Is It Real Now

A Running Playlist

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:45:00 -0400

I’m running a half-marathon this Sunday. Just under 22km..in just under 2 hours (hopefully). I’ve learned from past road races - staring at the backs of other runners gets boring after about ten minutes (word of advice - some of you should NOT be wearing spandex while you run. Just a suggestion). So, I figured I’d amp up my iPod (RIP Steve Jobs) with some sweet beats for the run to act as a distraction from chaos. Enjoy my favs, counted down in a clever backwards fashion :)

10. Lisztomania ~ Phoenix (Alex Metric Remix)

If you care to get technical (and a lot of you runners do), the term Lisztomania describes how crazy people would get when Franz Liszt performs. Who was Franz, you ask? Dude was a crazy piano player who is still regarded as one of the best, ever. Sorry Franz, piano doesn’t usually get me pumped up to run, so I’ll stick with Phoenix for now.

9. Hot Mess ~ Chromeo featuring Elly Jackson (Duck Sauce Remix)

Also filed under: “Theme Songs Suitable For My Life: Saturday, 3AM”

A little ‘Six Degrees of Musical Separation’ to go with this song:

Chromeo - Canadian. 1/2 of Chromeo - Dave 1. Dave 1’s brother = A Trak.

La Roux - English. 1/2 of La Roux = Elly Jackson.

Duck Sauce - American/Canadian. 1/2 of Duck Sauce: A-Trak. See what’s happening? A-Trak’s brother - Dave 1 from = Chromeo.

Now we just need Kevin Bacon to make a cameo.

8. What You Waiting For? ~ Gwen Stefani

The ticking of a clock in the background is a good reminder that this is a race and you are, in fact, being timed. That five minutes you usually take in the middle of a run to re-tie shoes (seriously…it’s like I never learned a double knot), will catch up with you in the end. Combined with a mental picture of Gwen’s abs, this song will keep you motivated and moving.

7. Chelsea Dagger ~ The Fratellis

Obvious choice, considering I do enjoy my name being screamed out by a Scottish musician in a top hat. Above and beyond that? The fact that this song and it’s ‘Chelsea, Chelsea’ chant has become a sporting anthem across the globe. Quick tempo + chanting + yelling + simple lyrics = good sport song. I’ve had resistance from hockey fans on this song, when the Blackhawks chose my anthem as their goal song. Considering I did once live in Chicago, I’ll let them have it - and keep it on my running list too.

6. Parlez-Vous Francais? ~ Art vs. Science

The first time I saw Art vs. Science I was at Parklife music festival in Melbourne, Australia. At the time, I was too busy dancing to bother thinking about running… but I did remember this song. The Sydney-based band recorded their debut EP in a Surry Hills studio called Big Jesus Burger, and if that’s not enough reason to love them, you likely have no heart. The video is a combination of great camera work and great mime work (miming work? mimery?), and the song will keep your legs pumping.

Side note: In my research I have discovered another song, with the same title, released in 1978. Performed in both French and English by Spanish band Baccara, it was a Luxembourg entry into a Eurovision Song Contest (how does that even make sense?). Haven’t heard it, but judge for yourself by the album art if it’s something you’d be into….

5. Feel So Close - Calvin Harris

I owe my obsession with this song to a DJ out in Vancouver, also known as the guy who wants to be the Guy on a Buffalo (Google it). He knows his sh-t.

Calvin Harris is Scottish, although you’d never know it by listening to his music. Can someone explain to me WHY you can never hear accents when people sing? He once lied about a laptop being stolen to buy extra time to finish his LP, and being a chronic procrastinator myself (Unrelated: is two days enough time to train for a half marathon?), I admire the efforts he went through. Solid tune.

