Bowling, The Way It Used To Be

There is a story I have neglected to convey for far too long. In my bowling adventures, driven by a life time friend’s demand that I join his team, I experienced a level of service which many may have considered extinct in this modern age.

In the midst of my first season, since I was a child, of league play I became frustrated with the finger type grip on my bowling ball. The grip was highly recommended by my friend and the pro shop professional at Bowlero; lanes near where I lived for a good portion of my youth. But the ball was falling off my hand.

“I’ve had it.” I told the bowling pro manager of the Cliff Barnes Pro Shop after practicing one afternoon, “I want my ball redrilled full finger. The ball keeps falling off my hand.”

You would expect most people to jump at the opportunity of providing such a service with its associated fee. But not at the Cliff Barnes Pro Shop. The manager told the counter at the Bowlero to fire up a lane for him. Then he literally gave me a free mini bowling lesson. He showed me why the ball was dropping from my hand and gave me pointers on my overall form. All this he did for free rather than meet my demands and charge me the appropriate fee.

Peering into my hidden lair, my past days of bowling glory are apparent in the background. You would be amazed at all the free bowling videos available on YouTube. Recent professional matches and instructional videos only touch the surface. Watching one promotional news reel by Brunswick, I was taken back to my days in the basement alleys of the Plankington Mansion annex of The Knights of Columbus’ old club house. As they introduced there latest and greatest ball returns and seating it was as if I could reach out and touch it. All exactly like what we had back in the day. Marquette University destroyed the historic Plankington Mansion with its attached club house to build their current student Union. No bowling alleys in the new student union but they do have an Islamic prayer room above the two chapels.

That favorite show from the early days of television, when bowling was the most popular sport in the country, hosted by Milton Berle, “Jackpot Bowling” is one of many gems of entertainment available. They hand out cigars at the end of the show. We can watch YouTube on our TV screen via our Roku. They big buzz recently has been about David Letterman retiring. I was never a big fan but maybe they should bring back “Jackpot Bowling”. He could host. I’d watch, the bowling.

My wife enjoys P-League, a women’s bowling competition show, on YouTube. The biggest reason she enjoys the show is because it is the only decent Japanese programing she has found on YouTube. Actually I found the show and I encourage her to watch hoping she will be inspired to go bowling with me. I recently bought my wife a Kindle Fire. As she watched P-League for the first time within minutes she had found each bowler’s blog and was telling me all about them. My wife told me that unlike at professional tournaments, the women are allowed to wear anything they want, which may be one of the reasons for the shows popularity. My wife enjoys their fashion sense. They certainly all bowl better than I do. Not a show to be hosted by David Letterman.

AMF Lanes, of which Bowlero is a part, offer a summer bowling pass. Three free games every day until Labor Day. It costs only $28; only good before 8pm weekdays and before 4pm on Saturday and Sundays. That works for me. I found the best time to practice was early Tuesdays. But they no longer open at 9am on Tuesdays. Not sure if it is only for the Summer or why they cut the hours, but I know they were doing good business at that time.

And I may have mentioned before that ‘Tac Up Bowling Ball cleaner’ is great for cleaning the rollers on your printer.

“Wow.” you’re saying, “Two posts in two days, what’s going on Phillip?”

Hey, don’t complain. I have driven up the jackpot for this blog. We are now officially at $100. I’ll have to double check that I didn’t miss upping the figure on any of my past posts before the next post but I’m sure we have reached triple digits. And you can possibly triple that but not without reading my books.

What? You don’t believe my reasons for posting again so soon? You say it is the end of the month and I have once again fallen behind in my word count goals in my writing? I’m just filling space? Putting down anything and everything off the top of my head to raise the word count? Me? I would do that? And why do I count blog posts towards my word count anyway?

I am shocked that you, my readers, would think me so trivial. Me, of all people. Just putting down words for my own purpose, to cover some procrastinations you, in your wild imaginations, believe me to be guilty of? Really?

Well… if that is what your really believe in your heart of hearts, your deepest soul, if that is where your, I must believe faulty, powers of deduction lead you, I can only say one thing. As long as you are entertained, it’s not about me. It’s about you. I’m here for you people. Smile, frown, scoff in taking delight in ridiculing my writing,a character you suppose to be lacking, or a tactic that may come off as vain in your eyes.

As long as you are happy, and I can free myself from the stress of writing thousands of words a day to make up for the days I only wrote a handful, as I kept telling myself I wont let myself fall behind this month, I’ll write a bunch tomorrow, then it is all good.

Wow, just over three-hundred more words to go.

