morning tennis, afternoon nap, sunset walk

Steve and i played tennis again today.  and will hopefully play again tomorrow morning around  7:30am.  tennis was fun and no falls for me this time.  it was the first time to see Steve again since the last time we played tennis back in early february or was it january.  he went from no work (other than being a stay-at-home dad)(which was full-time) to two jobs now... manager of a Starbucks and children's tennis coach.  maybe i should get a job, oh yeah, i have one and will return in mid-april.

here is one of my neighbor's cat.  i think her name is something like. . .

 Mystique Blue (thru the window)

this is where i first saw her

my first pair of Crocs and Tony(2)  too

did i mention i had some takoyaki the other night?  soon i will have the real thing... Takozo, Takozo, Takozo!!!  this isn't the Takozo that i usually go to but maybe i will try to find it.  the one i go to is at Senri-chuo.  this is an interesting takoyakiya-san.  he sang for Tony and i.  i will try to find the photos and video i took of him singing . . . 

 you can see Tony was younger then and still had his whiskers.  and if you listen closely the first word the takoyakiya-san sings is . . . "tonikaku".  Tony's full name is Tony Kaku :  )

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after a little nap, i walked to the beach mainly to try out my new camera.  i made it in time for sunset but there wasn't enough clouds to soak up and reflect the colors.  i did get to try some night photos...

poppies with a touch of sunlight

trying out the old zoom lens on the new camera

downtown Redondo Beach just after sunset

twinkle twinkle きらきら

waiting for the bus

still waiting 

still 

late night coin laundry

welcome to the Driftwood

the bigger they are . . . the harder i fall

Steve and i played tennis today.  it feels warmer than summer.  and the sky is bluer than blue.   and i am sure my body is going to be sorer than sore tomorrow or even later today.  i went to the gym this morning.  and then to play tennis with Steve around noon.  let's just say i shouldn't have tried to "run down" that overhead lob. Nadal did it yesterday in Melbourne. oh yeah, he is 22 years old, in incredible shape, and the #1 professional tennis player in the world and i am not and not and not. i fell hard looking over my right shoulder and running from the net in the direction of the baseline. i think the ball landed in. i landed hard on my left side. nothing broke. there is some swelling in my left elbow. and a few scrapes on my arms and knee. my left hip is sore.  i took a 5 minute "timeout" and then we played for another hour or so.  i am sure i will be feeling it soon. Steve and i have been playing together for over 20 years.  i think the first time we played was in Pittsburgh in 1987.  somewhere there is a photo of us playing tennis as the snow begin to fall.  today was the first time for me to play this year which probably makes about 5 times in the last couple of years.  hard to believe we used to play for hours almost every chance we got. Steve stays busy with his wife and kids. i think i played once with Mike last year when he was here on an "overnight".  time for a shower and some lunch. and time to put some ice on my elbow.  and maybe take a few aspirin.  if tomorrow is as beautiful as today, i (maybe Steve too) plan to go for a skate by the beach. as Jimmy Buffett sings:

"i'm growing older but not up

 my metabolic rate is pleasantly stuck

 let those winds of change blow over my head

 i'd rather die while i'm living then live while i'm dead..."

my first professional tennis friend Rika Hiraki and her doubles partner Amy Frazier. i took this photo around 15 years ago.  lots of tennis memories from way back then including a few US Opens in New York because of Rika and then because of meeting another Japanese/American two-handed forehand and backhand player (i think) Nana Miyagi. good memories of some nice people.  where are they now?

that's what i'm talking about

Mike and Steve.  i think the first time the three of us played tennis was about 21 years ago.

temperature around 90F.  blue sky.  no clouds. 

Mike's last PHL-based trip.  Steve's first day of his New Year.

it was a summer's day for the last day of September.  and i am tired.  but, it was a very fun day spending most of the day with Mike after playing tennis with Steve and Mike.  but, i am tired.  it is almost 10pm and i need to find my small fan (senpuki).  the temperature is 82F/28C at almost 10pm.  

more tomorrow.

maybe Jonathan

a wonderful day, a wonderful place for reflection

                                                           

on the beach. (Mia and Chris Rea).

out with the old, in with the older

the out is/was one of my little couches.  the in would be my older couch (thanks Steve and Tracy, 1996) which has now replaced the old couch but is actually the older of the two. . .  that's what she said, not there is anything wrong with that.  now i have more space and am currently arranging, dusting, cleaning, and re-arranging, and throwing out.  

another day (an hour and a half give or take 30 minutes) of tennis with Steve in the sunshine with a slight breeze.  what could be better... to be more mobile would be better and to play more consistently which would as in most things requires consistency.

the front doors of the Manhattan Village shopping mall were closed/locked (640am) so i had to walk around the back of the mall where there is an entrance that is open said the mall security guard.  and because of that,  this is what i was able to see. . .

                                                                  645am-ish

this morning started with a 620a bus down to (really up to since it is north) to the Apple Store at Manhattan Beach.  i had a nice one-to-one Apple specialist named Corey.  he taught me some cool things about iPhoto which i will practice on later.

i have another one-to-one next thursday (not this thursday but next thursday). tomorrow and saturday, i have reserved space in a couple of "workshops" at the Apple Store on iDVD, iMovie and Mac basics.  and friday with Steve's help i will be taking my iMac in for a check-up with the Genius Bar people.  time for dinner.

Manhattan Village Apple Store                     7am

finally

finally, the sky is clear and blue from sunrise. 

the view from my front window.  my nasturtiums continue to grow.

and finally, Steve and i will hit the tennis ball after a couple of years lay-off (for me).

more on that and more later.