Shomer Shabbos

Mr. Sobchak, do you roll* on Shabbos?

Note, though, that Mr Sobchak has no opposition to playing pool on Shabbos. Playing pool is not work — it is joy, and it is life. Indeed, it comports with oneg Shabbat, the positive commandment to engage in pleasurable activities on the Shabbos with friends and family.

So this is a reminder that there will be a practice session at Amsterdam Billiards, 110 East 11th Street (at 4th Avenue) this Shabbos at 3:00 PM. New York magazine says:

Amsterdam Billiards sank $2 million in moving their Upper West Side location to the former Corner Billiards near Union Square, and it shows. The exterior fairly glows with burger-hop-style signage and the interior has enough pressed tin, plush carpet, and oak paneling to inspire you to break out the ole suspenders and light up a cigar. Whether the space attracts Seinfeld, Philbin, and a Baldwin or two like its progenitor remains to be seen, but the Amsterdam transplants and Asian NYU students seem to have settled in quite comfortably at the gussied-up digs. What’s not to like? Twenty-six amply spaced tables and an equal number of plasma-screenTVs; a railed-off VIP section of tables in the center of the room; a curvy zinc bar (that shares a designer with Balthazar) where you can order anything from a Long Island iced tea to a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. To the side, velvet armchairs and oriental rugs form a corner lounge classy enough to entice non-sharks for some $1 off happy-hour action.

Yeah, sounds kind of icky.

* It is not clear that rolling on Shabbos would be prohibited, as it is not an activity included among the 39 Melakhot. These forbidden activities are:

ploughing earth, sowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, selecting, grinding, sifting, kneading, baking, shearing wool, washing wool, beating wool, dyeing wool, spinning, weaving, making two loops, weaving two threads, separating two threads, tying, untying, sewing stitches, tearing, trapping, slaughtering, flaying, tanning, scraping hide, marking hides, cutting hide to shape, writing two or more letters, erasing two or more letters, building, demolishing, extinguishing a fire, kindling a fire, paying retail prices, putting the finishing touch on an object and transporting an object between the private domain and the public domain, or for a distance of 4 cubits within the public domain.

Technically, if Walter could have gotten Donny to be his Shabbos goy and carry his bowling ball for him, he should have been fine. 

UPDATE: Since you read this far, here are all the swear words from The Big Lebowski.