Sunday, June 12th started very early.  I got up at 5:30 AM and met a friend at the end of the block to head over the 14th street bridge on the Mt. Vernon trail to participate in the non competitive Crystal Ride.  Since Shane was part of “Team Sabre” which is the fundraising team for the ride, he got to start at the Air Force Memorial which was close to the half way mark of the course from Crystal Drive in Crystal City.  We wished each other luck and off he went to his starting location and I mine.

Wave 2

It was not so clear how to line up for the ride, but basically there were 2 waves.  Wave 1 was for those who received a Gold Metal in a previous event or were VIPs, part of “Team Sabre.”  Apparently that wave seemed to start from the Air Force Memorial since there was no division in Crystal City.  Once the serious riders lined up, I lined up with some others I was chatting with who were also first timers and watched the minutes tick down until the 7:30 AM start.  Recently the weather has been pretty hot in DC so it was good the ride was in the AM.

The Ride

The course is approximately 12.5 KM starting in Crystal City and looping around the Air Force Memorial.  There were a few hairpin turns on the leg over, but as the ride progressed, the 1500 participants spread out a bit.

The Goal

Everyone has their own goal of course, but the idea behind this ride was to ride as many laps as you can in the 3.5 hour time allotment and earn medals dependent on the number of laps completed.

• 1-3 Laps Bronze
• 4-7 Laps Silver
• 8 Laps Gold

Ready…Set…Go!

The time arrived and off we went.  I have to tell you I was so excited as I received emails the week before as I registered back in March.  While you hope you don’t have any bike problems, you do expect there to be some flat tires along the way and this ride was no different.  As more laps were completed, the number of riders diminished as did the upside down bikes getting new tubes.  I only saw one scary situation which required emergency medical assistance.  Others just stopped early.  Perhaps they met their goal, not feeling well, or body just said “Not that hill again!.” (The hill up to the Air Force Memorial seemed to take me longer each time I climbed it.  The 8th time up I was going less than 10 MPH!  Got to love gravity! :)

Lap 1 Complete

Since it was a bit slow getting going it took just over 30 minutes to make one lap of the course.   Lap 2 I think only took 20 minutes.  I am hoping to get the results later today or tomorrow to see how my laps did.   I do know my average speed was dropping on my last lap.

Time is running out Lap 8…

So I was not really sure what lap I was on.  The “Laps to Go” was counting up!  I assumed that meant laps completed, so when I crossed the start line at 7 laps with about 25 minutes to go I thought…”This is it, Gold in sight!”  As I approached “the hill” I was a bit worried about my time.  I was not sure I was going to be able to make it back to the start/finish line before 11 AM.  With only 5 minutes to go, I checked my mileage and still had a few miles.  I pushed as hard as I could!  10:59 came around and I was trying to remember how many more turns before the finish line.  At this point I was a bit shaky in my legs.  Eleven am arrived….I thought if I could make it before it was 11:01 I would be golden.  That time came, but I did not give up.  I was so close now and not going to admit defeat!

11:05 AM Course Exit

I was not sure if I had completed 8 laps or not, all I knew was that we all had to exit the course as more events were coming up.  I snagged one more bottle of water from the volunteers who were skilled at delivery while you were biking by which was cool.  I only missed a bottle one time.

Medal Pickup

I walked around the vendors at the finish line to get my medal.  They asked me how many laps I did?  Hmm…I was not quite sure but thought I did 8 laps.  Apparently if you did less than 8 they believed you and you received the medal from the staff there.  They sent me over to a tent where staff were checking the computers and the timing chips we were all wearing to see how many laps we completed.

Gold!

I was so excited when I was told I earned a Gold Medal.  Granted this was not competitive, but it was the longest continuous ride I have ever gone on.  Sadly I use my bike for transportation to cut costs and travel time.  The reason I started biking and gave up the free shuttle bus was because the bus route was changed increasing 5-10 minutes travel time.

My longest trip was about 20 miles.  I did make it to Mt. Vernon with a friend, but we stopped to eat and check out the grounds for a few hours  before getting back on the trail and biking back.