4. 99 Problems ~ Jay-Z

Personal anecdote time. In 2004 I was in Toronto visiting a friend who was interning at MuchMusic. She got us tickets to the live-to-air video request show and the floor director, recognizing my friend, told us we could request a video on the show. A producer came to check which video we’d be requesting, so they could cue the tape for the live show later. Because we were going to a Dave Matthews Band concert the next day, we asked for DMB. The producer came back and asked us to pick something ‘more popular,’ Dave wasn’t going to cut it for that time slot. So, I picked Jay-Z. During the live taping, the host chatted with us about our plans in Toronto to see Dave and threw to the video in a ‘lets see some Dave for the girls” type manner. Not so much, Much :)

If you ever have a chance to watch “Fade to Black,” a documentary about Jay-Z, you’ll see Jay recording this with producer Rick Rubin (if you don’t know Rick Rubin…you need to rethink your life). Watching Rick and Perry Farrell crack up as Jay records is sheer entertainment. Seriously, what’s not to love? (it’s worth watching the whole thing - but “99 Problems” starts at 2:25)

3. B.O.B. ~ Outkast

Pitchfork Media named B.O.B. the #1 song of the 2000’s on their end-of-decade list. (A decision everyone and their dog hated, which is probably why Pitchfork made it in the first place). It never received the same airplay that Outkast’s other songs did (hands up if you know all the lyrics to “Ms. Jackson”). A commentary on everything ever sensationalized in the media (not everything…but they do reference war (debatable, but come on), politics, kids, Janet Jackson, and Taco Bell….not bad for one song). If you’re eager, there’s also a second version, kicked up a notch with Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine and some awesomely angry guitar…you won’t even realize you just made it up that steep hill. The only hazard here is it might get you moving too quickly.

2. Walking on a Dream ~ Empire of the Sun

One of my favourite songs of all time, this song brings back happy memories of my time in Australia, has a beat that keeps your feel pounding and picking up, and the lyrics “running for the thrill of it, the thrill of it” is a great place to stop looking at your heart rate monitor and remember that sometimes - it’s just better to run for fun.

Fun Fact: The cover art for the single “Walking on a Dream” is inspired by a combination of movie posters for “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars”. Makes sense!

1. Walk ~ Foo Fighters

Ironic that a song with this title could push me to run so hard. But the final minute of this song is the perfect way to end a run on a high note. It’s passionate, it’s intense, and it rocks. My love for Dave Grohl and his ability to perfectly wear a t-shirt, and my teenage dreams of marrying Taylor Hawkins may factor in.
From 3:40 on, the point where Dave Grohl “fights” Taylor Hawkins and Chris Shiflett in this video ~ it may be my favourite final minute of a song, ever. Imagining the finish line of a race, as Grohl screams about dancing on his grave and never wanting to die - you might as well be part of the sports montage movie that happens in my mind.

Fun Fact: The video for Walk is a recreation of a 1993 Michael Douglas movie called “Falling Down.” Check out the trailer below - who hasn’t wished for the courage to question a fast food burger and it’s complete lack of similarity to the photo?

buzzfeed: Steve Jobs Testing Photo Booth In 2005. Our best...

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:24:34 -0400

buzzfeed:

Steve Jobs Testing Photo Booth In 2005.

Our best Steve Jobs stuff since last night…

[The 12 Most Inspirational Quotes From Steve Jobs]

[Steve Jobs Narrates Never-Aired “Here’s To The Crazy Ones”]

[Steve Jobs Makes The Cover Of Time Magazine For The Seventh Time]

[Celebrity Tweets For Steve Jobs]

[Steve Jobs’ Last Act Of Genius]

[The 30 Dumbest Facebook Reactions To Steve Jobs’ Death]

[Steve Jobs: The Stanford Commencement Speech]

[Steve Jobs’ Empty Chair At The Last Apple Keynote Speech]

[President Obama Responds To The Death Of Steve Jobs]

HBO - more than anyone - knows how to promote a TV show.

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 01:37:20 -0400

HBO - more than anyone - knows how to promote a TV show.

popculturebrain: Of all the inconsistent characters in the...

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:16:05 -0400

popculturebrain:

Of all the inconsistent characters in the history of television, I think we have a winner.

