No Go Dance

I must admit that right now I feel a little bit annoyed. It's been too long since I've been swing dancing and I wanted to go a few times this week. There were two in Austin this weekend...the regular Thursday night at the Fed and the 4th Friday night dance. Additionally, I'm lucky enough to be in Tucson Saturday night when there's a dance. (Though it looks like the few dancers I know in Tucson won't be there. Oh well.)

Thursday night I planned to go to the gym (running and swimming were the plan), then hit the dance. I had a good run, but then realized the pool was closed (it closed at 9:00, I finished running at 9:10), so I ran some more. By the time I finished, I'd run about 6 miles in total and decided that rather than go dance at 10:00pm, I wanted more to go home and eat dinner. So that's what I did.

So Friday night (tonight) I was really looking forward to dancing. I got home from a long swim and made dinner that ended up taking way to long to cook. But the dance went until 12:30, so it was okay that I was getting there at 10:30. I thought it was at Uptown Dance, but when I got there and saw that what few people were there were leaving, I figured I might have messed up. I asked the guy that was standing there (said his name was David) (who, by the way, gave me a nice compliment in saying that I he would have guessed I was a Lindy hopper when he asked what kind of dancing I did), and he said there wasn't a swing dance there tonight. He said it might be at Go Dance which was about 5 minutes away.

As soon as he said that, I realized that did sound pretty familiar. I should have read the website closer. I've never been to Go Dance, but he said it was down by the mall, which I had a vague idea where that was. (With a memory jog in directions from my new friend David.) So I drove down there...and drove around and around and around and around. There was the mall, but I had no I had no idea where Go Dance was. I looked in all the strip malls, drove around the actual mall, and couldn't see it anywhere. Grr.

This is the paragraph that makes this post more than just a late night complain-fest. :) Did you know that you can text Google the name of a business and it will text you back the address? Yes, it's true! I've heard about this, but never tried it. I decided this was a great time to try it out. Here's what you do: send a text to "GOOGL" (like "Google" without the E). That is...46645. In the message part, type the business and your city. For example, I text'd "Go Dance Austin TX." Within a minute, I had a text message with the address: 2525 West Anderson Lane. Yay!

So now that I had an address, I could tackle the problem more effectively. Well, the really annoying thing was that Go Dance (or "No Go Dance," as I'm calling it tonight) was in the mall, and I'd already driven right past it at least twice! I just missed it. No wonder, since there was little more than a banner printed on someone's computer hanging in the window. Oh well, I was just glad I made it.

It was actually in the mall, though I could see the studio from the door. There weren't that many people, but enough. But the door was locked!! Gah! I guess the mall was closed. No one was there to open it. Oh man...it's like there was a conspiracy against me tonight. I decided to just go home.

But I did laundry in preparation for my trip to Arizona that starts tomorrow. Let's just hope that I'm able to make it to the dance in Tucson tomorrow night! And that it's a good time. We will see... (Stay tuned.)

The real winner tonight? Google. Yay Google.

The Beauty of Hubble

For part of my dissertation project, I am using data from Hubble Space Telescope (HST). You know, that telescope that has been the source of many great astronomy coffee table books? I am looking for faint objects (white dwarfs) in that data, and have also taken images of the same star fields with a telescope from the ground. (The 1m at CTIO in Chile, to be exact.) This week I am trying to match stars in the two data sets. Even though they are imaging the same parts of the sky, I will have good measurements for only a few overlapping stars. That's because HST is able to find stars that are much fainter than the 1-meter can see, and many of the brighter stars that are easily imaged with the 1-meter will appear totally saturated in HST. (Hence the need for both.)

Today I was working to line up the images exactly, to find these overlapping stars, and I was struck with how beautifully crystal clear the HST images are. I include a sample below for comparison. The data from the ground (left) is like looking at something underwater vs. looking at it with nothing in the way. (That's not far from the truth.) Keep in mind that the 1-meter data I have is good. The HST data is just beautiful. It's the super star (no pun intended) for good reason.

