Announcement: The Cueist Project!

I would like to formally introduce, The Cueist Project! 

As I alluded to a couple months ago, I had a prospect who might replace The Danielson Series section of my blog. While I didn't want Danielson to leave my blog (RIP Danielson!), but because he's no longer playing pool, I obviously can't blog about his pool journey anymore.

Today, though, I am super excited to share that I will be following a new player with their journey in pool!

Just like with Danielson (of the Danielson Series) and Katniss (of the Project Hunger Game Series), I will be following a player and sharing through my blog his cheers, tears, heartbreak, joys and learning experiences as he competes on the pool canvas.

As I have mentioned, following players and sharing their lessons has been very beneficial to the reader because you all get the opportunity to learn through them. And the same will happen with this new player.

As usual, they will remain incognito, which means he and I came up with a name for the project. We decided on "The Cueist Project."  No, don't read that too fast and think it says "cutest," lol.

CUEIST.

"Cueist Project" is now already listed on the top of my blog as a menu item, so you can find it easily.

I haven't met him in person, but he has kept in touch with me via email for years because of my blog (which is super cool, right?!).  He has written in the past to either ask questions or share some of his tournament experiences.  So, am I excited he said yes when I approached him about this idea!

Therefore, because he has written to me in the past, I have a couple of topics already and I will share at least one of them this month for you all.  It's about eating - one of my fave subjects!  hahaha.

I'm excited for all of us about the newest member that you will learn through.

Welcome aboard, Cueist!

Monthly Goal Wont be Met

Well, I must confess I'm not going to be able to meet my goal of writing 10-15 blog entries a month this month.

Don't cry; it will be okay!

Normally when it's about midway through the month and I notice I'm nowhere near my self-imposed quota, I go on a rash of writing blog entries so I can be sure to meet the goal by the end of month.

I had every intention to start that rash of writing around May 20th, but things just got in the way.

I even missed last month's deadline for my interview column in Billiard Buzz because I just didn't have enough time to get it finished with the interviewee.  It was the first month I have missed in two and a half years.  Wow!

I have been busier at work, too, which means less time to write during the day (shhhh!).

I've also been preparing for a garage sale. Not just any garage sale, but a neighborhood garage sale. I mentioned several times in my personal blog that I'm going through every inch of my house de-cluttering like never before.

The other thing, as many of you know that I have talked about, is striving for less stress and more peace in my life. Therefore, when work ends at 6 pm, I had a choice - stay late and work on blogs or continue getting ready for the garage sale.  The garage sale had a hard deadline I could not avoid. And instead of staying late writing and then going home to try and work more through every crevasse of my house, I decided to take it easy and simply go home and work through the house casually, not rushed and stressed.

I've participated in two other neighborhood garage sales, and after each one I told myself it's the last one ever. Well this one will be the last one ever. This is the first time in my life I have felt comfortable enough to declutter at this extreme level - pretty happy to have less things all throughout my house!

But, this blog isn't about my garage sale. It sounds like it is, lol, but it really isn't.

What I'm sharing is I need to be okay with not meeting personally-set deadlines. I have learned I really do need more peace and less stress.  Therefore, it really is okay if I don't write 10-15 blog entries a month if I don't have the time.  Right?

I was actually surprised I didn't get disappointed or down on myself when I did not submit the interview last month. I realized I needed a break, and instead of rushing to get it completed, I simply accepted the fact that I wouldn't get the interview done in time.  And you know what?  I was okay.

Even the publisher, Mike Howerton, told me I deserved a break, which was nice that he didn't put pressure on me.

I guess I just want you all to know that while I'm sorry I didn't meet the monthly goal, I'm very proud of myself for not overtaxing or stressing myself or cutting myself too thin to try to meet that self-inflicted monthly goal.

I've had a few months were I only wrote 8 times, but otherwise for the last 10 years I have met my goal to write 10-15 times a month (which is actually pretty strong, right?).  And don't for a second think it's due to lack of material - my list of topics is still VERY long (and I add to it every week, lol).

My work has been extremely busy and that type of stress I cannot control. So, because I can control this kind of stress of being okay with not meeting self-inflicting deadlines, I actually think it's a huge maturity and growth on my part.

Before I head home, lol, I do want to say that if I had had time, I definitely would have met the monthly self-inflicted goal. I just simply didn't have enough spare time this month. You can go ahead and blame it on my past semi-hoarding tendencies, my past shopaholic addiction, and the fact I finally was okay with completely decluttering finally for the last 6 months.

