Day 122: The good, the bad and the bloody

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 122: The good, the bad and the bloody

The past 24 hours have been eventful, to say the least.

First, I had a rather bad dream. I know, hearing about other people’s dreams is about as interesting as grating cheese, but this dream of mine was nothing short of extraordinary.

I was bowling at Kennedy Bowl, practicing my game, when an unusual visitor showed up … the queen of England. (Don’t ask me where I come up with this stuff). At some point, the queen was getting a guided tour from Kevin Arsenault who took her behind the lanes. Not in the safe walking area where the ball boys do their work, but on the lanes where the pins are. I threw my ball and missed the queen’s legs by a few inches. She was not impressed.

A few hours later I had an accident while preparing lunch. After moaning for weeks that my potato knife was getting blunt, I bought a new knife in the Dollarstore. Dieter didn’t agree with my purchase, said that you can’t be a good knife for $3. Yeah, well, if this knife wasn’t up to the task he could find me a better one in Canadian Tire, but for now, this Dollarstore knife would have to do.

Today was the first time I used it and … I nicked the tip of my left index finger. Blood everywhere. I rushed to the bathroom to wash my hands with soap and water while yelling at Dieter to bring me a towel. However, when presented with the requested item I didn’t really want to use it as it’s hard to get blood out of a towel. So, I asked for paper towels instead. After a few minutes, the bleeding stopped sufficiently for a band-aid to be applied.

Next up … the Belgium vs. Japan soccer match.

I didn’t watch the match because as mentioned in a previous post, if I watch the game, the Belgians are sure to lose. So, I went down for a nap instead.

I had barely rested my head on the pillow when I heard cursing from the living room. “Did Japan score?” I asked. “Yes,” Dieter said. A while later I heard him snap his laptop shut. This could only mean one thing … Japan had planted another one in Belgium’s goal. This time I didn’t even have to ask, Dieter uttered a frustrated “It’s over.”

I knew that napping was now out of the question. I was too agitated. This had happened time and time again. The Belgians had done well in the qualifying round, they had won all the games in the knock-out round, and now they allowed themselves to be beaten?! I was utterly disgusted with my team.

One way or another I must have drifted off though because I was awoken with a very enthusiastic “WE ARE IN!!!”

I can’t say that I was very surprised as this is typical of the Belgians. They play a relaxed game, passing the ball around without seemingly a care in the world. When Japan scored their first goal, they must have been surprised. When Japan scored their second goal they finally, finally shot into action. The Belgians need a good kick, so to speak, for them to wake up.

And they didn’t disappoint. Not only did they score and score again, in the last four minutes of overtime they scored the third goal making it 3 – 2.

Thank you, Red Devils for nearly giving me a heart attack.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Day 116: Soccer Fever – Belgium vs. Panama

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 116: Soccer Fever – Belgium vs. Panama

There are two things that bring people together … a disaster and an international sporting event. If you’re feeling a little feverish, not to worry, you’re not the only one, millions of others share your fever, soccer fever that is.

People who usually don’t follow soccer, now sit glued to their television, computer monitor or handheld device to see 22 men run around after a ball. I know, it doesn’t sound very exciting, but for some reason it is.

Those who can’t watch the match, life or televised, still keep track of the score via life updates on FIFA’s website. I’m one of those people. I prefer not to watch a live match because whoever I support loses. And not just in soccer, in all kinds of competitions. Whether it’s an Olympic event, American Idol, a beauty pageant, or an award ceremony, my favorites never ever win.

Take Belgium vs. Panama for instance. Being from Belgium I took a special interest in the Red Devils, but in the first half of the game, Belgium did nothing. There was a lot of running around and kicking the ball back and forth, but nothing qualified as exciting.

The second half I couldn’t watch because I had things to do. And that’s when it happened … the players were barely back on the field when Mertens scored a goal. Having finally woken up, Laluka decided to follow suit and planted a ball in Panama’s net too. So happy was the crowd that he decided he gave them an encore. Final score 3 – 0.

