Blogiversary

Little Nuances turns two years old today. To be honest, it's taken me nearly this long to figure out what type of blog this is supposed to be. I knew it wasn't going to be political, since I'd already done one of those, but I did reserve the right to delve into politics, something I've rarely done. I figured this blog would be cultural to some degree and it has been, but not if the way I imagined. Instead, I'd like to think that this blog has become cultured rather than cultural, but that might just be the snob in me coming out. I knew that I wanted to talk about things I'm passionate about with the hopes that you might share my passions and quite a few of you have.

So I began to write about books that I love, and more specifically, about sections of books that I love. And I began to tell you about movies that I watch over and over, including commentary about my favorite scenes. My post about "substitute people" from the movie Elizabethtown is still one of my favorites. Sometimes I write about what I see in the routines of life. I've told you about how I was moved one day at the grocery store by an elderly couple who seemed to be in perfect sync. And yes, I've even written about sports, but not so much for sports sake, but because of the human interest stories inherent in sports.

That might just be the essence of this blog--the common human experience. I love dissecting real life, to pull it apart and see what it looks like from the inside out. I like to highlight the little guy, like Fabrice Santoro, or the guy who overcame the odds, or the guy who just wouldn't quit when everybody thought he should. An editor for a newspaper I write for once pointed out that I am drawn to blue collar people and I think he's right. In my opinion, people in the trenches tend to lead deeper lives. They aren't as concerned about things that don't matter. They are too busy caring for each other and their neighbors.

So, after two years, I'm settling in here at Little Nuances. And I'm thankful that so many of you have taken the time to leave comments, send email, or sign up to receive the updates in your email inbox. I value each one of you. And I'm looking forward to year number three.

What a Match!

Wow, what a match between Blake and Santoro, huh? Five sets with Blake prevailing. And much like I said in my last post, Santoro never gives up. For those who are really into the tournament now, here's a link to a blog devoted to the Open from the New York Times. And here's another link to a blog about the Open over at The New York Observer.

Blake vs. Santoro

For those of you following the US Open tennis tournament, there's a second round match on tonight that I just can't wait to see. James Blake, the guy I'm hoping can find a way to win the tournament is going to play Fabrice Santoro, one of my favorite guys on the tour. I've written quite a bit about Blake lately, but I haven't written about Santoro for a while. He hits a two-handed forehand and a two-handed backhand. He plays all sorts of slices and angles. And while he's not anywhere close to being the most talented player on the tour, he never, ever gives up. I love that about him.

Okay, if you aren't into tennis, you won't have to skip past many other tennis posts for much longer. Indulge me for one more week and then I'll get back out into the real world and begin writing about it.

Little Nuisances

Sometimes people call this blog "Little Nuisances" by mistake, which is both funny and maybe a little prophetic. But for today, we'll go with little nuisances in honor of what happened to me yesterday.

I have big feet. Size 13 or 14, depending up on the shoe. Which means I have big slippers and the first thing I do when I get out of bed in the morning is to slide my feet into those slippers because I don't walk anywhere barefooted. I don't even like to take two steps to get into the shower in my bare feet, but I haven't figured out a better way to do it yet. Anyway, one of my worst nightmares was realized when I got up yesterday and slid my feet into my slippers. The one on my left foot didn't quite fit right. And then I felt it. Something moved inside my slipper and it wasn't one of my toes.

You know that moment in between realization and action--how it seems to last for eternity? Double it and you'll have an idea about the way I felt at the time. I couldn't get my slipper off fast enough. When I did, a cricket crawled out, seeming to be none the worse for the wear, although I have no idea how that was possible. Grossed out before I even had my eyes fully open, I walked into the bathroom and pulled back the shower curtain to turn on the water. A spider fell from the curtain and I couldn't find him. I'm not one who is normally freaked out over bugs, but I also don't want them on me--certainly not a spider. I finally found him and squished him and then I was on alert the rest of the day. Thankfully I had no more runs ins with nature.

We're headed for fall and it can't happen quickly enough for me. I can't wait to see the temperatures drop into the 50's and 60's. I can't wait for the first freeze so that I can stop sneezing my head off from all the pollen in the air. And I can't wait for all of these bugs to disappear.

A Fan of Over the Rhine

I've written before about a group called Over the Rhine, but they are hardly in danger of over-exposure. They are one of those obscure bands that seems to be destined to stay that way but at the same time you can't figure out why. They just had a new CD come out called The Trumpet Child. I downloaded it (legally of course) and have been listening to it on my iPod ever since.

As with their other efforts, I'm drawn to their music for multiple reasons; the beautifully melancholy music, the thought-provoking lyrics that make you want to share a bottle of wine with a loved one next to a fire, and the overall sense that the routines of life are what make it so beautiful. But if you tried to put a label on their music, you'd fail. They are a little bit folk, a little bit jazz, a little bit country, a little bit big band, and a little bit of nearly every other style of music imaginable.

The Cincinnati-based group is made up of a husband and wife team (Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist) who recorded one of their albums ("Drunkard's Prayer") right in their own living room. Much of their music seems to be a celebration of their love for each other. But it's not the sappy sort of music you might expect if you haven't heard them. They sing about the difficulties of relationships, the importance of listening, and the many (forgive the expression) little nuances of relationships; the give and take, the gain and loss, the heartache and the joy. 

Here's an example of what I'm talking about from a song called "Let's Spend the Day In Bed":

We’ll read Shel Silverstein
Where The Sidewalk Ends
Smile about old friends
Try to comprehend
One single day
No work and only play
Kick off your shoes
I’m gonna spend the day in bed with you

Gilles Muller

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about a book called Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life by James Blake. I finished the book last week and it was an excellent read. Definitely worth the purchase price. I feel like I know more about the man behind the tennis player now. I cringed when I read about Blake's panic after he broke his neck on a clay court in Rome. I grieved with him as I read about his father's death shortly thereafter. And I felt for him as he battled through zoster and wondered if he'd ever play tennis as a professional again. The great news is, Blake is back and playing better than he ever has.

But I saw a video clip today of the 2005 US Open first round match between Andy Roddick and Gilles Muller and I heard something that inspired me even more. More on that in a minute. For those of you who aren't tennis fans, stick with me because this post is about more than just tennis. Muller, an unknown player from Luxembourg, was ranked number 68 when he met Roddick, but his ranking might as well have been 968. Roddick was expected to breeze through him, but Muller played the match of his life and knocked off Roddick in three straight sets on national television. At the time, Muller was expected to go on and do great things on the court.

By the end of the 2005 season though, his ranking dropped to 76. By the end of 2006 his ranking fell to 105. Going into the 2007 US Open, he was ranked 143--too low to even make it into the tournament without playing and winning three qualifying matches. Turns out that he lost his first round qualifying match and didn't even make the tournament this year. John McEnroe, who is back with the USA Network again covering the tournament, said that Muller has been playing challengers (the minor leagues of professional tennis) just to get his ranking up high enough to play ATP events again.

As much as I admire James Blake and the way he's fought his way back, I think I'm even more impressed by Gilles Muller. Here's a guy who has a career 56-64 professional record, who has tasted success briefly, but now finds himself playing matches that nobody watches. And surely he knows that he might not ever get another chance to play in the spotlight. But he plays anyway.

Do you ever wonder what happens to all of the people who try to succeed in something they love to do but ultimately have to come to terms with the fact that it just isn't going to happen? I wonder about that all the time. Probably because I can relate so well. Well, Muller is one of those people, and you can still find him hacking away on the outer courts of major tennis tournaments and on courts in places like Tunisia and Croatia simply because he's doing what loves to do.

How cool is that?