Tuesday was league night again. I met the player that I failed to meet last Tuesday... I think his name is.... who knows. I wanna say Mike or Migal or something. Michael? Whatever
League was a good time, I played a match in a race to 3. I noticed early that my opponent didn't pay much attention to where his cue ball went after hitting the target object ball. I decided I'd use this to my advantage.... if I found the
opportunity.
In the 2nd rack my 7 was tied up with one of his spheres and the 8... I missed the break out with my one possible key ball and decided to play safe. Hit the 6 a little hard, it dropped, and I hooked myself. Couldn't have planned a better safety. Damn.
So I decide to give the guy a shot, and play what I call a "fake safe"
Miss on purpose, but leave the ball in the jaws of a pocket
so I move my 2 ball about 6 inches closer to a corner pocket, but I still don't have a decent possibility for a break out.
Now this is off the break, so he still has every one of his stripes to play safe, or run... which a smart player wouldn't do. Not with this layout. From my seat I'm analyising the table and trying
to figure out how I'm going to kick out of the safes that he could possibly put me in.
So he puts together a 2 ball run, then an odd strike into the cluster. MY cluster. Odd choice, but it freed up both my 7, and the 8 ball.... I'll take it.
So I'm 2 up and we're down to the last 4 balls on the third rack... 1 of those 4 is mine.
I make my last ball but scratch, giving up ball in hand. He knocks a couple down... has the 9, then he's on the 8. He hits the 9 into the closest side pocket... a soft hit, setting himself up for the
8. From my angle I immediately see that if he doesn't put a good amount of top... or a strong draw stroke, he's going to scratch.
Well, he hits the 8 into the called pocket and the rock slides smooth as a slip & slide on a sweet summer day in June... right into the far side pocket.
3-0 Rabbit
As you can tell, Tuesday's league wasn't very
exciting... Driving to league, on the other hand,
was MUCH more exciting.
As you may know... I recently bought a new vehicular (pronounced: Ve-heck-u-lurr) mobile.
On Tuesday we had a decent snow fall. My Tuesday night team moves to different bars every so often. Last week we were at a bar I'd been to once in my life.
So I'm driving along one hand on the wheel music turned down to a low hum so I can call for directions. Only an inch or two on the road and I'm cruising at 35-40mph
The telephone's voice tells me I've gone to far, and should have taken a right where I kept going straight.
So I find a good parking lot, dip in, flip a b**** and get back on the road.
Now, just for the record, the wind is kind of heavy in various places and there's snow drifting across at some odd 15mph gusts. Kind of hard to see through.
So back up to 30... 35mph and I'm cruising along, eattin' potato chips, talkin' on my cellular device, adjusting volume, ensuring the heater is on high, hitting the wiper blades.... this is what they call multi-tasking. You know... the usual.
Actually I was driving while on the phone getting directions at about 30-35. Nothing more. I'm on one of those 2 lanes for each direction type road... I'm in the left lane. As I'm nearing my destination I notice a pair of bright white lights surrounded by little yellow lights drifting from the other direction into my lane.
I let off the gas in preparation of evasive maneuvers.
The lights get bigger and brighter and the distance between them and my life decrease.I quickly realize it's a semi.
An 18 wheeler driving a little faster than everyone else because he can see out over the random snow drifts.
15,000 tons on top of 18 wheels of death, bumbling towards the van.
The phone yells in a clippy static language I'm too unfamiliar with to respond. I tell it "hang on"
Setting the phone in my lap I grip the wheel and think out loud "airbag don't fail me now... Brace for impact"
Gripping the wheel tighter with both hands in attempt to prevent my head from flying into the approaching grill.
This is the part my subconscious took over
This is where I completely stopped thinking, and somehow know exactly what happened, and why.
Aware that I was driving faster than everyone else, there was no need to check my blind spot... no one was there.
My submerged mind turned the radio up 2 notches and drifted my body (van included) into the right lane...
Narrowly avoiding the chrome bummer my headlights reflected off of a split moment before
I find the phone in my lap. Putting it to my ear I inform "thanks for holding, I was avoiding death."
When I arrived at my destination the door guy checked my ID... When he realized I was a Coloradoian... we made a bit of small talk...
"Colorado, right on... what part?"
"Colorado Springs most recently, but I've kind of bounced around"
"Right on, I lived in Boulder for about 10 years"
"Cool, I grew up in Golden until I was about 16. Love it out there, especially Boulder"
"Yeah, same here. The snow is worth it out there."
"What do you mean?"
"Snow is worthless unless you have large hills... like the mountain kind for snowboarding. Just f***s up the roads."
"You have no idea man, no idea"
So it was a good night. I taunted death, and then shut out my opponent in a league match.
Title is according to gullible.com
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