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Titles, explained

I offered to tell the “…and a bat” story. I’ll try to keep it short. It’s one of those “personal language” phrases, and it relates to a race my father and I ran while I was in college: the inaugural running of this race, in fact, at the end of my sophomore year.

I was in pretty good shape that year, and I managed to get away from a pretty tough competitor and win the race. (I therefore set the course record, and held it for at least two years, if I remember correctly.) The prizes were all donated by a local bakery and a candy store. Division winners got a pie; second place was a bag of cookies. Everyone, down to third place, got a milk-chocolate bat. (I think the candy store was offloading its Halloween inventory.)

As they announced the awards, they announced what everyone was getting, starting from third place and working on up to first in each division. A chocolate bat. A bag of cookies, and a bat. A pie, and a bat. And a bat. And a bat.

As overall winner, I got a second pie. And, of course, a bat. But for the rest of the week, whenever we were going through a list of items, we would wrap it up with, “…and a bat.” As in, “Not much in the mail: a magazine, two bills, and a bat.” You could say that bat lasted longer than both pies.

In fact, two years ago, when I won my age group at the same race and went up to choose my pie from the prize table, I heard my father behind me saying, “…and a bat.”

Now playing: When I Was A Boy from The Honesty Room by Dar Williams

Posted by pjm on July 21, 2004 4:35 PM |

Comments

Don’t hear too much about Dar Williams these days. When I was a boy is a classic.

Posted by: rce | July 21, 2004 5:03 PM

Dar’s playing at the Saltwater Festival in Brunswick in a few weeks, among other places: http://www.darwilliams.com/tour.php

Posted by: pjm | July 22, 2004 8:54 AM

that story is too funny…it’s a classic example of one of those private little phrases that help to illustrate the history of a relationship - not unlike the immortal “i don’t like wonton soup”, uttered by my son as he literally gulped down the majority of a quart-sized container of takeout wonton soup. the longer you know someone, the more they pile up…and that’s a good thing.

rce - you’re right, you don’t hear too much about dar these days - although she’s still touring on occasion and making music, she’s moved to new york city and rarely appears without a band anymore, and i think her core audience seems to feel somewhat abandoned by her. pity.

i will say, though, the last time i saw her was on austin city limits and i wasn’t impressed…i felt the set was overblown and that she seems to have lost touch with the intimate circuit that most of us who love her music were attracted to.

t

Posted by: tom hampton | July 22, 2004 9:40 AM

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