spacekadet

This week's Morning Becomes Eclectic features London-based Lewis Taylor, a jazzy souly crooner of sexy songs and beautiful rhythms. He reminds me of Prince and Jamiroquoi, and in some respects, are better than both (better than Prince? is this possible?). His lyrics are HAWWWWT. And his voice is gorgeous.

Sadly, he hasn't made it into the U.S. main stream, and so most of his albums are priced at spendy import prices. (Someone in the UK wanna hook me up? wink! wink!) But KCRW's podcast is almost just as good. The interview is quite charming, as well.

Some reviews that should make you want to listen to Lewis Taylor RIGHT NOW:

The Guardian: "Taylor... can transform one man's world-weariness into his own anthem, His time cannot be far away"

The Times: "Here's a bloke with an abundance of talent...dazzling us with his cerebral, convoluted chord structures...made all the more impressive when you realise that he played every instrument and wrote all its songs." Album of the Week

Time Out: "This is the soundtrack of sun, ice cream and bronzed bodies. Smooth."

Posted by monica at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is freakin' AWESOME.

(And so yesterday's news, but indulge me!)

LearnOutLoud: a huge directory of audio books, MP3's, podcasts, and video.

They have a TON of Richard Feynman stuff. huzzah!!!

Posted by monica at 08:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few more photos from the bike ride in Wimberley. I brought my Lomo Fisheye with me, and rigged it to my handlebars. Fun stuff.

Posted by monica at 08:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Veronica & Marcella, touched by noodles
Originally uploaded by spacekadet.

Highlights: FINALLY seeing Stephanie and Marcella's crib, meeting Marcella's sis, meeting the pets, cooking and eating, Tetris benchmarks, cardboard box sledding, the Surreal Calder, Michael's first tattoo, Stephanie's bitchin' tattoo shop, cosmopolitans, orange ginger honey carrots (RIP), a new hat, tattoo art brainstorming, sleeping in a tent in the rain, morning coffee with friends.

Posted by monica at 04:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been in Houston for the past few days for the Thanksgiving holiday, having a wonderful time thanks to the hospitality of my astral friend, Marcella. This afternoon I rolled my potato padded butt to the Menil for some surreal art and the Rothko chapel. I was very impressed.

The galleries and grounds were fantastic - and free! One of the more thought provoking artists I discovered was Robert Grober.

Is he a surrealist? A minimalist? A conceptualist? I'm not sure. But I do know that he's a master sculptor of beeswax. I wish I could find a picture of the "Long Haired Cheese". Marvelous.

Other favorites included Tanguy, Magritte, and the Menil's current exhibit of nearly 60 Calder pieces, surrealistic mobiles that are as fun to look at as they are fascinating to comprehend. We've decided that Calder must have used small counterweights to finish his pieces. If he didn't, then he is a mathematical genius and should get an honorary PhD or something.

Interesting Calder factoid: In his early career, Calder's work consisted primarily of sculptures and paintings of animals and figures. But it was in 1930, after a visit to Piet Mondrian's studio, that he was "shocked" into embracing abstract art.

Posted by monica at 11:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Leaping into the abyss...
Originally uploaded by spacekadet.

Last weekend, Matt and I enjoyed a blend of extreme adventure cycling with the humble simplicity of hobo life. We started with a bike ride through the Hill Country, meandering our way through various facets of Texas geography. After the 40 mile ride, we retreated to our campsite in Wimberley, where we recovered from a day of hard work with water, wine, and food cooked over (and sometimes in) an open flame. On Sunday, after a quick splash in Jacob's Well, we begrudgingly packed up camp and headed further west towards Blanco, where we toured the Real Ale Brewing Company. We ended our trip on a mammalian note, stopping at Pure Luck Texas goat farm for fresh goat cheese (alas, it was an anticlimactic finale – the cheese was not for sale, but there were plenty of pure goat kisses to pass around).

Posted by monica at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Resting by Lake Buchanan
Originally uploaded by spacekadet.

first, we will cycle 'Devil's Backbone' and Canyon Lake, then camp out in the humble town of Wimberley. on Sunday, at last, a tour of the Real Ale Brewing Company, with a bonus goat farm tour in Dripping Springs.

after that, we'll return, muscles like jello, brimming with goat cheese and stories.

speaking of stories, i've been meaning to write about last weekend's cycling (mis)adventure. but that will have to wait. for now, enjoy some photos. from the outing. it was a fantastic ride, and here's to more of the same tomorrow!

if we could only decide on a route.

a camping bonus extra: the grocery list ('cause we know where our priorities are)...

bike ride food: power bars (Power Bar Harvest Bars are the bomb!), water, carrots, fruit++, pb & banana sammich for monica, pb & sprout sammich for matt (yeah, i'm not sure about that combo, either)

post bike ride campout dinner: pretzels, veggie hot dawgs, wheat buns, saurkraut, mustard, relish, green beans, apples, red wine, dark chocolate

breakfast: coffee, oatmeal, banana, nuts, hard boiled eggs

Posted by monica at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The sun is shining and I'm wearing a sweater. I love this time of year.

A cold front blew into Austin last night and made for very chilly fingertips on the bike ride in to work this morning. I was around 24th and Rio Grande when Morning Becomes Eclectic started up, featuring the Clientele.

Oh my! Go download the podcast right this very instant and listen to some hopelessly beautiful dreamy autumn melodies!

I challenge you: tell me what could be more perfect for the changing season than the Clientele?

Now I want to make myself a cup of tea, wrap an afghan blanket around me, and cozy up with someone special.

Yes, it's that good.

The first song on the podcast is actually about autumn, but I can't seem to locate the lyrics or the album that this song belongs to. Is it new? I love it, and I must have it!

Posted by monica at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Nickodemus - Funky in the Middle

Yesterday I discovered Nickodemus on KCRW's music broadcast. Nickodemus is pure electronic, hip hop, funk, jazz, world beat, turntable music, straight up from NYC.

Can you dig it?

If the answer to the above is "yes", then you might also dig this directory of mp3 goodness. I'm not sure if the webmaster at nickodemus.com knows that this is publicly available, but we do, and we're most grateful for the offering!

Posted by monica at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Central Texas Bike Routes: my first encounter with the Google Maps API.

I think I'm in love!

The goal of the page is to provide an overview of Austin area bike rides with links to route maps.

Your thoughts?

Posted by monica at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Central Texas, alleged cycler's utopia, home of lance armstrong, the hike and bike trail, the greenbelt, among other trinkets of the cyclists fantasy world, is completely void of organized resources on the interweb.

Some sites have links to route maps that merely point to mean "MEMBERS ONLY" messages.

Other sites offer shoddy maps with little direction.

Other sites tease with tempting routes, and then ask for money to see them!!

I want a central place where I can pick my starting point and see some routes.

Is that so hard?

So, I'm using this as an excuse to learn a little bit about the GoogleMaps API. Some useful sites so far:

Google's API stuff
Basic Tutorial
Geocoder

Stay tuned for some hot mapping action.

Posted by monica at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I went to Texas Sports & Family Medicine to have my ankle prodded and examined by Dr. Hutchens. For a doctor's visit, it was pretty damn pleasant. Mostly because I didn't have to wait. I mean, that's the worst part right? (The possible exception being the wait for a prostate exam... lucky for me I know nothing of that, alas, we women have our own doctoral demons to tend to.)

Sports Medicine practices are interesting places, in a good way: patients are treated like athletes. By that I don't mean we were fed gatorade and given VIP access to clubs and bimbos. But it's nice to be spoken to like a runner rather than a person who runs.

Dr. Hutchens was great, and very receptive to my need to get back on track as soon as possible. He recommended taking a few weeks off from running (depressing, but expected advice), and to instead focus on my biking and resistance training. After Thanksgiving, I'll start running again and see how that goes. Fingers are crossed. He reckons I have plenty of time to train for the half marathon, and I shouldn't lose much momentum if I keep up my cardiovascular fitness with other activities.

In other news, I am 122 lbs, 5'1, with a resting pulse of 64.
I had my first ever X-ray.
And was out of the office and back to work 45 minutes.

Insurance is sweet.

Posted by monica at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been eating crazy amounts of this salad lately. It makes me un-blue.

Essential Ingredients:

* Spinach
* Red Onion
* Blue Cheese
* Raspberry Dressing (I use Annie's Naturals Raspberry Vinaigrette - it's low fat, yo!)
* Salt and Fresh Pepper

Optional Yummies:

* Carrots
* Sliced Mushrooms
* Almonds or Walnuts
* Cucumber
* Toasted seeds (sesame, pumpkin, flax, etc.)
* Tomato
* Red Pepper
* Croutons

Posted by monica at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the agony of life and death. - Siddharta

It feels like rain. But that's just the humidity talking. See, it's summer again in Austin. The afternoon high is near 90, but we've all packed away our cabana wear and our Birkenstocks, so we suffer, confused, in our long pants and tube socks, suffocating on the thick sultry air.

Meanwhile, in Ohio, the clouds are pouring, and my family is mourning. My aunt didn't wake from the coma; she passed away on Monday, succumbing to the deep sleep provoked by the stroke. Her death is a surprise; I have a letter from her dated just a few weeks ago. Her mind was intact, but her body gave up. Lung cancer. Her life was a mystery to me, and possibly a mystery to others around her, too. My grandparents had five children; my aunt was the only daughter. In her family, old fashioned, the men paid the bills and the women had the babies. From my limited perspective, it seemed like my aunt sank under the weight of male dominance. Did her family's expectations of her change when she didn't have babies? Or did their expectations simply disappear?

My aunt was an avid reader of mystery novels. She loved her cats. She had a keen sense of humor, and an enviable knack for the written word. She was a skilled seamstress and an artist. Her death ended a long period of suffering for her. I hope against hope that her ordeal will open my family up to feeling, sharing, and comforting. To honesty and openness. To tears and wet shoulders.

I hope there is a great deal of change happening today, but all I can be sure of is the rain. So in that spirit, and the spirit of my dear aunt, here are a few of my favorite songs about rain, in no particular order:

* Rain - Patty Griffin
* London Rain - Heather Nova
* Purple Rain - Prince
* I Wish It Would Rain - The Temptations
* Runaway - Del Shannon
* Why Does It Always Rain on Me? - Travis
* Happy When It Rains - Jesus & Mary Chain
* Kiss the Rain - Billie Myers
* Rainy Days and Mondays - The Carpenters
* A Little Fall of Rain - Les Miserables

Posted by monica at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Business Week . . .

Understanding IKEA, a fascinating, in-depth article on IKEA's rise to retail supa-stardom.

As long as consumers from Moscow to Beijing and beyond keep striving to enter the middle class, there will be a need for Ikea.

Posted by monica at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are nine proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot, including Proposition 2. This amendment would provide that marriage in Texas is solely the union of a man and woman, and that the state and its political subdivisions could not create or recognize any legal status identical to or similar to marriage, including such legal status relationships created outside of Texas.

This is pretty important, folks. So please, get out there and vote some common sense into this state.

Click here for a list of polling places.

Posted by monica at 09:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I while back I blogged about some persistent ankle troubles that plagued my running. Last March I added some ankle support insoles to my gym shoes and the problem seemed to disappear.

Yesterday I hit the gym for some strength training. I typically do some cardio afterwards, and decided to jog on the treadmill. I don't normally run on Saturdays, but I was in the mood. Anyway, I'm really sad because my ankle started to hurt and it didn't go away when I stopped running. It's barely noticeable at the moment, but I can sense that there's something there. Sigh.

This morning, I had to really force myself to NOT go on my long slow distance run. I even put on my running clothes, and added some new podcasts to my Shuffle. Luckily, I came to my senses before causing any more damage to my tender ankle.

I did go for a bike ride, which was nice, but not what I had mentally prepared for. I found myself missing the oxygen fix and exertion of a good long run.

Oh the price of addiction!

So I read up on injuries in Galloway's Book on Running. Learned about RICE - rest, ice, compression, and elevation - for injury treatment. So, I'll be taking it easy the next couple of days. It's a bummer because tomorrow was to begin week one of my 12 week half marathon training. But I have some alternates in mind, including a bike ride and a camping trip next weekend. And I'm already ahead of the game. With any luck I'll only need a few days off.

