This week

This week I went to Freud class, but didn't do well on the quiz, which was kind of frustrating as I'd done the reading (mostly) having felt guilty for not doing so in weeks past. Not a reinforcing experience that.

Nevertheless, I did pick up some other Freud books to help me out, so not giving up. Also, I'm simply sitting in on the course, so the quizes are really only for my amusement; the scores don't matter. Still it is a little disturbing to have done the work and not performed well on the test.

In my racquetball league match, in contrast, I did do well. I played Dave H, and as it was a 1 seed versus 2 seed match I was spotted 3 points in the first game, as I was the 2 and Dave is a 1. I took a 6-4 lead, but Dave came back to lead 9-6 in the first game.

Then I won 24 of the next 25 points, winning 15-9, 15-1. His point in game two was on a serve to the right side that I didn't move for (Dave's a left handed player, so serve to the right side are natural screens as the ball moves across his body, just as a right hander's serve to the left side are natural screens). When it happened, I thought "was that short? was that a screen? it was good? oh damn."

But at that point I was up 8 or 9 to nothing, so I wasn't concerned over 1 point. I just tried to keep the pressure on that had got me to that point, and I was able to get the result.

Very satisfying.

Then today I was over at a friend's baby shower. My gift was a bottle of wine that the parents can either drink now, or set aside for their child to have on her 18th birth anniversary. I'm suspecting the latter will happen.

Also, it was a pot luck dinner for the shower. My chickpea ragout - from Jacques Pepin - was a hit, and I also brought 3 bottles of sparkling wine from 3 different countries: Germany (Henkell Troken), Italy and Spain (Friexel sp?) with the idea that people could sample the different varieties of pseudo-champagne. It was good. I think I like all of them in general, and would need more time to distinguish exactly which I like best.

Quote of the day

Q: Well, what do you win?

A: Usually first.

- An ice sculptor from the Yukon being interviewed on Sounds Like Canada this morning. He was describing what people often ask him, and what he likes to respond, so he gave both the Q and the A that I've labelled here.