War Horse
Hello World,
Well, for all those people afraid of Friday the 13th, they have reason to be glad that this month has the only one this entire year, to get it out of the way and move on with their lives. There will only be one Friday the 13th in any year that starts on a Saturday, as 2011 did, whether it's a Leap Year or not, unlike other years, where there may be two or three during the year. For instance, any year that begins on a Thursday, like 2009, will have three months where the 13th is on a Friday, regardless of whether or not it's a Leap Year. So if you didn't already have any bad luck this year, you should be in the clear, and better days ahead. Speaking of better days ahead, more and more of everything is bursting into bloom, and a more welcome sight would be hard to imagine. Our front yard is a shimmering carpet of English wood hyacinths, while on the top walk, it's the giant allium stealing the show. The azalea and spirea have decked themselves in their showiest blossoms, but nothing can match the return of the exquisite lilac, with its heavenly fragrance worth waiting for, and often imitated but never equaled. I even saw an errant buttercup pop up on the lawn, in spite of the relentless ministrations of the landscapers, but I'm afraid they were too much for our lamium, primrose and pachysandra, where we traded in their jaunty flowers for the sake of neatness, and not necessarily an improvement, I can tell you that.
Anyone who watched the Kentucky Derby last week can tell you that it was a crackerjack finish, and as the first one out of the gate in the series, it was a true gem worthy of the Triple Crown. To the consternation of the odds-makers, it was the 20-1 shot, Animal Kingdom, who seemingly came out of nowhere to win handily by several lengths over a crowded field. And for an unheralded colt with no expectations, made it look easy, and could have kept right on running, if the race wasn't already over. The feel-good story of the day was the peculiar coincidence of the winning jockey, John Velazquez, whose hopes of Derby glory were dashed when he lost his original mount, as the favorite Uncle ("Keb") Mo was scratched with a stomach ailment just before the big race. All of the other horses were already taken, when suddenly another jockey was injured in an accident, and all at once, Animal Kingdom needed a new rider - and the rest, as they say, is history. Well, actually, it's a fairy tale, because if this was the NCAA Tournament, they would call this a Cinderella story, and they'd be right, even though there's not a basketball anywhere to be seen. Animal Kingdom seems to have a lot going for him in the upcoming Preakness, and even the longer length of the Belmont could be within his range, so a new Triple Crown winner might not be impossible after all this time. Personally, I wouldn't trust the ghost of Affirmed, whose malevolent spirit from the beyond has doomed the chances of countless hopefuls over the years, from Big Brown to War Emblem, without exception or favoritism. So I wish Animal Kingdom a lot of luck, because even if he can beat all the other horses on the track, he's still going to have to somehow hold off the ghost of Affirmed, and frankly, I don't care for his chances all that much.
Of course, last Sunday was Mother's Day, a time to honor all of the maternal figures in our lives, and it goes without saying, long may they wave. Around here, I can always count on the cats to come through for the occasion, and this no exception, as I expect to be set for life in the realms of catnip mice, Fancy Feast and hairballs, by golly. Actually, the cats generally defer to Bill's more refined taste in gift options, and so I expect that he's to thank for the lovely jewelry, flowers, candy, DVDs and tech gadgets, and not a catnip mouse anywhere in sight. Sunday was a beautiful day, so I hope that all of the mothers were able to get out and enjoy their special day. Our plan was to get a jump on the holiday, so we started on Saturday by hopping on board the Open Days bandwagon, presented by the Garden Conservancy (and please feel free to go right ahead and visit their web site at www.gardenconservancy.org and see for yourself) and awaited eagerly by horticultural enthusiasts all year. This is a program that invites the public on selected weekends to experience the luxurious private gardens at local estates, which unlike community parks, are not usually open to visitors. We went to the secluded property of a former Wall Street tycoon, a lush retreat of 55 rolling acres, lovingly transformed into a botanical wonderland by the landscape designers at the acclaimed Shanti-Bithi Nursery, and a treat for all five senses, everywhere you go. There are over 350 varieties of maples in their expansive Maple Garden, breathtaking vistas of tulips and daffodils in wild profusion along the walks, and just about every ornamental shrub or flowering tree that you can think of, and many that you'd never be able to think of. The entire property is awash with more creeks, streams, waterfalls, puddles, ponds and lakes than you could ever imagine, plus an abundance of bridges running the gamut from stone to wood to earth to concrete to moss, and even a whimsical rope bridge that Bill and I forswore as being way too precarious for our tastes. An additional attraction is the collection of exotic animals, including camels, zebras, flamingos, llamas, tortoises, emus, monkeys and more, plus an entire aviary of unusual birds and waterfowl. Bill had been engaged by Shanti-Bithi to engrave the identification tags for the plants, so we were invited to attend as part of the staff, and not the general public. As a result, we had an opportunity to join the rest of the crew for lunch at the house, and also got a chance to peek at the newborn serval cats, baby bunnies and turkey chicks in the barn, that was off-limits to the ordinary visitors. It was certainly an unforgettable adventure full of wonder and surprises, and an early Mother's Day treat that anyone would have enjoyed, mother or not, and I ought to know.
