Austin-tatious

If I ever get a yacht, I'll name it Austin-tatious.

$60 Bread

Check out the hilighted part of this menu from a small diner in Georgia. I think (and hope) it's a typo. You'll probably have to click to enlarge the picture in order to read it.

Review: Headsweats Running Visor

I picked up a Headsweats running visor with a BlueSeventy logo at the expo for the Gulf Coast Triathlon. I wore it in the race. I was amazed that it smelled brand new later on that day after it dried out. It is now to the point where it doesn't still smell brand new. Anyway, I wasn't sure how I'd like the elastic that goes around my head. It's just about as good as the really sweet double-sided velcro that SweatVac uses. It's slightly disappointing that my visor doesn't have any reflective material.

When choosing a running visor, I think it's important to make sure that the underside of the bill is black in order to reduce glare.

A Little Bit Dirty

I hate being just a little bit dirty. I will wash off a little bit of gunk on my arm or leg. I don't like being clean with the exception of stinky armpits. I loathe stepping in a puddle with one foot, especially if I'm wearing sneakers. It sucks to get oil or chain grease on my hands. I don't know what it is about being just a little dirty that bothers me. I don't mind being completely filthy. I can be covered in mud or sweat or vehicle fluids and be fine. I can have sawdust stuck in all the hair on my body and I'm not bothered by it. Is this phenomenon strange?

A Single Revolution

The Sarah Mac Band is releasing their new album one single at a time. You can get a free download of their latest single by adding your name to the mailing list at the top of http://www.sarahmacband.com/ (it won't send you multiple emails if you're already on the list). The free downloads last for about 2 weeks after the single is released.

What follows is a description of the Single Revolution idea as copied from a SMB email:
MORE big news from SMB land! By now, you've probably heard rumors about "A Single Revolution." Well.... here's what all the talk has been about.

Let’s hearken back to the days if old, and by that we mean the 1950’s and 1960’s. Some of you may not remember this time. It was definitely a different musical landscape from today, an era characterized by the ‘old 45’ record. The release of a single 45 by a band was always the coolest, biggest news and source of excitement.

Over the next few months, the Sarah Mac Band will borrow from said past era and release a series of singles. We have been feverishly working on new material and have several songs that we’re recording to share with our fans. We call it “ A Single Revolution,” a series of singles that will ultimately take you on a magical, musical Macband journey.

One of the big challenges we faced with project is the expense. It is very costly to release a series of singles. Since we’re all ‘indie’ and ‘do it yourself,’ we don’t have a big record label to underwrite our costs. We do, however, have loyal fans… Fans who have been there since the beginning, spreading the word, telling their friends, hanging out after shows, sending us encouraging emails, and always showing up, rain or shine (seriously… who remembers last summer?). Since we like you best, we thought that it would be fun if you, our fans, became our record label. Together, we’ll going to pull this one off.

On March 14th at Potbelly’s in Tallahassee, we will release the first single of the Revolution, our new song ‘Burden Beast.’ You may recall it from recent shows. With the recording, we have created a new and exciting interpretation of this song.

You may wonder how you could help finance this recording. We have already paid for ‘Burden Beast’ and will offer it as a free download on our website for 2 weeks after the release date. This is our gift to the fans that follow us, stick with us, and get our e-newsletter. Let’s face it; you guys are the reason we still exist. After 2 weeks it will be available for purchase on iTunes, but the email list fans will already have it for free. (See… there ARE advantages to being on the email list!)

There will also be a select few who will also have the opportunity to help finance the next single. We will press a limited run of 100 CDs of ‘Burden Beast.’ Each CD will be numbered for authenticity, signed by the band and sold for $10.

$10 may seem like a lot for just one song, but ultimately you are getting much more than a CD with one song on it. First, it is one of only 100 limited edition singles that will be sold. We will never press any more of this CD no matter what we are offered. With the purchase of a CD, you also receive a password that will give you access to a special place on our website containing videos and extras about ‘Burden Beast’ and ‘A Single Revolution.’

More importantly, your $10 will be used to finance the next single. When we sell the 100 ‘Burden Beast” recordings, we will put out the next single… Thanks in large part to our financial backers (that would be you). The new CD will list the people who made it possible, our record label, namely, the ones who bought the first CD.

The second single, "Something Beautiful" was just released and the download is available. Like Immortal Technique, SMB encourages you to burn it off the internet and bump it outside. I'm looking forward to all the next releases. I really want to get the sugar song and the I'm not scared of anything song. Hurry up and buy all 100 of their CDs so I can get track 3!

Pick #130

Mirah - "The Dogs of B.A."

Galax Leaves

While I was in Virginia we were visiting Mildred, the aunt of one of my cousins. She's 90 years old and super awesome still. I noticed a painting at her house because I liked it. Noted the artist. Mildred said that she is good friends with the artist. Later we were at my great aunt & uncle's place. They had a couple paintings by the same artist with similar subject matter. I thought it was cool. Finally, I saw one of these paintings at the place I was staying. That was the last straw. I liked all of them. I needed to find if I could get one. I looked up the artist, Lona Cox, in the phone book and called her. She said that her house was her studio and I could stop by because she'd be home for most of the rest of the day. She was super nice when we met and I really like most of her work. I thought I'd get a print because they're cheaper, but I ended up snagging the piece pictured here for $50, including the frame and everything (its print was $35, unframed). She said that she just lowered its price because people aren't buying art these days.

It was only days earlier on this trip that I learned about the Galax leaf from which the city takes its name. It was an important part of the local economy in the early years because it was used in floral arrangements in (farther) northern parts of the country. The leaves stay green or can turn a rich brown if not watered. They are protected in the area's national parks. This is a significant souvenir that I can keep for a very long time and I hope that others will like it as much as I do.