3 Mile Walk at Five Rivers
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
2.6 Mile Walk in the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Today was better than yesterday, but I still needed to rest for quite a while after getting home from work, and had no desire to drive anywhere after that... so I took a roundabout route to and from the store. It was a gorgeous early fall evening, cool and breezy but not cold, and even peaceful when cars and trucks weren't roaring by. At one point I even heard some geese calling faintly from overhead, but there was too much light from the street to make them out against the night sky.
As much as I enjoyed walking tonight, it also reminded me of how much I miss not being able to go for a good run on a night like tonight...
I hacked up enough gunk today that my lungs are a bit less congested... maybe tomorrow I can get back to doing some YRG and some riding again.
JMH
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Today was better than yesterday, but I still needed to rest for quite a while after getting home from work, and had no desire to drive anywhere after that... so I took a roundabout route to and from the store. It was a gorgeous early fall evening, cool and breezy but not cold, and even peaceful when cars and trucks weren't roaring by. At one point I even heard some geese calling faintly from overhead, but there was too much light from the street to make them out against the night sky.
As much as I enjoyed walking tonight, it also reminded me of how much I miss not being able to go for a good run on a night like tonight...
I hacked up enough gunk today that my lungs are a bit less congested... maybe tomorrow I can get back to doing some YRG and some riding again.
JMH
Monday, September 23, 2013
Still Sick...
Monday, September 23, 2013
Had a decent day at work, some coughing but nothing uncontrollable... so I planned to take advantage of the gorgeous sunny afternoon and go for a walk before getting work done this evening. Instead, once I got home I struggled against wanting to crawl into bed (which I probably should have done...) and eventually barely managed a walk over to the store to pick up fruit and orange juice. Looks like I need to relent and take some cold medicine tonight to make sure I get enough sleep. Sigh.
JMH
Monday, September 23, 2013
Had a decent day at work, some coughing but nothing uncontrollable... so I planned to take advantage of the gorgeous sunny afternoon and go for a walk before getting work done this evening. Instead, once I got home I struggled against wanting to crawl into bed (which I probably should have done...) and eventually barely managed a walk over to the store to pick up fruit and orange juice. Looks like I need to relent and take some cold medicine tonight to make sure I get enough sleep. Sigh.
JMH
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Saturday, September 21, 2013
2.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Feeling somewhat better today, but I decided to keep things easy and headed over to Buckingham Lake for a walk this evening. Three loops plus a bit extra. Lots of ducks by the parking lot, and I spotted a hawk perched in one of the trees over the portion of the path that runs right along the edge of the water. A fairly pleasant evening's walk overall... not as good a several hours on the bike, but better than sweating out a fever in bed.
JMH
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Feeling somewhat better today, but I decided to keep things easy and headed over to Buckingham Lake for a walk this evening. Three loops plus a bit extra. Lots of ducks by the parking lot, and I spotted a hawk perched in one of the trees over the portion of the path that runs right along the edge of the water. A fairly pleasant evening's walk overall... not as good a several hours on the bike, but better than sweating out a fever in bed.
JMH
Friday, September 20, 2013
Getting Sick Sucks
Friday, September 20, 2013
Woke up this morning with a sore throat and clogged sinuses and things went downhill from there. Very annoying given that it was a really beautiful day and I was looking forward to going to one of the Columbia Land Conservancy's full moon walks this evening (at High Falls Conservation Area - right behind my parents' house and an area where I've spent a lot of time in the woods, long before it was a conservation area.)
Tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny too, and I'd been looking forward to spending a few hours on my bike. Stupid viruses...
Most annoying of all, when I went to cancel my motel room for tomorrow night (I'd been planning to go to the Where the Pavement Ends trail race in CT on Sunday morning) I discovered that I'd just missed the deadline to do so. I'd go down anyway and give it a go, except it's supposed to rain during the morning... and spending an hour in the rain isn't likely to do me any good if I'm trying to recover from the bug that's gotten its hooks into me. So I'll also be paying for a room I won't be using.
And since I barely had the energy to crawl into bed when I got home - today also ended my streak of getting outdoors for at least half an hour every day (since June 4.) I knew that once work started back up I'd miss a day sooner or later... but I was hoping it would end up being more on the "later" side.
JMH
Friday, September 20, 2013
Woke up this morning with a sore throat and clogged sinuses and things went downhill from there. Very annoying given that it was a really beautiful day and I was looking forward to going to one of the Columbia Land Conservancy's full moon walks this evening (at High Falls Conservation Area - right behind my parents' house and an area where I've spent a lot of time in the woods, long before it was a conservation area.)
Tomorrow is supposed to be warm and sunny too, and I'd been looking forward to spending a few hours on my bike. Stupid viruses...
Most annoying of all, when I went to cancel my motel room for tomorrow night (I'd been planning to go to the Where the Pavement Ends trail race in CT on Sunday morning) I discovered that I'd just missed the deadline to do so. I'd go down anyway and give it a go, except it's supposed to rain during the morning... and spending an hour in the rain isn't likely to do me any good if I'm trying to recover from the bug that's gotten its hooks into me. So I'll also be paying for a room I won't be using.