Bill and I did the most perfect thing on Thursday, we went to see the new movie "Thor" at the local cinema. By "perfect," of course I mean that Thursday is named after the Norse God of War, Thor, in the same way that Wednesday is named after his father, Odin. Back in the days that I was a young whipper-snapper (this would have been when the dinosaurs were roaming the vast unformed land masses amongst the primordial ooze) Thor was far and away my favorite comic book character, and I scooped them up as fast as my allowance would permit. Obviously, this was way before the advent of what are now called "graphic novels," and deservedly so, with their gritty realism, dark narrative, excessive violence and price tags to match. No, in those bygone halcyon days, a comic book was a simple joy, costing a mere dime or 12 cents, and to pay a whopping 25 cents on a double-issue was considered an extravagance for only the most reckless spendthrifts. Of course, much has changed over the years, and not always for the better, I can tell you that, and many favorite old super heroes have been so drastically altered as to be unrecognizable to their former fans. I wasn't expecting to care much for this newfangled live-action Thor, but I thought it might be interesting to see anyway, so off we trotted to the nearby New Roc entertainment complex, where the movie was playing in several theaters, including the IMAX 3-D version. Even without any visual enhancements, the showing set us back over $20, plus another $20 at the concession stand, so this could in no way be considered a cheap date, at least by the previous definition of the term. [Please see note above concerning dinosaurs and primordial ooze.] We were pleasantly surprised at the film (not $40 dollars worth, perhaps, but still) and thought it was very well done and entertaining throughout. It never lagged, and many of the special effects were stunning. The cast was eclectic, although not distractingly so, and Chris Hemsworth as the title character was surprisingly satisfactory. One standout feature of the story was the almost complete lack of dialogue banalities that plague most science-fiction movies like a contagious disease, so that even the most critical scenes become almost farcical to watch. As a whole, it had much to recommend it, and we were glad that we went. In the film industry vernacular, I would wish that the movie had good "legs," but I'm afraid that's all it would take to summon the ghost of Affirmed, and suddenly the Norse God of War would be turned into the Norse God of War Emblem all over again, by golly.
Elle
Well, for all those people afraid of Friday the 13th, they have reason to be glad that this month has the only one this entire year, to get it out of the way and move on with their lives. There will only be one Friday the 13th in any year that starts on a Saturday, as 2011 did, whether it's a Leap Year or not, unlike other years, where there may be two or three during the year. For instance, any year that begins on a Thursday, like 2009, will have three months where the 13th is on a Friday, regardless of whether or not it's a Leap Year. So if you didn't already have any bad luck this year, you should be in the clear, and better days ahead. Speaking of better days ahead, more and more of everything is bursting into bloom, and a more welcome sight would be hard to imagine. Our front yard is a shimmering carpet of English wood hyacinths, while on the top walk, it's the giant allium stealing the show. The azalea and spirea have decked themselves in their showiest blossoms, but nothing can match the return of the exquisite lilac, with its heavenly fragrance worth waiting for, and often imitated but never equaled. I even saw an errant buttercup pop up on the lawn, in spite of the relentless ministrations of the landscapers, but I'm afraid they were too much for our lamium, primrose and pachysandra, where we traded in their jaunty flowers for the sake of neatness, and not necessarily an improvement, I can tell you that.
Anyone who watched the Kentucky Derby last week can tell you that it was a crackerjack finish, and as the first one out of the gate in the series, it was a true gem worthy of the Triple Crown. To the consternation of the odds-makers, it was the 20-1 shot, Animal Kingdom, who seemingly came out of nowhere to win handily by several lengths over a crowded field. And for an unheralded colt with no expectations, made it look easy, and could have kept right on running, if the race wasn't already over. The feel-good story of the day was the peculiar coincidence of the winning jockey, John Velazquez, whose hopes of Derby glory were dashed when he lost his original mount, as the favorite Uncle ("Keb") Mo was scratched with a stomach ailment just before the big race. All of the other horses were already taken, when suddenly another jockey was injured in an accident, and all at once, Animal Kingdom needed a new rider - and the rest, as they say, is history. Well, actually, it's a fairy tale, because if this was the NCAA Tournament, they would call this a Cinderella story, and they'd be right, even though there's not a basketball anywhere to be seen. Animal Kingdom seems to have a lot going for him in the upcoming Preakness, and even the longer length of the Belmont could be within his range, so a new Triple Crown winner might not be impossible after all this time. Personally, I wouldn't trust the ghost of Affirmed, whose malevolent spirit from the beyond has doomed the chances of countless hopefuls over the years, from Big Brown to War Emblem, without exception or favoritism. So I wish Animal Kingdom a lot of luck, because even if he can beat all the other horses on the track, he's still going to have to somehow hold off the ghost of Affirmed, and frankly, I don't care for his chances all that much.
