When Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) shares hit the $300 mark earlier this year, I couldn't have been the only one to sum up the equity's run in bowling parlance. It was a perfect game. A 300. The stock had more than tripled in its first year as a public company by mowing down the pins -- and then some -- when it came time to roll its quarterly frame.

Of course, perfection doesn't exactly have a long shelf life. After a breathtaking ascent, this once beautifully volatile stock has been treading water in a tight range of little more than 10% over the past four months. Has the stock finally found its market equilibrium? Has Google graduated from Halcyon U? Is it now gearing up for predictable trading life?

Read about Google's timeline and Adwords' place in the Google evolution at http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/2005/commentary05101202.htm.