I got back from California on Monday...and my body is still on West Coast time.  I've been getting up at 2:45 every afternoon.  Yet somehow, I've still gotten plenty of trivia writing done.  Go figure.  As my buddy Ratty said to me:  "You're a machine."

Tuesday:  Flew out.  Had my hair gel and toothpaste confiscated because I didn't think to pack them in my suitcase.  Hell.  Found a dive by the airport to watch the last innings of the All-Star Game.  Apparently, in California, it's kosher to have actual beer in the cups at bar Beirut tournaments.  Do that in Boston, and you're asking for a license suspension.

Wednesday:  I had lunch with my old friend Kim from the New North End.  We parted ways at 12:45, thinking that would give me ample time to drive the three miles to Del Mar to make first post at 2:00.  I knew that Opening Day was a zoo, but I would have never imagined that I would have spent 1:15 on the 5 waiting to enter the parking lot.  This was exacerbated by dozens of cars zipping by me in the backed-up exit lane, merging in right at the ramp.  I didn't see a single cop controlling this.  Awful.

I finally made it in, and got a bet in for the 3rd race.  I spent much of the day meandering around, finding a spot where I could stand/sit and handicap, then finding a window/machine, and walking back to watch the race.  In between, I saw plenty of makeup, big hats, and boobies.  Opening Day was a fun experience, but as somebody who considers Del Mar his favorite racetrack, I'm not certain I'll make it to another one.

One of the highlights of my trip was a visit to Surf and Saddle, a dive in Solana Beach.  A guy spotted me reading the Form, and the evening ended with him giving me $10 to place a bet for him on the first race the next day, telling me that he'd meet me at the track tomorrow.  I told him to meet me at the jockey scale in the clubhouse at 1:45.  He didn't show.  Easiest $10 I've ever made.

Thursday:  Had lunch with Kim again at the same pizza place with the same waitress.  Dropped $110 at the track.  I love the atmosphere at Del Mar, but I'm not great at betting the actual racing.  Friggin' Polytrack.  I spent plenty of time mingling with the TVG personalities.  Got a chance to talk to Ken Rudulph, Cristina Olivares, and retired jockey Chris McCarron (a Boston boy), all of whom are class acts and great broadcasters.  Trainer Dan Hendricks also acknowledged me when I yelled to him in the winner's circle.  I may have lost a Benjamin, but I got to connect with the people of the sport. which is why I truly enjoy the game.

Spent my evening going on a walk with Kim along Pacific Beach, then went solo to the Gaslamp District at Xavier's, where I heard a Latin jazz band by the name of Marcelo.  The singer chatted me up, and played "Evil Ways" upon my request.

Friday:  With the Sox game at 7 in Anaheim, I had to be on the road by 3:30.  I went for a bike ride around La Jolla.  Hilly town, so I got some good exercise (although I walked the bike up one particularly steep hill...I suck.)  Sox got their asses kicked.  After the game, I went to a show at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood (where Michael Richards dropped the N-bomb.)  I ran into Dane Cook in the audience after he spotted my Sox jersey.  I didn't recognize him right away, but when he said he was from Arlington, it clicked.  The show was alright, but would have been much better if the poor acts didn't have to keep addressing the dumbass drunk college kids who were yelling shit during the entire show.

Saturday:  Got up two minutes before my 11 AM wake up call to ensure that I didn't miss any of the 12:55 game.  Beckett saved the bullpen, but couldn't save himself, and the Sox dropped another one.  I spent the later part of the afternoon at Huntington Beach, and then spent the night at the Los Alamitos race track.  It sure ain't Del Mar, but I won $11 that night, and chatted up a semi-retired vet with the CHRB who had the night off.  She helped me with my handicapping by pointing out the body language of horses which I usually miss, such as a horse "coming up short" by ostensibly not applying equal pressure to both front legs as (s)he steps.

