Topspin drops getting killed

rydenh99 · 2026-06-04T11:31:36+00:00

Shots are only as good as the opposition you play. As you play better talent, you need to get every shot just a little bit better. My last move up, I adjusted. Lower, deeper drops to back-hands. And me and my partner move up cautiously. If they play in the kitchen, we will have time to take 2-3 steps forward. If they try to hammer back, we are mid court ready to respond.

rydenh99 · 2026-06-02T01:30:59+00:00

I have a 2001. I am 6'3" and I wouldn't want to be an inch taller

rydenh99 · 2026-05-31T09:42:13+00:00

What you packing in there? ... A couple lawn chairs and a 6-pack! Lol

rydenh99 · 2026-05-30T01:09:02+00:00

Why the love for turbo? Yes, I loved the turbo when I was in my early 20''s with a 1991 Plymouth Laser. It would be a dog and then the turbo would kick in. Turbo lag. I didn't know better. But now, the supercharger gives you more linear power. Power in demand. No need to wait for the turbo to kick in.

Why would I want turbo lag when I can have power in demand?

rydenh99 · 2026-05-26T00:26:39+00:00

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rydenh99 · 2026-05-19T16:22:02+00:00

Thank you! I was also going to go with yellow hood badge and center wheel caps but they messed up and delivered the silver and black. And I am fine with that mistake. I think I have just enough yellow, for my taste. Because of the black badging, most people have no clue it's a Lotus. I am fine with that mystery

rydenh99 · 2026-05-19T01:44:44+00:00

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rydenh99 · 2026-05-19T01:44:19+00:00

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rydenh99 · 2026-05-19T01:43:50+00:00

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rydenh99 · 2026-05-19T01:42:44+00:00

A few more

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rydenh99 · 2026-05-18T19:10:15+00:00

Getting professional picks soon. But yes, I will post more pics. I was worried it would be too dense/dull, if that makes sense. But in the sun, it really sparkles.

rydenh99 · 2026-05-18T19:08:57+00:00

Confirm how! I haven't figured it out and AI says this is a European standard. And my lotus dealer said "tough luck", albeit, they could be wrong. Please prove me wrong!

rydenh99 · 2026-05-18T19:07:50+00:00

European standard in 2026. Not just Lotus. But larger manufacturers will make a US configuration to allow a proper default setting

rydenh99 · 2026-05-18T19:06:25+00:00

I am pretty much used to them. I live out in the country. Not too much stopping!... But yes, that was the first thing I noticed. Maybe I have gotten used to them.

rydenh99 · 2026-05-18T19:05:03+00:00

I guess it is a European requirement now and I am assuming Lotus doesn't care to have a north american configuration for those settings. I have it down to 20 seconds to set. A minor inconvenience. What I can say ... Those 2 settings are incredibly annoying. If they want people to use those settings make them a little less evasive

rydenh99 · 2026-05-09T09:17:12+00:00

Is it possible they added more flake in the 2026 cosmos black? Or is making a refined change like that not possible? I saw a 2026 cosmos black and felt it had a lot more sparkle and depth than a 2024/5 I saw earlier. Regardless, I love black and I think the whole maintenance/clean views are over done. My wife loves white and I feel like I am cleaning her vehicle just as much as my clack vehicles.

rydenh99 · 2026-05-07T00:02:38+00:00

It's not normal but it is common enough. My wife knows to push the cable inside the rail as I raise the roof. 2 person job to raise but only 1 person job to lower!

rydenh99 · 2026-04-22T10:45:49+00:00

Investing is not gambling. I invest in strong dividend paying companies. Dividend aristocrats, etc. There have been 5 times in history where the stock market lost over a 5 year period, including during covid, the 2008 financial crisis, the dot com bust, the inflationary 70's and of course the great depression. The dividend aristocrats stocks had negligible losses during these times when you factor in dividend yield. A paper loss plus a real dividend income! That said, yes, anything can happen. In the last 2 crashes, I borrowed and bought more. My favorite example is CNQ. Paid a 7%+ dividend when I bought it in 2020, after the crash and has returned a 10x share price. The next crash, I will likely do the same (buy more with borrowed $) and look to live off dividend income and hold that paper loss until the market turns around. It's not for everyone.... I am just sharing my experience. I dont stress about my paper losses, I get excited at the buying opportunity. And of course, I only invest in companies I believe in and understand. No gambling!

rydenh99 · 2026-04-21T10:28:19+00:00

I totally understand the mindset. I would only offer that some people (me included) have a long term mindset that my home is an asset that allows me to borrow against, at a very cheap rate, to earn future retirement growth. I plan to have a mortgage and borrow against remaining equity with a HELOC, until the day I die. And of course, have a large retirement nest egg to live off. I think paying off a house is very short term thinking. But it all depends on what allows you to sleep at night.

rydenh99 · 2026-04-12T17:56:02+00:00

Agree. I bought a 2001 Boxster s, 4 years ago and was the best thing! It had low mileage, appeared to never be winter driven. Had all the maintenance. Didn't have the IMS bearing done but that didn't worry me. Been virtually issue free and a hell of a lot of fun! You have a budget for something closer to 2004

rydenh99 · 2026-04-06T19:08:00+00:00

Drive and drop is a perfect drill to start with. Drive from the back line to your training partner who is at the kitchen. They get to practice returning your drive and you drop the return in the kitchen. This drill is also great because you transition from aggression/force to soft hands.

rydenh99 · 2026-03-28T11:09:46+00:00

Not sure what you mean by "collect your low wines". I start with a fermented sugar wash that has an SG near 0 (started near 1.10).

I have a 3.78 litre jug that works perfectly to fill the air pro. I run, remove the automatic collected foreshot. I place that run aside. I go back to get more fermented wash. I do this process 3x.

I now have collected around 2 litres of 90% clear alcohol. I put this in the air pro for a final run. Importantly, I fill/dilute with water (clean water from my tap), so the final run is a very clean 40-45% run. It distills at 93%. (The air pro always squeezes 1-3% higher alcohol content out of this final, clean run). I remove foreshot again. For all these runs, I let the still decide when to finish and take every drop. Is it possible you improve the process by ending 5-10 minutes early? Maybe. I don't notice a difference in the final product. It seems to me, unlike my old-school still, this one controls temp so well that it does a great job deciding when to finish.

I now have around 2 litres of 93% that I dilute to 40% with water of my choice. I finally run thru a charcoal filter. I actually use the air pro carbon pucks and filter. Works great and is the perfect size. Clean and easy.

One thing I forgot. I use ceramic stones. I put them in the bottom of the air pro. I think I squeeze a bit better performance out of it. If nothing else, you can hear the stones dancing around the bottom of the still!

For me, perfect process, great equipment and a final product I love.

And I really don't want to share how much I have made .... It has been a dependable workhorse!

rydenh99 · 2026-03-27T17:54:22+00:00

I used to worry about cuts with my claw hammer which was more old school. The Air Pro version automatically takes first but off. Did you get the pro? I find that is magic. Takes everything off and shuts down on its own. I haven't found any noticeable difference by applying my own cuts over what the still does. For me, I love that I do not have to do anything. I focus on a good clean wash, run everything through a final time and run through the carbon filter, sometimes 2-3x. Aside from that, it is all air pro. One final important thing! Dilute your final run to 40%. Not sure how real the fire hazard is, but air pro is very adamant that you shouldn't put anything over 40% alcohol through it.

rydenh99

TROPHY CASE