Sex in the City in the City in the Shoes

After weeks of anticipation, last night Megan headed into Boston with 3 (natch) girlfriends to see “Sex in the City.” The clickety-clack sound of her heels on the hardwood floors told me she was just about ready. After all, it is a show about shoes, right? I think that’s why guys, well, straight ones anyway, aren’t into the show. I can only speak for myself, but my shallow self rarely gets to the shoes. What I’ve discovered is that women know this, and the shoes aren’t for us. They buy the shoes to impress their girlfriends. As I sat getting a haircut yesterday, Kristie confirmed as she cut. Yeah, she’s a sample of 1, but I’m pressed for time here…


I also don’t know where I’m going with this. I tease Megan about her being “Carrie,” but aside from her physical character portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker, I don’t really know anything about her (see shallow, above). Time for Wikipedia wisdom…

OK, so Carrie Bradshaw has a shoe fetish and a tendency to dress like a gourmet, pot-luck supper for lunch or cosmo’s with her girls, and is “at heart, old-fashioned and deeply romantic. She is on an endless search for true love, and refuses to settle for, as she puts it, ‘anything less than butterflies.’” Let’s look at her pals…

• Charlotte York “is the most conservative and traditional…”
• Miranda Hobbes has “extremely cynical views on relationships and men…”
• Samantha Jones is “a seductress who avoids emotional involvement at all costs…”

While most women of any complexity probably wear pieces of each character like gold from a jewelry box, my Megan does most resemble the glittering Carrie. She also has the hope of Charlotte and hopefully will never wear the cynicism of Miranda. Of course she’s never had sex, so Samantha… Uhhh… Can I just take a pass on that part? I’ll go with she’s got most of the good and maybe some of the bad of each imperfect character. That makes her beautifully unique.

And don’t ever settle for anything less than butterflies…

Not Celebrating Victory

Tami Silicio's photo of flag-draped coffin
By WeMeantDemocracy on Flickr
© All Rights Reserved.

This long weekend is brought to you by the thousands of American men and women who died carrying out the policy of their government. Policy they neither formulated nor necessarily endorsed. They deserve our acknowledgment and respect. This week I received the following email from a guy I greatly respect:

As we all know Memorial Day is coming this weekend. This is a time when we should remember all who lost their life while serving their country. As has been my custom for the past few years, I go with a few others and place new flags at each Veterans headstone at the cemetery here in Medfield. After we have finished, it’s quite humbling as we look across the cemetery and see so many flags waving in the breeze.

This year you might notice some changes if you attend a Memorial Day parade or ceremony. The President signed into law this past January a slight change in the code of conduct for Veterans as well as active duty service men. It is now proper for all veterans and active duty servicemen to salute the flag while dressed in civilian clothes. You might notice this occurring now.

Another effort that is being promoted is for Veterans to proudly and openly show pride in having served in the Military. They are being encouraged to wear their Medals on their hat, shirt pocket, lapel or jacket on Memorial Day as well as Veterans Day. You may also begin to notice others who will choose one of their medals and wear it daily or on special occasions.

If you can, find the time to attend a Memorial Day Ceremony near you. Attending a ceremony is one way of assuring the perseverance of the true reason this holiday is observed.

I admire Ron’s intent and know it’s genuine. What irks me is the subtle war promotion driven by the chicken hawk Bush administration in the middle two paragraphs. It’s pretty much a subliminal way of manipulating those who sacrificed into promoting the neocon militarism that’s sinking our country. This is Memorial Day, a solemn occasion, not a Soviet style Victory Day of promoting military might.

Rant over. Here’s a list of Massachusetts events honoring those who died following orders.

Memorial Day 2007
Memorial Day 2005

Mr. Saturday Night Blog Special

7:42 - Kyle and I just got back from dinner. Veal Parm and Chicken Frances at Il Forno. That place just isn't the same, and I don't mean better.

7:43 - That brunette in the Caddy CTS commercial is quite lovely.

7:45 - We're watching "About a Boy" as a Celts pre-game. A scene just opened with U2's "Zoo Station" from "Achtung Baby" which Amazon tells me was released over 16 years ago...

8:02 - Cate Blanchett as Russian Irina Spalko was about the best thing in today's matinee of the new Indiana Jones flick. When's the last time Stephen Spielberg made a great film?

