A few weeks ago I posted a rather bit of a rant on one of my other blogs about how the History Channel really had little to offer any more in the regards of actual history. You can read that over on Eligius and specifically at the post NOT-History Channel. Anyway, the point is I have rediscovered an old friend in PBS. I used to be a PBS junkie prior to the explosion of things like Discovery and History channels on cable/satellite networks. My recent reentry into the PBS world with the National Parks has had me making a much greater effort at what is available.
Horse = Horsepower
Posted in: Farming, Frustrations, Green-Living, History, Horses, Life, Technology | Posted by: rcornish | Comments: 0 | Date: 08 November, 2009
I have had this little note burning in the back of my mind for sometime now. Driving around Circle 4 in Lexington, I caught site of a billboard for the Speed School at the University of Louisville. I think, if I recall correctly that is in particular the engineering school. The billboard said something to the effect of without engineers horsepower would still be horses. That has kind of stuck in my crawl if you will and every time I think on it, it chaps by proverbial behind end.
Sometime last fall/winter (though I actually started writing this in the early morning hours of the actual night of the concert), I had tickets to see what I think is one of the greatest things to come out of the country music scene in a LONG time. Yeah Joey & Rory, of CMT’s Can You Duet fame as well as those really great Overstock.com commercials that were especially active during the Christmas holiday season so recently passed. I almost nearly stumbled into the tickets, having caught a glimpse of the flier a week or two prior, I purchased tickets immediately without even knowing who I would get to go with me for sure. If you have a chance anytime soon it is well worth the $15.00 I paid for tickets to see this awesome duo live and in person.
This morning as I headed into work, I was listening to NPR of course. It was an usually early hour for me to be heading that direction, but I had a computer drive issue that I needed to check out. During that brief commute, I heard another favorite of mine this morning waxing on about the waning status of August as that do nothing month. While I did indeed enjoy Frank Deford’s description of August having historically marked the end of summer as it slipped into fall and a time of really nothing – I personally think it lends to his having led a sheltered life or at least an urban life.
Ups & Downs
Posted in: Blogging, Faith, Frustrations, History, Horses, Life, Medieval, Philosophy | Posted by: rcornish | Comments: 0 | Date: 20 July, 2009
I have been asked a couple of times in the last week or two how come I had stopped blogging. Honestly, I did not realize I had. Matter of fact, I only thought it had been a couple of weeks since my last blog entry here in the back of my mind all along. Imagine my surprise when I got on here and realized that today actually marks a full thirty days since my last blog entry. I realize the truth of the song that just played, “Some people would say there is a woman to blame, but I realize it is my own damn fault.”
A bunch of long stories short and then on to better blogging, because as I noted late last night sometime, “Life is Beautiful!”
I hope that someone listened to me over the last week. I watched with anticipation to see if Rachel Alexander was going to be entered into the Belmont and was a little surprised when over the weekend before Jackson said NO to her running, without even waiting to Monday as had been indicated. That was a bit of a bummer, but even before that I had started telling folks that the fresh legs of a breed for distance horse in the Belmont might be the one to watch for versus either Rachel or Mine that Bird. When I looked over the early possible field I really liked Summer Bird, a half brother to Mine that Bird and had put $5.00 wager on him to win in a bet pool that was before the field was even set and locked the odds on that win at 25:1.
Can Rachel Alexandra beat the boys in the Preakness? Will Mine that Bird come through and put is in the running for a Triple Crown Winner, the first in over thirty years? What about one of the other favorites who under performed in Kentucky Derby slightly less then two weeks ago?
The derby is set to go off tomorrow afternoon. Today was the Oaks, Kentucky and especially Louisiville’s local day at the beautiful Churchill Down facility. I had been meaning to write an update for sometime, especially given the two horses I had mentioned back much earlier in the year (Stardom Bound and Old Fashioned) will not be making an appearance. First a quick update on the two horses I had picked and then let me give you my picks from what is going to be there and couple of other notes.
So I am mulling over this blog in my head for the last couple of days and I finally have decided to put proverbial pen to ink. I kept trying to think about just exactly how to start this blog and finally it dawned on me, as it is definitely hitting the way I am feeling right about now. “Busted flat in Baton Rouge, headed for the trains, feeling nearly faded as my jeans…“ – which we all recognize as the famous opening to Me and Bobby McGee, much more famous because of the version that Janis Joplin did, but in fact it was written by Kris Kristofferson. Oddly enough, while Kris himself did have some short lived fame, his own musical career was probably eclipsed by his songs being performed by others. Read more…
It occurs to me that today I am engaged in what is probably one of the most expensive hobbies a person can have. I realize this after fighting on the ground Saturday and thinking about how many cool bits or updates to armour I have that I would like to make part of one of my two kits (like the used Salet Helm, a mere $300) but especially when I think of today and know that I have both the vet and the farrier coming out to deal with Angel and Jack this afternoon.
