And then, there was clusterfuck.

Right before Derby Day, I made this secret bargain with God. Everyone around me was getting sick, I was starting to feel run down and living in eternal fear of getting sick before Derby. So I made a deal- let me be be well for Derby, and after that God could give me swine flu, SARS and TB all at once for all I cared. I didn't expect Him to actually do that- the day after Derby, I felt like I had been hit by a truck, and coughed, sneezed and otherwise expelled fluids from my body for about three weeks. The day I was ordered home from work, my computer died. And now, I am forced into the house with allergies, but at least with a borrowed computer.
But here are the highlights:

Kentucky Derby: Continued, of course, to be the best day ever. I was disappointed that I was not able to see Indian Blessing run, but thrilled to see Einstein and Cowboy Cal do such fierce battle down the stretch. If my computer was not dead, I would be able to share an awesome photo of Einstein walking out after the race with the replay of the photo finish playing on the prompter over his head. And then came Mine That Bird, who I initially thought was Fresian Fire coming from the back of the pack (the infield is not know for its clear view!), stunned the entire crowd. I believe my exact words were, "Wait.... who the fuck is number eight???" And I admit, I was more thrilled for Calvin than the horse, and was sure that he would never run that well again.
Preakness: Was better than the Derby. The race, I mean- nothing is better than the overall Derby experience. I've followed Rachel Alexandra all year, had to pull over to listen to her run in the Oaks because I was still on the road and was almost overcome with excitement. Watching it later was surreal. And then the Preakness... I actually road tripped it to the nearest track to be able to watch the race on a huge screen with other racing fans. The drive was worth it to see these grizzled, cigar-bearing, form-following old handicappers scream, "C'Mon, Rachel! C'Mon Rachel!" looking mysteriously misty-eyed as they conjured images of past great fillies. Watching her rip through those early fractions, pressured all the way by the boys and then holding off a late-charging Mine That Bird while struggling to get ahold of a track that she clearly didn't care for... it was beautiful. Her performance and Calvin's exuberance we enough to remind anyone of why they love horses and the sport. I can't wait to see a Rachel Alexandra/Zenyatta match-up a la Personal Ensign/Winning Colors. And with plucky little Mine That Bird's back to back stellar performances, the Belmont is shaping up to be an interesting race.
2007 Foal crop- Sunday, I saw one of the babies I delivered, out of a mare who was very special to me, run second in her very first race. I did not breathe for five furlongs, then burst into tears of pride. I am absolutely, utterly in-freaking-sane. She was beautiful.
The Cats- While out of town the other week-end, my cousin lost my cat Kody, the most special, wonderful, perfect cat on earth. She then lied about it, and tried to hide the fact that he was lost. This led to a hysterical, scared of the dark/coyotes me in the woods with Luna at midnight searching for him. Luckily, thankfully, wonderfully we found him. But I have now cancelled all of my trips for the rest of the summer. In happier(?) cat news, I was tricked into bringing home a 6 month old kitten from work. His name is Peabody, and he is a TURD! We loves him.
The Dogs- Luna has finally been diagnosed. On a last-ditch effort to avoid endoscopy, I tested her for food allergies, even though the food trial had been a failure. It failed because she was allergic to the hypoallergenic food! And everything else- she had high reactivity to 16 out of 24 allergens tested. She is now on a homemade diet, because it was utterly impossible to find a dog food without an allergen, and we had to minimize the number of things she could react to. She thinks me cooking for her is amazing. I think that she is worth it!
School- Starts in July. I am doing my very best to study for Clep exams in the meantime, but reading my Abnormal Psychology book is way more interesting...
Life- I have discovered that there are all sorts of cool things to do in my free time, so why the hell did I used to spend 60 or more hours a week at work hiding from it? There is more to life than that!