8:07 - Sir Stevie's "Munich" (2005) was short of great, so it looks like it's been a decade since "Saving Private Ryan" (1998). Let's hope for some magic with "The Trial of the Chicago 7" due in 2009.

8:25 - My Dad just called. He's got bronchitis, but seems to be doing OK otherwise. He's planning a visit in late June.

8:34 - I can really do without the "Hollywood" introductions of home teams in the NBA. Although the Pistons Chauncey Billups really can do an entrance...

8:42 - Celts up 8-0. That's like the old Sox being in first in May...

8:49 - 13-4 C's, but back to the finish of "About a Boy." The kid is about to sing Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly."

8:52 - Poor kid is getting jeered, but Kyle and I agree Kyle is a vastly superior singer to this kid. Now the cheesy Hugh Grant is on stage with a guitar. Kyle just "Avardra Kadavra'd" the Grant character. Not sure why.

8:57 - 15-12 now, plus KG and Ray Allen are both on their asses with 2 fouls. Time for Kyle's meds a face scrub and bed for the boy...

9:05 - Sam Cassell just threw up a lead brick followed by a Rasheed Wallace second effort bucket. 13-0 run and a 17-15 Pistons lead.

9:43 - While I've been searching for a better Johnny Most clip than this, the Green has built a 19 point lead.

9:46 - While the Pistons are hosting the Celtics, the Red Wings are also home for game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. They're also faring better than the boys from Auburn Hills: Wings 1, the plural of Danny DeVito's character in a "Batman" flick 0.

9:58 - Just saw a promo for a new ripoff ABC series called "Wipeout," that's clearly a fax of the classic MXC, hosted by Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship. Right you are, Ken.

10:29 - Sweet pass by KG and a 22 point bulge!

10:36 - Isn't Coldplay just a U2 tribute band?

10:50 - What is up with Ray Allen in these playoffs? Slump or done?

11:09 - Paul Pierce just fell very awkwardly and so will the Green if he's out.

11:12 - I've never seen "Lost," and the 34 commercials for the "2 hour season finale" won't get me to.

11:13 - The Celtics are trying to give this one away with poor charity stripe shooting.

11:15 - Nope. They picked a good time to snag their first road win of the playoffs. As the "Couz" would say, they "increased the defensive intensity" to win this one.

11:22 - Wasn't that an exciting Saturday night? Uh, yeah.

My Brain is Right to be Left

This cool test is from the PerthNow news site Down Under...

Evidently, most people see the woman turning counter-clockwise. Not me. Through my prism she’s spinning in time, an indication I’m Right-Brain dominant.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses logic detail oriented facts rule words and language present and past math and science can comprehend knowing acknowledges order/pattern perception knows object name reality based forms strategies practical safe sequential mathematics: perception of counting/measurement

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS uses feeling "big picture" oriented imagination rules symbols and images present and future philosophy & religion can "get it" (i.e. meaning) believes appreciates spatial perception knows object function fantasy based presents possibilities impetuous risk taking simultaneous mathematics: perception of shapes/motions

I see traits on both sides of the ledger, but right rules. The last two italicized entries came from Wikipedia and brought me back to high school. There I struggled to get B’s in Algebra, but easily aced Geometry while most of my peers struggled. That provides a sliver of evidence to the claim that only 5% of right handed people are also right-brain dominant.

But what does it all mean, Basil? I have no idea, but it gave me an excuse to post a hot spinning naked chick. Blame it on my “fantasy based” right brain.

Hillary Clinton's Audacity of Hope

Today Mrs. Clinton suggested she's staying in the race because, well, you never know, "Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June..." Maybe she figures one of her "hard working white supporters" will step up and remove this black obstacle. How freakin' twisted is this woman? "Obliterate Iran." "assassinate." She is so hungry for the power of that office it is truly scary. She just sealed her legacy by throwing a white pointed hood over it.

Madison Guest Blogger...

The first time she whispered in my ear...


My procrastination led to outright insistence....


Resulting in this morning's guest blog...

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She's cute and she can write!

