Stuff : 16.05.2008

It's been a funny old week. Okay, not really:

• Still heard nothing from Sangean. I know the radio got there okay. US consumers have a way to go ... I'm calling later today to express my outrage.
• No badminton ... 4th grade party in the gym or something. And none next week either. Yes, I'm not here but even so ...
• Speaking of which, back to Blighty next week. I'm busy compiling our shopping list; Taylor's Yorkshire Gold, Plymouth Navy Gin, Maplin's. Do you know? Before I got here I thought Radio Shack was going to be like Maplin's. No chance!
• Depressingly, still looking for a job. In about 20 or so applications I've received one response and that started, "We regret ... " I'm ready, I'm willing, I'm able ... Gimme a job!!!

Otherwise, that's it for now ...

Stuff : 07.05.2008

Another day in Paradise:

• Went out this morning for a quick ride; maybe 90 minutes or so. Felt good, but I really need to go out with other riders so I'll check Princeton FreeWheelers' ride list.
• Bought a Sangean WFR-20 Internet Radio.It looked very good but was D.O.A. Oh for the Sale Of Goods Act; Fit For Purpose. Anyway, Sangean USA have taken delivery so I'll keep you informed.
  
• After 5 Boro Bike Ride I have an urge for a fixed wheel bike, or as they say here, a fixed gear bike ... mmmmmm ....
• My turn to wield the magic rope at badminton this Friday ...
• Yes, I'm using Euro date format (dd.mm.yyyy) ...

More Stuff soon.

Stuff : 02.05.2008

Okay; some odds and ends:

• 5 Boro Bike Tour: I haven't got in as much riding as I would have liked, but I have managed a 30 mile medium pace ride and a fairly hard 20 mile hilly ride. I managed the hill on Zion-Dutchtown Road, partly because my feet were fixed in the clips and I couldn't get them out, so it was better to keep going than fall over. My knees are a little wobbly, possibly because ...
• ... the floor at badminton is just vinyl over concrete. Anyway, we move back to the middle school gym for the rest of the season ... nice sprung floor. That should help.
• I'm still hunting for a job ... any reasonable offer considered.
• Back to the UK for a lightning visit soon.
• Nursed ORB's internet connection back to life. Every single setting had to be sorted manually. It works okay now tho'. At least for the last twenty minutes or so ...

TTFN.

Anyone for badders?

Well, I've survived three or four weeks of badminton, American style.

American style? Actually, it's just the same as everywhere else. First Monday nights, then Wednesday's, then move to a new location for a couple of weeks, then back to the original venue, but on a Friday night.

Yes, just like British badminton ...

As for the players; the Monday night guys are pretty keen, and there are a few very good players there. I feel quite at home with the Wednesday evening crowd. There are even one or two Brits to help me feel at home.

If nothing else, I've learned how to mark out a badminton court with masking tape and a bit of knotted rope. You never know when that might be useful.

Badminton

There are a number of world sports which tend to be under the radar here in the USA. Notably; cricket (bigger than baseball); rugby (bigger than gridiron football); and, of course, football (not soccer - bigger than anything).

Then there are sports that are virtually unheard of, at least at a competitive, international level.

That's not to say that it's impossible to play those sports in the USA. Association Football has its ups and downs but now the USA national team is no longer a joke as more and more players gain experience in European and S American teams.

Rugby has a following in college and ex-pat communities, and cricket has outposts, once again in ex-pat and Indian and Pakistani communities.

As a matter of fact, the oldest international sporting event in the modern era was a cricket match between the USA and Canada in the 1840s.

As for badminton ... I used to play some years ago when I was quite handy ... not an expert ... but I could hold my own.

Badminton here in the USA tends to be looked at as a summer lawn sport, gently tapping the shuttle back and forth across the net. People don't seem to know that badminton is a serious sport in the rest of the world. For a start it's the fastest racquet sport in the world; shuttles can travel at over 200mph/320kph!!!

So, feeling I could do with some exercise I've been looking for a game somewhere. Badminton is hard to find here except for Universities and colleges, which usually have a club for students, and some expensive racquet clubs. A few weeks ago I was really pleased to find that our local township runs a seasonal badminton club, which I have joined.

That was the first step. The next was finding equipment. That really is quite difficult. Local sports suppliers only seem to cater for the big three; baseball, US football, basketball, plus the next tier; golf, hockey, tennis ... and that's it. Well, maybe in-line skates ... Badminton gear is limited to toy-like garden sets ... two racquets, a net and a plastic shuttlecock ... $15.00.

Once again, the internet came to the rescue. I got a nice Yonex racquet from Badminton Alley - in California - and classic HiTec Badminton shoes from eBay.co.uk. You'll have to google these yourself ... they're hard to find.

Last Monday, not knowing what to expect, I turned up for the first meeting of the season at our local school gym. Of course, there was a booking problem - just like back in England. This was quickly sorted out. But, badminton being what it is here, there were no courts marked out, so using a magic, knotted piece of rope, the assembled players marked out the courts in masking tape.


The standard of play was pretty good, so I wondered if I would be better off on the other, less competitive evening. But for the most part, I didn't look too rusty. Stuff like position on the court seeped back into my memory, although I had some difficulty returning high lobs both on the forehand, and on the backhand - previously a speciality of mine.

Maybe I just need a bit more practice. It's been more than five years since I last played, but I'm a bit suspicious of my glasses. They have varifocal/progressive lenses and I'm wondering if they're part of the problem, or maybe that's my excuse and I just need to get back into the groove.