Sunday, May 28, 2006

Race Day Thoughts and Reflections

It's Indy 500 Race Day, and I'm enjoying a relaxing Sunday of multitasking. I'm watching the race, cooking dinner for friends who are coming over tonight, and blogging.

I love the 500. For me, it's a connection to home. Last weekend, when we were lunching at an Irish pub called The Local, we saw some ex-patriot Irishmen watching - rather, reveling - in a satellite broadcast of a football game from home. I have an idea how they feel, connecting via the flickering TV screen with home.

Some of you may be thinking, "If the Indy 500 is so wonderful, why multitask? Why would you walk away from the TV to go into the kitchen and cook? Or sit an block while Danica Patrick races her way upward in the standings?" Well... I think many Hoosiers would agree with me - the Indy 500 is a sport best served on radio. Maybe its because I've listened to more races than I've watched in my life. Indeed, I have a childhood memory of picnicing in our backyard while listening to the 500 on WTHI AM radio.

It's comforting to see so many last names from childhood (Unser, Andretti, Foyt). 19-year old Marco Andretti worries me. It's nothing personal. Simply: 19-year-olds worry me when they drive on I-465, let alone the 500. (Although, based on the last time I drove on the loop around Indianapolis, many drivers seem to confuse I-465 with the Brickyard).

Some poor race fan got smacked by racecar debris. Some things never change. It seems there is always some poor spectator getting smacked by flying auto parts.

You may be wondering what I'm fixing for supper. Well, considering the unnatural heat outside, we're keeping it cool tonight: grilled chicken salad, pasta salad and watermelon balls. I tried to copy my Grandma Courtney's recipe for pasta salad, a fixture at every Courtney family get together. However, I had to add my own twist: Tahitian Lime Vinegrette. I dunno if Grandma would be proud of me or not - that's an awfully austentatious ingredient. Still, my pasta salad ended up tasting a lot like hers, which makes me very salad. (Maybe I found her secret ingredient after all! Of course, I doubt IGA in Brazil Indiana carried Tahitian Lime Vinegrette, especially back in 1975).

Gotta run - the chicken has cooled. Time to chop and mix.

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