In November my wife Rhonda bought a Wii game. It was an early Christmas gift and Rhonda thought it would be a great family thing to do during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Wii, if you’re not familiar, has a lot of fun sports games such as tennis, bowling, golf and boxing. These games are played with a remote control in which you need to wrap a little strap around your wrist so if you were to accidentally let go it wouldn’t fly into the television set.
You can also buy a lot more games – so many it would take too long to name them – and there’s a fitness program from Jillian on The Biggest Loser. That’s something Rhonda and I have yet to really try.
Well I love the bowling game. I would go as far as to say I’m addicted to it. I spend a lot of my free time playing the game and when you play by yourself you can bowl one game in about five minutes, then immediately start another.
When I first started bowling I was taking the two steps like a real bowler does and letting the ball fly. But the more I played the more I realized I didn’t need to act like a real bowler – just underhand the remote and let go of the button that releases the ball.
Since I have bowled so many games – wouldn’t surprise me if it’s well over 500 – I have found a groove. I know exactly where to line up and bowl and let’s put it this way, I normally score 250 or higher.
My goal is to bowl a perfect game – 300. That’s 12 consecutive strikes. I’ve come close time and time again in fact so close that recently I bowled a 299. That’s right, ONE lousy pin away from perfection.
I had 11 straight strikes and on my third and last roll in the 10th frame I left the No. 10 pin standing. Ask me how sick I was! Yet I was still proud of myself because I took a picture showing my score sheet. Eleven strikes, then a “9” for a 299 total.
I had reached 279 numerous times and a 280 once. But since the 299 game I have been determined to reach 300! Just last night I started the game with 10 strikes and the second roll of the 10th I left the frick’n No. 10 again.
Again I made it to the 10th frame needing just three more strikes and on my first roll guess what pin I left – No. 10! I personally think the game is rigged and it does not want you to roll a perfect game.
I WILL bowl a 300 one of these days. That’s a promise. In fact, I’m going to go back downstairs now and try again.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
This time Jury Duty was fun
Ever sit down at a mall and just watch the people walk by? You see all kinds of people of all of races.
Some are skinny, some are not so skinny. Some are attractive and some are unattractive. And some have hair, others, like me, don’t.
Some even forget to pull their pants up past their knees and walk like they have something stuck up their…...
Still, it’s fun and relaxing actually, to sit and watch the hundreds of people who venture to the mall every weekend. But if you really want to see a different variety of people, almost a true sideshow, then go to the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas.
This past Thursday I had the privilege you could say, of responding to my jury duty summons. The second jury duty summons in less than 24 months and third in the last 60 months.
I’m not complaining but I know people who have jury duty maybe once every 10 years and even know people who have never been summoned to serve. Jury duty can be a big pain in the rear sometimes but I always say I might need a jury some day or someone I love and care about might need one so as a good citizen I’m always there when I’m supposed to be.
Now I was not picked on Thursday and have never been chosen to actually serve on a jury. I would like to some time but this past Thursday was not one of them.
I was juror No. 507 and had to be at the central jury room at 8:30 a.m. Now with it being Thursday I figured I wouldn’t get chosen and would be out of there by noon.
I was correct.
Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days for selecting juries and there were maybe 100 of us – which means the room was empty – on this day. They did call three groups but juror No. 399 was the last called.
Okay enough about not being called. The fun part was again watching the different kinds of people and different kinds of lawyers and police officers come and go. During one of the breaks I stood in the main lobby and watched people entering the building and through security.
Standing there I saw what I figure were family members and friends of those on trial. Most of the people entered through security without any problems. Occasionally you would hear this beep and the person would take their keys out of their pocket - nothing out of the ordinary.
But then there was this one guy who I will call Snoop Dogg because he looked identical to the rap singer. He was tall, skinny and his hair was thick with two pony tails in the back on the back of his head.
He wore numerous necklaces, had a big belt buckle keeping his pants up, which were just barely above his knees and wore this ridiculous sun glasses. Beep (pause) beep…every single time he tried to go through security the stupid thing beeped!
Now instead of taking all of his jewelry and belt buckle off, the security guard would tell him to take one thing off at a time. Well the dad gum security thing – I don’t know the true name for it – kept beeping, beeping and beeping!