Of course, last Sunday was Mother's Day, a time to honor all of the maternal figures in our lives, and it goes without saying, long may they wave. Around here, I can always count on the cats to come through for the occasion, and this no exception, as I expect to be set for life in the realms of catnip mice, Fancy Feast and hairballs, by golly. Actually, the cats generally defer to Bill's more refined taste in gift options, and so I expect that he's to thank for the lovely jewelry, flowers, candy, DVDs and tech gadgets, and not a catnip mouse anywhere in sight. Sunday was a beautiful day, so I hope that all of the mothers were able to get out and enjoy their special day. Our plan was to get a jump on the holiday, so we started on Saturday by hopping on board the Open Days bandwagon, presented by the Garden Conservancy (and please feel free to go right ahead and visit their web site at www.gardenconservancy.org and see for yourself) and awaited eagerly by horticultural enthusiasts all year. This is a program that invites the public on selected weekends to experience the luxurious private gardens at local estates, which unlike community parks, are not usually open to visitors. We went to the secluded property of a former Wall Street tycoon, a lush retreat of 55 rolling acres, lovingly transformed into a botanical wonderland by the landscape designers at the acclaimed Shanti-Bithi Nursery, and a treat for all five senses, everywhere you go. There are over 350 varieties of maples in their expansive Maple Garden, breathtaking vistas of tulips and daffodils in wild profusion along the walks, and just about every ornamental shrub or flowering tree that you can think of, and many that you'd never be able to think of. The entire property is awash with more creeks, streams, waterfalls, puddles, ponds and lakes than you could ever imagine, plus an abundance of bridges running the gamut from stone to wood to earth to concrete to moss, and even a whimsical rope bridge that Bill and I forswore as being way too precarious for our tastes. An additional attraction is the collection of exotic animals, including camels, zebras, flamingos, llamas, tortoises, emus, monkeys and more, plus an entire aviary of unusual birds and waterfowl. Bill had been engaged by Shanti-Bithi to engrave the identification tags for the plants, so we were invited to attend as part of the staff, and not the general public. As a result, we had an opportunity to join the rest of the crew for lunch at the house, and also got a chance to peek at the newborn serval cats, baby bunnies and turkey chicks in the barn, that was off-limits to the ordinary visitors. It was certainly an unforgettable adventure full of wonder and surprises, and an early Mother's Day treat that anyone would have enjoyed, mother or not, and I ought to know.
Bill and I did the most perfect thing on Thursday, we went to see the new movie "Thor" at the local cinema. By "perfect," of course I mean that Thursday is named after the Norse God of War, Thor, in the same way that Wednesday is named after his father, Odin. Back in the days that I was a young whipper-snapper (this would have been when the dinosaurs were roaming the vast unformed land masses amongst the primordial ooze) Thor was far and away my favorite comic book character, and I scooped them up as fast as my allowance would permit. Obviously, this was way before the advent of what are now called "graphic novels," and deservedly so, with their gritty realism, dark narrative, excessive violence and price tags to match. No, in those bygone halcyon days, a comic book was a simple joy, costing a mere dime or 12 cents, and to pay a whopping 25 cents on a double-issue was considered an extravagance for only the most reckless spendthrifts. Of course, much has changed over the years, and not always for the better, I can tell you that, and many favorite old super heroes have been so drastically altered as to be unrecognizable to their former fans. I wasn't expecting to care much for this newfangled live-action Thor, but I thought it might be interesting to see anyway, so off we trotted to the nearby New Roc entertainment complex, where the movie was playing in several theaters, including the IMAX 3-D version. Even without any visual enhancements, the showing set us back over $20, plus another $20 at the concession stand, so this could in no way be considered a cheap date, at least by the previous definition of the term. [Please see note above concerning dinosaurs and primordial ooze.] We were pleasantly surprised at the film (not $40 dollars worth, perhaps, but still) and thought it was very well done and entertaining throughout. It never lagged, and many of the special effects were stunning. The cast was eclectic, although not distractingly so, and Chris Hemsworth as the title character was surprisingly satisfactory. One standout feature of the story was the almost complete lack of dialogue banalities that plague most science-fiction movies like a contagious disease, so that even the most critical scenes become almost farcical to watch. As a whole, it had much to recommend it, and we were glad that we went. In the film industry vernacular, I would wish that the movie had good "legs," but I'm afraid that's all it would take to summon the ghost of Affirmed, and suddenly the Norse God of War would be turned into the Norse God of War Emblem all over again, by golly.
Elle
posted by El Tango Fandango @ 9:32 PM
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