Safe to say, I won’t be watching Belgium’s next match. I’ll keep an eye on the score, but watching the match itself … no way, the men do far better when I’m not around.

Anything you can do, I can do better

Give that man a handkerchief

Stand back, I got this

Brother, this is not the time to dance

I believe I can fly

That's my leg man, not a chair

Does it look any better from down there?

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Cat toys ... are they worth the money

Yesterday I mentioned that Holly was at the vet with ingrowing paw nails. http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/march-04th-2017 however, that was not the only problem. 

At 14 lbs the vet was of the opinion that Holly is overweight. I asked him what I could do about this. After all, it’s not like I can deprive her of food or feed her salads, carrot sticks and celery.

The vet had three suggestions: switch to weight management food, replace a bowl of food with a catmosphere, and increase playtime.

This advice was followed up right away. I switched Holly’s food, bought not one but catmosphere balls and ordered a toy online.

While the weight management food was a hit, the catmospheres and the toy was not. Mickey, Charlotte, Gabriel and Holly looked at the balls, didn’t know what to make of it and even seemed afraid of them. I demonstrated how to get the food out of the balls, but no, they wanted nothing to do with them.

As for the toy … I saw the 3 tier ball toy advertised on Facebook, the kittens had lots of fun with it, but my lot didn’t trust the newcomer.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BHWXHTPhmc

The pictures reflect their reaction …

Mickey ... what is this?

Gabriel ... what am I supposed to do with this?

Holly ... I'm not fat, I'm fluffy

Charlotte wouldn't even go near it.

That thing looks suspicious

Now it so happens that I received a box of chocolates tied up with a red ribbon. And this ribbon was the biggest hit ever. Mickey, Charlotte, Gabriel, and Holly took turns playing with the ribbon, picking it up in their mouth and dragging it away, or bringing it to me to play with them. They can’t get enough of it.

Conclusion … 

Catmosphere $7 (x2) … take it away

Ball toy $20 … afraid of it

Red ribbon $0 … loads of fun

The Catmosphere

Just the other day I warned that pet owners should think before they buy a cat toy. But but I don’t exactly practice what I preach. http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/cat-toys-think-before-you-buy 

It all started with Holly licking her bum. Not once, not twice, but constantly.

When I had a look I noticed that her backside was rather dirty, and the skin around her anus red and swollen. With Dieter’s help, her bum got rinsed with clean lukewarm water. A few days later we repeated the process.

Despite our best efforts, Holly’s bum didn’t get better. She continued to lick so I decided to take her to the vet.

At the vet’s office, Holly’s backside got examined and as it turned out her anal glands were enlarged. She got treated and the doctor said that she should be better within a few days.

However, that was not the end of it. The vet said that Holly was overweight. This was not news to us, we knew Holly is on the heavy side, but we didn’t know what to do about it. She eats a normal amount of food and gets daily exercise.

The vet suggested switching her regular dry food to weight management nibbles, increase the exercise and get her a catmosphere ball. The concept behind the catmosphere ball is simple … instead of giving cats their dry food in a bowl, the catmosphere ball is filled with nibbles, cats slap the ball around and in the process it dispenses food. In other words, cats have to work for their meal.

It sounded like the perfect plan to me and I wasted no time getting Holly (and the rest of my cat family) not one but two such balls. The balls were filled with nibbles, placed on the floor and introduced to the cats.

And what do you think? If you think Mickey, Charlotte, Gabriel and Holly enthusiastically started slapping the ball around, think again. They looked at it, sniffed it and … ran away. And I do mean ‘ran’, they didn’t just walk, they backed away and took off like bats from hell.

Not wanting to give up that easily, I decided to demonstrate to the cats how to use the ball, and what their reward would be, but no, they wanted nothing to do it. I placed the two balls in two different locations, but wherever the ball was, they walked around it in a big circle. Eventually, I had no choice but to fill their regular food bowl with nibbles.

If anyone bought this ball for their cats, whether it’s a failure or a success, please share your experience with me.

www.connymanero.weebly.com

Can cats remember?

