Day 58: Why I chose a condor for my first tattoo

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 58: Why I chose a condor for my first tattoo

Yesterday I mentioned that I would explain why a chose a condor for my first tattoo as a condor is not an obvious choice. Let’s face it, a condor is an ugly bird, and if young girls are compared to pretty birds than older women are ugly birds. As such, I’m an ugly bird.

But there is another reason why I chose a condor tattoo.

Many years ago, I started playing ten-pin bowling tournaments. I was not exactly champion material, but I wasn’t a bad player either. My average was 175 with an occasional 200+ and a top score of 257.  

In tournaments, however, I went to pieces. All my opponent had to do was give me a dirty look, ignore me, or say “You’re gonna lose” and my confidence went from 100 to zero in two seconds flat.

How it happened exactly I can’t remember, but I came across a picture of a condor. As mentioned earlier not exactly a pretty bird, but definitely a bird to be feared. And for some reason, I started to identify with this bird.

From then on, whenever I stood on the approach, I was no longer Conny, I was ... the condor. Now, at the start of a tournament, or even just a practice game, I imagined the condor, waiting to take flight. 

As the condor, I might not be the most beautiful bowler, but I would soar to new heights and I was to be feared. 

And it worked. A few years ago, Dieter (a.k.a. Raven) and I took first place at a Halloween tournament and we took first place in the league.

Dieter and I no longer play league or tournaments, but we do bowl every Saturday morning. We have a mini-competition going, just for the fun of it. Do I beat him? ... hardly, he’s way better than me. He’s got a 200 average while I only have a 175 average. But occasionally, I do manage to snatch a game from him or manage to come close.

To learn more about the condor and see some great photos.

https://www.chimuadventures.com/blog/2016/07/andean-condor/

http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-california-condors/

 ____________________ 

Looking for a unique gift?

http://connymanero.weebly.com/store.html 

The Birdcage

Over the past nine months I have occasionally shared bowling news from our league – Supreme Triples.

Sometimes, after a particularly good night, it was to share the good fortune of our team (The Birdcage). Other times, after we didn’t do so well, it was to complain. Other times still, when my ball didn’t want to roll right or when the pins just didn’t want to fall, it was to vent my frustration.

Continue reading at:

http://connymanero.weebly.com/blog/the-birdcage

Guest blogger of the day ... Robin

(Since Conny asked me to do my own intro here, I figured I’d give you the whole backstory. If I missed anything, just ask in the comments. I’ll probably answer…)

I was born… Oh, wait – that intro has already been used. Hmm. Okay, well, I WAS born. Almost, um, 50 years ago. Ugh, that sounds like my mother… Let me try again:

Obviously I WAS born. After that, I can pretty much divide my life into parts: childhood – pretty good, teens – had a blast, early adulthood – eh, and everything since – FANtastic! My husband and I have five kids between us, two of his, two of mine, and one of ours. And three grandkids, all extremely smart and incredibly cute. Of course.

I grew up in the St. Louis, Missouri area and gradually moved across the state, then to Colorado for not quite two years, and then Texas; we were down there for eight years. Back to St. Louis for an aborted attempt at law school, and then I got bored.

We opened our bookstore in October 2011, after a brainstorm in late July. My first book came out the following August – the inspiration of which was a really weird dream that came from eating salsa too late one night. While I was procrastinating on my second book a few months later, again in October, I thought, “Hey, I’ll start a publishing house!” So I did.

And here I am.

My friend, fellow author, and client Conny Manero mentioned that I could perhaps do a guest post on her blog about… bowling. Bowling? Well, I do enjoy the sport. And, yes, I could reminisce over a few interesting things that I’ve experienced in that realm. So, sure, why not?

When I was a kid, maybe 8 or 9, my parents were in a bowling league. I didn’t often get to go along, since it was their night out, so to speak, but they did take me sometimes on Saturdays. Had a lot of fun, and no, back then there were no bright pink kids’ balls and no bumpers – you either got gutter balls or a decent score, entirely dependent on your own efforts.

My mom’s co-leader for my Junior Girl Scout troop was a professional bowler and, since in those days there was no “bowling badge,” she helped our troop create one. I remember thinking it was way cool – we learned all about the game and how to keep score. And, like all good Girl Scouts in the 70s, we embroidered the badge ourselves!

The bowling alleys back then were smoky, mysterious places, with snack bars and actual bars; waitresses would bring your food and drink to your lane so you didn’t have to miss any of the action. There were all kinds of leagues: senior, adult, kid, and lessons and parties and special game nights. Going bowling was an event, not just a stopping place to hang out and maybe bowl a few lines. A lot of people had their own balls and shoes, and a lot of them wore team shirts – you know, those colorful polyester ones with the team name emblazoned on them. Hey, it was the 70s!

