Bowling, Spilling, and other Gerunds

I had so much fun tonight! A good thing about having a great Friday is that it's so fun; the bad thing is that if Saturday doesn't live up to the events of Friday then I get depressed.

Megan invited me to a Utah Democratic Progressive Caucus fundraiser that was at a bowling alley. I don't think I've had as much fun at a bowling alley than tonight. Sure, I was once on a bowling league with Brian, but it still doesn't compare to tonight. I actually went not really wanting to go (I wanted to spend a bit of Friday playing my computer game), but Megan had asked me a while ago so I felt obliged to go. Plus, she had previously invited Scott, Adam, Will and Brian, but couldn't afford the $30 a ticket for everyone so she just chose me to go. When she told me that on the way out my door, it made me feel good. I love hanging out with Megan.

Megan and I were on a team with 2 other players (one was Charles Kimball, who Megan is running against for Salt Lake County Party Chair). We were playing for these really cool bobble head bowling trophies and I badly wanted one; my lust drove me to bowl the best game I've ever bowled: 175. Our team ended up in the championship game against the "Golden Oldies": a team made up of the elderly and 10-year old kid. I knew we were going to win.

I wish I could now write that we were neck and neck the whole game, but I can't. For the first half of the game, most of our frames were defined by the awesome strikes that our team scored. The geriatric team wasn't faring so well, going into the 5th frame with a team average of about 50. I knew the bobble head trophy was mine and I had already picked a place on my mantle for it. I imagined coming home and showing Brian the results of being the best bowler in the building. It was about 8:45pm and our team finished; the other team was still playing. Megan and I had to leave soon, but I told Craig Axford, the leader of the group, that I would stay for the "results" of the game. He even commented to me that I should wait for my trophy.

Both games were over and the winners were being announced. Craig got on the microphone and said, "Second place, lane 10!" I thought I heard it wrong and laughed to myself. I grinned at Megan and said, "He's joking." I turned around and looked at Craig who wasn't joking. Minutes earlier, Megan and I were practicing our "losing smiles", thinking that we wouldn't have to use them. Unfortunately, I did and showed everybody the fakest smile I have ever shown anyone. After I received my red, "Second Place" ribbon, I went back to my seat contemplating my defeat. How could I have lost? That 10-year old kid kept bowling gutter balls and the whole team was about to keel over. Then Megan told me what I had failed to realize. One of the players brought in an illegal substitute; the guy replaced this prune-eating player and started bowling strike after strike. He pulled up their average to 178 to beat our 171. I was P-I-S-E-D! That little fat kid with glasses who couldn't bowl worth squat got a trophy--I wanted to go break his glasses. I knew the old people would die soon and not need the trophy; I would have treasured it forever.

I left the bowling alley in defeat, but I knew someday I would be back to reclaim what was rightfully mine.

After bowling, Megan and I went to my house where Brian, who had just gotten home, was hosting a Halo 2 party. Guests included my cousins Josh, Michael and Charles, my co-worker Dave, my friends Megan, Scott, Nathan, Will, Josh & Jed, Brian's work friends, and my brother Russell. It was funny because most of the non-Halo players congregated in our room while the hardcore players were in the office and living room. I really wanted to play Halo, but I also felt obliged to be a good host so I didn't play as much as I wanted to.

While people were in our room, I don't know exactly what happened but all I know that Megan ended up covered in candle wax that was on a candle warmer....



...and Scott was so scared of the accident that he tried to hide. Don't ask me why.



I laughed about the situation because there was nothing that could be done. Nathan was awesome because he immediately sprung to the rescue, asking for paper towels and an iron. It was very nice of him to help clean up something that he didn't do. Since Nathan had to leave soon after the accident, Megan finished cleaning the waxy mess. I could tell she was upset because the accident was her fault, and I tried my hardest to assuage her feelings. I'm glad Brian didn't yell at anyone and get mad (after everyone left, he let his true feelings out). When Megan had finished cleaning, she left my house upset. I tried to say something, but nothing I said could make her feel better. I think she feels really bad because she's broken our shoe holder, Brian's camera, and now ruined our carpet. I don't see it as a big deal because stuff happens and you can't change the past.

The accident kind of dampered the moods of everyone in our room, so everyone eventually left except for Josh and Jed. We played Trivial Pursuit on the Xbox until about 1:30am. Josh kicked butt at the game and kept getting all the questions right. As we were playing, he asked if I had ever been on a cruise. I immediately thought of the previous entry when I said going on a cruise with a fun couple would be awesome--I wondered if Josh had read my entry. Either way, I think going on a cruise as couples would be a blast! I don't remember when it happened, but Josh spilled some water in our bedroom. Jed commented, "Tonight, wax, water and blood were spilled." I thought it was funny.

Now that everyone's gone, it's time to go to bed. Russell wants the computer and will probably be up late playing games.