Well, dear readers, bowling seems to be the hippest sport in town – again. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, bowling has made yet another comeback, hip-wise. It’s most amusing to watch it come and go. A decade ago no one would have been caught dead in a bowling alley – that was strictly squaresville. And now? You can’t get in. My question is, as always, did this happen because of a film or TV show – that’s usually how these things come back to hip. Something obviously happened to make this the thing to do. Bowling alleys were languishing – the one that’s attached to Jerry’s Deli never had anyone there – you could go day or night and get a lane. Then about four or five years ago, they changed the name and suddenly the joint was jumping, balls were thrown, pins were knocked down, and it was jammed morning, noon, and night. It’s rather like poker – it’s in, it’s out, it’s in, it’s out. I’ll tell you what needs to make a damn comeback – Mah Jong. Or Backgammon. Remember when Backgammon was all the rage – you couldn’t go to a party without someone thrusting the board in front of you. Now? Backgammon is for squares, man, squares. But bowling? Yeah, that’s a now thing. Melody Hollis told me that you can’t even throw a gutter ball anymore when youngsters are playing – I guess that’s so none of the precious dears feel like they are losers. That’s the new thing now, you know – everyone is great at everything and if they aren’t, they’re told they are. Very different from the day when you either excelled or you didn’t – you pushed yourself and you got better – or you didn’t. But you were NEVER told, “Oh, you threw a gutter ball, that’s great, don’t worry, they shouldn’t even have that nasty old gutter there.” Only it IS there so deal with it. Don’t want to throw a gutter ball – LEARN how not to, how’s that for a concept. And you know what? I’ve thrown my share of gutter balls and it didn’t impact my life one way or another. I didn’t feel like a loser, just like I didn’t feel I was better than everyone when I threw a strike. This is going to be a very interesting generation when they grow up, because all this coddling is going to result in a lot of culture shock when they actually have to be on their own without mommy and daddy overly protecting them from every little thing – a scraped knee, a gutter ball, a teacher being terse because the kid is fooling around or being an idiot – it’s never the kid’s fault anymore – it’s the teacher’s for speaking harshly and trying to protect the OTHER kids from having to deal with some monstrous spoiled thing. Oh, my, I’ve gone off on a tangent, haven’t I? What the HELL was I actually talking about? Oh, yes, bowling, the new hip thing to do. Go know.
Yesterday was a perfectly pleasant day. I got up. That was perfectly pleasant and I actually managed to sleep eight and a half hours. Then I did a three-mile jog – it’s been very hot here, and I do enjoy running on a nice day with the sun shining on me. Then I finalized the track names for an upcoming release, had a long telephonic conversation with the composer of the score, and then did the edit road map for the mastering guy. All that took about three hours. Then I had a sandwich and a small thing of onion rings. After all that, I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched the first film in the six-film series based on Swedish books from Sweden by Hakan Nesser, who is very highly thought of in Sweden and everywhere else – he’s considered right up there with Henning Mankell, and his retired police detective, Van Veeteren is also considered right up there with Wallander. The first film was entitled Borkmann’s Point, and it was truly terrific – a great cast, a good yarn, simply and well directed, and, from what I’ve read, a good distillation of the novel. I didn’t guess at all what the outcome would be. There’s also a good personal drama between Van Veeteren and his son, who is doing jail time for petty crimes – mostly as a way to get his work-obsessed and driven papa to notice him. Of course, it’s always fun to see the other Swedish actors I’ve come to know, and here one of the guest stars was the actor who plays the regular role of Martinsson on Wallander, and the actor who plays the regular role of a detective on Van Veeteren who was a guest star on one episode of Wallander. I’m looking forward to the other five films.
I then watched the latest episode of Mad Men. With only three episodes to go, I’d have to sadly say that this season, for me, was pretty much a bust. There were two or three good episodes, but only one of those was really up to the best of the series. But most of the episodes have been lethargic and lazy, at least for me. I suppose I’ll tough it out and stay with it for the next three episodes. But I surely do not see how this show can go for another season.
Then I heard our new master, but it unfortunately arrived too late for us to do an announcement tomorrow. So, we’ll probably wait and do it at the end of the week or next Monday and we may try to put one other title with it, if we can get that ready in time. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must be up very early so I need as much beauty sleep as I can get.
Today, I must be up very early, and then be on my way to Dr. Chew to get the first of my two porcelain caps. I have no idea if that’s all that’s happening on this visit, or whether he’ll prepare the other tooth. We shall see. Then I’ll do errands and whatnot, eat (and not something light, baby, not with my new porcelain cap – I may have something slightly crunchy, that’s all I’m saying), hopefully pick up some packages, pay some bills, and write liner notes for two releases.
Tomorrow it’s more of the same, and then Juliana and her musical director are coming here and she’s going to sing through a lot of material so we can start making some serious choices. The rest of the week will be consumed with liner notes, show order, contextual commentary, meals, shows and other such things.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, get a porcelain cap, do errands and whatnot, eat, hopefully pick up packages, write liner notes, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Favorite bowling stories. At what points has bowling been in and out in your lives? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, where I shall undoubtedly bowl a perfect score because there is no such thing as a gutter ball or a split or missing pins. Not in this wonderful world in which we live.