I'm pretty sure I'll be back on track in June. I don't have a garage sale to get prepared for.... you know, the last garage sale ever I'm going to have in my life.

Search by Topic - New Addtion to Blog

Earlier this month I received a nice note from Brett:

"Hi Melinda, I have started listening to ABR and am enjoying it a lot.
Found your blog from there and wow - thanks for all you are doing to
support the great game of pool. I live in Canada near Niagara Falls btw.

Is there a way to search you blog by topic - so many posts and eventually I
want to read them all but would like to cherry pick a few that are on my
mind first..."

I ran to my blog and noticed sure enough, I no longer have a list of the topics/labels like I used to have on my blog. 

hmmm...

I then added the labels back to the front of my blog and immediately was reminded why I removed the list: there are too many!  Ahhh, that's right, the long list ran WAY down the page - it just wasn't feasible to add because there are just too many labels and it took up a lot of unnecessary space.

For background information, I choose one or more certain words to assign to each blog post, depending on what I wrote about.  Those words (i.e. topics/labels) are listed at the bottom of each blog, but there is also a list of all the topics/labels that can be displayed on the blog so one can choose the topics you want to read about.  For example, if I write about an interesting situation where some guy wouldn't shake my hand after I beat his azz, I would label the blog "handshake." And then if you wanted to search all the blog posts I wrote about "handshake" you would see all the posts by choosing that word "handshake" from the list.  

I'm not sure so many labels/topics is worthwhile, but I do talk about a lot of different things and kinda like the ability to search blog posts by the different topics/labels.

I then went to the all-knowing Internet and searched for ways to display the topics in a shorter format - maybe drop down menu or simply a link that would go to a separate page that would list all the labels.  I luckily found several options to add coding that could offer a solution.  I tested several options on my blog and then finally decided on a code that will allow for the topics to be chosen via a dropdown menu!

So, on the right of my blog you will now see this:

So, now you can all search by topic from the front page again!

BIG thanks to Brett for sending me the kind email and also asking the question - his inquiry helped spur me to find a solution to add that back to my blog in a more effective way.  Thank you, Brett!

Career or Journey?

I think it's very interesting the different verbiage players choose to use when they talk about pool when it's been in their lives for a long time.  I describe it and see it as my "pool journey" and I specifically use the word journey whereas others usually call it their "pool career."

But, I think there are two very important and distinct reasons why I choose "journey."

I've never once called my pool journey a career. Why? Well, because I have a career with my day job that I've worked at since 1992. That career pays for my bills and is how I make a living. So, I'm not about to call my pool playing for 25 years a "career," because, well, it's just not true in my eyes (and hasn't paid the bills, lol).

The other reason is really more because of the relation to my blog. Yep, the one you are reading right now! I use the word "journey" instead of "career" because "journey" is in the title of my blog. So, journey naturally flows out of my mouth when I talk about my life with pool all these years. And I like to keep that connection, whether people know about my blog or not.

When I decided to start a blog, I first needed to come up with a title to even be able to sign up for one on blogger.com. After days of trying to decide on the absolute most perfect in the world best title, it finally dawned on me that in all reality, I would be writing about my journey with pool. And so there it was:  my blog officially became 'Pool is a Journey.'

Then my friend Juan helped me with the description, which is on the top of the blog.

"Living life to the fullest is a wonderful, amazing adventure; playing pool is one of the infinite paths of the adventure. This blog is about my life journey with pool."

Thank God he helped, too, because again I was struggled with the most perfect best words of the universe to use/choose and my brain was hurting from all the choices, lol.

I do wonder sometimes if I hadn't chose "journey" in the title of my blog, what word would I be using now instead when I talk about my life with pool?

Things that keep you up at night, too, huh?

I'm Baaack!

It's not like me to take a hiatus from blogging.  I actually had a couple of people tell me they missed me.  How Sweet!   Oh wait, they missed my blog posts, not necessarily me lol.  :-/

Well, what was up with me?

As I shared before, I only blog after work hours at my desk.  So, if I'm not blogging, there is a DIRECT connection to that.

Most of April I was with my friend Dave, mostly visiting him after work because he was not doing well with the affects of brain cancer.  And then in early May I was with him every day while he was in hospice.  He passed away on May 7th.  Pretty tough time.

May 10-19th, I was in Vegas helping out at ACS Nationals.

When I got back in town, around May 29th, I was the lucky soul who got an infected root canal.  Fun times!  I do NOT recommend it.  I was out most the rest of the next week.