A few weeks back I marshaled Bike DC which was about 20 miles.  I took that at a more leisure pace as we were stopping to help riders in need change flats, etc.

The Day After

I took the free shuttle bus to work today since my knees seemed to not like the ride that much.  That probably means I need to be sure my bike is properly adjusted to prevent issues down the road, especially if I enter more long rides.  Short commutes do not seem to bother my knees.

My Unofficial Stats

• Start Time: 7:30 AM (Crossed start line by 7:33)
• End Time : 11:35 AM
• Average Speed*: 17.9 MPH
• Top Speed*: ~35 MPH (Somehow I cleared my data at the end :( )
• Distance*: ~ 63 Miles or 100 KM

*(According to my bike computer)

Official Stats are in!

Top view sports was kind enough to give me my lap times :)  The data showed 9 laps total with 3:51 for the one, so I added them together for lap 1.

1. 7:33 AM – 7:58 AM ~25 minutes
2. 7:58 AM – 8:23 AM 24:49 minutes
3. 8:23 AM – 8:49 AM 25:48 minutes
4. 8:49 AM – 9:14 AM 25:34 minutes
5. 9:14 AM – 9:44 AM 29:46 minutes
6. 9:44 AM – 10:10 AM 25:54 minutes
7. 10:10 AM – 10:37 AM 27 minutes
8. 10:37 AM – 11:04 AM 27:50 minutes

L to R: Me, Shane, Lisa (Met her day of event)  Why didn’t someone tell me I had helmet hair!  LOL

Not much to say, but this site is great.  Not sure the delay if any, but it shows current bikes being used, undocked, and the bikes at each station.  While I don’t think it tells you how many at each dock, it does show empty or full and the coloration helps determine the rest.  The spotcycle app for iPhone and Android shows current status of each station.

So if you are curious on patterns, check this site out during the morning commute, mid day, evening commute and the weekend to see where the CaBi riders are going ro and coming from.

Interactive CaBi Usage Map

Ooh..Change the City or Country :)

London has over 4000 bikes!

I have heard that if the government shuts down because congress cannot get their act together, that metro will run on a reduced weekend like schedule.  Please don’t be the Sunday one!  Do you really want to wait 20 minutes for a train?  Try taking a bike to work :)

Livingsocial.com is offering 50% off an annual or monthly membership for the Capital Bikeshare in DC.  This is a 2 year old initiative in DC. Maryland, and Virginia to provide on demand bike rentals much like Zipcar does with cars.

How Capital Bikeshare works…..

1. You must have a membership.  $5 a day, $25 a month or $75 for the year.  Right now you can save 50% on them!!!
2. Your membership includes 30 minutes each trip between stations.  After that you pay $12 / hour.
3. Tip:  Before your 30 minutes are up, dock your CaBi at a nearby station and rent another one :)
4. BYOH: Bring your own helmet.  They are not provided or required if you are over 16 in most states, but please be responsible :)

Car Free DC!

Let’s cut out emissions from all those cars, decrease congestion, decrease deaths from vehicular accidents, and decrease the noise of our beautiful communities by selling your car and taking public transit, or a shiny red CaBi to work and for your errands :)

Livingsocial.com

So….Hop on over to Livingsocial ASAP to snag one or a few for family and friends at 50% off before they are gone!

8132 Memberships Sold!!!

• Sold: 8,132
• Value: $75.00
• Discount: 51%
• Savings: $38.00

Is Blu-Ray Better?

I would have to say that I have liked Blu-Ray for the picture and uncompressed 7.1 surround sound that regular DVD cannot provide due to size limitations.  I use a 1080i projector and have a 120″ screen so while the audio has  been amazing, at the size I have the image displayed, the picture seems a little grainy.  I was in Best Buy a week ago and saw a preview of Blu-Ray.  U571 looked unreal.  Seriously, I thought I was on the set watching them shoot the action that is how it looked to me.  It made the movie look way too clear and was hard to believe they were on a submarine several decades ago.

