April 14th, 2011
I did it!! I really did it!!
After 7 hours and 43 minutes of grueling muscle strain, I crossed the finish line.
And it felt good. It felt REAL good!
I was definitely far from anything even remotely related to a podium position (hell, even the free pizza was finished by the time I was done), but I did not care at all. I was not there to win. I was there to complete the race!
The lack of proper training was felt throughout the day.
The swim was pretty hard, especially trying to fight the current that was pushing us outwards, but I managed to do a personal best and finished within less than 50 minutes.
The bike was ride was challenging, mainly because of the strong winds, even though the whole course was flat. It's funny, about 10 miles in the ride, I remembered that I had not done a proper, 30+ mile ride for more than a month. The last couple of weeks I had focused on running and swimming, so the bike took its toll, both on my butt and on my back. It took me 3 hours and 40 minutes, which was longer than I wanted, but it was no big deal.
The run was the part I was dreading the most. I hate running, I am not good at it, I do not enjoy it and I have never in my life run more than 6 miles in one go. You can imagine how daunting it seemed to have to run a half marathon after having already exercised for 4 and a half hours. Surprisingly enough, when I started running, I realized that the muscles required for the run were still practically untouched. That increased my self confidence significantly and was ready the last few hours of sweat.
It really did prove to be the hardest part. By about mile 7 I was in pain all over. By mile 10 my chest felt like it was going to explode. The last mile was simply neverending. My legs just did not want to cooperate anymore and I was begging for it to end.
And then, I saw the last stretch. 100 yards to the finish line and suddenly, out of nowhere, this burst of energy pushed me to start sprinting like a mad man and finally bringing me across the other side of the finish line. You can see this actually in the short video below.
April 8th, 2011
Fully equipped!
Swim cap
Swim goggles
Swim ear plugs
Swim ear (in case I do get any water in there)
Biking jersey
Bike shorts
Helmet
Timing watch
Deodorant (I will *definitely* need that!)
Water bottle
Gatorade mix
2 packs of Vitamin C (extra breakfast immune-system boost)
Whey Protein (part of my post-race recovery)
Hand blender (for the lazy ones)
Energy bars (more than enough)
Energy gels (shitloads!)
One band aid (probably worthless)
Spare tube
Tire levers
Micro inflator (did you think I'll carry a whole pump with me?)
2 CO2 canisters (juuust in case...)
Bike computer (gotta know how fast I'm going)
Running shoes
Running socks (yes, special ones)
Baseball cap (haven't worn one for years!)
A pimp cane (in case I am unable to walk afterwards)
And of course, MY BIKE!
The big day is finally here. I am only a few hours away from my 70.3 Ironman race.
After months of grueling training, waking up at 5am almost every day, healthy nutrition...
WHO AM I KIDDING???
Sure, I have been "preparing" for this race since September, but my preparation has been far more mental than anything else. My training has been far from the typical training scheduled recommended for an Ironman challenge. I have not been exercising 15 hours a week. Perhaps closer to 4-5. I have not been depriving myself from the simple pleasures of a chocolate cake or a juicy burger. I have not been keeping a steady sleeping pattern as I supposedly should.
And yet, do I feel ready? ABSOLUTELY!
Just because I have not been training like a mad man, does not mean I've been getting my exercise through watching the Health & Fitness channel. I've been swimming, running, biking (with my new baby) and doing everything within my grasp without putting the rest of my life on hold. At this point, I do have to say that the biggest benefit of my fitness came through boot camps training. I joined a local group called Synergy Fitness thanks to a friend's recommendation and it was the best thing I could have done. I would go as often as possible, to get my arse kicked every afternoon in the park, but a couple of months down the line, I could already see a huge difference!
More than anything though, I've been trying to prepare myself mentally. I remind you, this is something that always seemed to be beyond my reach. I never saw myself capable of even attempting it, yet I am about to make it a reality. The past 2 weeks I have been focusing on nothing but calming down, visualizing the finish line and convincing myself I can do this. I will not fail! If I have to crawl and bleed in order to cross that finish line, I will! I have faith in myself and my abilities and that's all that matters!
