Sometimes I think my grumpiness prevents me from doing fun things. Please make sure that I didn’t say that out loud, because I know that all of us grumpys would never admit such a scandalous thought. But I said it, and I think it’s true. And there’s one thing that I wont do, is to be too stubborn for my own good.

Like how I’ve ranted here in the past about the NIMBYs… and the gentrification of the beaches. Like, in one aspect fuck off. But in the other? Yes I do like going to bougie coffee shops and playing padel ball on the weekend. Because who doesn’t love a lazy Saturday where you get over caffeinated and then go snob it up with other people who are in the same boat. Especially on a beautiful sunny, early summer day?? Cardio and friends? Even the grumpiest grump would soften.

Now padel is a new thing in my life and I do kinda hate it. It’s considered the world’s fastest-growing sport, easy to learn, and played with friends. The court is 1.3 the size of a tennis court and surrounded by walls. These walls allow for long creative rallies, and you don’t have to stand at the baseline to slug it out. And it’s the same scoring as tennis, it seems like most people are familiar. But the kicker, is that all serves must be underhand. Underhand, like a grandma. But also, now that I’m getting older, grandmas are awesome, and there’s one that decidedly whoops my ass whenever I play against her (fuck off Eleanor!) but that underhand serve is easy and I rarely double fault.

One complaint is that now everything is online. So the courts are managed by a padel booking software which means I need an app to book a playtime. But it seems like things are a bit easier to manage on the business side of things and it’s not going away, so yeah.

And now that spring is slowly making her way to southern Ontario, I’m getting that itch to get back out on the court. Hell, maybe I’ll even pick up jogging. There is a long and fancy boardwalk next to the water. Maybe I’ll turn into one of those tan, chiselled, and suave-looking people who go for a causal run o the boardwalk on the weekends. Hmmmmmm Maybe not.