The infection didn't go away with the first round of antibiotics, so they had to put me on a stronger dose.  I had no idea that strong antibiotics causes one to feel ill.  So, I didn't stick around work to type up blogs while feeling horrible and lethargic.  Sorry!  I know, where is my dedication??

Then I went to Maryland for work for a week, which again kept me away from my blogging desk.

So, finally, I am feeling well enough to hang out after work and blog for you peeps.  Did you miss me??  

I Get Distracted When Reading

I mentioned in early March that Mike Howerton interrogated me on the new American Billiard Radio broadcast show.

Interrogated, inquisitioned, whatever.

If you don't have time to listen to the podcast (like I don't lol), I thought I'd share a little from that broadcast.  Why?  Well, because Mike asked me questions I normally don't get asked and consequently hadn't thought of to share.  I know what you're thinking, damn she shares a lot already!  But, Mike really probed me (ahem, verbally) and I realized the other night when I couldn't go back to sleep, that some of the answers I've never written about in my blog.  Blasphemy, I know!  So, I'm going to resolve that today for you.  Why?  Well, my name does start with "Me" and so it makes sense to talk about myself, right?  (I know, lame excuse).

One of the things he found fascinating (my word, not his) was that I try to blog 10-15 times a month.  Ask anyone, that's a lot!  He then was intrigued:  how do I come up with so many things to write about?  And I shared this tidbit I hadn't shared with anyone before:

If you read my blog regularly, you know that I share articles from magazine (online or in print) about things that I relate to pool.  However, it's not just online articles or magazines, it's anything I read.  And that kinda gets in the way of me getting through a book. 

For instance, I tried in January to read the recommended golf book, "A Good Walk Spoiled" and I couldn't concentrate!  By the 4th page I had around 5 things I could blog about that I could relate to pool that I read in the book!   Gosh, I get so distracted when I read books.  SO many things cross my mind, "Oh, I could write about that" or "Oh, yea, that reminds of this I could write about."  Even leadership books/articles from work - I will read a few pages and start using my highlighter like I'm on crack:  I underline or highlight so many things!  But, the highlighted sentences aren't for me to remember something that would be helpful at work, noooo, they are about things I want to write about in my blog!

Yes, seriously.

The other thing I shared with Mike (and the fans who listen to the podcast) is that I do not have Internet at home.  So, that means all the blog posts, all the interviews, and all the broadcasts are done from my work office after work hours.  Eeek, that may imply I have no social life, lol, but not having Internet at home is the reality I live in.  The homeowners have recently begun the process of a petition to get Internet in our area, but it's been this way for a very long time and I am used to it.  But, it's a little fact of the Melinda Bailey life lol.

I'll share more things like this in the future.  Strap your boots on!

Friends Nervous Might Blog About Them

I haven't been to a pool room on a week night in at least a year I think.  I don't play league anymore (loving the free time and going to sleep at a decent hour not smelling like smoke!), and don't play weekly tournaments, so I only really get to a pool room maybe on a weekend to give lessons and of course to run the Omega Tour.

However, the other night I ventured into the local pool room on a tournament night, because I had an appointment with a friend about an idea for pool.

As I sat there, many people were surprised to see me, and then surprised I didn't even have my cue with me.

"Not here for the tournament, just meeting up with a friend to chat," I repeatedly shared to those who asked after their hug. 

I recognized most all the players, but there were a few new ones I hadn't seen before.  But it was the same scenario as usual - tournament, break and run pot, players trying to make extra money, smokey place.

At around 9:45pm, even my friend Dave Favor said to me, "Isn't it past your bedtime?"  LOL.  He knows I go to sleep early nowadays because when he calls after 9pm I don't normally answer because I am sometimes already in bed.  lol.  But I had a little bit more chat time left with my girlfriend and so stuck around just a little longer.

Because I was focused on my her and our talk, I didn't even look at my phone for two hours.  I finally checked it when I left and saw a message from a friend who lives out of town.  "Hey, I'm outside.  I'm sure you're playing league but can you come out real quick to say hi?"

He was just passing through on his way to a meeting, drove by this pool room, and happened to see my car.

I asked him later (I missed his text by an hour), "Why didn't you just come in and say hi?"

"Oh, no" he chuckles but being serious, "I didn't want to read in your blog how some guy came in and interrupted your perfect score on league night!"

LMAO

Pretty damn hysterical!

And yet I still put it in my blog, LOL!

