2019: Finding My Lane While Struggling To Stay Out of The Gutter

In just under 11½ hours from now, 2019 comes to an end and with it the 2010's.


2019 marked my first full year in New York City. At this time a year ago, I had hoped to meet people. This has largely failed. Not for lack of trying though. I have gone out and attended several of the Democratic debates in a room full of strangers. I left each of those room as much of a stranger as when I entered them. Social engagement isn't an easy thing for me and never has been. Frankly, I am an acquired taste and most people don't have much patience when it comes to the cultivation of friendship. Complicating matters is family life, work and social standing or lack thereof.


But when I think of 2019 I will remember it as the year bowling became a part of my life. Most of my passions were developed during childhood (i.e. baseball, politics, reading, writing, 1960's and 1970's music and TV shows). The only other passion of mine that I developed in adulthood was swimming which happened during my first year of university nearly 30 years ago. As a man now in my late 40's, I find it remarkable that I have managed to develop a new interest at this stage of my life. This is a good thing.


It is a good thing because other areas of my life have taken a back seat and perhaps for the best. 2019 marks the first year I haven't had any articles published in a decade. Oh, I will certainly write about the things which matter to me here in this space. But I doubt I will have the opportunity to write about these things to a wider audience anytime soon. Although I submitted more than 50 articles for consideration, none of the publications saw fit to post them. I don't think my abilities as a writer have regressed. It's simply a case of no one being interested in anything I have to say. Combine this with Twitter seeing fit to ban me without explanation beyond "suspicious activity" (whatever that means), I cannot help but get the sense it would probably be better to engage in other endeavors where my efforts would be better appreciated.


Which brings me back to bowling. Let me start off by saying that I am a lousy bowler. Hopefully this will change in 2020. But for the moment my average is 68.8 (the average score is 77). Every once in a while I manage to hit 100. But after rolling a strike or a spare, I frequently hit a spell where I will throw four or five gutter balls in a row. Sometimes more. It's annoying, but it hasn't deterred me.


If nothing else, bowling has given me an opportunity to get to know New York City. Before pursuing this past time, I seldom ventured outside Manhattan. For the past several months I have taken numerous trips to Queens (Astoria Bowl, Bowl 360, Whitestone Lanes, Jib Lanes), Brooklyn (Shell Lanes) and the Bronx (Van Nest Lanes). I haven't bowled in Staten Island much less ever set foot there, but I may be attending a tournament at Raab's Country Lanes in January. Should this come to pass perhaps I will pick up some techniques that will help result in higher scores in 2020. Of course, there is no substitute for practice. When I lived in Boston, New Year's Day was spent at the Brattle Theater watching the Marx Brothers. Tomorrow, I plan to spend New Year's Day at Bowl 360 where I can bowl for two hours for only $20. It might result in some comedy but I am confident I will have the last laugh although I'm not sure when that will be.


Some of you will probably tell me I should get my own ball. This would be of help. But I think I'll buy bowling shoes before I buy a bowling ball. One of my problems is that I generally don't feel comfortable in the bowling shoes I rent. I just don't feel the right balance. And without the right balance it won't matter what kind of ball I buy. That and I'll save money on shoe rentals.


Usually I bowl alone although my Dad has accompanied a couple of times. This Saturday, however, I will be going to Shell Lanes with one of my work colleagues (and possibly Dad as well). Alas, it will be a one off occasion as he will soon be moving to North Carolina. We will keep in touch through Facebook (which is a far nicer neighborhood than Twitter), but it is no substitute for face to face interaction. Still, bowling is a social sport and I hope there will be more opportunity for it in 2020. On January 15th, I am scheduled to participate in my first ever bowling league - the Lousy Bowlers League at Bowlero Queens. I actually signed up for the league back in November but there was insufficient interest. Hopefully that won't be the case this time around.


There are, of course, other forms of bowling. Among them is duckpin bowling. You can do many things in New York City, but duckpin bowling isn't one of them. For this, I will have to take a Metro North train to Connecticut. Or perhaps I will take a Peter Pan bus up to Rhode Island visit to my former roommate Christopher Kain. Or perhaps I will go to Baltimore this summer and roll some duckpins before taking in an Orioles game at Camden Yards. John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson of the original Baltimore Orioles are reputed to have invented game. The evidence suggests otherwise but they certainly popularized it in Baltimore and throughout Maryland. Duckpin bowling's connection to baseball certainly peeks my interest. Both the bowl and pins are smaller. But unlike regular bowling (or tenpin bowling or big ball bowling if you prefer) there has never been a perfect game rolled in duckpin.


The same can be said for candlepin bowling. I actually tried that once when I worked in Lynn, Massachusetts back in 2002. But bowling didn't mean to me then what it means to me now. I have not set foot in Boston since leaving in September 2018. Perhaps a birthday trip back to Boston is in order. Should this come to pass then candlepin bowling will certainly be on the agenda. Of course, I have not set foot on Canadian soil since August 2014. Should I end my exile from my home and native land, I could go candlepin bowling if I am inclined towards a trip to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Although chances are I'd probably go somewhere in Ontario. In which case, a few games of five pin bowling (where a perfect game is 450 rather than 300) would be on the order paper. Closer to home, one can go lawn bowling in Central Park. Or as it is put in the Commonwealth, lawn bowls. There is fertile ground to be explored whatever lane I choose.


This isn't to say I won't be keeping an eye on politics. After all, it is 2020 and the presidential election will hover over much of the year like a dark cloud. Needless to say, I harbor few illusions. As much as I shudder at the thought of Trump's re-election and with it the erosion of American democracy most of the alternatives aren't any better. The thought of a President Biden, Warren, Sanders or Klobuchar doesn't fill me with joy much less confidence. While I like Pete Buttigieg, I don't think Democrats are smart enough to nominate him. To a critical mass of Demcorats there is no difference between being a billionaire or consorting with one.


Even if Buttigieg somehow beat the odds, won his party's nomination and defeated Trump things won't change that much. There might be a more honest man in the White House, but people will still live from paycheck to paycheck, the economy could turn south, Russia and China will continue to gain power and anti-Semitism could spread like wildfire across the United States despite the best of intentions resulting in a single term in office. If anti-Semitism can plague the city with the world's largest Jewish population it can spread anywhere. Anti-Semitism worries me more than anything else and I don't believe either political party has the courage to deal with the problem apart from either blaming the other party or by downplaying it altogether especially in the instances that white supremacists aren't responsible contra the claims of Rashida Tlaib. This is a matter that cannot be ignored and I must do my part, but this endeavor is unlikely to bring about a happy result.


Consequently, I shall go bowling as often as I can in 2020. Some might see it as an escape from reality. I view it as the pursuit of a more rewarding endeavor. Such rewards are good exercise, good company, good competition and an opportunity for exploration and learning. If I can improve my average and find a way to avoid the gutter then so much the better. For you see in politics one will always end up in the gutter. In bowling there is a chance to get out of the gutter and find your lane.