Don't Look Back. Or Maybe I Should!

Grant Hall intercepts a Wolves attack

This is a photo taken from my season ticket seat in the upper tier with a compact camera at the last QPR home game. It's not bad. It's probably not as good as I used to be, but I don't get to practice that much. 

Why do I still take pictures, even though nobody uses them and they are mostly rather pedestrian? I say to myself that I am keeping my eye in. I think it's probably being a bit of a fangirl. I suspect I may kind of miss the good old days when I used to be on the pitch, and had a proper photographer's view of the action.

Possibly it is time for a kick in the pants, ravaj! If I had wanted a longer career as a football photographer, why did I give it up and go to rabbi school? I was very clear at the time, saying to anyone who would listen that when I was older and looked back on my career, I didn't want to see that all I had done amounted to some random bits of newspaper floating in the wind. I wanted to look back and see a life that had been useful and hopefully made a positive difference.

It's all very well being nostalgic for the "good old days". However, if I'm going to look back, then perhaps it's better to agree that I had some great experiences, enjoy some of those memories, and then turn to the question - if I am waxing so nostalgic, what is that telling me about now? What is the problem that needs to be addressed!

John Elway at Wembley Stadium

Nu, hurrah that I got to see the Denver Broncos play at Wembley in 1987 (1987, how can that be 29 years ago already?!). 

I've seen great moments at the Oval ...

Sir Viv clean bowled

... photographed icons at Wimbledon ...

Jimmy Connors

...  & in the theatre.

The Cherry Orchard 1989 with Dame Judi Dench

I've been welcomed by people at their office ...

Kermit with his boss

... and have been thrown out of Hammersmith Odeon by another (I'm looking at YOU Joan Baez).

accidental double exposure after reusing Baez slide film for Arlo

Lots of stories to tell. Meanwhile, it's time to stop procrastinating, look forward, and go do my Italian prep for my class on Monday. A presto!

Tennis B*ll*cks

Marion Bartoli of France lost to Sabine Lisicki of Germany today in the Wimbledon Ladies Tennis Quarter-Final. Bartoli, who had knocked out the reigning champ Serena Williams in the previous round, has been noticed for the unusual stance and wind-up of her serving motion. It got her several aces against Williams, who has possibly the world's greatest female serve. However, in combination with her perpetual twitchy jerky motions between each point, it appears to have offended the tennis purists.

The journalist Alix Ramsey writes on the Wimbledon website:

"Her serve is all arms and legs, a collection of mismatched limbs that makes the whole motion look like a giraffe going for a spin in a tumble drier."

Amusing, perhaps. Bloody rude, though. She beat Serena Williams with it! Ramsey should be so lucky.

That's my mind made up. The ravaj is going to get herself some tennis lessons!

wimbledon quote of the day

from the bbc live commentary on today's gentlemen's singles final:

"Players are knocking up and the atmosphere is crackling on Centre Court. Federer, as ever, looks the more relaxed of the two, as if he's having some hit and giggle at Centre Parcs. His girlfriend Mirka has plumped for the C3PO look today. That jacket's actually made of gold...apparently."

poor old steffi

the associated press reports that poor old steffi graf needed three stitches on her lip yesterday when her husband andre agassi accidentally smacked her in the face with his tennis racket. the doctor who paid $70k to play tennis with the two of them was the one who sewed her up!

this picture is from about 20 years ago at wimbledon. in those olden days there was a standing area on centre court for which tickets were available only on the day. i would queue for such a ticket, for a place that was right behind the photographers' pit, and take my own pictures. some of the black and white ones i would print up that night and try to flog them to other people in the queue on the next day i was there. this is a scan from an old slide.

i spent the weekend relaxing in brighton, but am not sure if there will be a pic of piglet at the pier because my trustly old digicam got a bit wet during a game of crazy golf and doesn't feel very well right now :-(