OK, so I've seen the film that made all those best of '07 lists: No country for old men.
It was good, although I'm not completely happy with the ending. That is, it seems there's a loose end or two that could have been tied up. I'm just asking for a little more resolution, Mr. Coen & Coen.
Interesting to see Tommy Lee Jones not playing the bad/kickass character. But, boy, there sure is a badass character in this film. Whoo-eee. The guy who was putting that other guy through the wood chipper at the end of Fargo don't got nuthin' on the badass in this flick. Nuthin', I say, nuthin'.
Not a flick for the feint of heart.
December 29, 2007
December 28, 2007
The best films of the year
Well, it's almost the end of the calendar year, so people are putting out lists trying to tell you what the best of 2007 was for films, books, political protests, toy recalls, or whatever. I've looked at four lists of films, and it's interesting how little overlap there is between them.
The lists are: Alison Gilmour's in the Winnipeg Free Press, The Globe and Mail's, The National Post's (which tries to make it a best 11, rather than 10, but 11 is just a bunch of runners up of what isn't in the top 10), and the JAM list from Canoe's website (i.e., the Sun chain of newspapers).
Only one film is on all of them: No country for old men. There are two films that appear on three of the lists: Juno and Away from Her (Gilmour didn't include either of those; perhaps Juno was excluded from her list as it's only now opening in Winnipeg).
Only five others are on two of these lists: Ratatouille, Knocked Up, Once, Zodiac, and Eastern Promises.
Thus, of the 40 films on these lists (41 really as Gilmour puts Knocked Up and Superbad as one item on her list), only 8 are duplicates. That's quite a divergence of opinion. But then how many films come out in a year?
There's, say, at least 3 major releases each week, and more than that if all films are included. Thus, if we take it to be 5 films a week, then we're talking over 250 films a year, of which 10 are being selected for the "best of" list. So maybe it's not so surprising to see little convergence in the lists, especially when one considers that there's likely a desire to be at least a little different from others/standard opinion when creating the list. Thus, in a situation where there's a choice between two films, the more idiosyncratic choice may be chosen more often than not.
Of all the films on the lists, I've only seen one of them: Michael Clayton, which I quite liked (it was on the JAM/Canoe list). It was suspenseful; you always had the feeling that something was just about to happen, and sometimes it did, and sometimes it didn't. And it ended well.
I did see some films this year - like The Bourne Ultimatum, but apparently few - well, one - of the Best of 2007. C'est la vie.
The lists are: Alison Gilmour's in the Winnipeg Free Press, The Globe and Mail's, The National Post's (which tries to make it a best 11, rather than 10, but 11 is just a bunch of runners up of what isn't in the top 10), and the JAM list from Canoe's website (i.e., the Sun chain of newspapers).
Only one film is on all of them: No country for old men. There are two films that appear on three of the lists: Juno and Away from Her (Gilmour didn't include either of those; perhaps Juno was excluded from her list as it's only now opening in Winnipeg).
Only five others are on two of these lists: Ratatouille, Knocked Up, Once, Zodiac, and Eastern Promises.
Thus, of the 40 films on these lists (41 really as Gilmour puts Knocked Up and Superbad as one item on her list), only 8 are duplicates. That's quite a divergence of opinion. But then how many films come out in a year?
There's, say, at least 3 major releases each week, and more than that if all films are included. Thus, if we take it to be 5 films a week, then we're talking over 250 films a year, of which 10 are being selected for the "best of" list. So maybe it's not so surprising to see little convergence in the lists, especially when one considers that there's likely a desire to be at least a little different from others/standard opinion when creating the list. Thus, in a situation where there's a choice between two films, the more idiosyncratic choice may be chosen more often than not.
Of all the films on the lists, I've only seen one of them: Michael Clayton, which I quite liked (it was on the JAM/Canoe list). It was suspenseful; you always had the feeling that something was just about to happen, and sometimes it did, and sometimes it didn't. And it ended well.
I did see some films this year - like The Bourne Ultimatum, but apparently few - well, one - of the Best of 2007. C'est la vie.
December 26, 2007
Holidays
Stuck close to home the last couple of days. Was over next door for drinks on Xmas eve, and then went across the street for Xmas dinner last night.
It was all good, but maybe the highlight was playing pool last night across the street. I played really well. Had a run of seven balls in the middle of one snooker game, and sunk 4 or 5 in a row to end off another snooker game.
During that latter run, there was a shot that I had to reach way down the table for. One of the other players asked if I needed the reach, and I said "no," making the shot right afterwards.