Beethoven's Ninth

For the last 2 seasons (well, 3 seasons, technically; I'll explain) the Austin Symphony has been doing a celebration of Beethoven, and playing all nine of his symphonies. Last season they played 1-3, and this season they did 4-9 (with the exception of 6 which was done the season before the celebration started, so they didn't want to do it again; hence actually 3 seasons). This weekend was the conclusion of said celebration with an all Beethoven Concert: they played his 8th in the first half, and the 9th in the second half. Let me take a moment to describe how geeky I sometimes am. Not only was I so excited about this concert (the 9th Symphony is indescribably amazing live), I've been talking about how excited I was about it for like 3 weeks....maybe more. And not only did I buy tickets to go, I planned to go both nights. Yes, that's right, TWICE. And I spent at least a solid week before listening to almost nothing else but the Ninth. (I don't tire of music I really love because of a little repetition...)

I went Friday night with my roommate Michelle. It was a blast. We had a few other obligations to take care of before hand, then rush home to get ready, then rush out the door to make it to the concert. I was worried we wouldn't make it on time (or that they'd give our tickets away or something), so I weaved my way through the traffic (it was UT graduation this weekend), ready to have her jump out of the car to get the tickets at will call while I parked. This was the first concert I've ever been to in the new Long Center, so I didn't know my way around, and what I thought was the drop off zone turned out to be the valet parking. I didn't actually mind though, I figured I'd save time if they parked my car for me. It was only a couple bucks more than parking in the garage, so I figured it was okay. I hurried and gave them my car (valet guy: "Do you want to pay now or later?" E!: "Later," while screaming in my head, "Just take it! Just take it! Hurry!"), we got the tickets (no line at will call since it was about 7:59 at this point), and we hurried all the way up to the very tippy top of the balcony. (Our seats were on the very back row. Yay!) Luckily for us, they started about 5 minutes late, so we made it. Hurrah!

The show was great. They played the 8th Symphony in the first half; I'm not super familiar with the 8th, but it was great; very happy. (I'm trying to resist using the word "cute" when I describe classical music.) Then the second half was the Ninth. What can I say? It was phenomenal. (Although I thought the French horns seemed a little off at some points, but maybe it was just me.) During this performance I was able to hear the themes from both the 1st and 3rd movements played at the beginning of the 4th movement (I've been able to recognize the theme from the 2nd pretty easily before). That part of the movement is just beautiful, it's like the cellos and basses are "searching" for the right theme, as Beethoven revisits the previous 3 before introducing the new theme (the familiar "Ode to Joy"), played in unison by the low strings again. Ah....it was so beautiful!

I went again Saturday night and also had a very good time. :) There weren't major differences in the performance, obviously, except there was no running in to make it on time. (The seats were on the back row again -- but they weren't so bad; we had a good view of the whole stage.) The audience seemed more confused Saturday night about where to clap than they did Friday night. Often at the symphony during the first break between two movements, a few people might clap, but then they figure out that they shouldn't. Friday night there was no clapping between movements in either of the pieces. (I was impressed.) Saturday night, there was no clapping between movements in the 8th Symphony. But then there was some (and it seemed more than the "accidental" clapping) at the end of the 1st movement of the Ninth. (Maybe people were just too excited about it?) And then they contained themselves after the 2nd and were patient as the chorus filed out; but then the soloists came out, and people clapped. (It is customary to clap when soloist appear on stage, however, I would say the exception is when it's in the middle of the piece.) The break between the 3rd and 4th movements was too short to give anyone the chance to clap. (Maybe Peter Bay -- the conductor -- did that on purpose.)

Speaking of which, when they started the Ninth and the chorus wasn't there, I wondered when they were going to bring them out. I saw the Austin Symphony perform this piece about 3 years ago, but I couldn't remember how they did it. I think they should have done it before the piece started, but that's just me. If they had to do it between movements, between the 2nd and 3rd was the best place to do it. I was worried they'd do it between the 3rd and 4th which would have been horribly anticlimactic. But I realize it's a long time for them to sit there and wait for their turn to sing, so it's okay.

