Twice, seriously?

Last week the water main broke so the theater was closed.

This week, at a totally different theater, there were problems with the film so the showing I wanted to see (and the one after that) were cancelled.

Third time's a charm?

McCain's treatment of POW/MIA issues

If you're concerned about the treatment of our country's men and women in military service, please read Dave2 of Blogography's excellent post on the subject and check out the information source links he provides.


A year ago on TTaT: My feed reader is already out of control

Life's soundtrack

I try to say goodbye and I choke
I try to walk away and I stumble
Though I try to hide it it's clear
My world crumbles when you are not near

When I belted this out as I left LA for the first time, I poured all my frustration into it making my voice hoarse.

It took longer to pack my car than I'd expected, so I got a late start, hitting afternoon rush hour. To make matters worse, it was raining which stops most everything in LA. I'd planned to drive the 379 miles to Phoenix, but in 5 hours I hadn't even made it halfway. At the end of the night, I didn't even make it out of California, surrendering in Indio, a mere 132 miles away.

However, about an hour into my slow slow journey out of LA, I saw a rainbow ahead. And beyond that, clear skies. The drive would be long, but I was free.

That was 8 1/2 years ago, but when I heard that song again yesterday, it brought that day back in detail.


A year ago on TTaT: My missing appendage

bowling, bowling, bowling

When we walked into the bowling alley, all the pins across the entire long room were dark because no one was bowling. It didn't even seem like they were open. All of the scoreboard screens within view of the counter displayed a golf tournament. An even ubiquitous male voice stated the conditions of the course and the rankings of the competitors.

Once my eyes adjusted to the dim hall, I saw the guy behind the counter. Getting shoes wasn't a problem; he even had 9.5s for me albeit with velcro closures. Lane 10 was about 2/3 of the way down. Instead of the typical curved banquette, there were just oblong tables and chairs on a slightly raised, carpeted area. We put on our shoes and started looking for balls. The pins in our lane lit up in invitation.

The last time I actually bowled was 5 or 6 six years ago. In those days, I used an 11 or 12 pound ball and my second game was typically better than my first. The closest thing I've done since is Wii bowling. In the video game, I've broken 200 both right and left-handed, and I regularly break 170. We typed in our Mii names for inspiration.

Since I hadn't been lifting all that much lately, I found a suitable 10 pound ball and stood at the back diamonds on the floor trying to remember how many steps to take. My form wasn't too bad for my first throw until BAM! It was the loudest bowling-ball-meets-alley crash I'd ever heard. It was so loud that I thought it was going to leave a dent. The sound reverberated across the whole room, and I looked nervously over at the counter. I didn't see anyone giving me the evil eye, so I threw my next ball, attempting to be more gentle without much success. I turned around and said, "I'm going to find a lighter ball."

"The ones down at the end are lighter weights," Gina said.

About halfway down I heard another crash. At least I wasn't the only one bowling loudly.

I spun a couple balls around on the rack, so I could see if my fingers would fit until I found a suitable fluorescent orange 8 pound ball. When I got back to our lane, it was my turn again. I stood just behind the marks and tried to remember between which two arrows I should aim on the lane. I rolled my shoulders back and straightened up. It wouldn't be until halfway through the game that I'd notice I was bringing my posture into perfect alignment while semi-consciously visualizing my throw.

After knocking down a few pins, I'd jog back to watch the animated bowling tip for making the spare. It was the first time I'd ever seen that. So very cool. After my second throw, I'd watch the silly animations on the screen and look for how fast I'd thrown the ball (~12.5 mph).

A kid's birthday party showed up, taking over the bar with balloons and decorations as well as the far end of the lanes. When they arrived, the golf tournament went off and the music came on. "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears.

Though I was aiming for the 1-3 pocket, I hit the 1-2 pocket, making the strike that always seemed so improbable in Wii bowling. "Yes!" I held my arms up in celebration. In the next frame, of course, I only knocked down a total of 3 pins.