Now his buddies – I personally think these guys were part of a gang but maybe I’m just judging before the facts – were already through security and they kept laughing and laughing. Well I was laughing too.
It was funny after the first two or three beeps but it dragged on. Then it became ridiculous. And in the meantime the line to enter the court building was probably 25 to 30 people deep. The security guard was no help either.
Finally, and I’m being serious, after about 10 minutes two uniformed officers from the Dallas County Sheriffs Department pulled this guy, who was probably in his mid-20s, to the side and chatted with him for a minute.
This guy and his buddies finally made their way over to the elevators and disappeared. I stood in the lobby for a little while longer and saw a different group of people you normally don’t see at the mall on a Saturday.
And I also saw people stepping off the elevators smiling and hugging family and friends and saw others with angry and disappointed looks on their face. That probably meant a verdict didn’t go their way.
It was not the same as watching people at a mall but it was pretty entertaining. You definitely see a different kind of people at a court house.
Some are skinny, some are not so skinny. Some are attractive and some are unattractive. And some have hair, others, like me, don’t.
Some even forget to pull their pants up past their knees and walk like they have something stuck up their…...
Still, it’s fun and relaxing actually, to sit and watch the hundreds of people who venture to the mall every weekend. But if you really want to see a different variety of people, almost a true sideshow, then go to the Frank Crowley Courts Building in Dallas.
This past Thursday I had the privilege you could say, of responding to my jury duty summons. The second jury duty summons in less than 24 months and third in the last 60 months.
I’m not complaining but I know people who have jury duty maybe once every 10 years and even know people who have never been summoned to serve. Jury duty can be a big pain in the rear sometimes but I always say I might need a jury some day or someone I love and care about might need one so as a good citizen I’m always there when I’m supposed to be.
Now I was not picked on Thursday and have never been chosen to actually serve on a jury. I would like to some time but this past Thursday was not one of them.
I was juror No. 507 and had to be at the central jury room at 8:30 a.m. Now with it being Thursday I figured I wouldn’t get chosen and would be out of there by noon.
I was correct.
Monday and Tuesday are the busiest days for selecting juries and there were maybe 100 of us – which means the room was empty – on this day. They did call three groups but juror No. 399 was the last called.
Okay enough about not being called. The fun part was again watching the different kinds of people and different kinds of lawyers and police officers come and go. During one of the breaks I stood in the main lobby and watched people entering the building and through security.
Standing there I saw what I figure were family members and friends of those on trial. Most of the people entered through security without any problems. Occasionally you would hear this beep and the person would take their keys out of their pocket - nothing out of the ordinary.
But then there was this one guy who I will call Snoop Dogg because he looked identical to the rap singer. He was tall, skinny and his hair was thick with two pony tails in the back on the back of his head.
He wore numerous necklaces, had a big belt buckle keeping his pants up, which were just barely above his knees and wore this ridiculous sun glasses. Beep (pause) beep…every single time he tried to go through security the stupid thing beeped!
Now instead of taking all of his jewelry and belt buckle off, the security guard would tell him to take one thing off at a time. Well the dad gum security thing – I don’t know the true name for it – kept beeping, beeping and beeping!
Now his buddies – I personally think these guys were part of a gang but maybe I’m just judging before the facts – were already through security and they kept laughing and laughing. Well I was laughing too.
It was funny after the first two or three beeps but it dragged on. Then it became ridiculous. And in the meantime the line to enter the court building was probably 25 to 30 people deep. The security guard was no help either.
Finally, and I’m being serious, after about 10 minutes two uniformed officers from the Dallas County Sheriffs Department pulled this guy, who was probably in his mid-20s, to the side and chatted with him for a minute.
This guy and his buddies finally made their way over to the elevators and disappeared. I stood in the lobby for a little while longer and saw a different group of people you normally don’t see at the mall on a Saturday.
And I also saw people stepping off the elevators smiling and hugging family and friends and saw others with angry and disappointed looks on their face. That probably meant a verdict didn’t go their way.
It was not the same as watching people at a mall but it was pretty entertaining. You definitely see a different kind of people at a court house.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Texas Stadium memories Part II
Okay so it took me three weeks to mention Part II of my Texas Stadium memories. Unfortunately my last one is seeing two Baltimore Ravens running backs running down the sidelines practically untouched in the final game at the stadium.