Being able to reach way down the table and make a shot is one of the interesting by-product skills of pool that I've noticed get better over time. You see people who haven't played a lot of pool try those kinda shots, and they're so shaky on them that they can barely hit the ball, let alone sink it.
Yet, as you continue to try those shots, you find that you progressively get better. Becoming a bit calmer despite being all stretched out. Able to hold it all together, if only for the couple of seconds needed to make the shot.
It's those little improvements that make games/sports so fun.
It was all good, but maybe the highlight was playing pool last night across the street. I played really well. Had a run of seven balls in the middle of one snooker game, and sunk 4 or 5 in a row to end off another snooker game.
During that latter run, there was a shot that I had to reach way down the table for. One of the other players asked if I needed the reach, and I said "no," making the shot right afterwards.
Being able to reach way down the table and make a shot is one of the interesting by-product skills of pool that I've noticed get better over time. You see people who haven't played a lot of pool try those kinda shots, and they're so shaky on them that they can barely hit the ball, let alone sink it.
Yet, as you continue to try those shots, you find that you progressively get better. Becoming a bit calmer despite being all stretched out. Able to hold it all together, if only for the couple of seconds needed to make the shot.
It's those little improvements that make games/sports so fun.
December 23, 2007
Oww! - Update
Just in from shoveling a bit of snow, a couple of cms fell overnight. And my shoulder/back feels fine. There's almost no pain in any movement.
I'm happy, but could someone explain this to me?
I'm happy, but could someone explain this to me?
Oww!
My right shoulder is killing me. Well, it's not the shoulder, really. It's in my back on the right. The stupid cause of it - I think - is reading in bed.
It began on Tuesday morning, and Monday night I'd read in bed for about an hour, during which I mostly supported my weight on my right arm. I think that led to the knot that's in my back right/neck area. And does it produce some sharp pains! Ouch!
Now, I've had this sort of thing before, and normally it goes away in a day or so. But not this time. It did seem to be getting better on Wednesday and Thursday, but then seemed worse on Friday.
Friday morning, I go to my chiropractor for my normal appointment, and he does a few things. And it seems worse in the afternoon. So, I book a massage, and that helps. For a while. But in the evening it comes back about as bad.
On Saturday, I'm still hurting. But I know I need to get out and get a few things before Christmas comes. And it's snowed a few inches, so I need to shovel before getting out.
The shoveling doesn't hurt, actually, so I get that all done and go out to get a few things. When I get home I'm feeling better than I'd felt in days, which is strange - but good. I don't know if it was getting the muscles warm from the exercise of shoveling that did it, or what.
It's now Sunday morning, and again it's painful. Not as painful as previously, but the same pains are there. It hurts when I'm getting up, turning my head to the right and moving it forward/down.
Hopefully, this too will pass.
It began on Tuesday morning, and Monday night I'd read in bed for about an hour, during which I mostly supported my weight on my right arm. I think that led to the knot that's in my back right/neck area. And does it produce some sharp pains! Ouch!
Now, I've had this sort of thing before, and normally it goes away in a day or so. But not this time. It did seem to be getting better on Wednesday and Thursday, but then seemed worse on Friday.
Friday morning, I go to my chiropractor for my normal appointment, and he does a few things. And it seems worse in the afternoon. So, I book a massage, and that helps. For a while. But in the evening it comes back about as bad.
On Saturday, I'm still hurting. But I know I need to get out and get a few things before Christmas comes. And it's snowed a few inches, so I need to shovel before getting out.
The shoveling doesn't hurt, actually, so I get that all done and go out to get a few things. When I get home I'm feeling better than I'd felt in days, which is strange - but good. I don't know if it was getting the muscles warm from the exercise of shoveling that did it, or what.
It's now Sunday morning, and again it's painful. Not as painful as previously, but the same pains are there. It hurts when I'm getting up, turning my head to the right and moving it forward/down.
Hopefully, this too will pass.
December 21, 2007
Appropriation Art
I heard the bit on appropriation art today on Q, and I'm confused. This bit focussed on a current exhibit at the Guggenheim on Richard Prince's work, which Jim Krantz claims is too much like his work. Jian Ghomeshi talked to Krantz and as well as an art professor about this issue.
Ghomeshi asked the art professor if he were to go into a gallery today photograph a few things and present them as his own - as appropriation artists have done through the years, would that be art. She replied no, it wouldn't, and seemed to offer a "been there, done that" rationale for why not.
