You all must bowl…NOW.

Yes, it's true. I have become obsessed with bowling.

Best score: 143.

I know, it's not very good. But I broke my right wrist in 4 places in a bizarre hammock accident (another post), and even though it hurts, I really love it.

I have my own ball, shoes, and vintage bowling bag (picture to follow).

I will attempt to beat my own high score tomorrow.

Why bowling? Everything about it.

Visual: Long glossy lanes with matching gutters on side, geometric configuration of pins at the end, the ball reflecting everything around it, hurling toward the pins.

Sound: Very rich. Bam! The ball hits the lane, Crash! the pins fly apart, the sounds of the rolling balls. Lots of exhortations, cries of pleasure, and congratulations. Much Hi-Fiving.

Cultural: As sports go, it's not particularly intimidating on an athletic level. Just about every type of person can be found there. Seniors, kids, teens, big heavyset people, every ethnic stripe. You have to look silly at times to bowl well. In a way, and I mean this only in the most complimentary sense, it is the ultimate "loser" sport. This is not to say those who pursue this are losers. But to have this much focus on balls and pins is vaguely retarded, and to do so can be a very fulfilling act. It is a "necessary distraction." Feeling macho about how much you jog, golf, box, bike, or whatever is sort of culturally expected. Being macho about your bowling score is fucking hilarious. Who are you trying to kid? Unless you are an obsessive, and go alone, it's very social. I seem to see far more camaraderie on the lanes than competitiveness (though that's there too), and most people are rooting each other on.

Internal: There is something incredibly gratifying about the pins all going down for a strike, or picking up a difficult pin for a strike. It requires a discipline of both concentration, and physical control of your body to replicate the correct way to throw the ball over and over again. For those of us with issues around self-discipline, it mirrors internal struggles to be consistent, and to "do it right." In analyzing your form, you have to consider physics, the mass of the ball, the friction of the waxed wood against the ball, the ways that pins respond to directional force. It can be contemplative.

Physical: It has a very nice slow endorphin burn. Long warm-up period, and becomes actually exercise without you being aware of it. At the end, I'm sweaty, feel great, especially if my wrist doesn't hurt too much. I would consider bowling after a long day of work nursing, even when semi-exhausted, when more taxing exercise is impossible.

Yes, dude, the Big Lebowski is one of my favorite films. See the opening credits for the sublime combination of ridiculous expressions, mental focus, elation, and physical grace that all seems to take place within a couple of seconds.

You might think that this is all just crap, but that's uh well…like your opinion, man.