I've been away from this blog for a while because I got burned out and needed a break.  My Friday night team finished a few points higher this year than they did last year.  However, the Friday night league was the reason I was feeling burned out, so I won't be returning there.  I saw too much bickering for my taste, including a "quick meeting" that turned ugly in a hurry.

My Wednesday night team finished 3rd overall.  We weren't able to take over second place, but we did get a couple of team awards for third highest game and second highest series.  On a personal note, I got the award for Most Improved Average.  I also finally broke the 250 mark with a 252 game, only to find out I wasn't eligible for the patch.  Oh well, at least I did it.  Besides, that's what EBay is for.

So last night was opening night for my first PBA Experience league.  I brought the Swamp Monster along with my usual arsenal of the Monster Frenzy and the Radical Inferno to face the Chameleon pattern.

Game 1: 164
Game 2: 143
Game 3: 161
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Series: 468

I knew I wasn't going to roll a 200 last night, but I did about as well as I thought I would.  It's almost like learning to bowl all over again, but this time around I have better equipment and I know more about making adjustments than when I started out.  I began with the Swamp Monster, changed to the Radical Inferno in the 2nd game, and went to the Monster Frenzy in the 3rd game.  If I can maintain an average in the 150's, I'll be satisfied.  If I can get into the 160's, I'll be ecstatic.  170's - I'll be orgasmic.  Well, almost.

League Name/Season	Bowler Name
Mixed Nuts	Rich K
PBA Experience	Rich K

It's been brutal at work. A little better on the lanes.

After a December nosedive I've been getting a little better and staying above average - at least on Wednesday nights. I've been struggling a bit on Fridays, but that's another story. My Wednesday night team got up to 2nd place 2 weeks ago, but we got swept by the first place team last week and started last night in 4th place.

Game 1: 202
Game 2: 168
Game 3: 191
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Series: 561

Last night wasn't bad. First game went smoothly, but I had a couple of funky leaves in the second game. One bright spot of that second game was converting a nasty washout of 1-2-8-10, after which I turned to face the cheering and said "For my next trick, I'll need a volunteer". My luck was short-lived, as I later left the 9 pin on a 1-2-8-9, which I thought would be easier. Switching to the Monster Frenzy for a straighter shot in the last game would have netted me another deuce had I not left a 4-6 split in the 9th frame.

I've tried to force myself to play more inside whenever possible. I also did some open bowling over the weekend with Christen, which really forced me to play further left than I'm used to. I've been improving, but as much as I love my Radical Inferno I still refuse to show up at the lanes without my Monster Frenzy. I recently had to get the grips changed, as the ones I got back in September were a bit tight and I got tired of trying to work with them. Felt a lot better last night, but they are just a little bit looser than my Radical Inferno. I think that's because I got the Monster Frenzy used and the pro shop used the existing finger holes to put the new grips into.

League Name/Season	Bowler Name
Wednesday Night Mixed	Rich Koppinger
T.G.I.F	Rich Koppinger