Part 1 Catching Up

We are back from our travel into the Ozarks and the flatlands of Arkansas, and I'll spend some time this week reviewing the trip. But first, a quick entry about the evening before we left.

It was Tara's birthday, and we were going to miss her party during the weekend, so we had some live music and drinks in mind. Many years ago, Tara, Carrie and I went to a bar on 6th Street to see a new band that was getting popular with the college kids. A Reckless Kelly show at Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar was a big night out back then. Last week, the band was doing an in-store, so we got Tara to go along, for old time's sake. Waterloo was giving tickets away for the band's show that night at Antone's, and one of the ways to win was to prove that it was your birthday. Ding! Tara wins.

Reckless Kelly at Waterloo.

We all walked down to Z Tejas for Margaritas (In the top 3. Still haven't had the other 2 best this summer.) Good times.

Long story short, none of us could muster the energy to go to the show later that night. Carrie and I packed for the trip, and Tara had to work the next day. Age, and the need for sleep won out. Is this how a Summer of Jay is supposed to go? Rockin' til 1:00 A.M., then getting up pre-dawn to drive for 11 hours would have provided some real blog-worthy material. I'm sorry if I let you all down.

Tomorrow: On to Branson.

Peace,

js4

Risk

Is there a risk that if I write on my blog that we are going out of town soon, that some genius computer hacker will find out and steal my 19 inch analog TV while we are gone? If that happens, can I get a 32 inch HD to replace it?

Is there a risk that the Tampa Bay Rays could be in first place soon? Would I feel better if it was the Yankees breathing down the Sox's necks? We might find out soon.

Is there a risk that I might find myself running down the sidewalk in Branson, Missouri later this week? What if I run smack into Mel Tillis? Or the ghost of Mel Tillis, if he is actually dead?

Is there a risk that the Republicans are actually sandbagging their own expectation for November, and that they could wind up picking up seats in Congress? That one is for Brad, in case he is reading. There is no effing way we lose the majority in Congress. The executve branch, still at risk.

If I were to play "Risk," I would follow the axiom, "Never fight a land war in Asia."

Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.

Peace,

js4

Outdoor Music and Working with Percy

The best part of yesterday, which mostly stunk because of the lost glasses incident, was going to the Juneteenth Celebration at Rosewood Park. It was 101, so finding shade was critical. Fortunately this blues band was also in the shade. Good times, and it's not too often that my presence adds to the diversity of a crowd listening to live music.

This morning before seeing Dr. Melanie about a new prescription for glasses, I went down to Threadgills, where they were raising money for their "fan drive" for the elderly and disabled. They had good musicians, but they did not play more than three songs each, so there was lots of sitting around time. Still, a good cause, and donated time, so I cannot complain much. Below are Paula Nelson with George Devore on guitar, and writer of famous songs, Bruce Robison.

Summer gives me time to catch up on chores I've been putting off, sometimes for months. In January, I usually clear out all the leaves from the yard and driveway. 2008 was a record year for procrastination, so that finally got done this week. Only five months late. I decided to get some help, so for the first time ever, I went to the city's day labor site and picked up Percy, whom the site coordinator told me was a regular. Percy told me he got the first pick of jobs that day because on another day when he did not get work, he stayed at the site and cleaned up. He wanted to make sure that we would be working a full day so that it would be a good job to take. We had plenty of work, and I did about four hours in the heat. Percy, with no noticable breaks worked his ass off for seven hours before we were done. He told me that some of the workers will turn down really hot outdoor work like roofing, but that he never minds the heat. We talked about the NBA finals as I drove him to a random corner in East Austin at the end of the day. He had not seen the previous night's game, as he gets up at 5:00 am to walk downtown so he can catch a bus to the labor pick-up site.

Quick impressions of the day:

1. The city runs a good operation for laborers, easy to access for employers, and helping to ensure that workers are not exploited.

2. I didn't do a head count, but the place is clearly not exclusively for the undocumented. Percy hails from Dallas.

3. For me, it further humanized the faces I see when I drive by the day labor site or other gathering spots where guys wait for work. Dignity to all who do legal work, except maybe telemarketers.

Good runs this week, despite the heat. Tomorrow's 15 will get me 48 again for the week. I did 3 miles at "summer tempo" pace (@7:30/mile) on Wednesday. I gotta start those earlier in the morning. I'm slower right now, but I'm hoping the added mileage and stamina will pay off later.

Saw a great quote on the Runner's World website the other day:

If you can't do sports, become a runner.

If you are slow, just run really far.

