SO LONG 2012...
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012 Activity Totals
RUN 648.2
RIDE 1013.8 mi
SNOWSHOE 37.7 mi
HIKE/WALK 522.5 mi
PADDLE 19.7 mi
XC SKI 3.1 mi
DAYS OUTDOORS 295/365
2012 Event Totals
38 races/events -
4 snowshoe races
20 trail races
7 road races
4 duathlons
2 paddle triathlons
1 fundraising ride
Run 289.9 mi, 71 hr 20 min
Bike 147.1 mi, 13 hr 34 min
Snowshoe 17.3 mi, 4 hr 24 min
Kayak 4.5 mi, 1 hr 23 min
states visited: CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
WHAT NEXT?!!!!
Monday, December 24, 2012
Actually, I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question, because the incident that prompted it is pretty horrible.
Apparently very early this morning volunteer firefighters in Webster (just east of Rochester) responded to a house fire and found themselves being shot at. Two are dead, two more are in the hospital, and seven houses were destroyed in the blaze that resulted while the scene was being secured by police.
Current information is that the man who lived in the house set an ambush for the first responders to the fire, traded gunfire with the police when they arrived, and finally shot himself. He had a pretty serious criminal record (17 years in prison for murdering his grandmother back in 1980) but had apparently stayed out of trouble after being released in 1998.
First teachers and elementary school children, now firefighters who had gotten out of bed early in the morning to (they thought) help someone in their community. Ann is a volunteer firefighter and EMT - she could be the one being shot by some whackjob like this bastard.
I understand that the people who do stuff like this have serious mental problems, but do they have to share their pain and misery with others when they decide to end their lives?
JMH
Monday, December 24, 2012
Actually, I'm not sure I want to know the answer to that question, because the incident that prompted it is pretty horrible.
Apparently very early this morning volunteer firefighters in Webster (just east of Rochester) responded to a house fire and found themselves being shot at. Two are dead, two more are in the hospital, and seven houses were destroyed in the blaze that resulted while the scene was being secured by police.
Current information is that the man who lived in the house set an ambush for the first responders to the fire, traded gunfire with the police when they arrived, and finally shot himself. He had a pretty serious criminal record (17 years in prison for murdering his grandmother back in 1980) but had apparently stayed out of trouble after being released in 1998.
First teachers and elementary school children, now firefighters who had gotten out of bed early in the morning to (they thought) help someone in their community. Ann is a volunteer firefighter and EMT - she could be the one being shot by some whackjob like this bastard.
I understand that the people who do stuff like this have serious mental problems, but do they have to share their pain and misery with others when they decide to end their lives?
JMH
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Friday, December 21, 2012
WELCOME WINTER SOLSTICE 2012!
Friday, December 21, 2012
No great surprise, the world didn't end this morning, despite the histrionics of fools mixing a misunderstanding of ancient Mayan calendar cycles with what one expert interviewed referred to as a need to periodically find something to freak out about. And since the world is still here we get one of my favorite days of the year, the winter solstice.
Astronomically, it's the day the Earth is closest to the Sun and, due to the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis, the day in the northern hemisphere which has the least number of hours of daylight. Historically it has been a day which is celebrated for a variety of reasons.
Me, I just like the fact that from here on out for the next six months we'll gain a couple minutes of daylight each day, so that in a month or two I'll actually be able to go outside after work and walk, run, snowshoe, ski, or ride using natural light rather than the light of a headlamp (or no light at all.)
Bring on the daylight!
JMH
Friday, December 21, 2012
No great surprise, the world didn't end this morning, despite the histrionics of fools mixing a misunderstanding of ancient Mayan calendar cycles with what one expert interviewed referred to as a need to periodically find something to freak out about. And since the world is still here we get one of my favorite days of the year, the winter solstice.
Astronomically, it's the day the Earth is closest to the Sun and, due to the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis, the day in the northern hemisphere which has the least number of hours of daylight. Historically it has been a day which is celebrated for a variety of reasons.
Me, I just like the fact that from here on out for the next six months we'll gain a couple minutes of daylight each day, so that in a month or two I'll actually be able to go outside after work and walk, run, snowshoe, ski, or ride using natural light rather than the light of a headlamp (or no light at all.)
Bring on the daylight!
JMH
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Dougie MacLean Concert!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Apparently Dougie MacLean is doing another short tour of gigs on the east coast in May, 2013. His performance this past May was an absolute joy - so I definitely have something to look forward to in mid-May!