Even more sicker feeling trying to watch the post game ceremony in which the NFL Network and our local Channel 33 did a crappy job of showing. But I had a lot of great memories at the stadium, especially having the privilege of covering 34 high school football playoff games there.
I can remember in November 1976 the very first time I covered a game there – South Grand Prairie vs. Highland Park in a bi-district game. Highland Park won, 41-13, but I was an 18-year old sports writer for the Grand Prairie Urbanite and I was in heaven.
Three years later after moving on to the Mid-Cities Daily News in Hurst, it became a ritual every fall covering playoff games at Texas Stadium. The 1982 season was incredible because that was the first year two teams went to the playoffs.
L.D. Bell and Trinity, the two main schools we covered, were 9-0 and had to move their regular season finale to the stadium because old Pennington Field couldn’t hold the expected crowd. Both teams were headed to the playoffs but this was for bragging rights and the first 10-0 season either school had ever had.
Bell won, 20-8, in front of 29,000-plus fans, the largest attendance for a regular season game at the time and I think that record still holds. Four weeks later, both teams met again, this time for the Region I championship. Over 36,000-plus showed up and the two teams promptly tied, 14-14.
Bell advanced on penetrations and eventually lost in the state championship to Beaumont West Brook in the Houston Astrodome two weeks later.
I’ve witnessed a lot of close encounters as well as my share of blowouts. My alma mater, Grand Prairie, played in a few of those memorable games, including a 7-3 win over Kimball when the Gophers recovered a fumble in the end zone in the final 30 seconds.
Kimball had dominated the entire game but led only 3-0.
South Grand Prairie had a lot of memorable games as well. The 1999 season was a magic one for the Warriors who unfortunately, lost a heart-breaker to Garland in the semifinals, 41-38, in overtime. The week before SGP had a dramatic come-from-behind win over Abilene, 45-37, scoring three touchdowns in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter.
So many great memories yet the last picture I have on my mind is those two Ravens running backs – on back-to-back plays none the less! – scoring on long touchdowns to all but put an end to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
Cowboys didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway, but Texas Stadium didn’t deserve to end that way, either.
Next on the agenda: Jury Duty
Even more sicker feeling trying to watch the post game ceremony in which the NFL Network and our local Channel 33 did a crappy job of showing. But I had a lot of great memories at the stadium, especially having the privilege of covering 34 high school football playoff games there.
I can remember in November 1976 the very first time I covered a game there – South Grand Prairie vs. Highland Park in a bi-district game. Highland Park won, 41-13, but I was an 18-year old sports writer for the Grand Prairie Urbanite and I was in heaven.
Three years later after moving on to the Mid-Cities Daily News in Hurst, it became a ritual every fall covering playoff games at Texas Stadium. The 1982 season was incredible because that was the first year two teams went to the playoffs.
L.D. Bell and Trinity, the two main schools we covered, were 9-0 and had to move their regular season finale to the stadium because old Pennington Field couldn’t hold the expected crowd. Both teams were headed to the playoffs but this was for bragging rights and the first 10-0 season either school had ever had.
Bell won, 20-8, in front of 29,000-plus fans, the largest attendance for a regular season game at the time and I think that record still holds. Four weeks later, both teams met again, this time for the Region I championship. Over 36,000-plus showed up and the two teams promptly tied, 14-14.
Bell advanced on penetrations and eventually lost in the state championship to Beaumont West Brook in the Houston Astrodome two weeks later.
I’ve witnessed a lot of close encounters as well as my share of blowouts. My alma mater, Grand Prairie, played in a few of those memorable games, including a 7-3 win over Kimball when the Gophers recovered a fumble in the end zone in the final 30 seconds.
Kimball had dominated the entire game but led only 3-0.
South Grand Prairie had a lot of memorable games as well. The 1999 season was a magic one for the Warriors who unfortunately, lost a heart-breaker to Garland in the semifinals, 41-38, in overtime. The week before SGP had a dramatic come-from-behind win over Abilene, 45-37, scoring three touchdowns in a three-minute span of the fourth quarter.
So many great memories yet the last picture I have on my mind is those two Ravens running backs – on back-to-back plays none the less! – scoring on long touchdowns to all but put an end to the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.
Cowboys didn’t deserve to be in the playoffs anyway, but Texas Stadium didn’t deserve to end that way, either.
Next on the agenda: Jury Duty
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