We’re grilling brats this evening with the return of beautiful weather. They were on sale at Menards; the brats. The grill was on sale too. Misao hunted through the fliers and said we have to buy it. I love my gas grill, and you can grill with charcoal on it, but I don’t like the mess the charcoal makes so we bough this little charcoal grill for when it is just the two of us. The best think about the warmer months here in Wisconsin is grilling.
Lucky I checked on the grill. Those coals need some stoking.

Think what you must. I’m all good and ready to chill over some brats and baked beans.

The $100 question: What were my three most favorite WORS races? Keeping the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

Cold and Misty

It sure doesn’t look closed. Yes, we got up early and went to the farmer’s market this morning in Wauwatosa. We braved the cold misty overcast surroundings, weather I love, to grace their opening weekend with our presence. We bought some cheese. Decatur Dairy was there. We love their cheese. Next week Blue Cheese, great on salads. Wisconsin Foodie has featured several dairies in past shows. All the cheese vendors at farmer’s markets will eventually draw our business.
There was a bison farmer who also sold bacon, and plenty of fresh eggs to buy. They always ran out of fresh eggs at The Winter Farmer’s Market. Unfortunately Misao had just bought eggs. They really are better from the farm. Plenty of food stands were present, typical for a farmer’s market, for a warm something on the go.

Valentine Coffee had a dominant booth, as they did at the Winter Farmer’s Market. We love their coffee but we will be trying another independent roaster we saw their with a small booth. We have also tried Peet’s Coffee they moved into the old Caribou Coffee store at Bluemound and Highway 100. America’s Test Kitchen rated Peet’s #1. A surprise runner up, a name that used to be around more in the past, was Millstone. Dunkin Donut’s coffee was the big loser amidst their panel. Of course the brewing is vital. Misao has been having some technical difficulties brewing the morning coffee recently. Don’t forget a regional favorite, Collectivo. They sponsor an annual WORS race, The Collectivo Coffee Bean Classic, this year at Minooka. We don’t support big coffee, …you know who you are.

Good health and fortunes to those racing tomorrow at CamRock.

The latest scandal in the world of bicycle racing is the electric motor. Yes, they are confiscating athletes bikes to check for power assisting motors in the hubs of their wheels. You now what that means? Lance Armstrong will be making a comeback.

We also perused all the booths at the MADACC Walk and Run we ran across this morning, also in Wauwatosa. The traffic in the village was fierce for early on a Saturday.
One more week in my weight loss competition with my brother. How am I doing you ask? The digital scale I use is the problem. In the same few minutes my scale will give me weights varying by up to five pounds. So, have I lost more weight than my brother? One thing is for sure if the competition was about how good we’re looking after our weight loss, my brother would owe me a fortune.

A small but comforting victory in my pursuit of yard care perfection. I transplanted this Holly. It was a bit late in the Spring and researching the care required to transplant it properly I feared the end for this bush I lovingly planted several years back. It was doing poorly where it had been, next to the rhubarb. (I blame the rhubarb) It looked worse than it does in the picture now. From what I read I could expect the Holly to lose all its leaves after transplanting. it didn’t lose any leaves and showed signs of prospering in a few days. I watered it down severely before transplanting. Took care time and care in its removal and severely watered it down after replanting. The next few days were cool and wet which helped. I probably should cut away that dead growth.

The $99 question: What were my three most favorite WORS races? Keeping the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

Mold on the Brain

This weekend is the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts here in Milwaukee. It is also the Battle for CamRock; the WORS race out Madison’s way. Helmets are required for either event. No helmets required however for the spring opening of the Wauwatosa Farmer’s Market. It’s no three day weekend but…

We had a simple Memorial Day; no shopping, an opportunity to reflect. We had some gatherings with friends and at church on the weekend but not on the day. It doesn’t get much better for a Memorial Day and its associated weekend.

The holiday is usually a big movie weekend. Not this year. Why go to a movie on a big weekend with the big prices? People, people, people. Some people like a crowd. Tuesdays maintain the day of greatest economy for cinema goers. It is the most typical of discount days for most all in the industry and it can draw a crowd.

We didn’t see a movie at the theater, but about a week ago we watched “Sharknado” on our Internet TV. Not in one sitting, but still we watched it.

Off the top of your head you may think that, ““Sharknado” is a complete waste of time.” But after watching “Sharknado” I didn’t feel the movie was a waste of time at all. You have to be able to attribute some value to time, or rather its good use, for it to be wasted. After watching “Sharknado” nothing in life or the universe seemed to have any value at all.

Do not let “Sharknado happen to you. I am serious. Note, I did not provide a link. Seriously, don’t watch it.