But isn't art supposed to about creating something that's timeless? If it could be art 100 years ago (or 30 or so to go back to the beginning of Richard Prince's career), it should still be art now. That is, a "been there, done that" argument should not be relevant to the evaluation of something as art.
Following this reasoning, either going out and photographing art in a gallery (i.e., engaging in the rephotographing process) this weekend is art now just as Richard Prince's work has been over the last 30 years, or it's not. I don't think there's a defensible middle ground here. And on that basis, it seems that appropriation artists are more akin to copycats than they are to creators.
It's not that we can't look on objects/images produced with non-artistic intentions (or at least not entirely artistic intentions) as art. We can, and certainly there are objects/images that have great artistic value. I can think of some recent exhibits at the Winnipeg Art Gallery that fall into this category, where in one case images from old Eaton's catalogues and the related (non-catalogue) work of those who produced the catalogues were displayed and another case where commercial glassware was displayed.
In both instances - the catalogue images and the glassware - items were produced for non-artistic reasons. Yet I'm willing to call the products art.
I also think I have to disagree that truth isn't an issue here. If I see one of the images that Mr. Krantz originally photographed and Mr. Prince has rephotographed, how am I to know whose work it is? And given that the image seems to have been created twice, is there a definitive answer to that question? Isn't that an important question? I think it is, but that the rephotographing makes any answer ambiguous.
And that's not good.
Ghomeshi asked the art professor if he were to go into a gallery today photograph a few things and present them as his own - as appropriation artists have done through the years, would that be art. She replied no, it wouldn't, and seemed to offer a "been there, done that" rationale for why not.
But isn't art supposed to about creating something that's timeless? If it could be art 100 years ago (or 30 or so to go back to the beginning of Richard Prince's career), it should still be art now. That is, a "been there, done that" argument should not be relevant to the evaluation of something as art.
Following this reasoning, either going out and photographing art in a gallery (i.e., engaging in the rephotographing process) this weekend is art now just as Richard Prince's work has been over the last 30 years, or it's not. I don't think there's a defensible middle ground here. And on that basis, it seems that appropriation artists are more akin to copycats than they are to creators.
It's not that we can't look on objects/images produced with non-artistic intentions (or at least not entirely artistic intentions) as art. We can, and certainly there are objects/images that have great artistic value. I can think of some recent exhibits at the Winnipeg Art Gallery that fall into this category, where in one case images from old Eaton's catalogues and the related (non-catalogue) work of those who produced the catalogues were displayed and another case where commercial glassware was displayed.
In both instances - the catalogue images and the glassware - items were produced for non-artistic reasons. Yet I'm willing to call the products art.
I also think I have to disagree that truth isn't an issue here. If I see one of the images that Mr. Krantz originally photographed and Mr. Prince has rephotographed, how am I to know whose work it is? And given that the image seems to have been created twice, is there a definitive answer to that question? Isn't that an important question? I think it is, but that the rephotographing makes any answer ambiguous.
And that's not good.
December 18, 2007
Music Notes on Paste Sampler 38
I've been digging Paste magazine since I first picked it up a couple of years back. It's from Georgia, and comes with a sampler CD. Generally, I like the selection of songs on the CDs, and this month's collection is a good one. Let me give you an idea of what's on it.
It opens with 100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, and that has a soaring vocal, almost gospel like. The sort of thing you might expect to hear from Shirley Bassey.
Track two is by Londoner Kate Nash. Foundations is a song about a bad relationship done in a sing/speak style that is very charming with Nash's British accent and good pop music. I'd like to hear more of her.
Third up is Homer Hiccolm and The Rocketboys with Do I Wake or Sleep? It's a song where the tempo varies: it starts strong and then slows down for the first verses, and speeds up again for the chorus. Repeat as necessary.
The fourth track is I'll Follow You Tonight, which is a quiet song riding on the strong voice of Anna Ternheim.
Milton & The Devils Party's Have to Have Everything is an uptempo pop song that I quite like. It reminds me of the kind of college rock I heard on WPGU in Chambana back in the late 80s and early 90s. You know, a guitar band with melodic vocals. Who doesn't like that?
On track six, The Opposite of Hallelujah, Jens Lekman has a very airy vocal - like Morrisey perhaps? But it's a musically happy song despite have a negative sounding - yet so true, chorus of "You don't know what I'm going through."
Die Alone by Ingrid Michaelson is track 7. It starts quietly and then soars off. It's a good song about the fear that you might die alone, and I can relate to that.
