Ruffian A Racetrack Romance

I just finished William Nack's new book Ruffian A Racetrack Romance. I include the subtitle because in this case it's a crucial tipoff. This is no clear eyed, journalistic study of the horse many in racing call The Greatest Filly. Instead, it's an impressionistic, almost stream of conscious account from an impassioned eyewitness. (It's small "gift book" size should be another obvious clue.) At first blush I was ready to dismiss it as the far lesser Ruffian book- with Jane Schwartz's Ruffian Burning from the Start published in 1991 being the gold standard- but after thinking about it some more I've changed my mind. Even if the book is being marketed as a tie in to the TV movie coming in June (for which Nack was an advisor), I think he should bear witness to what he saw back in 1975.

Breakdowns happen in this sport, a tragic but inescapable part of it is what racing people say. I think every racing fan, every true racing fan, has at least one lost horse that sticks with them be it a champ like Barbaro or Go For Wand or a claimer nobody ever heard of. Mine was called High Crest. It was at my first (and only) visit to Keeneland. It happened in the first half mile, right in front of stands. It was his front right leg and it was left hanging by a thread of skin. They brought out the screen to shield the fans from what was happening, loaded him limpingly in a trailer and humanely destroyed him before they reached the backside. Before the screen was removed one of the gate crew came and raked the blood into the dirt. As a young girl raised on Marguerite Henry's Black Gold, where the breakdown, though unbearably sad, is clothed in the glory and nobility of the Thoroughbred, the reality was absolutely wrenching. I remember standing near some snack stand after and the attendant asking my mother if I was okay. When it happens today I watch until the trailer is out of sight, saying a tiny little prayer under my breath. This horse got hurt in part for my amusement, it seems the least I can offer. I can only imagine how much worse it is to see it up close so, though it lacks the gravitas of his Secretariat book, I still recommend Ruffian A Racetrack Romance.

Three Cheers and a Tip o' the Hat

Hats off to the writing team behind HBO's "The Wire" who won an Edgar Award last night for best writing for television. Though, since I watch it on DVD, I haven't actually seen Season 4, I know it was deserved. Kudos to the Edgar judges too-maybe the Emmys and Golden Globes will now follow suit.

My Eyes! My Eyes!

So I had a bit of spring cleaning frenzy on Friday-I had a phone interview and was trying to burn off some nervous energy productively. As I was coming up the laundry room stairs Rose, the nice old lady who lives in the apartment at the head of the stairs, opened her door to reveal she was completely naked. She said "Oh" rather startledly and then shut the door.

Like when I was flashed as a child the full import of what happened was some time in coming.

Either she was unaware she had no clothes on (her reaction makes this seem unlikely), just stepping out to get something (at 11:30 in the morning?) or I was not the one she wanted to surprise.

The maintenance office is next to the laundry room.

Aw, Rose. (insert shaking head here)

I Second That Emotion

I was reading an interview with Penny Marshall, of all people, the other day. When asked about regrets she cited that there was no size zero back when she was a size zero. Though I don't think I was ever that small I know exactly what she means.

Who knew Laverne was so wise?

This Means Something

The Salvation Army where I was shopping today was having an Earth Day sale.

This means something, I'm just not sure what yet.

Esprit d'escalier

It's a French phrase that I discovered on Laura Lippman's Memory Project blog. It literally means "wit of the staircase" but it's talking about the thing you weren't able to say at the time, the perfect response you don't think of till it's way too late.

I love it cause it happens to me all the time.

A good recent example is my boyfriend's grandmother's headstone unveiling. Even after 5 years of coasting the Jewish faith (we celebrate everything at my house) I had never even heard of this particular ceremony so, when the opportunity was offered for people to say a few words, I had nothing. And then, by the time I did, the moment had passed.

So now my esprit d'escalier for Josephine Lieb.

Josephine was the first family member who called me Joe's girlfriend. It was at Hanukkah 2001 and I was meeting the clan for the first time. When Joe said hello and introduced me she said, in her inimitable accent, "Girlfriend?" And he said, "Sure". It wasn't news to me but it was pure pleasure to hear it said aloud. It felt like a welcome-like there might be a place for me in this loud and large family. I didn't know her well at all but I won't forget her.

Get That Kick Drum Loaded!