We did see a new movie on our Roku that burst with hidden values. That would be “Against the Sun”. You think three men in a small raft in the middle of the ocean would be a bore. Oh contraire. Of course you need to hold values yourself to recognize the depth of these simple men’s moral fortitude and strength of character. We had obviously recovered from our previous viewing experience.

Do not let “Sharknado happen to you.

I should be spending more time in my basement. My next project must wait till after the end of the month as I am behind in my writing goals. The fore mentioned purchase is portrayed to the left.. You’ll have to wait to see what it becomes. I will document and share the process in the not so distant future.
I need more time on the bike too. My diet has produced a now slow but consistent weight loss.

The creator of the Bulletproof Diet has a real hang up with mold. It consumes far too much of his attentions, from my perspective, when he’s describing his diet. On the other hand it is a very serious issue. It can contribute significantly to weight gain according to the new documentary that he is promoting; “Moldy”. The trailer makes the issue appear horrific and ridiculous at the same time. Just my take.

After we put a new roof on our house my annual weight gain of five pounds ceased. It soon became a three pound a year loss. Not sure if mold had anything to do with it, but it is scary stuff.
Thinking Paleo Diet however, I have to conclude that man has been dealing with mold for thousands upon thousands of years, at least six, so our bodies should be able to deal with it to some extent. To fear foods over their potential for containing mold toxins is a bit over the top. Every diet I have heard of highlights berries. They differ drastically in regards to other foods, legumes for one. The Bulletproof Diet is adamant against mushrooms (no surprise their) while other diets label mushrooms a super food.

Now the vegans are trying to go Paleo; they call it the Pegan Diet. Why not Pagan I ask. Appears more appropriate to me. It’s already taken.

Do not let “Sharknado” happen to you. Please.

Not sure how the Metro Mountain Bikers’ trail work day turned out last Tuesday. I was busy, my wife was out and it looked like more rain would fall.

At least we haven’t had any sharknados yet.

The $98 question: What were my three most favorite WORS races? Keeping the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

Denied the Ride; Tuesdays

This last Tuesday was the first successful Metro Mountain Biker’s Odd Tuesday Ride. It included a local dealer offering test rides on some of the latest and greatest bikes. That is what I believe went on anyway. I was denied the opportunity to partake by a very tenacious rhubarb root.

There’s the section of yard that was keeping me busy. The rhubarb was too close to the walk, old and unruly. I had to dig some two foot down and still couldn’t burrow my hand to the roots end. It was as big as one of my two (to avoid confusion) legs. Finally I had to break it off as deep as I could.

“Sorry.” I said to the rhubarb for failing to free its entire root. Then I said, “But do you really think I’m sorry? I mean, …we eat you.”

I had to dig out some buried wires too and now will have to patch the foundation wall up, seeing as I pulled them out through the wall. Of course they were dead. I know what I’m doing.

The rhubarb never apologized for keeping me from getting on my bike and checking out the Odd Tuesday Ride. Then again, I have yet to get a new helmet and would have been restricted in my participation. There’s many a thingy we could not buy due to our vehicular misfortunes; fleas spray (for the dog), a steam cleaner for the carpet (because of the dog), the fore mentioned helmet, medical supplies, even a fishing license are all on hold. My wife wanted to go to the eye doctor and also to buy a new mattress. She saw a solar powered bird feeder at Tuesday Morning; it lights up at night. (I blame the rhubarb for the destruction of our previous bird feeder)

My mother will be eighty today; Friday not Tuesday. She is still alive and kicking. “Bring me rhubarb so I can bake some pies.” she demands. She baked a rhubarb cake. I gave her part of this plant which she gave to a cousin, to increase her number of suppliers and expand her distribution.

Happy Birthday Mom!

The Even Monday Trail Work Day will be Tuesday, not Monday, on account of the holiday. A time to remember what many sacrificed for freedom. Check with Metro Mountain Bikers if you are interested in attending the work day. They need to organize the work load and tools in advance.

Fresh food is the wave of the future. The diet is working and the weight is going down again. It is hard for me to consider eating processed foods these days; except for pudding, and Jell-O, and chocolate, but we make the pudding and Jell-O at home. Instant Jell-O isn’t much more difficult to make than instant pudding. I really miss donuts. I went grocery shopping today with my wife and we came to the bakery section and…

We’ll see how much food we can grow ourselves. Your Summer Recreation Guide for the county has several food production classes listed. You can find a list of Milwaukee area farmer’s markets here. West Allis has a market, already open, on Tuesdays; the only one. The Tosa farmer’s market, closest to us, begins next week; May 30.

