I guess hip-hop culture really has gone mainstream. This past weekend I attended the Queen's Cup Steeplechase, an event not as exclusive as one might think. Yes, it has its blue-blood background with the attire guidelines and a hat contest only to be bested by African-American women on Sunday morning. But, as everything else in this life, change was inevitable. People were a lot less strict about dress, and then there was the horse named Hip Hop, who won the fourth race. However, everything wasn't all fun and horsing around. Tragedy struck when a horse broke its leg right in front of our tent in one of the earlier races. One observer spoke of the way it dangled helplessly and was sure the animal would need to be put down. Then, to make matters worse, a horse gone wild began to buck as it neared our tent, breaking part of the wooden fence and destroying another. I know, I know. The common denominator in both these instances was us, the Creative Loafing crew. Maybe, sometimes at least, we need to curb our desire to bring the party wherever we go ...

Naw.