I searched the USTA website today to see if there are any tennis tournaments in Wyoming around the time I hope to go out to Grand Teton National Park. Turns out that there are a couple and I've put thought into participating in them as part of my vacation. I've also signed up for a doubles flex league in a town 60 miles from my house because it's the closest USTA league to where I live. Looks like tennis has officially joined that elite group of hobbies that have unnaturally obsessed me at some point in my life. It's a shame I didn't manage addiction-level interest with the sport in middle school and high school when obsession could have allowed me to do something significant with the sport. My lack of athleticism would kept me from ever reaching the level of even a low-level pro no matter how hard I tried, but I think I could have been a decent college player if I'd worked harder and taken my lessons more seriously. I was always one of my instructor's favorite pupils because of how quickly I picked up correct form and strategies, but I didn't always go to lessons or practice between my weekly sessions. My life is naught but a list of potentials unfulfilled.
If you're interested, the group that tennis joined last week is (in the order they first obsessed me):
- Chickens*
- Music*
- Current events/journalism*
- Beer*
- College football
- Gourmet food/cooking/Alton Brown
- Backpacking
- Tennis
*Not a current obsession, but still an active hobby.I always thought I was gayer than that. The only hint that I'm not about to overdose on testosterone is number 6. Apparently my heterosexual marriage isn't a sham after all.
Update: I just found out that there is one other player in a USTA league with my exact name and playing at the level I assume myself to be. I wish to meet this fellow, challenge him to a tennis match and then defeat him in straight sets for existential reasons.
5 comments:
Matt says I don't have enough hobbies. Maybe I should borrow one of yours...
Ha. I want to see a Jacob-on-Jacob smackdown.
That's a high risk endeavor. If other Jacob ___ defeats you, then that means you are not even the best Jacob ___ out there. Can you handle that?
And dude, don't let any silly tennis matches get in the way of quality hiking time while you're in Wyoming. Tennis is the same everywhere. Besides, your legs are going to be tired from me dragging your ass around in the mountains.
Uh, beer is asterisked as "not a current obsession". Really? Have you seen your list of other recommended blogs?
I'm afraid I fit into Julie's category: not enough hobbies --- and quite likely no obsessions at all.
Chris: It was my only obsession for close to five years. Habits and that list remain from when it was still my top entertainment priority. I still keep track of every new beer I taste and I still check in on Ratebeer on a regular basis.
But, If you were to go onto Ratebeer and look at my rating stats, my new beers per month rate has dropped significantly since 2006. I spend most of my time on those forums in the Off-Topic forum. I know a bunch of guys there personally, so I shoot the virtual shit with them, but don't talk as much about the beer. I've dropped two other beer sites I frequented a few years ago entirely.
And most of the beer blogs come because of that. There was a thread on the off-topic forum there about blogs and all of those blogs are either people I know from there or about places I like to go for beer.
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