On Saturday night there was a family sitting to my right (two parents and their teenage son and daughter). I'm not sure how into it the kids were; I saw the daughter (who was sitting right next to me) look at her cell phone twice during the first half, and immediately start texting at intermission, while the son during intermission popped in his headphones and jammed out to some really loud music on his iPod. I hope they enjoyed it, but they both got up and left (without their parents) about 5 minutes before the end of the Ninth. Sad! (Maybe they were going to bring the car around to beat traffic?) If you've sat through about 55-60 minutes of music at that point, another 5 isn't going to hurt, especially since it's such a great conclusion. (Is it just me, or does this paragraph make me sound like I'm 87 years old?) Alas. I hope my kids like classical music someday. I sometimes wonder how I can help facilitate that.

Anyway, chances are I've said too much. Let me just sum it up like this: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony = So Awesome.

Oh, and E! = Classical Music Geek. :)

New Running Shoes

I mentioned in the post about the 10K that I need new running shoes and have been needing them for quite some time. The ones I currently have are about 4 years old, and do bad things to my toes. But getting new ones is just so hard...first of all, I hate spending money on them. I've realized that good running shoes can't be bought at Payless (darn it), and will likely cost (much) more than $50. (Or more than $100.)

About 2 years ago I tried to get new running shoes. It was a bit spontaneous. I was at DSW looking for shoes for a different occasion and found a pair of New Balance shoes on the clearance rack. They seemed to fit, so I bought them. My first attempt to run in them gave me blisters on the backs of my heels. I kept them around, but they were never promoted to my "official" workout shoes. (Those are the shoes that live in my locker in the gym and are only used when I'm there working out. With the exception of times like races or something.)

But seriously people. I need new shoes. I've decided this is especially crucial right now with the triathlon training I'm embarking on this summer. I finally broke down Tuesday and started looking. My first stop was Kohls, my favorite store. I looked around for a bit, feeling extremely picky about how each pair fit, etc. I'd even run up and down the aisles to try them out. Finally, I did find a pair that seemed to do a good job. Not only that, they were on sale. Those are the magic words. They were marked down from $60 to $30. Wahoo!

They are made by Avia, model 6675. The funny thing is, the shoes are kind of purple. Not overwhelmingly purple, but purple. At a distance they look gray with purple highlights. Anyway, I'm primarily concerned with how they fit my feet, not how they look. (Not that I have anything against purple.)

I had a chance to try them out right away, as I went running that afternoon. Here's a picture of me and my new shoes after our first (of many, I'm sure) run together:

How did it go? Pretty good, actually. I was glad. They could use a tad more arch support, but that's not an insurmountable issue. (I could try athletic inserts or something.) All in all, I'm pleased. A few more workouts are in order for it to be official, but they seem to fit the bill. I'm a bit sad to part with my old shoes (they've been with me for so long!), but it must be done.

I know there are places like Run Tex that will do free shoe fitting sessions for you and tell you just the right shoe to buy (and how they will sell it to you for $125). I keep meaning to do that so I at least know better what to look for. But problem is, I've just never gotten myself in there to do it. Maybe one day. In the meantime, my new shoes and I are going to spend the next few weeks getting to know each other better.

Should I Try a Tri?

Every now and then I think about how cool it would be to do a triathlon. I don't claim to be a hard core athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but if I had to claim a "sport" I would say it's running. (Only because step aerobics probably doesn't count.)

Summer 2004 I took up running. I mentioned this already in my post about the 10K, but I went from not being able to run to being able to run 3+ miles. In my opinion this is an example of a modern miracle. At the end of that summer, I ran the Keep Austin Weird 5K: this took place in downtown Austin on a hot Saturday afternoon at the end of August (it was 100 degrees). All 3 of my roommates ran it too! So fun. The professional photographers scattered around the course got this photo of me, which I've never shared in public. But hey, why not. This is me running, and sums up how I felt. Well, actually, I felt better than I look like I felt. But only slightly.