Sunday:  Overslept.  Was supposed to meet my buddy's girlfriend for the game, but she was unable to make it.  Another awful Sox loss.  This bullpen is toast, and I can't believe that Tito didn't go to Papelbon with no outs in the 8th.  He hadn't pitched since Tuesday.  Make him get six outs.  The Halos proved that they're the team to beat in the American League.  Coincidentally, I ran into old friend Donny, who formerly worked at the White Horse and at Common Ground.  He was in the section next to me.  Red Sox Nation is a small world.

Ended my vacation with a visit to the Orange County Fair.  As somebody who has attended the Champlain Valley Fair every year of his life, I'm an aficionado of fairs.  This one was stellar.  The turkey leg was succulent, the deep-fried Snickers bar is probably still stuck somewhere in my teeth, and the fish taco was tasty.  I won an Arizona Diamondbacks hat at speed pitch, saw some Chinese acrobats, and met a steer (gelded bull) named Meatball.  It was while I was at the fair that it hit me how much I really enjoyed Southern California, and sparked my interest in moving out there.

If the Sox play the Angels during the Del Mar meeting next year, I'm repeating this trip.

The hell with the Gregorian calendar, the New Year starts on September 1st.  Makes perfect sense...everybody is moving and/or going back to school.  I have to wear a coat again, and the NFL kicks off in a week.  Instead of a ball drop, we have a ceremonial truck getting stuck under a 10-foot overpass on Storrow Drive.  http://wbztv.com/local/local_story_244151716.html

Because of this zoo, I was glad that September 1st fell over Labor Day weekend this year, when I always go to Vermont.  It was a busy weekend, the way I like 'em, as you have to jam in everything you can before summer is over.

For the 24th consecutive year, I attended the Champlain Valley Fair.  It's the same stuff every year, but somehow, it never gets old.  Did all the usual stuff...Soak the Bloke, Milton football roulette wheel, watched Steve Baynor the hypnotist, and got a chili dog from the Essex Lions' Club stand.  I also spent some time chatting with Jenny Foxx from Eagle Country 97.5, a new station in town.  She's no stranger to Burlington radio, having spent several years at Star 92.9.  I chatted about the radio game with her, and the possibility of voice tracking work, which is when a DJ pre-records what they say (often times from many miles away).

Friday night was the unveiling of the new synthetic football field at BHS.  Best $4 million the city has ever spent.  Game was great too, as BHS stomped Rice (our arch-rival) 40-24.  I attended the game with my dad, and we stood against a gate to the field to watch.  At one point, the BHS athletic director opened the gate without warning us, almost sending me to the ground.  My dad registered his disgust with her lack of a warning as she proceeded to the sideline.  When she came back, my dad started up again, as the AD said nothing sheepishly, at which point, I chimed in "Dad, it's alright."

Proving that temper is hereditary, while returning home from lunch with my mother on Sunday afternoon, I was rear-ended while waiting to enter the Winooski rotary.  I jumped out of my car, walked over to the other driver (a lady who couldn't have been a day over 21) and gave her a piece of my mind.  When I saw that there was no damage, I told her "we're alright, but you need to be more careful."  At this point, my mom came out of the car, and asked the other driver if she was alright.

When we went on our way, my mom Monday morning QB'd me, saying "when something like that happens, you should ask if the other person is alright instead of swearing and hollering."  I then remembered several years ago when I rear-ended somebody at a red light because I couldn't stop on an icy road.  The other driver didn't go off on me, and I forgot that in this incident.  I'm sure this poor girl will improve upon her driving.

I spent Monday at Suffolk, and lost $14.  The highlight of my day was walking down toward the final turn to see the 6 horse Ydy being led to the paddock by her trainer, Dr. Patricia Meadow.

For those of you unfamiliar with Boston horse racing, Dr. Meadow is a Harvard-educated doctor who dabbles in training thoroughbreds.  This was only her 8th entry of the meet, compared to the hundreds of entries by other higher-profile trainers.  However, I've become a fan of hers after reading about her in the book "Not By A Long Shot", which profiles the 2000 meet at Suffolk Downs, and was written by track announcer T.D. Thornton.  She is described as a shy and quiet trainer, and one who is overprotective of her horses.  The book describes how she had attempted to enter Ypres into a race in 2000, but he was spooked by everything he saw, and was eventually scratched.

