Bzzt.

If you're not out on the ice, you're not doing it. You're not there to drink and watch through glass; you're there to curl, and sweep, and fall down. Yes, take friends, and DO IT. It's really fun.

Fell hard, looked hurt, so you were satisfied? I think you may be my dreamboat, Matthew. Thanks for the month, dear boy.

Maybe it would have been majorly kick-ass, rather than crappy, if you'd actually been participating.

You go all the way up and don't toss a stone down the ice? For shame.

I thought this was a noble effort.

You can visit the GCC anytime if all you want to do is watch. Their leagues are a spectator sport. Not getting on the ice is a serious failure to take advantage of the open house.

"...like an unpretentious bowling alley."

A tad redundant, no?

fnarf: Damn, son! Did you not read the post? I tried! What was I supposed to do, get there at the crack of dawn? I didn't know it was going to be that popular.

I have a feeling you wouldn't last a week doing this; you don't seem to grasp the difficulties involved. I was up until 2:30am the night before (doing both the Stranger task for Saturday night as well as the ensuing write-up), and you expect me to be at the curling club bright and early the next day? To go curling by myself? Does that sound like fun to you?

Well, it wasn't fun. In fact, it sucked. But I went anyway, gave it a fair shot, even provided what I think is some valuable information (the need to get there early, the presence of Bloody Marys, etc).

I have to say, while I had a good time with The Stranger thing in general, your brand of judgemental bullshit seriously dampened my enthusiasm.

fnarf, exactly what schmacky said.

Seriously, stop pulling a WiS .... and read the source post.

Matt, I liked your coverage (and fortitude) this month. I don't know why so many people shit down your neck over some of your posts. I thought the whole point of the exercise was to show that doing something The Stranger suggested every day would indeed kick one's ass into the ground. Even Kyle Regan, who basically has the optimal lifestyle for this type of project, got pretty worn out by the undertaking. Anyway, I relate and commiserate, man.

@8, I'm sorry if you think I'm attacking you, but what I was saying is that curling is fun, but you didn't do it. That's why you didn't have fun. See how that works? I understand that you were tired and that this adventure has been in some ways a trial, but the plain fact is, you made it sound like curling isn't fun, when it's your ordeal that isn't fun. NOT CURLING.

fnarf, if you didn't have such a chip on your shoulder about this whole curling thing, you might have noticed how careful I was to NOT make it sound like curling isn't fun; how the hell would I know...I didn't get a chace to do it! I believe I was quite clear in fact that it looked pretty cool (for your reference: "I can tell you this: It looked cool.").

I said I was lonesome and tired and cranky, yes. But I also said this: "Though I was lonesome, I still enjoyed myself." What the fuck else do you expect me to say? And yes, I used the word "crappy," but that was clearly in reference to my being there alone, not the curling itself.

Meanwhile, when you write: "You're not there to drink and watch through glass," and: "Not getting on the ice is a serious failure to take advantage of the open house," are you not directly criticizing me? Maybe that's why I "feel like" you're attacking me.

Please address your problems with reading comprehension at your earliest opportunity.

If you want to avoid pretension in bowling alleys, by the way, don't go to the Garage. Try Imperial Lanes down Ranier and 23rd. Bowlers there are there to bowl, not to smugly smirk at the juxtaposition of being so hip and being at a bowling alley.

schmacky, I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your posts this month! I still can't believe you made it all the way through - and you have a wife! right on, hat tip to you.