Unless you have absolutely no interest in horses or racing, or you have simply been hiding for the past 28 hours, you have probably heard about this year’s Kentucky Derby. The winner was Big Brown, whose trainer had virtually guaranteed a victory. But the real, and tragic, story belongs to Eight Belles. Eight Belles was the only filly (female) running in the race. She came in a very respectable 2nd place, but collapsed after the finish. It seems she broke both of her front ankles. She was euthanized there at the track.

Race horses run hard, and the ankle is a weak spot. It is not unusual for a race horse to have leg injuries, or even to snap an ankle during a race. What happened to Eight Bells was unique only in that both ankles gave out. Eight Belles was not the first, nor will she be the last race horse put down at the track. It is a sad reality of the horseracing business. I was thinking earlier today that I was surprised an animal rights group didn’t get involved.

Well, guess what. PETA has weighed in. They want the jockey suspended. Why? They claim the horse must have been hurt during the race and he didn’t try to stop her. The trainer says that’s nuts. Horses don’t stop immediately at the line; they gallop out for a while, cooling off before going back to the barn. She was obviously happy when she crossed the finish line. And, if you know an animal well, it is very easy to read its moods. I have no reason to believe the jockey did wrong. I even know of one race horse by the name of Black Gold who met a similar fate. His leg snapped while he was in a race. The jockey was unable to stop him. The horse was determined to finish the race. As the announcer said, he finished it. On three legs and a heart, he finished it.

The loss of Eight Belles is a tragedy, but it should not be used as a springboard to destroy the business, or to find reasons to hurt the sport. PETA is using this as a gateway to complain about the use of whips, number of races, age of race horses and to push for the use of artificial turf. But these things did not figure significantly in the case of Eight Belles.

The saga of Eight Belles should be seen for what it is: a sad event that took the life of a promising horse. There were no “bad guys”, nothing that could have/should have been done to prevent it, short of shutting down horse racing. Instead of seeking to assign blame, chalk it up as one of those bad things that happen to good people. Take a few minutes to mourn and reflect. And then let life go on.

What???

Yes, some colleges are now allowing students to choose roommates of the opposite sex. Here is the link for the complete story, if you are interested:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/02/coed.dorm.rooms.ap/index.html

Think first of all about couples. Have you ever broken up with someone? Imagine breaking up and then still living together. Having been through divorce, I know how that feels. For my own health and sanity, I knew one of us had to go. Some colleges discourage couples from living together, but you know some will. One college said they hadn’t had problems with couples who break up asking for different roommates. Gee, I wonder what would they live in?

The story makes a big deal of this not being a sexual thing. Yeah right. But, okay, let’s look at it. According to the students interviewed, they are friends and chose to room with each other rather than with a same sex student who they might not get along with as well. What college is so small you can’t find a person of the same sex to room with? One girl assured her mother that she thought of her roommate like a brother. That may be, but parents usually don’t have brothers and sisters share a room either, do they. They say they “avert their eyes” when one of them changes clothes. No, I’m sorry, people need more privacy than averted eyes. As one parent said, if they think there won’t be sexual tension, they are fooling themselves.

And speaking of parents, where are they in all of this? A parent’s “oh, it’s their decision” is a copout. Yes, I know, they are of majority age. However, they can exert pressure. If my son came home with this idea, my response would be, “Well, son, it’s your decision, however, if you decide to take a female roommate while in college, I won’t be paying any of the bill for your education.” Hey, it was the answer my mother gave me when I wanted to move in with my son’s father!

I sit back and bask in the warmth. I am surrounded by the penetrating comfort of heat. It warms my face and soaks into my skin. I am bathed in its wonderful, rich sensation. And feel deep contentment in my surroundings.

Where am I?

On the beach? Nope. Try again.

Sunbathing in my yard? Afraid not.

Give up?

I’m in…my car! With the heater on full blast, I sit back, close my eyes, and dream of the beach and the summer warmth. Unfortunately, that’s as close as I can get right now.

I love the warmth of summer, the kind of warmth that goes right through you. A fireplace on a winter’s eve is nice, I suppose, but it doesn’t quite chase the chill from the bones. But the incomparable rays of the summer sun transport me to a place of tranquility.

Come, summer, come.

This is the comment I got on a recent post I made, where I extolled the virtue of reading books. This comment makes me sad for two reasons.

First of all, I get so much pleasure from books that I want to share that pleasure with others. It’s kind of like when you see a really great movie or a good restaurant, or a new store, and you want to tell others. Hey, look at this! It’s really cool! I want others to enjoy this great thing I have found.

But the second, and maybe more important reason that the comment saddens me is the perception that people who don’t like to read aren’t smart. These are the people who fix my car and do the fix it up things around my house. You want to talk about dumb? Hand me a tool of most any kind and watch me fumble with it; you’ll be in for a good laugh. Always remember, there are different kinds of smart!

I know (or rather, often have to be reminded) that many people are not readers. Often these people prefer hands on activities to sit still reading. That’s why these folks many times grow up to be our mechanics, plumbers, etc. Or, perhaps it is difficult for them to read. Poor vision or learning disabilities, such as dyslexia can result in nonreaders. And, things that are closer to reality or require more interaction, like movies and computers, will continue to trump reading for many.

Nevertheless, reading (for me) is a fantastic pastime. And I wish to share my wonderful find.

I heard someone on the radio say that they thought music videos had ruined country music. His point was that sometimes the video did not match the images in his head when he heard a song. Interesting point.

When I watch a Toby Keith video, usually it is awesome. It is not what I would have done, but it seems so much better. He has done some very creative work. I don’t know if the ideas are his or not, but there is often a twist that I had not foreseen.

But I do understand what the radio announcer meant. Sometimes you hear a song and can’t wait for the video only to find that it seems to consist of clips from a concert. Okay…. I must admit, that doesn’t do it for me. After all, if I wanted to see a concert, I’d go see a concert. I want more than that. If the song is a story, let me see the story. As I hear a story song, I am playing the story in my head. I am so disappointed to see a video with only someone singing. “Show me” the song!

Sometimes the story that is played out on the video is different than the one in my head. This can be good or bad. Sometimes (often?) the story is more creative than mine, and I’m happy to accept it. IF not, I just close my eyes and play my own images in my head.

The worst videos seem have nothing to do with the song being played. Sometimes I don’t know where they come up with the stuff they have. To me, these are the videos the announcer was talking about, the ones with the potential to ruin the song. In this instances, I try to avoid the video if at all possible.

Music videos, like so many “advances”, have both good and bad points. It’s a mixed bag that we have to live with.