This scenario replayed itself on Monday.  As I stood at the fence, Ydy noticed some children on the new playground structure.  She jumped in the air, as Dr. Meadow (who was walking the horse, which is unheard of in racing, as the trainer usually hires a walker) soothed her.  Dr. Meadow softly told the 5-year old mare "relax, it's just kids."

At this point, I was looking her in the eye.

Me:  "Hey, Dr. Meadow."

Her:  "Hey there.  Can you stand still, please?"

This is akin to Bill Belichick asking me not to cheer for Laurence Maroney as he comes out of the locker room before a Patriots game.  I instantly thought of what I had read about her, and smiled to myself.

The horse, at odds of 30-1, finished fifth in the 1 1/16 mile turf race, won by the 1-5 favorite.

I just got word that my Friday night trivia gig will resume this week, which is good, because I need to make more money.  The thought of a second job still lingers, though.  A doorman at the White Horse has suggested working as a courier (he's a bike messenger himself), but I'm also curious about placing a call to Sky Band Farm in Canton (Dr. Meadow's farm) and finding out what might be available for part time work on a horse farm.

 

 

 

August is a great month for horse racing.  Sure, the Derby is held in May, and the Breeders' Cup in the autumn, but in between the two fall the meets at Del Mar and Saratoga.  I've spent consecutive Saturdays at each track, easily the highlight of my summer.

I thought I'd be left with an opinion of which one is better, but the conclusion that I've drawn is that the two simply can't be compared.  Del Mar epitomizes California, situated on the ocean, with a high cliff visible past the final turn.  Saratoga epitomizes the Northeast, where one can read the Form under a pine tree.

Del Mar is a party, with bounce castles and rock concerts in the infield at the completion of the card.  Saratoga is quiet, with people in their lawn chairs drinking their beers and smoking their cigars.

Del Mar conducts most of its races on its new synthetic surface, not kind to front-runners.  Saratoga runs on dirt as it has since the 19th century.

Every day of Del Mar's 43-day meet is sunny, and not too humid.  Saratoga's track can be soaked by summer rain at any minute.

Del Mar's architecture is extravagant stucco, designed by Bing Crosby.  Saratoga's is an old wooden red and white carousel.

So how are the two similar?  Both give racing fans access to the sport they might not experience the other 11 months of the year.  At Del Mar, one enters the clubhouse by crossing over the very path that horses take from the paddock to the track.  At Saratoga, one can park their car, and walk past the rows of stables to the entry gate.

After Calvin Borel (the jockey who rode Street Sense to victory in this year's Kentucky Derby) won today's Sword Dancer (the featured Grade I stakes race), he went to the winner's circle, where he proceeded to respond to us applauding fans by waving his whip to us.  I don't recall seeing an athlete in any other sport specifically greeting his fans after winning a championship-level event. 

As a French-American myself (he's from Louisiana), I enjoy Borel's success, and was glad to see him in person on a sticky Saturday.  Even though I left his 15-1 winner, Grand Couturier, off my tickets after I circled him, his closing move up the rail (which is why they call him "Bo-Rail") was a great feat.

If I didn't love football so much, I'd be disappionted about the arrival of September.  But I suppose the big reason these meets are so short is so that one appreciates them even more.

Also, I don't know what is placed in Saratoga Springs' water supply, but it's the best tap water I've ever consumed.  You can bet that I'm bringing a 30-pack of empty Poland Spring bottles when I go next year.  Hell, I should go again in 2 weeks.

 

 

 

 

To borrow the turn of phrase used by Dan Shaughnessy when he writes about random things, I'm "picking up the pieces..."

-Fourth of July was fun, but would have been more enjoyable if I...

a)  didn't have to drive downtown at 5 PM to retrieve my driver's license that I left at Felt the previous night

b)  hadn't missed the Mike Ortolano fireworks convoy

c)  had been able to find beer at Mike's house when we all got back.  I ended up going to the Horse to drink.

