A CHILLY HALLOWEEN NIGHT
1.9 Mile Walk Around the Pine Hills Neighborhood
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
HUGE News Regarding Lucasfilm and Star Wars
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
JMH
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Word has come down that Disney is going to buy Lucasfilm (along with all it's various subsidiary companies) for a little over $4 billion. George Lucas is retiring - he's named Kathleen Kennedy as the new president of Lucasfilm and brand manager of the Star Wars franchise, and he'll remain on board as a creative consultant.
Along with this news, Disney and Lucasfilm have also announced that they are planning to make the oft-rumored Episodes VII - IX of Star Wars, with Ep. VII being readied for a 2015 release and then a new Star Wars movie following every 2-3 years.
All of this could be excellent news. Disney has shown that it knows how to let movie creators do their thing successfully in the Marvel and Pixar lines of films - so they may very well be equally ready to let Lucasfilm make movie magic with new Star Wars films. And getting George Lucas out of the driver's seat should have been done three or four movies ago - he's an great idea guy, but at best a mediocre script writer and director. Most critics and fans agree that it's no coincidence that the best movie in the Star Wars series, The Empire Strikes Back, was written by an actual writers (Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan) from Lucas' story treatment, and then directed by award-winning Irvin Kershner. So this is a move that could possibly breath new life into the movie franchise, in much the same way that Timothy Zahn and some of the better authors in the Star Wars novels Expanded Universe have kept that part of the franchise alive and kicking (despite the horrendous and often poorly-planned multi-book series that have done their best to sink the novel range over the last decade or so.)
Or we could get the Star Wars version of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Making more Star Wars movies could very well be an unashamed cash grab on the part of Disney and Lucas (who will surely be getting some sort of royalties - after all, this is the guy who negotiated to retain all merchandising rights in his contract for the first Star Wars film, and then went on to develop a profit-generating empire based on that merchandising - a fairly novel idea for the late 1970's, and one which made him enough money that he was able to finance the subsequent movies himself, only relying on Fox to provide distribution to theaters.) Because after all, the first few movies will turn a massive profit even if they suck - Episode I: The Phantom Menace is reviled by most hardcore fans but still generated over $1 billion in ticket sales worldwide.
Only time will tell if Star Wars will regain its former theatrical glory - or whimper off into the shadows of the Land of Pre/Sequels that never should have been made...
Counting Blessings
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
I said it last night, and I'll say it again - we're awfully darn lucky around here. Woke up this morning to no rain, a little wind, and later in the morning - sunshine. Meanwhile it's been raining out in Rochester for the last four days, and with very good reason the NYC/NJ area has been declared a major disaster zone.
Locally I've heard reports of isolated power outages but nothing like what everyone was concerned could happen. In fact I'm looking forward to taking advantage of our day off from school and going for what should be a very pleasant run this afternoon. Yes indeed, ample blessings to be counted in this neck of the woods.
JMH
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
I said it last night, and I'll say it again - we're awfully darn lucky around here. Woke up this morning to no rain, a little wind, and later in the morning - sunshine. Meanwhile it's been raining out in Rochester for the last four days, and with very good reason the NYC/NJ area has been declared a major disaster zone.
Locally I've heard reports of isolated power outages but nothing like what everyone was concerned could happen. In fact I'm looking forward to taking advantage of our day off from school and going for what should be a very pleasant run this afternoon. Yes indeed, ample blessings to be counted in this neck of the woods.
JMH
Monday, October 29, 2012
The Rain Has Arrived...
Monday, October 29, 2012
... though so far not in the apocalyptic amounts people have feared, just a good soaking rain. I've cracked my bedroom window open so I can enjoy listening to it before I fall asleep.
And I'm grateful I can enjoy it... we've certainly got it much easier around here than the folks down in the NYC/NJ area, from what the news reports are saying.
JMH
Monday, October 29, 2012
... though so far not in the apocalyptic amounts people have feared, just a good soaking rain. I've cracked my bedroom window open so I can enjoy listening to it before I fall asleep.
And I'm grateful I can enjoy it... we've certainly got it much easier around here than the folks down in the NYC/NJ area, from what the news reports are saying.
JMH
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
1.5 Mile Walk at Buckingham Pond
Monday, October 22, 2012
Had to be back at work this evening, plus my legs are still pretty tired from yesterday... so I settled for a short walk, two loops around Buckingham Pond. Not many people around, which was a nice change from all the folks who are often there on summer evenings. I should try to get back soon when there's some sunshine - I suspect some of the trees will look great, but I don't know how much longer they'll be holding onto those leaves...