Tripped On Your Wire

From the darkness that produced “1984,” George Orwell didn’t conjure up blogs, yet they are a voluntary means for Big Brother, Sister or anyone else to “plug into your wire.” Recently LinkedIn presented me this link on my home page, which happens to be the same view all my co-workers see…

I thought, “Hey cool, I just wrote a blog titled ‘Goodbye Fr…’ WTF? THERE’S A LINK TO MY POST ON THE FRONT PAGE OF LINKEDIN???” Of course I had to read it once again, this time to make sure I didn’t write something that could get me fired… Then I wondered, “what could I write that would cause me a problem at work?” What about political views? Hmmm… No, really, I think John McCain is an American hero and I’m on a waiting list for “Fantasy Hunting Camp with Dick Cheney.” What’s really scary is that based on the traffic I’ve seen, many of my co-workers are reading this space and I’m concerned it will appear like an episode of HBO’s “In Treatment.” Whatever. It doesn’t even end there.

Yesterday I was interviewing a candidate to replace my Aussie friend and he said, “I read your blog.” “Really? And you still decided to come in?” He went on to tell me he has a similar site, but that he “scoured it” prior to beginning his job search… It’s on hiking.

Oh well. There’ll be no such purge here if I decide to go job hunting. Well, maybe for a sweet gig with Exxon or Halliburton...

"There was of course no way of knowing whether you were being watched at any given moment. How often, or on what system, the Thought Police plugged in on any individual wire was guesswork. It was even conceivable that they watched everybody all the time. But at any rate they could plug in your wire whenever they wanted to. You had to live—did live, from habit that became instinct—in the assumption that every sound you made was overheard, and, except in darkness, every movement scrutinized." – “1984” by George Orwell

The O'Reilly Laughtor

You may have heard about the video circulating the net featuring self-described bloviator Bill Orally. What you may not have seen are the dance mix and the behind the scenes producer-side of the event. I haven't laughed this hard in a long time... Enjoy!

Billo Dance Mix:


Behind the Scenes Producer Commentary:

Appeasement is Bush’s Legacy Too

People at the airport I departed yesterday like to say, “Austin to Boston” with a little ring to it. The female attendant at the JetBlue counter did it, followed by a woman at an all-UT store where pretty much everything they sold was burnt orange with white longhorns. A post 6th Street post was in the works, but I’ll just summarize: When in Austin, go to the Broken Spoke and have the chicken fried steak for dinner so you’ll be impervious to alcohol and can stay out late and see lots of bands and other um, sights.

Long after this blog is in digital dormancy and I’m dead, “Dubya” will be in the history books as the worst president in the history of the republic. His remarks this week about “appeasement” shine a light on a subject he should have left off, like the dim 40 watter barely blinking in his head. Actually, he just plays a dumb puppet sitting on the lap of corporate ventriloquists, and his crimes of appeasement are far worse than the well intentioned classic blunder of Neville Chamberlain. For those of you playing at home, as British Prime Minister, Chamberlain led one of several countries, including France and Italy who signed the Munich Agreement, ceding a part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler in an effort to halt his European expansion efforts. It failed as Hitler said, “danke” and kept the Nazi Panzers rolling all the way to Paris.

Appeasement. In my mind, George Bush was implicating Barack Obama as an “appeaser” of Iran with his comments in the Israeli Knesset. Simply talking to a party with goals counter to our own is not appeasement. It is the giving away of something that defines the term. For example:

• No national health insurance plan appeases drug companies and health insurance providers at the expense of, in some cases, the lives of uninsured Americans.
• A pathetic record on CAFÉ auto emission standards appeases both the US automakers and the oil companies at the expense of American families and the environment.
• Lack of regulation and oversight appeases a greedy financial industry at the expense of thousands of American families losing their homes.
• Finally, the crowing achievement of this dreadful administration appeases the likes of Dick Cheney’s Halliburton Corporation with no-bid contracts at the expense of over 4,000 American lives, thousands more Iraqis, lower standing in the world, and billions of wasted dollars.

An honest mistake is Neville Chamberlain’s legacy. The inexcusable weakening of our nation by appeasing his corporate friends is the legacy of George W. Bush.

Real Reporting

On my Westward commute last night I caught a NPR story on the earthquake near Chengdu, China. Reporter Melissa Block was in the province conducting a recorded interview when the 7.9 quake hit. She stayed cool and just described what she felt and saw. Then she witnessed the devastating aftermath at a nearby middle school. The entire NPR page is here.

The Smell of Smear

In a preemptive strike to save my future political career, I hereby disavow any knowledge of the events perpetuated by one Hut234 and shamelessly blogged by one RustedRobot about my past association with Tar Hut Records.

