Reno Air Races kinda slipped by me

This year the Reno air races somehow didn't hit me like they normally do.  Perhaps the mad dash of events I've covered and attended lately crowded them out of my mental calendar or, just maybe, the fact that I've never attended the air races has left me with a lack of excitement that's appropriate for such a great gathering.

That's right, I've never attended.  I've wanted to for many years but, somehow, it eludes me continuously.  How do you cover an event you're not attending?  Good question; you start by reading page after page of press releases and making sure a few friends and distant acquaintances remember your phone number.  It's nowhere near as good as being there, but you have, in the end, just enough information to realize that, unless you want to publish a table of race results, there's not much you can say.

That's why I'm going next year.  That's right, nothing can stop me.  Sorry, can't attend your birthday party dear sister-in-law; I'll be watching the air races (which reminds me, I should get her something).  What, your wife's having a baby; sorry, you're my best friend but I can't be there 'cause I'll be in Reno.  Sorry, Mr. President; you'll have to find someone else to help Bruce Willis save the earth from that meteorite.  I'll be in Reno.

Okay, maybe the last one's a stretch, but you get the idea.