DUCKS, GEESE, & SWANS
0.6 Mile Walk at Webster Pond
0.4 Mile Walk at the Manlius Swan Pond
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
FIRST MAJOR SNOWSTORM OF THE SEASON...
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Ordinarily, I'd go out for a walk in the snowstorm... except the temperature is right around freezing and the snow is very wet, which makes it downright unpleasant to walk in. Plus what's on the ground is very slushy... I think I'll wait for a later storm to enjoy a walk in the falling snow...
JMH
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Ordinarily, I'd go out for a walk in the snowstorm... except the temperature is right around freezing and the snow is very wet, which makes it downright unpleasant to walk in. Plus what's on the ground is very slushy... I think I'll wait for a later storm to enjoy a walk in the falling snow...
JMH
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Monday, November 17, 2014
DISNEY STAR WARS RUNS -
An Unbelievable Opportunity...
Monday, November 17, 2014
Not in that that Disney is holding Star Wars themed runs at all... a quick look at the runDisney event calendar shows that they're offering a variety of themed races over the next year (and here I thought all they did was the January marathon weekend.) Though I am a little surprised at how little hoopla seems to have been made about the Star Wars runs... then again, clearly someone heard about these races, since they all sold out within a very short time of registration opening.
No, what I find incredible is what an obvious cash grab this is for Disney... let's take a look at the prices:
So let's say we have a hypothetical runner who brings along a tyke for the kids race and does every adult race in an effort to get all the shirts and medals, and also wants to add all the commemorative items to his or her trove of Star Wars collectibles... right from the outset this individual is looking at a price tag of around $600, before any travel expenses.
It's probably clear from my username that I enjoy Star Wars, though I don't consider myself to be a hard-core fan... it's quite possible I won't even see Episode VII in a movie theater, since I typically wait for movies to hit DVD/Blu Ray and then watch them in comfort at home. And clearly Disney has hit on a winning combination - I don't know what the registration cutoffs were, but I suspect it's safe to say that Disney is pulling in hundreds of thousands of dollars from this event. One area where George Lucas was a genius was in asking for the merchandising rights when he was cutting the original deal for the first Star Wars movie - as time has shown, Star Wars fans will spend all sorts of money to have Star Wars branded stuff.
That also seems to be true of runners these days... I've always been a little bit frustrated by the steep costs of tri's and du's but chalked that up to "that's just the way it is." Increasingly though it's becoming apparent that folks will pay crazy prices for all sorts of events, the most obvious example being obstacle races, where the fee for a 3 mile-ish course is rarely below $75. Of course, in interests of full disclosure, I've been known to pay a hefty fee a time or two myself, but I guess this makes me appreciate even more the lower-priced trail races and snowshoe races I do... I'm pretty sure you could do the entire WMAC Dion snowshoe series for less than the cost of the Star Wars 10k.
JMH
An Unbelievable Opportunity...
Monday, November 17, 2014
Not in that that Disney is holding Star Wars themed runs at all... a quick look at the runDisney event calendar shows that they're offering a variety of themed races over the next year (and here I thought all they did was the January marathon weekend.) Though I am a little surprised at how little hoopla seems to have been made about the Star Wars runs... then again, clearly someone heard about these races, since they all sold out within a very short time of registration opening.
No, what I find incredible is what an obvious cash grab this is for Disney... let's take a look at the prices:
- Kids races (including a diaper dash) - $20 (not too outrageous)
- 5k - $70 ($22.58 per mile!)
- 10k - $105 ($16.94 per mile!)
- half marathon - $195 (the best "deal" at a mere $14.89 per mile!)
- Rebel Challenge (run both the 10k and the half - for only $320!)
- And, as with most races, all of these prices go up as race day gets closer...
So let's say we have a hypothetical runner who brings along a tyke for the kids race and does every adult race in an effort to get all the shirts and medals, and also wants to add all the commemorative items to his or her trove of Star Wars collectibles... right from the outset this individual is looking at a price tag of around $600, before any travel expenses.
