Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Bowlerama Date

On Sunday afternoon, Ken and I watched The Big Lebowski. Of course, this necessitated an outing to our local Bowlerama...



... to bowl AT OUR OWN RISK!!



I wondered why that warning was necessary, until the other lanes started filling up with rowdy, inexperienced young bowlers. They slugged down beers between turns, and it wasn't long before bowling bowls were flying every which way. As they got drunker, their delivery of each ball became more and more elaborate, more than once ending with the bowler on the floor. I'm surprised that the owners' insurance company didn't make helmets mandatory.

When we first checked in, the guy behind the counter gave me the nastiest pair of old, falling-apart bowling shoes ever. I must have wrinkled my nose as I picked one of them up between my index finger and thumb to inspect the awfulness. He took them back and gave me this spiffy pair:



Part of the challenge of bowling is finding a ball that's got a good combination of weight and finger-hole placement for one's hand. I found one that worked for me alright. Ken had more trouble. He started out with one that was way too heavy for him, so his bowling arm got tired quickly.



This gave me just enough of an advantage to win 2 of our 3 games. Although not by much.



Then we went here...



... for summa dis!



Mmmm. Nothin' like an 8,000 calorie dinner to cap off a bowling date. We should do this more often.

25 comments:

Claire said...

I love bowling shoes! And that 8,000 calorie meal looks amazing :-).

Cxx

Warped Mind of Ron said...

OMG!! Either that food looks REALLY good or I'm hungry! Bowling dates sound fun. When I was in high school they had Rock and Bowl nights where they played rock music really loud and had fog machines going. It was like bowling at a concert and you were lucky to see the pins at all... Good Times...

Anonymous said...

The Chinaman pissed on my rug man!

trinity67 said...

I love the bowling shoes and I love the food and I really like bowling - sounds like a fun time!

Jameil said...

i just said oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh... that long! lol. like a little kid @ those burgers and fries!! now that's a date!! bowling bowls were flying every which way? that was SO this thing we did in college called the sr. sip and bowl. SO FUN!! i was straight gutter balls by the end of the night and one time the ball just dropped off of my hand and onto the floor and i fell out laughing! hahahahaha SO FUN!!!

BloodRedRoses said...

DELICIOUS!!

There's nothing like a good game of bowling... minus the gross old shoes.

BloodRedRoses said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I used to work at a Bowlerama. The location at Yonge & Cummer. When I worked there, it was "Work here at your own risk."

And I haven't been to Golden Star since the 80s. I really should go back.

Keera Ann Fox said...

Bowling is fun, but it does get rather scary if (other) people drink too much.

Anonymous said...

...finding a ball that's got a good combination of weight and finger-hole placement for one's hand.

I'm laughing.

Karen said...

Sounds like a PERFECT date to me.

Nilsa S. said...

Part of the challenge of bowling is finding a ball that's got a good combination of weight and finger-hole placement for one's hand.

I think finding a sparkly colored one is also very important. Makes or breaks my night, for sure.

R.E.H. said...

I witnessed a guy who nearly tore off his finger while bowling once. It was his fault - he attempted to throw the ball as hard as he could down the lane, and his finger got stuck inside the hole.

At first it was funny, because he went sprawling after the ball down the lane... but then we saw the amount of blood.

Who said bowling isn't a dangerous sport? ;)

I could eat some of that food right about now!

Tink said...

I haven't been bowling in SO long! The last time I went there, there was a bachelor party next to me- a bunch of dudes in wigs and tutus. I kid you not.

Leighann said...

The last time we went bowling, we took the kids to a night time "cosmic" alley and bowled via neon lights, strobe lights, and annoying techno music!

Sparkling Red said...

Claire: I had half a mind to take those bowling shoes home with me. They were kind of cute. All they needed was a new pair of shoelaces and I could start the next big fashion trend. :-)

Ron: Rock and Bowl sounds awesome! I never heard of such a thing before. I love the idea of the balls rolling through fog. I see a concept for a music video...

Unsigned: Watch out. They're gonna cut off your johnson.

trinity67: It was the most fun I've had in weeks. In fact, I was kind of surprised by how much fun it was. Going in with low expectations made it twice as good.

Jameil: Sip and Bowl?! Wow, there's a recipe for chaos if I ever heard one! I can easily picture you dropping that bowling ball and dissolving in laughter. I wish I'd been there to see it!

Sparkling Red said...

bloodredroses: I find that if I'm wearing rented shoes, it's impossible to take myself seriously. If I ever wanted to be a serious bowler, the first thing I'd do is buy myself a pair of bowling shoes.

Whatigotsofar: You used to work there? That's exactly where we were. Small world. Yes, you should go back to Golden Star, because it rocks and it rolls.

Keera: A bowling ball is a formidable weapon. I'm surprised people are allowed to drink and then throw them around.

Stewie: Oh, for Pete's sake... :-p
LOL

Karen: Indeed, it ranks among the top dates I've ever had. Second only to the roller-skating rink in high school.

Nilsa: For sure - the colour of the ball is very important. I was hoping to find a pink one, but I had to settle for burgundy (with swirls).

R.E.H.: Good Lord! That's shocking. Were you traumatized? If I witnessed a scene like that, I might never bowl again.

Tink: That's so awesome! I wish I'd run into those guys. I bet they would have posed for some photos.

Leighann: I've been to Cosmic Bowling nights a few times. Fun fun fun! I am in complete agreement with the premise that everything is more exciting in glow-in-the-dark mode.

Emma Gorst said...

Mmm! I agree with Claire :-)

Sparkling Red said...

Aurora: You could go! Get your man to take you on a bowling date. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I go bowling with you guys any time.
I sit back, chill, have a beer and you bowl and after that we go eat that delicious looking food.
Yes, I'm all game :D

Keera Ann Fox said...

BTW, who kept score? From what I can tell, Ken was cheated out of an extra 10 points for his strike. (Don't hit me.)

Zoemonster said...

i wuvv plain summaries w/ pix

fun read

Sparkling Red said...

Nicole: Alright! That sounds like fun. Are there any bowling alleys where you live?

Keera: The computer kept score automatically, and we didn't question it. However, Ken usually beats me so I wouldn't be surprised if he was supposed to win. (At bowling! He only beats me at bowling!) ;-)

Mex/Syb: Thanks! These posts always seem to be the most popular, like Show And Tell. :-)

Anonymous said...

Yes there are, but we are leaving :D

Jenski said...

YUM 8000 calorie dinner.

I'm glad you dodged all the wayward bowling balls.