Is that a banjo that I hear on the beginning of track 8: Front Row at The Fashion Show by Jonathan Rundman? This is a nice narrative number about, well, being in the front row of a fashion show. It's a slow song, but the lyrics are strong, so it works for me. I'd be happy to hear more of Rundman.
Mother Sun Star by Mar is track 9, and it's another slow, soaring song that's fine in its own way.
Track 10 is a great uptempo number that was the sort of thing that I wanted to hear from Me'Shell Ndegocello when I saw her in Paris a few years back. But she didn't play things like The Sloganeer: Paradise, which is too bad, 'cause this is great.
Track 11 is by Liam Finn, who is the son of Neil Finn (Crowded House). Second Chance is a poppy number that's fine, but not really weighty enough for me.
The Cornflakes Song is track 12, and it rides the vocal of singer/songwriter Dick Prall.
The Sadies' The Trial is next up for track 13. It's a nice song with a rolling country feel.
It sounds like there's more banjo kicking off Days by She Is So Beautiful / She Is So Blonde, which is track 14. But this song doesn't make a big impression with me.
Track 15 is more to my liking. It's I Call On You by The Trolleyvox, who use a guitars and a nice female vocal to propel this uptempo pop/rock number.
To me Wedding Crows by The Josh Davis Band on Track 16 has a Nickelback-ish feel to it; not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, OK, maybe there is. I make this analogy, because the singing is sometimes that forced soaring kind of vocal that NB would use. Also, there is a quiet/loud repeat as necessary structure to this song.
The second Canadian artist (The Sadies were the first) on this sampler appears at track 17: Serena Ryder with Brand New Love. I'm not quite digging this number, which is a slow one with acoustic guitar, after a few listens. So it goes.
The sampler ends with three Christmas songs, as it's that time of year. There's Love Came Down at Christmas by Jars of Clay and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas done well by Bebo Norman. But the strongest track is It really Is (A Wonderful Life) by Mindy Smith.
What a great voice Smith has! The track on the sampler is from a Christmas album (entitled My Holiday) she's put out that Paste rates as 4 stars. Not having many (any?) Christmas records, I'm thinking hers would be a good one to pick up for this, or any, holiday season.
Of course, you really need to go out and pick up the current issue of Paste and have a listen to all these songs for yourself.
Let me know if you do.
It opens with 100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, and that has a soaring vocal, almost gospel like. The sort of thing you might expect to hear from Shirley Bassey.
Track two is by Londoner Kate Nash. Foundations is a song about a bad relationship done in a sing/speak style that is very charming with Nash's British accent and good pop music. I'd like to hear more of her.
Third up is Homer Hiccolm and The Rocketboys with Do I Wake or Sleep? It's a song where the tempo varies: it starts strong and then slows down for the first verses, and speeds up again for the chorus. Repeat as necessary.
The fourth track is I'll Follow You Tonight, which is a quiet song riding on the strong voice of Anna Ternheim.
Milton & The Devils Party's Have to Have Everything is an uptempo pop song that I quite like. It reminds me of the kind of college rock I heard on WPGU in Chambana back in the late 80s and early 90s. You know, a guitar band with melodic vocals. Who doesn't like that?
On track six, The Opposite of Hallelujah, Jens Lekman has a very airy vocal - like Morrisey perhaps? But it's a musically happy song despite have a negative sounding - yet so true, chorus of "You don't know what I'm going through."
Die Alone by Ingrid Michaelson is track 7. It starts quietly and then soars off. It's a good song about the fear that you might die alone, and I can relate to that.
Is that a banjo that I hear on the beginning of track 8: Front Row at The Fashion Show by Jonathan Rundman? This is a nice narrative number about, well, being in the front row of a fashion show. It's a slow song, but the lyrics are strong, so it works for me. I'd be happy to hear more of Rundman.
Mother Sun Star by Mar is track 9, and it's another slow, soaring song that's fine in its own way.
Track 10 is a great uptempo number that was the sort of thing that I wanted to hear from Me'Shell Ndegocello when I saw her in Paris a few years back. But she didn't play things like The Sloganeer: Paradise, which is too bad, 'cause this is great.
Track 11 is by Liam Finn, who is the son of Neil Finn (Crowded House). Second Chance is a poppy number that's fine, but not really weighty enough for me.
The Cornflakes Song is track 12, and it rides the vocal of singer/songwriter Dick Prall.
The Sadies' The Trial is next up for track 13. It's a nice song with a rolling country feel.
