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By a Whisker at the Tape

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Perhaps you caught the Zenyatta story over the weekend, but if not here’s a way to catch up quickly.

Zenyatta is a racehorse with a sparkling personality. She dances. She drinks Guinness. And she established a distinct pattern of running over the course of her 20 big races. She tends to fall behind the competition early, sometimes all the way to last place, and then finishes with a breathtaking charge through the pack to win at the last moment.

This is a sure crowd pleaser in any sport because people like drama and excitement and surprise. It doesn’t matter if the come-from-behind victor is a hapless baseball team, a Kenyan marathoner or a football squad led by a geriatric quarterback. An unexpected late rally gets the blood flowing, and its dramatic punch is actively promoted by storytellers of all kinds, including those in Hollywood and at ESPN. A video, which has been configured so it can only be viewed by following this link, was produced to promote last Saturday’s Breeder’s Cup. It essentially places the Zenyatta story alongside the great horse racing legends like Secretariat and Seabiscuit, and asserts that she will emerge from the race in her typical fashion as an undefeated, screen-ready phenomenon.
Nice story.

Here’s what actually happened:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SHHs8EwLFE

So Zenyatta falls by a nose to a horse named Blame. Her first loss. That good old last minute magic wasn’t enough. But don’t blame Blame. Some have said it’s the jockey’s fault, and he was reported to be quite upset at the end of the race. The Hollywood ending didn’t work. Or did it?

What is the charm of an ending that is the same every single time? Once you’ve gone through the adrenaline rush of watching this athlete pull victory from certain defeat 19 straight times, how can the exact same scenario be interesting enough for the climactic race? Hmmm. Not too compelling. Finishing second is more complex, and more human. And that’s the attraction, right? Horses R’ Us!

But how does Hollywood finish the story? Does Zenyatta sense the crushing disappointment of the jockey, the owners and ESPN? Does she spiral downward into a pit of despair, drinking deeply of her quirky sideline interests, dancing like a floozy into the wee hours at that disreputable stable that never closes? Guzzling tubs of Guinness and gassing on and on to anyone who will listen about how she was once a golden girl, a media darling, and how she threw it all way by waiting a half-second too long, and now she will never be able to put Blame behind her?

The elements are in place for a very different kind of horse racing movie, all about habit, hubris and hesitation. The moral? One should not pin one’s happiness and sense of worth on the unlikely success of a last minute rush.

Are you a procrastinator?

88 thoughts on “By a Whisker at the Tape”

  1. Well, I still think it’s a fabulous race… especially to come that close when she was the oldest and the female-est on the field. I’m not much of a racing fan, but that was a fun clip to watch.

    And, I am the absolute opposite of a procrastinator. I like to get it done, get it done early and get it out of the way!

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  2. first of all Dale, that sentence that begins “Guzzling tubs of Guinness and gassing on and on to anyone who will listen about how she was once a golden girl, ……” sounds a lot like Old Blevins to me. interesting.

    in answer to your (again whip-lash causing) question: i’ll tell you tomorrow.

    and the all-important breeding report: Alba passed day 21 of her cycle with nary a sign so we certain she “settled” and that she and T will have cute kiddos March 16, 2011. Lassi x Chief: who knows? and Kona x T: success! Dream has another bye this year and will continue milking until she wants to stop.
    we have two visitors who are showing NO interest in T yet. hoping soon.

    a gracious good morning to You All.

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    1. Really? you can time due dates that accurately? The s&h was born in a whole different YEAR than he was supposed to be (still races ahead on some things, but thank you notes and household chores-he can procrastinate with the best of them).

      As to your 2 little nose-in-the-air guests, well, some people just don’t know what nice is!

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      1. this will be more than many of you want to know.
        humans are more difficult to predict because the counted days go from a predicted date of fertilization. but that is a two-week guess with a wide variable. menstrual cycles are different. goats have estrus cycles, so when the doe will stand still to be bred we KNOW it’s their fertile time (give or take a day or two) and 150 days from then, more often than not, is the happy birth. Dream always delivers on the exact 150th day at almost the exact hour she became pregnant. Alba almost always is 3 days early. Dodger was on the nose also. don’t know Kona and Lassi’s patterns, but i’d guess that Lassi is a procrastinator and Kona will just want to get it over with. 🙂

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      3. Hmm, looks like I’m ‘Hah’ ing Barb, but I was laughing at MiG’s comment that “some people just don’t know what nice is!”

