Pandora's Box

Today was A's birthday. Happy birthday, A! To celebrate, she organized a pool party at a nearby pool hall. (Yes, pool as in billiards; no, we were not swimming in late November - Note: even Swimgirl's blog has been quieter with the colder weather). With such a large crew, A decided to organize the party into a pool tournament. She recruited Katie to explain the rules. From building straw bale houses to teaching children beach botany, Katie lives and breathes environmental issues, but she also happens to be a damn good pool player. After listening to about five minutes of rules, however, someone asked her - "Are you a gym teacher?" Gym teacher? Okay, I'll admit, the college I went to offered frisbee throwing as a gym credit. And there was even one couple who officially proposed to the gym department that they deserved gym credit for their very active sex life. (I know you're wondering. No, their proposal was declined; and no, it was *not* me who made this proposal). But even there, we were not offered pool as a gym credit - swimming, yes, but billiards, no.

I had been on-call for work and thus was handicapped in my pool playing by my inabililty to drink. Everyone there agreed unanimously that their pool game gets better with alcohol consumption. Would you agree? In any case, I think it's a very valid excuse for my losing the tournament. ;-)