120. Huge back room, indoor games, free-for-alls.

Huge backroom, party room.

Table tennis, piano/organ.

Polished hardwood floors with

Footy socks! Perfect for slipping, sliding.

Around ping-pong table.

Roller Derby!!

It’s a “jam”, elbows flailing, gets rough.

Phil grabs a hand and … Whhhiiipp!! Flying slide.

Our own Ralphie Valladares.

Ralphie Valladeras - LA T-Birds (in white)

Who wins?

Tears, argument, or injury ends games prematurely.

Extra:

* We lover Roller Derby. Unfortunately I could find any footage of the mercurial Ralphie Valladares – indeed, I could not find any of the men’s games. Weird because as I remember the sport was played in alternating periods of men & women on the track. Anyway here is a (band) recording of a T-Birds v Outlaws game, featuring Shirley Hardmann (she’s in black #17).

Read Full Post »

93. Who does he think he is, Descartes? Or … Roger’s version of the Cogito!

Roger’s motto: challenge belief.

A favourite argument starter:

“You are only a figment of my imagination.”

The skeptic’s game begins …

It’s fun.

Ends in frustration.

Rene Descartes - French Mathematician, Philosopher - who had the insight: cogito ergo sum - I think therefore I am.

Favourite response:

“I am imagining some bloke called Roger,
who is telling me I am a figment of his imagination.
I am real, he isn’t.”

Read Full Post »

19. Marbles … game on!!

A Primary School fad – marbles – ringers, follow-the-leader, castles, 9-holes.

Everywhere – at home, at school – the competition was on.

The champs of Guildford Rd – arguably, the whole of Penrith – Team Percy & Cowan

The collection grew – 100’s, and grew – 1,000’s

Eventually over 20,000.

Luckily Bram’s glass-eye didn’t drop into marble box.*

Notes & Extras

* Don’t know about the glass eye? See Short Memory No. 7 – A Scary Eyeful.

Some advice about playing marbles …

Here’s an excerpt from “How to play Ringers.” Click here (or the image) to go to How to play Marbles for the rest of the rules and rules of other games (mind you some of them have different names.).

The big play … knocking out your opponents “Taw”.

FIG. 7: child No.2 chooses to try for No. 1 child’s shooter and knocks it out of ring, winning all the marbles No.1 has taken and putting No.1 out of that game. Or he could shoot as shown in Fig. 8.

Read Full Post »