I will make this very simple + quick so that you can get back to checking your Fantasy baseball stats.  And, I’ll use lots of pictures.   Seriously, though, I’d like to help plan your third date with that special someone, so please allow me two minutes of your time…

My rule of thumb is that the first date is always for weekday or Sunday night drinks.  Apres Diem, TAP, the bar @ JCT Kitchen and Top Flr are my suggestions for that.  Drinks only.  Food complicates the first date, you have the potential to get something stuck in your teeth (heaven forbid!) and you want to be able to escape quickly after that second drink if the date is less than ideal.  Let’s be realistic, folks, time IS money.  Also, if you are a serial dater, it’s much easier on the wallet than shelling out for a dinner when the date stinks.  Date #2 is a weekday or Sunday night dinner.  Anywhere reliable is fine, but don’t do tapas.  It’s too much decision-making too early into the relationship.  If things go well, the third date should be upgraded to a weekend and should include more than just dinner.  Which brings me to…(drum roll plz.)…FUNTIME BOWL!

guaranteed to impress or your money back.

You don’t have to drop a wad of cash to do well on this date, boys.  Obviously know your audience, but I personally think that the third date should be a fun one where you can kind of let loose and get out from behind a bar or dinner table.  Take your date to Taqueria del Sol or Pancho’s – anything on Buford or Cheshire Bridge will do (again know your audience) and afterwards head on over to Funtime.

Slick + I went with some of his coworkers + my brother when he was in town recently.  Although we were with a big group, I kept thinking that it really seemed like a fun place for a date night*.  Unlike 300 (which is super far away) or Midtown Bowl (which is fun, but always packed during the evenings), Funtime is right up Buford Hwy and never too slammed. 

*Note for you super-competitive guys: Let your date win once or twice.  I always have to remember this when I play with Slick.

he talks a big game...

Check out Funtime on a Friday or Saturday night after 8:00 p.m. for Cosmic Bowling: black lights, music, glow lanes, etc.  It’s really fun!  Promise. 

Also, Funtime offers more than just bowling.  Please witness from our recent visit:

air hockey

arcade games

beer

(Just here to help, guys.)  Best of luck to you!  And, you’re welcome.

xx, L

Funtime Bowling
3285 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA  30329
404.636.7548
www.funtimebowl.com

I have never been so uninvested in pop culture before…

Not to sound uncultured or un-American or anything – but the Winter Olympics ruined my life for the past two weeks.  I do not care about curling. 

Since they started on February 12th, I’d been counting down the minutes until they blew out the torch and I could finally be reengaged in evening programming I am actually interested in.  (For the record: I’m normally glued to the Summer Olympics…) 

What I really want to know is:

How’s the weather in Scranton?

What is Liz’s junk food of choice today?  Shells + cheese?  Doritos? 

Ooooh, I just can’t take the suspense any longer!!

(Also, where has this show been?  I really need a weekly dose of Barney…)

what's the deal, CBS? you don't run the Olympics...

My point is that I’ve just really missed you, Primetime NBC. 

And, I’d like to be the first to officially welcome you home!  Hooray!! 

xx, L

…I’ve only been watching the Super Bowl for one reason: the commercials.  Admittedly, I’m pretty much the worst person to invite to a Super Bowl party.  If asked, I will make food (last night I whipped up a hearty 6-layer dip), but I require complete silence during the commercials.  Or, I will nicely – but sternly – request that we rewind and watch them again.  Sorry, it is what it is.

I didn’t think that last night’s commercials were the best I’ve ever seen in my life, but I definitely had a few favorites.  Here’s a countdown of my Top 5 Favorite 2010 Super Bowl Commercials:

5 – Google: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-commercials/09000d5d816441a2/Google-commercial
This one made me feel all fuzzy inside.  (Or was that the chicken wings?)

4 – The Wizarding World of Harry Potter: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-commercials/09000d5d81644114/Universal-Studios-Orlando-commercial
I “want to go to there” IMMEDIATELY.  Can’t wait until it opens in April!

3 – Kia Sorento: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-commercials/09000d5d81643d98/Kia-commercial
My favorite part was the robot doing the robot.  Brilliant.

2 – Doritos: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-commercials/09000d5d816448d0/Doritos-smack-commercial
This kid killed Slick.  “Keep your hands off my momma…keep your hands off my Doritos!!”

