And Down the Stretch They Come

A bunch of us went to the 131st running of the Kentucky Derby this past weekend and had a blast. It is definitely a one time experience everybody needs to go to, but there is no middle ground. You're either filthy rich, dressed up, wearing a big hat, and paying tons of money for a nice seat or else you're filty poor, in cargo short, packed in the infield, drunk, and worn out from the days events. You have probably guessed already that I was not one of those in the nice seats. Tickets cost $40, but it was well worth it. The infield is a giant party and throughout the day there were 12 horse races. I only bet on three, but I thought betting on "Greater Good" to win the Derby was a calling for me. Boy was I wrong. I don't know what place he finished, but he definitely became known as "Not so Good" or "A Waste of Money" or "Seabuscuits Wicked Stepson" to me. We ended up staying at one of our Past Presidents of General Council's House. He was a great host, and introduced us all to the mint juleps on Friday night. What a great drink, but I soon realized that you arent' supposed to eat the mint leaf. Although my breath was fresh for a long time, it didn't settle to well in my stomach. There is quite the wide array of characters at the event, and I saw people from Super Heroes to topless women doing cheerleading stunts. The latter definitely took some planning and practice. We met up with two of Tillie's sorority sister and their boyfriends, who were also from Iowa. It was great to finally be able to hang out with Iowans again. The day was a great time, but I was definitely worn out after the festivities. Hopefully, we'll get back again next year and my luck will be better.