Monday, October 22, 2012
Had to be back at work this evening, plus my legs are still pretty tired from yesterday... so I settled for a short walk, two loops around Buckingham Pond. Not many people around, which was a nice change from all the folks who are often there on summer evenings. I should try to get back soon when there's some sunshine - I suspect some of the trees will look great, but I don't know how much longer they'll be holding onto those leaves...
As I started my 2nd loop, the flocks of local crows began their flight to wherever they were roosting for the night... I know they can be pests, but seeing hundreds of crows streaming across the sky always gives me a thrill. While I was watching them I also spotted not one but two bats fluttering around, very good to see!
JMH
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
RAINY DAYS & MONDAYS...
Monday, October 15, 2012
... and sometimes the rainy day is Monday. I was hoping to get out for a ride today, but every time I planned to do so it was raining so... a rest day. Walked up to the store and back during one of the breaks in the rain, and was pleased to find that it was pretty pleasant outside - not nearly as chilly as I expected.
Five and a half days and it's time for the Empire State Marathon. Gah!
JMH
Monday, October 15, 2012
... and sometimes the rainy day is Monday. I was hoping to get out for a ride today, but every time I planned to do so it was raining so... a rest day. Walked up to the store and back during one of the breaks in the rain, and was pleased to find that it was pretty pleasant outside - not nearly as chilly as I expected.
Five and a half days and it's time for the Empire State Marathon. Gah!
JMH
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Monday, October 08, 2012
Sunday, October 07, 2012
4 Mile Run at Savoy Mountain State Forest
Sunday, October 7, 2012
After hanging around the Monroe Dunbar Brook picnic area a little too long it was really tempting to just bag it and head home - but I managed to convince myself to go to the North Pond picnic area of Savoy Mountain State Forest instead, where I planned to run 6-7 miles, on the South Pond, Tyler Swamp, and North Pond trails. Though "run" may be awfully generous... I plodded along at a pace that most snail's would find painfully slow.
Haven't really been to Savoy in the fall before, so it was nice to see the trails in another season, and I was lucky in that the trails themselves are in good shape, despite a week of rain. I was on the Tyler Swamp trail heading back to South Pond when my Garmin beeped that it was running low on juice - my fault, I forgot to recharge it last night and was only able to get it to 75% before I had to leave for Monroe. My legs were also running low on juice, and it was grey and cold - so I decided to take the short route back and reverse my steps on the North Pond trail, rather than completing the loop. I certainly could have finished the loop, but it would have taken a good deal longer than I wanted to, and I'm pretty sure my legs would have been hurting by the time I was done.
So a few miles less than I had hoped for, but still nothing to sneeze at - especially when 11.5 miles was spent trudging up and down the hills of Monroe State Forest before tackling a bit of Savoy.
JMH
Sunday, October 7, 2012
After hanging around the Monroe Dunbar Brook picnic area a little too long it was really tempting to just bag it and head home - but I managed to convince myself to go to the North Pond picnic area of Savoy Mountain State Forest instead, where I planned to run 6-7 miles, on the South Pond, Tyler Swamp, and North Pond trails. Though "run" may be awfully generous... I plodded along at a pace that most snail's would find painfully slow.
Haven't really been to Savoy in the fall before, so it was nice to see the trails in another season, and I was lucky in that the trails themselves are in good shape, despite a week of rain. I was on the Tyler Swamp trail heading back to South Pond when my Garmin beeped that it was running low on juice - my fault, I forgot to recharge it last night and was only able to get it to 75% before I had to leave for Monroe. My legs were also running low on juice, and it was grey and cold - so I decided to take the short route back and reverse my steps on the North Pond trail, rather than completing the loop. I certainly could have finished the loop, but it would have taken a good deal longer than I wanted to, and I'm pretty sure my legs would have been hurting by the time I was done.
So a few miles less than I had hoped for, but still nothing to sneeze at - especially when 11.5 miles was spent trudging up and down the hills of Monroe State Forest before tackling a bit of Savoy.
JMH
LONG DISTANCE 2012 - Race #28
Monroe Dunbar Brook10.5 11.5mi Trail Race
Sunday, October 7, 2012
OK, so I'm the only one who ran an 11.5 mile race today - but then doesn't that make me the first place finisher?
