Turkey Trot

I improved on this five mile race this year, which I attribute to the fact that I've done a lot of treadmill running this summer (instead of not running at all), and the weather was a lot cooler. According to some reports we had a high of 89F yesterday and somehow managed to plummet to a cool 38F at race time. Great running weather! I walked a lot last year but didn't stop at all this time.

2006 results: 1794th place, 55:02.6 (11:00/M)
2007 results: 836th place, 42:07.2 (8:25/M)

Thanks to Brownie and SMB for the post-race refueling!

Fun Fun Fun Fest

For the second time this year, I flew to Austin to go to a music festival. Wait, WTF, I thought I lived there?

I really wasn't sure if I would go so I didn't buy tickets in advance. I figured that I'd be screwed since the website said it would probably be sold out. When I got there and saw the huge line I figured it was and I'd just end up listening outside the fence for awhile. However, upon further investigation, not buying tickets turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The huge line was for will call, and there was a hidden line for cash tickets. Hidden because when I got there there was no one in it. So I bought a ticket and went right in.

The only reason I went was to see the New Pornographers, one of my favorite bands who played at ACL fest a few years ago. It was well worth it as I got a great view from about six feet from the stage. And unlike last time I was well versed in all their music so there wasn't one song I didn't recognize. They sounded great but the secondary keyboards were a little low. The main keyboards were fine, and I developed a little crush on Kathryn the keyboard player even though I bet she's a foot taller than I am. Or maybe that's just how it looked from where I was standing. I guess her other band played at Mohawk but I didn't find that out until the next day. I found a blog with some pictures from the show. Thanks dude.

I recommend that if there is ever a band you want to see who is playing Fun Fun Fun Fest, do not hesitate to go. Since the park is so big in comparison to the crowd, you'll be able to get up close without a problem.

Time to fly back "home" to San Jose. I am actually posing as a musician and bringing my guitar, though the reason for this is so I can practice in my hotel room since we have a gig on Friday and I haven't practiced in weeks.

I Slit My Thumbs

A word of advice if you ever find yourself with a broken drill and some plastic you need to drill through. You can twist the drill bit by hand and it will work, but wear gloves. The part of the bit that is grabbed by the drill doesn't look sharp but if you are pressing on it hard enough, it will cut your fingers. So now I have multiple vertical cuts in my thumbs.