        Cows are sort of like goats in that whole breeding thing; you could tell when they would be in heat and we could call the breeder for AI (artificial Insemination) but they carry for 9 months and after that they could be early or late; more like humans. I kept track of the cows but there was no pattern in births.
        Barb, are there birthing related issues to goats like Calcium deficiency or — I don’t know what goats might get? Cows could get ‘milk fever’ (the calcium deficiency) and that would recur; if they got it once, they’d likely get it again the next year…

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      4. Ben – yes, but (fingers crossed) we’ve never had any milk fever. ketosis, in late pregnancy is a worry also, but so far (because i only have four does and i am out there looking at them A LOT) no problems with that either. my biggest problem is selenium deficiency and walking the fine line between keeping everyone (kids and moms) healthy and muscles working – and overdose.
        i’m going to a conference this saturday with a session on pregnancy nutrition and have LOTS of questions about selenium plus the milk fever scaries also.
        my goats are not show goats, their conformation is pretty goofy, but i think Dream and Alba have really strong, rugged metabolisms and good guts. if i do what i’m supposed to, everything goes smoothly (knock on goat).

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      5. Thank You Barb.
        Oh, yeah; Ketosis; forgot that word… I used to drench the cows (and myself) with something called ‘Keto-aid’ that was supposed to help prevent Ketosis… there was also a gel; imagine sticking a caulking gun down their throat… ‘Cow Wrassling!’
        Selenium was a trace mineral that I used on the cows… I don’t recall ever hearing of a selenium deficiency, just one of those micro nutrients the nutritionists said they needed…
        Thanks for the information Barb! Good Luck to you and the goats!

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  4. Let’s see if I get this straight. Zenyatta (whose name should be Procrastinator) doesn’t have to race again. She gets the best food, buckets of Guinness and is generally treated as a queen the rest of her life. I get the impression if she indicated an interest in it, she would be set up with cable (including HBO) in her stall. She gets all the sex she can handle from the prettiest stallions in the world.

    That’s a gig a lot of lady baboons might prefer to the one they’ve got going!

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    1. She doesn’t have to race again, but would they race her again next season? I know nothing about the world of horse racing, but it seems a shame if she never runs again, with that kind of spirit! Even with all those perks, she’d wither…

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  5. That was fun to watch, Dale.
    Procrastinator? Only in weight loss — tomorrow always seems like the best day to start on a new food plan.

    My entire Space Wizard business, where I helped people downsize and declutter, was based on the premise that: people put off till tomorrow what they could put away, toss, or file today.

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  6. i am cursed by the urge or lack of it to procrastinate. i say it will gestate in my brain while i am getting round to it and in writing or planning. with projects it works to a certain extent but when it comes to chores. the painting, mowing, desk cleaning and organizing, weeding and rearranging in general my holding off until i’m ready doesn’t seem to offer the same benefit as with the fermenting of the creative juice. the art of flying in at the last moment and having the sweet smell of victory snatched from the jaws of defeat is an appealing scenerio but it does raise havoc with peace of mind. a pint of guiness is the proper solution on an ongoing basis and only the good die young but it would be nice to switch it on and off and have the ability to get it done at once so it is out of the way. maybe i can use anna as inspiration to do better along those lines who knows in the meantime thanks dale for starting my week off with an inspirational burst. i’ll check back and hope for others more optimistic outlooks on life in the world of not getting behind. good week i am off and runnign tommorrow and should be returning thursday or so. check ins should be possible but the timely reply to the thoughts of the day will be lost. have a good one and i will check back. really i will. if not today, tomorrow.

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  7. It largely depends on the project. Some things I dive right in to get done, others I put off and allow to simmer (sometimes until they grow and get onerous). There is no discernable pattern, as some of the things I put off are things I like to do, and others things I clearly don’t (like your clients, BiR). Right now I wish I could procrastinate on getting ready for work, but that would make Daughter late for school, and we can’t have that. Darn it.

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  9. Chronic procrastinator, and also a perfectionist, which often go together. The only thing I never put off is finishing a book I’m really enjoying!

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    1. ha ha–when my mother was transformed by the feminist movement during the early 70s, she gave me explicit permission to put off housework (which she briefly, to the kids’ dismay, began calling s**twork) in order to read any novel….anytime….still doing it to this day!

