danshamptons.com
DAN’S PAPERS
November 30, 2012 Page 33
Things That Grind My Mind out the coin was a sixpence from 1652, and it went for four times as much as auction officials expected at the Colonial Coin Collectors Club in Baltimore. Half a million for a coin. HALF A MILLION FOR A COIN! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That coin better give back rubs or something! Now I need to go and get myself a metal detector.
By David lion Rattiner
Les Misérables I cannot wait for the movie Les Misérables to hit theaters. I heard a story that at the first New York screening on the day after Thanksgiving, there was a standing ovation at the end of the film. The music from the Broadway version of Les Misérables has been part of my life for as long as I can recall. I have memories of listening to the soundtrack during eighth grade while at Springs school, of playing “One Day More” while sailing in high school, of quoting lyrics with a friend on the crew team at Northeastern. Thank God for Hollywood—it’s films like this that remind me of how great it is to go to the movies and how, no matter what, the movies will always be a place for magnificent art.
DAVID LION’S
DEN
Mind-Control Helicopter I just found out that you can purchase a mindcontrolled helicopter at Target. The toy comes with a headset that you strap on and then, if you think certain thoughts, the chopper comes to life. It’s crazy, but I am getting this copter. I need to know what the deal is. Wouldn’t it be crazy if in our lifetime we could start controlling all kinds of things with our minds? Can you imagine being able to just stare at your car and unlock it (or maybe can you do that already)?
I have a strange feeling that one of these days I will be able to simply think the words that I am typing right now and they will appear on my computer monitor. Speaking of Christmas Presents Lillian King must be a bit annoyed right now. Back in 1992 the East Hampton resident was perusing a local potato field with a metal detector and she discovered a rare, silver Colonial Massachusetts coin that is one of eight such coins to exist in the world. She was excited and sold the coin for $35,000, a nice sum of money for a stroll through a potato field. Now we find out that the man who bought the coin from King has re-sold it for $430,000. That’s right, nearly half-a-million dollars. Dang. It turns
Lisa de Kooning On a serious note, I was shaken by the news that Willem de Kooning’s only daughter, Lisa de Kooning, died at just 56 years of age while in the U.S. Virgin Islands last Friday. Lisa lived in Springs and was very well known around town, as were her three children. For the daughter of such a famous man to grow up in Manhattan and yet truly become a Springs local is a rare thing indeed; Bonackers can be a tough group to get along with if you’re not from there. Funeral services for Lisa will be private, but I know for a fact that a great many people in Springs, and in Southampton for that matter, are going to be grieving. Lisa was the type of person who lit up a room and beamed with positive energy, and for her light to go out at such a young age is deeply saddening. My deepest sympathies go out to her family and friends. Read David Lion Rattiner’s take on all things Hamptons, and more, every day in his blog at Danshamptons.com.
Running All the Way on The End The six-mile course was the three-mile loop, run twice. We gathered en masse at the Montauk On Thanksgiving Thursday, Green. The firefighters were in their hook-andI ran in the Montauk ladder truck, waving to the crowd and snapping Turkey Trot “Run for Fun” group photos before the start of the race. six-mile race. It was awesome to see how many people (and Not having run more dogs and babies) turned out. It was even better than four miles in a long to see the amount of people wearing turkeytime, I was nervous about themed running garb. Hundreds of East Enders the race and initially signed had made the trek to Montauk on Thanksgiving up for the three-miler. morning to exercise before the big meal. But my brother was Here were all the cheering turkey trotters— home, and his six-mile sign-up card taunted me had we run the race after dinner, we would as we waited in the warm sun. (We misread the have been gobble wobblers—out at The End start time and ended up in Montauk an hour giving thanks for fitness. While Montauk isn’t early. So not like us, but I wasthankful to have a exactly a hike to get to, especially in the winter, relaxing morning.) it does take a bit of Even so, I balked at an effort. (This point the thought of running If we’d run this race after was emphasized after six miles. I couldn’t Thanksgiving dinner, we would the race: “You came all handle it. I was tired. the way out here from I was hurting from a have been “gobble wobblers.” Southampton?” Yes. run earlier in the week. Yes I did.) And on a Excuses, excuses. holiday weekend that can get caught up in The prehistoric sense of sibling rivalry got its gluttonous reputation, I enjoyed seeing so the better of me. I had to sign up for the six- many fellow East Enders celebrate in something miler. that can be so simply enjoyed. Only, I wasn’t allowed to. The race itself was a lot of fun. The weather “You’ll mess up the computers,” they said. was beautiful, and the course was relatively flat Really? and not too windy—so very not Montauk. “I mean, you can run the six, but your time The start gun went off, and I nervously set will register as a three.” out to run the six miles around Fort Pond Bay. Ahh, hospitality. I covered up my three-mile race number when “OK.” I passed the first finish line, lest they make By kelly laffey
“Pardon” me for running
me stop. No one did. And my fears of having an awful time or—worse—not finishing were unwarranted too. It was the longest I’ve run since the summer, and it felt—surprisingly—great. It reminded me that sometimes, you have to just go for it. I didn’t beat my brother, but I was pleased that I had covered the distance. Never underestimate what you can do. So, here’s the point: Running is fun. And “mind over matter.” If you don’t mind that it takes you almost an hour to run “three” miles, it doesn’t matter. To see photos of the 36th Annual Turkey Trot “Run for Fun,” go to page 35 and visit danshamptons.com