I finally got back into pickup truck life. While I loved my little car, the utility of the pickup is just too useful to ignore. Even for a poser (not diesel, no gun rack, no Punisher sticker) such as myself.
I didn’t waste any time in making two runs to the dump this weekend, though, so it’s not a complete pose.
I started in a new role this year and I will be spending a good chunk of time on the scenic byways of Virginia and North Carolina, with occasional detours out into the greater US.
I don’t mind a quiet drive through the ivy- and kudzu-covered countryside. It’s nice.
I also enjoy seeing what remains of some of the manufacturing infrastructure that was the basis for these communities in the first place. Not ruins, necessarily, but rather the well-worn railways and warehouses. It’s all still running, but it’s far from shiny or new.
We took one of the two spots to advance out of the USTA Sectionals this weekend. I was only available to play one of the matches, but we won our line and the team won handily. This is the same kind of thing we did a few years back when we went out to USTA Team Nationals (as 3.0 players, “the best of the worst”).
The weather had been dodgy all weekend so we played an adjusted format that greatly shortened the match, in an effort to get as much tennis in before the rain as we could. It wasn’t a crushing physical task, thank goodness, but it was still muggy enough to get up a good sweat.
We go again in three weeks. I’ll let you know how it goes.
This is the most bold of the crow gang at the house. This was after the morning batch of crackers and peanuts, so I think maybe they were hoping for one more shot before I left for work (they got another handful of peanuts).
There are a couple of bald crows in the gang now. The internet suggests that it is just normal molting, so maybe they’re juveniles?
Dunno.
Another too-hot day with a USTA match. We didn’t get going until 2:30 and man, it was rough. It was the first time this summer I was paying attention to my heart rate in-match. It broke 160bpm a few times, which is where I start to reconsider my choices. Even with generous breaks for water and shade, things were dicy.
I played pretty well, which was no small feat given the temperature and crushing sun. My serve held most of the match and my ground strokes were consistent. That’s a few matches in a row they they’ve been decent. I *might* be getting better.
Those improvements were balanced out by a hysterical inability to hit a volley at the net. Like, it was bad-bad.
It was my first win at 3.5, too. Also, holy shit it was hot.
These are the crows that have taken to the outdoor space (patio? veranda?) outside of my office window at work.
It looks like one adult and a couple of juveniles. I know this because I put some peanuts out the other morning and three of them absolutely harangued the other one to be fed. It was pretty funny.
I don’t have any good photos of the crows from home yet. They’re still skittish when I’m outside. I can get close with the office crows because they can’t see me through the windows.
Sunday started with a customary coffee with the gang. I like to keep it iced in the summer. It gets hot here.
Morning tennis was in the 3.0 league and we won our match 6-1, 6-4. The team won on a deep tiebreaker, keeping some postseason hopes alive. It’s been a rocky one for us. Afterwards, I had a small meal, a shower, and a nap, all in preparation for evening tennis. Unlike my misadventures on the 4th of July, there was room in the day for a recovery plan.
Unfortunately, I didn’t play as well in the 3.5 evening match and we lost 6-3, 6-4. I’m still new at the higher level, so I’m okay with the loss/lesson. Our opponents were decent dudes, so it softens the blow a little. A couple of post-match cold ones (not pictured) completed the picture for a top-5 Sunday in July.
I want an apartment in the arctic.
I double-dipped on the courts this 4th of July and I might not be recovered yet. The 9am start for a doubles match was reasonably smart given the weather forecast of mid-90’s and bright sun. It was competitive and by the end it got hot.
Right after we wrapped, I joined the 4th of July round robin tournament that our club was putting on. This was a mistake. It got even hotter and I was slowly frying in the sun (don’t mention this to my dermatologist). Any sunscreen I applied was sweating off almost immediately. I was wrecked by the end.
I tried to soak it out in the pool afterward but I ended up spending two hours fighting off cramps in my legs and lats. I’ll give this story the Lesson Learned stamp, and hope the wisdom of my advanced age lets it stick.