JMH
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Apparently Dougie MacLean is doing another short tour of gigs on the east coast in May, 2013. His performance this past May was an absolute joy - so I definitely have something to look forward to in mid-May!
JMH
Friday, December 14, 2012
There Are No Words...
Friday, December 14, 2012
... that can adequately express my thoughts and feelings about the tragedy that occurred in CT today.
Twenty children dead, just because they happened to go to school where his mother worked and were in the classrooms that sick bastard decided to make a killing ground.
Six teachers and staff dead, just because they happened to work there, very likely because they loved working with kids.
There are no words.
Hold your loved ones and appreciate the time you have with them. Because it only takes a fraction of a second for them to be gone without warning.
JMH
Friday, December 14, 2012
... that can adequately express my thoughts and feelings about the tragedy that occurred in CT today.
Twenty children dead, just because they happened to go to school where his mother worked and were in the classrooms that sick bastard decided to make a killing ground.
Six teachers and staff dead, just because they happened to work there, very likely because they loved working with kids.
There are no words.
Hold your loved ones and appreciate the time you have with them. Because it only takes a fraction of a second for them to be gone without warning.
JMH
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
BSOD Problem Solved?
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Installed the new (smaller) RAM tonight... everything running smoothly so far, and the memory diagnostic no longer shows the hardware problem it detected previously. Here's hoping the BSOD is now a thing of the past... time will (most certainly) tell.
Anybody want to buy a barely used pair of Corsair DDR3 1333Mhz 8 GB RAM DIMMs? Perhaps it's time to revive my selling account on Ebay again...
JMH
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Installed the new (smaller) RAM tonight... everything running smoothly so far, and the memory diagnostic no longer shows the hardware problem it detected previously. Here's hoping the BSOD is now a thing of the past... time will (most certainly) tell.
Anybody want to buy a barely used pair of Corsair DDR3 1333Mhz 8 GB RAM DIMMs? Perhaps it's time to revive my selling account on Ebay again...
JMH
Monday, December 10, 2012
BSOD Problem Diagnosed?
Monday, December 10, 2012
At irregular intervals pretty much ever since I got the new PC up and running, it's been hit with BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) crashes... and I've somewhat half-heartedly tried to diagnose the problem and fix it, without much success (I say half-heartedly, because whole-heartedly would mean digging into the log files it stores when a crash occurs - and I don't have much enthusiasm for that prospect, though I might have to do it anyway if this doesn't solve the problem.)
A lot of what I've read online suggests the problem is either a driver conflict (quite possible, since I'm running plenty of stuff designed for earlier versions of Windows on Windows 7) or a memory issue. Late last week I ran a diagnostic which informed me that my RAM/memory has hardware problems (!) and that I should contact HP for assistance. A little more research revealed that I didn't read the "fine print" as well as I'd thought when I chose this particular PC - it came with 8 GB of RAM that I assumed could be upgraded to whatever I want/can afford in the future, and in fact I installed an extra 16 GB when I set up the computer (only to discover that Windows 7 Home Edition only supports a total of 16 GB, requiring me to shell out another $70 for a key code to unlock my access to Windows 7 Professional Edition... thanks, Microsoft.) Now I've found out that the maximum RAM the motherboard is supposed to support is 16 GB (4x4 GB) rather than the 24 GB I've got installed.
Oddly enough, much of what I've read suggests that if the extra RAM is a problem the PC won't boot... or else the PC will only recognize the maximum amount. Mine boots fine (for the most part... it freezes occasionally after an update or crash) and claims it's seeing all 24 GB. At the same time, several sources are adamant that this critter will only support 16 GB, so I've ordered a pair of relatively inexpensive 4 GB chips to see if that solves the problem...
JMH
Ironically, a couple of hours after I posted this... another BSOD crash. Sigh...
Monday, December 10, 2012
At irregular intervals pretty much ever since I got the new PC up and running, it's been hit with BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) crashes... and I've somewhat half-heartedly tried to diagnose the problem and fix it, without much success (I say half-heartedly, because whole-heartedly would mean digging into the log files it stores when a crash occurs - and I don't have much enthusiasm for that prospect, though I might have to do it anyway if this doesn't solve the problem.)
