Last night I discovered tennis is a lot more fun when you actually bat the ball back and forth with your partner. It’s far more entertaining than sending balls ricocheting onto the next court or running after wayward balls mumbling, “Sorry!” after missing an easy shot. Maybe I won’t give it up after my lessons end after all.

I no longer completely suck at tennis. I now only mostly suck. When practicing my serve, I can toss the ball in the air in front of me and whack it, instead of accidentally tossing it behind my head like a bad juggler. We played some easy doubles games and I was able to hit the ball more often than I didn’t. During one game called “Kings and Queens of the Court” my partner and I were able to get three points in a row and defeat the reigning kings to take over their spot. I will try to ignore the patriarchal implications that it is better to be the king than the queen and just be happy [...]

• Continue reading "Rule the court"

I don’t think the Internet hates me enough. I was sitting around last night thinking, “Hmmm, what can I do to get the Internet to hate me?” I could go to Chicago and eat deep-dish pizza, a cannoli with filling as sweet as frosting, chocolate-chip cheesescake, some apple crisp, a delicious lobster bisque, a million tasty hors d’oeuvres and I think there was a cherry cobbler and a cookie in there too. Then I could wash it down with some rum and coke (not diet!) and a pina colada and go home and weigh myself and discover I have lost a pound. I’m pretty sure that will make the Internet hate me. Do you hate me yet?

This weight loss business never ceases to confuse me. Sure, I did go on a 7-mile bicycle trip. And I walked a mile from the hostel to Union Station dragging my 40 pound suitcase behind me because I couldn’t find the right bus stop. And I walked another mile or two when circling in on the W hotel (which [...]

• Continue reading "Weighing in on July"

I am proud to say I don’t totally suck at tennis.

During my first tennis lesson last night I did not wedge a tennis ball into anyone’s eye socket nor did I send sparks and fried green fuzz flying from the overhead lights. I was even able to serve the ball over the net once or twice, which is more than I could say about volleyball in high school PE.

I had never played tennis before. I don’t think I’d even hit a tennis ball with a racket before. Thankfully I am in a large group class with 15 people and 3 instructors, so there were 5 other newbies like me who were grouped together. When I signed in and paid my money at the desk, I also got a packet with flyers and basic tennis rules. I started reading the rules immediately like the good little student I always was. By the time we actually went out to the courts I had already figured out what the baseline was and where the service box was and [...]

• Continue reading "Tennis lessons"

My last TurboKick class for the year was last night. It’s odd to think that our first session was canceled because of a snow day, yet last night we decided to skip the legs section because it was hotter than Brad Pitt in the school gym. It doesn’t take too long for the seasons to change, eh? There’s a metaphor for life in there somewhere, I’m sure. I suppose the heat is why they don’t do a summer session. We’d quickly turn that oven of a school gym into a swimming pool with all our combined sweat.

This was the first aerobics class I’ve ever taken and overall the experience was positive. I enjoyed punching and kicking and flailing around trying to learn the routines. But I don’t think I will sign up for this particular class again because the drive to the location was too far. I got to experience some of the aerobics class clichés – the perky instructor, the husband begrudgingly dragged along by his wife, the girl whose tendons were replaced by [...]

• Continue reading "Last round of kickboxing class"