Don’t get Blu-Ray of Old Movies

Don’t need to say much here.  Basically, if you are in the market to replace a DVD of an older movie with a Blu-Ray, it would be worth testing it out first to see if the quality is worth your purchase.  Many old movies are stored on old degrading media and while the motion picture companies do what they can to clean it up, you cannot add more definition if is not there to add!  Now, if you don’t own the movie, since most Blu-Rays for old movies seem to be in the $10 range, then it many be worth it if the corresponding DVD is about the same cost.  I test drove some older Blu-Ray releases from Netflix to see just how clear they were and I was happily surprised, but they were from post 2000 which to me is old being 2011 now :)  Not sure Sound of Music or Space Balls would be noticeably better.

Animated Movies….

Despicable Me and Wall-e on the other hand look amazing!  Especially the computer animation of today, the source files are all capable of rendering high definition and therefore there is no bottle neck when it comes to going back to the original source and “re mastering.”

Physical Media??

Granted I own more than 600 DVDs and now have begun to get some Blu-Ray movies and get rid of my DVD collection, but I wonder if Blu-Ray or physical media in general will be around much longer?  With iTunes and other services allowing you to purchase books, movies, and music in digital form and protect your purchases if something should happen to your computer, is there really any need for the security of physical media?

Advantages of Media..

Historically the ability to “lend” physical media to others was the big reason for purchasing media.  If you are an avid reader, I suppose a floor to ceiling library of physical media looks more accomplished and impressive than an external hard drive sitting on a shelf :)  Recently, more book readers have the ability to lend certain books to others.  This ability is dependent on the publishers permissions which seem to not be book specific, but rather all or nothing for a publisher.  I own a Kindle and of the small number of books I purchased only 5% are able to be lent.  Movies on the other hand are not lend-able to others.  You can of course bring your laptop with the licensed movie over to a friends to show, but this is quite different and certainly more restrictive than bringing over a DVD.

No Cost savings….

You would think if you were to purchase an electronic copy of a movie that you would get a discount.  After all, there is no media to make, no media to stock, no media to ship, etc.  This is the main reason I have not given up my DVDs.  I do subscribe to Netflix a DVD at a time, but don’t currently pay the $2 extra for Blu-Ray.  I just buy the Blu-Ray I like and live with quality of Netflix DVDs.  Need to be sure I like a movie before I spend the money :)

Environmental Impact

A topic of discussions recently.  Of course anything that is not produced physically is saving resources and energy used to produce them.  At the same time though it does reduce the workers as well which eventually will cause lay offs.  What a tangled web.  Seems like no matter what you do, you cannot seem to win.  Recycling on the other hand does not seem to have such an impact on the workforce so long as they innovate and get on board processing consumer waste as opposed to sourcing virgin materials.  The logging industry has a lot to lose by paper recycling for example, but every other industry in the production chain would not be affected much.

Should have a Play Station 3

If only I were a gamer and purchased a PS3.  Not only would I have a cutting edge gaming system, but I would also have a 3D Blu-Ray DVD Player and not have spent money on standard Blu-Ray players.  I have no intention of going to 3D as long as special glasses and TVs are required, but when I see a title in 3D that I watched in 3D Imax, I wonder just how good it would be :) As far as 3D, I will wait until we have holographic images in 3D that project from a paper thick device (Star Trek, Star Wars,SeaQuest).  I think I will be waiting a very long time and my checkbook thanks me for that.

Cyclists are truly Natural Gas Powered :)

Get involved in the “Car Free Movement.”  Not only fun and good for you, cycling is a great way to get around town or to work and saves you money, and the environment green house gasses.

Contact a local biking advocacy group in your area for details and to learn about courses designed to keep you safe as you travel the roadways with motor vehicles.

Why pay the same money for a digital movie as a DVD?

If the price were cheaper I could see possibly switching.  While I am good about recycling and do bike to work, I still do get my bank statements via mail and magazines.  There is just something about getting “less” for the same price that did not appeal to me.

Sharing Movies

I have let others borrow my movies for a while now.  Having the hard media has made that possible.  If I get a digital download, I won’t be able to let others borrow them.  This is something that apparently the Barnes and Noble “Nook” can do with books that the Amazon “Kindle” cannot.  I have yet to hear of any online movie sellers / renters offering this service and really doubt we will see it any time soon.  In fact, it is probably bad that I let friends borrow my movies now.