A lot of what I've read online suggests the problem is either a driver conflict (quite possible, since I'm running plenty of stuff designed for earlier versions of Windows on Windows 7) or a memory issue. Late last week I ran a diagnostic which informed me that my RAM/memory has hardware problems (!) and that I should contact HP for assistance. A little more research revealed that I didn't read the "fine print" as well as I'd thought when I chose this particular PC - it came with 8 GB of RAM that I assumed could be upgraded to whatever I want/can afford in the future, and in fact I installed an extra 16 GB when I set up the computer (only to discover that Windows 7 Home Edition only supports a total of 16 GB, requiring me to shell out another $70 for a key code to unlock my access to Windows 7 Professional Edition... thanks, Microsoft.) Now I've found out that the maximum RAM the motherboard is supposed to support is 16 GB (4x4 GB) rather than the 24 GB I've got installed.
Oddly enough, much of what I've read suggests that if the extra RAM is a problem the PC won't boot... or else the PC will only recognize the maximum amount. Mine boots fine (for the most part... it freezes occasionally after an update or crash) and claims it's seeing all 24 GB. At the same time, several sources are adamant that this critter will only support 16 GB, so I've ordered a pair of relatively inexpensive 4 GB chips to see if that solves the problem...
JMH
Ironically, a couple of hours after I posted this... another BSOD crash. Sigh...
Sunday, December 09, 2012
GEESE DESCENDING IN THE DARKNESS...
1 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Sunday, December 9, 2012
So, with Sachuest Point NWR closed - what to do, what to do... had the TomTom map the route home, then tried to find an Audubon sanctuary that was listed as being near that route, but didn't have enough address info to pull it up. Considered heading back southwest along the coast and stopping at either Ninigret, Barn Island, or Bluff Point - but that route would have added another 30-40 minutes just to the drive. In the end I decided to try visiting Quabbin Park (a park at the southern end of the immense Quabbin Reservoir in central MA) but then was tired enough during the drive that I decided to pass on the extra 30-40 minutes of driving that would require and maybe just do a quick side trip to Ooms on the way home.
Arrived just after sunset, still enough light to see by. Not many geese on the pond. The beavers have been busy - some new trees chomped since my last visit during daylight. And the recent rain has some of the paths pretty squishy.
I started up the hill to the gazebo as it got a bit darker, then heard some geese approaching from the air - a small group, maybe a dozen, but it was funny the racket they made once they landed and the various groups started honking to each other (perhaps establishing some form of "my side/your side"?) As it got darker several much larger groups flew in an landed - couldn't see them land, but I could hear the splash and the sudden increase in honks. By the time I headed back to the car I'd guess there were a couple of hundred geese on the pond.
I have to wonder... were the geese who flew in after dark off getting food in one of the fields nearby, or were they groups that are in the midst of migrating who flew as many miles as they could before dark and then stopped at the pond for the night?
JMH
1 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Sunday, December 9, 2012
So, with Sachuest Point NWR closed - what to do, what to do... had the TomTom map the route home, then tried to find an Audubon sanctuary that was listed as being near that route, but didn't have enough address info to pull it up. Considered heading back southwest along the coast and stopping at either Ninigret, Barn Island, or Bluff Point - but that route would have added another 30-40 minutes just to the drive. In the end I decided to try visiting Quabbin Park (a park at the southern end of the immense Quabbin Reservoir in central MA) but then was tired enough during the drive that I decided to pass on the extra 30-40 minutes of driving that would require and maybe just do a quick side trip to Ooms on the way home.
Arrived just after sunset, still enough light to see by. Not many geese on the pond. The beavers have been busy - some new trees chomped since my last visit during daylight. And the recent rain has some of the paths pretty squishy.
I started up the hill to the gazebo as it got a bit darker, then heard some geese approaching from the air - a small group, maybe a dozen, but it was funny the racket they made once they landed and the various groups started honking to each other (perhaps establishing some form of "my side/your side"?) As it got darker several much larger groups flew in an landed - couldn't see them land, but I could hear the splash and the sudden increase in honks. By the time I headed back to the car I'd guess there were a couple of hundred geese on the pond.
I have to wonder... were the geese who flew in after dark off getting food in one of the fields nearby, or were they groups that are in the midst of migrating who flew as many miles as they could before dark and then stopped at the pond for the night?
JMH
Saturday, December 08, 2012
WHERE'S THE WATER?