Let me say at the outset that I vehemently disagree and strongly condemn the statements that have been the subject of this controversy. I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great label or serves to divide me from potential future girlfriends. I also believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public dialogue, whether it's on Hut234’s MySpace page or in RustedRobot’s blog. In sum, I reject outright the statements by Hut234 that are at issue.

For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know Hut234 to be an occasionally fierce critic of some of our CD art? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while at a show? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his A&R decisions? Absolutely.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 9 years ago, when I was 40 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense.

Let me repeat what I've said earlier. All of the statements and odors that have been the subject of controversy are ones that I vehemently condemn.

Thank you and God Bless America.

Goodbye Friend

I’m glad we said goodbye. Over the past few weeks we had a few extra meetings and some honest discussion about the whys, but throughout I acted like it wasn’t really happening; that Monday morning the cheery Aussie accent would fill my office…

Friday was Natira’s last day at Kronos. She and Rod are going home to Sydney, Australia after 2 1/2 years stateside. Last night I attended a “Farewell to the Fabulous Drayton’s” party at Barb’s. My date for the evening was little Miss Madison, as Megan was employed for the evenings events. Seeing a blanket-swaddled Madison “flying” in Rod's arms on the deck with the Atlantic Ocean backdrop was the lightest moment of the night for me. A happy girl with a natural future dad…

Near baby departure time, the young bartender passed small Limoncello shots to all the guests for a toast. I passed, but looked up astonished to see Kyle throw back the first alcohol to ever pass his lips. He took a little teasing, but was unaffected and sang all the way home.

Rod and Natira came out to the car with us to give me Nat’s laptop and a nice bagel-width toaster. After the formalities, we entered an awkward embrace; words jumbled in my mind and choking vocal chords unaiding their delivery. My final impression is of the silhouetted couple walking away hand in hand. Beautiful.

I didn’t think it was going to be so hard.

So what do you say when they slip away?
That’s how it is
And you can’t change a thing about the way things are
So I’m not trying

Keeping track of the brand new days
I wish that I could turn them in
To something different than what we’ve got
Cuz now we’re missing your ways
Oh yeah we’re missing your ways

Goodbye Friend

Anders Parker – “Goodbye Friend” from Tell it to the Dust – 2004

I didn't see "listening" on the list...

Esquire online’s article, “75 Skills Men Should Be Able to Do” put me to the test. Here’s the top 10 and a few others…

1. Give advice that matters in one sentence. – Yeah, sure. Don’t lie.
2. Tell if someone is lying. – My perception is good.
3. Take a photo. The Esquire article said, “Fill the frame.” That doesn’t exactly follow the “rule of thirds,” but regardless, I’m far from checking this off the list.
4. Score a baseball game. – Just Thursday night I shared the story of how teaching Miss Megan how to keep score kept the 5 year old interested in her first Sox game on July 7, 1994, featuring Seattle’s Randy Johnson v. Aaron Sele. The game was flying and the Sox led 3-1 going into the 9th. A Ken Griffey Jr. double off the monster tied it in the 9th. Seattle won it in the 10th. Welcome to Red Sox Nation, my girl.
5. Name a book that matters. - "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville. It’s also got a great drum solo by John Bonham on the live record.
6. Know at least one musical group as well as is possible. – I love music and I can tell you how Wilco and Son Volt rose from the dead Uncle Tupelo. I also know two leaders of another band are Gene Klein and Stanley Eisen, but you don’t care about that either.
7. Cook meat somewhere other than the grill. – Check.
8. Not monopolize the conversation. – I need to work on my monopolizing skills.
9. Write a letter. – Tends to get me in big trouble, but yeah.
10. Buy a suit. – Wool. Black, Navy or Charcoal. Pinstripe or not. Avoid yellow.

Others:
14. Chop down a tree. – How’s that skill #14?
18. Speak a foreign language. – I will learn some French and go where they speak it.
19. Approach a woman out of his league. – Are there classes on this?
30. Feign interest. – I hate being phony, but this is an unfortunate skill requirement.
35. Jump-start a car (without any drama). Change a flat tire (safely). Change the oil (once). - Yes, but I’d rather not.
46. Tell a woman's dress size. – Not sure, but I think 6 is good. Small, Hot, Medium and Large?
60. Be brand loyal to at least one product. – Cheeze-Its
68. Find his way out of the woods if lost. – With my slice, this is very important.
71. Iron a shirt. – See #35 above.
75. Negotiate a better price. – Be willing to walk.

