Winning by a nose
I used to play squash quite a lot: as a student, I joined the squash club and would play several times a week. I was not brilliant, but not too bad; more importantly, I was enthusiastic. This was important, because not being too bad in comparison to those who're pretty good means an inevitable drubbing. You don't have to be beaten by much: what counts is that you're beaten.

Still: I lived in hope.

One day, I was challenged to a match by one of the team members; I was feeling pretty good, and had a feeling that my defeat may not even be inevitable as I made my way onto the court. And, indeed, things seemed to be going well. I was winning fewer than half the points, but I was at least winning some.

The ball came hurtling towards me. I responded, and hit it. I hit it well: exactly on the sweet spot, and it rocketed down the court and back up. My opponent was somewhere behind me; for once, I'd forced him to surrender the centre of the court.

THUMP

The ball didn't come back. The "thump" should have been a "thwack". I looked behind me, just in time to see him land. Others rushed onto the court to make sure he was OK. I retreated out of the way.


The lesson here is that squash raquets were invented so that we don't have to use our noses to volley. Noses break.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Thu 21 Jan 2010, 17:08, Reply)