2.8 Mile Walk at Trustom Pond NWR
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Ended up passing on leaving early for Rome Point - the weather forecasts all called for rain, which meant I wouldn't want to bring along my good camera... and if I'm going to see the seals, I want that extra zoom.
By the time I got going, I only had enough daylight left to stop at one park, so I decided Trustom Pond was my best bet - all three times I've been there it's always been a treat. I was a little bit concerned by the on-and-off showers on the drive down, but once I crossed into Rhode Island the sun started peeking through the clouds. When I got to Trustom Pond the one other person there was leaving - a whole National Wildlife Refuge all to myself, how cool is that?
After watching the birds at the feeders for a little bit, I started out by heading to Otter Point. Spent a few minutes watching a few ducks and a pair of muskrats in the small farm pond along the way. Not as many birds in the trees along the path as during the summer, but that's to be expected in December.
What I wasn't expecting was the condition of the huge coastal pond.
The shallows to the west of Otter Point were mostly open to the air - a big mud flat with a few trickles of water running through it. The other parts of the pond had very, very low water levels. The last time I was here in the fall, the pond was alive with ducks, gulls, swans, coots, cormorants, and scaups... waterfowl everywhere. Today I saw a few small groups of mallards.
From there I headed back through the woods over to Osprey Point, where of course things were just as bad. I did spot a few more birds far out in the pond - a group of cormorants and a blue heron, and across the pond a few geese and a flock of gulls. Given the comparable sizes, I suspect they were Black-backed Gulls.
By then the sun was starting to go down, so I headed back through the woods and along the field to the parking lot. Spotted a couple of rabbits along the path just before I got back to the visitors center.
As I drove to Newport to crash for the night, I couldn't help wondering what had happened. As far as I knew, the pond wasn't tidal, and even if it was - I was there near high tide. I could hear the ocean breakers crashing on the far side of the barrier beach. A little research after dinner gave me the explanation...
Hurricane Sandy.
Apparently one of the effects of the storm was a breach on the barrier beach, as shown in this set of photos from the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Saltwater poured into the freshwater pond, then much of the water poured back out when the storm surge receded. Along the way many of the freshwater fish in the pond died from the newly brackish water. While it's certainly possible that the lack of waterfowl is because it's almost a month later than the last time I was here in the late fall (perhaps they've migrated further south by now) it seems likely that the changes to the pond have also had a major impact, from loss of food and habitat to the higher salinity of the water.
I guess only time will tell if this wonderful and somewhat unique habitat (it was the only coastal freshwater pond in RI with an undeveloped shoreline) will bounce back - tough to imagine, given that there are no significant streams that drain into the pond - or if it will become a new ecosystem quite different from what it was pre-Sandy. All I know for sure is that I'm very grateful I got to visit it several times before this happened.
JMH
2.8 Mile Walk at Trustom Pond NWR
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Ended up passing on leaving early for Rome Point - the weather forecasts all called for rain, which meant I wouldn't want to bring along my good camera... and if I'm going to see the seals, I want that extra zoom.
By the time I got going, I only had enough daylight left to stop at one park, so I decided Trustom Pond was my best bet - all three times I've been there it's always been a treat. I was a little bit concerned by the on-and-off showers on the drive down, but once I crossed into Rhode Island the sun started peeking through the clouds. When I got to Trustom Pond the one other person there was leaving - a whole National Wildlife Refuge all to myself, how cool is that?
After watching the birds at the feeders for a little bit, I started out by heading to Otter Point. Spent a few minutes watching a few ducks and a pair of muskrats in the small farm pond along the way. Not as many birds in the trees along the path as during the summer, but that's to be expected in December.
What I wasn't expecting was the condition of the huge coastal pond.
The shallows to the west of Otter Point were mostly open to the air - a big mud flat with a few trickles of water running through it. The other parts of the pond had very, very low water levels. The last time I was here in the fall, the pond was alive with ducks, gulls, swans, coots, cormorants, and scaups... waterfowl everywhere. Today I saw a few small groups of mallards.
From there I headed back through the woods over to Osprey Point, where of course things were just as bad. I did spot a few more birds far out in the pond - a group of cormorants and a blue heron, and across the pond a few geese and a flock of gulls. Given the comparable sizes, I suspect they were Black-backed Gulls.
By then the sun was starting to go down, so I headed back through the woods and along the field to the parking lot. Spotted a couple of rabbits along the path just before I got back to the visitors center.
