Talk about Old School
This afternoon we took A to her cousin's third birthday party. My sister-in-law wisely came to the conclusion that having a birthday party at your house every year is for the birds. The cooking, the cleaning, the unruly relatives, etc. So, she booked it in a bowling alley. The bowling alley was conveniently located in 1963. Don't get me wrong - I love hanging out in unpretentious joints that just barely meet health codes. We had a blast!
You gotta check out the decor, though.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUi0CZHecBrFpXXsaUtLZmlEwjHWGM5jGob8CGv9xy9Wyx7fEzkjQ2MVXmhCvIvXAqBQa_oLBjSaOnyvWwy9k0vngDC66NG5vbAl4sWokoDCls5ttKS5SecIj9vbq120LgWNJOe4vHTU/s400/bowling+013.jpg)
Apparently this is the last place in the free world that allows smoking indoors. I didn't know which I found more aesthetically pleasing - the groovy stars or the soggy cigarette butt.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2R3AlT46NOTBr3fH5Ui4pKmqHw8Hk874YDKTLi6_RoxrSyyWCk-UIn5VN7z6f9YPU1xpDkpPYOKiDZ48I1bzQamC73B7-Mi7eoMqpGndhNMCpbiUS21Ho_krstR2cuVk0Z6tQMPaNxs/s400/bowling+008.jpg)
I wish I knew what the original ashtray looked like. I'm betting it was fab-u-lous.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRSWpa-EhNbt0f-gkl3ZxGRMZvv8-gYbxW0tG6ysJ4tvzmij4QteGYLJ923catzcsNmbXQi5yOzl3Ky3YS1ZbvggL__KRH8YgxikKx0DAESdZC2X36mYmOvuuKaL1QYbupDQpiGwVwBk/s400/bowling+010.jpg)
Molded white and orange plastic seats? Check!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zSvymXxzehjyBKs3O3CY9txMtAId3W_njv0BGmpgXIII5ii0hw788JvxSrm5K0acMdSS5_R23DQrXZ8D0g-pwecbd798OXO2KF-w3CoDMyPE2hISJGreTLoMIY3SO9oKN0kqzdx3an4/s400/bowling+016.jpg)
This baffled and frightened me most of all. No, the photo is not upside down. There was indeed a large custodial bucket strapped into the ceiling.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvzGlfxuaGZln92cyeZItzfBWwDzn9Zah9d7XkYn5s-WRucMxdHxwTbZT6Bv9GTaKwPRhSu_k_KYREeoE4P2h_IPEeFATv5UMg1GvYFw6mB1jd_m-m1LPgTHCZM1b3xqv9Ad5Tg7foeU/s400/bowling+009.jpg)
The only person at the party who knew how to keep score was my sister-in-law's grandma. After I scored a 72 in the first game, I suggested to her that she really did not need to do any more math for me.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bz8AzULwWHKENtlaZgLBfZ05SKZldLxbIfD1xFaDSEgh_QoTYhMcXBqpqSdCUQAfqCu5db2qA6CtDrrKZP-1a9CPnKXT6EMjGQGfdja_3YvNbbX9X5K-pT9jtj0gn1hSwA84_7ifyIk/s400/bowling+021.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitRSWpa-EhNbt0f-gkl3ZxGRMZvv8-gYbxW0tG6ysJ4tvzmij4QteGYLJ923catzcsNmbXQi5yOzl3Ky3YS1ZbvggL__KRH8YgxikKx0DAESdZC2X36mYmOvuuKaL1QYbupDQpiGwVwBk/s400/bowling+010.jpg)
Molded white and orange plastic seats? Check!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-zSvymXxzehjyBKs3O3CY9txMtAId3W_njv0BGmpgXIII5ii0hw788JvxSrm5K0acMdSS5_R23DQrXZ8D0g-pwecbd798OXO2KF-w3CoDMyPE2hISJGreTLoMIY3SO9oKN0kqzdx3an4/s400/bowling+016.jpg)
This baffled and frightened me most of all. No, the photo is not upside down. There was indeed a large custodial bucket strapped into the ceiling.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtvzGlfxuaGZln92cyeZItzfBWwDzn9Zah9d7XkYn5s-WRucMxdHxwTbZT6Bv9GTaKwPRhSu_k_KYREeoE4P2h_IPEeFATv5UMg1GvYFw6mB1jd_m-m1LPgTHCZM1b3xqv9Ad5Tg7foeU/s400/bowling+009.jpg)
The only person at the party who knew how to keep score was my sister-in-law's grandma. After I scored a 72 in the first game, I suggested to her that she really did not need to do any more math for me.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bz8AzULwWHKENtlaZgLBfZ05SKZldLxbIfD1xFaDSEgh_QoTYhMcXBqpqSdCUQAfqCu5db2qA6CtDrrKZP-1a9CPnKXT6EMjGQGfdja_3YvNbbX9X5K-pT9jtj0gn1hSwA84_7ifyIk/s400/bowling+021.jpg)
The party was a lot of fun. As you can see from the photo above, our niece enjoyed the princess music set I bought for her. The set also included castanets, maracas, a tambourine, cymbals, and a trumpet. Why would I do this to my sister-in-law, you ask? Well, she started it. She threw down the gauntlet when she bought my kid a make-up set for Christmas. It contained lipstick, eye shadow, and nail polish (the real stuff - not "pretend" make-up). My daughter was delighted, of course. I tightened my jaw a bit. "I just want to be the fun auntie!" said my sister-in-law.
"Oh, you're a barrel of laughs, alright," I told her.
And this, my friends, is why I also included a set of Plah-Doh in the gift bag today. Oh, and a robotic kitty who meows. I think you'll agree that this was well-played on my part. My kid's birthday is coming up on May 3rd and I have a feeling we'll be receiving something that involves glitter and paint and possibly an ant farm. I am planning to counter with a live puppy.
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