When we feel grief, it doesn’t always manifest in sorrow. I read something profound this morning. It was a quote I saw on Facebook that a friend of mine had shared. I have already forgotten the author’s name and I am paraphrasing here:
We are all in mourning…we are mourning what life used to be like…
There is so much truth in that. I recall the early days of my divorce in 2018 when several people gave me valuable advice. Two things stand out. The first is very similar to the quote above: In divorce, you are not sad about the divorce, but rather you are mourning the loss of the life you had because your new life is not the same.
The second recurring thing I was told was that the hardest thing in divorce is getting used to your new normal. Both of these ideas are born from the same notion that everything is different now. The same can be said for social distancing and living in the current world that is under assault from Covid-19.
Social Media as the canary in the mine
In the early days of the pandemic, as things in the United States were just starting to shut down, most of what I saw on social media was humor. There were countless memes addressing everything from relationships to toilet paper. That changed after several days. I began to see more hostile posts. More and more people were complaining about the inconvience of their situations. Angrier posts blamed Chinese people or New Yorkers for making things worse. Today, I have begun to see a shift in the tone again. Several people have shown sadness. There are some people who seem forlorn and confused.
This certainly reminds me of The Kübler-Ross Grief Cycle:
If the comical memes and people like the President saying it was a hoax is denial and the demand for New Yorkers to stay in New York was anger, then it would make sense for people today to be depressed. Honestly, I felt depressed yesterday too.
At the time of this post, I believe we are in the Depression stage.
Depression is not a normal state for me. I have made it part of existence to avoid the trappings of depression. By living an active lifestyle, I obtain the endorphines I need to maintain a positive mental state and I try to eat in a way that reduces inflammation and the associated trappings that leads to. I have read and studied some Buddhist teachings and I used to meditate often. I need to meditate more.
But what comes next? As society enters into the bargaining stage, what form does that take? Will people start making unsafe decisions? Are we going to see packed churches? Schools opening back up? I would make the argument that we are already seeing that. We need to keep our focus and treat this pandemic for what it is. We need strong leaders with an appropriate message.
We need President Trump to incrementally make this worse. Up until today, he was claiming we would open for business by Easter. Now he has adjusted the timeline to April 30th. At some point, an adult in the room needs to tell the truth to the American Public…this is going to go on until long into the summer…this is going to be our NEW NORMAL!
Check out my daily rant on YouTube. I have softened my tone a little bit as I am moving through the depression stage. I will not bargain with my health, though…
There is clearly no love lost between Governor Cuomo of New York and President Trump. I have been shocked over the last few weeks at how well they have gotten along during the Covid-19 outbreak, but that seems to be coming to an end.
It started a couple of days ago when Trump said that he doesn’t believe that New York State needs forty thousand ventilators. During an appearance on Hannity, a FOX News program hosted by an adoring sycophant, Trump said this:
“I have a feeling that a lot of the numbers that are being said in some areas are just bigger than they’re going to need,” the president said. “I don’t believe you need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators. You know, you go to major hospitals, sometimes they have two ventilators. Now all of a sudden they’re saying can we order 30,000 ventilators.”
Bully in Chief
It is appalling that Trump uses something like ventilators as a device to control behavior. He is exploiting New York’s and other states’ need for aid as a way of achieving fealty. Reports came out of the White House on Friday that Trump instructed the Vice President to not reach out to Governors who aren’t “appreciative” of his efforts. This is what Trump said during a White House Daily Briefing:
“I think they should be appreciative. Because you know what? When they’re not appreciative to me, they’re not appreciative to the Army Corps [of Engineers], they’re not appreciative to FEMA. It’s not right,”
Because I don’t want anyone to think I am taking things out of context, here is the interaction in its entirety:
President Trump on what he wants from the governors: "All I want them to do, very simple, I want them to be appreciative. I don't want them to say things that aren't true. I want them to be appreciative. We've done a great job.”
As I ranted about yesterday, I see people on social media applauding the efforts of Donald Trump and it disgusts me. He began this whole ordeal by denying its existence. He followed that up by claiming we were going to defeat it before it takes hold. Then, he claimed it was all a Democrat hoax to derail his reelection. Recently, he made obtuse claims that people don’t want the economy to fail and that everyone he talks to is pleading to go back to work to save the Stock Market. Now he is holding federal aid hostage and demanding Governors “kiss the ring” in order to get assistance.
Doesn’t this all sound a little bit like The Godfather or Scarface?