Move toward HD

As new movies come out, I have been picking them up on Blu-Ray.  Those that I don’t think are worth the premium price, I wait until they come to the local “Red Box” for $5 previewed on standard DVD.

I do own more than 400 standard DVDs and do watch them on occasion. There are some I enjoy so much that I needed to pick them up on Blu-Ray if the price was right to experience them in High Definition.  My goal now is to reduce the number of DVDs I own, and get that smaller collection onto my computer so I can put away the obsolete DVDs.

Digital Media Receiver

So….here we go.  I really have no idea how to setup a digital library other than iTunes.  I know some people have servers where they store all of their music and movies, but I am just getting started and wanted to keep the cost relatively low.  After looking at my options, it seemed like iTunes and the Apple TV were the answer.  I have some movies already loaded into iTunes and since I am a Mac user, seemed the easiest.

Apple TV not only allows you to stream movies purchased / rented from iTunes, but allows you to access your music and movies as well.  I was originally going to just get a HDMI adapter and cable to connect my iMac to my TV, but the idea of a wireless device that can work virtually anywhere the network, ultimately made up my mind.

10% Restocking Fee

I am skeptical about the quality of digital media, and since I don’t have HD Cable, have not even considered replacing my Blu-Ray collection.  I was once told that current, and likely future, delivery systems will NOT be able to provide end users with 1080p quality video and sound due to the extremely high bandwidth required.

Apple has a 10% restocking fee, and that likely means I will need to pay for the return shipping, but buying the unit from Apple online as “refurbished.” it was still cheaper than going to my local store and picking on up.  The only downside..it just left Sacramento, CA, when I could have one right now!!

More to follow…

I will let you know more after it arrives and I have a chance to test it out to see if it is a keeper or just not enough for the discerning audio/video phile.  Well, I don’t listen to LPs, so I am not that much of an audiophile :)

There are some that watch shows on Hulu and other free sites and no longer turn on their TV, but I don’t think the quality is there.  This is probably because I have the slowest DSL available because I am cheap.  LOL.  Perhaps If I enjoy digital media I will upgrade my DSL, but with my roommates in love with TV, will likely not be able to dump cable just yet.

I was somehow under the “Horror Movie” impression going in and came out with a “Psychological.”  I thought it would fit under “Psychological Thriller,” but I cannot say it was that thrilling or edge of seat gripping.

I had a hard time discerning what was “real” and what was “created.”  Perhaps it all was created.

All in all it was a decent movie graphically, but I was not so into the plot. I enjoy true stories, and unless I missed the “Based on a true story” comment at the beginning, this one was not.

1. 400 Disk Blu-Ray DVD Changer $633 (Waiting until below $300)
2. 1 TB External Portable HD $113 (Auction, waiting until below $100)
3. 256 GB USB Key (I would like 1 TB, but can settle for this one.)  $879 from Newegg with FREE SHIPPING!!!! Glad shipping is Free, It would be too expensive otherwise ;P
4. Internal 1 TB Laptop Hard Drive just to give my laptop a whopping big drive, though I doubt the BIOS can handle it. (Does not seem to exist yet, only as a portable external in item 2 above.)

I was joking about the USB Key.  For that chunk of change I would get a fully loaded iPad!!!  Something else I don’t really need.  People have been asking me when I am going to get one, and I really don’t have an intent at this time.  I have an iPhone, and I have a Macbook Air, which give me apps and portability.  It also allows me to leave my reading glasses and tiny keyboard fingers at home. LOL

I was at my local Blockbuster Video and saw some pretty yellow signs posted all over the store.  Here are the key points of the changes…

1. As of 3/1/10, Blockbuster has basically ended “the end of late fees.”
2. Movie rentals are now all for 5 days, regardless of newness.
3. Movies kept past the due date are charged $1/day.
4. Movies kept past a certain time will be charges to your credit / debit card on file.
5. If any fees such as over draft or over limit are incurred, it is your fault.

While not officially stated, the $1/day after 5 days could be looked at as late fees, but then again they could just be automatic renewal rates.  Blockbuster spent quite a bit of money on their “end of late fees” campaign to toss it out the window.

