As much as I begged my parents to come and watch them bowl, their answer was always a firm "NO". They told me, "Saturday morning at 9:00 is your time to be at the bowling center not (fill in date and time here). That time is for adults." To this day I hate when parents bring their unruly kids to the bowling center when adults are bowling. If they're good kids who don't pitch a fit when mommy or daddy doesn't fork over some change to dump into the video games, they're fine.


Dear God, this is my biggest pet peeve. There have been nights where I've used two balls, but if only one could fit, I pulled one off. But for the most part, I use one freakin' ball all night long and there are some nights, even bowling in a 4 per team league, I find myself pulling my only ball off the rack because some !@#$%^& straight-chuckin' idiot thinks he/she needs 2 or 3 balls on the rack. The last time I did that, one person who had 3 on the rack asked me why I was taking my ball of the rack. I said, "because there are certain people who feel the need to empty their [bleep] [bleep] bowling bag onto the rack, thus leaving no room for my [bleep]in' ball, and if there's no room on the [bleep]in' rack, balls will get stuck in the [bleep]in' return. Of course, people like these have no respect for anyone else, so why should they give a good golly [bleep] [bleep]?" Yeah, messeage sent, and received.

And I am one of those smokers, and I try not to put everyone else out when I feel the need to pollute the air. I bowl anchor, so I either try to sneak in a smoke before my 10th frame, or I smoke 1/2 after my tenth and finish it after my first frame. If I'm bowling against another team who also feels the need to pollute the air, well, we take as long as we feel like. My other teammates find this a good time to open their car trunk and dive into their cooler for a shooter.

- Open Play bowling next to people who dont know about lane courtesy.

- People who are no where to be found when its there turn to bowl

- Team members who are always late and you dont know if there comming or not

- Team members who show up when they feel like

- People who put all there balls on the ball rack so there no room for any more people ball.

I have to agree with Brian. Go have a cigarette. The most rediculous laws we have enacted are the smoking ban laws. Here, in Chicago, in zero degree temperature, people are being forced to go outside, most without jackets, to smoke a cigarette. Now, the Chicago laws state that they cannot stand within 15 feet of the doorway. So, they stand in the street.

If the intent is to protect those who do not smoke because it is harmful, then OUTLAW IT FOR ALL, because it is harmful. And not just in public places. The politicians are reacting to a majority who object to smoking, while they accept funds from those same company lobbyists so they don't vote to bankrupt the Commonwealth of Virginia, or State of Kentucky. And at the same time are happily spending the cigarette taxes they collect. This is the biggest abuse of Democratic authority this Country has seen. Eliminte Cigarette taxes, and watch your property taxes escalate.

If it is bad for one, it is bad for all. It is not just bad in the Bowling Center. So if you passed a law prohibiting smoking in the center, live with the stupid results.

Tell me how an employee on the 90th floor of the Sears Tower is supposed to get outside to smoke in 5 minutes. The elevator takes 15 minutes. There has to be a tremendous amount of lost productivity do to these stupid, one sided laws.

So, if he has to go outside for 10 minutes, you made him do it. Live with it.

When I smoked, I was always chided by a female employee who couldn't stand the smell of smoke. Little did she know that I was deathly allergic to certain perfumes.
After I had a seisure at work because of her perfume, all cosmetic scents were banned in our closed-in office environment. You wouldn't believe the uproar. But, it helped being the Boss.

Don't get me started on recycling.

OK, I'm off my soapbox.

Then I'd think it wouldn't take too long to smoke enough to satisfy. I've been in Chicago and lived in the Mid West, I know the cold of which you speak. :-)

Now I grew up with a chain smoking mom. And I live with a smoker. I am not an anti smoker type person. I just hate to sit there doing nothing, getting out of rhythm, cold and bored while someone gets their chemical fix. Its not our problem you are hooked.

Erin

So I have another peeve. And I think that's 3 for me that rank tops.

Re Racking during league practise. OHHHH how I hate this. In fact I'm surprised it didn't come to mind faster. 10 min we have and 10 bowlers (or 8) on two lanes (lane might have problems or have slow racks too). I want to get as much as I can into each 10 min. But when you rerack because you dont' have a full rack you waste TIME, very valuable time. And some folks that rerack wouldn't know ball reaction if they ball had turn signals on it. If you didn't get a full rack, then shoot a 10 pin, or 7 pin. Or pretend. I bowled in one house that had true shadow practise....NO PINS.

Erin

There's a drama queen on one of the teams on my Sunday League. He gets up there makes his approach, throws the ball, and doesn't matter if its a strike, spare, open, or even a gutter, he stands there in is finished position re-throwing an imaginary ball over and over so long that the ball has already been returned. This can be upwards of 30 seconds sometimes. Needless to say I've exchanged words with him from time to time. It totally throws any rhythm anyone might have out the door, not just the team he is playing against but teams on the other lanes.

In two of the leagues I'm in we throw the first ball and then foul if it is not a strike. That eliminates the need for some people to rerack. Extra balls on the return bugs me the most. I have made people remove their extra equipment.

Pretty much everybody named most of the pet peeves out there. I suffered through many of those as well. One that has not been mentioned:

-Bowlers from a previous league that leaves litter(paper cups, rest of food, etc) in the tables.

How could I forget this?!?! Tonight was a perfect example, machinery that CONSTANTLY breaks down. My local lanes are HORRIBLE and THE worst lanes I have ever bowled at. They put no money into the lanes and it shows with the amount of duct tape they use to repair things. It was so bad we had to move to the break down pair and even then they lost a ball. This pains my very soul, if it keeps up I'll just not bowl or save it for the weekend and travel to better kept lanes. I can understand breaking down now and again but this is every night!! Not once do I leave there without setting up pins, asking for the ball return, making score changes, having pin holders changed out, blacks outs you name it. I hate it!

I worked in such a place, Mike. I can tell you that the employees are probably as frustrated as you are with having to do all that if they give a hoot. It was not uncommon to hear me cussing in the back because the tightwad owner never invested in parts. I can't tell you how many "make do" repairs I made in 7+ years. It was sickening.

Unless they totally blow you off or give you attitude, they truly care, so give them a little bit of a break and lend an empathetic ear and commend them for doing the best they can with what little they have to work with. Believe me, nobody wants those machines to work better than they do, and nobody wants you to get out of there on time more than the employees. The more negativity they get, the more likely they will give up on you, the bowler. I know I did in my situation. They can't help it if they're trapped by an idiot owner or manager.

Remember, you chose to bowl there, and if you were aware of the problems, then you have to put up with some of the mess. And there, too, you're only there for 2-3 hours a night. Most of the employees are there 40 hours a week.