So the reports are that Tiger Woods tore his ACL while jogging. Really? Unless he was dodging alligators in Orlando, I don't see how jogging would cause this injury. Do reporters just not ask?

A few people have forwarded me suggestions of places that I should go for lunch. Unless you are buying, forget it. Just kidding, I like trying new places and appreciate any suggestion, and comments on the blogs, too.

Peace,

js4

Heat Impacts Brain Function

Or maybe I'll naturally stupid enough to think that a side pocket in my running shorts would hold my glasses until the end of my run. After about six miles this morning in the 80 degree heat, my glasses were getting spotty enough with sweat that I could see better without them. Instead of putting them in the back zipper pocket, I slid them into the side pocket. I did not know they were gone until I finished my run. Ever have one of those days were one seemingly small decision triggers a series of events that cost you hours or more out of your life, not to mention serious cash? You just want that moment of decision back. I spent nearly two hours on foot and bicycle retracing my path, on the long shot chance that I might find them. Carrie even played the part of the helpful spouse, and covered the first mile with me before she had to leave for work. No luck finding them, but I had to look before admitting defeat.

Planning for a new pair of glasses, I headed to Eyemart to do some preliminary shopping for frames. Upon leaving the store, I find that one of my tires has quickly lost much of its air. Quite a day this is turning out to be. I knock on wood that this was the last bad thing to happen for me today. When things start to go better, I get to experience one of my favorite things: gratitude. I am grateful that the Pronto Mart, the greatest convenience store ever, has free air and a tire gauge to borrow. I am grateful the Furguson's, my car repair place of choice, could plug the leak with no wait, and send me quickly on my way home. I am grateful that Dr. Melanie, my optometrist of choice can fit me in for an appointment tomorrow. Finally, I am grateful that my problems are so relatively small, that this worst day in the Summer of Jay really ain't all that bad. And I'll write tomorrow about some down right good stuff that happened today. Trying to keep things in perspective.

Peace,
js4

HRC

Big fun this Father's Day weekend at the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop with Courtney and Zach, my sister's kids, pictured below with PJ, my dad. Thanks to Jo Carolyn and Bill for putting this weekend together. The second picture is Dad, Jo Carolyn and me.

Quick restaurant review: Be careful how you order at Baxter's on Main in Bastrop. Avoid the chicken fried steak, and go for something with shrimp in it. Half of our party was pleased with the food while the other half wondered why we bothered to make the trip into town.

Now the Father's Day brunch at the Hyatt was good for anyone not counting calories. Crab claws, omlettes, and plenty of desserts to sample. Yum.

Running is going well right now. I'm trying to do a "regular" 48 mile week, because some travel plans will potentially disrupt next week's running. I did ten miles today, with a bit of a sore hamstring (yard work "injury"). Should be better tomorrow.

I was thinking about Hillary Clinton on Saturday, and then had the chance to run with one her supporters that morning. Don and I had a fairly lengthy discussion about sexism in the campaign, which the media finally put in the news cycle as it did the autopsy on Hillary's campaign. As an Obama supporter, I was glad to hear Don's thoughts, and he is rarely shy about sharing his opinions. The gender vs. race issue came up as we ran, and that is the first thing I want to touch on here.

Sexism is so much more okay in society today than is racism, and that is reflected in the media. I remember John McCain's response to a woman, a woman, who asked him, "How do we beat the bi**h?" McCain's response: "Good question." Not "Hold on, let's keep this respectful." No. He said,"Good question." Let's say an African American Republican (They're out there somewhere.) asks McCain, "How do we beat the ni***r?" You think he's gonna say, "Good question."? Sexism was infused in this campaign, and it seemed so natural for it to be there. We are not shocked by it because the line of what is acceptable has not moved as far with sexist language as it has with racist language.

I am reminded of Shannon Faulkner, the first female student to enroll at the Citadel in South Carolina in the mid-90's. State school, taxpayer funded, all male. Until Shannon Faulkner challenged the system. She did not last long, but she broke the door down so that other young women could exercise their equal right to attend that ridiculous school. A few years later the Citadel had their first female graduate, and many more have followed. They, and the young men of the Citadel have Faulkner to thank for being the first through the door, whether they recognize it or not. When the U.S. does have its first female president, Democrat or Republican, she, and we, will recognize again just how much Hillary Clinton did to show what was possible for women in America.

One of the columnists I read last week wrote that women should not get mad about Hillary's loss, but get even. Not by voting for McCain, but by getting more women elected to statehouses and Congress. Good idea. I hope that the next time there is an open primary on the Democrat's side that there are three or four qualified women to choose from, competing for the presidency with an equally qualified group of men. Because I hope Obama wins, We need to be a few election cycles from that happening. This time around, I hope that women will turn out for Obama. It's important. The war. The courts. It took the courts to make the Citadel allow women to attend school there. It took the courts to end segregation. John Paul Stevens is really old. It's important.

