A Happy Holiday

This holiday season has been pleasant. The three of us have visited all sorts of people since arriving in NJ from childhood friends to my Dad's side of the family (they threw a lovely get-together in Lucy's honor for which I'm very thankful).

Christmas Day we stayed at my parent's house, eating the best spread of food I've seen in a long time -- olives, cheeses, marinated peppers and mushrooms, fresh bread, seafood, and my sister's divine cheese cake. Alan and I have enjoyed spending a number of evenings with Alex and Stephen, playing Trivial Pursuit and Guitar Hero. Tons of fun.

In light of this good time with family and friends I will ring in the New Year on a happy note. This past year has been both sweet and sad, but when the blessings outweigh the burdens how can I be anything but glad?

Happy New Year to you all!

Tis the Season

I've been reading a good book for the Christmas season, "The Unseriousness of Human Affairs." It is a reflection on playing and singing and dancing and philosophizing, how unnecessary these things are in life, and why they are so vital to our existence for that reason. After all, we were not created for necessity but out of love. So when we participate in joyful and unnecessary play, says Schall, we are echoing our very making.

You'll need to read the book for yourself if you want to really know what Schall is saying for I am no great summarizer. So far I am rather impressed with his thought that because we are not God, our affairs are not terribly serious and that some of our greatest opportunities for deep contemplation come not with work but with play.

Why a good book for Christmas? I'm hoping these ideas help me to really relax this holiday season without feeling a bit guilty that I'm doing so. It has so far helped me look forward to playing cards with my family, watching movies, lounging around with Alan and Lucy; at the same time I can better set aside all the little worries that come with this time of year. I am only human, and God will still be sovereign even if our presents don't make it out to Tacoma by the 25th or if my relatives are grouchy.


Nothing is far from God. -- St. Monica

Little Post

Just a little post for now. I am internetless at home so I have to blog in these odd moments at the library. But I promise an interesting post soon, one with birth stories, baby pictures, and tales of homemade bread. So please, check back soon.

Nesting

Normal pregnant women seem to nest by cleaning and organizing. Though I've done some of that, my nesting is coming out in my crafts (suprise suprise).

In the past week and a half I've knitted 3 hats, felted a pair of slippers and a pair of mittens, finished a new fingerless glove design, am halfway through a Noro mitten set, sewed a behind-the-door organizer from an old sheet, and started 2 hook rugs from old t-shirts. The scraps of these projects have also yielded a Christmas ornament and a little felted pouch just right for keeping crayons.

Just a whirlwind of activity, I think that's what nesting is. The baby may not have a perfectly decorated nursery to move into, but she'll certainly have her options when it comes to keeping warm.

Not Scared at All

My due date is only 12 days away, though if the baby is late it can be as long as another 3 weeks. Either way, I feel as though my field of concentration is narrowing down to giving birth. My body, my mind, everything is funneling towards this particular moment in time.

Throughout my pregnancy I've tried very hard to work through my notions about birth, doing my best to push past those conventions of American medicine that harm more than help. I've tried to view labor and delivery as anything but a medical process.

So everyone keeps asking me if I'm nervous or scared. And after searching myself I really don't think I am. Doctors and hospitals? Scary, yes. A midwife I'm on first name basis with and the comfort of my own home? No cause for fright.

I feel very sober yet peaceful about bringing my daughter into the world.

Laundry is Intoxicating

I want to smell laundry detergent constantly.

This is common among pregnant women, craving the smell and taste of odd things from dirt and gasoline to soap and dust. Our detergent is all natural, no toxic fumes or ingredients, so I don't feel bad taking a big whiff from the bottle after the clothes are in. I kind of want to taste it, too, but know enough to practice some self-control there.

I love that I have dozens of cloth diapers to wash so the whole house is filled with that glorious aroma. Yum.

A Sad Realization

This time last year, my great aunt and Alan's Aunt Judy both took sick. My aunt, much older, passed within months of finding out she was ill. Aunt Judy was with us one year and, at the age of 56, died last Monday.

Supposedly, my aunt left me some money. She also used her final testament to show each of her family members who she thought of very much and who she didn’t think of at all.

Aunt Judy, as far as I know, didn’t leave her extended family anything. But she did leave friends and relatives with a sense of gratefulness of having known her, of loss for having to part with her so soon. Aunt Judy did leave me with her beautiful stash of yarn and I feel honored indeed.

