Note: this is the second part of a two-part series; part one is here. It was raining when I left the house. By the time the race started, the sun was out. The perfect St. Louis recipe for … humidity! But no one ever said the weather conditions for today’s Scorcher Four race in...
Scorcher Four – Part 1
One year ago, I entered the Scorcher Four running race; it was my first race in three or four years after a long layoff due primarily to knee problems. The Scorcher Four is a four-mile (natch) race that circles through the streets in University City, Mo. It is sponsored by Ghisallo Running, and it...
Driving A Formula 1 Car
Since May 1970, when my dad took me to the first day of Time Trials for that year’s Indianapolis 500, I’ve been a fan of automobile racing. Back then it was all the American varieties, of course—USAC, NHRA, even NASCAR. I even rooted for Lloyd Ruby at Indy in the 70s, because I was...
The Early Adventures Of Mr. Fish
It’s my birthday today, so I’m going to indulge myself a little… The first dream I can remember having was animated. And when I say animated, it’s the 1950s-1960-style Disney animation, not the more-lifelike-than-reality animation we have today. It was also the only animated dream I can ever remember having. Anyway, in the dream,...
July 1980
Several key events from July of 1980, continuing my 30-years-ago reminiscenses: • Sometime around the middle of the month, I saw the Doobie Brothers in concert, with my old Mizzou roommate Bob. This was at the Checkerdome, like the earlier Who concert was, and again we had floor seats. From what I remember, it...
No Lines For The Men’s Restroom
About halfway through Lilith Fair last night, my brother Phil and I were estimating the male-to-female ratio of the crowd. I guessed 20:80; he figured it was 10:90. He may have been closer to the right number than I was. There are advantages for the males in a ratio like that—people-watching is more fun,...
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair, the all-women music festival founded in the late 1990s by Sarah McLachlan, returned to St. Louis last night. And just like the first two times it came to town, my brother Phil and I–both big Sarah fans–were in attendance. In 1997 and 1998 (the festival also toured in 1999, but didn’t come...
Return of the Air Show
After a five-year absence, Fair St. Louis brought back one of its most popular features this year: the air show over the Mississippi River. The show, which this year was held three times over the holiday weekend, features a variety of military and private aircraft, doing some pretty amazing tricks in front of the...
Rescue At Sea
It was actually refreshing to read this story today, about the rescue of Abby Sunderland: …The countries involved in the rescue effort have brushed off questions about the cost of the rescue and have no plans to seek recompense. Rescues at sea are a no-cost agreement under international conventions regarding maritime search and rescue...
More Mud To Move
Several weeks ago, I posted this picture of workers cleaning mud off of the cobblestones on the St. Louis riverfront. The mud had been left there when the Mississippi River rose above flood stage, and then fell back out. I said then that their job was worthy of the television show “Dirty Jobs.” But...