As I drove to Newport to crash for the night, I couldn't help wondering what had happened. As far as I knew, the pond wasn't tidal, and even if it was - I was there near high tide. I could hear the ocean breakers crashing on the far side of the barrier beach. A little research after dinner gave me the explanation...
Hurricane Sandy.
Apparently one of the effects of the storm was a breach on the barrier beach, as shown in this set of photos from the National Fish and Wildlife Service. Saltwater poured into the freshwater pond, then much of the water poured back out when the storm surge receded. Along the way many of the freshwater fish in the pond died from the newly brackish water. While it's certainly possible that the lack of waterfowl is because it's almost a month later than the last time I was here in the late fall (perhaps they've migrated further south by now) it seems likely that the changes to the pond have also had a major impact, from loss of food and habitat to the higher salinity of the water.
I guess only time will tell if this wonderful and somewhat unique habitat (it was the only coastal freshwater pond in RI with an undeveloped shoreline) will bounce back - tough to imagine, given that there are no significant streams that drain into the pond - or if it will become a new ecosystem quite different from what it was pre-Sandy. All I know for sure is that I'm very grateful I got to visit it several times before this happened.
JMH
Friday, December 07, 2012
LIGHTLY RAINING...
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Friday, December 7, 2012
By the time I got home from work my walking options were very limited, at least if I wanted to be done before it got too dark. Plus the original plan was to head down to southeastern CT tonight, before heading to RI early tomorrow morning for a potential sighting of the Rome Point seals. And I haven't been to Buckingham Lake in a while...
I circled the pond in each direction, enjoying the emptiness of the path, the lights shining in the dim evening, and the sound of the very light rain. I was almost tempted to do a third loop - it felt good to be outdoors after being in the classroom all day - but decided to head home instead, so I wouldn't get on the road too awfully late.
1.4 Mile Walk at Buckingham Lake
Friday, December 7, 2012
By the time I got home from work my walking options were very limited, at least if I wanted to be done before it got too dark. Plus the original plan was to head down to southeastern CT tonight, before heading to RI early tomorrow morning for a potential sighting of the Rome Point seals. And I haven't been to Buckingham Lake in a while...
After all the people who hang out there in the summer, it always amuses me to show up on an afternoon like today (chilly, dim, and rainy) and see almost nobody. Sometimes it definitely makes for a more pleasant walk!
There was a very light layer of ice on the water - you could hear it chiming as the rain hit it - and a decent-sized group of ducks either standing precariously on the ice or paddling in places where they'd broken through. They were a lot jumpier than usual, possibly because the ice makes it hard for them to get away without flying.
I circled the pond in each direction, enjoying the emptiness of the path, the lights shining in the dim evening, and the sound of the very light rain. I was almost tempted to do a third loop - it felt good to be outdoors after being in the classroom all day - but decided to head home instead, so I wouldn't get on the road too awfully late.
Except that over the course of dinner and wrapping things up so I could go, I found myself dozing off in a variety of locations... checked the weather forecast for Rome Point (rain all morning)... and ultimately decided to eat the loss of my Choice Rewards points (it was too late to cancel tonight's room) in favor of getting a bit more sleep. Don't know yet if I'll leave super-early and try to see the seals, or at a slightly more reasonable time and try to get to southern RI after the rain has let up... morning will tell...
JMH
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Saturday, December 01, 2012
On the Road to - Danbury!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Lots of memories stirred up driving down the TSP (Taconic State Parkway) and on I84 to Danbury this evening. A couple of years into grad school in CT, I decided I wanted to get to karate class at least once a week (I had started training during my senior year of high school, then only got to classes during breaks and the summer while I was in college, and once every month or so when I went off to grad school.) I spent a lot of time driving back and forth on the Taconic... a little less on I84, because after a while I started taking side roads for part of the trip just to provide some variety and help me stay awake.
Tomorrow I run for the first time in three weeks. Sounds like either a great idea or one of the dumbest things I've done in a while... guess I'll have a better idea which after 6 miles on the trails tomorrow, when I find out how much grief my foot is going to give me afterwards.
JMH
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Lots of memories stirred up driving down the TSP (Taconic State Parkway) and on I84 to Danbury this evening. A couple of years into grad school in CT, I decided I wanted to get to karate class at least once a week (I had started training during my senior year of high school, then only got to classes during breaks and the summer while I was in college, and once every month or so when I went off to grad school.) I spent a lot of time driving back and forth on the Taconic... a little less on I84, because after a while I started taking side roads for part of the trip just to provide some variety and help me stay awake.