It's probably clear from my username that I enjoy Star Wars, though I don't consider myself to be a hard-core fan... it's quite possible I won't even see Episode VII in a movie theater, since I typically wait for movies to hit DVD/Blu Ray and then watch them in comfort at home. And clearly Disney has hit on a winning combination - I don't know what the registration cutoffs were, but I suspect it's safe to say that Disney is pulling in hundreds of thousands of dollars from this event. One area where George Lucas was a genius was in asking for the merchandising rights when he was cutting the original deal for the first Star Wars movie - as time has shown, Star Wars fans will spend all sorts of money to have Star Wars branded stuff.
That also seems to be true of runners these days... I've always been a little bit frustrated by the steep costs of tri's and du's but chalked that up to "that's just the way it is." Increasingly though it's becoming apparent that folks will pay crazy prices for all sorts of events, the most obvious example being obstacle races, where the fee for a 3 mile-ish course is rarely below $75. Of course, in interests of full disclosure, I've been known to pay a hefty fee a time or two myself, but I guess this makes me appreciate even more the lower-priced trail races and snowshoe races I do... I'm pretty sure you could do the entire WMAC Dion snowshoe series for less than the cost of the Star Wars 10k.
JMH
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
AND SNOW, TOO...
1.7 Mile Walk at Ooms PCA
Saturday, November 15, 2014
About an inch of snow on the ground at Ooms, which was a surprise after the bare dusting we had in Albany. The cold wasn't too bad, until the wind hit... then it was brutal, especially this early in the season.
I was a bit surprised that there were only a couple of geese and ducks on the pond, but maybe the rest were out eating... I know in the past I've been there at dusk when a hundred geese or more flew in to spend the night.
Usually I would just walk up to the gazebo and back, but today I decided the circle the entire pond. Lots of fresh beaver-chewed trees along the path between the pond and the road... guess they were pretty busy stocking up food for the winter.
Unfortunately, the walk was over all too quickly (or fortunately... that let me get out of the wind!) and it was time to get back on the road to southeastern CT, on my way to the Lil Rhody Runaround tomorrow...
JMH
1.7 Mile Walk at Ooms PCA
Saturday, November 15, 2014
About an inch of snow on the ground at Ooms, which was a surprise after the bare dusting we had in Albany. The cold wasn't too bad, until the wind hit... then it was brutal, especially this early in the season.
I was a bit surprised that there were only a couple of geese and ducks on the pond, but maybe the rest were out eating... I know in the past I've been there at dusk when a hundred geese or more flew in to spend the night.
Usually I would just walk up to the gazebo and back, but today I decided the circle the entire pond. Lots of fresh beaver-chewed trees along the path between the pond and the road... guess they were pretty busy stocking up food for the winter.
Unfortunately, the walk was over all too quickly (or fortunately... that let me get out of the wind!) and it was time to get back on the road to southeastern CT, on my way to the Lil Rhody Runaround tomorrow...
JMH
BRRR... WINTER CAME EARLY...
15.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, November 15, 2014
It's a little hard to believe that three days ago I was running in shorts and a T-shirt and riding in summer shorts... during my ride today the temperature hovered around freezing, with a stiff wind from the west making half the ride pretty unpleasant. I had hoped to ride a few more miles than I actually did, but it was just too darn cold, and I'm not even remotely acclimated to winter temperatures yet.
JMH
15.1 Mile Ride on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Saturday, November 15, 2014
It's a little hard to believe that three days ago I was running in shorts and a T-shirt and riding in summer shorts... during my ride today the temperature hovered around freezing, with a stiff wind from the west making half the ride pretty unpleasant. I had hoped to ride a few more miles than I actually did, but it was just too darn cold, and I'm not even remotely acclimated to winter temperatures yet.
JMH
Friday, November 14, 2014
Go-Lite Going Out of Business
Friday, November 14, 2014
Well, this sucks. For quite a few years now my go-to brand for waist packs and hydration packs has been Go-Lite... the gear I've used has held up to all sorts of abuse and they have the only waist packs I've ever used that really are "bounce-free." I stopped using their water bottles a while back but only because the Nuun hydration tablets I use are slightly carbonated, which causes every "hard" bottle I have to leak a bit (which is why I'm a fan of Ultimate Direction's water bottle with the soft rubber bite valves.)
Anyway, apparently making and selling great gear wasn't enough (maybe that's the drawback to selling gear that holds up for years and years - without new customers sales dry up) because Go-Lite applied for bankruptcy a month ago and is now in the liquidation phase of that process... I guess I'll try to pick up some gear to put in storage for the day what I'm currently finally wears out...
