-I've added a couple of new links on the left side menu bar. The first link is to the Cliff Mass Weather Blog, which is providing some excellent commentary on the current winter storm in Seattle.
The second is a link to the website for the documentary film The First Saturday in May. The film, produced and directed by the Hennegan Brothers, provides and in-depth look at six trainers and their horses as they try to make the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby.
I was fortunate enough to see The First Saturday in May last year when it was showing at the Varsity Theater in the University District and have since picked up the DVD. It's a great behind the scenes look at horse racing that the general public rarely gets to see. Not only do we see the routine of the trainers and the way that they deal with the expectations and the pressures of having a "Derby horse", but we get a look at the people that surround them, as well.
Below is a trailer to the film
-Speaking of the Hennegan Brothers, John Hennegan left a comment in yesterday's post along with a link to a video they created honoring the star of Road House, Patrick Swayze. Click on the link below to take a look back at the career of Patrick Swayze.
Swayze on You
Pretty much any scene from a Patrick Swayze movie is pure gold, but can anybody think of one that is better than in Road House when Dalton runs down Jimmy the Henchman on foot and then leaps in the air to knock him off his motorcycle? Pure...cinematic...gold.
For those uninitiated into the fabulous world of Road House, I would suggest the following posts as a primer:
Bar Fights, Mullets and Monster Trucks: The Legacy of Road House
The Cars (and Bikes) of Road House
-All this talk about Road House and Patrick Swayze reminded me that I have a post in the vault that I've been working on for the last few months but have never finished. The post takes a look at the classic Keanu Reeves/Patrick Swayze adrenaline rush, Point Break.
-The Seattle Times has an article about Seattle's refusal to use salt on the roads during periods of snow and ice. It's an absurd policy but one that probably won't be changed anytime soon. Instead, we'll continue to see major arterials packed with snow and ice days after a major weather event. As other commentators around the region have noted, the inability of Seattle to deal with even the most minor winter storm has to have an impact on the city's productivity. Thousands of people can't get to work because of a horribly ineffective bus system and a city government that won't take the proper actions to clear the roads.
-This afternoon I will be heading to the mall in an attempt to purchase all of my Christmas presents in my traditional "Wait Until the Last Minute" Xmas rush. Given the conditions of the roads in the greater Seattle area, I'm guessing that most of the stores have been cleaned out and I'll be relegated to buying everyone I know gift cards and/or items from kiosks in the middle of the mall.
-I tried to pick up a Daily Racing Form recently at the Pike Place Newsstand and was informed that they didn't have any due to the delivery truck not being able to make it downtown. It's one thing not to be able to go to work or the grocery store due to the snow. It's something completely different when I can't get my Form.