- Haru Urara died this week, on September 9, 2025. She was 29 years old.
She was a racehorse who never won a single race. Her losing streak spanned a seven-year career, 113 races in total.
She first came to my attention in 2016, when I was working as an offline caption editor for TV shows and movies.
I captioned a short documentary about her called The Shining Star of Losers Everywhere, the title of which also happened to be Haru Urara's nickname.
I love this nickname, and I love this horse. I'll be pouring one out for her this week.
- My husband surprised me with a riverboat cruise along the Mississippi River last weekend.
I really enjoyed it. The views of Minneapolis were great, and there are some interesting areas along the riverbanks that would be difficult to see if not on a boat.
We passed by a group of teens hanging out next to a big open drain. On our second pass, they all stood up to do the YMCA. Good times.
It's also always a joy to spot graffiti by the Minneapolis-famous taggers Bosque and Ratboy. How in the hell do they get up so high?!
The highlight of the tour, though, was going through the lock near St. Anthony Falls. It's so neat how the water fills up, and suddenly you're in a new area of the river. And they've been in use for so long!
Minneapolis really has a cool history. I researched its flour-milling history for a book once, and now I'm just fascinated by how this city grew, and how much of its growth it owes to the Mississippi.
- I also went to the Little Falls Craft Fair last weekend. It's become an annual tradition with two of my friends.
In general I'm a big fan of Little Falls. Admittedly I've never been there at a normal time, but it is a cute town. I know I'm idealizing it a bit, given the presidential flags that wave prominently in some yards. But there is plenty of culture and plenty of wonderful people in every small town. It's just that our prevailing cultural narratives overlook them.
Anyway, I ended up buying several new-to-me Halloween items (already added to my Halloween collection page). Though my house is generally much more colorful and much less rustic, I am really drawn to primitive Halloween decor. It suits the season, and I love having it out for a couple of months.
We haven't had time to decorate, but I'm sure it'll happen soon.