JMH
Friday, November 14, 2014
Well, this sucks. For quite a few years now my go-to brand for waist packs and hydration packs has been Go-Lite... the gear I've used has held up to all sorts of abuse and they have the only waist packs I've ever used that really are "bounce-free." I stopped using their water bottles a while back but only because the Nuun hydration tablets I use are slightly carbonated, which causes every "hard" bottle I have to leak a bit (which is why I'm a fan of Ultimate Direction's water bottle with the soft rubber bite valves.)
Anyway, apparently making and selling great gear wasn't enough (maybe that's the drawback to selling gear that holds up for years and years - without new customers sales dry up) because Go-Lite applied for bankruptcy a month ago and is now in the liquidation phase of that process... I guess I'll try to pick up some gear to put in storage for the day what I'm currently finally wears out...
JMH
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Sunday, November 09, 2014
ANOTHER LIVE MUSIC FIRST -
Battlefield Band in Concert
Sunday, November 9, 2014
I first started listening to Battlefield Band on LPs in the mid-to-late 1980's... while I never found them as compelling as The Tannahill Weavers or Silly Wizard, I still enjoyed their mix of tradtional and contemporary music (how can you not enjoy a band that plays "Bad Moon Rising" accompanied by a reel on the bagpipes?) I lost track of them around 1990, picked up a couple of cassette albums in the mid-90's (back when the now defunct Borders had an excellent celtic music section), and then gradually acquired all of their albums in either CD or digital format when I updated my music library over the last couple of years. Really, though, their work that I'm most familiar with is 25-30 years old.
Lately I've been making more of an effort to hear some of the music I enjoy in live concerts, when the cost isn't prohibitive. I've heard Dougie Maclean twice over the past three years, and a month ago was treated to my first Tannahill Weavers concert. I was more than a bit surprised a few weeks ago when I got an e-mail from the Eighth Step (the organization which hosted both of the Dougie Maclean concerts I attended) showing Battlefield Band playing in early November, since I had no idea they were going to be in this neck of the woods.
It's a strange feeling looking at a band that has been around for over 40 years in one form or another and seeing mostly musicians who most likely weren't born when the band started. The last founding member, Alan Reid, retired from the band back in 2010, though two of the current members have been with the band for between 10 and 20 years. The music was great, and the banter between tunes and songs was fun (though they readily admitted that it was mainly designed to give whoever needed it time to re-tune their instruments.) I have to admit, though, I missed some of my favorite old tunes. Maybe that just means I need to listen more to their newer albums and pick up some additional favorites.
JMH
Battlefield Band in Concert
Sunday, November 9, 2014
I first started listening to Battlefield Band on LPs in the mid-to-late 1980's... while I never found them as compelling as The Tannahill Weavers or Silly Wizard, I still enjoyed their mix of tradtional and contemporary music (how can you not enjoy a band that plays "Bad Moon Rising" accompanied by a reel on the bagpipes?) I lost track of them around 1990, picked up a couple of cassette albums in the mid-90's (back when the now defunct Borders had an excellent celtic music section), and then gradually acquired all of their albums in either CD or digital format when I updated my music library over the last couple of years. Really, though, their work that I'm most familiar with is 25-30 years old.
Lately I've been making more of an effort to hear some of the music I enjoy in live concerts, when the cost isn't prohibitive. I've heard Dougie Maclean twice over the past three years, and a month ago was treated to my first Tannahill Weavers concert. I was more than a bit surprised a few weeks ago when I got an e-mail from the Eighth Step (the organization which hosted both of the Dougie Maclean concerts I attended) showing Battlefield Band playing in early November, since I had no idea they were going to be in this neck of the woods.
It's a strange feeling looking at a band that has been around for over 40 years in one form or another and seeing mostly musicians who most likely weren't born when the band started. The last founding member, Alan Reid, retired from the band back in 2010, though two of the current members have been with the band for between 10 and 20 years. The music was great, and the banter between tunes and songs was fun (though they readily admitted that it was mainly designed to give whoever needed it time to re-tune their instruments.) I have to admit, though, I missed some of my favorite old tunes. Maybe that just means I need to listen more to their newer albums and pick up some additional favorites.
JMH
Saturday, November 08, 2014
Tuesday, November 04, 2014
Sunday, November 02, 2014
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