Squash.

The Patient Partner took me to play squash yesterday. Yes, our small, traditional southern city has a squash club! Based on the architecture, the brightly-colored vinyl-upholstered furniture, and the sauna that connects the men's and women's locker rooms, we think it was built in the 1970s. When you come into the lobby, there is one of those Universal weight-lifting modules next to a wrap-around couch. There is a fridge stocked with beer and a brochure from when the place opened, featuring photos of enthusiastic squash players wearing surprisingly bold-colored outfits and sweatbands. You take a rickety-ass spiral staircase down to the courts, of which there are two. Up above the courts, there is a viewing area, including a couple of tables, chairs, and an ashtray.

My question is, Who said, "I know: let's invent a racquet-sport involving a ball that does not bounce!"

Seriously: Have you played squash? It is challenging to hit the ball before it goes dead, and we mostly played with the blue beginner ball, which bounces about twice as much as the yellow-dotted black competition ball. But I had a good time trying to learn to make a legal serve, without hitting the light fixtures in the ceiling.

The PP has been playing squash with our neighbor for a few months now, and for Christmas he got his very own new racquet (thanks, Mom and Dad!). Since then, he has been going over to The Club every other day or so and practicing, so that he has a pretty regular serve and can return most hits (though I did school him a few times with my kill shots). And although you know I live for swimming, there is a real pleasure in whacking a ball around, not that I was imagining that the ball represented anyone or anything in particular. Don't you know me better than that?

I only hit the ball out of the court twice, but given that it was in the same spot both times, I fear that I have a tendency. And as the session wore on, I did get better at being able to place my serve and return the ball. Perhaps this will become a nice way to vary physical activity, so that I avoid overuse of the same muscles all the time.

But let's not discuss how things went when we played with the competition ball, shall we?