Girls night out at the lanes

"I need a girls night out. No men allowed. So we're all going to go bowling. And we might make it a monthly thing."

That was the e-mail I got earlier this month. A girls night, huh? Bowling? That's always fun. I said I was in. And so were about 24 other co-workers.

Last night was the big night. After the clock hit quitting time, a bunch of us headed over to one of the local bowling alleys for a girls night involving a spiffy pair of bowling shoes, pizza, soda, time with friends and, oh yeah, bowling.

I admit, I'm not an amazing bowler. Heck, most times I'm lucky if I break 70. The gutter and my bowling ball tend to be good friends. So knowing that, I wasn't expecting to record some amazing score. But surprisingly I did OK last night. My first game was a 92 and I even got better in game 2, finishing with a 106, although I attribute the improvement to the slices of very greasy pizza I ate between games. I was even lucky and recorded a few spares and at least two strikes. Although I did record two straight gutter balls to end my two-game bowling bonanza. All in all, a good night for bowling.

But it wasn't the bowling that was so much fun. OK, yes it was fun. However, it was spending time with my co-workers. The people who have become my friends. It was outside of a work setting and although we did get a tiny bit of work talk in, for the most part we talked about anything and everything not related to that place where we spend 40 hours a week.

And even though we did get a tad bit intimidated by the group of guys who occupied the lane next to us (and looked like they were about to throw a fastball anytime they stepped up for their frame), the "Last Thursday night of the month" bowling outing was a blast. Nothing beats a good time with a great group of women.

And I can't wait for our next outing at the end of February. Because I can totally do better than 106. It just involves getting rid of those pesky gutter balls. And who knows, maybe someday I'll even learn how to keep score. The possibilities for improvement are endless. And besides, the girls? They're a bunch of fun.