FMJ - Day 209

Early this morning, I drove 65 miles north to play in the Santa Barbara City Championships. My first round opponent was Marc Daniel Arendt from Frankfurt, Germany. 17 years old and ranked number 44 in Boy's 18 and under junior tennis in the German National Tennis Rankings. He came to California for English School and to be scouted for a scholarship in tennis at one of our universities. How did I do? Very well. I lost 7-5 , 6-0... in the first set, I was up by 4 games.. then, he figured out that an overweight 38 year old can't really run very well.. and proceeded to make me run... which I did better than I have run in the last 14 years. I ran down and traded shots cross-court and down line with him for the better part of 2 hours... We were pounding the ball on every shot. A crowd gather to watch. Unfortunately, he doesn't miss much... and when he did it was by inches. But, I held tight every point and showed the kid that I once played like him, too! I've lost 24 pounds now... I'm at 269 lbs. Give me another 20 pounds and I'll be giving all these young punks a whipping. Although, I lost the match I feel like I pushed myself today to the next level... I truly showed that my old game is coming back. My two-handed backhand held fast wherever I wanted to place the ball... I serve and volleyed as I used to with authority and success. I'm really on the path back.

Finds:
1. 4 pennies while doing a pre-match walk around the neighborhood near the Santa Barbara Municipal Tennis Courts.
2. Maya found a penny near our parking space at Glendale Galleria in the afternoon.
3. 8 pennies walking with Ajay through the mall.
4. I found a dime in The Body Shop and a penny in Haagen Daz.
5. 2 dimes, a nickel and a penny left on a railing in the mall while walking with Maya and Ajay.
6. A nickel left in the change return shoot of a Pepsi machine in the mall.
7. A penny on the floor of Brookstone.

Total found on Day 209: 56 cents.

FMJ - Total Found: $601.42
Since Blog Inception: $140.80
Bottles & Cans Return Fund: $559.12