What A Difference A Day Makes

I run like a girl. Try to keep up.

Last weekend, Zenyatta appeared on Hollywood Park's track to bit adieu to her fans after being retired following her Breeders' Cup Classic win at the beginning of November.

There was a Zenyatta DVD and poster giveaway to celebrate the career of this grand mare. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was even in attendance to give a brief speech. Owners Jerry & Ann Moss (pictured left) seemed like proud parents as they talked about Zenyatta's career.

By the way, Jerry Moss was the "M" in A&M Records who produced The Police's third (and arguably their best) album, Zenyatta Mondatta. And that, my friends, is how Zenyatta got her name.

Zenyatta will parade one more time at Santa Anita on opening day, December 26, before she ships back to Kentucky. You can read more about the event here. I will be there to say so long to a mare who has been thrilling racing fans with her unique running style and her undefeated record.

Things That Make Me Happy: Numero Uno

This wind-up pony sits on my desk and provides me with much amusement during the course of an average workday.

Especially when I wind it up a lot and it clickedy-clacks across my desk, prompting my co-workers to ask (with a hint of annoyance), "What *is* that noise?" And then I laugh. Yes, my dear readers, I am really that easily amused.

Ralph

This is Ralph.

Ralph is your typical Basset Hound in many ways...

Adorable, content to just laze around,

and, um, short, with really long ears.

But Ralph also happens to be very shy.

Every so often he comes around though, and when he does, his eyes just make my heart melt. Or maybe it's the ears. Or his wet, black nose.

At any rate, when he looks at me like this, I want to dognap him and take him home with me. But then I realize that his parents probably wouldn't like that too much and he would miss them anyway. So I don't dognap him, but I think you could understand why I would want to...right? Right? I mean, really, who can resist a look like this?

R&R

"Light be the earth upon you, lightly rest."
-Euripiedes