A Tale of Two States

There is a pretty big rivalry between Indiana and Kentucky around these parts.  In the Evansville, IN metropolitan area, there are two decent sized Kentucky towns:  Owensboro and Henderson.  I hear plenty of jokes that find the natives of the "other" state the butts. Depending on which side of the Ohio River you are, determines on whether you hear a Kentuckian joke or a Hoosier joke.

Why did they build the bridge between Evansville and Henderson?  So Kentuckians can swim across in the shade.  Not to be outdone, the editor of the Henderson Gleaner publishes a Hoosier joke every week.  It is all in fun till someone gets hurt.

Indiana knows about injury.  In 1997, Indiana went to class basketball.  Before then, the high school basketball tournament was legendary.  All schools, big and small, played for one title.  The championship game was carried on ESPN every year and the movie Hoosiers was based on a small school that conquered the giants.  Hoosier Hysteria was known from sea to sea.  Now?  There are four classes of high school basketball, four state champions and exactly four people who actually care about Indiana high school basketball.  My friends in Kentucky were quick to jump, "I knew you hoosiers were stupid, but not THAT stupid."

Fast forward to 2009.  Kentuckians get their comeuppance. As basketball is/was to Indiana, horse racing is to Kentucky.  Because of river boat and other casinos in the area, horse race wagering has been down in the commonwealth.  The solution?  Expand the betting experience at these tracks, to include slot machines or even video poker. 

So, the governor and the legislature got to work. They aren't going to let the "Sport of Kings" die out in the bluegrass state, are they?  Yes they are.  Every measure has been defeated in the legislature by one party (guess which one).  

This isn't about gambling.  It is about history, tradition and an institution.  It is about hoosier hysteria Kentucky style.

So far the fallout has been that Ellis Park in Henderson is announcing that this is its last season after 80-some odd years as a cultural and economic staple.  Even major players like Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, are taking a hits over it.  Some major players are moving their operations to other states.  The eight horse tracks in Kentucky will be fewer.  Ellis Park is the first to announce, but probably not the last.

So, now hoosiers get their chance to laugh at the stupid Kentuckians.  However, no one on either side of the river seems to find it funny.

Obama, the surest thing since Big Brown

NEWS FLASH is basically news or thoughts that may be changing over time - an update or an evolution of thought that covers a multiple of topics. It is what makes a blogger tick and it is the reason why we read. So, with that in mind, I came up with NEWS FLASH as an acronym that stands for what is going on in life:



News (or current events)
Entertainment (movies, TV, celebrity, etc.)
Writing (thoughts on the blog(s) or other writing projects)
Spirit (thoughts on God and/or the supernatural)
Family (or friends)
Love
Anxiety (a rant or a trouble)
Sports (also considered should be contests, reality TV, recreation, cards, games), and
Home (house, yard, or even another family type of thought.
___________________________________________________________________

NEWS - It looks like it is the "Barack Obama Show" That will work for me. I endorsed Hillary (but predicted it would be Obama). I think Obama will be just fine. I think the thought of it being ANYONE other than "W" is just as exciting as can be. I know the polls are close now between McCain and Obama, I think by October, it will be a foregone conclusion that Obama will have it wrapped up. The reason I say this is summed up perfectly by a person I know that is a bit of a racist. I said to him, "So, I suppose you are going to vote for McCain now that Obama got the nomination."

He replied, "Nah, I am going to vote for Obama," he went on to say, "If there is anything scarier than a black man leading my country, it is another Republican. We can't afford no more of that! And I have never voted Democrat in my life!"

Language and PC aside, the simple message is that McCain has absolutely no chance.

ENTERTAINMENT - Last night, my wife and I visited my nephew and his wife. While there, I was enticed to join with them to play a Xbox 360 game called Rock Band. In a nutshell, the people in your group play an instrument or sing to pre-existing songs already contained in the game - kind of like karaoke, except with fake instruments. The choices include lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. I started off on drums, but wasn't very good. Then I moved to guitar where I was a star. The game is addicting, I must say.

WORK - I have yet another business adventure in the works in addition to my other ones. I don't want to get into details yet, but suffice to say, that if I go through with it, I will have even less time than I do now. Still, it is kind of an old dream of mind. Stay tuned.

SPIRIT - I am trying to stay away from the "little picture" thing. Sometimes, in a way, I can't see the forest for the trees. It is just that sometimes the trees are big and require lots of work - trimming and the like. Yet, God sees the big picture. He understands why hardship "x" exists; He sees the finished product. It is a matter of trust and abandonining the self.

FAMILY - Praise God! My sister finally received the "all clear" for Social Security Disability. If anyone is entitled to it, it is my sister. She worked for years on very tough and physically taxing jobs - paid into the system. Finally, she can stop worrying about how to keep on her utilities on and other necessities that most of us take for granted. It will take about three months, but I think we can wait.

LOVE - My wife has been battling daily migraines for a week now. It is really debilitating for her. She tried to call her doctor AGAIN (she just saw the doctor two weeks ago), but the doc is out of town. She is desperate for help and I feel helpless. Anyone have any good migraine remedies? She has tried caffeine, and several pain relievers and prescription migraine medicines. None have worked so far.