Summer 2006 I took up swimming. I did a coached swim class at the gym to learn how to swim correctly. (As I told my coach, I'm a self-taught swimmer, which means I do everything wrong. So while I won't drown in a pool, my technique needs some help.) This class was essentially one-on-one with a swim coach who helps with technique, endurance, etc. This was great. I learned a lot that summer and got a lot better. Jack, my coach, was a laugh a minute -- okay, not really. To be honest, I'm not sure he took me seriously in the beginning. He almost made me cry the first day, but by the end he was actually giving me compliments. (Like, "You know Elizabeth, you don't really get things right off, but when you've got it, you've got it." or "Elizabeth, you're like a professional pusher-off-the-waller.") I never did get the butterfly stoke down (but in my defense, we only had one day on it). But I did learn how to do flip turns (which is almost as awesome). My swimsuit was in so horrible a state by the end of the summer that Jack demanded I get a new one or he wouldn't let me in the pool until I did. (Jack: "I'm just so worried you're going to push off the wall and your swimsuit is going to float the other way.") So I did. And I knew just what to do with the old one.

Spring 2008 I started cycling -- kind of. I started doing the cycling class at the gym sporadically, so maybe it doesn't really count? Well, anyway.

I've decided I need a summer project relating to health and fitness. After the 10K went so well, I've decided that maybe I'm ready to take it to the next level... I decided a triathlon is a good goal. I've wanted to do one, so heck, why not?

One of the problems with triathlons is that most of them are on Sunday (when I don't want to race). My memory tells me that there is a triathlon in Austin on Labor Day, which would be as perfect as possible. I looked up online and found it. It's called (cleverly enough) "The Austin Triathlon." I poked around the website for awhile, until I found some information that discouraged me slightly:

The course is a 1500 meter swim, 40 Km bike, and a 10 Km run.

This is what they call an "Olympic" triathlon. I was hoping for a "Sprint" -- 750 m swim, 20 km bike, and 5 km run. But the Austin triathlon is only the Olympic distance, no option for the Sprint. Hmm. I wasn't sure if this would happen.

I was chatting online with my old roommate Rebecca and I told her this, and how I wasn't sure if I could do those distances in my first triathlon. Her response was: "If anyone can do it, you can."

Then I realized, she's right! Why can't I do it? I just ran a 10K, and it went great. I'd have 4 months to train. Why not? And besides, I don't have to confirm registration until August 1. I can train the next 3 months for it and if I don't feel ready at that point, I don't have to do it.

So. That's the story. I'm going to do it. I'm going to train for a triathlon! It's going to be crazy and it's going to be fun. I found a training schedule online, modified it slightly, and started Monday (May 5). And I have it hanging on my wall, and for each day that I complete the planned activities, I get a star: red for running (because it's the King of Cardio and hearts are red), blue for swimming (because water is blue), green for biking (because that was the other color I had), gold for strength training, and silver for rest days (that one is easy). I like giving myself stars. :)

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

You say barbecue, I say barbecue

Since moving to Texas, I've learned that the word "barbecue" means different things to different people, mostly depending on the region of the country you come from and/or live in. I'm from Utah where if someone says, "We're having barbecue," they mean hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on a grill. (Similar definitions are recognized in other northern parts of the country.) However, when someone here in Texas says, "We're having barbecue," they mean that we're having beef brisket (primarily) and maybe sausage and ribs, but it will definitely be served with awesome barbecue sauce. In other parts of the south (Memphis, for example), if someone says, "We're having barbecue," they mean some kind of pulled pork, but also served with good sauce.

Today I was invited to a party to celebrate the recent wedding of a fellow graduate student. The eVite said something along the lines of, "Come hungry, we're having barbecue." So, what are we eating?

We're in Texas, and I've lived in Texas for almost 5 years, so without thinking I assumed we were having barbecue, meaning brisket, etc. Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the party only to see the large gas grill fired up, and hamburgers and hot dogs sizzling away. I'd geared up my taste buds for brisket, but the hamburger was plenty satisfying.

It was at that moment that I realized that I've been in Texas too long. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. What I am saying is that my definition of "barbecue" seems to have changed.

Who knew that would happen back in the day when we'd sit in our apartment and talk about the idea of regional barbecue definitions; this was when my then-roommate Mariah wanted to make a documentary about the subject. (I still think she should.) In the meantime, some kind of informal poll may satisfy my curiosity. I'd like to know (a) what region of the country you are from (or seem to have been most culturally affected by), and (b) what your definition of "barbecue" is. While it isn't nearly as cool as a documentary would be, it would still be interesting.