So from one aunt I have some money and a feeling of betrayal, from the other a collection of yarn and a sense of being loved.

This has taught me something about dying well.

I’d rather pass on leaving my family and friends with the knowledge that without a doubt, with all my being, I loved them and thought well of them. Alan received nothing material as a result of his aunt’s passing but I don’t think he wonders for a second how much she loved and respected him. I’d rather be in his shoes any day.

Bored

I'm bored with my blog, and I think everyone else is too. I'm taking a break for a while. Thanks to my handful of faithful readers.

I attended my first protest on Saturday. A few months ago a mother breastfeeding her child at an Applebees in Lexington was told by a waitress and the manager to "cover up" or else she'd have to leave. You may read about the incident here.

So a bunch of us gathered outside the said Applebees to rally for our right to breastfeed in public. I was encouraged to see the diversity among the hundred or so people in attendance. We held up signs for the oncoming traffic to read (from "Its hip to nip" to "How did Mary feed Jesus on that Holy Night?" and "Don't eat at Applebees, eat at Mom's"). Many mothers nursed their children on the grass behind the sidewalk. The atmosphere was calm and friendly, even when we were flipped off by a young guy and screamed at that we were immodest by a twenty-something woman who was, ironically, scantily clad.

Our point was that breastfeeding is not indecent, breasts are not primarily sexual objects, and that the state has graciously and clearly given breastfeeding mom's a law that needs to be upheld.

A good first protest for me. (A thanks to my mother for nursing me, to Alan's mom for nursing him, to our fathers for supporting them, and to the family and friends who were comfortable enough with their bodies to breastfeed in front of us so we'd know it isn't weird. You are all an inspiration.)

A Point of Contention

Now I've tried my hardest to enjoy living in the Bluegrass. For the most part it has been a good experience; even all the quirky little things about the people here (like big, shirtless men mowing their lawns and the ever famous expletive "Aw sheeeit") are reasons to laugh, not get angry.

There is one point of contention, however, I take with the folks of the greater Lexington area, and that involves emergency vehicles needing to get where they are going.

To all you stubborn drivers in Jessamine and Fayette County: Get out of the f*cking way!

I have never ever ever seen people so resistant to move to the side of the road to allow ambulances and fire trucks to pass. Even people riding rush hour home on very crowded New York and New Jersey highways usually have the ethical fortitude to pull over or move when they see flashing lights.

It just happened yesterday when Alan and I were driving into Lexington. The looks on people's faces? Most of them seemed to be trying very hard to ignore the lumbering, flashing, screaming fire truck attempting to squeeze through the paltry space they'd made on the road while others just sat there in their cars, not moving. I was up on the curb trying to let it by for God's sake! What else could I do? If it was my house burning or my husband having a heart attack I'd want a rescue crew their as quickly as possible.

I know we are all selfish and many people don't give a rip about anyone but themselves, but this is appallingly misanthropic. And for only having one major complaint about where I'm living, this one is pretty bad.

Umm....

I sat down to write an entry. I know that just the other day something came up and I said "Oh yeah, I've got to post on my blog about that." Now, do I remember what that thing was? No. I really am convinced that my body is so busy building a baby it has no time to maintain my brain. And this isn't some flakey excuse for being lazy! I truly cannot find the information I need when I reach for it in my head.

Musical Interlude

"I'm comin up on the rough side of the mountain
I must hold to God, His powerful hand
I'm comin up
On the rough side of the mountain
And I'm doin my best to make it in"
F.C. Barnes

"They got a name for the winners in the world--
I want a name when I lose."
Steely Dan

Judge: "Who wrote this map?"
Prosecutor: "Cole Porter, sir."
Monty Python

Simple Things II

I know a while ago I wrote about the simple pleasures of life. Not long after, in response to my being anxious about feeling a little off sometimes, my cousin Michele urged me to return to those simple things.

Well sometimes those simple things come along without your asking! In the midst of record high temperatures here in the Bluegrass our good AC broke. At first I was boiling mad (and boiling hot). But the whole experience has uncovered so many things...

I remembered that the air conditioner was purchased by my grandparents who kindly and without complaint moved us to Kentucky last year, and I thought of how much fun we had caravaning across the midwest with them.

I remembered, as I was bouncing of the walls with frustration, how patient my husband is as he discussed warranties and repairs with the manufacturer.