High Five? (at The Gorge, Washington)

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:45:00 -0400

High Five? (at The Gorge, Washington)

A punk rock chick with long eyelashes can be more than a punk...

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:47:49 -0400

A punk rock chick with long eyelashes can be more than a punk rock chick with long eyelashes. One of Shepard Fairey’s main influences is Black Flag, whose song Rise Above is loud, punk, and angry - but this interpretation is far from that.

My strange obsession with punk music is not reflected in my appearance, style, or demeanor. My social circle wouldn’t know Black Flag, the people I date mostly wear suits. So…I relate to this chick. I want this work of art to hang in my living room ;)

At this point…everyone should just become...

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 22:44:58 -0400

At this point…everyone should just become Entourage’s Ex…

bestrooftalkever:

brianvan:

Man, the end of Entourage is putting a ton of people out of work…

Soon, we’ll all be Vince’s Ex.

- Louis C.K. Just a reminder for those of us, lucky enough, who...

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 22:23:51 -0400

- Louis C.K.

Just a reminder for those of us, lucky enough, who live in amazing. xo

"You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other,..."

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:37:06 -0400

“You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.”

- Elizabeth Taylor

I needed this today

(via cowgirl)

We were linked by destiny!

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:35:14 -0400

Agreed - that’s the only logical explanation :)

Twelve Friends. Eight Pizzas. One Winner… Not bad for a...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:53:52 -0400

Twelve Friends. Eight Pizzas. One Winner…

Not bad for a Tuesday night :)

via

forloublog:

LA DOLCE PIZZA: WHERE SWEET AND SAVORY MEET, FALL IN LOVE, AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

Pear, Pistachio, and Fig pizza

.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 store bought pizza dough (Whole Foods has delicious ones, but they make 2 pizzas, so only use half)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (Horizon Organic is rennet free - or use your favorite vegan cheese)

1 small yellow onion

3 tbs. fig jam (we like Organic Adriatic Fig Spread)

1 small Bartlett pear, thinly sliced

1/4 cup pistachios

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup flour

A pinch of salt (optional)

A pinch of cornmeal (optional)

*For best results use a pizza stone and pizza paddle. If you don’t have either you can bake the pizza on a cookie sheet.

.

Directions:

Set the dough in a bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 3 hours or overnight if bought frozen.

Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Set the dough on a floured surface. Knead the dough to incorporate more flour. When the dough is no longer sticky or after 10 minutes, whichever comes first, roll the dough out with a rolling pin (or a bottle of wine if you’re feeling adventurous!).

When the dough is about ¼ inch thick lay it out on a pizza paddle or cookie sheet, making sure to sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal underneath if you’re using a paddle.

Cut up half the onion and sauté in a saucepan with 1 tbs. olive oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent and a light brown color. Remove from the stove and let cool.

Spread the fig jam on the dough within an inch of the edges. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Add the onions, pear slices and pistachios. Drizzle with 1 tbs. olive oil, add a pinch of salt and use a spatula to push the pizza onto the pizza stone. If you’re using a cookie sheet just slide the sheet into the oven.

Check the pizza every 4 minutes. Depending on your oven it should take twelve minutes or less to cook. You’ll know it’s done when the edges start to turn dark brown and the pistachios have turned dark.

Remove from the oven, let cool for five minutes and serve.

Enjoy!

- Lindsey

Photos by Lindsey Hoshaw & Lana Barkhordarian Burstein

Video of the Week

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:33:00 -0400

Video of the Week:

Beautiful song, but I really love the way this was filmed. Effortless, monochromatic, and dream-like.

As we spend our evenings entertained by colourful pictures and...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:20:43 -0400

As we spend our evenings entertained by colourful pictures and witty remarks about life online - we owe it to those suffering a horrible fate simply because they were born in the Horn of Africa - to care, to pay attention, and to help where we can. We are lucky to have the problems we do. Read, research, and respect what they are going through - it could have been you.

staff:

The slow-motion disaster of the food crisis in the Horn of Africa is truly horrifying. Last Wednesday the United Nations declared a famine in two large regions of Somalia; 3.7 million people, nearly half the country’s population, are affected. The crisis is larger than just Somalia. Right now the devastating drought in the region means that more than 11 million people need food aid across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.