Donny Montana
The latest fiasco coming out of The White House was Trump indicating that he may enact a quarantine of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. This would essentially close the borders of the states. First of all, this is most likely unconstitutional and outside of his executive power. Second, he didn’t even discuss this with the Governors of the three states mentioned. All three pushed back.
While speaking with CNN’s Ana Cabrera, Governor Cuomo of New York said the following:
“It would be chaos and mayhem,”
“It’s totally opposite everything he’s been saying. I don’t think it is plausible. I don’t think it is legal.”
“This would be a federal declaration of war on states,”
That last statement made by Cuomo has very deliberate phrasing. It acts as a line in the sand, per se. I only hope there is someone in The Oval Office that is speaking rationally to the President. He is in uncharted waters and he is making a lot of mistakes. Sadly, these mistakes have the potential to cause a lot of death and do serious harm to the economy.
My escape from the national chaos
On a very different note, I would like to take a few moments to express my sheer love and admiration for Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Switch. It has been a welcome distraction during this last week of severe social distancing (I still hate that term).
This new game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is technically the fifth release in a series of games that have scanned several consoles. There have been a few spin-off releases, as well. In hindsight, I am saddened that this new one is the first one I have played.
For those that have not heard of Animal Crossing, the concept is simple:
You are a human who decides to move to an deserted island owned by a company called Nook, Inc. There, you are going to act as a representative of a new flock of animals that are going to build a community there. You start with a tent and some simple tools and build your way to a thriving city over time.
I am amazed by the manner in which the games takes full advantage of our brains’ dopamine reward system. The next achievement is always in sight and easy enough to obtain. It keeps you playing with a nice balance of “cute” and “challenge.” If you own a Nintendo Switch, I highly recommend this game.
At the time I am writing this, there are five of us currently living in the house and all five of us are playing the game. We take turns visiting each other’s islands and trading fruits and other supplies.
I guess this is what the apocalypse looks like:
This is my character in Animal Crossing. Like real life, he is spending most of his time in a robe on the couch with a safety mask…
I recently made the decision to unfriend a bunch of people on Facebook. For years I have kept ties with many of my social media contacts who had dissenting opinions to me. I convinced myself there was value to understanding how people viewed politics from a different position in life. The idea was that I could better convey my own beliefs by processing them through debate with these people. I am now done with that.
The current state of the world has altered things. Gone are the days of passionate debate and a desire to find common ground. Why? How did we get here? Who’s “fault” is it?
click here to read about kayaking during a pandemic
I think the answer to those questions is complicated. I would argue that it is actually a series of dominoes that have fallen to get us here. The following is my OPINION. Its just one person’s opinion and I am sure everyone else has their own. Remember, I am not a poly-sci major nor do I work in politics. Regardless, here it is:
The main culprits of our political divide are the following:
The 24 hour news cycle
When cable made its first appearance in the early 1980s, CNN splashed onto the scene, bringing the opportunity for us all to view the news whenever we wanted. As time went on, more cable news organizations came onto the scene. Competition demanded that news become more and more sensationalized in order to win market share and ultimately more advertising dollars
The election of Obama
I truly believe that a large portion of our society is inherently racist. In most people, it is latent. The average person is not going to say or do overtly racist things, but rather they exist in a native state of racism. It is common for many people to be fearful of black and brown people. It is also not unusual for people to feel that minorities are taking an unfair portion of the proverbial pie.
The election of President Barack Obama tapped into that inherent racism. I feel a large swath of people became invigorated by politics born from a sense of fear and that latent racism.
The Tea Party
During the early days of Obama’s Presidency, there was a coup of sorts in the Republican Party. The Tea Party was born of a desire from the base of the party to move the national agenda further to the right. They began winning local elections, then state elections, and ultimately finding their way into a smattering of seats in The House of Representatives.
During the debates of The Affordable Care Act, the Tea Party was instrumental in damaging public opinion of the legislation. Following that debacle, they further influenced John Boehner (the Speaker of The House at the time) into a series of grandstanding moves to stop budget progress. This took specific form during the need to raise the debt ceiling following President Obama’s financial moves to rebuild the economy after the crash of 2008.
Mitch McConnell
The obstructionist playbook was expanded by Mitch McConnell when he publicly stated, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
As Majority Leader of the Senate, he was uniquely positioned to block every possible piece of legislation the Democrats brought debate. He refused to allow votes on popular bills. McConnell used a myriad of parliamentary maneuvers to block legislation on a regular basis. He is the epitome of the phrase, “do nothing politics.”
The Democratic Party
For their part, the Democratic Party also has some blame to share. On the national level, the party is actually quite dysfunctional. For decades, it has lacked a cohesive voice. The leaders of the party seek some sort of balance of moderation and progressiveness, all the while achieving neither.
