Post-Conference Regroup
Spent the past three days at a work-related conference. I successfully schmoozed with a bunch of people in the department and with at least one guest speaker. I had a good time, but I didn't spend very much time with the folks I actually work with every day. Hopefully that won't be interpreted as my being anti-social, because it wasn't meant that way. I hung out with some other people from the office instead and introduced myself to other folks who work for the state in other regions. My direct co-workers displayed a tendency to sit at the back of the room and not really pay attention to the talks, but talk amongst themselves. So I only sat with them twice and moved up closer to the front on the other occasions when we were in the same sessions. I have to track down some research articles to send to one of the speakers since I answered a question for him regarding why Iraq had been developing aflatoxin as a biological weapon just prior to the first Gulf War.
I participated in the talent show with a group of people from the office. We sang "Sea Cruise" as a group while wearing sunglasses and leis that lit up. We had a blast and we even won honorable mention.
Why I tend to not watch the Breeder's Cup....
Because horses go down whenever I happen to catch a race. Pine Island just fell, slammed Javier Castellano into the ground and rolled over him. Fleet Indian was pulled up at the top of the homestretch. Dr. Bramlage is reporting a open fracture-dislocation of Pine Island's left front fetlock. With an open fracture, she's guaranteed to develop infection. Castellano is supposed to ride Bernardini, the winner of the 2006 Preakness, in the Breeder's Cup Classic later this afternoon. It's not clear if he'll be fit to do that.
Edgar Prado, the winning jockey, did not celebrate his win, but kept looking over his shoulder to see how Mr. Castellano was doing as he was loaded up into the ambulance. Mr. Prado knows what it's like to ride a horse that breaks down in a race. Mr. Prado rode Barbaro in the Preakness this year. That's got to be one of the grimmest winner's circle photos I've ever seen for a group of owners who just won $1 million. Not much in the way of smiling.
Joe Pesci just handed over the trophy to the owner of Round Pond. Mr. Pesci looked horrible and his entire presentation consisted of the sentence "Here, I think this is yours. It's heavy." I think this is a fine example of not planning what to say prior to a big event.
Update on Javier Castellano: He's confirmed he will ride Bernardini. He didn't apparently get injured when Pine Island fell and rolled over the top of him. There had been some concern that he had injured his knee.
Update on Pine Island: Shortly after being taken to the
vet barn, Pine Island was euthanized. She sustained too much soft tissue damage along with the multiple fractures. Dr. Bramlage reported that there was no way to restore circulation to her leg because of the severity of the injury. It's a bad bad day for the Phipps Stable and Trainer Shug McGaughey.
Pine Island won 4 out of 6 starts this year. She was a big dark bay 3 year old filly. Apparently she couldn't start and stop fast, but once she got going there wasn't much stopping her. Shug McGaughey has called her "an old, hard-running, big, old, country kind of horse and she always gives her all." The photo is of Pine Island winning the Gazelle at Belmont three weeks ago.
Update on Fleet Indian: Fleet Indian has sustained only soft tissue injuries, straining her suspensory ligament. Had she kept running, she'd have ended up with fractures too. Pine Island wouldn't quit running, even on three legs, until she fell.
In other news:
There are 215 noodles in each can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup.
Cool Website of the Day:
Adopt-A-Microbe!
I don't feel much like blogging just now. Pine Island was my pick to win the Distaff today and I was looking forward to tracking her offspring after she became a broodmare. Needless to say that won't be happening now. I'll post fall leaf pictures later.
I participated in the talent show with a group of people from the office. We sang "Sea Cruise" as a group while wearing sunglasses and leis that lit up. We had a blast and we even won honorable mention.
Why I tend to not watch the Breeder's Cup....
Because horses go down whenever I happen to catch a race. Pine Island just fell, slammed Javier Castellano into the ground and rolled over him. Fleet Indian was pulled up at the top of the homestretch. Dr. Bramlage is reporting a open fracture-dislocation of Pine Island's left front fetlock. With an open fracture, she's guaranteed to develop infection. Castellano is supposed to ride Bernardini, the winner of the 2006 Preakness, in the Breeder's Cup Classic later this afternoon. It's not clear if he'll be fit to do that.
Edgar Prado, the winning jockey, did not celebrate his win, but kept looking over his shoulder to see how Mr. Castellano was doing as he was loaded up into the ambulance. Mr. Prado knows what it's like to ride a horse that breaks down in a race. Mr. Prado rode Barbaro in the Preakness this year. That's got to be one of the grimmest winner's circle photos I've ever seen for a group of owners who just won $1 million. Not much in the way of smiling.
Joe Pesci just handed over the trophy to the owner of Round Pond. Mr. Pesci looked horrible and his entire presentation consisted of the sentence "Here, I think this is yours. It's heavy." I think this is a fine example of not planning what to say prior to a big event.
Update on Javier Castellano: He's confirmed he will ride Bernardini. He didn't apparently get injured when Pine Island fell and rolled over the top of him. There had been some concern that he had injured his knee.
Update on Pine Island: Shortly after being taken to the
vet barn, Pine Island was euthanized. She sustained too much soft tissue damage along with the multiple fractures. Dr. Bramlage reported that there was no way to restore circulation to her leg because of the severity of the injury. It's a bad bad day for the Phipps Stable and Trainer Shug McGaughey.Pine Island won 4 out of 6 starts this year. She was a big dark bay 3 year old filly. Apparently she couldn't start and stop fast, but once she got going there wasn't much stopping her. Shug McGaughey has called her "an old, hard-running, big, old, country kind of horse and she always gives her all." The photo is of Pine Island winning the Gazelle at Belmont three weeks ago.
Update on Fleet Indian: Fleet Indian has sustained only soft tissue injuries, straining her suspensory ligament. Had she kept running, she'd have ended up with fractures too. Pine Island wouldn't quit running, even on three legs, until she fell.
In other news:
There are 215 noodles in each can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup.
Cool Website of the Day:
Adopt-A-Microbe!
I don't feel much like blogging just now. Pine Island was my pick to win the Distaff today and I was looking forward to tracking her offspring after she became a broodmare. Needless to say that won't be happening now. I'll post fall leaf pictures later.
Comments