Go Astros...!

OK, I'm in a little bit better mood now that the Astros did their thing...! Boy was that exciting...

And I'm making some progress with my computer... SBC Yahoo has an anti spyware program that is included with my internet subscription. I had an incredible amount of spyware and worms and other problems... No wonder I've been having problems for awhile...

I've run the program several times and it's still finding items that need to be deleted. Hmmm.... I wonder how it will run after it's completely bug free...?

We'll see... I'm not out of the woods yet, but I feel better about it than I did last night and this morning.

I am starting to get a little tired now, though... I may scan it one or two more times and then go to bed and try again in the morning...

(I'm on Monica's PC right now by the way...)

Thanks for reading my journal...

See you in a few hours....

More Difficulties...

My evening got even worse last night as I accidentally downloaded a virus on my laptop. It's one of those adware viruses that makes your PC run extremely slow and produces annoying little pop up ads all over the place.

Sigh. I ran McAFee Virus scan and it identified 4 problem files but it couldn't clean them. I quaranteened them for now until I can figure out a solution. I don't have time for this nonsense. And I'll probably need to get some anti spyware softare to clean it off my computer.

Isn't there a theory that the various virus software companies spend all teir time creating viruses so they can sell remedies for them...? It smells like a conspiracy to me...!

Oh well, I need to close for now. I'm on Monica's PC at the moment. I wasyted an hour last night and an hour early this morning messing with my computer...

I hope your day is off to a better start than mine is...

I'm off to a full day of tennis at Columbia Lakes...

Bye for now. -Coach Sam

The Burglary of Coach Sam

My Sunday started off well with a good sermon at church but quickly deteriorated after that. I'm in an unusually bad mood right now. Here's the lowlights of my day in no particular order: This afternoon I had just finished working in the yard mowing and raking leaves and pine needles. I was going to get the trimmer out and do a little manicuring along the fence lines and around the trees. But realized that my trimmer and my leaf blower had been stolen from my garage.

Since we always keep our garage door closed and locked that means someone must have come in from the side door off our back patio...!

That really stinks...! It must have happened sometime last week because I used the leaf blower to clean out the garage last Sunday.

Anyway, I'm in a bad mood right now! I'll get over it, but still... It's hard to have kind Christian thoughts and a forgiving spirit to something like this...

I'm also in a bad mood because earlier today after lunch Monica and I went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and there was a 3 and a half hour wait so we bagged it for another day.

Then the Astros Lost...

All in all, I'm glad today's done and over with...
I'll post again in the morning...

Friday afternoon update...

Hello... I'm hanging out at Diedrich's, My favorite coffee shop. I've been sending and receiving email all afternoon regarding lessons and programs. On a 'normal' day I probably send, receive, and/or respond to at least 100 email messages. Right now I'm trying to market my Saturday morning lesson in Columbia Lakes. I've also got a special adult social after church this Sunday morning.

My lessons went fairly well this morning. I did have some behavior problems with one student but other than that it was a fun day. I've got a couple more lessons this afternoon then I have a small group bible study with some of the music minstry couples at our church.

I won't get home tonight until about 10:30 or 11 PM... Tomorrow will be a full day of lessons in West Columbia in the morning, then back to Clear Lake to watch a junior tournament.
All in all it's stacking up to be a pretty full weekend. I probably won't post another journal entry until Monday Evening or Tuesday morning.

That's it for now... I'll check in again next week...!

Coach Sam

Friday Line Up

Well I didn't get every thing accomplished yesterday that I had hoped for. Still I'd have to categorize it as a productive day, overall. I did take a nap and rest up a bit. And I spent a good deal of time working on my web pages... That's one of my favorite hobbies.

Today I want to remember to bring the digital camera so I can add some new photos to my webpage. I also want to devote a blog just to pictures. It will be my photo gallery blog...!

It looks like the rain has moved on and I am all set for a nice weekend. That's good. We need a nice weekend, don't we...?

My line up today includes the normal lessons in Nassau Bay from 8-11:30 AM Then I have a little break, and then more lessons in the afternoon and then I have a small group bible study in League City this evening.

I'll see if I can add another posting this afternoon from my Deidrich's coffee shop office...!

Have an awesome day...! Thanks for reading my journal.

Coach Sam

Another Rain Day... YAHOO...!

Yesterday turned out to be a big rain day. All my afternoon lessons were rained out. I had lots of trouble with my dial up internet connection in West Columbia so I was pretty much cut off from my email all day, and my new racquet stringing machine was giving me some problems... Needless to say, I was in a bit of a bad mood by yesterday evening.