Time now to put it all to use! I have all my necessary gear ready and the only thing separating me from the toughest challenge I have ever taken up is a few hours of sleep.
Sunday. 7am. 1.2mile swim, 56mile bike ride, 13.1 mile run.
I've never done anything like this before. It's about to happen!
Wish me luck!
M.
September 24th, 2010
I had the genius idea of singing up for a free bike ride called "Bike to the Bash". Ok, so the idea was not mine. A friend suggested it, but I did not hesitate. It's a ride to San Antonio, where the cyclists will end up at the "Bash at the brewery", a live music event organized by the Lone Star brewery.
Being a free event, with free entry to the concert, it was a matter of signing up and hoping you would get selected the day they would pick the names out of the hat. And it seems, I was one of the lucky cyclists who will be joining the ride.
So, here I am, ready to join the ride tomorrow. 
Bike ready CHECK
Camelbak filled with Gatorade CHECK
Clothes ready CHECK
Glasses CHECK
Bandana CHECK
Ride wristband CHECK
Tyre repair tools CHECK
Energy gel shots CHECK
Phone, ID, money CHECK
Timing watch CHECK
iPod CHECK
I think I got everything covered... Now, why all this preparation, you're gonna ask. Well, San Antonio is not exactly down the road. In fact, it is an 80 mile (129km) distance from here to our final destination. All 165 of us will be setting off precisely at 7am, intending to get there some time in the afternoon. So yes, I do need to be prepared.
Am I nuts? Probably! Hell, I don't even like the music they'll be playing at the festival. I'm only going for the fun of it and to see how I'll cope with such a long bike ride. Luckily, another friend is also on the ride, so we'll get some good laughs in.
Time now is 8.30pm and I'm going to bed already, because I got a 5am wake up call ahead of me. I'll keep you posted if I survive this.
M.
10/07/2010
It's been ages since my last post, I know. A lot of things happened in the past 2-3 months, which, to be honest, I am not going to write about. So, if you already know about all the things I've been up to lately, great. If not, then you are probably not even supposed to know.
A bit more than a week ago, D. and I boarded Charlie to embark on a relatively short road trip.
Ultimate destination: Huntsville, Alabama.
Her mom was throwing a surprise party for her dad, so we were going to be part of the surprise.
We set off on Thursday the 1st. To get there, we covered just over 1300 kilometers but before arriving, we stopped at Birmingham for a couple of nights, to see a few friends.
Somewhere in Texas. Agreed, 4th of July was closing in, but still... On cupcakes???
We found this representation of a hanging on the side of a highway. Crazy thing, it was part of the landscaping of a lawyer's office!
Found an Athens in Texas.
And then one in Alabama.
The pig is a local landmark for Alabama.
So is Hooters and its educational events...
Did you know that Birmingham has a beach??
When we made it to Huntsville, the "What The Fuck???" moments kept pouring in... Huntsville is known for many memorable elements.
Big shopping centers.
Delicious beverages.
Life changing questions.
And its rocket and space program history.
Seriously, there are rockets on the side of the interstate.
You don't see that every day!
The welcoming committee?
The party was a great success, her parents were happy to see us, we stayed 2 days and then we went on our way. Now, having plenty of time to get back, we decided to avoid the interstates and drive back through backroads and small towns. Keep in mind, we are talking about some of the most stereotypical "southern" states one can visit. Driving through the small, unknown town of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and East Texas is not something to be taken lightly. Time has indeed stopped in many of those places.
However, that does not mean we digressed from the WTF theme of this trip.
A giant crawfish in Alexandria, Louisiana. Mind you, the whole city seemed to be "closed for remodeling", a sign many stores decided to decorate their fronts with.
Back in Texas. (Making sure nobody misses it.)
A police car in Jasper, Texas! (?!?!?!?)
