The Pets

Our pets love Summers of Jay. They get so much more attention than when school is in. Last year, The Summer of Home Projects, was their favorite. Except for the fleas. The fleas were very bad for everyone. But there was lots of attention.
The first picture is Milford. He used to be very aloof, but now he is Mr. Snuggly, and can be quite impatient about getting his needs met. He loves to sit at the window, watch the world go by, and plan his next great escape out the back door. This picture took several tries, because when I would get his attention, he would jump down, hoping I was offering to pet him at the bathroom sink. He hates it when school starts back up.
The next picture is Sydney, aka The Princess. All of our pets have a long list of nicknames, which I think is normal, but may not be true. Sydney is less than half Milford's size, but she can more than hold her own against her brother. They are about 13-years-old. Sydney's loyal subjects try to keep her happy, but it is rarely enough.
Our dog is Beau, also 13-years-old. She is the cutest dog in the world, and the smartest dog in our house. She is the sweetest, unless you are under the age of 8, try to come on our porch, are the mailman, or try to give her a bath, etc. As she ages and slows down, we spoil her more and more. I can't type any more about her without starting to cry.
Our pets keep us grounded. If not for them, I would want to quit our jobs, buy a big van, and travel 8 months out of every year. I would not trade them for anything.

Peace,

js4

M&M Bad

Easily the most disappointing in-store of the summer was yesterday, when Mickey and the Motorcars phoned one in at Waterloo. I expected way more out of this band, consisting of younger brothers of the main guys from Reckless Kelly. Even if they had been "Reckless Kelly-lite" it would have been better. The vocals had the same Steve Earle-ish sound, but the music was just weak. They had three guys with accoustic guitars, doing the job of one and a half players. They weren't into it, the small crowd wasn't into it, and it was a thankfully short performance. Family connections may open some doors, but if this show was any indication, The Motorcars need a major overhaul.

Peace,

js4

Running Story

On my long run on Saturday, I kept mostly to the trail around the lake. I left the house early to beat the heat, as if that were possible. Around 7:00, I was on a quiet stretch, east of the interstate, as the sun was coming up over the trees. About 60 yards ahead of me on the trail, I see this man on a bicycle, stopped, and talking on his cell phone. As I get closer, I see that he has his son with him, sitting in a seat on the back of the bike. The kid is maybe two-years-old, and he is watching me closely as I approach. Then the little guy leans out from his seat as far as he can reach, and raises his open hand to me. I know the international sign for "High Five" when I see it. We make eye contact, so there is no way that I can just leave this kid hanging. As I pass, I slide my hand against his little hand, and keep going. After about 10 yards, I turn to look back, and he is twisted around in his seat, looking back at me with a big smile on his face, and waving. That one moment made my whole run. I'm pretty sure that cell phone dad was clueless about the whole event.

The marathon training plan that I am following this time is big on longer mid-week runs. That meant a 13 miler yesterday. I had run just a 2 mile recovery on Sunday, because I was a little worried about how 13 would go, so soon after the 17 miles on Sat. I kept the pace easy, about 20 seconds per mile slower than I had run on Saturday. I felt good the whole way, and did 6 miles today, in the 8:40 range. Some speed work is on tap for tomorrow.

Peace,

js4

No Title

I had this post all finished, then lost my internet connection. Damn. Now I have to retype it.
Carrie and I had lunch at Las Manitas on Sunday. Old favorites: Migas for me and the Chorizo Plate for her. Never gets old. The giant, shiny buildings in the background remind me that Las Manitas will have to relocate to make room for another new, giant, shiny building. Progress, brought to you by the Marriott Corporation.
Love going to Arkie's, way out at the end of Cesar Chavez, probably the most blue-collar diner in Austin. They are closed on the weekends, so summertime is my only opportunity to eat here. I went early enough today to get a late breakfast of pancakes and eggs. The $5.50 breakfast special includes juice, which is a rarity. (Note that, Mr. Toland.) The last time I ate at Arkie's, I was too late to be served breakfast, (They don't cater to slacker teachers.) and had a good BLT. Nothing fancy here, just real food.
This sign caught my eye as I drove home today. The lack of detail made me wonder if we were talking about a missing dog, or the name of a band. I'd go see a group called "Lost Chihuahua," wouldn't you?
Grupo Fantasma played at Waterloo on Friday. They are to Latin Funk, what
Nomo was to Afro-beat. Three piece horns, more guitar driven, and more steel in the drums. They know what they are doing, and it was worth fighting the Friday traffic. There was more, but I'll put it in another post later.

