Baltimore received a decent snowfall last week. At least, it was decent for our part of the country, where the occurrence of good snow is few and far between. It makes a snowboarder want to weep... The plan was to pick up some new snow pants for M and some beer. The parking lot of The Old Vine is somewhat sloped, but the GTI is front-drive and my tires are in good shape, so I didn't think about it. Mistake.
I used to drive one of these:
I would've been better off and I could've ticked off that time without any sort of acknowledgment. Sometimes, I miss my Rangie, but it broke down. Alot. Of course, buying a British car of somewhat indeterminate mileage probably wasn't smart to begin with. In fairness, that's how everyone bought their used Range Rovers back then. There's also the fact that filling up said beast with petrol would cost me over $80 each time. I could pretend that I'm very concerned with global warming and that my car purchases are thus affected. Actually, that's the truth. My '06 GTI gets around 25 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway despite its sporting nature. That and good snow tires would've made for a completely uninteresting anecdote.
No one likes getting stuck in the snow, but it's particularly abhorrent to me since I'm used to driving vehicles quite proficient in the slippery stuff. I rescue - I don't get rescued! After trying for an hour to drive/race up all possible side streets to the mecca of the main road, I gave up, called for help and walked 2.7 miles to meet my ride. The walk was nice, despite getting splashed by a dorkus in a Jetta, because: 1. I had beer to keep me warm and 2. I like a quiet walk now and again. It's probably as close as I'll ever get to being on Survivor.
My lovely bride came to rescue me, and all was well. My folly in the snow was rewarded with a bike ride back to Mt. Washington to get the car a few days later. Thankfully, the car was where I'd left it. I guess it's off to get new tires for me!
The first Grand Slam of the year is here! It always seems to creep up on me after the holidays. I nearly missed last year's Open save for the finals. This year's finals may look like last year's on one side of the net. On the men's side as usual, Roger Federer is the one to beat. Not much more can be said other than it would be nice to see another player lift the trophy at Grand Slam events. I'm rooting for Blake (12), Roddick (6), Nadal (2), and Davydenko (4).
On the women's tour, a fitter-than-ever Serena Williams (7) looks to repeat another win. Maria Sharapova (5) has improved her serve and is playing well, but she has Serena, Henin (1), and Jankovic (3) in her portion of the draw. Of course, I'm with Henin all the way.
The new Plexi-Cushion surface is getting good reviews from the players and looks and sounds great from out in TV Land. From the Plexipave site, you can even mix and match colors for your custom court! Now all I need is some unclaimed land in the city...
I'm already behind on my matches, so I anticipate late nights and a long weekend of nothing but tennis!
I am bald. This is (obviously) no secret to all who can see me. I don't wear any sort of protective headgear. I never had a comb-over, nor was I ever "hanging on to scraps". I'm very comfortable with my head shape and I enjoy the low maintenance. That said, I was a little floored when walking out and about recently. I passed this elderly "gentleman" who looked me in the eyes and asked, "What? Are you going to the barbershop to get a haircut?". My defenses were defeated. I had no reply. For the first time in over a decade, I felt a little sorry I was bald. I don't really feel that way. I think it was just that I didn't have time to react and responded spinally. Once I gathered myself, I knew I had something new to write about...
