I've always felt a little gyp'd by the fact that Victorians get Melbourne Cup day off while us Sydneysiders had to go work. But it has been tempered by the fact that most of the work day after noon is a write-off anyway. How much work can you do after a couple of glasses of champagne anyway?

But today is Melbourne Cup day (well technically tomorrow is Melbourne Cup day: stupid time zones) and I find myself a long way from Melbourne. While not a massive horseracing fan, I always enjoy getting into the Melbourne Cup mood. Being able to slack off down the pub to watch the race goes right to the heart of my "stick it to the man" sentiments. And I love horses; they're such beautiful animals. Though it seems to me that the MC is a bit cruel; put a bazillion horses on the racetrack at once and someone/horse is going to get hurt.

So I always have a little flutter. But this year I am finding it hard to bet and/or find a place to watch the race (which is nicely fixed at 8:00pm Vancouver time). So just incase I don't get the slip to prove it, I am publicly declaring my tips to "Pop Rock" & "Yeats". Now that ol' Makybe Diva has retired I am hoping I will return to my winning streak that Miss Winthreeetimes ruined for me.