Pickleball!!!
Jul. 22nd, 2024 12:58Dana is out of town so I took the opportunity to play pickleball without having to discuss it or annoy anyone. The group this morning is the VERY noncompetitive older group. Four men and ten women. The rule is if you might fall trying to get a shot you let it go. NO ONE is allowed to get hurt.
At one point one of the people I was playing with told me she had two replacement knees, a replacement hip and a shoulder. I countered with two hips, a knee and a shoulder. We had more titanium on the court than you could shake a paddle at.
I did OK. It was very humid and hot but I went through most of two quarts of water and did fine.
My lateral movement was poor but I did not try to make it better. I just hit what I could hit and did not run or lunge. It was fun and I had people again.
I'm ready to sign back up for a year (it costs $3/hour to play so $6/session of two hours). Membership is $190/year for non-residents so it doesn't take long to amortize that.
I'm really ready for a nap now, though.
Meanwhile I'm having fun being a bit of a political junkie. I called the weekend change in candidates but am a bit surprised at just how much support and how fast the support is being made available. The premier suck up, Nickie Haley, said a while back that the first party to dump their old candidate would win. She is a paid for politician but she's not wrong. Got a piece of that lizard brain that is on display in what is left of the Republican party.
It is funny. I listen to a lot of podcasts while walking the dogs. Nearly all of them are Republicans who are ant-Trump and they were all in despair last week but will get on the train this week.
I think we may have a very small opening to have a legitimate loyal opposition during the next presidential term. It is a lot of wishful thinking as there are so many bridges that were burned over the years. I remember Cokie Roberts bemoaning the end of the loyal opposition back in the 90's so it has been a while. But there is a real possibility that Dick Chaney will vote for Harris and will vocally announce he is doing so. That is how far things have gone.
I'm hopeful. Many a slip between here and the lips but there are a lot of adults in the Democratic party now (and just how the hell did that happen??) up to and including AOC and a lot of Republicans who will hold their noses and openly oppose Trump even if it means supporting Harris.
I think the fact that supporting Trump will absolutely result in a tax increase for people like me will go a long way to help along with so much of the rest of the 2025 agenda.
We could end up with a black asian president and a gay white vice president. In my lifetime.
There will be a bit of blowback on that one but still.
At one point one of the people I was playing with told me she had two replacement knees, a replacement hip and a shoulder. I countered with two hips, a knee and a shoulder. We had more titanium on the court than you could shake a paddle at.
I did OK. It was very humid and hot but I went through most of two quarts of water and did fine.
My lateral movement was poor but I did not try to make it better. I just hit what I could hit and did not run or lunge. It was fun and I had people again.
I'm ready to sign back up for a year (it costs $3/hour to play so $6/session of two hours). Membership is $190/year for non-residents so it doesn't take long to amortize that.
I'm really ready for a nap now, though.
Meanwhile I'm having fun being a bit of a political junkie. I called the weekend change in candidates but am a bit surprised at just how much support and how fast the support is being made available. The premier suck up, Nickie Haley, said a while back that the first party to dump their old candidate would win. She is a paid for politician but she's not wrong. Got a piece of that lizard brain that is on display in what is left of the Republican party.
It is funny. I listen to a lot of podcasts while walking the dogs. Nearly all of them are Republicans who are ant-Trump and they were all in despair last week but will get on the train this week.
I think we may have a very small opening to have a legitimate loyal opposition during the next presidential term. It is a lot of wishful thinking as there are so many bridges that were burned over the years. I remember Cokie Roberts bemoaning the end of the loyal opposition back in the 90's so it has been a while. But there is a real possibility that Dick Chaney will vote for Harris and will vocally announce he is doing so. That is how far things have gone.
I'm hopeful. Many a slip between here and the lips but there are a lot of adults in the Democratic party now (and just how the hell did that happen??) up to and including AOC and a lot of Republicans who will hold their noses and openly oppose Trump even if it means supporting Harris.
I think the fact that supporting Trump will absolutely result in a tax increase for people like me will go a long way to help along with so much of the rest of the 2025 agenda.
We could end up with a black asian president and a gay white vice president. In my lifetime.
There will be a bit of blowback on that one but still.