January

Sunday 2^nd. . . . Another frosty and almost clear morning. I lost another chess game so my rating has dropped ten points to 1852. I can remember a few years ago when I wished I was as good as 1850. The game takes a lot of perseverance and no one has perseverance like a man who sells insurance. Or so I have been told.. . . . . Went bowling today, really did not do well at all. Dave, my instructor showed up sometime during my second line and watched for a while. He had a couple of suggestions that I tried and found very awkward but he said I was doing better so I continued. After a while things started to jell and he left. My last line was 154 and I felt better about things. My average for the day was 126. I might go down there again tomorrow to continue with Dave’s suggestions. Since I am a member of the league it is cheap enough to practice; it costs more for gasoline than 5 lines of bowling. I made a stop or two on the way home and still arrived before 4:30. The garage door surprised me by shutting down automatically when it closed. It has not been doing that; perhaps my cussing at it the other day had some effect. Like my doggie, I expect it to fall back into its bad habits any time.. . . . Watched Seahawks football tonight while enjoying my popcorn and cheese. I was thinking of Barbara while the game was on; she would have loved watching Seattle win. It was the only football game this season that kept my attention to the very end.