Paying it Forward With not Talking

One of the highlights of having an Omega tour stop at JR Pockets in Denton, Texas is because I get to run into a fan of my blog!  I love it because my friend usually shares which articles he likes best.

And this past weekend was no exception.

He shared that he still enjoys reading my blog and then specifically pointed out one blog entry that helped him and his friends.

He was referring to the blog topic about not realizing you have been talking during matches, which is a distraction to your opponents.

David Bond and I also spoke about this on American Billiard Radio, he entitled it, Are You Rude?

So, my friend tells me sure enough he had been talking during this matches and didn't even realize it. So, during his next night out playing pool, he was playing against a guy he always spars with, and he was trying not to talk.

His friend noticed.  "Dude, everything okay?

"Yes," he said.  "I'm just trying not to talk as much; don't want to be a distraction."  The guy looked at him funny and said, "Good point.  I'm not going to talk as much either."

Paying it forward is the best compliment and I am tickled that this awareness is now being practiced and passed on to others!

Helping Others Through My Blog

I started my blog for myself.  It was easier to type online than write out my thoughts on paper.  It became my new pool journal.

Eventually I opened up my blog to a few friends.  Then they suggested I open it to the world (lol).  I was very hesitant, but eventually did.

But, what has happened through sharing my learning experiences is, a lot of tips, learning experiences, tough lessons, or key lessons other players are reading about.

It is so freaking cool when someone mentions my blog, or one of my topics, or something I wrote about.

But what makes me most happy is to see that my LONG pool journey and sometimes tough learning experiences, others are learning from.  I can profess certain things til I'm blue in the face, but when people act on it and work on things little 'ole me mentions, I get super tickled!

It took me 20 years to be the competitive player I am today.  I am thankful to help others through the pool journey we are all on together!

The reason I share all this today is because a fellow player from the Internet World reached out to me again and emailed me this:

One of the things you mention in your columns is about getting experience in more events to help you with your game, particularly the mental side. 

This past weekend we had a local 'fun' mini tournament. There were three person teams and each person played a game against one player on another team. It drew a different crowd than our normal tournaments. It was more casual but teams still playing their best. My team came out 2nd of 16 groups. It was non-handicapped. I'm glad to have that experience.  

This coming weekend I'm stepping out of my element though. Going to play 9-ball in an out of town tourney, handicapped. I'm a 5 (5 lives matter) and I know there will be a number of 8s and 9s in the tourney as well. We have four 8s from my league going and I was talking about it with them and thought you know what? this is exactly the kind of step I need in my game to keep improving. But without the confidence I see you speak of in your posts, I wouldn't be sure that I'd be ready for this. But I'm going to go there and do my very best and not fret over results. 

Wish me luck and thanks for the inspiration!

Made my whole month!  :)  It's very crazy that I might be an inspiration to others or that "without the confidence I see you speak of in your posts, I wouldn't be ready for this.... "

Wow, just wow.

Speechless.

Why a Blog?

Many people ask me why I started a blog, so thought I would share that journey today.

I first had a journal that I used as a pool diary.  You know, what we used to write down on paper?  I kept the journal with me and would write in that after my tourneys.

Then I decided to move up in the (digital) world and started to journal my thoughts online.  However, it was a private blog and so no one even knew about it but me.

I did eventually tell a few close friends and they wanted access to it, why I do not know, but I gave them rights to view it.  Back in the day (10 years ago) I only really blogged the recaps of my tournaments - who I played, what happened, how I felt, etc. 

A few years later, I was getting such a great response from those friends, they suggested I open it to the free world!  It was quite the step for someone who was really only using it as an online diary of tournament recaps for myself.  I was extremely apprehensive.

When I finally had the guts to click that "not-private" button in my blog settings, it then "unlocked" all my past entries too, so I had to go back through past blog entries and either remove names or give players a nickname.  For instance, to Turtle 1 or Turtle 2.  Or how about the guy who kept a tape measure on his belt even while he played?  He was nicknamed 'Tape Measure Guy' in my blog, lol.

I would eventually learn that I was fine with using someone's name if it was something I would say directly to the player/friend/opponent in person.  I hardly ever talked bad about anyone, but the few times I vented or the few times I shared a tourney encounter, I would be cognizant of others and just not use names or even nicknames anymore.

About 5 years into writing on my online blog, I was working on an instructional website project with a friend I met through the AZB forums.  After awhile, he would say things like, "I read your blog entry today.  You allude that your Mom is sick.  What does she have?"

I shared with him that she had advanced emphysema.  Turns out his Mom had it as well.  And then he suggested I open up more in my blog and share the personal side of myself.  Make it more human.