You can help by making a contribution through the Tumblr Dashboard or on the Somalia tag page, and we’ll match your support up to $10,000. Proceeds will go to the United Nations World Food Programme.

Easier said than done, but….#truth

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 00:14:12 -0400

Easier said than done, but….#truth

Hugh MacLeod draws cartoons (like this one) on the back of...

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:47:00 -0400

Hugh MacLeod draws cartoons (like this one) on the back of business cards. He’s made an empire out of it. He deals in business, life, and being creative. If you prefer a life outside 9 to 5, it’s worth your time to check out his books, website, and drawings.

My favourite sentiments (saving the best for last):

The price of being a sheep is boredom. The price of being a wolf is loneliness. Choose one or the other with great care.

The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props: Meeting a person who wrote a masterpiece on the back of a deli menu would not surprise me. Meeting a person who wrote a masterpiece with a silver Cartier fountain pen on an antique writing table in an airy SoHo loft would SERIOUSLY surprise me.

If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you: The pain of making the necessary sacrifices always hurts more than you think it’s going to. I know. It sucks. That being said, doing something seriously creative is one of the most amazing experiences one can have, in this or any other lifetime. If you can pull it off, it’s worth it. Even if you don’t end up pulling it off, you’ll learn many incredible, magical, valuable things. It’s NOT doing it when you know you full well you HAD the opportunity- that hurts FAR more than any failure.

Karma is key: But you already know that. Or you’re stupid. No middle ground on this one, sorry.

Find Hugh at www.gapingvoid.com

lookingforwisdom: Never trust a penguin!

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 01:32:13 -0400

lookingforwisdom:

Never trust a penguin!

Pretty much.

Tue, 31 May 2011 00:26:55 -0400

Pretty much.

From the Department of Breathtaking Sports Montages...

Mon, 16 May 2011 13:55:10 -0400

From the Department of Breathtaking Sports Montages...:

Why I Run

Thu, 12 May 2011 18:05:06 -0400

It’s not exactly ‘fun.’ It’s certainly not relaxing. It beats at my knees and blisters my feet. The kilometers tick by slowly, without recognition of the efforts I’m putting in. Sometimes, it takes every single ounce of willpower to keep my feet moving, my arms pumping, my eyes forward. I don’t really love it. So why do I do it?

I suppose I have to credit an ex-boyfriend. Reluctantly, because, well…he’s my ex-boyfriend and therefore by default, a complete idiot. My thanks are appropriate, however, because when he backhand-broke up with me (translation: was too chicken sh*t to do it himself, so through his actions, forced me to do it), I was devastated. We’ve all been there: sorrow, self-pity, inability to breathe when the sun shines because it reminds you of “that one time when…”. That was me.

But I can still pinpoint the day I started running. I had finally finished separating our things, sorting through photos, and compiling a shoebox full of memories (WHY do girls do this? I still have that damn shoebox in storage and cringe every time I see it. Guys don’t keep shoeboxes, do they? I’m curious what the male equivalent is to the shoebox). Anyway, my fatal flaw is looking back through a rose colored filter, and, being painfully aware of that, I made a conscious decision to delete all e-mails. We had spent a few months apart while I was working in California and the messages, photos, and song lyric exchanges sat in my inbox, once a sweet reminder of ‘us’ that quickly turned bitter the second ‘us’ ended. As I re-read each e-mail (the equivalent to twisting the self-inflicted knife in my back), and experiencing the heart-stopping gut-retching feeling each time I pressed DELETE, I was precariously perched on the edge of panic.