Tomorrow I run for the first time in three weeks. Sounds like either a great idea or one of the dumbest things I've done in a while... guess I'll have a better idea which after 6 miles on the trails tomorrow, when I find out how much grief my foot is going to give me afterwards.
JMH
OOMS AFTER DARK...
1.3 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Meant to go for a short run this week and see how the foot responded... didn't happen. Meant to go for a walk las night... didn't happen. Busy week, work-wise, plus it doesn't help that two nights I came home and ended up falling asleep for a while in the evening - not sleeping soundly at night is definitely taking a toll. Then last night I had what is becoming an annoyingly common experience - took the car in for a half hour procedure (swap on the winter tires) and walked out almost 2 1/2 hours later (4 wheel allignment, with the machine apparently acting cranky.)
Today, on the other hand, seemed pretty safe. Spend a big chunk of the morning doing laundry, then pack a couple bags and head for CT, with stops for walking along the way. Except sorting the dang laundry took longer than I anticipated (probably because I don't usually sort it, but today there was just too much and it needed to be sorted for me to get it all back home.) And then the computer started acting up in a new way (the card reader has vanished from the system. Worked fine last night when I transferred an album to the card in my player for the car, but today - nothing.) And a dozen other little things popped up, culminating in a request from the guys upstairs to check their water heater and my discovering that it had died much like my own did a little over a year ago, which meant conversations with the landlord, etc, etc.
Enough griping. I almost gave up on going for a walk today, but then decided that I could stop at Ooms on the way south, and that's what I did. Walked up to the gazebo and back. Would have been nice if the night sky had been clear, since it's just past the full moon, but instead it was cloudy - which led to a bit of an unfortunate surprise. I always remember cloudy nights being pitch black out in the fields - can't see your hand in front of your face. But in the areas around Ooms there's an incredible amount of light pollution, and not just over by Albany/Rensselaer like you'd expect. Even without the moon I had no trouble seeing the path (of course, the half inch of snow helped.) Geese were noisy out on the pond, and every once in a while I could see their dark shapes against the silvery reflection of the sky on the water.
Walking at Ooms tonight definitely improved my mood... with luck it will still be light enough for me to stop there on the way home tomorrow as well, and maybe actually see where I'm walking a little more clearly.
JMH
1.3 Mile Walk at Ooms Conservation Area
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Meant to go for a short run this week and see how the foot responded... didn't happen. Meant to go for a walk las night... didn't happen. Busy week, work-wise, plus it doesn't help that two nights I came home and ended up falling asleep for a while in the evening - not sleeping soundly at night is definitely taking a toll. Then last night I had what is becoming an annoyingly common experience - took the car in for a half hour procedure (swap on the winter tires) and walked out almost 2 1/2 hours later (4 wheel allignment, with the machine apparently acting cranky.)
Today, on the other hand, seemed pretty safe. Spend a big chunk of the morning doing laundry, then pack a couple bags and head for CT, with stops for walking along the way. Except sorting the dang laundry took longer than I anticipated (probably because I don't usually sort it, but today there was just too much and it needed to be sorted for me to get it all back home.) And then the computer started acting up in a new way (the card reader has vanished from the system. Worked fine last night when I transferred an album to the card in my player for the car, but today - nothing.) And a dozen other little things popped up, culminating in a request from the guys upstairs to check their water heater and my discovering that it had died much like my own did a little over a year ago, which meant conversations with the landlord, etc, etc.
Enough griping. I almost gave up on going for a walk today, but then decided that I could stop at Ooms on the way south, and that's what I did. Walked up to the gazebo and back. Would have been nice if the night sky had been clear, since it's just past the full moon, but instead it was cloudy - which led to a bit of an unfortunate surprise. I always remember cloudy nights being pitch black out in the fields - can't see your hand in front of your face. But in the areas around Ooms there's an incredible amount of light pollution, and not just over by Albany/Rensselaer like you'd expect. Even without the moon I had no trouble seeing the path (of course, the half inch of snow helped.) Geese were noisy out on the pond, and every once in a while I could see their dark shapes against the silvery reflection of the sky on the water.
Walking at Ooms tonight definitely improved my mood... with luck it will still be light enough for me to stop there on the way home tomorrow as well, and maybe actually see where I'm walking a little more clearly.
JMH
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