Sunday, 17 September 2006

-Insert Duke Ellington here-
So I did it. Celebrating my 21st birthday involved visiting what would have been a company of shadyness, engaging in activities that some churches used to consider sinful, and in a place that could be considered another house of badness.

Ben, Brandon, Paul, and I first took a stroll to the Holland Bowling Center. Ordinarily, I picture bowling alleys as places where the air is blue from cigarette smoke, the bowling balls make your hands disgusting, everyone wears clown shoes, and gutters make people yell stuff.
Okay, so I did sometimes yell in frustration when I got a gutter ball. But this bowling place is NICE-check out the picture of Ben and Brandon in those chairs! We almost stole them.

Brandon called that an upside down smile. I call it weird.
I got my butt kicked in bowling. Brandon chose to use a whole-hand technique which took some practice and involved a lot of side spin. Paul used brute force and said he doesn't do "finesse." Ben just plain dominated. What made me start asking questions is when Paul cleared the scores and gave himself and Brandon each a perfect 300 and Ben and me each a 0 after the first game. I stopped asking when he did it again the second game. He did take some time to bless the bowling balls-he is a reverend, after all.

"Bless this thy bowling ball, that it mayst blow the bowling pins to tiny bits." (oops, wrong movie).
We celebrated my birthday how people back in the 1920s would have celebrated with the brewing companies. Seeing as alcholic production was made illegal by the 18th Amendment, they turned to a new business-ice cream! That is why ice cream made in the United States tends to be better than a lot of other countries'. So there you go, folks-I celebrated with the brewers on my 21st... a la 1920! An Oreo Overload at Coldstone, to be exact.

Once the booze, I mean ice cream, ran out, we wandered back to Cook Hall for cards. Since we didn't have four decks, we started with Euchre. Ben and I had a couple of solid rounds but it wasn't enough to stop Paul and Brandon, who happily celebrated defeating Birthday Boy and their graduated Bible Studs elder. Paul wanted to depart in victory, so he didn't stay for Nertz. Since we had only three people, it became the Ludington singles version. The scores definitely bobbed around, so I took a picture of Brandon holding them to remember.

No, you can't read them. But I took a close-up and could read them from that. Here's the breakdown. See where I more than double my score? I had a Nertz after that marathon round. I, the "loser" was separated by 5 points from Brandon when he finally won. We're all crazy Nertz players, to be sure.
Tyler: 18, 24, 30, 37, 75, 97
Ben: 27, 43, 55, 73, 96, 99
Brandon: 16, 24, 26, 49, 82, 102
It was a birthday well-spent. These two (and Paul, who couldn't stay for the picture) are some of my favorite people. My 21st was made a lot sweeter thanks to some pretty crazy bowling, delicious ice cream, some wild card games, and the company of these Studs.

Yup. Thanks, God-I've been blessed! I hope the next time I turn 21 (I'll be 42-yikes!) will be just as fantastic.
Random thing-I just got put in my roommate's movie. I hope my hair looked okay.

Comments(2)

Why thank you kind sir! Yeah, in high school the captain of the football team went to go give blood, and he passed out when they pricked his finger. Imagine that. He'll never live that one down. As for me, I'll live I suppose, but Saturday was not such a good day for me...
Decembermouse

I like how the reverend is blessing his bowling ball. wish i could have gone, see you tonight though!
johnateson