Archives August 2024

Yesterday was my first time back playing volleyball in several weeks dating back to prior my California trip. Since returning I have been going through a couple weeks of my left knee being randomly painful however it had felt pretty stable the last handful of days so I decided to test it.

The playing conditions were not great. It had rained before the start of play and rained lightly off and on while we were playing so the sand was wet and heavy. In a very short period of time I had a thick layer of sand clinging to my body. My team was not great, containing a couple players that I just don’t enjoy playing with. My play was not great either, I struggled off and on throughout the night, partly due to rust, partly due to being conscious of my knee and partly because I was not enjoying myself all that much.

For most of the night my knee held up but towards the end I had a couple shots of pain in the left knee. I walked out of there unhappy with how play went but glad I wasn’t walking with a limp although I did have a few quick ouch moments since then. Today I am scheduled to play pickleball at lunch so that will be the real indicator of how impacted I am by last nights session.

I did bring my V8S to the courts. One of the women I play with is an amazingly good conventional unicyclist. She tried out my wheel at the 4th of July party and was able to get the hang of it very quickly. She had asked me if I could bring it to volleyball so she could try it again so I brought it.

Once again she was able to ride without falling. She really likes it. I told her the next time we play I will bring the charger and she can borrow it for a week or two. She then pulled out one of her unicycles which she encouraged me to try. I got up on it next to a fence but had no ability to stabilize myself using the pedals. It would be cool to learn to ride a conventional unicycle but doing it in flip flops and volleyball gear is not a great idea.

This weekend I have a few things to get done, mostly related to my hobbies. As long as my knee stays intact two sessions of pickleball will likely also be in the cards. Tonight I am going to a happy hour with Juan. We went a month or so together and it was a lot of fun so I am hoping for a repeat performance.

Yesterday I played pickleball for the first time this week. It was the first time in nearly two weeks I got through a session without my left knee going “out”. I also happened to play pretty well which was likely connected. When my knee is hurting I am hesitant to go at 100% which knocks everything down a few pegs. I am hoping this trend continues.

Last night I got motivated to do a quick video on my current paddle collection, somewhat motivated by receiving my latest and greatest paddle, a Holbrook Power Pro. As mentioned in the video I really need to slow down the paddle buying train. I currently have nine in my bag which is pretty ridiculous. Curbing that impulse buying trend can be part of a bigger effort to cut back on my spending somewhat, which has been off the rails ever since I moved.

Tonight I am planning to give my left knee a real test as I try to play volleyball for the first time in a couple weeks. If I get through the session without limping afterward I will feel more confident that the last two weeks of knee issues was just a bump in the road.