But my sweet wife was there to make it better. She went to the store and got me a bottle of wine, a baguette and my favorite cheeses... And... Some delicious chocolate ice cream! Sigh... She loves me so much! -And she's always trying to do little things for me to make me feel more loved. I decided to save the bread, wine and cheese for another occasion, but I did dive in to the chocolate ice cream later last night and it didmake feel a whole lot better.

Today it looks like more rain is in the forecast so I'm going to take matters into my own hands and cancel my afternoon lessons and save myself a trip across town. I'm going to rest a little, fix my racquet stringer, and get caught up on some projects here at the house...

I've learned that prolonged periods of rain are just God's way of making me slow down a little so I'm going to take advantage of that.

But here's a quick tip for those of you who may be associated with a workaholic spouse or significant other: Chocolate is a very good way to soothe the savage beast...!

That's it for now... Thanks for reading my journal. I hope you have an awesome day...!

Coach Sam

Hello From Coach Sam

Hello Everyone... Thanks for tuning in to my journal this morning... I'm running late for a lesson in West Columbia so I need to close here. Check out my prayer journal this morning. There's a good lesson there... (I think...)

I've got a busy day ahead of me but I'll try to get online this afternoon and update this site a little later...

Have an awesome day...!

Bye for now.

Coach Sam

Television or Hellavision...?

I don't watch very much television. I really never have. I used to love to watch 'ER' in it's first few seasons but by the end of the series the story lines and themes were getting too raunchy for me. Gay and lesbian themes and infidelity in the lives of most of the characters became the norm for most shows. Is that really what goes on behind the scenes in emergency rooms around the country...?

Now I've hardly watched any TV for several years. But this past week I did tune in for the presidential debates and got a whiff of some of the new 'hit shows' from their advertising.

I can't believe there's a show called 'Desperate Housewives'. I went to it's website and found just what I thought I would... It is basically a show about people unhappy with their lives and all the stupid and crazy things they do in their search for happiness. The narrator of the show is a young woman who has committed suicide and is looking down on her family and neighbors. This is called a 'dark comedy'. I call it a tragedy.

Stuff like this weakens America. It undermines the family. It undermines happy relationships. (There are still a few out there....) What kind of message is this going to send to kids who tune in to the show...? Sigh...

I read an article one time where TV was referred to as Hellavision. And I really and truly believe that couldn't be too far from the truth....! Friends, we really need to sift through the junk on TV before our lives start to imitate it...!

I'm writing a note to ABC telling them that I don't appreciate that kind of programming. You should, too. Here's the contact information:

Mailing Address:ABC, Inc. 500 S. Buena Vista Street Burbank, CA 91521-4551Phone number: (818) 460-7477For abc Primetime and Daytime shows, as well as our Movies and Specials: Audience Relations Department at netaudr@abc.com

Here's contact Info for Houston's Local ABC Station:

KTRK 3310 Bissonet Street Houston, TX 77001-0013(713) 666-0713 Web Site

Man, this topic (trash and filth on TV) really gets me fired up early in the morning.... Writing or calling ABC is my only option besides just turning my TV off for good. Hmmm... Now there's an idea...!

Childhood Tennis Memories

Yesterday and today I have been busy sorting and filing old business papers, magazines, sheet music, and other miscellaneous 'stuff'. I found many things I've been missing for awhile like my spare keys to my jeep and a $10 American Express Traveller's Check.

I threw away 3 big bags of garbage and junk. Now you can fit both cars in the garage at the same time and there's a finally semblance of order. We still need to hang our tools on the wall but other than that, I'm happy with the way it's turned out!

Ahhhh.... Now I can relax for a couple of hours. Then I want to sort through a couple more boxes I brought in from the garage.

Monica woke up today with a sore back and is taking it easy today. She's in the bedroom in bed but sitting up on a heating pad and working on her laptop. She has three pillows behind her back and one on her lap for the computer. Our new little kitty Gabriel is laying next to her sleeping. They both look very comfortable... Peepers is asleep on the couch in the living room. And Jack is sleeping under atree in the back yard with a little sun shining through the tree branches on him. I'm not sure where Sparky and Hobbes are...

Our little kitty Gabriel has been a little sick, too. He's had upset stomach and we treated him for worms yesterday. If he's not better tomorrow we just might have to take him to the vet.