I remembered what kind of friends we have as they tracked down and leant us what we needed to try and fix it, giving consolation along the way.

I remembered what a good father I have when without hesitation he started troubleshooting with us then offered to send us a new unit.

I remembered the people in our neighborhood, so to speak, when we moved the dumpy AC we got from our nice landlord earlier this summer and a co-worker offered to give us her's if we needed it.

I remembered the odd blessings of my job and car that, though often at the center of my complaints, are now two ways I can stay cool.

In the end, Alan and I decided to camp out on the pull out with the old air conditioner chugging away in the window behind us so we can at least sleep in comfort. And so once again I am thankful for the simple things, that which goes wrong sometimes, and how much they both reveal the depth of God's mercy in my life and the love of those around me.

Down Memory Lane

After years of meaning to, I finally contacted my best friend from when I was little. All through elementary school we were buddies. We lived a few doors away from eachother, spent our summers at the community pool and riding bikes, ate ice cream on the steps of the Union Hotel (pictured right) with her little brother and my little sister, and watched hours of TGIF (hey, it was the early nineties). Her family thankfully brought me to church many a Sunday and eventually to Baptist summer camp where the whole Gospel began to make sense....

And now we are grown. She, too, is expecting a baby soon. For me, there is a sense of completion in sharing my experience with morning sickness with the person who knew the intimate details of my first grade crush. I owe a deep "thank you" to her for sharing her childhood with me and making mine so blessed; amongst the rich array of people I knew growing up, she is by far one of my favorites.

"Time is never time at all
You can never ever leave
without leaving a piece of youth."
- Smashing Pumpkins

"It's...."

I really like Monty Python but am no big fan of the Holy Grail. No, I think their best stuff is in the Flying Circus. For anyone who faces the silliness of bureaucracy on a daily basis the Flying Circus is golden. Most libraries seem to carry the series in the media section, if you're interested (I'd start with set 3, the one pictured here).

Alan was kind enough to humor me last night so we pulled out the VCR and watched some of my favorite bits. I'm still laughing today just thinking about it.

Poor Poor Pitiful Me

This is a hard issue worth posting about. It took me all of 24 hours to get over the shock of knowing Alan and I would be parents. After that it has been waves of elation, peace, wonderment, and curiosity. Like marriage, I will not kid myself into thinking that being a parent will be easy-- I'm sure it will be the hardest thing Alan and I do. But so many things in life are hard without any reward and from what I see the blessings of parenthood can be countless.

So you can imagine my shock and alarm when, upon discussing our upcoming bundle with people, I receive pity in response.

I think "Am I pitiful?" Maybe it is my age? But at 23 I've had a lot of good experiences that maybe many women in their early twenties haven't had. But should I be pitied for doing all that young and then wanting to move on and have a family? Hey, if I had never gone to seminary or had my wild days or left the mainland US then yes, I might have regrets. But I did all that, grew very weary of it, and now I'm ready for something different.

I have several friends who are firm in their decision to wait to have children. They are just not on the horizon for them. I wouldn't dream of judging them for that; they could never have kids and if that is the choice they feel is most fulfilling, that helps them best live out their calling to God, who am I to doubt or pity?

Hell, I feel like wonder woman! As most people try to, Alan and I are setting up our lives so we can try to have our cake and eat it too. Maybe at 50, when my kids are grown and I still managed to round out my education and fulfill many life goals (and maybe even be a grandma by then), the pity people will get off my back. Until then I'll take it with a smile and a nod and keep feeling on top of the world.

All Good Things

Weeks ago I purchased three vouchers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at our local Joseph Beth. It just seemed like the thing to do; my mom, my sister, and myself would go stand in line to receive our books at midnight. I pictured a buzz of little kids in wizard hats milling around the store as we waited to get our copies. Not the case at all.

By ten o'clock there was hardly room to stand in the store. Voucher holders queued outside on the sidewalk, a giant box truck filled with the books and surrounded by police tape at the head of it. People in line speculated, shouted, showed off for the local news crew. The size of the crowd suprised me as I have not personally met a single Harry Potter fan since I've moved here. So sad.

Oh the costumes! We saw dementors and death eaters, house elves, Dudley and co., every professor ever mentioned, and even a group of kids dressed as a complete Quidditch set (snitch and broomsticks and all)! It was very festive. For someone who loves Halloween, I felt fortunate to have a true taste of it in July.

