Lest the liberal leaning side of my moderate self forget, this IS still the state that Dubya built. Governor Good Hair, as I've heard him aptly called -- I mean, he does have a nice head of hair, found the perfect soundbite to turn the media's attention.

Perry: Teachers should be allowed to carry guns on campus if appropriately trained and licensed

Sigh. WTF, right?

Home now, after a long weekend away visiting the boy, and as is best in these situations, the homecoming is bittersweet.

Good to be home with the animals and all my little trappings of comfort and routine...and so clumsily exasperating and disappointing to know I will crawl in bed alone tonight, and that tomorrow I won't wake first in the morning and have a moment to notice how long his lashes are before he consciously or otherwise pulls me back into his arms for a few minutes of sleep

Sigh.

It is always the little things, isn't it?

It's going to be a crazy couple of weeks ahead. I have tons of work to catch up on, despite my working remotely, and of course my tri workouts to ramp up in preparation for the September 1 Austin Triathlon. I'm spending the coming weekend in El Paso too, which will present its own training challenges, not to mention the challenges of seeing friends and family and fielding the usual questions and answers. Glad, though, to have the opportunity to be doing too much instead of pining that life is filled with too little this, that, or the other. For now, I'll take the competing interests of work, sport, family, romance, writing, and leisure as they come, and try to make more hours out of the usual 24 in the day.

The Happy Couple

10 comments

"When was the last time you were at a wedding that had a death defying hike, rogue waves, a luau, ultimate fighting, a presidential candidate and a budding bromance?" asks Papi Chulo. For most of us, the answer is never, but luckily, Papi Chulo and Secret Agent Scotch took the time to Vox all the amazing moments during their unforgettable Hawaiian wedding on 08.08.08 so we could all take part in the festivities.

The story began last February, when Papi Chulo popped the question and  Secret Agent Scotch said yes! Since then, they've kept us in the loop about all the details, from the bride's veil to the wedding song to the final To-Do List. And throughout it all, they inspired us with their love for each other. (I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any better than knowing your future husband thinks you are The Perfect Girl.)

It's an amazing love story and we are thrilled they shared it with us. Watch the video of the ceremony and please join us in wishing Papi Chulo and Secret Agent Scotch the fairytale ending they deserve.

And What's a Team Vox Post without New Themes?

Spice up your Vox blog with one of our latest themes (found in the design area under "New") or any of our hundreds of themes. From shopping to sushi, comics to cycling, there's something for everyone.

Vox Themes August 08

Can't get enough of the wedding? A few lucky Voxers - Krissy, djchall, and Beau Smith - made the trip to Hawaii to take part in the celebration. Check out their Vox blogs for more pictures and stories.

Congratulations again to Secret Agent Scotch and Papi Chulo! Enjoy the Honeymoon!

~daisy 

Just finished paying bills and I figured I might as well post.

So much going on in the neighborhood...weddings, site launches, moves...it seems we're all taking wild leaps lately. More power to us! After all, it's the things you don't do that you most regret.

http://xkcd.com/458/

It's that kind of guilty thought mongering that I used to finally lure two of my best girlfriends--the two I kept from high school--to visit me this weekend. It was their first visit to see me out here eh-vah! And I've been in Austin since 2001. Pathetic, no?

We had a great time mostly hanging out, razzing on eachother, and catching up. We did go see Brian Pohsen on Saturday night at Cap City Comedy club, courtesy of two co-workers who are also local stand-up comics. And today we went a little farther out into the hill country to my favorite restaurant, Trattoria Lisina, on the Mandola Estate Winery.

The girls

We had a long, leisurely, Italian style lunch and then came home in time to finish the last 3 episodes of the first season of The Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Like me, the girls are now hooked.

I hung out with another buddy of mine after I dropped the girls at the airport and now I'm here, starting to drift into sleep and about to teeter off my kitchen chair. I hope I will wake up for the boy's call later tonight, but if not I'm certain he will understand that I've likely slipped into a much needed coma...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Anthony-bourdain

On whom do you have your most embarrassing/scariest crush?
Submitted by Jillzey.