OK... So... I need to get caught up on my journaling. Let's see... I think I'll recall some childhood memories.... I remember that before I started playing tennis I was a big baseball fan. I played little league from 8 years old to 12 years old and then gave up 13 year old baseball for tennis. I played catcher most of the time. And I was just an average batter/hitter until my last year in little league. I had taken up tennis the summer of my 11th year and when I played the spring little league season I was one of the best hitters in the league because my striking skills had improved so much. But after baseball season I decided to focus on tennis. Tennis was very popular in Bay City in the early eighties and I was fortunate enough to almost always be able to find someone to hit with. And the adults were always very nice and didn't mind playing with a bratty kid who was just starting out.

I have many, many fond memories of playing tennis with my brother and mom growing up in Bay City. I remember how my mom was really horrible until we bought her a new oversize racquet and then she could hit the ball over pretty well. She really loved tennis. But arthritis and lupus forced her to quit playing before her time. I still have my mom's racquet. She had a Wilson Cobra. And instead of the familiar Wilson 'W' stencil she had an 'L' for 'Lynda' stenciled on the strings. Oh my Mom... She always like to be different and stand out a little bit....

Let's see.... My brother John used a Donnay Borg Pro Allwood. And I used the trusty Jack Kramer Prostaff most of the time. I could just about write a whole column on the different racquets I've used over the years. It's amazing how racquets have changed throughout the last 100 years. I have a pretty extensive racquet collection with a few frames dating back to the early 1900's... All totaled I probably have about between 200-300 racquets. I haven't really added any to my collection in the past few years but now that we have a house I might just start keeping my eyes open. Before I had the money but no space. Now I have space but no money...!

Well, I think that will be it for now. I'm going to go join the cats in a nap and then wake up and get back to my filing. Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Only a Half Day on the Court...!

Hello. I slept in to 4:45 this morning. I think my alarm clock is wrong because I was going to get up at 4:10... Oh well, I feel fairly rested. I was completely wiped out when I got home last night....

Today I teach from 8 AM to 11:30 AM then I'm off for the rest of the day. Many of my students are playing in a tournament across Houston today. That's why I'm working an abbreviated schedule this weekend. Plus, I have a lot of things to do back at my house later when I get home. I'll see if I can log on and write a little more this afternoon or evening.

I've gotta go now. Talk to you later...

Coach Sam

October is Here...!

How amazing that October is here. This year (in a few weeks) will mark the 40th October of my life..! That's amazing. 40 doesn't seem nearly as old to me as it did when I was a kid...

Oh well... I plan to grow old very gracefully. And with God's help I will...!

Yesterday was a good day. I got quite a bit accomplished here at the house and had a productive lessons afternoon in League City. I picked up some Thai food on the way home and caught the last hour of the Presidential debate. Although I've pretty well decided already who I'll vote for, I'm looking forward to the nextdebate in two weeks.

Today I have a gap in my schedule this afternoon and I'll have a good long stretch at Diedrich's to get caught up. So I may post again this afternoon. Oh, by the way... I'm canceling AOL this afternoon so please change my email address in your contact information to refect my new address: coachsam@sbcglobal.net

I'm up a little extra early than normal because Hobbes (one of our cats) was making too much noise.... But that's ok because I wanted to get up a litle earlier today anyway...

Thanks for reading my journal. If you have any questions or comments I'd love to hear from you. Bye for now...

Coach Sam

Wednesday Recap

Today was a full day. I had a couple of lessons in the morning. Strung racquets in the afternoon and taught lessons the rest of the afternoon. I've been listening to a sermon series from dr Charles Stanley the last few days. That's been keeping me occupied during my commute time.

I think I'm going to get into the routine of publishing my daily journal in the evening and my prayer journal in the morning.....

So, not a whole lot to report. It was just a good day at work. I know many people can't say that. They're either out of work or they hate their job. Me...? I'm in that rare category that loves his job. (even when it's demanding)

Monica is still working on an art commission. She says that she intends to keep working into the night until she finishes... -That's My Wife....! I love her.

But I'm sleepy so I think I'll take a 'cat nap'...

Good night.

Coach Sam

Running late today...

I've got to hit the road in a few minutes. I spent most of my my morning in the prayer journal. Sometimes that happens...
I did create a new Blog last night, though... A tennis tip Blog. I'll try to update it about once a week. I think the address is: http://coachsamstennistips.blogspot.com I'll add a link to the side bar later...

Gotta go... More later... Coach Sam

Here's the little guy... We haven't named him yet...! 

My Line Up Today

I got up early today and wrote in my prayer journal, but then went back to sleep. Now I feel very rested. GREAT! I need to get to work on my various projects...

I'm trying to work in the yard or garage atleast 30 minutes every day. I try to send at least 3 encouraging emails or phone calls every day. I try to follow up with at least 5 people whom I haven't spoken to or corresponded with in a while.

