I have always loved to shoot pool. It’s a great game combining luck and skill. More skill than luck, of course — I’ve noticed that people who are really skilled at geometry tend to be very good at the game, maybe I should have paid attention at school, eh? I’d be a better player, at least. There’s a special place in my heart for pool tables. Someday, when I have a house of my own, there will be a pool table, maybe two. My parents used to have a table. It was just an old bar table that they bought somewhere. The coin accepter was a little iffy, but we were still able to get the balls out and play a good game. There were many hours spent as a family playing. My step-dad is really good at the game and when you play him you have to call your shots, not just take anything that goes in. The times when my parents were away, my sister and I would be up for hours, sometimes all night, playing pool and laughing. Some incredibly good times were had around that pool table.? I’m a firm believer in the idea that having? a pool table and? a set time every week for everyone to play a little tournament? would make? a great family activity.? My sister and I made up all of these really funny “house rules” that we wrote on a piece of posterboard and hung in the room with the pool table.? Everyone who read the list was amused, there were many references to Happy Gilmore.? My parents got rid of the pool table about a year ago, I was very sad to find that out.? They still have their really good pool cues though, which is nice.? They plan to get a new table eventually, a good quality billiard table, I believe.? That would be a good thing, I always wanted to get my step-dad a set of NFL pool balls, Redskins vs Cowboys.? Personally, I’d like to get the swirled balls for myself someday.