I have something of a love-hate relationship with the Monroe Dunbar Brook course... I love how secluded the forest is, and the woods are especially beautiful this time of year. The waterfalls on Dunbar Brook are also a real plus. On the other hand, there's only about 4 miles of the course that I can actually run - the rest is either relentless technical uphill or steep technical downhill. I never really hit a stretch where I can get into a good running rhythm until the final couple of miles. So that can be frustrating... or I can have days like today, where I decide "who cares what my finishing time is" and just enjoy the being out in the woods for a few hours - even detouring off-course for a mile to take in a great viewpoint.
The weather was a bit uncertain this year - we started with overcast skies, chilly temperatures, and the possibility of rain later in the day. I was tempted to pack a jacket but in the end went with a short sleeved shirt and my Asics arm warmers - I think that was the best decision, though I did end up pretty chilled when I foolishly stood around talking with Bill and Konrad afterwards, rather than pulling on a jacket or sweatshirt.
We were at the back of the pack right from the start, though we did beat the 2 mile frontrunners out to the previous site of the bridge across the brook (other than a set of stone steps down to where the bridge used to be, there's no sign it was ever there.) This first mile also treated us to the sight of Nipmuck Dave powering away from us - on crutches. So now I can say that I've had my butt kicked in races by a pregnant woman and a guy on crutches. Seriously, Dave is incredible - and this was a week after his doing the Nipmuck Marathon.
We spread out on the way up the hill to Raycroft Road - no one was in sight when I got to the first water stop, so I decided to add a detour down to the Raycroft Overlook, a stone observation platform built by the CCC reputed to have awesome views of the valley. While it would have been even more impressive on a sunny day, the view was indeed excellent, and well worth the detour.
Back on course it was a slow, slow slog to the top of Spruce Hill and then back down to Raycroft Road. About a mile and a half of technical uphill, with a few short stretches I found runnable, then the generally steep, technical, slippery drop down off the ridge which I had to crawl down for fear of blowing out a knee. Not fun. Crossing Dunbar Brook on the other hand, just after the 2nd water stop, was great - the very cold water really woke me up, and signalled that soon I'd be running along the brook, which I always enjoy. First, though, the was the climb away from the water and descent past the HUGE boulders - and then I was finally at my favorite part of the course - a trail I could actually run fairly consistently!
Still, between my detour and the generally slow day (I'll admit it - I just didn't feel like hammering today) it took a while to get to the 2nd brook crossing (even deeper and just as cold as the first - fun!) and the last stretch of trail high above the brook is always a mixed bag for me - lots of running, but also some short steep climbs to break up the flow, and I've awlways got it in my head that it would be a really bad place to fall, with the steep drop down to the brook. But I finally crossed the road and ran down the corridor of evergreens to finish in just under 3 hr 40 min. Even knocking 15-20 min off for my side trip, that's easily my slowest time in 6 runnings, and that includes 2005's longer more difficult course due to the torrential storm the previous day turning the brook into raging chest-deep whitewater. About par for the course for most of my races this year - but I'm still glad I spent the morning and early afternoon in the gorgeous woods of Monroe State Forest - and even more glad that I had a chance to catch up with Konrad and Bill, who I haven't seen much at all this year - amazingly, this was the first Grand Tree race that I've actually managed to run, usually I'd have done half a dozen by this point in the series.
JMH
2012 Event Totals
Run 239.1 mi, 58 hr 50 min
Bike 147.1 mi, 13 hr 34 min
Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 4.5 mi, 1 hr 23 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VT
Monroe Dunbar Brook
Sunday, October 7, 2012
OK, so I'm the only one who ran an 11.5 mile race today - but then doesn't that make me the first place finisher?
I have something of a love-hate relationship with the Monroe Dunbar Brook course... I love how secluded the forest is, and the woods are especially beautiful this time of year. The waterfalls on Dunbar Brook are also a real plus. On the other hand, there's only about 4 miles of the course that I can actually run - the rest is either relentless technical uphill or steep technical downhill. I never really hit a stretch where I can get into a good running rhythm until the final couple of miles. So that can be frustrating... or I can have days like today, where I decide "who cares what my finishing time is" and just enjoy the being out in the woods for a few hours - even detouring off-course for a mile to take in a great viewpoint.
