Found myself tonight at my sister's Halloween party discussing pool with a friend of her boyfriend.

I'd played this guy once, about two months ago, and he made a very nice run and beat me in a game of 8-ball. Anyway, during the course of the conversation I ended up inviting him to my house to play. What I had forgotten, in my Cone Smoker induced stupor, is that my 8-ball game sucks.

Now I'll have to work on my 8-ball game to avoid making a fool out of myself. This will of course cut into my banks practice, and with the Derby City Classic coming up I need all the banks practice I can get.

Fortunately the little mini-streak of good shooting that began a week ago continues. I can say with confidence that I'm playing better right now than I've played in nearly three years. I have yet to drop into dead stroke again, but the balls are being pocketed with pretty good regularity, and that leaves me free to loosen up a little and allow my position play to fall into place.