Movies This Week - 07/07/2012

It's been too oppressively hot this week to go for a bike ride, and it's going to last through the weekend.  Although I still think we had a mild start of summer, we're quickly doing away with that idea.  Today is currently slated for 103.  Fortunately Monday's high is scheduled to be below 80, so things should cool off some.

So instead of rides this week, this is going to become Movies This Week, with three quick movie reviews -

Prometheus - I finally went and saw it.  And I was as disappointed as I guess everyone was.  I wasn't even expecting a lot based on the reviews I'd heard, but the movie just didn't make a lot of sense.  As I've said before, I'm happy to run with a non-scientifically-accurate premise and enjoy seeing what the characters do, but I just didn't believe any of what the "scientific mission" chose to do or how they went about things the entire movie.  And the Alien tie in was mediocre at best.  Oh well.  It was still fun to see some spaceships as all sci fi movies are at some level.

The Man From Nowhere - This is a Korean modern action movie (i.e. fights/gunplay) that was really good.  It was your typical rescue/revenge story - Former (special forces, hitman, MMA champion) badass turned (miserly recluse, drunk, family man) befriends an (8-12 year old) girl who gets taken by (the mob, sex traffickers, a warlord) because her parents were (rich, into drugs, witnessed something).  The former badass proceeds to show that his badass is not so former as he kills everything on his way to rescue/avenge the girl.  Very enjoyable.  The climactic sequence was awesome.

War of the Arrows - Another Korean movie, this one an ancient epic.  The son and daughter of a Chinese lord flee to Korea after his father is declared a traitor for sympathizing with Korea.  10 years later Chinese raiders are invading Korea, and the very proficient with a bow and arrow son (I guess only Chinese people are good with a bow) has to set off to rescue his sister who's been taken captive by the very proficient with bows and arrows raiders.  Lots of arrow fights ensue.  It was very well done, with some great cinematography and action sequences.  It reminded me some of House of Flying Daggers, and was the best ancient epic/action I had seen in a long time.  


That's it for this week.  I still have J. Edgar from blockbuster that I might get to this weekend, and I kinda want to go see savages.  Has anyone seen anything about Ted?  I can't tell if it looks funny or horrible.  With Mark Wahlberg in a comedy I lean towards horrible.

Rides This Week - 06/30/2012

So I did manage to get back in the saddle for a couple rides to work this week on Monday and Wednesday.  Both felt great, as the oppresive heat wave that has defined this weekend hadn't moved in yet.  The heat wave's not supposed to move out until the end of the week, so I likely won't get back out again until next weekend.

Monday 6/25 - 16 miles - To work
Monday 6/25 - 16 miles - From work
Wednesday 6/27 - 16 miles - To work
Wednesday 6/27- 16 miles - From work

Rides this weeks - 06/09/2012

A lot of good rides to report on, but all of them last week.  It's been a busy work week and I've been tired/umpiring, so despite obscenely gorgeous weather I didn't get out this week.  I'll have a post on my NY riding hopefully soon.  In the mean time -

Sunday 5/27 - 35 miles - Finally made it to the end of the Accotink trail!  There's a lot more river fords those last few miles. . . Also it was brutally hot.
Monday 5/28 - 45 miles - W&OD one way to Purceville from Shirlington.  Got it done without too much trouble, although it was also brutally hot that day too.  My mom picked me up at the far end and we went to a couple wineries before heading back to my car.
Tuesday 5/29 - 16 miles - To work
Tuesday 5/29 - 16 miles - From work
Saturday 6/2 - 62 miles - to Nyack from my sister's apartment.  More on this later.
Sunday 6/3 - 15 miles? - Around South Manhattan from my sister's apartment.  More on this later too.

And that sums it up.  Not sure when I'll get back on the trail, as I have umpiring and hosting duties for the next week. 

Rides this Week - 4/19/2012

As previously mentioned, Bike DC was Sunday, so that was pretty awesome.  I also managed to bike to work both Thursday and Friday.  Friday was national bike to work day, so I ended up with a free T-shirt for that one along with a free bagel. 

Sunday 5/13 - 53 miles - Bike to work day
Thursday 5/17 - 16 miles - To work
Thursday 5/17 - 18 miles - From work via Custis
Friday 5/18 - 16 miles - To work
Friday 5/18 - 16 miles - From work

High School Playoffs continue this week (I had three days of three-man umpiring this week, although 2 of them were 1 game, perhaps more on that later), so while my schedule is wide open right now, I'm likely to end up with a few games as the playoff picture becomes clear.  So we'll see how much I get in next week.

Rides this week 5/12/2012

Rain and baseball have been on opposite days, so I didn't get any rides in until today.  Strangely enough I've only had baseball rainouts on one day this year though.

Saturday 5/12 - 22 miles - W&OD to Herndon and back with Erin!

Tomorrow is bike DC day.  I think the target is 55 miles.  That may require biking past home and then back, so we'll see how far we end up going.