5 Day Renter or Same Day Watcher?

For those that keep movies 5 days or like to interact with other human beings, Blockbuster seems to be a viable option.  If you are the kind of person who rents at 5 PM and watches at 7 PM the same day, check to see if there is a “Red Box” in your area.  A self-service kiosk which charge around $1/day to rent.  If you keep it for 5 days, then essentially you could have gotten the same deal at Blockbuster.

Flaws in Blockbuster’s “end of late fees.”

According to unconfirmed reports, people kept movies for a very long time and never returned them.  I personally would not be in any rush to return movies, especially when in the worst case, I would be charged a$1.25 restocking fee.  Had I been smarter, I should have gone to rent a new release, kept it for a few months until I decided if I really wanted to buy it, and if not, simply return and just pay $1.25.  It would have saved my $20 for a Blu-Ray movie that tends to sit in my library and not get watched again. :(  Alas, I am too late.  Never mind it would be bad of me to take advantage of a company already struggling.

Next Step?  Death of Media?

It will likely take a while, I bet there are still people renting VHS tapes, but as homes become more connected with broadband and network connected media players, the number of  DVDs sold and rented will fall, until perhaps someday when there will be no physical media, and a portable device to carry around movies when on the go!

After the usual commercials and previews the movie got started.  After learning that the focal couple lost their third child near the end of pregnancy, we find out that the wife is a recovering alcoholic who would have lost her daughter in their pond had her husband not been around.  This was a very sobering experience for her and she has not had a drink in a month, though temptations have existed and show up whenever she is being stressed.

The Family

Husband: Works in the construction industry if memory serves designing buildings.

Son: Daniel does the usual things boys do.  He plays Guitar Hero with friends and has a tree house.

Daughter: Max was born hearing impaired.  She apparently can hear a little, but relies on her hearing aids to read lips.  Apparently she is unable to do so without them.  This seems a little odd to me, but when they disappear near the end of the movie…don’t seem to hinder her.

Love

The parents decide to adopt another child.  They seem to be leaning toward a girl so Max has someone to play with.  Their third child was a girl and was named by them.  They have a memorial where the ashes were spread of the still born child and have planted white roses there.  The mother believes that as long as the rose bush grows, memories of her unborn child will exist and the love will help her stay sane.

Adoption

It is no surprise that they are looking to adopt and not have another child naturally.  In fact, it appears that the couple has not engaged in sexual activity since that time which leads the husband to cheat on his wife and is ultimately a touchy subject when that is brought up.  Thankfully she has come around to the idea again which makes the husband happier.

They head to a Church run school for girls to search for a child to adopt.  The husband finds a very talented girl singing in a room by herself painting while looking for the bathroom.  The rest of the girls are enjoying an annual party, perhaps an adoption event.  He is very impressed by her abilities as an artist and her manners.  While she needs a new wardrobe and looks like “Little Bo Peep,” she is well mannered and articulate.

The wife and head nun find them together and while the nun seems a bit concerned, the wife also indentifies with the talents of the girl and they ultimately adopt her.

Family

Max gets along very well with her new sister, but Daniel finds that his friends make fun of him for how she dresses and he announces to the family at dinner that “She is not my sister.”  In the end Daniel is amost killed by her for knowing too much.

While she bonds with her new sister and favors the husband, she looks to her mother for piano lessons and seems to get along…this is all a facade and ploy to drive the wife away from the family, or in this case, make the family believe that the mother is hurting her and needs to be committed.  The husband ultimately decides with the help of the family therapist that she needs to be sent away to rehab after injuries appear on the adopted girl and a bottle of wine is located hidden in the house.

The Orphan

The orphan appears to be from Russia, but when they get in contact with the orphanage there, no records are found.  After the mother sneaks around a locates an old Bible / diary in her dresser stamped with the name of an institute and investigates, it turns out she was actually a patient at a mental institution and not an orphanage.

The nun from the girls school comes to talk to the family about odd coincidences that happen around the orphan once the mother has been noticing some strange things going on.  “Something is wrong with her…”  She  mentions a number of instances where fights start or people get injured and notes that the orphan is always around.  The orphan over hears the conversation with the nun and parents and believes that she is going to be taken away from the family. 

