated. The serious. They came early. They are not leaving until after you are gone. They are there every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. All year round. They have the special outfit (well, monogrammed t-shirt and The Glove). And, most importantly, they have The Ball. That special, shiny, looks-like-no-other bowling ball. Some are brightly colored. Others are translucent. One lady last night had a ball that looked like it was made from pure gold. I could have sworn her hair had a golden hue as well.

These people fascinate me. Really, they do. I admit, they may look kind of dorky in that uniform, by themselves. But when unleashed on a bowling alley, they spring to life. They will approach the task at hand with the utmost seriousness. Must. Kill. Pins.

• First, there is The Stare. Carefully observing the neat row of pins shivering before their eyes. Coldly calculating which pins will be annihilated and which will just barely make it. This time.
  
• Then, The Attack. Moving gracefully from The Stance to The Attack Mode, the bowler dances his graceful dance toward The Line.
  
• Next, just at the right moment, with the bowler gliding on one foot and one hand in the air, The Ball is unleased. This terrible instrument of destruction thunders down the alley, to the utter terror of the receiving pins.
  
• As The Ball nears its prey, the bowler calmly observes the scene of imminent destruction. He already knows. His trained eye has already marked for death those which will fall, and has begun making plans for the rest of them.
  
• Finally, there comes The Blow. That devastating sound, signifying yet another victory of man over pin.
  

(I just learned how to add bullets to my blog. Can you tell?)

When I came home last night I heard an interview with a curling player. Reluctantly, she admitted that curling players will sometimes get just as bored playing the game as other people get watching it. She should try bowling. Never a dull moment. Thrilling, really.