It sounds like there's more banjo kicking off Days by She Is So Beautiful / She Is So Blonde, which is track 14. But this song doesn't make a big impression with me.
Track 15 is more to my liking. It's I Call On You by The Trolleyvox, who use a guitars and a nice female vocal to propel this uptempo pop/rock number.
To me Wedding Crows by The Josh Davis Band on Track 16 has a Nickelback-ish feel to it; not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, OK, maybe there is. I make this analogy, because the singing is sometimes that forced soaring kind of vocal that NB would use. Also, there is a quiet/loud repeat as necessary structure to this song.
The second Canadian artist (The Sadies were the first) on this sampler appears at track 17: Serena Ryder with Brand New Love. I'm not quite digging this number, which is a slow one with acoustic guitar, after a few listens. So it goes.
The sampler ends with three Christmas songs, as it's that time of year. There's Love Came Down at Christmas by Jars of Clay and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas done well by Bebo Norman. But the strongest track is It really Is (A Wonderful Life) by Mindy Smith.
What a great voice Smith has! The track on the sampler is from a Christmas album (entitled My Holiday) she's put out that Paste rates as 4 stars. Not having many (any?) Christmas records, I'm thinking hers would be a good one to pick up for this, or any, holiday season.
Of course, you really need to go out and pick up the current issue of Paste and have a listen to all these songs for yourself.
Let me know if you do.
December 14, 2007
Living up to the reputation
I've just finished The Soccer War by Ryszard Kapuscinski, a Polish journalist who died recently. He was a foreign correspondent for the Polish news agency from the late 1950s to 1980.
I'd heard great things about him from talk about his most recent book, Travels with Herodotus which might have come out posthumously - or at least posthumously in English. People were saying Kapuscinski was the best journalist author ever, which is high praise, and these were CBC types who don't throw around the superlatives lightly.
But after reading The Soccer Wars - indeed, while reading it, I can see why Kapuscinski is so well regarded. This is a book mainly focussing on Kapuscinski's time in Africa from the late 50s to the mid 70s, but there is some discussion of central America from which the book's title comes.
There are several interesting insights. Here's a cute story, not so much an insight, but as it's winter and I'm Canadian, I'm putting this in:
(Kapuscinski did manage to convince a UN official to help them, but only with a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' argument)
This was an excellent book, and I'm going to read his others.
I'd heard great things about him from talk about his most recent book, Travels with Herodotus which might have come out posthumously - or at least posthumously in English. People were saying Kapuscinski was the best journalist author ever, which is high praise, and these were CBC types who don't throw around the superlatives lightly.
But after reading The Soccer Wars - indeed, while reading it, I can see why Kapuscinski is so well regarded. This is a book mainly focussing on Kapuscinski's time in Africa from the late 50s to the mid 70s, but there is some discussion of central America from which the book's title comes.
There are several interesting insights. Here's a cute story, not so much an insight, but as it's winter and I'm Canadian, I'm putting this in:
'They have snow there,' Kwesi said. Kwesi worked in town. Once, at the cinema, there was a movie with snow. The children applauded and cried merrily, 'Anko! Anko!' asking to see the snow again. The white puffs fell and fell. Those are lucky countries, Kwesi said. They do not need to grow cotton; the cotton falls from the sky. They call it snow and walk on it and even throw it into the river.One apt insight Kapuscinski states regards United Nations personnel. He suggests they are pretentious, as they have a global perspective and as such look down on all local affairs. This is mentioned in the context of Kapuscinski trying to get out of Congo when his life - and the lives of a couple of Czechoslovakian journalists - were at risk. The UN officials weren't too interested in helping Kapuscinski, as they didn't want to take sides in the local affairs, even if doing so might save the lives of innocent lives. Sound familiar?
(Kapuscinski did manage to convince a UN official to help them, but only with a 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours' argument)
This was an excellent book, and I'm going to read his others.
December 13, 2007
Premier League victory!
I beat Michael Mclean yesterday in our Premier League competition, which helped my team win the money this week. We play in teams of 4 with each week's winners getting $10 each. It's our second team win in a row.
This was a cross over week, with the 1 seeds playing the 2s and vice versa (similar for the 3s and 4s). Mike's a 1 and I'm a 2, so I got a 3 point spot in the first game. With my captain Jen's advice, I tried drive serving as I had on the weekend down in Grand Forks.
It worked well, as I built a big lead - 10-0, and although Mike got several points, I held on to win that game - 15-9, I think. That meant I didn't get the 3 point spot in game two. And my serving wasn't quite as good in that game. We were still close, but Mike won 15-10, to force a tie-breaker.