The crowd counted down to midnight, we pressed in toward the truck, and we took hold of the Deathly Hallows. I could have ordered it off of Amazon, actually slept that night, and still had it by noon the next day. But the experience was magical and now I feel I was a little part of Harry's history right before his story came to an end.

Family Visit

What a nice few weeks I just had! My mom and sister came to visit us for 12 days and we all had a good old time. I missed the menfolk (Dad and Stephen, and Gus too) but I enjoyed it just being us girls. Alex baked and Mom cooked, we watched Freaks and Geeks and some movies.

We went to the Henry Clay Estate in Lexinton, the artisan town of Berea, and the art museum at the University of Kentucky. Friends in KY: I've linked these places because they are pleasant and affordable things to do when family's in town, so check them out! Also, I never thought I'd eat decent seafood in a landlocked state, but we dined at Regatta Seafood and it was quite good.

Their visit was strategically arranged around the debut of the last Harry Potter book; that is a whole other entry! I'm very glad I shared the experience with two devoted Potter fans.

It was hard to see them go. I feel like Alan and I are pioneers sometimes-- living in a strange land, not knowing when our next visit from family will be, finding and befriending other sojourners to adventure with, only guessing which place we'll land next. It is not without heartache and struggle, but I think I'd regret it if we never wandered at all.

Thanks, Mom and Alex, for braving the 11 hour drive and the untold horrors of West Virginia to see us. We love you.

Cards, Cleaning, and Chiropracty

I've been up to all sorts of things lately:

1) Alan and I learned to play Euchre thanks to Hannah and Jason. We play women vs. men and so far the ladies are unbeatable.

2) We've exchanged all our "regular" cleaning supplies for earth/people-friendly ones. Now I can scrub down the shower without fearing for the safety of my unborn child! Everything is biodegradable (even our dyer sheets), uses less packaging, and in the end is more economical.

3) I had my back adjusted for the first time. Now I know why people keep going back to the chiropractor-- it feels great! No more pregnancy-related low back pain for me.

4) We met our new neighbors. They are from Kentucky and very nice. They also play D and D which, believe it or not, is something secretly on my list of things to do before I die. I don't set very high standards, but things actually get crossed off my list! We're set to play some time before the baby arrives.

Then there are the usual knitting projects, coming up with new ways to avoid working, watching the Sopranos, etc. Just thought I'd add an update.

Thanks Grandpa

I realized after posting the bit on our camping trip that I owe a big thanks to my Grandpa. Every year since I was eight he and my Grandma Cathy brought us (my cousins, my sister and me) to upstate New York. There we learned all sorts of useful things from how to rid a house of hundreds of bats to hiking in the pouring rain without getting wet. I know how to fish, chop down a tree, make a bird house, set up a tent, blaze and mark a trail, and even build a dock from a row boat all becuase of my time upstate. So thank you Grandpa. And thank you Grandma Cathy for taking good care of us there.

Camping!

We finally went camping, just Alan and me. Although we purchased a tent and other supplies last summer, we always got rained out or something else came up.

This week we made the reservations and decided that rain or shine this would be our weekend to brave the wild. Well, not wild exactly. We pitched our tent at Blue Lick State Park, about an hour north; it turned out to be more of a state-funded RV park, but our little site was wooded enough to make us feel like we were roughing it for real.

I started a fire for each meal using only matches and wood we found around us (no lighter fluid Grandpa!) We cooked hot dogs, corn, beans, eggs and toast for breakfast. Next time I think I'll plan ahead a bit more and get some good camping recipes online, though our fare suited us just fine.

We hiked around for a while but I get winded pretty easily going up hills these days. Finally, I got to go swimming; I hadn't taken a swim since our honeymoon, damn landlocked state! And we played a round of miniature golf, or putt putt as Alan says.

I think it may have been for the best that we waited a year to go-- getting the fire started and setting up our site took a certain amount of cooperation and patience with one another we didn't necessarily have last year. I would go camping again any time. Hopefully we will make it out to Red River Gorge or Cumberland Gap with some of our buddies some time this season. By far, this weekend was some of the best fun I've had with Alan in our short married life.

