Off to the Races

Today I am off to Saratoga Race Track.  It has become an August tradition for a few friends of mine to spend the day together at the track.  We start with the breakfast buffet, wear sundresses and hats, and try our best to pick a winning horse each race.  We also consume a few Corona's out of cans since we're not permitted to bring glass bottles into the park.

I can pretty much sum up my betting principles into two three categories:

1. The horse has a cool name
2. The horse decided to take a #2 just before the race
3. The horse is #9 or #12 (both were jersey numbers of mine in school)

Although I don't bet big money (I take the safe route with Quinella Box bets), the last few times I have gone I have at least come home with the same amount I left with.  And breaking even is good enough for me. It's all about the experience.  The weather is usually gorgeous, the horses are fun to watch, and the time spent with friends is priceless.

Are you a gambler?  Have you gone to the races up in Saratoga?  Do you have any tips or tricks for me? 

Would you rather...

Friday night's round of Pizza Hut's "Would You Rather" questions was a lot of fun.  Although at 9:00pm after a long day of slush puppies and carnival rides I'm fairly positive anything would seem comical.  I figured it was worth posting a few "Would You Rather" scenarios on the blog to see what kooky responses you could come up with:

Would you rather...

• Eat a bar of soap or drink a bottle of dish detergent? 
• I would probably go with the bar of soap.  Not sure I could handle the liquid version. 
• Have three eyes or webbed feet?
• Webbed feet.  They are a little less conspicuous.
• Kiss a jellyfish or step on a crab?
• Step on a crab.  I've heard jelly fish stings are a force to be reckoned with.
• Get free chocolate for one year or free potatoes forever?
• This is an easy one... CHOCOLATE.
• Be rich with an unhappy job or make less money with a job you like?
• There are benefits to both - more money makes things a little easier outside of work, however you spend 8 hours a day at work so it might as well be enjoyable.  This is a toughie...
• Be the sand castle or the wave?
• The wave. Although I have nothing witty to say here.
• Forget your sunscreen or your sunglasses?
• Because I'm mostly Irish and my skin rebels, I'd have to go with forgetting the sunglasses.
  
• End hunger or hatred?
• Hatred.  We're all obese anyway.
• Forget who you were or who everyone else was?
• Forget who I am.  Everyone else can help me piece things back together.
• Go to an amusement park or to a family reunion?
• Oddly enough I'm going to go with family reunion.  I actually had a little pros and cons list going in my head about this, but family reunion won out.  As crazy and hectic as some family gatherings can be, I have a lot of fond memories of family get-togethers.  

(Questions found at: www.bzoink.com)

Home-ownership is grand…

It appears we have a variation of King Midas’ curse: everything we touch turns to crap.  Earlier this spring the lawn tractor battery needed to be replaced, the truck battery needed to be replaced, some capacitor thing in our flat screen TV decided to overheat, and our house decided to start peeling.  Then the truck exhaust went, the boat starter, and now the bearing spindles on the mower deck for the ride on mower.  And of course, all of these things cost money.  Big green dollar signs.  I’ve decided I don’t want to be a grown-up anymore.  It’s suddenly lost its appeal.

I take back all those times that I fought my mother to take a nap.  God, I miss naps.  I take back all those times I said “I can’t wait to grow up and move out!” Living was free and easy then.  Unfortunately I was one of those precocious five year olds determined to grow up and be successful.  Well, the growing up part happened and I guess I’m successful to a degree but much like the rest of the country, I was not counting on our “Great Recession” and the compounded greed of politicians.  So as successful as I am, it never seems to be enough.  I laugh now because my mother always used to say “how does it feel to want?” when I was a whiney little kid at the checkout line.  Well, now I have a new found perspective and a whole new appreciation on how it feels to want.