Review: Joshua Bell plays Sibelius

Inna and I visited the San Francisco Symphony to listen to the Joshua Bell Plays Sibelius program.

 

Artists

• Conductor: Dalia Stasevska

• Violin: Joshua Bell

Musical Program:

• Nautilus 
• [San Francisco Symphony Premiere]
• Anna Meredith  
• Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto (with Joshua Bell)
• Jean Sibelius' Symphony No. 2

I really enjoyed the virtuosity of Joshua Bell, but I can't say that I really like Sibelius' Symphony No. 2.

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Lesson 12: Tennis Serve Lesson with Ryan Reidy

For my Tuesday, April 26th Zoom tennis lesson with Ryan Reidy, I wanted to focus on the following tennis deficiencies in my tennis technique.

The main issue that Ryan explained was the holding of my racket incorrectly. During serve initiation, the palm must face down to allow the elbow to swing from right to left (behind the head).

Serve Deficiencies:

1. The elbow was not high enough during the serve motion.

2. Not enough lasso effect during the serve

3. Not enough racket drop

Forehand Deficiencies

1. Not hitting the racket's sweet spot consistently -> Using a Functional Saber racket for eye training and more focus on tracking the ball

2. Not using enough hip motion during the swing -> using Prostrap to help encourage hip rotation

3. Non-dominant arm dropping during motion -> using Prostrap to help arms move together

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Naish Wing Foil LE Carbon Ultra - 5'7

After using my Naish 5'11" foil, I upgraded to a smaller, lighter foil.

Since Boardsports California (my local shop) had a huge sale, I decided to upgrade. I purchased the board online (after some email discussion with Jesse).

I selected the 5'7, 95-liter version of the board at $949 (about 40% below retail). I sold my original Naish 5'11 110-liter board on Craigslist.

FEATURES

3K CARBON/WOOD CNC EPS CORE CONSTRUCTION

• Lightweight CNC cut EPS core
• High-density deck-to-bottom foil track system with carbon reinforcement
• Full 3K carbon deck with a wood sandwich and double wood in the stance area
• 3K carbon-reinforced wood sandwich bottom
• Kevlar reinforced rails
• Carbon strip bottom stringer

EVA DECK

• Diamond die-cut EVA pad with a microdot embossing
• Back foot arch support
• Beveled tail kick area

FOOTSTRAP INSERT LAYOUT

• Minimum stance width widened by 5 cm
• 6-hole inserts for front strap positions
• The layout allows for a dual strap setup (back strap straight – front strap angled for goofy or regular stance)
• Windsurf style 3 strap setup
• Front: parallel double strap setup

New for S26

• All models have a decreased nose and tail width compared to the S25 shape. This is more apparent in the smaller sizes up to 95 and only slightly visible for sizes above 95. The result is reduced swing weight, benefiting its use with the Wing-surfer, especially in windier conditions.
• The foil track positioning has been moved closer to the tail on all sizes. This adjustment is more significant on the smaller sizes than on the bigger sizes.
• The tail kick was moved back to align with the foil track boxes, lengthening the water line and resulting in an earlier lift-off.
• The double concave nose shape was accentuated, softening re-entry when coming off the foil.

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First Day Wing Foiling at Sherman Island

With iwindsurf.com predicting steady winds, Alex and I drove from San Jose to Sherman Island to open our 2023 windsurfing and wing foiling season.

After parking at the Sherman Island County Park, I unloaded the van and pumped up the Duotone 4.0m SLS Wing with the Naish Hover 110GS board (using the Armstrong 1850cm foil). The wind was gusting to 22 knots, and it felt very windy. A few windsurfers and wing foilers were out on small sails.

 

 

We first ate our lunch, which consisted of bagels with salmon (eating inside the van due to the strong wind).

Alex was the first to go out and had some difficulty standing up. After trying for about an hour, he stopped, and I took over. Initially, I had challenges (the board was slippery, and I was barefoot). Usually, I wear booties, but my windsurfing bag's zippers were crusted over (from salt exposure), and I could not open the pocket with the booties. Eventually, I got the hang of it and flew back and forth. 

It was so much fun heading downwind, riding the small swells that rippled across the river. I wing foiled for about two hours, after which I was thoroughly exhausted. However, it was such a great day!

After returning home around 18:00, Inna, Alex, and I ate dinner at Luna Mexican Kitchen.

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A Week with Teddy

 Inna and I were fortunate to dog-sit a Bernie-doodle named Teddy for one week.

We enjoyed playing with Teddy and going out for daily walks. He does not ever bark and is very affectionate and playful.

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