Tennis, anyone?

My gym is depressing. First, it's filled with Eastern European guys who bench press 2,000 pounds. I'm not kidding--on the machines, they attach extra weights because 150kg (330 pounds) isn't enough. I feel like such a wuss when I have I have to move the weight selector from the bottom to the top. (Sometimes I move it to the middle when I'm done, but I know I'm not fooling anyone.)

Second, it doesn't smell good, mostly because the Eastern European guys wear too much cologne. (And cheap cologne at that.) I have to come early in the morning or get a spot by an open window.

Third, there's no tennis. I was walking through Holland Park, which has six courts, and wished I had someone to play with. Then I stumbled upon londontennis.co.uk, which has a virtual bulletin board to let people find partners! How cool is that?

So I looked up females in my area, not because I was hoping for a date, but because I get too competitive when I play with guys. Of 5 invitations, Alisha was the only one who responded, and we set up a game for today. (She's 28 and married, so don't get any ideas.)

Then I went to Lillywhite's, the famous sporting goods store in Piccadilly Circus. (At least I'm told it's famous--I never heard of it before.) They had a decent selection of racquets, from £13 to £147 (US $26 to $294). Guess which one I bought? I wouldn't be surprised if it snapped in two the first time I used it. I let Alicia know I haven't played in six months, and so if I sucked it was because I was using a new racquet.

And suck I did. I think the guys in the next court returned as many balls as Alicia. (I tried to go practice yesterday, but the courts were booked right through 10pm.) I didn't even try to serve; I was having enough problems with my forehand. Fortunately, she was game, and while she did keep me running for the entire hour, she didn't humiliate me. We even set up another game for Thursday.

She lives nearby, so on the way back we talked, and it turns out she moved from New York five months ago, and she's a Jewish vegetarian. So if you're keeping track, the only two people I know in London (outside of the hotel) are both Jewish vegetarians. What are the odds of that?