Just as a disclaimer, please don't expect proper grammar and punctuation in this blog post, or any other future blog posts. I'll do my best with the spelling, but everything else is up in the air. Run-on sentences, incomplete sentences, numbered lists, and bullet points are all very good friends of mine, you will meet all of them very soon.
Hello there.
It's been a while!
545 Days to be exact.
I did say it wouldn't be two and a half years between posts, so there's that!
I'd say at this point that I'm in a long term relationship with Procrastination.
But of course, it's complicated.
My last two posts were in April of 2020, and December of 2022.
One right at the beginning of Covid, and one right in the middle of it all.
Now we're on the other side.
Now, we're back to "normal", whatever that means these days.
I must admit, the one thing I miss, was the work/life balance.
At the height of everything, I was fortunate enough to stay home from work, but still get paid.
No one was flying.
Technically, next to no one.
My airport went from having anywhere from 10-12,000 people a day.....to less than 200.
That means most of us weren't needed.
Two days on, five days off.
And even on the two days that I was working, I'd always get off early.
It was nice.
I mean sure, everything was either shut down or very limited, so there wasn't anywhere to go do anything.
Good thing I love being a homebody just as much as I like going places and doing things.
I did miss bowling though.
I've really gotten into bowling over the last 5 years.
I always loved bowling, but I never learned how to hook the ball.
I'd just throw it straight at the pins, and hope for the best.
Then one of my good friends started really getting into it.
So naturally, I started really getting into it to.
My friend bowls two handed.
Depending on who you talk to, a lot of "bowling purists" snub their noses at it.
They think it's cheating.
News flash, it's not.
Jason Belmonte, one of the best bowlers to ever do it, is a two handed bowler.
He's not breaking any rules.
Some people just love to hate, it's as simple as that.
So when I started learning how to hook the ball, I was trying to emulate my friend, who was bowling two handed.
He was bowling two handed, because Jason Belmonte became his favorite bowler, and as we know, Mr. Belmonte bowls two handed.
So when you bowl two handed, you don't use your thumb, because you have your other hand to keep the ball stable.
As I was trying to learn to bowl two handed, I would find myself letting go of the ball with my "other hand" much sooner than a traditional two handed bowler would.
Eventually, I became the most comfortable with a one handed release....but without using my thumb.
And that's how I throw the ball to this day, one handed, no thumb!
Also, my friend has his own ball.
He said there was a "night and day" difference between having your own ball instead of just using the "house ball", especially when you're hooking the ball.
It wasn't too long afterwards that I went to my local bowling alley, walked into the pro shop, and with the help of the pro shop owner, I bought my first ball, had it drilled, and proceeded to break a 200 score for the very first time.
To say it makes a world of difference would be an understatement!
Pardon the cheesy pun, but I've been "hooked" ever since.
No more puns, I promise.
My local alley just brought back it's "Summer Pass" after they didn't have it last year.
Each Summer Pass offers two games of bowling per day, including shoe rental.
Of course, at this point I have 5 bowling balls, two bowling bags, and of course, my own bowling shoes.
Even if you're a casual bowler, and you only bowl "every now and then", I'd still recommend that you get your own pair of bowling shoes.
Once you get your own pair, you'll never go back.
No more weird velcro that doesn't stay on.
No more flat feet.
No more having your foot slipping around in a shoe that's been worn my thousands of people.
Plus, they're cheap!
I mean yes, they have expensive pairs as well, but mine were like $30, and they have more than paid for themselves in not having to pay shoe rental fees anymore!
Not to mention, my bowling shoes are straight up athletic sneakers!
Bowling shoes come in ALL STYLES!
It's worth the one time investment, just to never have to pay rental fees again, trust me!
Anyway, I bought two Summer Passes.
That's four games of bowling every time I go, and the Summer Pass goes all the way through Labor Day.
It just started two weeks ago, and I've already used it seven times.
That's 28 games of bowling.
My Summer Passes have already paid for themselves, so now it's free bowling for the next three months!
Needless to say, I love bowling!
I could keep going on about bowling forever, but I think this is a good point to stop, for now!
I've also started my "Ultimate Photo Album" back up, after a 13 year hiatus.
My goal was to take individual pictures with as many people that i know as possible.
Yes, it's a tall task.
Yes, it may never truly be "complete".
But I'm good with that.
There's always room for more pictures!
For the longest time, my "Album" was just a digital collection.
But now I actually bought a phyiscal photo album, printed out all of the photos, thank you CVS, and now I have an ACTUAL, physical photo album!
I must admit, every time I open the album, and start looking at the pictures, and see some of the photos I've taken over the years, and the people who have taken the time out of their lives to take a photo with ME, I have to pinch myself.
If you told 21 year old me that this "Photo Album Idea" would blossom into what I have right now, (and I'm still lining up more pictures as I write this) I wouldn't have believe you!
All these years later, and here we are.
I have now started asking the people that I've taken pictures with to sign our picture!
Still can't believe it sometimes.
None of these pictures came to ME, I had to put boots on the ground, I had to make the overture, I had to get out there and DO IT.
And being the master procrastinator that I am, it's just.....wow.
Just. Wow.
There's so many people that I asked for a picture, just on a whim, just so I could at least say "At least I tried, at least I asked".
And I wasn't expecting ANY of them to say yes, or heck, to even respond to me asking them for the picture in the first place!
But I had to at least TRY.
That's what I told myself, I have to at least try.
They. All. Said. YES.
All. Of. Them.
And now I have a physical picture with them in my Ultimate Photo Album.
Just doesn't seem real sometimes.
So glad I asked!
So glad I TRIED!
Anyway, that's enough for now!
I still need to ease my way back into this whole "blog" thing, but I'd say this was a good start!
And with this huge novel I just wrote, I'd say I'm doing just fine!
Until next time folks!
