Ping Pong

The ping pong table is one of mankind's great achievements. A hardboard surface divided by a net is a simple concept, and yet the game that was spawned is so perplexing. Skilled players can impart spin to the ball, forcing their opponents into errors through unpredictable bounce and racquet reaction. Growler, the gangly, malnourished ping pong mentor who became my arch-rival, devoted a year of his life in China to learning the finer points of the game. Upon his return he told majestic stories of Chinese masters so old and so frail, they did not even possess the strength to lean over and retrieve the celluloid ball. But with age comes experience and attuned senses, both important traits in this great game. The Chinese masters defeated all in their sight, including the ambitious and mildly talented young man I call my mentor. And so Growler returned home, encouraging all to buy tables in the hope that one day, we would all take up ping pong and defeat the Chinese.

On another note, I stumbled upon this fantastic artwork below created by the crafty Frenchman Laurent Perbos.