The Ministry of Housinge
Monday, March 01, 2004
I've got a shrink I swear he's Elvis I think,
He wears the coolest suede shoes when I come in with the blues...
Saturday, we took the kids to Cedar Rapids for Disney On Ice - 3 Jungle Adventures. A friend (she used to be the manager at Walton) works at the Crowne Plaza Five Seasons Hotel in CR, gave us 4 freebies. It was a good show. The Jungle Book was a little long (almost an hour), followed by a 10 minute intermission. Next came Tarzan (15-20 minutes), and The Lion King ended the show (15-20 minutes). I'm sure they have their reasons, but in my opinion, they could have knocked 20 minutes off of Jungle Book, and added 10 to the other two. Still, it was well worth it for the kids.
I think Chance had the best time of all. All the lights and people...all the clapping...he was happy as a clam. It took Joli a couple minutes to get over the volume (she's a FREAK when it comes to loud noises). She was clapping along, gasping at the jumps and twists and turns, and enjoyed it right up to the point when she took a spill over the seats in front of us. Madelyn seemed to have a good time as well, although she's at the age where I can't always tell exactly what her emotions are.
Heather instantly fell in love with Tarzan's 6-pack, while I snapped as many pictures OF Jane as I could. We're both pretty sure Mowgli is playing for the other team. The pictures didn't turn out too well. Our seats were in the balcony, but we could see everything from up there. However, the people in front of us stood up at the most inopportune times, it seems. I'll fire up Photoshop tonight, maybe, and see if I can doctor some of THE better ones and post them.
It didn't take long to figure out where Disney makes it's money on these shows. The girls wanted cotton candy when we first got there, so Heather (she was sitting on the aisle) got the cotton candy dude's attention. One bag of cotton candy, a stick, and a plastic safari hat...$10. The look on Heather's face when she told the guy "Umm...just one, then"...priceless. The couple in front of us bought sno-cones. A 3" diameter ball of shaved ice with some colored flavorings, in an unproportionately large Disney character mug...$10. Apparently, you could get the sno-cones at the concession stand for $8, but to have them delivered was an extra $2. Hey, even the vendor's gotta eat.
After the show, we stopped in Iowa City for dinner. We wanted to eat at the Olive Garden, but it was packed (there was a home men's basketball game Saturday). We drove by Chili's and Red Lobster, but they were equally packed. We settled for Applebee's. We had about a 5 minute wait, but got to peer down some college chick's poorly buttoned shirt for much of that time. Time well spent. The food was good, and we got dessert to go. Next time you hit an Applebee's, let me recommend the "Dulce de leche Cheesecake". Wow.
Last Sunday, we bowled the Team event for the City Tournament. Let me begin by saying I have never bowled well in the Team event. Never. This year was no exception, as I rolled my way to a 482. It was miserable. We placed 14th out of 18 teams, I believe. I don't know about the rest of the guys, but I blame me. I was depressed all WEEK. Thursdsay night in league, I rolled a respectable 618. I hoped this would bode well for Doubles this Sunday, as that is the event that means the most to me (and my father-in-law).
Well, we didn't defend our title. He bowled well, I bowled a MARVELOUS 556. Well below average, and even further below what we needed to win...even to compete. Six games into the tournament, and I hadn't bowled a single game over my average....let alone over 200. My fingers were beginning to swell, or I would have begun drinking heavily. Only 3 games left in the tournament, and I hadn't showed up yet.
Singles started much in the same fashion. I started off with a 193...still sub-par, still no 200. Let the Bud Light shine. With my hand swelling so much my fingernails seemed they could be easily detached, I kept cramming my fingertips into the ball and throwing hard. And drinking.
I finished with a 232 - 241. Not good enough to win (almost, but not quite), but good enough to keep me from driving my Jeep off a cliff. I think I finished 4th, and actually had a chance to win it in the 10th frame of the last game.
Now, I feel like if we don't win the Thursday night league, the whole season has been a wash. I really hope we do, and I hope I have something to do with it. I need to come through in the clutch again.
Thank you, iTunes, for this entry's lyrical theme. It's a cool song, check it out.