The Tragically Hip April 12-13
The State Theatre, Detroit

Of course, live rock n' roll is also an excellent cure for the blues. It's hard to be too self absorbed when watching Canada's finest sweat their way through back to back Detroit shows. (And I do mean sweat, no wonder Gordon Downie is so thin. The roadie who handled his guitar had to literally wipe it down after each song.)

All local eyes were focused on downtown Detroit-the Hip were at the State, the Stooges' splashy comeback was next door at the Fox and the Wings were battling in the playoffs a few blocks away at the Joe. Everything was all lit up and downright optimisitic, which is unfortunately not a word you think of too often when in downtown Detroit.

The Hip don't play the same show twice even when it's not in the same city so we were curious how they'd stage these. And since one of us got into a fistfight (okay it was me) at a Hip show at the Fillmore a few years back we had seats, actually a couch, in the boxes on the side of the theater which were excellent. As has been noted in this blog before being a Detroit concertgoer means sharing space with Canadians and Canadians, while very nice people, love their music wildly, passionately-especially the Hip. The security folks seemed to be having a bit of a time containing them-I wondered if they had been adequetely briefed.

Thursday's show turned out to be the new album centric one-very few of their "hits" (I put it in quotes cause I'm not sure the Hip have ever actually charted on this side of the border.) The sound level was rather low- if I'd been in the car I would have been turning it up- but very clear. You could actually hear each backup vocal and yes, Downie does actually play his guitar. Song highlights included "World Container", (my favorite from the new record which seems destined, judging by the tepid crowd reaction, to be heard on this tour only) "Gus: the Polar Bear from Central Park", "Don't Wake Daddy" and "Bobcaygeon" (perhaps their best love song which has the great line "it was in Bobcaygeon/I saw the constellations/reveal themselves one star at a time.") The segueway between "Family Band" (our favorite live one from the new record-see this blog's title) and "Springtime in Vienna" was also particularily inspired. There was even a local tip of the hat with a cover of "Black Day in July". Overall our feeling was Thursday night, good but not great.

How much Thursday's show rocked like a weeknight was thrown into even more relief at Friday's where the energy level was turned way up. More crowded, more Canadians, more security, more everything. There were still some new songs (between both nights only one song was left unplayed) but it was the parade of hits-"Blow at High Dough", "Poets", "Courage" and "Ahead by a Century" and old faves-"Fire in the Hole", "Dire Wolf", "Boots and Hearts" and "Wheat Kings"-that drove the crowd into a lyric shouting frenzy. Though it was a bit of an extravagance, I'm so glad we went to both shows-they were 2 halves of a great rocking whole.

I say bring on the personal drama and job search angst-fortified by the redemptive power of the rock n' roll I can take it.

Cure for the Blues

This week has been one big blue funk. Between the friend news (drama!) and the TV news (high drama!) and the deaths (Vonnegut!)-I was feeling overburdened. Fortunately, I rediscovered the Disapproving Rabbits website which always cheers me up. I kept rabbits for many years and it's very true that photographed straight on, the way their mouth and nose are arranged they always look disapproving. Check it out.
www.birdchick.com

A book is apparently in the works as well which I approve of.

For John and Elizabeth

Though it's not the hot news any more I'm still thinking about the Edwards' decision to run on despite Elizabeth's cancer reoccuring. I understand that she would not want to be the reason for him to drop out-these days running for office has to be a couple's dream, given the necessary effort and scrutiny involved. As a person living with 2 chronic conditions I understand well how being forced to give up anything, even a small day to day thing, can seem like the worst kind of failure. (What if I call in today and it's 4 times worse tomorrow?) Having prominent people publicly living with cancer is great, it helps demonstrate people are not their illness and removes some of the stigma the healthy may have. But, as an adult who lost a mother to cancer as a child, I can say if I were their friend and they asked me for advice I would have emphatically said don't do it. All of us only have a limited amount of time in this life-that's a given but it's a given most have the luxury of putting in the back of our mind. The dying can and should operate a little differently. The Edwards have a young family-I think they should treasure the time they have left together, away from the public spotlight. That's not sitting around waiting to die, that's choosing to die the way you want to-there's a big, big difference. In presidential terms John is a young man and there will be time for running again later if that's what he wants. Now I think he should put family first.