This item is to discuss a Grxpedition to go bowling.  So if you live near
Ann Arbor, and you bowl, or you once bowled, or you once saw a bowling
alley, let us know where and when you'd like to get together.

217 responses total.

Not Wednesdays.

I'm interested.  If it's on a day when I have my son with me, I'd be 
interested in a bowling alley where they have those raps for bowling 
balls, and gutter blockers, since he's 5 and otherwise wouldn't be able 
to bowl.

I'd be more interested in doing it on a day when he's not with me, 
though.  If there's open bowling on Saturday or Sunday, how about next 
weekend, April 12 or 13?  Since I'm out of the local calling area when 
at home, I'll leave it to someone else to call about available times.

I'll come if I can make it.  I'm also interested in seeing this 
possibly become a regular event.

Me too.  I have a friend who bowls at Cubs AC on S. Inustrial - does anyone
else have a favorite bowling alley?

I would be interested on going bowling because it's something i enjoy. I
haven't been to any bowling alley's in A2 since i moved here, but i would
really enjoy going.

I haven't bowled for years, but I'll go. I used to bowl in a league at 
Bel-Mark Lanes out on Jackson, but it's hardly a favorite. 

If this happens sometime after mid-may, I'd be interested.  I haven't 
bowled at any of the lanes in Ann Arbor recently enough to have a 
favorite, but I seem to remember Ypsi-Arbor being a bit of a dump.

How suitable is this likely to be for those who aren't fond of smoke?

I don't know; I haven't bowled since anti-smoking became so prevalent.  
Bowling alleys used to be pretty smoky, like bars.  I would imagine, in 
Ann Arbor, that that's changed, but I don't know.

I like the food at Cubs; we could gather for lunch or dinner as well as 
bowling.

Cubs still gets pretty smokey on popular nights.  I do know that htey have
Sunday morning bowling too....probably less smokey.

Once, I bowled a 17. I can probably use whatever practice I can get.  Count
me in.

Oh - I am so jealous!  I love to bowl and miss Cubs AC.

I once bowled a 200, but that was probably 20 years ago.

I prefer Bel-Mark on Jackson to the one on S. Industrial, whatever it's called
now.  Every time I've been there there's been something drastically wrong with
the lanes.  The last time I went, some dumbass had oiled the area you bowl
from, so it was extremely slippery.  I fell more than once before giving up
and leaving.  
  Bel-Mark, otoh, is smoky and generally aesthetically unappealing (warning:
karaoke), but at least you can bowl there.  

I'd go for a grex bowling trip if it were planned.  

Colonial Lanes (S. Industrial) also has karaoke.  I've been there a few
times Saturday afternoons, and the air was decent.  I also like Cub's food.

Err...Bel-Mark was what I was thinking of, not Cubs.  I was kind of fond of
Bel-Mark.

I seem to recall Bel-Mark (on Jackson, that is) not allowing smoking in the
lanes, just in the glassed-off bar section.  

I'm somewhat interested in this.

Well, no matter what, I'm interested in bowling ;)

I asked my friend Amy, who is a league bowler, about Cubs AC and Bel Mark.
She usually bowls at Cubs AC, and says that after 10 the leagues are done.
I will call tomorrow to find out what nights are not league nights.  The
cost at Cubs is approximately $15/lane/hour, though it varys slightly by
time of the week.

At Bel Mark, by contrast, you pay by the game; it's approximately
$2.50/game/person.

More info tomorrow.

Oooh, karaoke.  :)

Careful - when you bring karaoke in, you risk mimicing m-net.

oh someone please whine about smokers now, pleeeze!?

All right, happyboy.  <whine> I don't like smokers. </whine>  
Happy?

re 20:  How so?

I seem to remember gathering with a fair amount of m-netters at bel-mark to
do karaoke.

jules used to encourage a regular M-net social gathering at some 
karaoke event or another.

OK, I called Bel Mark and Cubs.  They have pretty different deals.

At Bel Mark, they hav leagues every night, but they always have some lanes
set aside for regular people like us.  The nights with the most open lanes
are Wednesday and Friday - 12 on Wednesday and 24 on Friday.  But Friday
it's pretty full, so Wednesday sounds like the best night for us at Bel
Mark.

Cost is $3.50/game/person on those nights, plus $2.25 for shoes.  There is
no nonsmoking area, and they don't take reservations for parties of lest
than about 20 people.

At Cubs AC/Colonial Lanes, they have leagues every night, and are pretty
much booked up until about 10 PM every weeknight.  On the weekends, though,
the lanes are open to all.  They have 40 lanes.

Cost is $16/hour/lane, plus $2.50 for shoes.  On weekends there is no
smoking allowed in the lanes before 5 PM (though you can go smoke at the
bar).  They will accept reservations for 4 or more lanes, though she hinted
that if I talked to the right person they might hold 2 or 3 lanes for us. 
But usually there are open lanes on the weekends.

I think we should try both places and see which we like better.  I'm for
scheduling our first outing for this weekend sometime, at Cubs AC.  Which
would people prefer, Saturday or Sunday?

I'd prefer Sunday if it's in the afternoon.  I can't be there from 3-4 
on Saturday, but if it's before or after that on Saturday I'll be 
there.  Thanks for doing the organizing!  

I'm going to be in town this Sunday, so if its fairly early in the afternoon
(I'll have to be on the road to Lansing by 5ish), I could come.

How about 2 PM Sunday?

Are babies allowed on the lanes?  Both parents won't be bowling at the 
same time.  He's usually very well behaved.

If so, then this Sunday finishing at 2 might work for us but not 
starting at 2.  I'll be on stage.  I'll go enter a resp in the "grexers 
on stage" item.

Hmm... I've not bowled in Ann Arbor enough to comment on babbies in their
lanes, but our first was happy enough during our Sunday morning bowling
outings.

The earliest I could start would probably be 1ish on Sunday.

They cater to a lot of birthday parties on the weekends, so if Ross isn't
bothered by lots of balls crashing into pins, I'm sure he's welcome.

you guys should take a grexpedition to NYC.

Ack, I can't do Sunday.  Saturday I think is clear.  

Help, I'm stuck in iambs!

Iambs do not start with a stress, they end with a stress.
What do you call the meter that Flem used in 36?

I'd actually call it iambic heptameter, since I'd give two beats to "Ack" (as
an exclamation). If you want to give "Ack" only one beat, it's trochaic
hexameter with an extra beat at the end, or trochaic pentameter with a triple
on the end, although for some reason I can't find a name for a SwS triple
online.

Looking more carefully at a more natural reading of #36:
Ack, I can't do Sunday. Saturday I think is clear.
S   /w S     ? /S  w   /S  w w  /w S    /w  S
"do" could either be stressed or unstressed, depending on the emphasis
intended. In general, iambs predominate, but others might break the feet up
differently.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss