Vacation Planning

One mistake I made this summer was waiting until August to travel. Summer in Austin is like being on vacation in your own town, but 43 days above 100 degrees has made it harder to "chill."

I just got off the phone with the good folks at The Kawanhee Inn in western Maine. Somebody had just cancelled a reservation on the nights we needed, so we score. Carrie usually takes more of the lead in planning trips, but this one has fallen to me. Something about me having more spare time. Four nights with my sister, Julie, and Ken on Deer Isle was easy enough to arrange. Nights in Portland and Boston came pretty easily, too. But a weekend at an inn, or cabin, with lakes and mountains was proving tricky, especially since I had waited until a few days ago to begin my search in earnest. I was afraid that I was going to have to Priceline a dump in Bangor, just to find a bed.



So if all goes well, activities will include, but not be limited to:

Sea kayaking.

Going out on a lobster boat.

Hiking on Deer Isle and at Acadia National Park.

Seeing the Maine coast, and the mountains.

Seeing a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.



Many of these activities are dependent on having the weather cooperate. The lady at The Kawanhee Inn told me that it had been hot and muggy up there in the past few days. When asked to clarify, she said it was around 80 degrees for the highs. If that's the worst weather we face, this is going to be a great trip. We leave Monday.

Peace,

JS4

Running Talk

I woke up early, before the alarm went off this morning, with some nervous energy about the run I had planned for the day. In the past week, I had run 30 miles for the first time in months. Last year at this time, I was pushing 50 mile weeks, but I had already laid the groundwork for an injury that I am still dealing with. I trained through the injury (osteitis pubis, if you want to google it), and ran two marathons last season, including a PR in Austin in February. In short, I was running while developing what soon would have become a stress fracture in my pubic bone. After the marathon, I turned myself in for treatment, got officially diagnosed, and have been getting physical therapy ever since.

The first step in treatment was 8 weeks of no running, while trying to rebuild some serious muscle weakness in my left hip and glute. Apparently, you can run a marathon while major muscle groups are totally misfiring. Pieter the physical therapist, and his minions, have built me back up slowly, testing me first with water running, then progressing to what is now 5-days-a-week with one run being what I call a "speed test." Pieter wants to know what happens when I go for a faster turnover, to see how the injured area responds.

Mile repeats, and hill intervals weren't enough for Pieter, so today was the day for some 400 meter intervals at the track. Running faster than 10K pace is more stressful on the body, especially a 42-year-old body. When I start training for another marathon, I don't plan to ever run 400 meter intervals, but for Pieter, this kind of run is good data. Overall, I was pleased with how the run went. Every time I have done a "speed test," I've felt good during the run, and then tightened up in the hip later in the day. I've had less of this tightness today, though enough to remind me me that I'm not "cured." I see Pieter tomorrow, for the first time in four weeks, and am looking forward to to assessment of the situation.

It is frustrating to not be able to make any real running plans (for future marathons, and the like). I was talking with Carrie last night about how I planned to schedule runs once school started again. I might be back in marathon shape for the winter, or I might still be struggling. Meanwhile, Houston (January) is sold-out, and the chance to be ready for San Antonio (November) is gone. It may be a year of half-marathons, if I can't start training for a full in time.

The subtitle for this summer's blog includes "running less." Well , I'm tired of running less, and would like to get going again. But pushing too much, too soon, is what got me into this mess, so I have to be patient.

At least I am able to run around the trail at Lady Bird Lake, with views like this:

Peace,

JS4

Long Post, Maybe Too Long.

When restaurants change location or close down these days, what moves in seems to be a less fancy, more affordable option. Starlite is my best example. When they moved from 34th street, Salvation Pizza (quite good) moved into the old house. Now Starlite has closed their downtown location, and a hot dog joint has moved in. It may be gourmet hot dogs, but that is a pig you can't put lipstick on. Maybe Starlite should have stayed put.

What used to be Basil's at 10th and Lamar has changed a few times, and is now the unfortunately named "The Screaming Goat." It is a classy taco place, but a big step down for the cute house that used be one of Austin's "special occasion" restaurants. The tostada I had at The Screaming Goat was impressive, not only for the fresh, quality ingredients, but because it held together while I ate it, rather than crumbling onto my lap at the first bite. Worth a return visit.

Over the weekend, Carrie and I ate out several times, and each time were impressed with the quality of service. Local restaurants as diverse as Hoovers Home Cookin', Mirabelle, and Kerby Lane Cafe have staffs that make you want to return. We're pretty forgiving on the rare occasions when we get bad service, but Austin seems to have an abundance of waitstaff who take pride in their work. Always appreciated.

I'm not a jazz fan, but I had a pleasant surprise last week at Kat Edmonson's in-store. Two drummers and a bass player provided enough rhythm to keep the music from wandering off into indulgent jazzland, and Kat knew how to get out of the way when her awesome trumpet player had a solo. Her vocals had a nasal quality that took some getting used to, but fit really well with he music. Someone in the crowd said she reminded them of Madeleine Peyroux, if that helps. (That comparison did not provide me with a useful frame of reference.) Carrie did not care for the sample of Kat Edmonson's music that I played for her when I got home, but she may still agree to see a performance at The Elephant Room downtown, where we have never been, in all our years in Austin.

Trailer food, way beyond taco stands,has become big business in Austin, especially on trendy South Congress. High class Hudson's on the Bend has brought their food to the masses with The Mighty Cone, a quality wrap with a choice of chicken, shrimp, or avocado. They are wildly popular at the Austin City Limits Festival, and I must admit it was very good, but at $6.00, it was pretty indulgent for street food. I did like the custom cone holders on their picnic tables, though.