The weather was a bit uncertain this year - we started with overcast skies, chilly temperatures, and the possibility of rain later in the day. I was tempted to pack a jacket but in the end went with a short sleeved shirt and my Asics arm warmers - I think that was the best decision, though I did end up pretty chilled when I foolishly stood around talking with Bill and Konrad afterwards, rather than pulling on a jacket or sweatshirt.
We were at the back of the pack right from the start, though we did beat the 2 mile frontrunners out to the previous site of the bridge across the brook (other than a set of stone steps down to where the bridge used to be, there's no sign it was ever there.) This first mile also treated us to the sight of Nipmuck Dave powering away from us - on crutches. So now I can say that I've had my butt kicked in races by a pregnant woman and a guy on crutches. Seriously, Dave is incredible - and this was a week after his doing the Nipmuck Marathon.
We spread out on the way up the hill to Raycroft Road - no one was in sight when I got to the first water stop, so I decided to add a detour down to the Raycroft Overlook, a stone observation platform built by the CCC reputed to have awesome views of the valley. While it would have been even more impressive on a sunny day, the view was indeed excellent, and well worth the detour.
Back on course it was a slow, slow slog to the top of Spruce Hill and then back down to Raycroft Road. About a mile and a half of technical uphill, with a few short stretches I found runnable, then the generally steep, technical, slippery drop down off the ridge which I had to crawl down for fear of blowing out a knee. Not fun. Crossing Dunbar Brook on the other hand, just after the 2nd water stop, was great - the very cold water really woke me up, and signalled that soon I'd be running along the brook, which I always enjoy. First, though, the was the climb away from the water and descent past the HUGE boulders - and then I was finally at my favorite part of the course - a trail I could actually run fairly consistently!
Still, between my detour and the generally slow day (I'll admit it - I just didn't feel like hammering today) it took a while to get to the 2nd brook crossing (even deeper and just as cold as the first - fun!) and the last stretch of trail high above the brook is always a mixed bag for me - lots of running, but also some short steep climbs to break up the flow, and I've awlways got it in my head that it would be a really bad place to fall, with the steep drop down to the brook. But I finally crossed the road and ran down the corridor of evergreens to finish in just under 3 hr 40 min. Even knocking 15-20 min off for my side trip, that's easily my slowest time in 6 runnings, and that includes 2005's longer more difficult course due to the torrential storm the previous day turning the brook into raging chest-deep whitewater. About par for the course for most of my races this year - but I'm still glad I spent the morning and early afternoon in the gorgeous woods of Monroe State Forest - and even more glad that I had a chance to catch up with Konrad and Bill, who I haven't seen much at all this year - amazingly, this was the first Grand Tree race that I've actually managed to run, usually I'd have done half a dozen by this point in the series.
JMH
2012 Event Totals
Run 239.1 mi, 58 hr 50 min
Bike 147.1 mi, 13 hr 34 min
Snowshoe 14.3 mi, 3 hr 37 min
Kayak 4.5 mi, 1 hr 23 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, VT
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Friday, October 05, 2012
Monday, October 01, 2012
A GORGEOUS EARLY FALL EVENING...
15 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, October 1, 2012
This was one of those evenings that initially looked like it would be a bust - mostly grey and cloudy - but as the sun went down some of the clouds cleared away and left things a bit nicer. It also didn't get as chilly as I expected, so I was pretty comfortable the whole time - despite my gloves initially being wet from yesterday's race and having to wear a heavier jacket than usual (because my usual one was still packed in with the rest of my transition gear from yesterday.)
Stopped at Lock 7 and was surprised at all the gulls there, especially at the end of the concrete pier alongside the entrance to the lock. There was even a black-backed gull in with all the ring billeds... those guys always seem huge compared to the ubiquitous ring bills. Heard ducks and geese out on the river as I rode to the base of the old landfill. On the way back it was getting dark so I finally put my headlight on, more to keep myself visible to the oncoming riders than to help me see. Along the way I heard a bid trilling out on the river, a very eerie sound - I wish I had an easy way to scan bird calls and ID it.
I ended up riding over to just past the old railroad bridge and spent a few minutes admiring the view out on the river before heading back. Some time recently much of that section of path has been re-paved, so where it was previously a constant bumpy ride over frost heaves, now it's pretty smooth. Unfortunately the new pavement is about 2 inches above the shoulder, which will make pulling off onto the grass trickier.
