Racing Deluge

September 11, 2006 D. H. McKee

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Went to the horse races in Elora on Friday last. That was a pretty interesting experience. I haven’t been since I went to Woodbine in Toronto — that was way back in ’97 I think. Didn’t really like it then, and didn’t really like it now.
R was part of a group that was trying to raise some funds by having a night out at the racetrack. There was a 50/50 draw, some other prizes, and a buffet dinner (which catered somewhat to vegetarians). Food and drink were included in the price, but alcohol was extra, so I stayed sober. Probably a good thing to do when betting money on horses with numbers on them.
This was harness racing; the kind of racing where the driver/jockey sits on a little two-wheeled cart right behind the horse’s anus. Not a particularly reassuring place to be. The minimum bet was $2, and I bet a couple of times. Most of the time, the horse was dead last. A couple of times, the horse was dead first until the last 30m of the race — then it was dead last.
It was kind of fun, and one or two old guys in the front started really yelling at their horses. They were of the age where it wouldn’t have been surprising for them to be wearing fedoras and smoking heavily, while reading the folded-over racing form.
At the end of the night, there was one of the most severe thunderstorms I’ve ever been in, and we had parked at the far end of the blacked-out parking lot. Now that was exciting.

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As a guy who occasionally curates art shows and wrangles artists together, I often have to edit and post artist bios, profile pictures, and artwork images. This can be a problem, since many artists and writers aren’t used to selling themselves. Artists rarely know how to present their art for display in a brochure, and writers aren’t used to writing about themselves.

Writers often treat the bio like it’s an interview or something. Maybe like they’re having a conversation with you, the reader. While it may work sometimes, the most common way to write a bio is to write in the 3rd person.

I’m like those writers, and I’m talking to you directly, unlike the common way to do a bio. You should see my About page. It makes sense to me, since this is a bit which describes my blog’s website. When I get famous enough that I don’t have time to talk to you, I’ll have an intern write everything in 3rd person. Until then, you get to talk to me.

Like blogs of old, this one is a personal document of the comings and goings of me. Articles I’ve written, links I’ve posted, videos I liked, etc. Here, a first-person perspective is the way to go, at least for now. So, this is my site. I’m D. H. McKee, a sometimes artist, sometimes writer. Mostly just a guy on the internet.