Anyway, my roommate and her boyfriend are making out on the couch and I can hear their sloppy kisses. Can I close my door without spoiling their mood? Do they even know I'm here? Will it end after the commercial break? Is that ESPN they're watching??

Posted by monica at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've always been a fan of the jello shot, but I've always wondered, what is the highest possible concentration of alcohol attainable in a Jell-O shot, while still maintaining its structural integrity?

This site has the answer!

All in the name of science!

Posted by monica at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Mexican beverage pairs well with a perfect Saturday afternoon and a nice porch.

Posted by monica at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I am all kinds of distracted today. All day and night I've been flittering from project to project, spacing out, forgetting my tea.

And this afternoon, I even had a hard time getting into Serenity, a movie I've been looking forward to for months.

The nebula of the metaphysical is clouding my focus on physical reality!

Completely irrational, I know, but alas, I am a human.

I've been listening to a CD my mom made for me. Let's pause momentarily to appreciate just how damn cool it is that my mom made me a mix CD. Not only that, but she apparently knows my taste, as well. Positively amazing!

But what's more incredible than her knowledge of my musical taste is her knowledge of my state of mind. How could she know? There are over 1000 miles separating her in Chicago from me in Texas. And I'm a bad daughter and hardly ever call her on the phone. I can only attribute her intuition to some kind of spiritual bond. Is this the Fourth Chakra at work?

So she sends me this CD full of melancholy music about love and change and solitude and love! And I think, "Are you trying to kill me?" But I can't stop listening to it. Because I've discovered that I love Warren Zevon. And Tom Waits is beautiful. "Martha" makes me cry... And those were the days of roses, poetry and prose and Martha, all I had was you and all you had was me. There was no tomorrows, we'd packed away our sorrows And we saved them for a rainy day.

And his "I Hope I Don't Fall In Love With You" shares sentiments with "Be Mine Tonight" by Th'Dudes.

Then I get to Z's "Empty-Handed Heart",

Girl, we had some good times
But time does not stand still
It's rolling like a rockslide down a hill
Heart jinxed condition
Never sure how I feel
Trying to separate the real thing
From the wishful thinking
Sometimes I wonderIf I'll make it without you

Oh! And she was so coy! "Here Monica, this CD might not be your style, but I hope you find something here you like. Enjoy!"

Were this a vinyl record, and I played it backwards, I bet I'd hear her chant, "I can read your mind! And it's heavy, baby!"

So at work last night, listening to Jill Sobule croon "Thank Misery", I recieved an e-mail from my mother. She wrote that my aunt, who has been battling lung cancer, had a stroke and is in a coma.

The outlook is bleak, and even if she makes it out, she will not be the same person. And it all just feels so sudden and impossible. And I wish I knew how my dad is doing, how my family is doing. But we're always "fine", aren't we? We've never been good at supporting one another.

We've never been good at asking for support when we need it.

Maybe I keep listening to this CD because it reassures me that it's not too late to get to know one another.

I feel so young and foolish, now that I'm mature.

(Full Track List! In case you're curious..)

I Hope That I Don't Fall In Love With You - Tom Waits
Renegade - Warren Zevon
One Moment More - Mindy Smith
Accidentally Like A Martyr - Warren Zevon
Goin' Down Slow - Tom Waits
Keep Me In Your Heart - Jorge Calderon
Don't Let Us Get Sick - Jill Sobule
El Amor De Mi Vida - Warren Zevon
Martha - Tom Waits
Empty Handed Heart - Warren Zevon
Thank Misery - Jill Sobule
Hold On - Tom Waits
Please Stay - Warren Zevon
Take It With Me - Tom Waits
Studebaker - Jordan Zevon
Ruby's Arms - Tom Waits
Nobody's In Love This Year - Warren Zevon
Lullaby - Tom Waits

Posted by monica at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm not sure why but all comments are getting filtered as "junk". I've tried setting up the blog to immediately post all comments, but alas, no dice. Grr. In the meantime, I'll have to un-junk all comments manually.