3 Lunches and an In-store

Wow, I'm three lunches behind here. Tuesday was my favorite cheap burger joint, Hillbert's on N. Lamar. Family operated (and working the counter, too), with blue collar patrons sitting on mustard yellow stools. First-rate all the way, including the fries and chocolate shake. Eat here.
If anybody can tell me where to find the people who made Taco Sabrosa's al pastor pork tacos, there is a reward involved. Taco Sabrosa changed into some other restaurant a while back, and now the place is shuttered completely. I went by there to do some taco recon. on Wednesday, and am fearful that I may never get one of those al pastors again. I then tried Azul, a fancy sandwhich place on Cesar Chavez. Being renovated. By now I'm getting pretty damned hungry, so I head to Cafe Mundi, knowing I can get a good sandwhich there. Score, with the turkey and provalone. Followed that with a not-too-sweet slice of pumpkin bread for dessert. In shorts and a t-shirt, I am somehow overdressed for Cafe Mundi. Dreadlocks, tattoos, and bare feet were what I needed to fit in. They were nice to me anyway; maybe they thought I was a narc. They had soccer on the TV screen inside, so I made a beeline to eat on the patio.

Today's choice was the Blue Star Cafeteria. What a letdown - worst meal so far in this summer tour. For those unfamiliar, this is nothing like a cafeteria, but a mid-priced, mid-town eatery on Burnett Road. The crab cakes were gooey, and looked a bit like they had been cooked the night before. On the plus side, the salad under the cakes was fresh and tasty. In shorts and a t-shirt, I was the most casually dressed person there. Blue slacks, and a button shirt (or maybe a sundress) is what I needed to blend in here. The service was weak, perhaps I was being profiled by my clothes. My water glass sat empty, and the waiter did not get my change right (error in his favor, natch).

Yesterday's Waterloo in store was with local band Shearwater. Having read the album review in last week's Chronicle, I did not know what to expect, because the reviewer used a lot of big words that I did not understand. My first impression was that the lead singer was a pretentious artiste, as he opened with an intense falsetto operatic thing (not a song). When the band got going, it was complex arrangements, with everything from an oboe to a tambourine. The lead guy played four different instrument in the first five songs. This was not my kind of music, but I would say it is was good. I was always curious about where the next song would head, and there was a vision to their sound. (I'll stand by that statement, no matter how stupid it sounds as I read it back.) They were performing their music as opposed to playing a gig.

Running was sluggish today, and I think I was not properly hydrated to start. Gotta be careful with that in the record heat. I did 8 miles with strides at the end. On track to finish with 48 miles for the week.

Happy trails.

Peace,

js4

Enchiladas y Mas

It looks like I may have figured out how to post photos in the body of a blog entry. We'll see. Thanks to Dave for his assistance. When I hear myself having an "aha" moment, saying, "Oh, it's on the tool bar," I feel like, well, a tool.

Lunch yesterday was at La Cocina de Consuelo on Burnett Road. From the picture it looks small, which it is, and like a dive, which it is not. There are only four tables inside, and a few outside the back door. I had the chicken verde enchiladas, which were tasty. The only negative would be that there was not enough green sauce to really give them the kick of full flavor. I've had them here before and never had this problem. At over $9.00 for the full plate, this is no discount place. Consuelo is very proud of her cocina. A quiet place wth good chips and sauce. La cocina is closed on Saturdays.
My run this morning started at the trail on Lady Bird Lake. I was not in a huge hurry, so I carried the camera. Carrie drove the car home when she finished with her run, and I ran home from the trail. It is four miles from the water stop at Auditorium Shores to my house, and I did about 5.5 on the trail, for a total of 9.5 miles.
I have never seen a turle crossing the trail in all the time I've run there. He was not even shy about having his picture taken.
If you have not heard, our 150-year-old Governor's Mansion burned the other night. Arson, they believe. It is on my route from the river back home, and I was able to get close enough to get these shots.
The security guy in back was not real happy about me getting close for the picture below, but I couldn't resist. DPS had troopers guarding this place around the clock even before the fire. This raises two thoughts:
1. If someone can get past these guys to start a fire, it seems that this was a pretty vulnerable target for any kind of attack.
2. It must be tough to be vigilant night after night when nothing at all happens on your shift.
Complacency and denial set in too easily, and we cannot guard against everything, all the time. Still, I expect them to do their jobs better than that.