Speaking of indulging, since the cone was not a full meal, I decided to supplement my lunch with a chocolate cupcake from Hey Cupcake, on the same gravel parking lot as The Mighty Cone. Nothing phenomenal, and I'll get my empty calories elsewhere in the future, but I do love the giant rotating cupcake on the top of the trailer.

I also like that this collection of trailers is right across the street from Vespaio, one of Austin's finest restaurants. As South Congress goes more and more upscale, it is nice to know that doesn't mean exclusive. It's still Austin, after all.

Hey, I just thought of a new slogan for

Austin:

No Velvet Ropes,

Just Velvet Ruts.

Okay, this post is long enough, 'cause it just got lame.

Peace,

JS4

Birthdays

Sometimes, the celebrity birthday list in the paper catches my attention. Some days I don't recognize any of the names. Today (Thursday) the list falls into 3 categories:



People whose work I totally respect:

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is 42.

Allison Krauss is 38.



People I have no use for at all:

Don Imus is 69.

Slash is 44.

Monica Lewinsky is 36.



People I'm on the fence about, or not sold on:

Justice Anthony Kennedy is 73.

Woody Harrelson i 48.

Nomar Garciaparra is 36.

Daniel Radcliffe is 20.



Carry on,



JS4



P.S.

On Spellcheck, both Nomar and Garciaparra get highlighted. And I think Carrie may not like that I put him in the "iffy" category.

Bonus Track

I was trying to upload video directly to this post, but the best I could manage is a youtube link.



Bob Schneider 40 Dogs (Romeo and Juliet)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w5Y05f0Lig&feature=PlayList&p=E0A9B3C5128DEF49&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=19

On my run today, this song came on the radio, which is the most used feature of my mp3 player.

If you live in Austin, you may be sick of this song. Not me, it always makes me smile, even if I'm in a funk, or running in the humid 80 degree weather. I think I violated the "No Singing" rule when it came on this morning.



I don't know if this song is getting any run outside of Austin. The album is not even out yet. If you haven't heard it, listen, and then listen again. It's that catchy.



There is another new blog post below.

Health Care

Okay, I still agree with the argument that the U.S. is a "Center Right," generally conservative country. The health care debate is a classic example. War resolutions, and sweeping tax cuts are easy to get bi-partisan support on. Health care for all Americans is altogether different. When you have a broad majority in the House, and 60 Democrats in the Senate, this should be doable. We're not even talking universal coverage, or a single-payer plan here.



If you ask people what they think about the educational system, most say it's screwed up. Ask parents about their kids' school, or more specifically, their kids' teachers, the opinion is much more favorable. The same goes for the health care system. People say we need reform and broader coverage, in the abstract. But most people have insurance, and most of those people are basically satisfied with their health insurance. People are afraid that what is coming is going to disrupt their place in a flawed system. It is the perfect environment for fear-mongering.



A few weeks ago, I said to Carrie, "You know what Obama needs to do with the health care debate? LEAD." It was bad strategy to do the Energy Bill first, then leave the country, then come back and try to impose an artificial deadline on Congress. Obama is afraid to level with people about costs, you know, taxes. Yes, it is going to cost more to cover (nearly) everyone. Can we afford it? A wealthy and powerful country can afford its priorities. That we have gone so long without ensuring that people have access to affordable health care says something very troubling about our nation's values and priorities.



I still think they will get something through Congress, and I hope that it works out to be a good plan, or something that can be made into a good plan going forward. A lot of people, including me,

voted for Democrats to lead on this issue. Their job is to lead, even when the public gets squeamish about the details and the process. If they fail to get this done, it will be a monumental failure of leadership. Credit for success can be shared, but if Pelosi and Reid can't get a bill through, it will be their failure. And even more so, President Obama's.

Al Pastor is the type of taco that we used to get at Taco Sabrosa. Now, when I drive past their location, all I see is a red blockade bar across the parking lot entrance, and a sign that says, "Closed for Renovation." Longest renovation ever, so I've been looking for a new Al Pastor taco place. A few months ago, I read about a place on East Riverside, close to where people get shot in Austin. Yes, people get shot in all parts of town, and we have a very low murder rate, but after midnight, I would not go to that area.

But the name of the restaurant is Al Pastor. So if you are looking for Al Pastor tacos, it's worth looking into. I went there with Julie and Ken when they were visiting Austin in April, and was impressed. The entire back page of the menu is full of their Al Pastor options, which means pork sliced off a slow cook rotisserie. The quesadillas were great, and the tacos were very good. The tacos came without cheese, an ingredient that made the quesadillas so tasty.
When I went in yesterday, I ordered the tacos with cheese, so this would be the true test. They were better than before, but still not perfect. The cheese wasn't fully melted, and there were bits of the pork that were too fatty to eat. So close. Close enough that I will get Carrie to try them, but really, the quest goes on.

In-store yesterday with Telegraph Canyon, which sounds like a wine label more than a band name. They had all the instruments I like (except the accordion), fiddle, mandolin, banjo, etc., but they never seemed to connect, and put it all together. Their sound was a little like Neil Young, but they had no stage presence or notable performance style. They had loaded in an enormous organ that the guitarist played some, but it did not help enough, nor did having a female fiddle player in boots and a skirt. Just something missing in all of it. Sadly, the most impressive thing was that someone loaded in that giant organ.

Peace,

JS4