Posted by monica at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Solvent - Wish
Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys - Git

Solvent is Jason Amm, a robot music composer, analog synthesizer fetishist, and co-founder of the renowned Suction Records label. Born in Zimbabwe in 1972, Solvent currently resides in a room full of machines in Toronto, Canada. [more]

Canada, baby. Yeah.

More Solvent mp3's are here.

"Wish" is lovely lamentation. "Git" is fun electro-pop. Check it out, yo!

Posted by monica at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

5.25 miles | 61 minutes | Early AM
1.5 mi warm-up
30 minute tempo
1.5 mi cool down

I kicked the ass of today's run. It was hard. Those tempo runs are elusive buggers!

People sometimes asking me, "What's a Tempo Run?" Since he can say it better than I can, I'll quote Hal Higden:

This is a continuous run with a buildup in the middle to near 10-K race pace. A Tempo Run of 40 to 60 minutes would begin with 10-20 minutes easy running, build to 20-30 minutes near the middle, then 5-10 minutes easy toward the end. The pace buildup should be gradual, not sudden, with peak speed coming about two-thirds into the workout. Hold that peak only for a minute or two. I consider Tempo Runs to be the "Thinking Runner's Workout. A Tempo Run can be as hard or easy as you want to make it, and it has nothing to do with how long (in time) you run or how far. In fact, the times prescribed for Tempo Runs serve mainly as rough guidelines. Feel free to improvise. Improvisation is the heart of doing a Tempo Run correctly.

My peak speed was 7 mph.

Sounds: NPR's Most E-Mailed Stories and KCRW's Good Food, during which I learned about the history of candy corn, and more than I ever needed to know about palm sugar.

Post-Run Fuel: one big bowl of millet rice flakes with skim milk, topped with bananas, strawberries, and honey! Mmmmm, and coffffeeee.

Posted by monica at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by monica at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

today, i went to REI and spent "heaps" of money on a tent and sleeping bag. on a previous adventure to the outdoor consumer metropolis, i tried out a couple of tents, both one and two-person. the one-person tents were light, but very small and didn't provide much room for gear. a larger, two-person tent, would both fit my gear and provide me with a little space and comfort in the evenings.

(and to be perfectly honest, i hope that most of my camping adventures to come will be with a partner.)

even though REI didn't have the "MSR Hubba Hubba" in stock, it's description (light and fast) sold me, so i took a chance and ordered it. it finally came in today, and i set it up in my room soon after i got home.

this tent makes me very very happy.

the description didn't lie. it's very light and i was able to set it up by myself in about 10 minutes. the inside is roomy with plenty of room to sit up and sprawl out. plus, it has two doors on either side so midnight bathroom breaks needn't interfere with anyone's sleep.

i toyed with the idea of getting rid of my bed and sleeping in the tent. it would make a perfect security blanket between me and the creatures in the attic who come out at night.

on second thought, i think i'll save it for the creatures in the wilderness, whose nocturnal hoots and howls are somehow more peaceful than harrowing.

Posted by monica at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

5.25 miles | 60 minutes | Early AM
1.5 mi warm-up
7x400m intervals with 200m recovery jogs
1.5 mi cool down

Since the clocks changed last weekend, the sky is no longer dark when I set out for my morning run. Still, I ran on the treadmill at the gym, partially out of habit, and partially because the gym is warm.

My run suffered only slightly from last night's restless sleep. They were at it again in the roof - I swear, the critters were having a relay race up there. Running around. Stealing peanut butter from the traps. The noise was all very distressing, and like a girl, I barricaded myself in my bedroom, stuffing old sheets under the door, putting on earplugs, and sleeping with a light on. What a sissy.

Today I realized that there are two aspects of my run that get overlooked in traditional logging tekniques: the sounds on my iPod Shuffle, and my post-run recovery meal, a testament to my love for food and rewards. And I can't deny that one of my major motivations for running is so that I can enjoy more food! So today, I fill in these gaps:

Sounds: Podcasts are my savior! A bummer of a TWiT episode, but a lovely story about Gombrich's "A Little History of The World" on NPR Books.

Fuel: Smoothie made with yogurt, protein powder, banana, strawberry, prunes, wheat germ and milk. And a piece of toast!

Posted by monica at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)