A cute bearded guy took a lane a few down from us on our right. He didn't walk much, or at all sometimes, but he held the ball so far up behind himself it created a huge arc enabling him to hurl the ball very fast. I tried lifting the ball back higher for a bigger arc but had nowhere near the strength or flexibility he had.

Then a couple young guys took a lane over to our left. They were just messing around, but one made sure we heard, "That's why we practice."

Shortly after their arrival, the overhead lights went off and flashing, rotating colored lights came up. I had long wanted to try disco bowling, but in the actual moment, I didn't really care because I was focused on trying to bowl better, enough so that I didn't find it distracting. (It'd probably be cooler if the pins and balls glowed in the dark.)

I finished the first game with two strikes and a total of 96. In the old days, I would've at least broken a hundred, but my abysmal score was still enough to put me in first place by 20 points.

My arm was getting tired, but we were having fun, so I punched '2' on the keyboard to start a second game.

This time, my second game was much worse and I came in dead last with around 74. However, I made two spares which I was actually more proud of than my strikes. With every first throw, you're trying to hit the 1-3 pocket for a strike (if you're right-handed), so you're practicing that motion at least once every frame, but spares are often different each time. I understood what I needed my body to do for the most part, I just need to be stronger to have more control.

I was sore the next day, but it was so worth it. It won't be another five years before I go back.


A year ago on TTaT: Oh sacrilege, how you make me laugh

I'm not for public spitting, but...

"Here's your Cabernet, your Michelob Ultra, and your ginger ale." Ashley the waitress placed a straw in front of me and then rapidly rambled, "I should warn you the ginger ale is disgusting. Pepsi sent us a new batch and we've tried different packages of the mix, but it's still awful. Everyone hates it. I guess I shouldn't have said that." I laughed, and she concluded, "You might like it, but if you don't, I'll bring you something else."

I unwrapped the straw, slid it in the drink, and took a sip.

And did not swallow.

She wasn't kidding. It was horrible, tasting nothing like ginger ale. I glanced around, considered the straw and my very full glass, and then spit it back into the glass as discreetly as possible. "Sorry," I said to my dinner companions and Ashley. "That's awful. It tastes like club soda."

"Tonic water," Ashley offered.

"Yeah." I wasn't sure what the difference was between those but knew I hated both. "I'll take a Dr Pepper."

"I'll bring it right out."

"Thanks."


Two years ago on TTaT: Tyler plus one

Nap time

Two years ago on TTaT: The Next 15

playlist: BIRTHDAy, part 2

Part 1 of the list

Part 2:

Shelter From The Storm – Cassandra Wilson

Mama Told Me Not To Come – Three Dog Night

Shake Your Groove Thing – Peaches & Herb

Our Lips Are Sealed – The Go-Go's

Laid – Matt Nathanson

This Love – Maroon 5

Lovely Day – Bill Withers

Cry Me a River – The Cliks

Be My Yoko Ono – Matthew's Minstrels

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones

Not Enough Time – INXS

Oh Yeah – The Cliks

Tangerine Speedo (Album / Explicit Version) – Caviar

We Are Family – Sister Sledge

Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles

Flagpole Sitta – Harvey Danger

Breathe Me (Four Tet Remix) – Sia

I Can't Take My Eyes Off You – Melanie Doane

Feel Good Time – Pink & William Orbit

Boom Boom Ba – Metisse

Start The Commotion – Wiseguys Feat. Greg Nice

Glycerine – Bush

Cobrastyle (Featuring Mad Cobra) – Teddybears

Four Leaf Clover (Live) – Abra Moore

Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve

Speed of Sound – Coldplay

Song For The Lonely – Cher

Thank You – Home Made Kazoku

Whip It – Devo

Everybody Got Their Something – Nikka Costa

I Melt With You – Modern English

Crazy – Alanis Morissette

Blush (Only You) – Plumb

Smile (Radio Edit) – Lily Allen

Birthday – The Beatles

Let's Groove – Earth, Wind & Fire

Good Thing – Fine Young Cannibals