“egg heads and African-Americans”

It doesn’t matter what the definition of is is. It is over. Even after the infuriating, pandering tactics of Hillary Clinton over the past few months, I was a bit saddened watching her deflated “victory” speech last night, complete with a shameless pitch for more money. What’s so brazen about Sen. Clinton asking for money now is that it’s most likely going in her pocket to repay the $5M loan she provided her campaign. Sad.

The “egg heads and African-Americans” line came from Clinton supporter Paul Begala on CNN last night. Mr. Begala suggested the Democrats can’t win in November without the white, middle-class voters his candidate spent so much energy pandering to with shots (guns and Crown Royal) and promises of a gas-tax holiday. On Sunday, Mrs. Clinton was challenged to name one economist who supported her holiday. When she replied, “I'm not going to put my lot in with economists,” what she really meant was, I can’t justify my lame, pandering promise.

I’m optimistic Barack Obama’s honesty on the issues is paying off with thoughtful voters, but I do worry that race will be exploited in the Fall and I wonder how many of the key white, middle-class voters will just pick the white guy on November 4th. Certainly, race is a factor in African-Americans siding with Obama at a 9-1 clip, but will Sen. Clinton’s base of older, white women be unable to choose a black man? After last night, it looks like we’ll find out as Sen. Obama survived the Clinton’s final assault, and will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Watching it Leave the Yard

I’ve written some here about my own “glory days,” playing ball before I turned 20. Wow. It just now occurs to me that summer of 1978 is not “closer than it appears” in the rear view. I hit a baseball that August I’ll never forget, but at the time I lacked the experience to realize the ball I had violently smashed would not be retrieved that day. Instead of enjoying the flight, I stole a quick peek of the shrinking dot headed for the treetops and ran, head down toward the first corner.

When Manny Ramirez soon hits his 500th home run, he’ll leave his arms extended and pointed at the sky. He’ll enjoy the entire journey until the ball disappears or is engulfed in a pig-pile of lottery hopefuls.

Among life’s clichés, “be sure to smell the flowers along the way,” which I attribute to Jack Nicklaus, but really was spoken by Walter Hagen, is up there for me. Unfortunately, the flowers are beyond the periphery of looking down, running for third.

How many people truly “live as if each day is their last?” What about the Zen of “living in the moment.” I’m just putting one foot in front of the other, like a first-time marathoner being steamrolled on Heartbreak Hill. I have to do lists for work and home, bills to manage, and complex puzzles to solve about how I can leave this place a better one for my children and grandchildren. I’m also becoming increasingly anti-social. Recently a friend told me his wife helped cure his anti-social leanings by helping him see how friends, family and relationships are more important than “stuff.” I get it, but stepping outside the pod bay doors is risky.

Another solid saying is, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So true. I experience it every time I use my stair climber. The first step is the only tough one, but it’s a mental step and those can be more challenging when the path is strewn with old baggage. There’s so much more I could be doing in so many directions with my unfinished life. It’s all out there. Step up. Head up. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.

That was my 500th post. As it leaves the yard, I hope it wasn’t too cliché.

That’s How You Know!

The Enrico Palazzo* of our family is taking singing lessons, and his teacher is a very accomplished soprano, Beth Keusch. She has performed all over the world and has a Lincoln Center date later this month. I don’t know if she’ll train Kyle to sing like her, but with Kyle’s spirit and ability to carry a tune with no training to date, who knows how good he’ll get. That’s beside the point though. Kyle’s happiness is what’s important, and when he’s singing he’s happy. Oh, and when he thinks no one is watching, he really lets it rip…



* The opera singer Leslie Nielsen impersonates in The Naked Gun.

Cat Scratch Fever

Great line and imagery by Maureen Dowd in the NYT: “The lioness of Chappaqua is hot on the trail of the Chicago gazelle, eager to gnaw him to pieces, like a harrowing scene out of a George Stubbs painting.”

What Do You Do To Be Branded?

“Developing my own personal brand,” may be ridiculed by some, but we all do it to some extent. The choice of Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, or no-name coffee from the bagel shop is somewhat a personal branding selection. I recall articles on the subject a couple years ago, but my inspiration for this post is, “You are not your bookcase” by Megan Hustad in Salon. Ms. Hustad suggests, “Type up a shadow list of products, one that really captures you. Print it out. Stare at the list. Take a deep breath. Let yourself be humbled. Then toss it in the recycling bin. Step outside and take a walk.”

