Forced into (bronze in) Adorni Pickleball Mixed Doubles

Kelvin joined the Humboldt Pickleball Club recently and we've been doing a lot of outdoor pickleballing with Iver at Carlson Park in Arcata, particularly on Saturday mornings, which has a lively crew of ballers with which to rotate in and out (they coordinate group play time via an app which I don't have).  We occasionally plan indoor drop-in at Arcata's Community Center, but I prefer to play outdoors (I have a hard time seeing the indoor, orange ball and the lines on the indoor courts, which also sometimes have "dead spots"). 

Kelvin gets notifications and (pretty much) twisted my arm into participating in a tournament this weekend at the Adorni Center in Eureka playing mixed doubles (they were strict on not allowing anyone under eighteen enter the tournament, so Iver, who of course really wanted to play, had to sit this one out and watch / ([coach us] from the sidelines). I didn't know this prior to showing up (since Kelvin took care of the registration), but there were apparently two divisions (3.5 and over and under 3.5) and were placed in the higher one, as Kelvin is a stronger player than I am, so we had to "play up.” The quality and quantity of teams was much higher than the tournament that Iver and I played in Arcata in November. 

It was a pretty full day, starting around 9 a.m. with round robin play (we had nine teams in our division), followed by bracket play. We were mediocre (3-3) in round robin play and were seeded seventh in the bracket, but we got revenge on Karen and her partner Mike in our first round in the bracket.  However, we then went on to lose (not not-close fashion) our next match to a father-daughter pair who we'd beaten earlier.   I found that pickleball match-ups are pretty tricky-- it takes several points to get a feel for opponents' style of play/spin and strengths/weaknesses and with a first-to-eleven set, it's easy to let the set get away from you without getting into much of a rhythm!  Many people hit hard and flat, some hit with tricky slice, and some hit soft and low-- most are pretty consistent (more than I am!) at the net, which is not a place I'm super comfortable.

Iver took these photos from the sideline.

I had been reluctant to play "competitive" pickleball, as I feel quite slow in terms of reflexes and reaction time at the net (I definitely don't have "quick hands"). My tennis game, when I used to play, included mostly baseline play, and approaching the net only when I had a strong advantage.  However, in pickleball, you're encouraged to press the net (but have to stand behind a "kitchen" line, so closing the net as we're taught in tennis isn't allowed on balls taken out of the air). My tennis "touch" doesn't translate that well with the pickleball, as you need to hit volleys with a much flatter strike to succeed.

I am frustrated both when I get targeted at net (a good strategy for the opposing team, to be fair, but annoying and which feels "mean" when you're the "weaker player" to which they send the majority of balls), and also when I see slow or not-that-athletic-appearing people with with odd ball-striking technique but who are consistent get the better of me in match play.  I turn into a different, hyper-competitive and not-that-positive person when I make a lot of unforced errors on which I think (in my head) I should be able to execute, and got pretty negative on myself yesterday when I missed a lot of consecutive balls at the net-- I think the tournament play/atmosphere is not really for me and I'd like to  stick with "fun" weekend "pick-up" play (outdoors, where I can actually see the ball/lines and where my lobs don't hit the folded up basketball hoops, losing us points)!

Frustrated mood ("Why did I let myself get roped into this environment?!")

In any case, Kelvin and I didn't totally "crash out," playing for third and winning our best-of-three-set match with a couple who were excellent "dinkers" and very consistent at net (but whom we frustrated by lobbing a lot to make them run and reach, which was effective). 

Kelvin sustained this pickleball outfit injury (to his favorite pants!) and feels quite sore today. I also have some leg bruises, both from kneeling for low volleys, and from whacking my leg a few times in frustration.

Our third-place medals

I was pretty annoyed overall at my performance yesterday, so this will likely be my last tournament for a long while. I'll leave the tourneys to the really skilled players for now and just dink around outside! 

Book folding: a craft I can get behind!

As much as I'd love to be a "crafty" person, I am not.  Even with more time on my horizon, I do not think I'm going to take up artistic hobbies like knitting, sewing, or anything  involving paint. Scrapbooking has been about the best I have done to date.

However, my friend Heather posted some photos earlier this year of some book folding she did in recent months, and I saw that it was offered at the local branch of our library on Friday. I invited Kellie, another friend Karen joined us, and Joanne taught us what is not too difficult!

Basically, templates exist that give you marking points (in cm) from the top edge of the paper, and you fold the upper corner down at an angle, and the bottom part up to meet the line edge.  There's enough instruction-following without artistic license that I feel good about this as an artsy "project," with mostly precise measuring/ engineering involved :).

Karen realized partway into marking and folding our books that the hardbacks we were provided actually didn't have enough pages to finish the "Read" that we were attempting (which supposedly would have taken four hours) but I was pretty happy with my completed “R."  I need to find another discarded or thrifted book for my next project, ensuing that it's a long enough one for what I want to do but I might be hooked on this "craft" (purchasable templates exist on Etsy, and there are few free ones I found online via a brief google search)!  I'd love to do a “Home" or "Family" fold next, while Niall wants me to do "N."  If I can do this, you can, too! 