For those who ever wondered if cats have a memory, let me assure you … they do.

A couple of days ago I played ball with Holly. I threw the ball, Holly went in hot pursuit, due to the fluff under her feet her brakes failed, she skidded, and slammed into the wall.

Not to worry, short of appearing a little dazed, Holly was fine, but now she doesn’t want to play ball anymore. I’ve tried, a few times, and she looks at the ball with a face that says … you’ve got to be kidding. She might just be traumatised for the rest of her life.

(Continue reading at http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/can-cats-remember)

“Debbie” … the countdown

Rocking Horse Publishing notified me today that copies of “Debbie” are on the way to Toronto.  Their arrival is scheduled for Wednesday, March 27.

To say that I'm anxious to see what the end product looks like would be an understatement.  I’m burning with curiosity.

While I know the story of course, I haven’t seen the colorful illustrations inside.  If the cover of the book is anything to go by, the drawings inside will be wonderful too.  Actually, I already got a sneak preview and they’re adorable.  Just as Debbie was.

As soon as the books arrive I will take pictures of course.  A picture of the box, a picture of opening the box, obviously a picture of the book and knowing my fur kids … a picture of one or more cats checking out and taking possession of the box.

The imminent arrival of “Debbie” is the second good thing that happened this week.  The first happened on Sunday in the bowling alley.

Ever since winter started, it’s been a crap shoot going to Kennedy Bowl.  It happened more than once that we braved the cold and tracked through the snow to the bowling alley, only to find out that all the lanes were booked.  Especially over the weekend the place is heaving with bowlers.

When we arrived last Sunday, the noise that greeted us at the door didn’t sound encouraging.  I heard balls rolling and pins falling and from the sound of people talking, yelling, screaming and laughing the place was packed.

When we got to the lanes that suspicion was confirmed … not a free lane in sight.  Fortunately, after a bit of waiting and negotiating, we managed to get one lane and unpacked our gear: balls, shoes, gloves.

My family of balls

My latest edition - the Hammer Wrench

Dieter's family of balls

Dieter's latest edition - the Raptor Talon

Seeing that I was about to bowl with a new ball, the Hammer Wrench, I didn’t know what to expect.  After all, it always takes time getting to know how a new ball will perform.

But my Hammer performed beautifully.  From the moment he came off my fingers, he rolled toward the pins, picking up speed as he went along, took a sharp turn to the left toward the end of the lane and hammered the pins down.

Over 5 games he scored:

193 … not bad

204 … even better

156 … he had an oops moment

235 … I LOVE THIS BALL

193 … finish the way he started

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Tomorrow the Hammer will join the rest of my ball family and play league for the first time.  He will either get cold feet and chicken out, or take me to new heights.

Bowling, bowling, bowling

I’m starting the New Year in the best possible way … bowling, bowling and more bowling. 

The short version:

·       A bowling party at New Year’s Eve

·       A tournament on New Year’s Day

·       League bowling the day after. 

If this isn’t THE WAY to start a year, what is …

The long version:

On New Year’s Eve Kennedy Bowl is organizing a bowling party, starting at 10:00 p.m.  The atmosphere will be cosmic bowling.

While cosmic bowling is a lot of fun, it also presents a few problems.  The alley is lit up only by black lights and strategically placed spots, aimed at a glitter ball.  So, not only is lane visibility limited, every now and then colourful images (projected from the glitter ball) glide and sweep across the lane.

I find cosmic bowling particularly challenging as I rely on the target arrows on the lane to direct my ball.  In the darkness, I can't see those arrows until I’m right by the foul line.  Then again, we’ll be bowling for the fun of it, so I shouldn’t care (too much) about my score.

On New Year’s Day I’ll be taking part in a bowling tournament.  While this will be fun too, it will also be very serious business.  I don’t think I stand much of a chance, competing against men and women far better than I am, but … one never knows, right?  

January 1^st might just be my lucky day.  I’ve won tournaments before, on my own and with Dieter, so I know I can do it.  The main thing will be to keep my cool and not be too impressed by my competition.