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  10. I am an ace procrastinator, and, unfortunately, it has never backfired on me. Oh, the all-nighters I pulled in college and grad school. How idiotic! I still haven’t learned my lesson.

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    1. It’s tough to break the cycle when you keep getting positive reinforcement for the behavior (an A on a paper, kudos for the work done, whatever). It always scared me a bit in undergrad that I seemed to get better grades on the papers I wrote the night before they were due than the ones I had started farther in advance.

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  11. I’ve discussed this with a friend who is a sculptor facing several deadlines a week. As a writer, I’ve dealt with hundreds (maybe thousands) of deadlines. In my career, I have met all significant deadlines but one. But I almost never started a project until it was late enough that I was scared. The same with my sculptor friend. We are working pros who know how fast we can work and who have the ability to dig deep if need be to meet the deadline, but for us it is part of the creative process that we have to be a little terrified of missing the deadline. And then the work flows well.

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    1. I totally get that, Steve. It’s that fear that has allowed me to get some of my most creative work (and sometimes 11th hour solutions) done when working on sets and such.

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  12. Ooohh, I lied. The more I think about it, there are a whole lotta things I procrastinate about, like my yoga, walking everyday, mini-trampoline, etc. Interesting – all things that are supposed to be good for my body. Hmmm…

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    1. I love doing yoga! But I can’t do it anymore. When I’m stretching in some positions on the floor Pippin comes up and licks my face until I can’t breathe which makes me giggle and snort and fall to the floor which causes Pippin to wiggle all over and attack me on the floor in a laughing pile which causes me to laugh harder which causes an asthma attack. So I want to but I end up thinking of the inevitable outcome…

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  14. Good morning and good luck keeping on top of things,

    When I think of all the things that I should have done years ago, I get a little crazy. They only way I can keep my sanity is to try to make a list of the things to do today or soon and try to at least make a fairly good attempt to get those things done. A neighbor, who takes very good care of her property, once told us to not worry about keeping our house in tip top shape because we had children and should make their care our first priority. Now that the kids are on their own, at least partly on their own, it is time to do those things that were left to do latter. Some times we think the best bet would be to set the whole mess on fire and start over, althought I think I am making a little progress.

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    1. A to-do list is a cool idea, Jim, but most people don’t know how to write them so they aren’t scary. Put a big label on top, “Things to Do!” Then make a list of stuff you have done recently and finish by checking each item off.

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  15. Morning!

    I work best with a deadline. It’s the pressure and adrenaline rush that I crave!

    “I love deadlines; I love the ‘whooshing’ sound they make as they fly by…” *
    *not my quote but I don’t know where it comes from originally…

    Sent this link to my wife; she’s a horse fan and would appreciate this story…

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  17. I’m definitely feeling alone today…. I’m a little worried that my non-procrastinator personality will jeopardize by baboon status. Am I the only one?

    If it helps, I am a consummate list maker. I don’t get wedded to what’s on the list, but I like to make them; the process of making the list, gets whatever “to do” things that are knocking around in my brain, out of my brain.

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    1. It most certainly will NOT jeopardize your Baboon status. Now we all know who to go to when something REALLY needs to get done.

      Beware!

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  18. I want very badly to say that I’m not a procrastinator. I really want very badly to say that. And I really do try.

    The truth is that sometimes I just have too much to do, with maintaining a house and yard, working full-time, helping my mom, playing in a band and organizing Rock Bend. I’ll plan for a project, even lay out the materials, then it will gather dust until I get a ROUND TOO-IT. (My grandpa once gave me a half-dollar sized piece of soft wood with the words “A ROUND TOO-IT” burned into it. Wish I knew where that thing went.) Then I pick up a book that’s too good to put down or another cool project presents itself to my imagination. I just found a lovely piece of fabric I had intended to turn into a purse. And my motivation for diet and exercise sounds a lot like Barbara’s. So, I guess I’m really a procrastinator.

    I used to have two horses. Neither one of them would have even made it to the finish line. There were good friends though.

