We all know relatives who can't cook. Not that we are experts in culinary delicacies Air VaporMax Moc Midnight Fog Uomo Scontate , but when an inedible concoction hits your plate with a thud, it takes some special manners and facial control to compliment your host.
An in-law of my wife's who has since passed away, mentioned proudly that dumplings would be part of the coming feast at her house. Misshapen, gray lumps of congealed flour and water sank immediately to the bottom of the soup, lying there like raw clay ready for working. Only by dividing these door stops in tiny pieces were they swallowed at all Air VaporMax 97 KPU TPU Tutte Nere Uomo Scontate , being quickly sloshed past our taste buds with the wickedest of wines. Unsurprisingly, no-one took seconds.
While not strictly a relative, a well-meaning neighbor lady repaid any and all favors done her with a beautifully wrapped dozen of her own home-made cookies. Better named 'conversation stoppers', one cookie could dry out your mouth for fifteen minutes. Only wild pointing at the rest room and effort to smile through powdered lips could save you from decorating the table with a shotgun of wheat pellets. Sneakily taking out the garbage at three in the morning, we had to remember to thank our kindly bakery chefs the next day for their delicious contribution.
One newly-wed couple rendered a barely edible meal of sawdust meat loaf and marblized beans Air Max 97 Ultra '17 SE Lime Blu Nere Donne Scontate , unfortunately followed by a carrot cake made with still-raw carrots, easily identified in each slice. She apoligised for the slightly burned crust on the meatloaf, but her young husband sincerely complimented her with the statement that it reminded him of his Mom's recipe. A blue gelatin dessert filled a bowl like a country lake with little plastic ducks floating on top. Luckily the extra water in the mix made it possible for the ducks to actually swim.
The other night, my wife (who is a superb cook) miscalculated the cooking time for the ravioli, bringing new meaning the to phrase Air Max 97 Ultra '17 Bianche Grigie Uomo Scontate , al dente. I'm still chewing. On the other hand, some diners have not a kind word for the chef especially when the dishes are undeniably delicious. Even after three helpings and much smacking of lips and uncovered belches, these gourmands have only a 'Menza, menza" or 'It was O.K." to say. Next time I hope they go to MacDonald's.
ATP Tour Players To Follow In 2010 Sports Articles | January 20, 2010 A guide to the players on this year's ATP Tour who are expected to make a breakthrough win and land?their first career title.
One of the surprising features of the tour in 2009 was that only five players recorded a maiden tour win during the season.
Thomaz Bellucci (Gstaad) Air Max 97 Metallic Oro Rosse Uomo Scontate , Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (Kitzbuhel), Jeremy Chardy (Stuttgart), Rajeev Ram (Newport) and Benjamin Becker (s'Hertogenbosch) were the only guys who tasted ATP Tour success for the first time in 2009.
That figure (5) was the joint lowest total during the past decade. Along with 2009, there were also only 5 first-time winners in 2007 - whereas seasons such as 2001 (10), 2006 & 2008 (11) Air Max 97 Ultra'17 Nere Bianche Uomo Scontate , 2002 (12) and 2004 (13) saw many more players breaking through.
A sign of times maybe but also a fact which highlights the need to be extra vigilant when it comes to spotting previous non-winners destined to lift their first title in 2010.
These are the guys who can win at big prices!
The 'top ten' below are all aged 24 or below and all have the ability to record a first tournament win in 2010. Players to follow and ones to put in your notebook as the coming season progresses.
Pablo Cuevas (2009 best performance - SF Hamburg, Vina Del Mar) Cuevas considers clay to be his best surface and his record thus far certainly bears that out - with five Challenger Tour titles to date (two in 2009) and a distinct preference for dirt in the main ATP Tour events he played in 2009. He turns 24 on January 1st which means that the clock is ticking on the Uruguayan's career but there is no doubt the 5'11" right-hander has the ability to win an event, on clay, whether that be in his native South America or in Europe.
John Isner (SF Washington, Indianapolis) You might expect a guy who is 6'9" tall to be good at tennis. Well Air Max 97 Nere Oro Uomo Scontate , Isner is good but aged 24 he needs to start winning tournaments - a prodigious server, the North Carolinan is sadly let down by weaknesses in other areas of his game. However, this one-time tour finalist (Washington 2007) has the potential to win, he's won three times on the Challenger Tour (latest Tallahassee 2009), with his best bet looking like being a low-key hard court event Air Max 97 Plus Tutte Nere Uomo Scontate , probably in his native USA.
Andreas Beck (RU Gstaad) The 23-year-old German made a first ATP Tour final this year and after a steady rise up the rankings in 2009 can progress still further in 2010. That final was played on clay where Beck has won once before on the Challenger Tour, and five times on the Futures Tour, and the 6'3" left-hander may find 'the dirt' providing his best chance of a first success. Hard to see him becoming a regular winner on the circuit but he's shown the ability to take any opportunity which presents itself.
Ernests Gulbis (QF St. Petersburg, Tokyo) Not a good year for the Latvian. A very moderate 20:26 record meant his world ranking headed due South (from 53 down to 90 at the year end) suggesting that all the belief in his early potential was possibly misplaced. However, looking at the matches he lost Air Max 97 Ultra Premium Nere Uomo Scontate , very few were against 'no-hopers' with well over half those defeats coming against players inside the top 50. Still only 21, time is on the side of Gulbis and a hard court success, most likely, in 2010 would be no great surprise.