I guess this is the biggest act of intentional destruction for destruction's sake in Austin since that nut poisoned Treaty Oak.

Monday Morning

The dirt flew, the crowd cheered, the champion dominated the competition, and expert observers proclaimed the victor as one of the all time greats. Too bad this is not referring to the Belmont, and the Big Brown victory that so many, including me, expected. No, this refers to Rafael Nadal utterly taking apart Roger Federer in the French Open Final. Nadal owns Paris, having never lost a match there, and winning four straight times. Federer might be the best ever, but he looked helpless out there against Nadal. After the match, it you were looking to see if Federer would show frustration, or a small bit of poor sportsmanship, none was evident. And Nadal even apologized to Federer for how the final went for him. These two guys show so much class, they might be the best two role models in sports.

My efforts in sporting excellence fell short on Saturday morning. The 10K in Leander a slow, muggy affair. A good portion of the race was on a mulch trail, with lots of turns through the woods. It was scenic, and rounding a corner to see enthusiastic 9-year-olds manning the water stops was worth the effort, but it didn't make for blazing times. At least not for me. I finished in 45:47, about a minute slower than my Cap 10K time from late March. My endurance is good, but now that I've gotten my mileage up, this result lets me know I've got to get back to doing strides, repeats, and tempo runs if I want to get faster. My legs are still a little sore today, so these faster paces will have to wait for now.

My thoughts turn to Hillary and Barack, to people I know on their way to or home from Iraq, and then to some trivial topics which serve as a refuge from such deep matters. One of those topics is lunch. Don't know where I'll go, but I'll write about it tomorrow.
That's what we in the blogging business call "a tease."

Peace,

js4

Return to Gene's

During the first "Summer of Jay," most of the places I went to lunch were spots I'd been to before. I tried some new places too, and one stood out as a particular favorite. At the time I couldn't believe that I had been missing out on such a good lunch spot, and I have returned to Gene's New Orleans Style PoBoys & Deli many times since. The first thing I noticed when I walked in today was that Gene is in the middle of an interior remodel. New configuration, walls half-painted, that kind of thing. I took a table in the middle room and waited for a waitress. It was not unusual, given the casual service, that a few minutes passed and no one had come by to take my drink order. The second thing I noticed was another patron serving his own drink, and carrying a number card attached to a metal stand, the clear indicator of the new "counter service" policy at Gene's. It had been nearly a year since I'd been in, so I didn't know how new this policy was, I just knew that sitting there on my behind was not going to get me a shrimp poboy.

After ordering, I was reminded of another good thing about Gene's. Sometimes there is live music during lunch. As the room filled with diners, we were treated to a 50-ish guy in a Beatles Let it Be t-shirt and a black gimme cap, playing what sounded to me like blues covers, but of songs I did not recognize. Turns out they were originals, songs from his upcoming album that he said was due out this summer. He introduced himself as Michael Hardie, and assured us that a Myspace page is in the works. His music was solid blues, and I could tell that I was not the only one there forming a positive impression of his music. It was more than you should expect over lunch, but Austin has a habit of spoiling us with random musical moments.

Because of Gene's location on the Eastside, but not far from downtown, the lunch crowd is a nice mix of ethnicities and income levels. Today's blend included fathers and sons, state employees, city workers with their names on the front of their blue shirts, a New Austin hipster who never took off his sunglasses, and a few guys wearing ties. (You see more of these shady characters in ties when the legislature is in session.) Gene's is in everybody's comfort zone.

On the running front, I did an easy 6 miles this morning, with an eye to the 10K that Carrie and I are running on Saturday. I have no idea what to expect from myself or this race. I have spent the last two months increasing my weekly milage, to the exclusion of almost all speedwork. My legs are really good at churning out 8:30 miles right now. I hope they remember how to go faster, because that is what I'll be asking of them. The weather won't be any help, as it will be around a less-than-ideal 80 degrees when we run.The race is in Leander on a course I have never seen. Still, I'm looking forward to seeing how I do. I will use my results to set the early training paces that I'll run getting ready for my next planned marathon, in San Antonio in November.

Some people may be watching closely as the Lakers and Celtics play the first games of the NBA Finals, but the only sporting event I know I'll make a point of seeing this weekend is The Belmont Stakes. Thirty years is a long time to wait for a triple crown winner, so I'll be pulling for Big Brown, eventhough his story lacks "storybook" quality. I have some memory of Secretariat, and even clearer memories of Affirmed winning the triple crown over Alydar in '78, I think. I like the build-up and the drama, all for an event that only lasts two-and-a-half minutes.

