#231. Map My Run

MapMyRun.com is a free website that measures the distance of your walking/running/biking routes. It provides free navigation tools, training logs, running events and races, a search button for new runs, and an online community of runners. I recently downloaded the free app for my iPhone and love it. It features real-time tracking with distance, time, pace and speed display. I can also view my training history (with maps). It's a great tool!

#230. The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Click here to see the new trailer for The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Wes Anderson's latest film!

#229. VMFA

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opened in 1936 in Richmond. It is one of the first museums in the south to be operated by state funds. In 1919, Judge Payne donated 50 paintings. In 1947, VMFA received donations from the Lillian Thomas Pratt Collection of Faberge objects. The museum also received the T. Catesby Jones Collection of Modern Art. From there, the museum grew to include the Center for Education and Outreach (the Pauley Center), which provides symposiums, lectures, conferences, classes, and workshops for visual and performing artists. The museum is currently undergoing a $150 million building expansion and transformation by London-based architect Rick Mather. The Grand Opening is scheduled for May 1, 2010.

Though the museum is undergoing renovation, lectures and events are still taking place. On August 8 in the Pauley Center Parlor, Peter Neff is conducting a wine lecture and tasting titled "The Art of Italian Wine". For tickets, click here. On September 23, Perry Hurt, Conservator for Regional Conservation Services at the North Carolina Museum of Art, will hold a lecture titled "Painting for the Pharaohs: A History of Paint." For more on weekly events, click here. To see the VMFA blog, click here.

#228. My Latest Obsession: Young House Love

Sherry and John Petersik are 27 year old newlyweds in Richmond. They bought their home in 2006 and have completely renovated it. In June 2006, they opened their own shop and now write for Better Homes & Gardens Do It Yourself Magazine. They've made appearances on HGTV's Rate My Space, in The Nest Magazine, on CNN, in Real Simple, The Washington Post, and R. Home, and more. I am SO impressed with them! Their blog features a "how to" section, design advice, their wedding (held in their backyard!), and my favorite - a house tour of the before and after.

Here are some of the photos of their home, before and after:

































Special thanks for Cricket for the link!

#227. NPR Poll Results: Best Music of 2009 (So Far)

Best Songs of 2009 (so far)
1. My Girls by Animal Collective
2. Two Weeks by Gizzly Bear
3. Blood Bank by Bon Iver
4. The Rake's Song by The Decemberists
5. Lisztomania by Phoenix
6. Zero by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7. This Tornado Loves You by Neko Case
8. Sleepyhead by Passion Pit
9. Laughing With by Regina Spektor
10. The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid by The Decemberists
11. Train Song by Feist and Ben Gibbard
12. Knotty Pine by David Byrne & Dirty Projectors
13. Daniel by Bat For Lashes
14. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective
15. One Wing by Wilco
16. The Fear by Lily Allen
17. Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
18. Wilco (The Song) by Wilco
19. Stillness Is The Move by Dirty Projectors
20. Help, I'm Alive by Metric
21. Anonanimal by Andrew Bird
22. On No by Andrew Bird
23. No You Girls by Franz Ferdinand
24. I And Love And You by Avett Brothers
25. French Navy by Camera Obscura
26. Magpie To The Morning by Neko Case
27. Woods by Bon Iver
28. Black Hearted Love by PJ Harvey and John Parish
29. While You Wait For The Others by Grizzly Bear
30. Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups

Best Albums of 2009 (so far)
1. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
2. The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists
3. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
4. Middle Cyclone by Neko Case
5. Wilco (The Album) by Wilco
6. Noble Beast by Andrew Bird
7. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
8. It's Blitz! By Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. Dark Was The Night by Various Artists (GREAT album!)
10. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
11. Far by Regina Spektor
12. Actor by St. Vincent
13. Manners by Passion Pit
14. Hold Time by M. Ward
15. Reservoir by Fanfarlo
16. Fever Ray by Fever Ray
17. Fantasies by Metric
18. Two Suns by Bat For Lashes
19. My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
20. Dark Night of the Soul by Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse
21. The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons
22. The Eternal by Sonic Youth
23. The Ecstatic by Mos Def
24. Outer South by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band
25. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
26. Together Through Life by Bob Dylan
27. No Line on the Horizon by U2
28. March of the Zapotec by Beirut
29. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
30. The Mountain by Heartless Bastards

...Overall, great lists. Click here for more.

Special thanks for ND for the link!

It's Chuck Bass Thursday!

It's my favorite day of the week!

#226. It's My Beer in a Box! My Beer in a Box, Giiirrrlll!

Beer sales are down this year, so Miller Lite has decided to try something new - the Home Draft. Many drinkers prefer draft to bottled or canned beer, so Miller Coors is now producing Miller Lite in a box that fits nicely in your fridge. The downside? It costs 15% more than the equal amount of beer in cans. Each box carries 5.7 liters and will keep beer fresh for approximately 30 days. I don't know if I like beer enough to spend 15% more and dedicate a large portion of the fridge to Home Draft (Oh, who am I kidding? My fridge is always empty!), but it's a cool idea.

#225. Mad Men Season 3 Promo Shots

Here are a few of the photos released for Mad Men Season 3. To see all of them, click here.