Bowling

Took the kids bowling today. Aside from really stinking it up (a craptastic 101 then a semi-respectable 138) I noticed something that everyone who's ever bowled has glimpsed.

This applies pretty much only to men.

Say you are a guy and you are bowling. You get your ball, prepare yourself and walk/run/sashay up to the line and throw/roll/bowl the ball towards the pins.

Here's where it gets interesting...

A milli-second after he sees what he got, one of two things happens.

1. If he got a strike or a spare, he will either turn suddenly and pump his arm like Tiger Woods. Then he'll stride back and either take a sip of beer or whatever he's drinking and bask in the envious glow of every single person in the entire bowling alley. I know he feels this way, because that's how I feel.

2. If he gets anything less than a strike or a spare, including if he missed an impossible split he'll turn around and not look anyone directly in the eyes. At this point, he'll either sit down quietly or come up with a totally lame excuse about how his thumb hurts or how he hasn't bowled in like 12 years. I've never, ever done this myself, because I never miss and never complain :)

It's not totally odd behavior, but it is interesting to note the almost universal guy consistency of this.