Before the tie-breaker, Jen suggested sticking with a drive Z and occasional drive to the right for serves, as my drive serve to the left was coming off the side wall and Mike was killing it every time. The plan worked, and I got to match point at 10-7.
At that point, I'd served once for the match, and didn't close it. So, on the second attempt, I hit a drive serve left, and it hit the crack for an ace serve to close it out. Woo hoo!
This was a cross over week, with the 1 seeds playing the 2s and vice versa (similar for the 3s and 4s). Mike's a 1 and I'm a 2, so I got a 3 point spot in the first game. With my captain Jen's advice, I tried drive serving as I had on the weekend down in Grand Forks.
It worked well, as I built a big lead - 10-0, and although Mike got several points, I held on to win that game - 15-9, I think. That meant I didn't get the 3 point spot in game two. And my serving wasn't quite as good in that game. We were still close, but Mike won 15-10, to force a tie-breaker.
Before the tie-breaker, Jen suggested sticking with a drive Z and occasional drive to the right for serves, as my drive serve to the left was coming off the side wall and Mike was killing it every time. The plan worked, and I got to match point at 10-7.
At that point, I'd served once for the match, and didn't close it. So, on the second attempt, I hit a drive serve left, and it hit the crack for an ace serve to close it out. Woo hoo!
December 11, 2007
A breath of fresh air
We had a new kid at our junior racquetball lessons today. Harrison's his name, and what a breath of fresh air he is.
I've been helping coach these kids for the past few months, and I've gotten to the point where I've realized that things would be so much better - no, no, SO MUCH better - if the kids were either paying attention to what we were saying to them or seemed interested in being there.
I'm not asking for both, you understand. Not being greedy here. But trying to work with kids who aren't paying attention to you and don't seem motivated for being there can be frustrating.
Harrison both wants to be there and pays attention to what you're saying. What a joy! And it looks like he has some skills to boot. He's hitting the ball OK right from the start. Blow me over with a feather.
He's coming back next week for our last class before Christmas break, and I'm thinking that if he attends lessons after Christmas, he'll be better than the kids who have been here for the last couple of years by the time spring comes around.
I couldn't be happier.
I've been helping coach these kids for the past few months, and I've gotten to the point where I've realized that things would be so much better - no, no, SO MUCH better - if the kids were either paying attention to what we were saying to them or seemed interested in being there.
I'm not asking for both, you understand. Not being greedy here. But trying to work with kids who aren't paying attention to you and don't seem motivated for being there can be frustrating.
Harrison both wants to be there and pays attention to what you're saying. What a joy! And it looks like he has some skills to boot. He's hitting the ball OK right from the start. Blow me over with a feather.
He's coming back next week for our last class before Christmas break, and I'm thinking that if he attends lessons after Christmas, he'll be better than the kids who have been here for the last couple of years by the time spring comes around.
I couldn't be happier.
December 9, 2007
Champion! Finally!
I won Men's A at this year's Happy Joe's racquetball tournament down in Grand Forks. I'd entered A about 5 or so times previously without winning, but came through this year.
I played well in my matches, especially serving. In the final, I hit a drive Z serve to the left on the first serve of the match, and my opponent, Dan Rohrbach, blew it up - skipped the ball big time. So, I thought let's try that again. It was effective, and the only serve I hit in game one, except for one drive to the right side.
I also played in 35+, where I lost in the semi-finals to Bill Webb. I wasn't drive serving that well in the first game of that match, so in game two I switched to doing a lob serve to the left (Webb's backhand), which worked well. However, in the tie-breaker I didn't make any shots at all, and the couple or so times I got to serve my Webb hit the lob serve out of the air to get the rally going. I lost that one 11-0. Ouch.
But I'm happy with the Men's A title.
I played well in my matches, especially serving. In the final, I hit a drive Z serve to the left on the first serve of the match, and my opponent, Dan Rohrbach, blew it up - skipped the ball big time. So, I thought let's try that again. It was effective, and the only serve I hit in game one, except for one drive to the right side.
I also played in 35+, where I lost in the semi-finals to Bill Webb. I wasn't drive serving that well in the first game of that match, so in game two I switched to doing a lob serve to the left (Webb's backhand), which worked well. However, in the tie-breaker I didn't make any shots at all, and the couple or so times I got to serve my Webb hit the lob serve out of the air to get the rally going. I lost that one 11-0. Ouch.
But I'm happy with the Men's A title.
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