Then on Wednesday it will be business as usual with league bowling.  It’s a very serious league, with very serious bowlers.  We’re doing well though.  We, “The Expendables”, were at one time in last place, but by winning a few points here and a few points there, we’ve managed to scramble into 10^th position.

Anyway, I’m planning to have fun in the next three days and continue to do so in the year that follows.

Bowling update

It just occurred to me that I skipped last week’s bowling update.  Not to worry, you didn’t miss much.  We did okay, no highs, no lows, just an ordinary night of league bowling.

Last night on the other hand was a night with a difference.  We played Jessica, Mario and Kevin. 

Jessica is one of the better female bowlers, Mario I don’t really know, but Kevin I know all too well.  The man has bowled more 300 games than I have teeth in my mouth. 

Needless to say, we didn’t stand much of a chance, but I was determined not to make a fool of myself.  I was going to give it my best shot. 

And oh boy did I shoot.  I opened with a crow (that’s four strikes in a row).  This put confidence under my bowling wings and I took flight for the rest of the night.

Just take a look at the scores of The Expendables:

Dieter    : 164 – 174 – 182 – 212 =     Total: 732 – Average: 183

Christine: 159 – 228 – 184 – 234 =     Total: 805 – Average: 201

Conny   : 202 – 179 – 180 - 172 =     Total: 733 – Average: 183

Please note that I beat Dieter by one pin. 

All in all we (The Expendables) took 8,5 out of 16 points.  Not bad, considering I didn’t think we stood much of a chance.

Bowling against bowlers who are better than me is definitely paying off.  When I fear failing, I pay closer attention and stay more focused. 

While I’m all for having fun and horsing around, there are times that one has to concentrate on the game.  It also helps if lady luck along with the bowling gods are smiling down.

Let's talk about balls

Wednesday night was bowling night, but before reporting on our league night, let’s talk about something else.  Let’s talk about balls.

I admit, where it comes to bowling balls I have a tendency of putting my foot in my mouth.  If I were to think a moment before speaking, I could save myself (and others) quite a bit of embarrassment, but of course, thinking is not my strong suit.

A good few years ago, I was on the lanes with my friends Ann and Jean-Pierre, when another bowler took the lanes next to ours and prepared for a couple of games.  After he unpacked all his gear I commented to Ann “My goodness, look at that guy’s balls.”  Which prompted Jean-Pierre to say “Who are you?  Supergirl?”  (You might remember that the female superhero had X-ray vision.)

A few years later, I was on the train with Dieter, on our way to the bowling alley, when I asked him which ball he was going to play with.  He replied “The usual one”.  Since I didn’t know which one the usual one was, he clarified “The black and blue one.”

Too late I noticed how quiet the train compartment had gotten, while an elderly lady sat shaking head with obvious disapproval and tutted.

After that I started paying attention to what I said, knowing how talking about balls is so easily misunderstood.  Of course, every now and then I go into Rodney’s pro-shop, which is a danger zone like no other. 

I mean really, the place is filled with balls and they are all so uniquely beautiful.  Black balls, colorful balls, flamed balls, shiny balls, dull balls, new balls and used balls.  Whenever I go in there, it’s only a matter of time before I say something that I shouldn’t have.  Of course, it’s not always my fault.  Rodney – joker that he is – sets up the trap, and before long I take the bait.

Last night, once again, I spoke without thinking.

I was outside by the bowling alley, waiting for Dieter.  Next to me, on the pavement, stood a bowling bag.  When Dieter showed up, I commented “Look at this, someone left his balls behind”.

At that precise moment, an African American woman walked by.  She didn’t say anything, but I knew she’d heard me because she lowered her head, opened her eyes wider while raising her eyebrows.

As for bowling … we didn’t do bad, not bad at all.

My first game left much to be desired, but there was a reason for that.

Up until now, our team, The Expendables, consisted of just Dieter and me.  Since the league asks for a three man team, our third member was a ghost bowler.

