Tennis.
The other day I decided it was time to start playing tennis again. There had been a couple of really nice days here in Portland and I was feeling a tug to the ole' court again. I love tennis, I don't care if I'm playing up against a wall or with someone who sucks, there's no sport that takes ping pong and scales it up to life size like tennis (ha!), and I loves me some Ping Pong. In tennis, you ARE the hands that hold the paddles, which are conversely scaled down. I think it would be funny to play tennis if they had also scaled up the paddles as well...but I digress. So I get a catalogue for the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District in the mail, I didn't ask for it, IT came to ME, I took it as a sign. So I make a court reservation, and because I didn't have a partner also reserve a ball machine. I get there and prepare to pay the in district fees, because I got the catalogue I figured I was in district, but no, I'm not in district. So I tell the little boy behind the desk that through no action on my part I got their catalogue and so I figured I was in the district, you don't go finding the catalogue, it finds you. He said he was surprised, all in some tone that made me feel as if I was barely above a shoe that had just stepped in dog poo, he said he'd let me play for in district fees this time, but if I come back it would be 3 x's more. He then proceeded to mumble the ball machine instructions and hand me a lock with a key on it. O...K... I have never used a ball machine before. I saw him chuckling at me when at first the range was too wide, seriously I haven't played tennis since last summer and when the span from the backhand shot to the forehand shot is like 10 feet and they are coming every 2-3 seconds it's not easy to get to them, so I went over and fixed the range, then I was cooking, he was chuckling no longer...little bitch.
I have vowed not to return to that tennis center, except in a pinch. It's like 36.00/session! I called the Portland Tennis Center today and the dude that worked there was actually nice! He offered two court times and offered me a ball machine, when I called him back to confirm the time and actually make the reservation, had to check with my man to make sure the time was good, he remembered me and said it was no problem. I can't believe that they are nicer in downtown Portland, North East no less, than they are on the West side. I forgot how different people are from one side of the river to the other in this town.
Certainly people on the west side are usually less scary, but hardly nicer. You can go sing karaoke in South East, and expect to have more friends than you came with, on the west side it would surprising to ever talk to anyone but who you came with. (note to self, learn when to use who and whom) I, even though fiercely independant, love it when other people want to join in with me and my friends at a bar.
I have another rant coming on, but I forgot what it was about for the most part.
I have vowed not to return to that tennis center, except in a pinch. It's like 36.00/session! I called the Portland Tennis Center today and the dude that worked there was actually nice! He offered two court times and offered me a ball machine, when I called him back to confirm the time and actually make the reservation, had to check with my man to make sure the time was good, he remembered me and said it was no problem. I can't believe that they are nicer in downtown Portland, North East no less, than they are on the West side. I forgot how different people are from one side of the river to the other in this town.
Certainly people on the west side are usually less scary, but hardly nicer. You can go sing karaoke in South East, and expect to have more friends than you came with, on the west side it would surprising to ever talk to anyone but who you came with. (note to self, learn when to use who and whom) I, even though fiercely independant, love it when other people want to join in with me and my friends at a bar.
I have another rant coming on, but I forgot what it was about for the most part.