Here is what he said, which really propelled my persona online:

"No one can tell anyone how to write. After getting the technical skills down everything else must come from within. I think you've progressed nicely on both counts.

Observation (not criticism) No. 1. My favorite post is the one about Lisa Marr's tattoos.  In many ways I feel I now know more about Lisa Marr than I know about you through your blog.

My definition of journey would encompass everything you see on the trip. Not just everything you see on the pool table.

With your blog you have a "hi, how are you, let's have a drink" type of relationship with your readers. Obviously people who know you know much more.  You definitely don't cross a certain line with your personal life.  That's a choice - there's nothing wrong with it.  But as your blog/discussion evolves, the next step really is to start tiptoeing across that line.  I think you wouldn't mind it, it just isn't something that comes natural right now.

I'm not saying you're not giving enough personal details.  It's not the details; it's how you're telling the story.  You're not telling it from your heart.  You're telling it from a safer (to you) place. "

I heard his words, but I was still extremely apprehensive for some reason.  But, he has a way with words and is quite compelling as you can see above lol.

Reading this now, makes me wonder why?  I talk about SO much now and really don't hold back anymore, and actually love that, so what the hell was I thinking back then lol.

But like with most things in life, it morphed through baby steps.  First I had my foot barely nudged in the door, letting out a few personal things I was going through. Then I pushed opened the door a little more and was telling every day stories I was witnessing in the pool halls, and also shared even more of my life.

I received a lot of positive feedback for showing all various aspects of my pool journey, and eventually the door flung open past it's hinges.

I actually strive to blog 12-15 times a month, which is quite unheard of.  I am pretty sure I'm the only pool blogger that keeps an up-to-date blog, which is the number one complaint about blogs. 

I have won a couple of awards for my blog which is SUPER cool and I never imagined that would or could happen (OR that there was that type of award).

But prolly the coolest is when someone tells me randomly that they enjoyed a certain entry, bring up my blog at a tourney, or more so, when someone shares with me that what I wrote helped them with their pool game or in a tourney.  That's one if the main reasons I keep blogging....to help others.

I now write about anything and everything.  Everything is up for discussion.  Whether tourney recaps, instances that occur in a tournament, something upsets me, things I learn from, something I read that relates to competing, tips I share, stories I hear, leadership aspects, personal reflections, etc.

People actually may find themselves written about in my blog.  Names withheld of course.  I hardly use names at all anymore.  It's the story behind the name, not who was involved in the lesson or turmoil or funny story.

One side note.  I think my blog actually helps me compete.  I write about so many tips (new and past learning experiences), that writing them down actually helps in my competitions.

Ironically, blogging is prolly the best part of my pool journey.  You see, I didn't start blogging after I won titles, but when I didn't even know what 3-ball shape was or could barely get "into the money" in tournaments.  Heck, my nickname back then was "one-out-of-the-money Melinda" for years.  Yet, I was still writing about my pathetic matches and wondering why I play this game lol.

So, to have written about my journey from day one into a "someone" in the pool world is pretty dang cool to me.  I'm so glad I finally opened up my private blog, then started to make it more personal, and then really let the flood gates open with all the different topics. 

One of my favorite joys in life is this blog.

 

Awarded Best Pool Blog!

I can't begin to express how cool it was when I received a message from Phil Capelle two weeks ago:  "I read in BD that you won blog of the year - it is in the July issue - I have not seen you mention it, is this news to you?"

OMG DID I REALLY??

I was out of town for work and told him my Billiards Digest magazine was prolly sitting on my counter, waiting for me to open it when I returned.

Sure enough, I open the magazine right when I get home and read with my won eyes my blog won "Best Pool Blog"!!

// big smile //

My blog has come in second place I think twice, and always wondered why I hadn't won the TOP honor because I don't know anyone else that blogs as much as I do (I blog 10-15 times a month).  Most other blogs are WAY outdated, and yet they would still win the top spot, so I was confused.  But, the author did mention my blog's template is 'cumbersome' (one other time they didn't like the colors), so maybe it's not my content, but how it looks is why I hadn't inched up to the top podium til now.

Further, to HEAR I won before I READ about it, was pretty cool, too, I admit! 

I can't begin to share with you how excited I am about this!  I really do love blogging and I make notes all the times for future blog entries so I don't forget to write about certain situations.  Writing in my blog would be the number one thing I would miss if I stopped playing pool (and so I would have to figure out a way to keep writing about pool!).