Last night however, we got the company of Christine, who joined our team.  I took one look at Christine’s handicap (19) and was dead impressed.  So impressed in fact that I made a total mess of my first game.

Much to my surprise, my score came very close to Christine’s and to my even bigger surprise I won the game from my opponent.  That was all the assurance I needed.  I didn’t have to feel inferior, with a little effort I could be just as good as Christine.  Well, not quite as good, but I certainly didn’t have to slink away in the shadows.

All in all, The Expendables took 9,5 out of a total of 16 points and – considering who our opponents were – that was nothing to sneeze at.

Does bowling with music makes for better bowling?

It just occurred to me that I neglected to report on last Wednesday night’s bowling league.  Yeah well, let’s just say that you didn’t miss much.  Let’s talk about today’s practice session instead.

I always do better during practice than during league, but apparently I’m not the only one.  When I spoke to a seasoned bowler today, whom I thought always kept his cool, he admitted that he does better when it’s just for fun too. 

My scores of today say it all:

191 – 164 – 222 – 226 – 166

That is an average of 193.8

Dieter did even better.  He scores were:

174 – 224 – 209 – 157 – 235

That is an average of 199.8

If only I could bowl like this during league.

Then again, the conditions were ideal today.  The oil pattern on the lanes was perfect and the atmosphere was relaxed and happy due to up-beat music piped through the speakers.  I always do better with music.

I’ve asked numerous times for music during the league, but so far this has not been approved because music messes with the serious bowler’s concentration.  Serious about bowling as I am, I guess that makes me a non-serious bowler.

The loudness also plays a part.  Soft music does nothing for me, but turn up the volume and my spirits lift while my bowling scores rise. 

In the absence of bowling alley music, I could listen to music privately through headphones, but this seems so anti-social. 

Before next week’s Wednesday night league, we’ll have another practice session tomorrow night.  Let’s see if I can do well two night in a row.

I need all the practice I can get for the upcoming Halloween tournament.  Last year Dieter and I won the competition.  Can we do it again?

Bowling update

Yes, we went bowling yesterday, but I’m somewhat reluctant to talk about it.  To say that we did bad would be an understatement.

Last night we bowled against Jeff and Adele (not their real names), less than average bowlers.  Beating them should have been a breeze, but it wasn’t. 

My first game was bad, my second was a better but with room for improvement.  In my third game I flirted with a 200 and during my fourth I crashed and burned.

How did Dieter do?  Well, let’s just say he didn’t even get off the ground.

I was rather surprised, because in the three previous weeks we did rather well.  In the first week we took the majority of the points; in the second week we got a beating, but managed to snag 2,5 points; in the third week the winnings were split between the two teams.

Last night we only managed to take 4 points.  Not a total loss, but considering who we played against, we should have taken everything.

Which makes me wonder ... is our bowling performance influenced by the opposition?  Do we bowl better when we are up against bowlers betters than us? 

Far more distressing though is the lack of fun we had last night.  There was no interaction, no talking and certainly no laughing.  Can that make a difference?

I’ve wondered about this before ... when did bowling stop being fun?  We had such good times in the past.  When we first started bowling, making a strike was such an achievement.  We would scream and shout and dance around like crazy.  When a spare was made, we would be amazed like ... did I just do that!

Now a strike nothing and we don’t even blink when a spare is made.  On the contrary, now we’re amazed when we don’t make a strike and blame our inability to anything and everything. 

The ball was too greasy – the ball was too dry.

The lanes were too greasy – the lanes were too dry.

The pins were stubborn.

The pins were too well balanced, they wobbled but they didn't fall.

The walk was wrong.

The hand position was wrong.

The delivery was wrong.

The speed was wrong.

Why can’t we just accept that we failed and walk away?

That’s the difference between social bowlers and league bowlers.  Social bowlers don’t care (much) and have a good time; league bowlers (especially those with a few years under their belt) expect too much of themselves. 

Instead of learning to get better, maybe we should learn to enjoy ourselves again.

Next week better?