So, let’s be real. I was EXTREMELY tempted to wallow on my couch in sweatpants, eat popcorn mixed with Junior Mints for lunch every day, and blaze through all six seasons of Sex and the City on repeat. Emphasis on Season 5 because “at least I didn’t get broken up with by a post-it note” is a healthy thought.

I’m not sure what sparked my change of mind, but i knew the wallow-and-DVD-watch plan would result in….nothing good. Maybe pride took over and I didn’t want to be the one sinking further. If post-breakup happiness were the competition, I wanted to make sure I was living well enough to win. Besides, I could already recite every episode of Sex and the City, and really didn’t need to spend time reinforcing that fact. So, while sorting through those old e-mails, I came across a note from the Calgary Marathon. I had run a 10K race a while back and ended up on their e-mail list. I logged onto the site and on a whim… signed up for the full marathon, 42.195 kilometers. If he got to go his separate way, well damn…I was going RUN mine. Instead of wallowing on the couch, I hit the pavement. Hard.

And so began my life as a runner. My first marathon was hot, sweaty, shocking…complete and total HELL. I wept through the entire 37th kilometer, limped along the 38th, and put on a brave face for the final stretch (only because I’m vain and that’s where all the photographers were). It was a trip to hell and back but the fact is, I made it back. And I continued to sign up for races after that. Two more marathons, seven half-marathons… I continued to run, although no longer motivated by the f*ck you factor (actually, who am I kidding…there’s still a bit of f*ck you in everything I accomplish). Each race I felt a little better, stronger, and smarter.

People always want you to ‘be’ something in life. Especially as a female, you’re expected to ‘be’ a wife, or a mother, or a spinster…I struggle with this, because I’m none of them. I’m ME, isn’t that enough? I suppose “I’m a runner” could apply to me, but I don’t really believe it. To me, a runner is someone who weighs their food, plans their life around races, and “lives” for post-run endorphins. Frankly in my case, more often than not, I delay my morning run about six hours because the night before I was more excited for five triple-vodka-sodas than I was for the endorphins. I don’t make recovery shakes (although I do love me some chocolate milk) and I tend to forget my water belt on long runs (side note: no, I don’t have a multi-loop belt. Really, are they necessary? Those scream “I’m a beginner but I bought all the gear…” Just me?) Sometimes I take shortcuts. Sometimes I stop at the dog park for fifteen minutes just to watch the beagles chase each other around (and there’s always hot guys there, and in my opinion, a hot guy is ten times hotter with a dog. It’s a distraction). So in some senses, no I’m not a runner.

The thing that does make me a runner is that I continue to show up. My runs may be delayed, or shortened, or broken into pieces… but I always go. I sweat, I pant, I pound it all out. I’m challenged, I’m beat up, and I’m reminded that in order to get things you really want, the only path to take is working hard at it. Yes, luck plays a factor.. but the harder you work, the luckier you get, right?

Since goal-setting is a good motivator, I’m attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon by the time I turn 30. I’ve got to shave 25 minutes off my fastest time - it’s a significant leap and it is going to be a hell of a challenge. I’ve got less than two years until I hit 3 decades on earth, and Boston announcing new qualifying times (making it harder to get in) motivates me to do it before the change takes place.

Timing is everything, and I’ve recently been through another life shake-up and given a new lease on running fast. It sucked, but it also reminded me I was stagnant. Not just in running, but in life, in dreams, in everything. So… I have a seasons worth of killer playlists, endless kilometers of river pathways, and a dream of making it up Heartbreak Hill to get me through the summer. A fall qualifying race is on my mind.

I always feel better at the end of the run, than I did at the start. And yes…I still occasionally watch Sex and the City, post-run, while I stretch. Because I love it (only on DVD, not syndicated, and not the second movie)… and I’m no longer wallowing. I’ve blasted the music, I’ve worked through it, and I’m OK with it. They say living well is the best revenge. That was my original motivation.

Now it’s just living well. That’s why I run.

Shake it up!

Wed, 11 May 2011 01:24:14 -0400

Shake it up!