A choo-choo train in College Station, Texas.
It was a short trip with immense amounts of fun, but I'm happy to be back in Austin. :)
M.
20/04/2010
Some of you may remember of the farewell party I had thrown when I was leaving Austin back in October. It had taken place in TC's lounge, my favorite live music venue.
Now that I am back in Austin, my arrival could not possibly be official without a welcome back party. So, I organised a "fare-welcome back" party, again at TC's. It just so happened that the very same day was the national "Draw a moustache on your finger" day. So, I put on my best enhanced facial hair
and off I was to shake my booty at TC's, along with a bunch of my good friends!
Indeed, there was a lot of sillyness, dancing, jumping (we nearly broke the damn dance floor), laughing and general merry behavior.
It's official! I am now a newly-born Austinite! :D
M.
20/03/2010
March 12th till March 21st is when SXSW takes place in Austin. It is a huge event festival, combining interactive technology, film and music at the same time. We're talking about a festival like no other. The whole city turns into one big venue. People rent out parking lot to turn them into concert halls. Tens of thousands of people start flocking into Austin and we end up living in the middle of a gigantic concert venue. It's terrific and terrifying at the same time.
On the last saturday of the events, I went to shoot some bands playing at a free event downtown. By the time I got there, Andrew W.K. was coming up on stage. Once he began to sing, I immediately got a good idea of what kind of music all bands were gonna be playing, and so will you after seeing a couple of the photos below.
I climbed up a tree to have a perfect clear view of the stage and despite the freak cold that had attacked Austin that day (and that day only), it was well worth it.
After this fella, it was time for the headliners to make their appearance. Now, have you ever heard of the band called "Gwar"? If not, google them and you'll get an idea of who they are.
In brief, it is a rock band that made its appearance during the 80s and immediately took the crowds by surprise with their "intense" and "creative" stage appearance.
What we have here is a group of guys dressed up in huge, sci-fi, horror costumes (one of them was wearing a strap-on that had an amputated turkey leg for a penis) who perform all sorts of obscenities on stage, while singing trash metal and spraying fake blood on the crowd that is going wild!
The show was hilarious. Their music... not quite my cup of tea...
M.
Just hold it right there for 10 minutes or so...
Author: M. / Labels: Austin, figure drawing, Texas, USA10/03/2010
About three weeks ago, D. and I were invited to pose for a figure drawing session. The costume theme was to be along the lines of caveman/cavewoman and Sparta.
Neither of the two of us ever misses out on things like this, so we gladly accepted, we prepared our costumes and off we went.
Within a time frame of two hours, we switched between a number of poses, varying from being one minute long to 10 minutes longs.
Here are some of the ones we did...
And here is one of the sketches done by one of the designers.
We had some good laughs, did our silly thing once again and I learnt something new: G-strings are seriously uncomfortable!!!
M.
07/02/2010
(If you don't understand the reference of the post title, ask Mr. Johnny Cash!)
While in San Francisco I looked for some people to share the drive (and cost of gas) back to Texas and I met 2 awesome guys that where headed exactly the same way.
I ended up driving with everything I could possibly need: a cooler full of food, my AAA card, an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) and a professional wrestler! I was obviously covered for every possible situation. I must say, we had an absolutely awesome time together, we were driving non stop and had a laughter filled, musically dressed, incredibly fast drive back to Texas. I dropped the off in San Antonio and then went to San Marcos, to visit my favorite dropzone and see some of the great friends I have there. Hands down, best way to spend my first weekend back in Texas.
Today, Sunday the 7th of February 2010 I arrived back in Austin. And today is officially the day that this erratic journey stops! I've been on the road for a while and to be honest, I'm very tired and more than happy to stop in one place and spend some time with a certain someone! In fact, it does feel like I've been everywhere. Allow me to try and make a list of the places I visited during this trip.