B might have been prevented if it weren't for a gig I covered on Wednesday night.  The White Horse gave me the night off, citing the small crowd they had for the Fourth last year, so I ended up filling in at another bar.  I had two teams at the end of the game.  Not looking to spend a whole lot of time working on a holiday, I had the gig done, and my equipment packed up at 9:45.  Problem was, I had to wait 20 minutes for the manager to bring me the prizes and pay me. 

Now gigs typically take me 2 hours, so for me to be in a bar until 10:10 is not a problem for an 8 PM gig.  However, I'm sure that this bar's customers didn't appreciate sitting there that long waiting for their prizes.  Gigs like this make me appreciate how I great I really have it at the White Horse, and at Harry's.  I can go into those bars, the customers know me and enjoy the game, and the employees and management provide me with whatever support I need.

-I read today in the "Inside Track" column in this week's Seven Days (weekly independent newspaper in Burlington) that employees at the Burlington Free Press no longer will have free parking furnished for them.  The publisher, Jim Carey, told the employees that this was done in lieu of layoffs, which may also be pending. 

I'm left with the sick feeling that my dad, who's been at the paper for 36 years, may lose his job.  Then again, it might be good for him.  He's pretty resourceful, and he really seems to be unhappy there.  This might be his big chance to find something better.

-Feeling nostalgic about what got me interested in radio and pop music in the first place, I found a website run by a guy who had copies of old "Casey's Top 40" shows.  I e-mailed him, and we set up a trade.  I sent him a copy of a show I had from 2001 (back in my radio days), and he sent me a CT40 show from September 1997. 

I'm listening as I write this, and I feel like I'm doing my paper route all over again.  I got a laugh out of Casey saying "the first hit for the Verve Pipe", an act that reached the Top 10 with a song called "The Freshmen", and never charted again after that.  Great piece of nostalgia, and a great reminder of one of the many factors that inspired me to build a career out of entertaining people for a living.

-Gonna drive up to Hancock, VT this weekend for "Walshstock II," a party in the woods being held by a high school buddy of mine.  Can't wait to drink in the forest with old friends.  Never would have happened if I were still trapped at Mediabase.

Highlights of a stellar weekend:

-Winning $97 on the Belmont Stakes by picking Rags to Riches to win (paid  me $53) and hitting the Rags/Curlin exacta (paid me $63.)  I also picked Better Talk Now in the Manhattan Handicap (the race before the Belmont.)  That Daily Double paid $57 on a $2 bet.  I didn't bet it.  Oops! 

-With no plans for Saturday night, I had my usual dinner at the Common Ground.  I ended up chatting with a group of ladies, whom I followed over to Wonder Bar for an evening on the dancefloor.  I'm not usually a club guy, but I had a hell of a time.

- I woke up on Sunday morning to a message from a lady that I met at trivia on Tuesday night.  We went for a walk around the city.  Good exercise, and great conversation.  I'm going to do lunch with her this week. 

- Had a great crowd for trivia on Sunday night.  23 teams, one of which was comprised of my mom, aunts, and uncle.  Highlight of the evening was Tattoo Mike (White Horse doorman) naming his team "I Dated Will's Mom" without knowing that my mom was in the bar.

 

An explanation as to why I appear on infocusportrait.com:

There's a new local publication called Focus Magazine that's trying to make inroads in Boston.  While they mean well, their product lacks luster.  That's a polite way of saying "corny."

The publisher owns a photo studio, and has posted samples of his work online.  One of the photos depicts a man in a "gangsta" pose flashing a wad of $20 bills (as opposed to $100's as somebody might expect.)  Over on the Barstool Sports message board, we had a good laugh over this specific photo.

It left such an impression on me that when I recently attended Barstool's Cinco De Mayo party, I had a photograph taken of myself with the Barstool cover models (as do all the other guests.)  I decided to take a playful nod at Focus by posing with a wad of $20 bills myself, which is the photo you currently see.

How does Focus respond to us "Stoolies" teasing them?  Well, they have chosen this photo for their "caption of the month" contest!  That's right, I'm immortalized in an online publication in Lowell, Massachusetts!  Everybody reads them!  They were promoted heavily on Rock 102 in Springfield!  (If you can't detect the sarcasm, stop reading.)