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  19. I live outside the realm of “putting things off” since there’s nothing I dread tackling when the whim hits me. I relish the present moments so much that even if it’s cleaning a closet, preparing for income taxes, or doing laundry, it’s pleasurable. I like getting stuff done and rarely perceive it as a deadline-driven chore. It’s pretty simple because living alone means that I don’t have to deal with anyone else’s stuff. For example, I rarely vacuum (although the place is always picked up) and refuse to view this as “procrastination”. In fact, sitting here observing all the dust bunnies gathering along the edges of the floors, I feel excited about the day when I’ll be in the mood to take care of it! If you don’t dread something and frame it up as a negative, is it really “procrastinating”?

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  21. I’ve been meaning to post this all morning, but somehow I kept putting it off.

    Steve’s Hummus bi Tahini
    2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), liquid drained but reserved
    2-4 peeled garlic cloves
    ¾ c tahini paste
    juice of 2 large lemons

    Dump the chickpeas and garlic cloves in a food processor and buzz to blend. Use your judgment on the garlic. If the cloves are small you might want to use 4 cloves, but 2 large ones would satisfy many diners. Scoop out the tahini paste and add the juice of two lemons (you want at least a quarter of a cup). Buzz in the food processor again. Now scrape the sides of the processor and add some of the liquid from the chickpea cans, perhaps a quarter of a cup. Buzz again. Carefully add small amounts of liquid, scraping and buzzing, until you get just the right consistency. If you add too much, the hummus is runny and you can’t undo that. Most cooks prepare hummus as a sort of thick paste that would break many crackers if you scooped it. I like a fluffy, light hummus that is airy enough to be used as a dip for broccoli or mushrooms. Sprinkle with paprika for appearance and serve with crackers, pita, pita chips, veggies or other foods.

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      3. madislandgirl, glad to hear the garlic is in the ground. I wonder if Steve has planted any of those cans of chickpeas himself this fall? Also, I wonder if he knows something we don’t know or if he isn’t completly clear the basics of gardening.

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      4. I once had our son, then 10, convinced very briefly that meatloaf grew on trees. We served some once with two bayleaves on top, and I was able to spin a convincing yarn that kept him going for a few minutes before he caught on that I was teasing.

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  22. I’m can’t be a procrastinator because I don’t get paid specifically for doing it. I’m more of a ‘talented-amateur-with-lots-of-experience-crastinator.’

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    1. I think I am ready to become a pro. Where do they hold the try outs? I was disabled from making comments earlier today by a problem with my co0mputer and I am having fun catching up now.

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      1. They tried holding interviews but nobody showed up.

        Y’know, the other way to look at this is that if you’re in favor of putting things off, you’re a procrastinator. But if you’re in favor of getting things done right away, you must be a concrastinator. ‘Crastination’ being ‘putting things off,’ you’re either ‘pro’ or ‘con.’ Similar to that old Nipsey Russell poem:
        The opposite of ‘pro’ is ‘con’
        This fact is clearly seen
        But if ‘progress’ means move forward
        What does ‘Congress’ mean?

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  23. Off topic, but haven’t seen Clyde for a few days. He wasn’t really serious that he was retiring from the whole blog, was he?

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    1. I don’t think Clyde is gone, but he and his wife are swamped right now, if memory serves, getting ready for a big move. He did say he was going to quite writing “diatribes”, which I sincerely hope he didn’t mean literally.

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      1. That’s what I thought he meant as well, was the diatribes but then with the quiet for that corner, I started to wonder…..

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    2. Just saw this; I was only joking when I said I was retiring but things have been distracting (that’s a litotes) since that day.

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  24. Hi All:

    Still hangin’ out in Phoenix. Beautiful weather. Today my husband, step-daughter and I went to Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Lovely, lovely hike and lots of interesting plants. Due to the recession they cancelled the senior discount. My husband was disappointed and told the admissions lady he had gotten old just to take advantage of the discount, and now it was cancelled.

    Sometimes I procrastinate, but not usually. I work best with a deadline and some accountability. I do put off dealing with a certain very difficult insurance company that chronically messes up, then also sent CS to India. Love getting “Kevin” on the phone and having to spell everything out for “Kevin.” Just what I want to do after 45 minutes waiting for a CS representative. GRRR. Not sure if that is procrastination or avoidance of unpleasantness. Would someone seperate the two ideas for me.

    Did Clyde really quit and disappear while I’ve been gone?

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    1. Procrastination is the umbrella under which Avoidance of Unpleasantness is merely one item. There’s also Avoidance of Boring Work; Avoidance of Really Messy, Dirty, Stinky Work; Avoidance of Work With Mean People; etc.

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