Here we go…

• House – 1930 Hollywood Bungalow with stucco, curves and cracks. A ranch it’s not.
• Car – This may be the top personal branding product for people who don't have a boat or plane. Think about what people are trying to project when they drive a Prius or a Hummer. For me, it's an old and square '96 Volvo 850, but at 226K, it’s done a mile or two… and continues to.
• Music Player - iPod Nano doesn’t really set me apart.
• Cellphone – The LeoTreo is now old and fat compared to the youngsters, but it’s not a Blackberry.
• Life size TV - After 16 years of employment, I still feel the tug of brand loyalty. Not to mention the kick ass picture. NEC Plasma HDTV
• Shoes - Bostonian and Johnson & Murphy in rotation with a third for suit wearing occasions.
• Athletic shoes - New Balance and Nike – NB accommodates fat feet and the Swoosh were very comfy for racquetball.
• Jeans by Perry Ellis and Nautica – Whatever basic jeans I like that fit at Mar Shalls. I'd go for Levi's, but those brown size tags would reveal exactly how much ass makes mine look fat in them...
• Chaps Sport Shirts – Comfortable, basic. 100% cotton.
• Calphalon Commercial Hard-Anodized cookware hanging in my kitchen is probably as much a branding statement as a storage solution.
• Presidential Candidate – The smart, honest and cool Barack Obama.
• Music – A sliver of noncommercial that might help me seem hip.
• Baby Formula – Similac Organic…Nothing but the best for the little one.

Now I do need to go for a walk. What Do You Do To Be Branded?

Brand New Kind of Actress*

I’ve wanted to post something on the concept of “drama” since I’ve been recently confronting it. One person implored to me dramatically, “drama is reality,” as if I needed to embrace its inevitability. From what I dimly recall from “History of Theatre” in college, the origins of drama are Greek and are comprised of tragedy, comedy, and satire. I think we’re talking all three here…

My brief research on the subject B-listed a movie, “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen,” starring Lindsay Lohan who probably employed very natural method acting for the role. I lived through this phenomenon when my girls were teenagers, but people eventually grow out of this, right? I mean the “drama” Wikipedia describes as, “unnecessary emotional turmoil, such as that created through social events or gossip.”

It’s surprising how much gossiping and badmouthing goes on by people who are otherwise considered professional adults. Some of these people are just immature, but others are real jerks. Maybe it makes life more interesting or fun or it makes the purveyors feel better about themselves. I don’t know, but I wish to avoid it.

* My apologies to Jason Isbell for borrowing the title from one of his great songs for this lame post.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?

With all this talk about the Democratic nominating process being a horserace, I’m reminded the first Saturday in May is a day in Kentucky to sip a Mint Julep and enjoy “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports.” I’ve never been to the Derby itself, but five years ago today, Kyle and I raced to Suffolk Downs in East Boston and met a friend for a day of live racing and a simulcast of the “run for the roses.” I have many other memories of Suffolk Downs with my Dad and also of a sunny breakfast, garnished with infield flamingos at the grand old Hialeah Park Race Track near Miami with him in ‘73. Sadly, Hialeah’s pastels have faded, and it’s been a graying, dusty cavern of emptiness since 2001.

All this returned to me yesterday while reading, “Why Doesn't Anybody Go to the Horse Races?” in Slate. The article bemoans off-track and internet betting as the reason there are so few tracks left. I think the problem is deeper, and is another reflection of our declining interest in thinking. Think about it. (sorry) Handicapping a horse race takes some thought about lineage, performance history, rest, weight, jockey, trainer, and even an intuition about how a horse appears before a race. Sometimes the look and body language of a horse can reveal its desire to run. You don’t have to expend any mental energy trying to pick up those vibes from a machine. “Gimme a quick pick” is all it takes to stuff state coffers with lottery billions. You see the same phenomena in a casino where most hard dollars roll in by the coin and a one armed assist. We’re more willing than ever to gamble away our money. Just don’t ask us to think about it.

Yeah, the days of romance and horseracing are in the dust like the field chasing Secretariat in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. For a dwindling few, happy memories remain.