"But it never took long
We found a penthouse in the woods
Tell me that I am wrong
Tell me that I should just forget
All the serious questions
seem to eat my time away"
-Scud Mountain Boys

A Restorative Weekend

I've been thinking a lot about simple pleasures. This usually happens when Alan and I run down on funds! Last week we were both so tired, me being pregnant and Alan working his crazy factory hours. So we tried to take it easy. And we played Trivial Pursuit, took naps, sat in silence, went to town for groceries, cleaned the house, read and sewed, and had some long conversations about theology. All very simple things that restored us back to ourselves.

So please, next time you are out of steam, let the simple pleasures restore you.

"I'm working so I won't have to try so hard
Tables, they turn sometimes"
- The Strokes

Happily Ever Crafter

I'm lovin the crafting! I haven't had so much uninterrupted free time in a while. And since I probably won't again for the next 18 years or so I've been knitting and sewing and crocheting like crazy. You can check out my recently finished project (yes Mom and Dad, I finish them now!) the pig in the pants.



And nearly finished, our baby's floor quilt and mock cable cashmere blanket.

I'm also working on a blanket for my nephew due in August and will embark on a skirt or two with Hannah, my friend and sewing guru. Always a stuffy yankee deep down inside, I know what idle hands are!

Continental Claustrophobia

We're plodding along here. Alan is working crazy hours at a factory making sun roofs and I'm enjoying a little time off from work. Lots of time to finish projects. When I finally post pictures on my blog I'll have to show you all my latest knitted things.

Being as landlocked as we are is starting to wear me down. I was thumbing through a Larry Woiwoode book about the Dakotas I read a few years ago trying to find a certain part. I kept coming across bits about dirt and sky and fields and endless mountians and plains... ahhh!

I have a lot of water in me according to Chinese astrology.... my sign is Aquarius, the water-bearer, for pete's sake! My sister sent me some sand and shells from her last trip to the beach and I have lots of memories of the shore; what choice do I have but to let them carry me over into a time when the ocean will be nearby?

"One is not born a woman, but becomes one." - Simone de Beauvoir

No Rain

"The rain. Sometimes it gives me the blues." A little reference for all you Stephen King fans out there. Actually we are droughting a bit here. But I am feeling a little blue. All is well-- our baby girl is healthy, Alan and I had a lovely anniversary in Berea yesterday, our dear friends are on the cusp of being parents a second time, and I'm looking forward to a little time off this summer.

Its this weaving-in process I'm faced with (or knitting-in, favorabley). I'm just not at a point where I can tell people my ideas properly-- when I talk about my ecological concerns or my feelings about the terrors of racism I often feel labeled and pushed aside.

What I'd like to be able to do is have others understand that I believe in taking care of our environment and "getting back to the earth", healing racial and cultural and gender divides, abstaining from rampant consumption of goods, and relearning how to work with our hands because they are very deep, theological concerns. They do not spring from my politics or my upbringing-- my convictions are the burdens I joyfully bear during my "long obedience in the same direction." The Gospel of Christ is one of the whole person and the whole world, and each part of our lives must enter into the process of redemption for us to be sanctified.

I'm not so arrogant to think that wisdom is obtained in any degree in youth. But hopefully, someday, I can weave it all in to a beautiful whole.

Taters and Maters

My posts have been too long lately! Here's a little one for you. My Dad insisted to my Mom, on their first trip to Kentucky, that people here said "taters" instead of "potatoes." We all said he was crazy and he supposedly said "tater" the whole trip down (tater mountain, tater pie, tater dog, etc.). Well Dad, we owe you an apology. Heard a guy say tater and even mater (tomato) the other day. Still, keep it away from the road trips for Mom's sake.

Dis es my blotts, do bish kiddendish!

I feel very fortunate to have known an Amish family or two. My mother worked at the Amish market in our town for years and befriended an young Amish lady, Ruthie, well enough that we visited her a number of times over the years. We even went to her wedding!

The Amish make me think of good food, great company (Amish men don't seem to say much but the women are often so frank and funny), homes that even for their lack of lights and all the gas-run appliances are very comfortable, amazing vegetable gardens, and the odd lilt of Pennsylvania Dutch. My sister and I asked Ruthie's little sister Suzanne all manner of questions about not having a car or electricity in her home and she in turn shared her view of the "English," all people not Amish. Those were very good times.

Synesthesia

My whole life I've associated particular colors with particular letters and numbers. The letter T is always orange, four is a vibrant green, and U and Y are a mucky yellow (ick). I figured everyone saw numbers and letters like this. Not the case.