ANXIETY - I mentioned above that my wife and I visited my nephews this past weekend. He lives about 35 miles away. There is a parkway that connects his city with the city I work in. Once you get on it, you are stuck till you reach the next city. I noticed as soon as we got on it (at 10:30 at night, by the way) that the "low fuel" light popped on. Oh no! I couldn't turn around, I just had to hope that I could make it all the way to the next town (28 miles away). Our Jeep is a gas guzzler so it isn't a sure thing by any stretch. My wife had a headache, so I didn't want to bother her about it. I saw the warning light and snapped my head to look at her. Fortunately, she was fiddling with her Zune (an Ipod competitor) and didn't see the warning.

The speed limit on this parkway is 70 mph (113 km/h). I lowered my speed to 50 (80), then to 45 (72). She somehow didn't notice all the traffic passing us as if we were standing still. I also switched the air conditioner off and just used the vent. She liked that because she is always cold. I sat and drove in my own sweaty filth for 25 miles.

As we eased in front of the fuel pump at the first station I saw at the end of the parkway, I said audibly, "Thank God." My wife looked puzzled and inquired about the gas. I told her, "Babe, for the past half an hour we were cruising on fumes and fond memories." SIXTY-FOUR dollars of fuel later, we zipped the final 12 miles to our home at the speed limit and with the AC a blazing!

SPORTS - It was a sad day this past Saturday when Big Brown failed to capture the Triple Crown of Horse Racing. He was the closest thing to sure thing that we have had. Even his competition was scratched so it was all open. Yet, Big Brown failed to run.

His trainer can't figure it out. He should ask me. Big Brown has been on steroids all his racing life. For the Belmont Stakes, he was NOT on it. What is the mystery?

HOME - I am still at an impass with my renter, although he did pay me rent. No one I have talked to can believe his position. I will keep my vision off the trees on this one for sure.

Scott McClellan, Mary Kay, and the Triple Crown

NEWS FLASH is basically news or thoughts that may be changing over time - an update or an evolution of thought that covers a multiple of topics. It is what makes a blogger tick and it is the reason why we read. So, with that in mind, I came up with NEWS FLASH as an acronym that stands for what is going on in life:



News (or current events)
Entertainment (movies, TV, celebrity, etc.)
Writing (thoughts on the blog(s) or other writing projects)
Spirit (thoughts on God and/or the supernatural)
Family (or friends)
Love
Anxiety (a rant or a trouble)
Sports (also considered should be contests, reality TV, recreation, cards, games), and
Home (house, yard, or even another family type of thought.
___________________________________________________________________

NEWS - Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan wrote a tell-all book about some major issues in the Bush White House. In response, the Bush team all recite the same mantra: "It is puzzling. He never said anything to us at the time that he had these thoughts. It doesn't sound like the Scott McClellan I know."

Apparently, according to McClellan, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and Scooter Libby lied about their involvement in exposing CIA operative Valerie Plame. Also, and even more importantly, the Bush administration exaggerated and trumped up reasons to justify going to war in Iraq and relied on propaganda (McClellan's words not mine) to convince the American people to go along with it.

Excuse me, but is this really news to anyone?

ENTERTAINMENT - Can't Hollywood make a movie that critics will like? I get so tired of looking forward to a movie (read: Indiana Jones) and find out that critics chop it to shreds before I get a chance to see it. It is not that I believe the critics; I believe in judging for myself for the most part. However, reading that a movie stinks sure takes the excitement out of seeing it. I think that maybe movie critics should review movies in a more measured way. For instance, they might say if you like "x", then you will like this movie. After all, we don't all have the same taste, do we?

WRITING - I am mulling over whether or not I should apply to be on our local paper's editorial advisement board. Board members have input on the editorial pages and write one column per month. If you think I should try, what posts do you think I should send to the paper (I must submit three "articles").

SPIRIT - I just can't seem to get my priorities in order. Intellectually I can reason the right order of things, but they do not manifest themselves in actuality in my life. God first, family second, job third. I just don't seem to let God take the wheel enough.

FAMILY - My wife is now a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. Can you believe that? She is so introverted and shy that it just seems like a bad fit in that respect. However, she cares and knows a ton about fashion and make-up, so that part fits. This line is continued in the next section.

LOVE - My wife, the Mary Kay rep, originally decided NOT to do it for the reasons I mentioned above. However, since her father and another counselor told her that in order for her life and marriage to improve, she must step outside her comfort zone, she decided to do the Mary Kay thing. It cost us a fortune to get her started, but if it helps her and us, it will be money well spent. Now, who out there is interested in me recovering some of this investment, uh, I mean who out there is interested in Mary Kay cosmetics?

ANGUISH - My renter guy is really pushing me beyond the brink. All of the sudden he is trying to insist I put on a new roof on the house I am renting to him. The deal was that I would rent the house to him for an extremely low amount so he could put some money into the house. Therefore, when he buys the house (for a low, pre-improvement price) it will be in good shape. We knew that the roof was going to be needing replaced at some point, but there was no mention of ME doing it. I think it has a couple of good years left. He thinks that I should rent it to him (at about 40% discount, pay to have a new roof put on, and STILL sell it to him as if I didn't put a new roof on). I am this ---> <--- close to giving him the boot.

SPORTS - Two thirds of the Triple Crown of horse racing is in the books. There is a very good chance that the undefeated Big Brown will be the first horse in thirty years to win all three races of the crown. He was not even tested in the first two. However, a horse from Japan named Casino Drive is coming in to try to steal the crown from him. This horse has impressive credentials and is also undefeated. It will be quite the race to watch. For those interested, is Saturday, June 6 on ABC, at 5 pm EDT.