When I was fifteen, like many kids, I wanted to get a job. Guess what was just up the road? A brand new bowling alley! Perfect. I managed to get hired and I ran the snack bar. I worked after school, sometimes until 2:00 a.m. No pesky state laws to get me off work by 10:00 p.m. on school nights! I remember one night, after working there a week or so, I bolted upright out of a sound sleep and woke myself up saying, “That’ll be fifty-two cents, please!” That was the price of a large Pepsi, with tax.

And yes, a couple times when the bar was swamped and the bartender had to run to the restroom, I’d jump over there and pull beers. No one batted an eye. Besides the Pepsi and the beer, I made burgers, fries, onion rings, nachos, SteakUm sandwiches, and probably a few other things I’ve forgotten about. Then, after we closed, I’d clean everything, fryers and grill too. Still remember how to clean that grill: we had this big black block of… something, and had to screw in a heavy metal handle. That’s what we scrubbed it with, till it shone. Ick.

A bunch of guys from my high school worked there too – they’d unjam the pins, retrieve balls, and fix the automatic scorers. They taught me how to do that too, and there were plenty of times when I had to jump over the counter and help a group out with their machine.

As an older teen, my friends and I bowled a lot. I wasn’t working there anymore, but I still knew most of the people who did, so we’d hang out and bowl on Friday nights. Had a blast! And over the years, I’d still bowl occasionally, always remember how our Girl Scout leader taught us to pick up the ball, line up the pins, and maneuver just right to get that perfect strike.

Well, it worked sometimes!

Thank you Robin.  For me, as a bowler, that was a very interesting post.  

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.

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?

Weekly bowling update - by an inch or a mile, winning is winning

I’m a little late with my weekly bowling blog update, aren’t I.  To tell you the truth, I would just as soon forget the whole thing, but I’ve promised an update every week, so here it is.

The whole of Wednesday I was in good spirits.  Everything is better and brighter when bowling is on the agenda that same day.  I felt so optimistic that I made the Facebook entry “I ho, I ho, it’s off to bowls we go.  Strike or spare, we don’t care, I ho, I ho, I ho, I ho.”

You should have seen me 30 minutes later.  At first I wasn’t worried when meeting the competition.  I recognized Maria and Louis from previous encounters and from tournaments.  We played them before and we had beaten them before.

My confidence evaporated when I saw the score sheet listing the players and I noticed Maria and Louis’ average and handicap.  Holy cow ... their worst player was better than our team’s best player.  We were in trouble, serious trouble.

Without confidence, a game is as good as lost.  As I mentioned in a previous blog post, bowling games are won and lost in a bowler’s mind.  If he doesn’t think he has a chance, he won’t stand a chance. 

As it turned out, we really didn’t stand a chance.  Maria blasted off with a 200+ game and I couldn’t do anything right.  My ball went to the left, my ball went to the right, he went everywhere except where he was supposed to go ... in the pocket of the pin deck.

The second game was worse.  Maria made 11 strikes and ended up with a score of 289.  I won’t even tell you my score, it’s too embarrassing.

After a smoke break between the second and third game I came back and prepared for another round of punishment.  My game improved though and ... hello, I was catching up with Maria.  She made a strike, I made a strike, she picked up a spare, I picked up a spare.  We were like two bulls locking horns. 

When the score was tallied up with handicap I held my breath.  We had both bowled our hearts out.  Would I have enough for a win?  As it turned out, we drew with an equal score.  On the one hand this was kind of depressing, all that work for ½ a point, but on the other hand ... hello, if I could equal her, I could beat her.

Which is exactly what I did in the fourth and final game.  Admittedly, I only won by 3 pins, but as Vin Diesel said in The Fast and the Furious ... “Whether you win by an inch or a mile, winning is winning.”

I really must practise positive thinking more often. 

Bowling night update

It’s Thursday morning, which means last night we went bowling and now it’s time for an update.  First off, we picked a name for our team … The Expendables.

I was looking forward to our weekly night of light bowling, until we got to the bowling alley and I saw who our opponents were … Dave and Ryan.  Both have a handicap of 5 points, which means their average is 215.  That’s enough to make anyone want to turn on their heels and make a speedy exit.

How were we going to beat them?  With hopes and dreams?  To make matters worse, their third partner had a handicap of 102!  How were we to deal with that?  Forget hopes and dreams, this was a nightmare!

Still, when I joined this league, I knew I was going to face stiff competition, so I put my shoes and wrist guard on, polished my ball, and prepared for a night of defeat.

I didn’t have to wait long.  Dave and Ryan soared to a 200+ games respectively, while I tagged along with a 139 and a 134.  

I knew what the problem was, I felt overwhelmed playing with Dave and Ryan, and threatened by their third partner (can’t remember her name).  And as every bowler knows … games are not won and lost on the lane, they are won and lost in the bowler’s mind.  If he doesn’t think he has a chance, he won’t stand a chance.