Oh Tony, Tony, Tony...

I love me some Anthony Bourdain. I’m not entirely sure what it is…it’s not that he’s movie star good looking, though I wouldn’t exactly call him homely either. He’s tall, lanky, with too-sunned skin and the look of a smoker, which he is or has been at times. He does have quite a charming smile that reaches his eyes, and he’s funny as helI, with a mischievous look of the grown-up bad boy about him. Still, I wouldn’t say he’s ‘my type.’ And yet, there is the definite possibility that I would cast shy eyes down at my toes if I’d ever the opportunity to meet him in person. (Either that or drunkenly attempt to jump his bones.) I would hope, though, that I’d have the maturity to shake his hand, look him in the eye, and say thanks instead.
 
Crush aside, I’m know I’m not alone when I say that for a clutch of reasons I admire Bourdain’s approach to travel, food, and culture. The ultimate American asshole—dry, jaded, and seeming to expect the worst of everything—he is about the best example of cultural ambassadorship I think this country has…on mainstream TV or anywhere else for that matter. And maybe that’s where the attraction comes into play. (That and the grown up bad boy thing...)
 
The cadence of his voice in the setup narration, discussing the clichés of the American tourist travel experience, says, ‘Fuck off. I don’t want to know you.’ Yet in the next moment he can be seen to offer a friendly handshake, a humble head nod of appreciation…and most importantly, self-deprecating acknowledgment of his misconceptions, his shortcomings, and his pleasant surprise at finding, again, so much beauty in the simple-nothing-special food, routine, and celebrations of whatever locale he is visiting.
 
Don’t misunderstand. His show is not some slick pre-scripted Samantha Brown travelogue. The show doesn’t stay in the guidebooks, and it doesn’t toe the line of any convention and visitors’ bureau. It’s not a sugar coating, but a painting of a reality in all its heartbreaking dualism…ugliness and kindness, exploitation and triumph, passion and apathy, poverty and wealth…all through the joy of food.
 
Ah…a man after my own heart.
 
I recommend the episodes of No Reservations where Anthony goes to Hawaii, to the U.S.- Mexico border, to China, and to Beirut. All of the episodes, frankly, are pretty great but these are good examples of both the food and social commentary that appear in each episode.

(It just so happens I wrote this on the way back from Hawaii last week...actually, I slept on that flight...I wrote this on the leg from Phoenix to Austin after I watched the Hawaii episode on iTunes, but I digress.)

Share a song that explains your current state of being.

14 Rio

Duran Duran

This song just feels like me right now. Plus I love the lyric, "You know you're something special and you look like you're the best." Just call me Rio. :)

There's this addiction I'm feeding. Every day I'm working out...it's hard to take a break. If I'm outside, my mind clears and I enjoy the beauty or the heat or the rain around me while I push myself...steady, even, breathe, go harder, faster, slow the pace, pick it up...If I'm inside, my mind clears and I look into my reflection in the mirror, or the voice that echoes back against the soundtrack. My time in the gym, on the bike, on the track, in the pool...it feels a little like punishment and pleasure at the same time, an exercise in pushing my body beyond itself and my mind outside itself and somewhere in the middle is where I meet.

I've been researching and putting together a couple of weeks of lifting routines to change it up from what I've already been doing. My interest's been peaked in no small way by the boy's discipline, but I've wanted to go about this on my own. It's my way...not to ask for help. I was already lifting once or twice a week, but now I think I'm going to go intense for a bit while the tri-club is on a 2 week break. I plan to keep up the swimming and let the bike and long runs go for a little while. My left knee is a bit tweaked...something from Hawaii maybe...and I think I need to lay off on the high impact activity. Anyhow, I started tonight, piecing together a 20 minute speed cardio run (I will be switching to elliptical to lay off the knee tomorrow), new movements for the abs using a ball with 2 minutes of jump rope between, and then day 1 of a 6 day split using free weights and various machines. Legs tomorrow. I'm so excited.