Perhaps a better writer could find a literary link between training for a marathon, and a horse racing for the triple crown, weaving the two into something really compelling. Yeah, that would take a better writer. I got nothin'.

Peace,

js4

My First Official Blog Entry

Yes, it's true. Though technologically phobic and minimally skilled, I am setting out on this blogging journey today.First, let me say, "Welcome, and thank you for spending a portion of your valuable on-line time with me."

Several years ago, after my first year of teaching, people wanted to know how I would spend my first glorious summer off. Having eaten a steady diet of microwave leftovers for that school year, my number one goal that summer was to go out to lunch every day. My friend Brad, in a nod to Seinfeld, called this the "Summer of Jay." Another friend, Tara, recommended that I start a blog, reviewing the places where I ate, and other comings and goings. My response to that idea was to scoff, and perhaps I uttered the word, "never." I don't remember exactly, and records from this era are spotty at best. At that point, I had barely mastered the e-mail machine, and the idea of blogging seemed not only impossible, but worthy of ridicule.

Fast forward to this 4th "Summer of Jay," and I still think the idea of me having a blog is worthy of ridicule. My life is only somewhat interesting to me, but a few people have said they would be interested in reading a blog about my summer fun. Setting this thing up has been a technological challenge already, but I think I'm ready to make a go of it.

One of the best things about a summer off from work, is that it provides me with more time to run. This hobby/competitive activity has become more important and time consuming, since that 1st "Summer of Jay," when I decided to train for a marathon. On Tuesday, however, my first full day off from work, I did not run at all. My wife Carrie and I have established a tradition over the last few years that involves her taking my first day off as a vacation day. We sleep in, take it easy, and go for that first lunch "out." Our traditional spot is Trudy's Texas Star, just north of the UT campus. We sit on the deck, which is comfortable in the shade, even with the record high temperatures we have otherwise been sweating through. Creatures of habit, we always order the fajita nachos and partake of what we rank as the 4th best margaritas in Austin.

In my efforts to post pictures from Day One, I have run into my first technical snafu. Shocking, right? I will try to resolve this later (Thanks in advance, Dave.) I had hoped to pad this blog with many exciting photos, so we will work diligently to resolve this problem. Meanwhile, I will post the pictures where my limited skills allow, and continue this entry here.

Later in the day, Carrie and I headed down to Waterloo Records, the best independent music store around these parts. They have in-store performances by local and well-known artists on a regular basis. These events are a great way to see and hear live music in town, and they always have free beer during the bands' mini-sets. Yesterday's CD release show was by a local band called The Mother Truckers. Their music is what I would call Southern Rockin' Americana. This was especially good "Texas Music," with good guitar work, strong vocals, and energetic stage presence. The latter was especially true of the female lead singer ((hopefully pictured at right.) Check 'em out. We bought a CD.

Having sworn off cooking for the day, we then proceeded to Z'tejas for a dinner of shared appetizers in the bar area, and a "top three" ranked margarita. A four piece jazz group added even more music to our day. I have know idea about jazz, so I won't even try to critique this show.

Upon our arrival home, I had planned to settle in, for maybe a quiet evening of blogging. A message from Tara changed that for me, as she wanted to meet at Sholtz Garden to have a beer and listen to Barack Obama's speech after he had locked up the nomination. I was interested in the event, but not the beer, as I had already consumed the margaritas and the beer, and it was only 7:00p.m. I won't focus on politics in this entry; I'll save that for later. The crowd at Sholtz's was really in pep rally mode, but I did get a picture taken while they listened to his speech. By this point in the evening, I had begun strategically hydrating because I was planning a 10 mile run in the morning.

The run this morning was a good one. Down through the UT campus, down to the trail, then home past the state capitol building. For those of you who are reading this for running news, I know this is brief. I will write more about my running in future posts. Let this serve as a warning to those of you who don't care one bit about running. I know you are out there.

In case you couldn't tell already, this blog will be about the things into which I put my thoughts and energy this summer. These will include, but not be limited to: running and other sports (as participant and spectator), music (spectator only as I have no talent in this realm), food and beverages, politics, and other random topics as they occur to me. I will try to make 3-4 entries each week.

In closing, I want to say thanks again for visiting my blog. I hope you will return soon to see that I have fought through my techno-struggles, and to read about my thrilling summer. Please pass on the blog info to anyone that you think might be interested in reading. I think it would be cool to have readers that I have never met. I'll go into begging mode here to say that I really hope that you will comment on what you read, either in the comment section of the blog, or at jaysummer4@gmail.com. Yes, I am that desperate for your approval.

Peace,

js4