Peace,

js4

Flippin' for Crepes

Flip Happy Crepes on Jessie St. just north of Barton Springs Road has been featured on The Food Network (must be on cable), and has gotten other good press locally. Scott D. in Garland forwarded us some information, and requested a review. Today is also Scott's birhday, so Happy Birthday to him!
See that trailer? That's the place. Actually, it is just the place they make the crepes. You eat outside, at mostly shaded picnic or patio tables. It would be a more relaxed environment if not for the noise from the condos going up in the background. Anyone want a condo? 'Cause we got 'em.
The line was short, but the wait was long for my chicken and goat cheese crepe. I was grateful for the shade and something to read while I waited nearly 40 minutes for my simple order. I'm serious when I say they must be cooking these babies one at a time. It was good, with most of the flavor coming from the goat cheese. For $7.00 and that kind of wait time, I was hoping for a sublime experience, but it fell short of that. The dessert crepes looked quite good, though. I hope they find a storefront, or a bigger trailer, or something so they can accommodate the demand for their wares.

Remember Jack Handey?
Deep Thoughts:

Before you criticize people, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them...you are a mile away from them and you have their shoes.

Peace,

js4

Smoothies

"They" tell us that we should eat like seven servings of vegetables and fruits every day. How is this possible when french fries don't even count? In my regular, non-summer life, three to four a day is pretty standard for me. Summertime and the blender have really helped me eat more healthy food. It also helps balance the non-healthy "Summer of Jay" indulgences of eating out nearly every day. The list of possible combinations is endless, but if you want to get the veggies in, I recommend carrots and tomatoes. Some leafy greens work on occasion, too. Fruits have included the traditional bananas, and all kinds of berries, usually frozen. Mangoes, peaches, apples go pretty well, too. Some apple juice and yogurt make a good base. Put in enough berries and bananas, and it tastes sweet enough offset the harsher flavors. I usually have a huge one of these every day. It is several hundred calories, I'm sure, but it gets me through the afternoon without too many cravings for Amy's ice cream. Don't know how I'll manage this once school starts again.

Not feeling too adventurous at lunch today, I opted for a Hyde Park turkey burger and fries. As good as the other 50 times I've had that. Old favorites are old favorites for a reason.

I worked a 4 mile tempo run into an 8 miler today. I was nervous about picking up the speed, especially with the humidity, but it went really well.
Splits were: 7:16 (a little fast) 7:26 (compensating) 7:21, 7:19 (just about right.)
I ran 6 with hills and a few hill repeats yesterday, but I did not feel any lingering effects. Happy about that. Plan to 17 miles on Saturday, the farthest I'll have run since Houston in January.

We are finally catching some rain from H'cane Dolly. It'll feel nice getting wet as I walk to the car.

Peace,

js4

Bumpkins and World Music

After being thwarted from having dinner at Manuel's downtown last night, Carrie and I went to a new place on 6th Street called Parkside. At this point, the story becomes "The Rubes Go to Dinner," because we were completely out of our element. Not because Parkside is overly fancy, but because they specialize in raw seafood, and the volume of raw seafood that we have consumed in our lives would fit on a plate or two. The waitress was on to me early, warning me off the amberjack I tried to order, and steering toward the salmon off the grill. Bless her. Carrie's Caesar Salad came with a four inch slice of anchovy laid on the top of it. Easily picked off, but I exposed my rubosity by comparing the lingering flavor (which was good) to that when you take the pickle off your Chick-fil-A sandwich, leaving the nice essence of pickle flavor. Carried loved the gnocchi, and we will go back there, but we still won't try any of the 12 different kinds of raw oysters.

Michigan-based Nomo played at Waterloo yesterday. Horns, drums, and two guitars, creating an infectious world music/Afro-beat sound that was quite good. Not normally my kind of music, but if I was hosting a party, and I wanted grown-ups to dance a little, I'd want to put their CD on. Most of the band members looked like band dorks from Ann Arbor, who got together and said, "Hey, let's be in a cool-sounding band." It worked.

Watching these two drummers bang in unison made me glad I'd moved to the side of the stage. Looked as cool as it sounded.
Carrie and I were watching some political coverage the other night when George Stephanopoulos came on to do some analysis. Carrie posed the question if anybody came out of the Clinton Presidency any better than the boy wonder. I couldn't think of anyone. He left the Clintons early enough, got his gig with ABC, then inherited the David Brinkley show. He seems to have played his cards just right.

Despite Dave and his poor-mouthing, doing a fine Lou Holtz by the way, here come the Yankees.

TTFN

Peace,

js4