Once I got back to the Lions Park, I decided I wanted to keep riding a bit longer, so I did an out and back to the Lock 7 road crossing. On the way back I stopped to look at a small toad that was on the path and then took a break by the Niska Isle bridge to take some photos of the moon coming out from behind the clouds, and was also treated to glimpses of the beavers cruising around down in the water. It's good to see that they're still around - I'd been worried that between the construction and low water levels they might have moved on. There was also some sort of bird calling off in the wetlands, couldn't tell what though. I really wish I could have spent more time out there - what a gorgeous night it had turned into, and all the wildlife definitely made me happy.
Unfortunately, the trip back to the parking lot also included something which made me very unhappy - I spotted a 2nd toad, and when I stopped to check him out it turned out he'd been partially run over by a bike, probably one of the other guys who came through in the dark, though there's a possibility it was me on my first time through that spot. Poor little guy was still alive but couldn't really move at all - at the very least his back legs were crushed. That made me really sad, especially since there was nothing I could do to help him.
Back at the Lions Park, the moon was really shining through the clouds and reflecting off the river - a really beautiful scene after the sadness of the crushed toad. While I was taking pictures a plane came in low for a landing at the airport, so I got some nice shots of the lights passing underneath the moon. Also heard several muskrats splashing around down in the river. All in all, I have to say I'm really glad I overcame my post-work inertia and got out for a ride, even though a lot of it was in the dark (admittedly, I thoroughly enjoy being out in the dark... especially on an evening like tonight.) Too bad I had to head back to the city when it was all over...
JMH
15 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Monday, October 1, 2012
This was one of those evenings that initially looked like it would be a bust - mostly grey and cloudy - but as the sun went down some of the clouds cleared away and left things a bit nicer. It also didn't get as chilly as I expected, so I was pretty comfortable the whole time - despite my gloves initially being wet from yesterday's race and having to wear a heavier jacket than usual (because my usual one was still packed in with the rest of my transition gear from yesterday.)
Stopped at Lock 7 and was surprised at all the gulls there, especially at the end of the concrete pier alongside the entrance to the lock. There was even a black-backed gull in with all the ring billeds... those guys always seem huge compared to the ubiquitous ring bills. Heard ducks and geese out on the river as I rode to the base of the old landfill. On the way back it was getting dark so I finally put my headlight on, more to keep myself visible to the oncoming riders than to help me see. Along the way I heard a bid trilling out on the river, a very eerie sound - I wish I had an easy way to scan bird calls and ID it.
I ended up riding over to just past the old railroad bridge and spent a few minutes admiring the view out on the river before heading back. Some time recently much of that section of path has been re-paved, so where it was previously a constant bumpy ride over frost heaves, now it's pretty smooth. Unfortunately the new pavement is about 2 inches above the shoulder, which will make pulling off onto the grass trickier.
Once I got back to the Lions Park, I decided I wanted to keep riding a bit longer, so I did an out and back to the Lock 7 road crossing. On the way back I stopped to look at a small toad that was on the path and then took a break by the Niska Isle bridge to take some photos of the moon coming out from behind the clouds, and was also treated to glimpses of the beavers cruising around down in the water. It's good to see that they're still around - I'd been worried that between the construction and low water levels they might have moved on. There was also some sort of bird calling off in the wetlands, couldn't tell what though. I really wish I could have spent more time out there - what a gorgeous night it had turned into, and all the wildlife definitely made me happy.
Unfortunately, the trip back to the parking lot also included something which made me very unhappy - I spotted a 2nd toad, and when I stopped to check him out it turned out he'd been partially run over by a bike, probably one of the other guys who came through in the dark, though there's a possibility it was me on my first time through that spot. Poor little guy was still alive but couldn't really move at all - at the very least his back legs were crushed. That made me really sad, especially since there was nothing I could do to help him.
Back at the Lions Park, the moon was really shining through the clouds and reflecting off the river - a really beautiful scene after the sadness of the crushed toad. While I was taking pictures a plane came in low for a landing at the airport, so I got some nice shots of the lights passing underneath the moon. Also heard several muskrats splashing around down in the river. All in all, I have to say I'm really glad I overcame my post-work inertia and got out for a ride, even though a lot of it was in the dark (admittedly, I thoroughly enjoy being out in the dark... especially on an evening like tonight.) Too bad I had to head back to the city when it was all over...
JMH
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