A HUGE thank you for Billiards Digest for the including me as one of their winners of their 2015 Web Awards!!  I'm very honored!  (and happy)  :)

 (Click on either photo to enlarge)

Meeting People Through my Blog

My blog is my own personal pool diary.  I used to have a written diary for my pool tournaments, but when the internet came along, I starting blogging my thoughts.

At first, I kept my blog private. 

Then, I opened it up, but just became careful what I said or how I said things or didn't use real names as I had when it was private.

Then an acquaintance suggested I open up more. 

"What did you mean by 'My Mom was sick,'" He asked me.

"With what?  For how long?  Why be vague?"

I slowly opened up more because of his suggestion.  Now I truly love being more open and "honest."  And it turns out, being more open has led to other players resonating more with my experiences.

I also learned along the way that if I don't have the balls to say something directly to someone, I will either NOT write about it at all, or I will try to disguise who I am talking about. 

But what has been most rewarding about writing down my experiences is: (1) it helps me mentally in tournament to review past articles, (2) my blog has helped others or they can relate, and now (3) I'm meeting new people because of my blog! 

I have heard so much over the past few years players saying they can relate to what I write about.

I go through SO much at tournaments and league, I literally have a current list of topics I still have yet to write about.

I write all the time because I love to get my thoughts down in my pool diary (journey).

What has been super cool is, for the past 6 months, people have introduced themselves to me because they have read my blog.  Not everyone comments on the blog entries online and for the longest time, I never even knew if anyone else read it, lol.  That was okay as the blog is for me anyway, but when about 6 people recently approached me saying they like my blog and look forward to my posts, it really made my day!

Just the other day a friend of mine who I hadn't seen in a couple of years said he looks every morning to see if I've written a new article.  I was like, "wow, really?"

It really meant a lot to me when he said he can relate to most of what I write about.

And to meet new people all the time who love the game of pool as much as I do, and now we are connecting because they read my blog, HOW COOL IS THAT?? 

I sometimes wish I would have started blogging about pool when I was just beginning entering the pool world - talk about learning experiences!  But, I already feel like I kinda started "back to playing" a couple of times already in my life.

It tickles me to know I have "readers" and when YOU come up to me say hello and mention my blog, it means the world to me.

To all my online friends, yes you, THANK YOU!!

And just recently I received two emails about my blog.  Here's me sharing again:


"I found a link to your blog off the AZ Billiards website. I'm glad I did.

Just like to let you know I enjoy your blog. I mostly keep up with your current stuff but have went back and read some of the older material too.

I recently got back in to playing pool after about 20 years off (kids and all). Playing in a competitive league and enjoying it.

Keep up the writing."

And:

"I rarely look at your blog but stumbled over to it today. We think alike on some of the stuff you blog about. I would never have the guts to be so open about it. That is probably the M/F thing, dunno. Keep on keeping on, I'll bet many people get a lot from it. How is the table playing? I read about it in the blog."

Refresher Blog Entries

I wrote a couple of months ago that I noticed a little something in a friends game and pointing it out to her one night, with just a couple of games of playing 8 ball.

She's on my league team and the other day she made an 8ball in the side and we all clapped for her win and then she told me as she walked to her chair, "It's because of you!"  Pointing at me.

I was like, "I didn't do anything. What are you talking about?"

She laughed and said again, "you know what you did."
 
I retorted, "I said nothing about side pocket shots."

"Yea, but telling me about the importance of a smooth stroke and not whacking at balls has made the side pockets easier.  And therefore I'm much more confident trying to make balls in the side. I used to never try for balls in the side pockets, I'd always go down the rail to the far pocket,"  she shared.

I told her, "Yea, if you "whack" at a ball into the side pocket, yes, mostly likely you will miss it. Side pockets are tricky when hitting balls too hard."

Then she confided, "you know, I re-read that blog entry that you wrote about. "

"Oh yea?  Which one?" I asked

"The one about me, even tho it doesn't say my name."

"Really?  Cool."  :)

I had no idea she re-read it. I thought maybe she read it once and that was it.  Instead, I think she re-reads it to help remind herself how critical and helpful the smooth stroke is.

I told her I started my blog as my own personal pool diary to help me remember things and also to reminiscence.  I love re-reading entries in my blog - there is so much to this game (physical and mental aspects), that reminders are key b/c the information is so vast. 

And I fully admit after re-reading tips, I am like, "Oh yea, I forgot about that.  Good reminder!"
 
I was so tickled to hear she re-reads that entry about herself :)