1 – E*TRADE: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-super-bowl-commercials/09000d5d81644636/eTrade-commercial
Every year, E*TRADE does my favorite Super Bowl commercials.  I just love the talking babies.  Lindsay, “the milk-a-holic…” was TBE (the. best. ever.)  AMAZING!

Not ranked commercials that I also really liked:

Alice in Wonderland: http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/2010/disney-alice-in-wonderland/
Tim Burton is so visionary.  I can’t wait to see this!

Bridgestone Tires: http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/2010/bridgestone-bachelor-party/
This one made me giggle.

I have to say that the best part of the entire Super Bowl didn’t even happen on CBS.  It was on Animal Planet: PUPPY BOWL 2010. 

Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl

I literally almost died watching this.  It started around 3:00 p.m. and was pretty much non-stop coverage of puppies playing in a football-themed pin in Discovery Studios – referee and all.  My favorite parts were when the referee threw flags for “illegal use of paws” and “unnecessary ruff-ruff-ness!” 

Puppy Bowl

Bunny rabbits were situated around the pin next to pom poms as cheerleaders, hamsters flew in a blimp and there was a kitty halftime show.  KITTY HALFTIME SHOW!  I don’t even like cats and I thought this was unbelieveably precious! 

Kitty Halftime Show

Watch Puppy Bowl VI highlights here: http://animal.discovery.com/videos/puppy-bowl-vi/

P.S. Did anyone see Kim Kardashian at the game?  I was looking for her the whole time and she wasn’t shown once.  Just saying…

xx, L

Leon’s has a court, Ormsby’s put theirs inside and now a construction crew is ripping up the outside of the 999 Peachtree building preparing for the new Hugh Acheson restaurant, Empire State South’s, court.  (He’s the chef I love from Five & Ten in Athens!)  Friends, it is time to become an expert on bocce ball.

Bocce Balls

Here’s the Q+DD on Bocce Ball:

Bocce is a precision sport belonging to the boules sport family, closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire.  Developed into its present form in Italy, it is played around Europe and also in overseas areas that have received Italian migrants, including Australia, North America and South America, initially amongst the migrants themselves but slowly becoming more popular with their descendants and the wider community.  The sport is also popular in the former Yugoslavian countries of Slovenia, Croatia (predominantly in the coastal regions), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.  Bocce ball is traditionally played on natural soil or asphalt courts approximately 20 to 27 meters in length and 2.5 to 4 meters wide, sometimes with wooden boards of approximately 15 centimeters in height surrounding the court.  Bocce balls can be made of metal or various kinds of plastic.  Unlike lawn bowls, bocce balls are spherical and have no inbuilt bias.  (www.wikipedia.com)

Court @ Ormsby's

Now that you know what it is, here’s how you play it:

A game can be conducted between two players, or two teams of two, three or four.  A match is started by a randomly chosen side being given the opportunity to throw a smaller ball, the jack (called a pallino or a boccino in some areas), from one end of the court into a zone about 5 meters in length, ending 2 meters from the far end of the court.  If they miss twice, the other team is awarded the opportunity to place the jack anywhere they choose within the prescribed zone.  The side that first attempted to place the jack is given the opportunity to bowl first.  Once the first bowl has taken place, the other side has the opportunity to bowl.  From then on, the side which does not have the ball closest to the jack has a chance to bowl, up until one side or the other has used their four balls.  At that point, the other side bowls its remaining bocce balls.  The team with the closest bocce ball to the jack is the only team that can score points in any frame.  The scoring team receives one point for each of their balls that is closer to the jack than the closest ball of the other team.  The length of a game varies by region, but is typically from 7 to 13 points.   Players are permitted to throw the ball in the air using an underarm action.  This is generally used to knock either the jack or another ball away to attain a more favorable position.  Tactics can get quite complex when players have sufficient control over the bocce ball to throw or roll it accurately. (www.wikipedia.com)

Well, there you go.  Now you’re officially cool.  You’re welcome.

xx, L

2009 Big 12 Champions

Hook ‘Em Horns!   (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=wojciechowski_gene&id=4718287)

Alabama:  See you on January 7 in Pasadena.  The eyes of Texas are upon you…

xx, L

Love the tagline: “Show Your Team Spirit and Stay Warm with the Blanket with Arms!” 

AMAZING.  I plan to order my Texas Longhorn Snuggie ASAP  – who’s with me?! 

Stay warm this football season!  www.collegesnuggies.com

xx, L

P.S. I think Snuggies are really cute gifts.  Just look how excited Slick was to get his!