QT-Pool, Revisited

These are the same pictures you can find over at little scratches. I'm going to be a bit more specific about details of the evening, and probably a lot less funny. If you think that is unlikely or impossible, read on forewarned.

It was with pleasant surprise that I fielded both and email from Dave and a phone call. For me, contact with the Doctor is spotty at best and it was like a monsoon come to the Gobi. Needless to say, we rushed to set out containers to collect the water and after Vin arrived at my place we were quick to depart and scoop Dave from the bus-stop on 5 corners.

Starcat and the Doctor traded some fine blows as the only real contenders at the table

Despite a promising name, I was nervous upon entering the Q-Room. It is a fairly spartan set-up compared to some of the competition. But, eventually it managed to win my fickle affections. It is neither trendy and full of UofS students, nor is it seedy with burly bikers and pool hasbins. Probably that is thanks to us being there on a Tuesday, but it could just be a different demographic.

Starcat wins the orange award for best photo op of the night.

I must say that I was surprised to see Geof with a load of facial hair. He has never had the staying power to make it work in the past, but this time he may just have done it. It is actually possible with normal vision to see it in the above picture, even without zooming in. Upon seeing the grandure of his beard I was forced to bow in respect and awe. It's just as well since it would later have been necessary later to bow to his superior pool playing, which would have been less acceptable socially.

The Orange Zone was particularly frightening when you realize that there was a coffee shortage and we were all forced to drink alternate beverages. Not so bad, said some.

We fabricated some way to align the teams fairly. By fair, I mean that it was clearly important to split up Vin and I, since our fanaticism for all things billiards related and our close bond of kinship would have made it a miserable evening for our opponents.

A particularly sad moment (and photo) of me trying to contemplate a nasty bank shot with the 8 looming near the pocket. Notice the Doctor in the background with a certain air of victory in his smile?

As it turns out, perhaps Vin and I should have teamed up. At least I could have claimed that his occasionally questionable play was throwing me off my game. As it was, I thought that Geof was patient and much less critical of me than he could have been. Maturity, and no longer living in close proximity to other questers seems to have had a moderating effect on all of us.

Starcat laughing. Presumably over his mistake at not putting wagers on the games.

In case I havn't made it perfectly clear: I had a great time. It is a shame that the Quest has been so long between activities of this sort. Geof was quick to notice that, in fact, he and I had never played pool together. Perhaps. However, what I mean is that it was the first time in 8 or 10 years that all of us had managed to come together for anything more active than a cup of coffee. Cheers to all of us (or shame, if you prefer to focus on the negative).

Rainswept insisted that he was horribly out of practice. But those of us who watched noticed some extraordinary shots and something funky going on with his pointer finger.

To make a long story short: The Q-room was a nice stop. With tables maxing out at $15 the only thing missing in order to have a rollicking round of snooker was perhaps a second large table...