Holiday Inn

Hello World, It's summertime, summertime, sum-sum-summertime! Of course, it isn't anything like summertime, not by a long shot - in fact, in this area, it would first have to gain at least 40 degrees, just to get as warm as it was in March, for heaven's sake, and make anyone start to think about summer on the horizon. However, it truly is Memorial Day weekend, which is widely recognized as the unofficial start of the summer season, and we've certainly got all the fun-in-the-sun sales and movie blockbusters to show for it, by golly. And while it does no good to complain about the weather, heaven knows, it must be said that this has been just the worst month for being cold and wet that I can remember in a good long time, and all the more outrageous for being ostensibly the merry, merry month of May, long beloved of singers and poets for its blue skies and balmy breezes. All the hefty bedclothes and outerwear that were packed away two months ago, have been frantically yanked out of mothballs and pressed into service once again, trundling into the teeth of some of the most inclement weather we've had all year, including the dead of winter, and it goes without saying, thanks so very much not. If this is anyone's idea of Spring, I say the heck with it, and let me make it perfectly clear that I am unanimous in that. So, how about I'll Have Another once again storming out of the backstretch to nip Bodemeister at the wire, winning the Preakness in dramatic fashion, and thrilling the Pimlico throng in the process. And what a tantalizing prospect, collecting the first two gems in the Triple Crown, and leading people to wonder if this might actually be the year that we finally see a new Triple Crown winner emerge for the first time since the long ago bygone days of 1978. They're going wild at the Belmont, as everyone in the world wants to be on hand to see history in the making, and anybody who can jump on this bandwagon - from the sponsors, to the media, the merchandisers, the concessions, politicians, celebrities and front-runners of all descriptions - they are ready to ride this pony as far as it will take them. Personally, I wouldn't trust the malevolent spirit of Affirmed as far as I could throw it, and too many horses have already gotten this far and failed, so while I wish I'll Have Another every success, I have to say that I wouldn't go printing up those Triple Crown souvenir T-shirts just yet. Alert readers may recall that Bill and I went to see the new Avengers movie last week, and enjoyed it enormously, which is about the only way you can enjoy a large-scale spectacle of this sort, I suppose. It turns out that because Bill bought the tickets online using his smart phone, we were entitled to a free MP3 download of a song from the movie soundtrack, which I thought was a nice touch. Frankly, the movie didn't seem to have a lot of music to speak of, not like modern movies often do, where they play contemporary songs throughout the story, presumably to make the soundtrack album more enticing to young audiences. I thought The Avengers had a very dramatic score (of course, the dinosaurs and I can't help but recall the movie magic of Erich Korngold and his sweeping orchestral arrangements in the background of countless vintage films) but very little in the way of popular music along the way, except over the closing credits. The selection in question turned out to be Comeback by Redlight King, and it was entertaining enough, and the price was certainly right. So that was an extra added bonus to a movie that we already liked, and we didn't even have to fight off legions of demonic alien hordes for it, like the beleaguered Avengers had to, so that was even better. And speaking of better days ahead, I can see that time's a-wasting here, and no time to lose in getting ready for our holiday plans and seasonal events before it's too late, because after all, June is just around the corner. Yes, it's really true that I was at church to drop off some papers on Tuesday, which was May 22, and discovered to my chagrin, the very first of our yuletide mailings for the spirit of Christmas yet to come, and I don't mind saying, thanks oh so very much not, and not to mention, bah humbug and plenty of it. This was from our friends at Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan of all places (and please feel free to go right ahead and visit their web site at www.bronners.com and see for yourself) who thought we would appreciate getting an early jump on the season with their assortment of holiday ornaments, and which we were invited to customize to our hearts content - that is, as long as we wanted a minimum of 200 of exactly the same thing. Heck, if they sent out this catalog any earlier, we could easily be ordering them in time to be Easter ornaments instead, which is an innovation that I'm sure the nice folks at Bronner's would be all too happy to endorse, by golly. And that's not just a lot of mistletoe and holly berries, believe me. In fact, they have a very nice frosted glass ornament with a couple of snowmen in a horse-drawn sleigh, but I'm afraid that's all it would take to summon the evil ghost of Affirmed back from the great beyond, and it would be just one more Triple Crown down the tubes all over again. Or should I say, I'll Have Another! Elle