And since I barely had the energy to crawl into bed when I got home - today also ended my streak of getting outdoors for at least half an hour every day (since June 4.) I knew that once work started back up I'd miss a day sooner or later... but I was hoping it would end up being more on the "later" side.
JMH
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Friday, September 13, 2013
4 Mile Run in the Albany Pine Bush
Friday, September 13, 2013
The good: I ran 4 miles on trails that are old friends in the Great Dune and Madison Avenue Pinelands sections of the Pine Bush. The rain stopped before I started and it was wonderfully cool fall weather - some of my favorite running weather. And my knee didn't blow up.
The bad: My pace is limited to slow, slower, and slowest... at best around 15 min miles. And because I was focused on my knee not blowing up, I had a lot less time to look around and enjoy the scenery - because a wrong step could have left me hobbling back to the trailhead. And the less said about the 4 mountain bikers who buzzed by me at full speed on a narrow trail (at least the first one warned me he had three buddies and two others let me know they were coming - but they still should have slowed down passing someone on foot.)
The ugly: 5 months ago I was running half marathons, now running 4 miles at a substantially slower pace is a struggle. Sigh.
JMH
Friday, September 13, 2013
The good: I ran 4 miles on trails that are old friends in the Great Dune and Madison Avenue Pinelands sections of the Pine Bush. The rain stopped before I started and it was wonderfully cool fall weather - some of my favorite running weather. And my knee didn't blow up.
The bad: My pace is limited to slow, slower, and slowest... at best around 15 min miles. And because I was focused on my knee not blowing up, I had a lot less time to look around and enjoy the scenery - because a wrong step could have left me hobbling back to the trailhead. And the less said about the 4 mountain bikers who buzzed by me at full speed on a narrow trail (at least the first one warned me he had three buddies and two others let me know they were coming - but they still should have slowed down passing someone on foot.)
The ugly: 5 months ago I was running half marathons, now running 4 miles at a substantially slower pace is a struggle. Sigh.
JMH
Thursday, September 12, 2013
MORE RAIN
2.2 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Three times around Buckingham Lake, which is once again more appropriately referred to as "Duckingham" Lake... after being mostly absent the last few times I was there, tonight the area near the parking lot was covered with ducks, and there were a few in scattered locations elsewhere along the shore as well.
Since it had rained on and off since late afternoon, not too many folks there tonight... a couple of people fishing and an occasional person walking their dog. It's always nice to have the path mostly to myself.
Of course, between the storm clouds and the ever-earlier sunset, it was getting pretty dark by the time I wrapped up my third loop around 7:30... an unwelcome reminder that the dark evenings are coming, and before too much longer I'll be doing most of my weekday walks, rides, and (hopefully) runs in the dark...
JMH
2.2 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Three times around Buckingham Lake, which is once again more appropriately referred to as "Duckingham" Lake... after being mostly absent the last few times I was there, tonight the area near the parking lot was covered with ducks, and there were a few in scattered locations elsewhere along the shore as well.
Since it had rained on and off since late afternoon, not too many folks there tonight... a couple of people fishing and an occasional person walking their dog. It's always nice to have the path mostly to myself.
Of course, between the storm clouds and the ever-earlier sunset, it was getting pretty dark by the time I wrapped up my third loop around 7:30... an unwelcome reminder that the dark evenings are coming, and before too much longer I'll be doing most of my weekday walks, rides, and (hopefully) runs in the dark...
JMH
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT
3 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
And after a positively sweltering day (the heat index was in the low 100's this afternoon) dark and stormy was definitely welcome, as it meant the cold front was finally moving in. Even the splatters of rain that made it past my umbrella felt good. Though it would have been nice to have a better view of the lightning that lit up the sky periodically.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be stormy for much of the day, so probably no riding then either... maybe I'll try a short slow run instead, since I overslept and missed the Barry Hopkins 3.8mi last Sunday at Olana. I'd like to get some sort of clue about where my knee is at before next weekend, so I can decide if I want to try either of the races I've looked at (the Red Apple 10k down in Kinderhook or the Falling Leaves 14k out in Utica.)
JMH
3 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
And after a positively sweltering day (the heat index was in the low 100's this afternoon) dark and stormy was definitely welcome, as it meant the cold front was finally moving in. Even the splatters of rain that made it past my umbrella felt good. Though it would have been nice to have a better view of the lightning that lit up the sky periodically.
Tomorrow it's supposed to be stormy for much of the day, so probably no riding then either... maybe I'll try a short slow run instead, since I overslept and missed the Barry Hopkins 3.8mi last Sunday at Olana. I'd like to get some sort of clue about where my knee is at before next weekend, so I can decide if I want to try either of the races I've looked at (the Red Apple 10k down in Kinderhook or the Falling Leaves 14k out in Utica.)
