no movie today, so . . .

. . . instead I spent the afternoon reading old issues of The New Yorker, always a rewarding effort. I keep my subscription current when we are gone so that when we return I have a big stack of magazines awaiting my attention. I do read them online, but there's nothing like holding a real paper issue, thumbing through the contents, enjoying the cartoons and wonderful esoteric column ads. What a great idea for a magazine! I have been reading the New Yorker since I was probably 10 years old; my parents subscribed their entire lives. The also got the National Geographic and either The Atlantic Monthly or Harpers, I can't remember which. My mother also subscribed to the Ladies' Home Journal. We always had plenty to read in our household. Likewise in my own. Movie next weekend if it's still in town.

Yesterday's Belmont provided an exciting upset; Ruler on Ice was the long shot. Wish I had placed a big bet on him. I am always moved to tears by the beauty of these magnificent animals, their muscular flanks rippling as they walk to the starting gate, their massive bodies hurtling down the track kicking up the clods of dirt as they do what they were bred for. It's amazing that those delicate legs and fragile ankles can support such big, powerful bodies without snapping in the gallop. I was hoping the gorgeous Animal Kingdom could repeat his Derby win but, alas, he was foiled at the very beginning.

Tomorrow I have an appointment with a new massage therapist. My long-time practitioner has closed her practice so now I have to begin the great hunt for a compatible replacement. I don't like having to do this; it's like interviewing someone for the position of new husband. I don't want to have to tell it all over again, to "train" someone, as it were. But it's imperative that I find someone to continue this vital service for my sorely compromised feet and legs. I've been having massage for 26 years and I know it has kept me off the surgical table. I'm determined to keep it that way. I'm hoping for the best.