Buenos Aires
Barcelona
Sant Pedor
Limoges
Athens
Madrid
Buenos Aires (yes, again, but very briefly)
La Quiaca
Tupiza
Uyuni
La Paz
Copacabana
Puno
Cusco
Aguas Calientes
Lima
Cajamarca
Popayan
Silvia
Cali
Armenia
Ibague
Pereira
Bogota
San Pelayo
Santa Marta
Tayrona
Cartagena
Playa Blanca
Medellin
Austin
San Marcos
Chico
Reno
Black Rock City (yeah baby!!)
Tahoe lake
Las Vegas
Kingman
Flagstaff
Grand Canyon
Sedona
Phoenix
Marfa
New Orleans
Birmingham
Cedartown
Cornelius
Charlotte
New York (Manhattan, Brooklyn and all that jazz)
Washington D.C.
Niagara Falls
St. Catharines
Keego Harbor
Detroit
Ann Arbor
Chicago
Stevens Point
Madison
Seattle
Mr. Rainier
Newport
Redwood National Forrest
San Francisco
And that's without mentioning all tiny little places where I made brief stops, or all the dusty and non roads I crossed.
At some point, if I feel like it, I may actually sit down and calculate the miles of the distances I traveled and form some sort of a trip map.
I want to thank you all for having followed me in my journey so far! It was always exciting to hear from you and perceive what I was doing through your eyes. At many times you inspired me to do more things and take more photos, just because you were praising my work so much! I miss you guys! :)
But right now, I'm ready to put my feet up, be less of a nomad for a bit and enjoy the company of the people I love. Believe me, it feels good!
M.
26/10/2009
Sad and unbelievable, but true. I have left Austin...
Austin is a trap filled with honey and general sugary goodness. My plan initially was to stay for a couple of weeks and I ended up being there for more than two months.
I made fantastic new friends, joined the most fun events, got introduced to so many new ways of thinking and spent loads of time at a skydiving dropzone (shameless plug) with some of the best people around (I love you guys!).
It was time for me to move on though. Don't get me wrong, I could easily stick around for a hell of a lot longer, but there is much more to discover. And especially after the ways Austin broadened my mind, I believe it's somewhere on the road where I will find the answers to all my new questions.
So after yet another INCREDIBLE see-you-soon party at TC's lounge, 
surrounded by all my favourite Austinites and non (whom I had asked to show up in tu-tus - kudos to the ones that did), dancing at the crazy rhythms of Soul Track Mind and then a full weekend at the dropzone, I have just arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana.
There is lots of fun to be had, lots of new people to meet, lots of soul-searching to undertake. Even though I miss Austin and all it comes with like hell, I can't wait for the surprises that lie ahead of me! :)
"Too many fragments of the spirit have I scattered in these streets, and too many are children of my longing that walk naked among these hills, and I cannot withdraw from them without a burden and an ache.
It is not a garment I cast off this day, but a skin that I tear with my own hands.
Nor is it a thought I leave behind me, but a heart made sweet with hunger and with thirst." - Kahlil Gibran
M.
18/10/2009
You must have figured it out by now that Austin has some crazy, hilarious events going down (You do remember I got back in Austin right? my birthday, ACL... come on, keep up!). Well, this month that I have spent here after Burning Man has been no exception.
Crazy parties, live music of all sorts, insane costumes, silly people and gatherings out of nowhere have been keeping me more than busy. The highlights of it all though, by miles, were a Dr. Sketchy night and the infamous (by now) Animalesque show.
Dr. Sketchy is an art event where one or more models go on stage and a few dozens of people come with their sketchpads and colors and draw the models in their various positions. Twist here is, there is plenty of beer involved. :)
D. runs this show and she asked me to be one of the models for a special Dr. Sketchy night that would be a fundraised and promotional event for the upcoming Animalesque.
Did I say no? Of course not. So there I was, for half an hour on stage, dressed up as a lion and choosing a number of poses for the "artists" to be creative with. At the end of it all, I got some pretty good feedback by the people drawing me and personally, I had a blast. The photos I believe give a pretty clear idea of the outcome.