The Democrats are wonderful at cannibalizing their own party. If a Republican does something untoward publicly, their party tends to close ranks and speak no ill will. The Democrats are far to quick to publicly admonish their own side, often making the party look elitist and fractured.
The Democrats have never seemingly been a single party, but rather a pack of people with 100,000 different agendas. Instead of building a coalition of strong candidates with a cohesive agenda, a hodgepodge of activists seem to drive the agenda and the message is lost in the noise.
The Religious Right
Somewhere along the line, the Republic party was hijacked by religion. I am unsure if it is actual ideology or the fear of public admonishment that scares candidates the most. Realistically, it is more likely that GOP candidates are the recipients of large donations by religious organizations and beholden to the marketing of Political Action Committees controlled by the same groups.
The Religious Right ultimately has two agendas in today’s political sphere: Stop Abortion and the dismantling of equal rights for the LGTBQ community.
The Social Conservative Movement, as it likes to refer to itself, is the main driver of public discourse for most people. It is hard to argue fiscal politics, but being for or against abortion is easy…and no one will ever change your mind.
Live and let live
So I quit. It is easier to give up on arguing with my friends. I tried for so long to be polite in my social media posts. I tried to ensure that I was using facts and logic to make my point. The biggest problem to arise from the current political divide is the phenomenon of Confirmation Bias. This refers to the natural disposition people have to only see “truths” in their own opinion. If they believe something to be true, they will only seek out information to support and they will ignore information that contradicts it.
On my YouTube channel today, I posted a rant about this very subject. Check it out:
How are you spending your time during this age of oddity?
If you are coming across this blog post years in the future, please note that this was written in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. At the time I am writing this, I am on day 8 since I closed my business at the order of Governor Cuomo. I have been filling my time since this started in a number of different ways, but yesterday I decided go kayaking during a pandemic. And I was so happy I did.
Before I go too deep into this post, I would like to address my absence. Several weeks ago, I began to post daily blogs. I was enjoying it, but after the second week, I realized that I wasn’t keen on the format I had chosen. At the end of the day, I am not looking to be an informational blog. My goal is to be an editorial source. I want to throw out my opinion on the news of the day, or a new movie, a video game I am playing, or whatever else suits my fancy.
So, going forward, I am going to do just that. I am also not going to hold myself religiously to posting each and every day. If I have something to write, I will write it. If I don’t have something I want to comment on, then I won’t.
The other piece of the puzzle is my YouTube channel. While I have never been successful at regularly posting there, I dropped it altogether when I decided to focus on this blog. I want to try to hybridize things more appropriately. One should not have to be sacrificed for the sake of the other.
The Current Pandemic Status
Today is Friday, March 27th. Over the last couple of weeks, I have created some new habits and my daily routine has changed drastically. While I still get up at 6 or 7 am, I no longer have ninety minutes of bookkeeping and other administrative tasks to do. Now, I make my coffee, turn on my Nintendo Switch, and play Animal Crossing. At some point, Governor Cuomo goes live with a press conference in which he outlines the current state of things. After my coffee is done, I either ride my bike on the trainer or run on the treadmill.
Yesterday, the weather was quite nice, so I got the chance to change things up. I followed the same routine until Cuomo finished his press conference. Instead of hitting the gym, I went to my garage and took out the patio furniture and the fire pit. I also put the bike rack and kayak mounts on the Subaru. When all that was accomplished, I loaded my 14 foot kayak onto the car and went to The Erie Canal Park in Camillus.
People Out in Force
I was shocked when I arrived by how many people were there. In my YouTube video, I claim there to be around 50 people. That was a gross underestimate. By the time I left, I am certain I saw well over 100 people there. During this crisis, we are being asked to “Social Distance” from others, meaning to keep six feet away from the person near you. The width of the trail at the park does not allow that. Luckily for me, I was nowhere near anyone because I was in the water.
I needed to get out. As I could tell from the size of the crowd, other people needed to as well. How do you condemn people for congregating in that way, whether there is a pandemic or not? They were not there to socialize. They went to the park to get outdoors and exercise. Endorphines are the best defense against stress in times like this. I would make the argument that the risk is worth the reward.
My girlfriend Jessica and I also took our bikes out at the lake last night. That was really nice too and the crowds were much smaller there. I am thinking an outdoor run is on the docket today. I guess you will find out tomorrow.
Do me a favor: subscribe to this blog. You can find the subscription box on the right sidebar if you are on your computer or at the bottom of the page if you are on a mobile device. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel while you are at it. Hopefully I will get back into the swing of all this.
