Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Let It Ride!
I
must have been 14 when I went to the horse races for the first time. I
was 14 and my brother was 12. We were vacationing in Riudoso. It
was the summer after my grandmother died and my dad wanted to be near family.
My uncle owned a condo there so we met the rest of the Cauthorn’s in
New Mexico.
My
grandfather was sad. He had always worn his emotions for everyone to see,
and in Riudoso he cried a lot. He cried when we arrived, he cried
whenever anyone talked about MaryAnn, and he cried when any of us sat on his
lap.
The first
day in Riudoso our entire family went to the racetrack at Riudoso Downs.
My dad gave my brother and me ten dollars to spend any way we wanted.
Patrick and I loved to watch the horses as the approached the starting
gate. We thought we could tell which horse looked faster by the way the
strutted down the track. My dad and Uncle bought a racing forum as we
entered. They read the statistics of each horse before they made their
bets. Pat and I only bet to win, place, or show, while my father and
uncle would place more exotic bets like the daily doubles, exactas, and the
quinellas.
By
the end of the afternoon, Patrick and I were broke; I think everyone else was
too.
The
next day, Patrick and I convinced my oldest cousin, Clay to take us back.
Before we left, my dad pulled us aside and gave us some money to bet the Super
Tri in the 4th and 6th race of the day. The way the
Super Tri worked was the better picked the top three horses in order in the 4th
race and the top four horses in order in the 6th race. The pot
was carried over until it is won. I believe the Super Tri that day was at
$32,500.
We
had a great time at the races. Patrick, Clay, and I lost all our money
and headed home. In the back seat of the car I noticed I still had my
racing card with our picks and the finishers. I noticed that my dad’s
picks for the Super Tri were not too far off so I made a few changes on my card
to make it look like he would have won. I did not tell anyone.
We
arrived home with all the family around and told them about our day and about
how much fun we had. My grandfather asked me if I had won anything, I
emptied my pockets of change and mostly losing tickets and of course the
doctored racing card.
Time
passed, about an hour, maybe more before my dad noticed my racing card.
My dad is a great man, great in the sense of his capacity for generosity, love,
and patience. But as he started to realize what was on my racing card he
changed…
“CHARLIE!!
PATRICK!! CLAY!! Get in here now!”
He
started screaming about his bet. My cousin kept trying to convince him
that we had made his bet for him and that it had lost. Dad kept pointing
at the racing card and his racing forum. Patrick started balling.
The entire family rushed in to see what was going on, it got louder and louder.
I did not say a word. I just sat.
Finally
it came out. Clay’s racing card was different from the one in my dad’s
hand. It was then all eyes found me. I smiled.
Out
of the silence came a great laugh, a laugh that came from my grandfather’s
belly and filled the room. The man who cried at the drop of a hat was crying
now, crying and laughing. And then, we were all crying and laughing.
When
we left Ruidoso that summer, my grandfather did not just cry, he wept. When I
think back to that time it was never weird to me that my grandfather cried, I
never felt like it was weakness, in fact it was, in a way comforting to me.
It was comforting to know that someone I loved, and who loved me cared so
much.
Monday, September 03, 2012
Mid Year Review (a little late)
I think it is about time that I revisit my new year's resolution to see how things are going.
My first New Year's Resolution was to read 30 minutes a day. The ideas was that this would help me get more sleep. I am finding this hard to monitor. I don't know how I am doing other than to say that I am not getting any more sleep. For next year, I need to have a better way to record. Should I scrap the reading and start averaging 7.5 hours of sleep a night? Maybe.
My next Resolution was to read five books on Random House Top 100 novels that my mother and I selected. I am happy to report progress. I have read Under the Net by Iris Murdock (loved it!), Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (again, fantastic), and The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad (exceedingly difficult). I have about four month the finish our final two selections; Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow, and Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara. I don't think this is going to be a problem.
My finger nails have never been shorter which means that my desire to keep my fingers out of my mouth is failing. Let's go Cauthorn!
I am most proud of my final resolution; to average 10,000 steps a day. As of yesterday (September 2nd) I have taken 163,460 over my average. This gives me a huge cushion for the last four months of the year. I got this no problem.
My first New Year's Resolution was to read 30 minutes a day. The ideas was that this would help me get more sleep. I am finding this hard to monitor. I don't know how I am doing other than to say that I am not getting any more sleep. For next year, I need to have a better way to record. Should I scrap the reading and start averaging 7.5 hours of sleep a night? Maybe.
My next Resolution was to read five books on Random House Top 100 novels that my mother and I selected. I am happy to report progress. I have read Under the Net by Iris Murdock (loved it!), Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (again, fantastic), and The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad (exceedingly difficult). I have about four month the finish our final two selections; Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow, and Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara. I don't think this is going to be a problem.
My finger nails have never been shorter which means that my desire to keep my fingers out of my mouth is failing. Let's go Cauthorn!
I am most proud of my final resolution; to average 10,000 steps a day. As of yesterday (September 2nd) I have taken 163,460 over my average. This gives me a huge cushion for the last four months of the year. I got this no problem.
