tennis, life and a few things in between

17 years ago

November 16, 2025 at 6:41 pm · Filed under Tennis

A photo app claimed it would cancel the accounts of users who hadn’t ordered anything from it since last summer. But for over a year, they have kept sending me the old memories.

Today, there are a few tennis pictures from November 2008. Apparently, I still wear the outfits nowadays because they’re cotton. Ann Taylor doesn’t sell many cotton garments nowadays, unfortunately.

The blue one was a RL hand me down from my kid. The two holes on the top t shirt are from trying to remove the label: eventually, I got a seam ripper! No more holes.

Memories: 17 years ago, from a photo app

至少十七年的衣服
贫困的限制

说真现在Ann Taylor 的棉/麻衣服很少了

兰的是RL娃不要的
红条的洞是标签没拆好 – 无奈买了个挑线刀

搞不懂这个照片应用程序去年夏天就说是最后了… 结果一年多来还是不停的推送
勾起了很多回忆

Permalink Leave a Comment

Vintage racket tourney

November 15, 2025 at 1:42 am · Filed under Musing

Another community tournament this morning: $5 plus a can of balls to enter. Four women and eight men signed up.

I picked Dunlop Black Max: unyielding and small. It seems everything is being updated, except my tray serve. Ok, today, I tried to toss the ball first. A small step.

Matt drew me from the hat and we won the tourney, with pro set format:

def Becca & Gordo: 8-2
bye
def Sandy & Todd: 8-6

8-2, bye, 8-6 we won the Vintage racket tourney
赢
教练带来好多旧拍子比赛. 我用的是Dunlop Black Max. 又硬又小
球拍一直在改进: 啥都在进步唯独俺的发球盘子改不掉

周末愉快

Permalink Leave a Comment

13 hcp, no bid or short club

November 11, 2025 at 3:40 pm · Filed under Bridge ♠️♥️♦️♣️

The short club, which is 1C in the bridge bidding convention means with opening-level points (13+) but no five-card major suit.

I’ve 13 hcp: 3 4 3 3. So I opened 1C. My partner asked me if I play short club. I said no. But with this hand, it’s. So afterward, they suggested that I should pass, which I think it’s misleading and not correct.

So I checked online. AI says: To open bid a minor suit, you need at least three cards in the suit and 13 or more high-card points (HCP).

If you have two 3-card minor suits, you should always open with 1♣. If you have two 4-card minor suits, open 1♦. If you have 3 cards in both minor suits and a 4-card major suit, opening 1♣ is recommended.

How best to bid this hand?

Should I open 1N or 1C?

I bid in club, thinking my 3 diamonds are weak for a NT bid. My P bid 1♦. I rebid 2C but the hand is played at 3♣ by my partner.

This hand, my P bid

~ me: P
~ 1h
~ 2♦
~ p
~ p

Should I bid 2S?

Permalink Leave a Comment

A GS with 3 aces

November 10, 2025 at 3:19 pm · Filed under Bridge ♠️♥️♦️♣️

This hand is an unbid grand slam.

I’ve 12 hcp and my P 15. We only bid 4H.

We only have 3 aces but luckily the oppenont didn’t play their ♠️A. I’m sure they would if we bid for a slam.

Permalink Leave a Comment

3 finger motions

November 10, 2025 at 7:43 am · Filed under Tennis

4-6, 6-6 & quit. It was a little windy. Joel and I were lagging behind again.

More serving motions w/ 3 fingers.

… and the actual

Permalink Leave a Comment

A wavy ows

November 9, 2025 at 10:16 pm · Filed under Swim

Another shoreline ows morning. Air temp 75° and water 72° (or about), feeling a bit cold as I’m wading into the ocean. But once in, it’s a most wonderful temperature. We swam 1:25, about 1.5 miles.

A partly cloudy day, and the skies look beautiful, with the moon. Many sea birds are around us.

The waves are pretty strong. My partner felt nauseous, so we returned before reaching the hotel.

Permalink Leave a Comment

3 fingers

November 8, 2025 at 9:38 pm · Filed under Tennis

A practice day. Coach C has metioned or stressed to hold the racket loosely, like with only 3 fingers to serve or hitting the forehand. It finally lighting up … However, the gap between perception and reality is wide: without ball, I’m doing ok but with ball, tray comes back.

I also been practicing single handed backhand

… and a few forehands

Permalink Leave a Comment

Manatees @ EG Simmons

November 8, 2025 at 2:09 am · Filed under Sail & kayak

Today is the manatee day @ the park.

It’s so quite at this park, on a Friday afternoon: we often can hear a pin drop between birds and all.

Kayak trail #8 has a small beach and parking lots. #17 to #20 are in the same basin. #1 and #20 are on either side of the road.

… wine and dumplings

Permalink Leave a Comment

1 set in 73 minutes

November 6, 2025 at 4:25 pm · Filed under Tennis

A great set of 7-6 (11-9) in 73 minutes: Joel and I were behind Matt & Carol 0-2 in the set and 2-5 in the 7-point tiebreak.

Matt served at 5-6 and 30-40 (for once, we were leading), and I ruined a net point. The game went to duece.

It was a great game and I served well, well, with wiater’s tray. So I’m NOT happy!

At sneaker cleaning, I smelt the sweet scent of osmanthus 桂花 (Osmanthus fragrans). Not sure where that is coming from, or my nose wasn’t working.

… 赢的艰难困苦
本该高兴
小喜悦之余是
球发的非常好=还是托盘子发球
没墙撞了

OK 冲鞋时大脑说闻到桂花香 (无数次冲洗今天是第一次闻到)眼睛没有看到
照片上也没找出所以然
大概嗅觉也瓦塔拉

是不是因为要买红豆了算计着做红豆沙

Permalink Leave a Comment

“You never missed a serve”

November 5, 2025 at 7:25 pm · Filed under Tennis

6-2, 1-6, 2-2, Randy, Sandy & Matty

A guy from the past, it was so long ago that I don’t even remember playing together. But he’s positive, and after 6-2, 1-6, he said, “I remembered you get all your serves in.”

It’s sad. I’m trying to improve my once dependable serve, and the process is 18 months long, saturated with double faults. And the end is not even near.