On February 29th, Disney and Pixar released Onward to theaters. I first heard of Onward more than a year ago with a teaser that featured unicorns acting like street cats and some wisps of magic. The early teaser, like Disney does with most of its films, did not give anything away. Over time, the creative team shared more information about the film. It became clear that Pixar was making a movie with classic fantasy elements.
The setting of Onward is set in a modern time but it is juxtaposed over its fantasy based history. The stories we tell of orcs, goblins, elves, and wizards is real in this land. Fantastic stories we would tell are the real history of that world. That is, until technology makes magic obsolete. The reday, , I sidents of Onward’s world forget their magical past and soon begin to lives very similar to ours.
We meet two brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot. They are played by Tom Holland and Chris Pratt, respectively. The two brothers have broadly different personalities; Ian, who is celebrating his sixteenth birthday, is unsure of himself and struggles to find his way in the world. Barley, his older brother, is a history buff. He laments the passing of the days of magic and adventure. He also spends most of his time playing Quests of Yore, a role playing game modeled after Dungeons & Dragons. Although in their world, the game becomes something of a guide book for the adventures they are about to go on.
Half the man I used to be
In Onward, the boys are getting through life after the loss of their father. They were young when he died, but the loss is still felt strongly. They handle it in very different ways, even after learning they may be able to bring him back to life. I will not say any more except to say that the father is their companion through most of the movie, but as a half complete form. As the trailers show, he is only resurrected from the waist down.
I was happy to see Disney and Pixar make a movie with boys as the protagonists. Disney, a company most known for princesses, went out on a limb here. The irony is in the manner in which the story telling is accomplished. On the surface, the tale is one of fantasy and adventure, but it is the power of family that is front and center. Pixar is known for making you cry in their movies.
At the very end of Coco, I was bawling my eyes out as the credits began to roll. Up gets me right in the feels in the first 15 minutes of the film. Onward has one moment, an awakening of sorts for Ian, that I had strong emotional reaction to. I thought of my parents and my brother during that scene. It is a thought-provoking concept that takes place. Again, I don’t want to spoil anything, but is a very mature sentiment for a “kids” movie.
I would like to pause with my review of the movie itself by discussing the marketing for the film. There has been basically no marketing. That is so odd for a movie that I so thoroughly enjoyed. Perhaps Disney and Pixar do not know how to market Onward to boys since its not a Star Wars or Marvel property. Who know? Regardless, I knew little about this movie before its release and was shocked when I heard it was already in theaters.
Ian (left) and Barley (right) are brothers trying to spend one more day with their deceased father in Onward
The other thing I would like to comment on is how terrible we are becoming as a society. The theater was nearly empty. We saw it in Regal’s RPX theater, which is a premium experience. Perhaps the cost kept people away or maybe it was the marketing, as I mentioned before. Regardless, there was less than 35 people in the theater. Directly behind my family was group of people with two obnoxious children. I could not believe the behavior of the children, but it was the lack of parental involvement that struck a chord with me.
A good time regardless
Don’t get me wrong. Disney and Pixar make family films. Family films will draw families. Families have children. I was not upset that there were children sitting behind me. That was to be expected. What I could not believe was that the parent was alloying the child to cry for half the movie. Dad did take the little girl for a walk, but then brought her back where she proceeded to start crying again. They had a younger boy with them too who repeatedly grabbed and pulled on the back of our seats. The final nail in the coffin was the Chinese food they brought in with them.
Chinese food is NOT appropriate for a movie theater
Coincidentally and unbelievably, this is SECOND time I have had people eating Chinese food behind me in a theater. Who does that? Seriously…who?”
Annoying people and poor marketing aside, Onward was a fun movie. It did a wonderful job of addressing family and the difficult nature of parenting and complexity of brotherhood. Along the way, there were some very funny moments and some real emotion. Not all the jokes landed however, with my girlfriend even saying she expected it to be funnier. All in all, as a geek who grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and as a brother, I thoroughly loved Onward…even with some idiots behind me.
Today is going to be a crazy day. I have made the mistake of packing my day with things. When I made the decision to start this blog, I had every intention of writing several days ahead and to continue to stockpile posts. That has not happened. Whoops. So, I am taking a day to reflect on the blog.
I have reached two weeks of posting daily blogs with subject matter specific to that day. Some trends are starting to show already as it pertains to my motivation and the reactions of readers. I am going to take today to reflect on the first two weeks and maybe make some tweaks to my format.
Still having a good time
This is all far more enjoyable than I expected to. I am also getting more traction with readers than I expected. With that said, I do want to make sure that I am fostering a format and environment on this blog that I will enjoy and feel motivated to continue for a long while.