Rides this Week - 5/5/12

42 miles on Sunday in 3:15.  Not bad at all.  Then 4 days of baseball.  And today was the first time I've ever made it to the end of the Fairfax County Parkway Trail.

Sunday 4/29 - 42 miles - Home to W&OD MM 35.  Back to Reston (to get my car)
Friday 5/4 - 16 miles - To work
Friday 5/4 - 16 miles - From work
Saturday 5/5 - 32 miles - Home to Farifax County Parkway Trail to North end, return on W&OD

Jen will be here tomorrow, plus I have a game, so probably no ride tomorrow.  I'm hoping to ride to work on Wednesday.  Next weekend is Bike DC.  My sister's coming to town and we're going to do the ride, then bike home.  So that should be fun.

Rides this week 4/28/12

So I didn't make it on any rides this week.  Sunday, Monday, and Thursday rain kept me off the trail.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday baseball kept me on the field.  Since Thursday I couldn't ride, I went to the gym, and today I'm just sore from my lift.  I might try to go out a little bit later, but there's a wine festival we're going to this afternoon (from the people who put on bbbbq), so that might not happen. 

So instead, rides this week will turn into crazy baseball things that happened this week.

• In my game Tuesday, with runners on first and third (R1 and R3), the pitcher tried to fake-pick off the guy at third to then turn and throw to first (to catch the guy who was more likely stealing (you can't fake a throw to first from the mound, but once you've faked to third you can do whatever)).  He had R3 if he threw the ball, but instead he kept with his original plan and threw to first, catching R1 off the base.  There was a short  first rundown between 1st and 2nd with the fielders watching to make sure R3 didn't try to score, but before they could get R1 out, R3 took off.  They threw home, and got R3 in a second rundown between home and 3rd.  This one lasted a little while (probably 3 back and forths) but they did ultimately get R3 out.  By this time, R1 was past second, and for whatever inexplicable reason, was off the bag far enough that as soon as R3 was out, the fielders through the ball to second and caught R1 in a third rundown between 2nd and 3rd.  This time the guy did not last long, and tried to run around the fielder on his first time back to 2nd, and was tagged out.  So three rundowns between all three sets of bases that resulted in 2 outs. 
• In my game Wednesday, a kid stealing second managed to get there just in time for a close play but was safe.  He proceded to stand up off the bag to dust himself off without calling time, and was tagged out.  A couple innings later the same kid managed to get picked off of third by the catcher after a pitch.  Some people are just not good at running the bases.
• In my game last night, a batter fouled a ball off straight at one of the light poles.  It hit a light square on, shattered the glass, which proceded to rain down on the fans below.  Since it was all over the field too, we had to stop and try to shovel the pieces off the field.  I don't think anyone except the baseball was hurt, but the ball was totally shredded and had to be put down.

Rides this week 4/21/2012

Had a great ride Sunday, where I once again got lost at the end of the Accotink (google maps mislead me again).  I got further this time before I had to turn back to see the ladies who were getting home from their trip.  The ride wiped me out though so I kinda turned into a potato (sorry Danielle).  Also, boo rain on Wednesday so I couldn't bike to work.

Sunday 4/15 - 30 miles - Accotink down to the Fairfax County Parkway
Thursday 4/19 - 21 miles - W&OD to Herndon
Saturday 4/21 - 28 miles - W&OD past Herndon to Sterling

Supposed to be a lot of rain tomorrow and Monday, but hopefully I can ride to work Wednesday and or Thursday.

In other news, the next unusual wildlife sighting was a rafter of turkeys.  They weren't chilling on the path, like the fox, deer, and beaver but just a little ways off of it.  They looked lean and mean though.  Wild turkeys are supposed to be pretty vicious.

Rides this week - 4/14/12

I had hoped to go for a long ride Sunday morning, but a minor hangover and a major but brief food poisoning from breakfast left me incapacitated for most of the day.  Other than that due to a busy week I didn't get out as much as I would have liked, but I did get a few good rides in.

Wednesday 4/11 - 16 miles - W&OD to work
Wednesday 4/11 - 16 miles - W&OD from work
Friday 4/13 - 3 miles - safeway/the bank and back
Saturday 4/14 - 34 miles - Mount Vernon trail round trip

My baseball schedule is picking up next week too, so I'll have to maximize my weekend time.

Rides this week - 4/7/12

I'm going to start trying to put up my rides for the week.  If that's horribly boring, well, then too bad.  Since this is the first time I'm doing this I'm going to go back to last Friday, but then I'll try and do it every Saturday for Sun-Sat.  Here goes -

Friday 3/30 - 28 miles - Accotink trail down from home down to Franconia, and back
Tuesday 4/3 - 21 miles - W&OD from home, miles 11.5-20 and back
Wednesday 4/4 - 15 miles - W&OD from Herndon, miles 20-27.5 and back
Saturday 4/7 - 14 miles - W&OD side trail from home, miles 11.5-16 and back

Hopefully I'll start having contiguous blocks of time where I can get some longer rides in next week.