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April 25, 2006
Lucky Strike
Today was the combined team outing at Quicken Loans. Both the web marketing team (which is my team) and the IS development team (the engineers) went to Lucky Strike bowling alley in Novi (really nice place, by the way). We got to leave work early to get there at 4pm. I think the point of it was to treat the IS team and have the teams to mingle and get to know each other better. So each team had to have a couple marketing people and a couple engineers. I think it worked out pretty well.
And let me tell you, I have NEVER bowled SO well in my entire life! I usually SUCK at bowling, as evidenced by the last time my team went bowling just a few months ago. I bowled 3 games and got respective (and respectable) scores of 126, 135 and 156 (holy shit!). I've never gotten a 156!! Not only that, but I got 3 turkeys (a turkey is a strike 3 times in a row, like a hockey hat trick)...two turkeys in the last frame of 2 games and one when Lisa dropped out of our game and I had to bowl for her. WOW!!
In a way, it was more for my team members to get to know the IS team better. I myself work with them so much that I knew all but one guy. Those that I don't work with all that much I know just because we all go to lunch together a lot. It's a little strange to me because I've realized recently that there are two distinct personalities or cultures for either team. And even though I'm a marketing person, I'm way more comfortable with the IS people because my personality, my likes and sense of humor is more in line with them. I'm not even sure how to describe the culture of my own team. I just know that I fit in more comfortably with the geeks because that's who I am at heart, even if I can't program for shit. IS people tend to be sci-fi fans; they tend to be "early adoptors" with new computers, software, and techie gadgets like palm phones and mp3 players; they also like (and can quote) British humor like Monty Python and Hitchhiker's Guide. That's me and Don for sure.
Anyway, I noticed most people thinning out and going home as my team was finishing up the 3rd game. I ended up hanging out with my buddies Zack and Gillian (G.G.) and a couple other engineers, Kevin and Christina. Christina had had about 3 or more drinks and was pretty sloshed, so we made her sit around drinking water so that she could sober up when it came time to drive herself home, otherwise, Zack would have insisted on driving her home himself. So while she drank water, the rest of us hung out and sort of finished up a 4th game by throwing balls in goofy, creative ways...between the legs, doing funny twists, 2 balls at once, etc. We ended up being the last ones there at the bowling alley. Plus, they were playing some good 80's songs and it was making me feel happy. Zack got a kick out of me singing and dancing goofy to the songs.
After we couldn't bowl anymore (we only had the lanes for a set amount of time and my fingers were getting pretty raw), we went downstairs to the arcade to play one of those Dance Revolution games. I'd never played it before, but it was pretty fun, even when I fucked up. Ha! Gotta love JPop!! I think we did that for about an hour (what a workout!) and by the time we were done, Christina was good and sober.
I like hanging out with those guys. I feel like I'm in my element, more than when I'm with my own team. Not that I don't get along with my team, I'm just more comfortable around the engineers. Hell, I married one! I think that was a really fun time...I hope I get to hang out with those guys again soon. Zack keeps telling me about how much fun the IS team had at their Christmas party doing karaoke. I keep telling him we gotta do that. I would do that with them and have a blast, especially if we did a bunch of cheesy 80's songs! Engineers are cool people!
Posted by Amy at April 25, 2006 10:00 PM
Comments
Well, personally, I like doing the insane happy Amy dance everytime I get a strike cause no matter how many I get, I always wonder how I did it.
And yeah, that's true about people laughing at my jokes. They ARE geeky in nature and you're right...normal people do just stare at me blankly and think I'm a freak. I react by just shaking my head, rolling my eyes and thinking, well, they don't get my joke cause I'm just too cool for them. Hehe!
Posted by: Priori2ude ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://priori2ude.net/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 26, 2006 09:42 AM
Well, I haven't bowled in years, but I've discovered a few truths about myself in the game:
1) I bowl better the longer I've been away from it. If I bowl more than 2 games, I start to figure out what I'm doing -- and that's about the time I stop getting strikes and spares.
2) If ever I became "good" at bowling, I'd probably never want to play it again. There's something special about not knowing whether you're going to bowl a 150 or an 80. If my bowling average was something like 145, then I'd be upset if I didn't hit enough strikes. Me? I kinda like that moment when you go: "Holy sponge-muck! I just bowled a strike! How'd that happen?" Then, of course, you're required to do the happydance to stress the point. How many times have you seen a professional bowler do the happydance? I rest my point.
Oh, and the reasons you likes geeks so much is because they laugh at your jokes (which are probably geeky in nature). It's just not as fun hanging around normal people, quoting Bruce Campbell, and having them all stare at you blankly.
And if a geeky person misses the reference in your joke, they'll do "research" to figure it out. Whereas normal people will just think you're a freak. Which you are -- but that's no reason to not laugh at the joke.
Posted by: Goldenmarble at April 26, 2006 08:31 AM
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