After a smoke break between the second and third game I came back down and took the lane with a ‘kiss my butt attitude’.  If I was going to lose, I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.  So the claws came out.

Splits and misses turned to strikes and spares.  I don’t know who was more surprised, our opponents or me but I shot a 205 followed by a 185.  The result … we won the last two games. 

All in all we took 8,5 point our of 16.  So there!

In summary:

Dieter:     212 – 167 – 179 – 247

Me:          139 – 134 – 202 – 185

The start of a new bowling season

It’s September, it’s after Labor Day, and that means the start of a new ten-pin bowling season.

While other years I joined a fun league, this year I wanted something different, very different.  I joined a serious league and by doing so I’m now playing with the big boys.

I was more than a little hesitant though.  The guys who play in that league have averages of between 190 and 210.  And then there me, with an average of 158.  I used to be better, clocking an average of 172, but I guess age brought me down a bit.  Still, I’m not ready to throw in the towel, so if I’m going to be beaten, I’m going to be beaten by the best.

Another reason why I joined a serious league is that maybe I can learn a thing or two from watching the good players.  Stance, walk, delivery, follow-through ... they might know something that I don’t.

Another reason yet why I joined this league is because I am sick and tired of being beaten by “sandbaggers”.  What are sandbaggers ... players who deliberately play bad at the beginning of the season to achieve a high handicap.  After 12 to 16 games, when the handicap more or less settles, they start playing full force.  Their game, plus their high handicap makes it nearly impossible to beat them. 

With this league this is not going to happen.  These bowlers are bowlers from the top drawer and they don’t resort to cheap tricks. 

Still, like I said, I was a bit hesitant in joining.  I saw all these good bowlers arrive and I thought to myself ... what am I doing here?

Much to my surprise I played rather well.  I scored:

189 – 158 – 191 – 150, that’s an average of 172.  Not too shabby.

Dieter didn’t do too shabby either.  He scored seven strikes in a row.  I was beginning to think that tonight was the night he would score a 300.  Unfortunately, in the 8^th frame it went wrong ... one pin remained standing.  He ended up with a score of 267. 

We ended up winning most of the games and scored 13 out of 16 points.  Suddenly I felt a whole lot more confident about this league.

In the weeks to come we will undoubtedly be beaten.  Probably more than once, but one thing is for sure ... we won’t go down without a fight.

Stay tuned for weekly updates ...

Angry Birds

A word of advice … now that Angry Birds is on Facebook, don’t start playing it.  Once you start, you cannot stop.

Even though Angry Birds has been around for a long time, I wasn’t remotely interested.  Dieter played it, but I thought it was just a stupid game.

When Angry Birds came on Facebook, I had to check it out, see what all the fuss was about.  I firmly believe that one should at least try something before forming an opinion.  BIG MISTAKE!

All it took was one game and I was hooked.

Those cute birds, the different challenges they face, not to mention the hilarious sound effects of the game make for a winning combination.

This afternoon I was an angry bird.  Kennedy Bowl organized a doubles tournament and of course Dieter and I were there.  We’re both diehard bowlers and cannot resist an opportunity to measure ourselves with other bowlers.

One look at who was there and we both raised our eyebrows … not only had other bowlers come out in full force, quite a few of them were of a considerable calibre.  We would have our hands full keeping up with them, never mind beating them.

Personally I am one of those bowlers who does well when it doesn’t matter.  Meaning, during social bowling I maintain quite a decent average.

When it does matter, during league bowling, my games tend to go up and down.  Sometimes I start off low and manage to increase my game score as I go along; sometimes I start off bang, only to go to pieces later on.  

 

During a tournament … well, I never know what’s going to happen.  I’ve had good games and I’ve had bad games.  I make stupid mistakes, leave pins standing and make one split after another.  The way I see it, it’s not my fault.  It’s the fault of my ball who develops a mind of his own.  

When he has to go left, he veers to the right; when he’s supposed to go to the right, he swings to the left, and then there are times that he goes dead straight when he’s not supposed to.

As for the pins … I swear those things move on their own accord or have something on the bottom that enables them to remain standing … glue, or Velcro or something.  

Anyway, in today’s tournament we muddled along until Dieter shot a 255 in the last game, catapulting us in 4^th position in the qualifying.  Our victory was short lived though.  To cut a long story short … we didn’t win.  Not even close.

Not surprising when I checked out the competition.  One of the men has no less than ten 300’s in his bowling career!!! 

We didn’t stick around to find out who ultimately won.  We left with our tails between our legs and went to drawn our sorrows in a large Hawaiian pizza. 

Does this loss teach us the lesson not to compete again … neigh, as I said, we’re diehard bowlers.  We may have lost a fight, but we will persevere until we win the war.