And having gone through my first "modelling" experience, there came Animalesque.
This was an animal themed Burlesque show and all money made of it would be donated to the Austin Pets Alive organisation, hence the name of the event. This was obviously going to be such a fun event and when I was asked to perform, I jumped right at the opportunity.
We did a joint skit with D., for which we needed to prepare making costumes, rehearsing, improvising... And in the end it all turned out quite funny and sexy. ;)
In the end, the whole night has a HUGE turnout, with about 230 people showing up to see everyone perform and every single one of the approximately 20 performers had an amazing time. People cheering, screaming and applauding everyone's creative and performances. It could not have been any better.
Here's the video of it. I will let you guys figure out who we were supposed to be. :)
M.
06/10/2009
I know I owe you guys a bunch of updates from burning man onwards (and they are coming, don't worry), but I just HAD to tell you about the past few days.
This past weekend has probably been the most exciting and fun-filled weekend of my life! I kid you not! Is it really possible to fit more than 100 bands playing live, crazy twister games, a Charlie the Unicorn themed party,
endless amounts of cake, 
several beers and a party on a bridge in 65 hours? Apparently it is...
Friday morning and I'm up fairly early. ACL is about to begin. What is this? It's the Austin City Limits Music festival, (yes, I am back in Austin by the way) a musical extravaganza in the greenest park of Austin that lasts three days and hosts some of the biggest names of the musical world. 
And the festival kicks off with names such as Mishka, the Avett Brothers, Phoenix, Thievery Corporation, Kings of Leon and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! And by around midnight that the music ended, I went to a friend's place where we thought the most normal thing to do is play twister at 3am.
Saturday, festive day (did I mention it was my birthday that day? No? Well, it was! :) ) and the music begins once again. Bring it on !!!, Airborne Toxic Event, Flogging Molly, And you will know us by the trail of the dead, Ghostland Observatory and so many more. And the best part of it? All of those under the pouring rain! 
Austin city centre is just behind us.
I'm not crying my eyes out. I'm just really exhausted. And no, that's not sh1t on my chest.
Thousands and thousands of people jumping, singing and crowd-surfing, wet to the bone and knee-deep in mud.
And as if that was not enough, come the end of the music, a friend comes to pick me up. He takes me home to have a shower (believe me, I needed it) and gives me a set of white clothes to wear. (??) We then drive out to some house where I've never been before, go walk around the back and suddenly two girls jump out of nowhere and shout "Welcome to candy mountain Charlie"! They dragged me into the house, only to find that the two girls were L. and D., disguised as unicorns and they had thrown a Charlie the unicorn-themed, surprise birthday party for me. 
The unicorn possy
Unicorns, bananas, candy and starfish all over the place! I couldn't believe what they had put together! So many people, so many costumes, so many sweets and the biggest cupcake I had ever seen in my life to top it all! The whole thing was just surreal.
Candy mountain in the flesh!
The biggest cupcake I have ever seen!!!
And then my face in it!
The choo choo shoe is back!
Sunday and final day of ACL. To be honest, I did not care about most of the bands. I was only waiting for Pearl Jam to come on, closing the festival and sending us to awe-land. And indeed they did. And there was no better way to end this extraordinary weekend, than by having a few beers at one of my favourite spots in town. But then, as I was moisting my throat with the delicious, cold, amber-colored, wheat-based drink, the phone rang, only to invite us to a... bridge party!
The name of it explains it all. It's a party. On a bridge. With DJs, speakers, sound systems, lots of people dancing etc. INSANE!!!
I got home at about 4am again and by that point, I could not feel my legs. After 65 hours of constant craziness and jumping around, recovering was in order.....
M.
P.S.1: ACL photos taken by Hillary Jenkins. Party photos taken by Tabitha Halfmann and Brent Thomas
P.S.2: If you have no idea what I'm on about when talking about unicorns, bananas and starfish, do yourself the favor and get educated.
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