My lessons start in Nassau Bay today at 2 PM. And then I finish in Seabrook tonight at 8 PM.

Today is my 15 month wedding anniversary...! Woohoo! I'm going to go in the next room and give my wife a kiss right now....


That went over very well...!


Oh yes, one more news item to report: We have yet another Cat. Well, this one's a kitty. We haven't named him but we will soon. I'll tell his story next time I log on.

Big News Today...!

Today I was named the new Executive Director for the Houston Professional Tennis Association. I have been a member of HPTA since I moved to Houston in 1988 and have served on it's Board of Directors since 1999, including a term as the President of the Association in 2003. As a career tennis professional and having put down roots here in Houston, I feel that I have a big stake in the future of Tennis in this area. I am excited about the future and look forward to building a bigger, stronger, and more active association.

Other than that, it was just a regular Monday. I commuted to West Columbia and taught lessons all day. It's kinda late now so I think I'll leave it at that. I'm going to bed and will post again tomorrow morning before I head out for afternoon lessons.

Thanks for reading my journal. I welcome any coments or questions.

Coach Sam

Nice Tropical Storm We're Having...!

That's been my line all weekend. In spite of forcasts of up to 80 -100 % of rain we got 0% so I was able to get all my lessons in except my 8 AM lesson this morning. (I overslept. )

I guess that's what happens when a person doesn't get enough sleep for several days in a row... I've got to start getting on a regular schedule and staying there...! Driving home this afternoon I got a little sleepy and pulled over for a moment. I was going to get a coke out of my ice chest in the back of my jeep. I put the jeep in 'park' and the next thing I new I was waking up about 15 minutes later. I find it amazing and kinda scary that I can just go to sleep that quickly.

I'm going to try very hard to get to sleep sooner and rest more. Starting tomorrow night....

I have to get up at 5:00 AM Sunday to drive to Clear Lake for Worshp Band practice then I'm playing for all 3 services. After that I'll head home and take a nap. Then It's yard work the rest of the afternoon and probably into early evening because Monday is heavy trash day!

That's my schedule for the next 24 hours...

Until tomorrow evening... Bye for now!

Wow What A Day!

Hello... It's almost 2 AM... I'll make this brief because I want to write in my prayer journal, too before I go to bed.

Here's a quick recap of my day:

Since the Tropical Storm did not blown in today like predicted I'm regretting staying up late last night. I was on the go all day long.

I left the house at 6:30 to get to Clear Lake by 8 AM... Monica joined me and we taught from 8 to 10 AM.. Then Monica went home and I taught by myself until 11:30 AM. Then I had a quick lunch and went to San Jacinto College South Campus to practice with fellow muscian Kristi Heer for our performance this Sunday. Then I went to Seabrook for a couple of lessons. Then drove to League City for one more lesson. After the lesson ended at 7:30 PM I went to a small group fellowship and bible study focus group. I got home about 11 PM and strung two racquets and now here I am....

I've got a full day ahead of me in West Columbia tomorrow starting at 8 AM so I's better get to bed right now...

I've still got a lot to report but I'll catch you later this evening.

Thanks for reading my journal!

Coach Sam

Coach Sam August 2003 

Staying Too Busy

It's been over a month since my last posting... I promise to keep more current from now on. I've been super busy lately. Sorry for not posting sooner... I'm canceling America Online at the end of the month so I need to get acquainted to this new blog format. Actually, I think I like the editing tools on this program much better than AOL.

Here's a quick update on my life. I'm teaching a whole lot more these days. The Lord is blessing me with more and more students every week...! I'm teaching six days a week. You can check out my daily schedule on the new chadwelltennis.com website: http://www.chadwelltennis.com This site is a work in progress but it's already got more pictures and content than my old site. I'm adding new pages and links every day. So please check back again.

I'm going to utilize this blog format for my daily prayer devotional and I'm going to start a new tennis tip website, too. I plan to update my prayer journal pretty much every day. This journal you're reading right here will be updated about twice or three times a week and the tennis tip website will be updated twice a month. I know that's a whole lot to write but I really enjoy writing.

As this journal entry goes to press Monica is hard at work on an art portrait commission. We're working on a new website for her, too so we can promote her work.

I'm feeling very 'techie' tonight so I'm going to try to work a lot on linking my new blogs to the new website. There's a good chance tomorrow will be a rainout day and if that's the case I'll post again. You can expect to see some of the old regular features like Coach Sam's Weight, Things Coach Sam Likes, Coach Sam's Childhood Memories, plus lots more...

Thanks for checking out my new journal. I welcome your thoughts and comments...

See You Next Time...!

Coach Sam