CoViD-19 Funny: "You Can Kick Their Balls, But You Can't Touch Them" -Tennis Rules Get Embarrassingly Specific

We have been playing a lot of backyard tennis lately, which limits us to volley rallies, but it's been pretty fun, so we've been waiting on tennis courts to reopen and some are and some aren't but we're holding out a little bit for things to settle down.
The other day, I shared the very specific rules that Los Angeles was implementing for various activities, including tennis. Those included physical distancing of six (6) feet must be maintained at all times, only singles play will be permitted, and each participant must bring their own bucket of balls with their initials on each ball, specifying that participants will only be permitted to handle their own tennis and pickleball balls, among other rules.

Today my sister shared this with me from Nassau County. Too, too funny.

Photos: Local Natives and Tennis @ Observatory, 4.17.17

I've been quite a mess lately. In a matter of weeks, I'd lost my phone, my laptop casing became so cracked it became miserable to use, I lost my keys, and then when it came to load my Local Natives photos, I lost my HD card. I replaced the phone once I acknowledged it was stolen, Darren bought me a new laptop, my keys turned up where Darren had put them (in the car glove compartment), and then while sipping a cocktail at the Casbah, I realized I'd tucked my card in a tight corner in my wallet so I wouldn't lose it. Because of course I did. I can't help it that anxiety has been high lately, but I'm trying to get it together and we're trying our best to deal with the batshit crazy person with whom we can't escape in our life. Sometimes it is just overwhelming.

Originally Nova was to be in St. Louis for her Spring Break, but her trip was canceled last minute and we were happy we'd be able to take her along to several of the Localchella shows, including Local Natives, who she totally fell in love with after their last show at the Observatory. I had some trouble getting my photo pass squared away, so I didn't get to shoot Tennis from the pit, but thanks to the help of Nik Ewing, it was squared away by the time the band took the stage.

The show was amazing and Local Natives plaued a set that included a lot of older stuff to please the San Diego audience. I had called the band "honorary San Diegans" in my SoundDiego piece, and it was cute that the band reiterated that sentiment throughout the night talking about their history in the city, their grandparents who worked here for years, their many times playing over the last several years.  I feel super lucky to have been to just about every San Diego show they've ever played, and I'll keep following as long as I can.

Without further ado, here's some photos from that awesome night. Pictures after the jump.

Tennis & Vacationer @ The Casbah, 5.3.2012

Last Thursday night Vacationer and Tennis hit The Casbah. To be honest before Thursday I had never heard of either of these bands, but a friend called me up that afternoon and asked if I wanted to go and I never say no to live music.

Vacationer took the stage first and were very well received. They were given a long enough set to play their entire album which was nice to get a good idea of what they were all about. The entire time they were on stage I couldn’t help but compare their sound to Vampire Weekend. Vacationer will be back at The Casbah in October and I recommend you check them out.

Tennis was the headliner for the night and I’m happy to say I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed them. I am always impressed when I see a band that I don’t know any of their songs and they can make me feel like I have been listening to them for years. Tennis did just that. Their music felt very familiar and comfortable to me. This is definitely a band I can see filling up much larger venues in the near future. Next time Tennis is in San Diego get your tickets early, I know I will.

Tennis- Quite an Emotional Sport

Most people who read this blog probably don't know that in my past life I was a tennis player. I played competitively from the time I was 9, played in high school, finished in the top 10 in the state in junior college, and had a scholarship at my university. I was no pro certainly, but I was decent. I also used to teach in Coronado for a few years. I haven't picked up a racquet more than a dozen times since graduating college; my coach made sure that upon graduation I absolutely hated the sport and I never wanted to get back in it. Now I occasionally have the desire because it's a fun sport, but it's unfortunate that it tends to be the sport of mostly elite, rich snobs, probably second only to golf in its snob factor.

There's a huge mental aspect to tennis, and I certainly had my moments. It's a sport where the only person you can count on is you, and when you mess up, well, that's on you, too. In college, for our awards banquet, we all got mock awards, and I got "Best Self Mutilator" for the giant purple welts I'd give myself on my calves from smacking the shit out of myself with the frame of my racquet. And it was all the time- even when I'd win, no doubt my legs would still have damage. There were also the screams, the talking to oneself, the smacking one's own ass, and the smashing of one's own head, though most of us used the strings.

That's why when I heard about this guy smashing his own head, I had to find the video and post it. It may seem crazy to anyone who doesn't play competitively, but to me, his reaction is, well, kinda normal.