Is it the history, the traditions, or the 500 miles of racing? Whatever the reason, every year the Indy 500 is one of the famous and memorable races of all time.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red knows next to nothing about the Indianapolis 500 race, unlike her sister, Black (who prefers to call it the Indy 500), who knows far more than most people would care to, but Sunday's race was about more than history (Helio Castroneves became the fourth driver to win four times), tradition (including the drinking of milk), and interesting facts.
Whether you're a race fan or not, it only took a passing glance at the fans in the stands to realize that maybe, just maybe, things are starting to return to a sense of normalcy. Even with the venue restricted to 40% of capacity, the Indy 500's the world's largest sporting event since the start of the pandemic. Roger Penske, who bought the racetrack a few months before the pandemic shut down everything, summed it up best,
We're just excited to be opening up America.
Well, Red had no idea who owned the track, but she did know that inside the oval track where the Indianapolis 500 is raced, there's a road course (where drivers make both right and left turns). But, she only knew that because Black raced there with the Ferrari Challenge,
Even after all these years, I'm always amazed and proud of how you were the first woman to race the road course at Indianapolis. And I'm not the only one. Whenever you mention it at speaking engagements, it always gets people's attention, especially girls. Plus, I love how you use the track map to teach about racing, or so people think.
Well, Black, as always, is non-plussed by her achievement. However, she couldn't help but be impressed with how the Paretta team, which features almost all women, went from hoping to qualify (great NPR piece) to making history by racing in the Indy 500 known as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing," although the race ended for them when the brakes locked on their final pit stop,
The women of the Paretta team – the owner, Beth Paretta, the driver, Simona de Silvestro, and four of the seven over-the-wall pit crew members, the two spotters, two of the engineers, and the entire front office at Paretta Autosport – are the most in motorsports history. Besides adding to the great history of the Indy 500, it is more proof that, as I always tell girls, "Women can do anything!"
Two years ago, on MLK Day, Red learned the power and inspiration of the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And the power of dreams. And as long as there's social unrest and social injustice in the United States (stop and think about the first word … as we’re supposed to be united), the more we can learn from him … as not only did he fight for equality for all, but his approach is proof of the power of peaceful protests.
For most of us, writing and delivering one powerful and/or inspiring thing would be a very difficult task. To be remembered for hundreds is truly amazing.
We grew up in New York, where bagels are almost sacred, but even though they may have started as a Jewish food in Europe, they’re now enjoyed by everyone everywhere (including Red and Black, but in very different ways) – why else would there be a National Bagel Day?
National holidays aren’t the time to count calories.
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: We both agree that happiness has a hole in it, although one of us may only eat one bagel a year while the other tries to keep it to only one bagel when she does indulge.
Red admits that although she knows bagels aren’t a healthy choice, she’ll occasionally treat herself, not only because they remind her of growing up in New York when almost every town on Long Island had at least one bagel shop, but because she loves whipped cream cheese almost as much as the fresh, squishy bagel on which she smears it. And while she was a fan of both cinnamon raisin and onion bagels as a kid, the introduction of the “Everything” bagel was a turning point. However, her all-time favorite is technically not a bagel, as it’s a bialy.
On the other hand, it only takes one look at Black’s “selfishly svelte figure” to know that she has the willpower to resist bagels (including her favorite, sesame) as well as all the other carbs that she loves, but when it comes to National Bagel Day and the “health” issues of bagels, she has an interesting perspective,
Bagels are one of life’s true culinary pleasures, often tied to wonderful memories, so you cannot always measure their value in terms of nutrition. But, when it comes to healthy eating, it might be interesting to remember that bagel-cutting injuries are common and result in thousands of people having to go to emergency rooms or urgent care centers … so, celebrate carefully.
Another year and another National Clean Your Desk Day (yes, that’s actually a thing). So, is Red’s desk any better than the “disaster” it was last year? Well, believe it or not, it may not be perfect, but it’s significantly better. Is it because she finally listened to Black’s advice (see below) or somehow found a “secret” of her own? As it turns out, it was a combination of the two as Red discovered, even if the rest of her life isn’t “nice and neat” (that’ll never happen), she loves walking into her workroom in the morning and starting the day in a (somewhat) organized space, which provides the best motivation for keeping it that way. (Luckily, Black never brought up the science of messy desks.)
A day to clean up your desk?! It will take way more than a day …
BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: No one is immune from piles of paper, not even Black, the master of organization, but there’s a huge difference between a desk with a few small piles and some scattered papers (although her laptop’s keyboard needs serious cleaning) and Red’s “workroom” that usually looks like a tornado hit it.
Which is why Red rolled her eyes when Black mentioned today’s National Clean Your Desk Day, as it’d take her significantly more than a day to “clean up this mess,” but then she remembered Black’s advice on how to keep her piles (and piles) of paper under control and felt inspired. Red admits often feeling like she’s drowning in paper, but that’s because she lets the piles get out of control before reminding herself of Black’s very easy, straightforward approach to turning her mountains of paper into small manageable hills. And, significantly reducing stress along the way, because as Black points out,
Sometimes, it is more important to know what you are ignoring than it is to deal with everything in the piles.