JMH
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Monday, September 09, 2013
Sunday, September 08, 2013
Saturday, September 07, 2013
Friday, September 06, 2013
Thursday, September 05, 2013
A Disturbing Observation at Barnes & Noble
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Over the past two days I've been to three Barnes & Noble stores looking for several specific books and I've noticed a very disturbing trend.
It's fairly well known that B&N is in financial trouble. Retail sales are down, and they've been losing ground in the e-book market. Borders was in the same boat a few years back - and we know how that turned out.
In my opinion (admittedly uninformed when it comes to financial markets) one of Borders' biggest mistakes was that they lost sight of what their purpose was - selling books and, to a lesser extent, music and movies. I loved B&N when they first opened their stores in Albany and New Haven, because they had a better selection of books than anywhere else I could go. I loved Borders even more, because initially their selection was even better than B&N. Plus Borders had a customer-loyalty card that was free for many years. As things started to fall apart for Borders, the selection of books decreased - and the space started being taken up by toys, puzzles, and all sorts of other non-book products that I rarely gave a second glance. At one time, if you couldn't find a book in the store, you'd likely ask the store to order it for you... but that's no longer necessary. Now you can just order it online, and possibly for less than you'd pay in store. Maybe instead of trying to diversify, Borders should have focused on being the best damn bookstore around.
Over the last year or so, I've noticed that B&N seems to be stocking a much larger selection of toys. Admittedly, many of these are specialty products - I have to admit I've been tempted by a few of the Doctor Who toys they have on the shelves, but talked myself out of spending money on something that would likely sit on a shelf collecting dust (as cool as it might be to have a model TARDIS with sound and flashing lights...) Nevertheless, I've been reminded of the increase in non-book products at Borders and wondered if B&N was trying a similar strategy.
My most recent visits really disturbed me, however, when all three stores I visited didn't have several fairly recent books in stock, and two of the three didn't have a book that was released two days ago anywhere on the shelves (despite their website describing them as having copies in stock.) It also seemed like the sections I shopped in have been reduced in size (which makes sense, if they aren't stocking as many books) and there was more open space on shelves (ditto.) What happens when a bookstore doesn't have books to sell... well, it's not good news for those of us who cherish the process of browsing actual print copies and discovering books and authors we haven't tried yet.
The general opinion seems to be that it's only a matter of time before B&N bites the dust, and what I saw in the stores doesn't reassure me. As much as I would have liked to give them a bit more business, I'll be ordering the books I couldn't find online... which is where I fear I'll be forced to do most of my book shopping in the not-to-distance future. Unless B&N can manage to get their act together and get back to being the best damn bookstore around instead of just about the only bookstore around.
JMH
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Over the past two days I've been to three Barnes & Noble stores looking for several specific books and I've noticed a very disturbing trend.
It's fairly well known that B&N is in financial trouble. Retail sales are down, and they've been losing ground in the e-book market. Borders was in the same boat a few years back - and we know how that turned out.
In my opinion (admittedly uninformed when it comes to financial markets) one of Borders' biggest mistakes was that they lost sight of what their purpose was - selling books and, to a lesser extent, music and movies. I loved B&N when they first opened their stores in Albany and New Haven, because they had a better selection of books than anywhere else I could go. I loved Borders even more, because initially their selection was even better than B&N. Plus Borders had a customer-loyalty card that was free for many years. As things started to fall apart for Borders, the selection of books decreased - and the space started being taken up by toys, puzzles, and all sorts of other non-book products that I rarely gave a second glance. At one time, if you couldn't find a book in the store, you'd likely ask the store to order it for you... but that's no longer necessary. Now you can just order it online, and possibly for less than you'd pay in store. Maybe instead of trying to diversify, Borders should have focused on being the best damn bookstore around.
Over the last year or so, I've noticed that B&N seems to be stocking a much larger selection of toys. Admittedly, many of these are specialty products - I have to admit I've been tempted by a few of the Doctor Who toys they have on the shelves, but talked myself out of spending money on something that would likely sit on a shelf collecting dust (as cool as it might be to have a model TARDIS with sound and flashing lights...) Nevertheless, I've been reminded of the increase in non-book products at Borders and wondered if B&N was trying a similar strategy.
My most recent visits really disturbed me, however, when all three stores I visited didn't have several fairly recent books in stock, and two of the three didn't have a book that was released two days ago anywhere on the shelves (despite their website describing them as having copies in stock.) It also seemed like the sections I shopped in have been reduced in size (which makes sense, if they aren't stocking as many books) and there was more open space on shelves (ditto.) What happens when a bookstore doesn't have books to sell... well, it's not good news for those of us who cherish the process of browsing actual print copies and discovering books and authors we haven't tried yet.
The general opinion seems to be that it's only a matter of time before B&N bites the dust, and what I saw in the stores doesn't reassure me. As much as I would have liked to give them a bit more business, I'll be ordering the books I couldn't find online... which is where I fear I'll be forced to do most of my book shopping in the not-to-distance future. Unless B&N can manage to get their act together and get back to being the best damn bookstore around instead of just about the only bookstore around.
JMH
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
Monday, September 02, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
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