Reverend Moon many decades ago said that in the future everyone will move to small towns. He never elaborated as to why, from what I have heard and read, but He was obviously right. It is clear to me a great desire to be closer to one’s food is sweeping the hearts and minds of mankind. Growing and preparing your own food is a fantastic part of life. It brings one closer to God and one’s fellow man. The number of small scale farms are growing constantly. Permaculture farming is being researched with the expectation that food production is actually greater than with current industrial techniques.

I don’t like hippies.

Yes, we will eventually be buying our fishing licenses soon. I have been checking up on my equipment. I have two known opportunities to go fishing this summer. I fish to eat what I catch, but if you know what you are doing you can catch a lot and only keep the best. I found Structure Fishing on my Roku and it will tell you everything you need to known about where the fish are. The god of fishing, Buck Perry, has all the answers. Unfortunately when they put up their second season of Structure Fishing they took down the first season. I’m not sure if that was by intent or if they don’t know what they are doing Roku wise. But all the important stuff from the first season is here.

Despite our economic misfortunes I made another purchase today, a purchase that will result in an entire post by itself. You’ll have to wait to see what I’m talking about. I may even post about it on an odd Tuesday if not an even.

The $97 question: What were my three most favorite WORS races? Keeping the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.

Change of Season

Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park is closed for the Summer but The Rock Sports Complex’s mountain bike opening weekend begins Saturday. Ray’s will be holding Summer Camps and other activities; check out their page. The Rock is nearly giving away trail passes for their opening weekend at 20% cost. The WORS Battle of CamRock is fast approaching May 30th. I do not believe I will be ready, though it is a race I have had my eye on.

The Himalaya race is still on despite the earthquake and human tragedy. It’s always good to pray. We always get small quakes in the Midwest after an event in that part of the world, if you haven’t noticed.

The Trail Work Day bloomed out of control according to a report at the Metro Mountain Bikers monthly meeting. RSVP’s will be demanded in the future. They had twice as many volunteers as tools. Not good unless you’re trying to make Trail Work Days a dating service. The peach tree bloomed abundant, and no serious storms manifested to rip the flowers away before the insects could get to them. Not exactly a dating service but along those lines. Insights abound. It’s why you read. Metro is previewing a new website here. I think the slide show needs to move a bit quicker.

The Spring Social Ride was attended and enjoyed, though not as smashing of a success as the trail work outing. Talk is they want to vary the destinations of future social rides. Bars will not be the only waylays in the future. I suggested a Summer Ice Cream Social ride some years ago, hitting up the custard shops. The problem is there are so many events that attendance would be too low. That’s the reasoning anyway.

Our garden is planted and I have expansive designs for our yard and the increased production of edibles. The Beer Gardens are opening around Milwaukee. The one at Hoyt Park is already open. The first Odd Tuesday ride was cancelled for weather. They will try again this coming Tuesday at Hoyt Park. I believe I need to buy a new helmet to participate. There were many a thing I was planning to buy, including security cameras; or did I buy those already. We had great holiday sales but we almost lost it all and wont be buying much for a while.

The van’s brakes went out completely while I was driving just hours before our big weekend began. We had to borrow a van to build success. If I had crashed and been injured and we couldn’t have completed our sales we would have lost everything. As it is everything we made has gone to a new car. Got a great deal from my brother.

Tears come to our eyes saying goodbye to our beloved Oldsmobile. We put over 140,000 miles (236,000 total) on that vehicle in some seven years. I had dreamed of losing the brakes just as I did, several times over the last few years. Then again I dreamed of Neil Perry last week; one of those the semester is almost over and I haven’t gone to a single class dreams. If I dream of Reid I’ll have the whole band.

A man with slicked back hair sold us this Ford. He works for my brother.

Sticking to my diet it has been a while since I enjoyed ice cream; speaking of ice cream socials. Seeking a snack the other day, having had nothing for lunch, I made an amazing discovery; Instant Pudding. Two cups of milk and whipping it for two minutes and five minutes later you have pudding. Less than ten minutes from thought to stomach. It’s that easy gentlemen. I love pudding. I have not had pudding in a long time. The word “instant” should have been a clue. I should read directions more often. It is difficult to comprehend all the pudding I’ve missed out on in life.

I’ll have to start going grocery shopping, …so I can tell my wife what to buy; chocolate, butterscotch…

My weight has plateaued the last few weeks. Not sure why. I was thinking ‘I’ve lost twenty-five pounds, I must be thin.’ But I still look fat, and I didn’t even look that fat before.

The $96 question: What were my three most favorite WORS races? Keeping the same question. Check out the Charity Jackpot Page link in the sidebar to possibly triple the amount.