WIMBY, DAY 6: THE GRAF IS ALWAYS GREENER

THINGS I FANCY

Pimm's, Ronald Atkins' previews in the Wimbledon daily press mag, the extraordinarily polite and cheerful staff in the press room cafeteria, the pub Roebuck's and its transgender bartender/barmaid (seriously, it's MENTAL: he's like 6-2 and could kick your tail but then he has a rack on him like something out of Cathouse 2), the "Terra Cotta Warriors" statues of tennis players out on the as yet unopened new Court 2, everything about Court 18, which is located just outside our studio, Jimmy Roberts, who is a genuinely good guy and says things like, "Don't they know who I think I am?", the lobby bar at our hotel, the Richmond Gate, which never closes as long as we are still awake and somewhat lucid, Rafael Nadal's guns, "passport Russians" (Russian tennis players who live abroad, which is almost all of them, strawberries (but not cream), and the Gattaca-like pulchritude of Elena Dementieva.

THINGS I QUITE FANCY

The Champagne Bar just east of Centre Court (though I haven't yet had the nerve to plop down 95 pounds for a magnum), Roger Federer's mastery, Mary Carillo (like, you can write that three times) who plopped down for breakfast next to Beret and I and quickly engaged us in a spirited conversation about yak racing in Inner Mongolia, our runners (a dozen or so college-aged interns, some of whom, curiously enough, share surnames with NBC execs), the London Eye, wondering whether it's better to be part of the inner circle of Outer Mongolia or part of the outer circle of Inner Mongolia, the Safin siblings, Sweet Caroline Wozniacki, phrases beginning with "Mind...." such as "Mind the door" or "Mind the step up", ther term "TV presenter" as opposed to "host", the rooftop bar on the grassy berm above the press center, the peerless professionalism and precision of the Wimby ball girls and ball boys (if only our politicians were this meticulous and steadfast), the shot of Amy Winehouse laughing like an insolent brat as Nelson Mandela addressed the throng at Hyde Park last night at his charity concert, and the specific-to-London candy bar Toffee Crisp.

THINGS I THINK ARE BOLLOCKS

The weight of British coins. You have to evenly distribute them in each pocket, otherwise you'll develop a back problem. They call it a pound for a reason, obviously.

THINGS THE RUNNERS QUITE FANCY (AS COMPILED BY PETER SCHANZER, SENIOR-TO-BE AT HOTCHKISS)

1. A tournament in which the two most attractive players aren't kicked out early on...thanks a lot, Maria and Ana!

2. Comfortable couches ,

3. Free time and free food

4. The booth

5. Interviews with the Bryan brothers

6. Strawberries

7. "Roger"..."Federer"

8. Sunny days in England?!

9. Late starts/early finishes (and he's not referring to dating)

10. Sneaking into the interview room

11. Discounts

Mind the Pedestrian Traffic

One aspect of British life I have yet to master is the art of walking in hallways, or any place where there are humans. Here's the quandary: Do I walk to the left side of oncoming ambulatory traffic, in the manner in which Brits drive? Or do I walk to the right side, as we Americans ordinarily do? I've been walking to the left thus far but have found that just as many Brits walk to the right as to the left. So for now I'm just staying left, and hoping that there are no pedestrian roundabouts.

ONE LAST THING I FANCY

The comedy show 8 Out of 10 Cats, which airs Friday night on T4. It's basically a funnier version of the show Colin Quinn tried to do, "Tough Crowd", in which comedians riff on current events. Last night host Jimmy Carr, during a discussion on a UFO that was spotted in Shropshire earlier this week, noted that the UFO is an anagram pregnant with disappointment. "Once people identify it, then it's just a 'Flying Object'," said Carr. "And if it falls to earth, then it's just an 'Object'...or 'O',"