She tells her sister that they are planning on taking her away and seeks her assistance.  It appears that they are running away but they actually plan to scare the nun to make sure she never comes back again.  After tossing Max into the snow covered road and the nun barely swerving to miss her, ending up in a snow bank off the road, the orphan proceeds to jump from the bushes and bash the nuns head with a hammer until she is dead.  They hide her and the orphan scares Max into secrecy by saying that she would be in trouble too for helping hide the nun.

Daniel

More strange things happen.  Starting with the orphan killing a pigeon with a rock and climaxing with a late night pajama wetting visit from the orphan with a razer blade held to his throat asking about what he saw her and Max doing in the tree house, Daniel along with his mother believe something is very wrong with the girl.

Daniel checks with Max to see if she notices anything strange happening after his late night visit from the Orphan to find out that Max is drawing all of the bad things that she has been keeping from her mom that the orphan has made her do and scared her to be quiet.  He knows that the bloody hammer has been hidden in the tree house.  Unfortunately the orphan is outside listening to the entire conversation.

Daniel decides to locate the murder weapon and finds the tree house unlocked.  After the negative comments he made at the dinner table, his father locked him out of the tree house until an apology was made.  This had yet to occur.  He slides the panel back in the floor where he hides his dirty magazines to find nothing.  Behind him to see the orphan who has the bag and dumps out the bloody hammer, gloves, dress, and drawings from Max.  She proceeds to cover the evidence with ligher fluid and sets the pile ablaze.  She locks Daniel in the tree house and watches as it burns and he tries to escape.  He does avoid the blaze, but falls to the ground seriously injured.  Just as the orphan is about to smash him in the head with a rock, Max pushes her over and the mother comes rushing out of the house after noticing the blaze. 

Mom of course is even more suspicious now, but the husband is not so convinced.  There are many reasons for this starting with the cutting of all the memorial roses by the orphan which was believed to be something nice done for her mother at the encouragement of the father.  The mother is very upset and grabs her by the arm shaking her.  The orphan goes into the basement and using a counter mounted vise, bruises and ultimately breaks her forearm.  She calls for “daddy” which makes him even more suspicious of his wife and closer to the orphan.

Dad

When visiting their son in the hospital after his fall from the tree house, the orphan asks to get a drink and instead goes into Daniel’s room and suffocates him.  The doctors are able to ressusitate him, but the mother gets enraged and has to be sedated.  She blames the orphan for what just happened.  Dad sees this and again takes the side of the orphan.

That night while the mother is in the hospital for overnight observation, the usband gets drunk and the orphan gets dressed up in his wifes dress and puts on makeup.  She comes down to be with “daddy” and tries to seduce him.  She reaches for something that she should not as her father is explaining the difference between adult “LOVE” and the love of a daughter.  She gets very upset at this rejection and ends up stabbing the husband to death.

Max sees this and hides in her closet hamper, but knows that she is likely next.  While this is going on the mother is racing home.  She has just heard from the mental hospital that the orphan is really a dwarf that is 33 years old has basically wants the man of the family to herself.  When she gets rejected the entire family is killed.  All of the photos of men in her Bible are likely the men that rejected her and families killed.

Mom makes it home before Max is killed and ends up crashing through the greenhouse roof landing on her.  She scoops up Max and they leave the house with the gun.  The police come and the orphan is no longer on the floor of the greenhouse.  The Orphan surprises them and knocks the gun loose.  While cutting the mother with a knife, as they struggle, Max shoots the gun and cracks the ice on the pond where they are struggling.  They fall into the water and after one more appearance from the Orphan, kicks her in the head and breaks her neck.  Mother and Max are reunited and likely survive with Daniel. 

Summary

Wow did I write a lot.  I could write a novel at this point! LOL.  Very good movie with an interesting twist that being her age.  While it was over 2 hours, I did not find myself falling asleep or bored which says a lot!  There are some movies where an hour and a half is too much.

Now that I have totally spoiled the movie, I hope you will still check it out if interested.  While I am not sure I will buy this when it comes out on DVD.  I would recommend renting it if you don’t see it in the theatre.