Yes, I've managed to take even this to the geek level.

And then, there's that soundtrack I mentioned...the one that gets into my head and lets me use the beat to set the pace, lets me soothe and shove and build up my ego. I love when music does that.

There are a few songs I've kept with me over the years, even as my tastes have changed, to use for motivation. You might laugh, but I swear that almost the entire soundtrack of the original Mortal Kombat movie is perfection. Don't knock it till you try it.

Of course, I'm always adding a few new songs from time to time. The best eventually slip into permanent rotation. For now, there is one relatively new addition that's on its way to becoming a fixture. Since her newest album came out in January, Mary J's been playing in my ear as often as possible. I had to leave the latter half of the album behind--it was too much looking back instead of looking forward--but the first few songs are just perfect beats and crazy sexy cool Mary J. And "Grown Woman" is perfectly paced with lyrics of confidence--in a non-Oprah bullshit kind of way--and a little 'fuck-you-very-much' thrown in for good measure. I highly recommend it. [Note: It's heavy on the hip hop and pretty loud and obnoxious from the beginning--you may not want to play this at volume in the office. Oh and be sure to kick up your bass--the Vox player seems to default to a pathetically low level.]

02 Grown Woman

Mary J. Blige Feat. Ludacris

And here's my favorite bit from Mortal Kombat. I use it with yoga, or for warm up or cool down in general. It just about screams 1990s.

06 Halcyon + On + On

Orbital

Yup, I'm back and just a wee jet lagged. Still, a little bit goes a long way and I'm exhausted. No really, I pulled quite the dork move today. After calling in for 2 conference calls, I left for the office and only made it about halfway before I realized I desperately needed some coffee. So I stopped at Starbucks...and fell asleep multiple times while waiting in the drive-thru. So many times that after I was handed my grande soy latte, I pulled into a parking spot, set my phone alarm for 10 minutes, and passed the F out.

But I'm okay now. Multi-tasking in an all-hands meeting...in a darkened room no less, and I'm still awake.

The trip was lovely and exciting and challenging. I think the highlight for me was being able to catch a wave on my own, paddling furiously to the speed of the wave, and riding it all the way in without falling off. Another unexpected pleasure happened after my workday in L.A. when I drove through part of my old SC neighborhood and had the greatest burrito ever, washing it down with perfectly sweetened horchata. See pics of all the exploits below

I'm turning my trip into one long training jag. I'm loving it.

• Ran on Saturday morning around Princeville neighborhood and a couple hotel beaches and trails--about 3 miles
• Drove to Hanalei Beach early Sunday morning and ran 4 miles, about 1.5 in shoes, the rest barefoot; then abs work, some yoga, and swim--actually, just getting accustomed to swimming in open water--first time in non-pool since that one episode of water panic
• Today, up at 3:30 a.m. for work, went to local golf club at 7 (the noon hour back in austin) where my pop's round of golf allowed me a free day pass--did 15 minutes high intensity cardio, then weights--day 2 of a new upper/lower split; abs work; back to work until noon; then to Hanalei for surfing lesson (after catching a few with the instructor's help, I insisted, stubbornly, on trying on my own, so I missed a lot of the waves my sibs caught, but...I did catch one on my own in the end!); then after brief shopping and dinner in Hanalei, I headed back to the golf club for 300 m swim in the lap pool and some sauna time.

I can barely keep my eyes open. It's bedtime. Especially since I need to be up again at 3:30. No pics today--too active for camera work. Hope all is well with the hood. Goodnight.

At Vox, we believe that change is a good thing. After all, you wouldn't wear the same t-shirt day in and day out, so why should your blog have to suffer the same fate? Give your blog a new look with one of our latest themes (found under "New"), or pick from any of our hundreds of themes designed with your passions and personality in mind.

Vox Themes July 08

6 comments