crack in the lens of time

Friday January the Seventh

1.7.11          160 pounds

Today in the news...

Last night my phone rang and I did not recognize the number so I let it go to voicemail. It was a automated recording from my optical department letting me know that my new glasses have arrived and were available for pickup. This was exciting news for me! The company I work for offers there employees a vision voucher every year that is good for one-hundred and fifty dollars towards a new pair of glasses so every year I get my eyes checked and take my prescription to them and pick out a new pair of glasses. My prescription is so weak that the total always comes out to less than $150. Too bad I do not get to keep the remainder. There was a special going on where if you get two pairs of glasses you get $25 dollars off, which meant I would have $175 towards two pairs of glasses! I picked out two I liked and ordered them.

Well the phone message only mentioned that one pair had come in so on my break at work today I went to the optical department to pick them up. "Oh Ben," Marsha, the optician said, "didn't somebody tell you? We had to send them back, they came in with a huge scratch on them." It will be another week until I get those back. I asked about the other pair and they said it hadn't come in yet.

After a few hours of being home from work my phone rang and it was the optical department again! Hooray, at least my other glasses have arrived, right? "Hey Ben, it's Marsha. I was going to tell you your glasses came in, but they sent us the wrong ones. We got a pair that was supposed to go to North Carolina and they got yours, so it will be about a week until those come in." Damn you! Not you Marsha, but damn somebody.

I had lunch today with L.T. after work and then we went and played pool which was fun. He is a much better player than I am, but I ended up winning almost all the games. I didn't ever have a real strategy, I would just aim and shoot, if a ball goes in, that is when I focus on the next shot. Most of the time the only ball I would get in would be the cue ball. L.T. could aim his shot, make the ball, and have the cue ball positioned where he wanted it. It must have been frustrating for him when he would make almost all the balls in 9 ball and then I would make the only ball that counts. We switched to 8-ball and he would have a pretty solid run at the table, be down to the last ball while my balls were still scattered around the table, and scratch. It was all fun, and I did not gloat too much.

I ordered mustache wax today! The 'stache is not quite long enough for the handlebar look yet, but the wax should at least help it stay out of my mouth, and my soup. Oh, and I don't work until tuesday. Yay.

my bowling post

Monday, December the Thirteenth

12.13.10        160 pounds







I went bowling the other day with L.T., a buddy of mine, it was a lot of fun. Here is:

The story of the fowl line.

I have two goals when it comes to bowling.
  Number ONE: Hit at least one pin per frame.
  Numero TWO: Break 100.

My goals are not always achieved. L.T. and I played two games, both of which, I at one time or another bowled a 0-0 for at least one frame. L.T. won the first game and I did not even break 100. The second game was about to get started and I was warmed up. The first few frames went by and I promptly fell behind.

L.T. finished up his tenth frame of game number two with a final score of 100. I had seventy-five in the ninth frame. The only possible way I could break 100 (and beat L.T.) was to get Strike-Strike-6(or better) in the final frame. Because of L.T.'s winning of the first game, the pressure was on, and I couldn't let him annihilate me like that so I tightened up my rental shoe laces and picked up the ball. I stared down the lane and said "Well pins, it's you or me, and I don't fall easily." The ball spun off my finger tips and headed straight towards the right gutter, it danced on the edge and broke left at the last second smashing into the pins putting a big X on the board. I was stunned but knew it was not over. If I did not get a strike on the second ball than even with the spare my score would only be 95.

With the ball pressed against my chest it ascended and descended with each breath I took. I made my way up to the foul line and let the ball go. It felt good coming out of my hands but I did not want to look so I turned my back on the pins. I heard contact and could see in the face of L.T. that all the pins were down. My heart was beating faster, two strikes in a row! I was beside myself in joy and disbelief. knocking down five pins would tie me at 100 anything past that is a win. I've gotten strikes before, I may even have gotten a double before but I know that a turkey has never been an achievement of mine. My minimal goal was to get a five so I could be at 100, but a turkey would be pretty cool.

I picked up the ball I had used the previous two times and began my scamper up to the the line. I let the ball go... the spin felt good, it looked gravy, it could just do it...

Turkey!

STRIKE! 

XXX! 

TURKEY!

Just call me the comeback king.
105 is not even my best bowling score but this was my first ever turkey! Although frame ten looks awesome, check out frame eight 0-0... :-/   meh. Bowling is fun.

Next on...  King Crimson and the Death of Listening