I'm a synesthete! About 1 in 23 people have some form of synesthesia; researchers feel it is caused by a cross over between sections in the back of the brain (kind of like when you are on LSD and you suddenly taste sounds).

Some synesthetes smell odors when they read particular words, others see vivid images when they hear pieces of music. And it isn't that you are just reminded of something-- I'm not reminded of the color orange when I see the letter T, I actually see the letter T as orange, every time I see it.

If this sounds like you, you should take the synesthete battery ( www.synesthete.org ) or read about it at wikipedia. Daniel Tammet is a rather famous synesthete you may want to look up.

Note: the alphabet above is all wrong-- not my alphabet in the least!

"Scrapping and Yelling...

and mixing it up. Loving every minute with this damn crew." Love and admiration for the first one to tell me what this quote is from.

Well the baby's started kicking. If I go too long without eating or eat a lot of sugar at once (like an ice pop) s/he goes crazy. To me, it feels like this: you ever thump on a melon to see if it is ripe? I feel like the melon, that's the best way I can describe it.

My Derby Weekend

What a fun weekend! Alan and I babysat for our friends' baby girl on Friday-- she was in such a good mood and didn't fuss once. Then Saturday was the big day here in Kentucky, the best few minutes in the sports year.

Yes, the Kentucky Derby. Krista and Alex, Derby veterans, threw a party for the occasion. Each guest chose a horse to root for-- with the racing form posted and all the horses on cute little cards with their jockey's name this was a lot of fun. We munched on pasta salad and sipped mint tea (rather than Mint Juleps, a Kentucky tradition-- we're at a Methodist school people!).

We all watched the reporters at the track make fools of the drunken General Admission people, heard all about the Queen's visit to the race and to her horse farm just up the road from where we live. Then it was race time! We gathered around, cheered, wished we'd placed bets. It was all very exciting and a great time with friends.

The Rainbow Connection

There are a few things I'd like to see before I die; unfortunately, they are not garunteed sites like the pyramids in Egypt and large sitting Buddhas which (hopefully) don't move. Don't get me wrong, these are great accomplishments of human kind, but I think I can still marvel at the talent of the ancients without seeing the Sphinx face to face.

What I'd like to see are the wonderous phenomena that take place in the sky. Ever since I saw a picture of the Nothern Lights in our dictionary as a kid I've wanted to experience as many of those fleeting and fantastic atmospherical events as I could. Only recently have I really rediscovered this joy. Living on the Hudson River afforded me many opprotunities to see full rainbows, bright and completely arched, some even reflected in the water below. At the top of the list is a circumhorizontal arc, pictured above. They are considered one of the rarest natural occurences and look how beautiful! Rainbowey licks of fire in the sky. I'd also like to view a moonbow, the Northern Lights, a parhelic circle, an anthelion, and a cicumzenithal arc.

I realize it is a matter of being in the right place at the right time, but I have hope I'll see a few of them in my lifetime.

They say thunder and they say lightning

I think Thor summers here. I've seen such crazy lightning in the past year. In fact the first big piece of news Alan and I heard upon moving to Wilmore was that some poor man had been struck by lightning in the middle of a field. So dramatic! Today the sky turned a terrible gray and sure enough started flashing like crazy. I like atmospheric phenomena though. Especially rainbows. Wish it was a day for rainbows instead.

Sary Sary Quite Contrary

Since I live in a place with fair weather and have a spacious back yard and an easy-going landlord, I might as well plant a garden. All the folks at church have either a vegetable garden or a farm and they insist it is simple. After picking through some gardening books at the library and a great one my thoughtful Grandpa sent me, I've decided on vegetables that are both hardy and tasty: beans, peppers, okra, and tomatoes. Anyone reading this who knows a thing or two about growing veggies, please comment with any tips you may have.

A Day at the Races

After nearly a year in Kentucky I finally went to the race track. I had just said to Alan the night before that nothing remotely serendipitous happened to me here. And then my kind friends Hannah and Jason invited me to a little lunchtime excursion to Keeneland, our neighborhood track. A lot of people there really dress the part-- I haven't seen so many blazers in my life! The races were exciting, especially when I had five dollars down on #1 in the fifth race. We all had a good feeling about him-- he looked so plucky when they paraded him around-- but he finished third in the end. Ah well, it was good fun and by far one of my better cultural experiences here.