Revelations

1. The Vet School's Open House, (unfortunately) themed "Kickin' It Up a Notch." In an orgy of animal related activities, we managed to take in the Budweiser Clydesdales, the Missouri Mule Team, the Purina Amazing Dogs, the House Rabbit Society, the Missouri Herpetological Society, the Equine Breed Show, the Bovine Breed Show and of course the petting zoo featuring an albino hedgehog, plus calves, lambs, kids, and llamas. Everything was awesome, except the Clydesdales, which were horrifyingly awesome.* It was like someone had designed a day just for me, but for some reason forgot to put cats in. The kids liked it too, especially the part where the mule team driver let us ride in the cart all the way back to the mule barn with him so we wouldn't have to walk so far to our car.

2. M.F.K. Fisher. Why were you all letting me read Julie and Julia when this wonder existed? I've only gotten to the part where her childhood family cook made them wonderful tarts shaped like stars and then [spoiler alert] killed herself and her mother with the same knife she cooked with, but already I can tell it is amazing.

* In case you've never experienced the wonder of these horses, they are a miracle (or terror) of branding. The horses themselves are magnificent, huge and beautifully groomed and done up with ribbons and shiny harnesses and all. But the cart they pull! Oh lord, it's filled with fake oldtimey boxes of Budweiser beer, and as they drive an oompah-polka type song plays with lyrics something like "Drink lots of beer, Budweiser beer, drink it a lot, kids too," (just kidding about that last part--or am I?) And then behind the cart comes a little electric car with two lucky employees waiting for any droppings to appear so they can jump up and whisk them into a big bucket. Still and all, I'd rather have the Clydesdales and the Busch family as my local brewers than this guy, I guess.