Horse and Hound

For cryin' out loud, can we please stop with all the Barbaro's stories?

Okay, I'll be the very first one to admit that I got choked up during Barbaro's injury at the Preakness. I hardly call myself a horse racing fan, but I watch every Triple Crown race because I think the race, the history and the build up are fantastic drama. After Barbaro dominated in the Kentucky Derby, I looked forward to watching his next race and what seemed like inevitable history. I was caught up in the moment with the rest of the country.

But enough is enough. He's a horse for God's sake. (And no, Adam, horses are NOT fantastic athletes.) I may be wrong, but I seriously think there has been more attention towards Barbaro's death than there was for Gerald Ford's.

It's a horse, people. He'll be Elmer's and Alpo within a month.

The only tear I'm shedding is the fact the poor guy never got to go out to stud.

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On the topic of horse racing, I wonder how important each part of the "team" is to winning a race.

My personal guess is 60% is the horse itself, 25% is the trainer and 15% is the jockey.

On the other hand, when it comes to auto racing, the spread is more like 50% driver, 35% car and 15% pit crew.

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During work, I was in the restaurant and one of the waitresses pointed out to me one of the tables. Sitting there were two high schoolers, a boy and a girl who were so young and small that they had to have been freshmen. They were sharing a big plate of fries, sort of a modern scene from "Lady and The Tramp."

The waitress told me "Aww, look at that. Puppy love."

Puppy love? People use that term to describe a love that is innocent and starry-eyed. Sorry for bursting your bubble, but have you ever really watched puppies? It's more of a hump-anything-until-you're-satisfied kind of love, which, hey, in many cases is a more appropriate metaphor than the former, right?

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People don't play board games enough, especially in public.

People who play chess on street corners or in parks should get some sort of tax break in my opinion. They're doing their part!

Are you?

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Lyrics of the Week:

Do you realize
That everyone you know someday will die
And instead of saying all of your goodbyes
Let them know you realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

-Flaming Lips, "Do You Realize?"