I encourage everybody to go to infocusportrait.com/joomla and click on the "Caption Contest" link.  Send 'em your entry, or tell them what you think of them using my photo!

 

While I usually only work the 3 hours a day that I dedicate to a gig, I've found plenty of ways to occupy my days.

I signed up with voiceregistry.com to help promote myself in my endeavors to find voice-over work.  I was pointed to the site after I called Hill Holiday (Boston ad agency) asking about work.  Maybe I'll find myself an agent.  That's the first step to entering the union, and moving to NY/LA/Chicago.

Of course, that's quite a way down the road.  In the meantime, I'm focusing on growing Stump! Trivia.  I'm going to New York tomorrow to meet up with a prospective client on the Upper West Side.  This would represent our entry into New York, so I'm hoping this works out.  I just need to find a way to hire trivia jockeys in New York.  How will I audition them?

Before I meet with the guy in the evening, I'm taking in the Sox game at Yankee Stadium, an annual tradition of mine.  Hopefully, I won't leave to the chants of "asshole" and "Boston sucks" this year as I have the previous two.

 

 

It's now been 8 days since I left Mediabase.  I feel like such a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  There is nothing that I miss that was directly related to my work duties.  I miss the e-mail banter, but I don't miss mix shows.  I was burnt out, and had to get out.  I'm enjoying a quiet evening at home tonight, which I haven't done in quite some time.  This has left me with some time to share some observations:

-Since I like to stay on top of the current music, I find I've been listening to Sirius Hits 1 more frequently.  I'm more inclined to listen to hit radio now that it's no longer my profession.

-I'm spending far less time at home.  Good for me.  I've gotten drunk 4 nights in a row after my gigs.  Why not?  I work 3 hours a day.  Plenty of time to catch up on two years' worth of sleeping 6 hours a day.

-I'm certainly not lacking for income.  Believe me, I wouldn't have quit without being confident that trivia would cover me.  I made $600 this week hosting trivia, plus another $50 for writing questions, and I've turned a net profit of $17.50 at the track this week. I have to occupy my days somehow - I hit a 9-1 winner at Aqueduct on Wednesday, and an 11-1 winner at Keeneland.  I might take a crack at the late Pick 4 at Keeneland tomorrow.

-Anybody see D'Angelo's new logo?  Looks like a flagrant ripoff of the Ghirardelli logo to me.

-I had a nasty headache on Friday afternoon, which I cured with an iced coffee.  I haven't had a drop of coffee since.

Speaking of work, Bob (the Godfather of Stump) is offering me plenty of opportunities.  I'm supposed to have lunch with him tomorrow to discuss going onto the payroll (making me Stump's 2nd employee other than Bob himself.)  I knew I could make trivia a full-time occupation.  It took me 2 years of doing trivia (and 3 1/2 years living in Boston) to find something I finally wanted.  And to think at this time 3 years ago I was depressed, dealing with a lawsuit, and wanting to move back to Vermont.  Man, times change.

Busy weekend coming up.  I hope to visit some friends at UConn, and hope that Sunday's Sox game doesn't get washed out, for I have a seat in the right field boxes.  Fewer games means I can afford better seats! 

 

I gave my 2 weeks notice at Mediabase yesterday, a day after I was called out again on missing my deadlines.  Since trivia precludes me from getting my work done at a reasonable time, I was forced to choose between the two.

This isn't an easy decision.  After all, I'm leaving $36,000 a year and health insurance on the table.  But in the long run, I know that I've done the right thing.  I'll be damned if I work weekends and late nights for the rest of my life.  I've busted my ass with two jobs for the past 2 years.  I'm going to take it easy while I look for a daytime PT gig.  In the meantime, trivia income will carry me.  I've got plenty in the bank from 2 years of working two jobs.  I'll have plenty of time to do things that I need to do.  I can work harder at finding voice work. 

Maybe I'll take the spring and summer off, and have no work commitments outside of trivia.  There will be plenty of time to figure things out come Thursday 4/5.

In the meantime, I'm heading north this weekend.  Maybe I'll see Bill Cosby on Saturday night.