 

Not resolutions, but (loose) 2026 aspirations

 

I am not, in general, a resolution-maker.  I know my "tendency," (strongly upholder in Gretchen Rubin's framework) and have a hard time not completing at all costs goals or "to-do" list items that I've set, at the expense of rest, peace, and grace. I have not quit much of anything in my life because I just tend to follow through and grit things out even though it may be stressful.  However, this year, inspired by the idea of having more free time (not being in drowning/survival mode as I have been for most of the past two decades with residency and on-call work), along with some really excellent books (Ordinary Time, Ikigai, We Can Do Hard Things) and podcasts ("Happier" with Gretchen Rubin [author of The Happiness Project] and sister Elizabeth Craft, "Best of Both Worlds" with doctor Sarah Hart-Unger and cohost Laura Vanderkam [author of 168 hours] , as well as content from Kendra Adachi "The Lazy Genius"), I tentatively set out to craft/draft some "goals" for 2026 (interestingly, "Quitters' Day," the time by which many people abandon their recently-set resolutions, is/was January 9th this year, the second Friday of January). I still am trying to maintain a "non-ambitious" life-- focusing on cultivating relationships and love rather than any professional goals (which, as you'll see, are absent from this list!).

I think making SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) is a good framework, but I didn't want to be too stringent with specifics. I also wanted to be sure to shoot high (knowing that I won't be able to accomplish everything at which I try, and which was extremely important for my perfectionistic personality); however, trying to shoot for 365 days and hitting 265 can still be positive and progress.  Gretchen Rubin also has decided in 2026 to eliminate some tasks/things-she's-been-doing, a goal and concept which I love (quitting or releasing something can be a goal, too, especially if it's not serving you. I definitely have some [to quote Kendra Adachi] "big black trash bag energy" for decluttering!).   Here's the list I came up with, organized into some categories. 

Personal/fun/spiritual
- read at least ten books I will really love (4.5 - 5 stars)
- play recreational pickleball for fun and play in a tournament (*scheduled in a couple of weeks)
- incorporate scripture study into daily/weekly life
- attend a church or community event monthly

- watch a new movie or TV series at least monthly 

Relationships
- prioritize connection over perfection (especially with respect to order, tasks, time at home)
- make time for at least one weekly time for one-on-one connection time with Kelvin
- reach out to at least one friend weekly to connect or meet up in person
- recognize, celebrate important birthdays
- invite friends or family to share a meal at our house at least quarterly

Health
- swim at least once per week
- run at least once per week

- incorporate fasting into weekly life (may be intermittent fasting 8:16) 

- train for (to complete seems too lofty?!) a marathon

- make my own health check-ups (annual, get my eyes checked)

- improve sleep hygiene (track with Oura ring, try CBT-I)

- eliminate alcohol unless for a celebratory event or occasion (it really messes with my sleep!)

- avoid checking phone messages unless at designated times/ and put phone to bed / consider gray-scale 

Home

- Declutter and donate/give away things we have not used or worn in over two years (and, knowing our time, energy, and tendencies are unlikely to wear or read), spend at least 1 hour per week clearing stuff

- use things up! (no saving/hoarding freezer food or cosmetics for future, more deserving days or fear of future scarcity)

- Areas to focus on to declutter: office, my closet and jewelry (understanding that I am not likely ever to be someone who wears necklaces!), toys/kids' books, kids' clothes/shoes,

- label all closet and garage bins/boxes to know their contents and so as to not waste time rummaging

I may (or subtract) from this list in the coming days and weeks.  In any case, with hope, late in 2026, I will have been able to reach some of my aspirations. We'll see how this goal-setting goes!

Out of the Ashes

 

As we drove back to town on Friday afternoon, Kelvin's phone started blowing up with messages from the emergency response crew at our clinics. There was a large fire at Arcata's downtown ACE Hardware store, which is only a couple of blocks from the gynecology clinic ODCHC owns. There was a ruptured gas main (I heard) but we're not sure yet how the fire started. 

There has been a ton of rain (and flooding) locally in the past two weeks but in a break from the rain, high winds in the afternoon allowed a fire to spread to nearby buildings on H street, and within hours, several downtown Arcata structures (40-year-old plaza icon Northtown Books, Dandars Game store, and the ACE candy store burned to the ground, resulting in evacuations and more (the clinic was ok) and about $18 million in damage.

As a (now) local resident of fourteen years, Arcata's loss hits me deeply and is extremely sad and shocking. I have not been by downtown (yet) to see the collapsed buildings and debris, but there's a lot of rebuilding to do in the small town. I've donated to Northtown's rebuilding effort, and many business (and some displaced people from downtown apartments) have GoFundMe sites.  Please pray for the businesses, residents, and those that have lost their livelihoods from this fire.

Rain restarted later in the afternoon.  

“God puts rainbows in the clouds so that each of us – in the dreariest and most dreaded moments – can see a possibility of hope.” - Maya Angelou