I will be back tomorrow with a post. It may be Entertainment based, it may not. Even I don’t know right now. Regardless, I am so proud to have you reading my posts and I absolutely welcome any and all feedback.
It is no exaggeration to say that many of the choices I was making ten years ago were killing me. My food intake was horrific. I never exercised. Stress over life, marriage, and employment was as high as it could be. I was also a two-pack-a-day smoker. Today, all of that has changed. I have become a fitness junkie, substituting nearly all of my bad habits for good ones. Of all of them, running has had the most profound affect on me. Here are the three ways running changed my life.
#3 – Running kept me away from smoking
On June 15th of 2009, I made one monumental choice that fundamentally led me on a healthier path. I quit smoking cigarettes and I did it cold turkey. I would love to say that my entire life turned around in that instant, but the truth is that things got worse before they got better. My weight ballooned because I replaced the cigarettes with food. It was actually candy and high calorie snacks that found my stomach. Eventually I hit my maximum weight of 279 pounds in December of that year.
Beginning in January of 2010, I fundamentally changed my diet and began to workout incessantly. I started with a recumbent stationary bike, but by late Spring I had started running as well.
Running with my oldest son before my first 5k
Starting a running regimen was infinitely harder than riding a bike for me. Running’s cardiovascular requirements are, at least for me, much more demanding on the heart and lungs. My heart rate would regularly be high, in the area of 185 beats per minute. On top of that, my lungs would burn. I was only a year out from smoking at that time. While that is a significant time to allow the lungs to heal, it takes longer for the vascular system to rebound and achieve proper function.
My early running days required a constant internal struggle to stay the course. The pain of adjusting my body to running and the difficulty in staying motivated were real. There is no way I would have been able to continue running if I was still a smoker. As a matter of fact, I likely never would have started running. By maintaining running as a part of my life, I never desire a cigarette. I haven’t wanted one in years. I love running too much to risk my ability to do it effectively.
#2 – I get by with a little help from my friends
When I first got involved in running in 2010, I knew no one else that ran. I always ran by myself. My first 5k was that summer but I had no one at the start line for encouragement. When I finished that race, I did know someone at the finish line. It was a woman I went to high school with. It was nice to commiserate about the run and discuss future events.
Somewhere along my fitness journey, someone told me about a website they used to track their fitness and stay motivated. It was called Daily Mile. Sadly, the website shut down in 2019. I could write a whole story about what was great about the site, but let me just paraphrase by saying is was a Facebook for athletes. You posted your workout and race results and your friends and others could comment on them.
Jeff and Michele Richardson have been friends for years. We met through Daily Mile
Through that website, I connected with runners and cyclists from around the country. Most importantly, I formed friendships with some local athletes. A few of those people have become close friends and remain so to this day. These local people I connected with were often at the same races I was attending. Soon, I was participating in meet-ups and casual conversations at all my events.
Fitness is a journey without a defined destination. Along the way, there are times you feel less motivated than you want to be. There have even been times for me over the decade that I have stopped working out altogether. It is my cohort in fitness that has always nudged me back into it. By maintaining a connection with athletes through social media and fitness groups, I always find my way back to my path.
On my Tech Tuesday post this week, I emphasized how much I hate treadmills. While I admit they serve a vital purpose, I would never in my life choose the treadmill over the road on a nice day. Running on a good trail or safe road is the superior choice 100 times out of 100. Not only is the physics of the process more beneficial to efficient training, the scenery is better as well. I find peace and tranquility on a slightly foggy morning in the woods. That never happens on a treadmill.
One of the greatest joys I have had in running is competing in destination races. The problem with running a 5k or half marathon near home is that I often know the route intimately. There is nothing new for me to see. It is a glorious thing to get to see a different city or country and run somewhere new.
I have been lucky in life to be able to attend a number of runDisney races over the years, starting in 2016. In January of that year, at the age of 40, I ran my first full marathon at Walt Disney World in Florida. The 26.2 miles took me through all four parks featuring some exciting glimpses of backstage areas. Over my many trips to Disney, I have run at almost every one of the resorts as well. New Balance sponsored a series of designated running trails at nearly all the resorts on property. Each one has its own charm.
Everywhere I go, I try to get a run in. I ran in California while visiting Disneyland in 2018. I have run in the Bahamas on Castaway Cay while on the Disney Cruise. That is their private island and they offer an official 5k on the morning of the arrival there. I have also run countless miles on the fourth deck of The Disney Dream, which is the cruise ship I have sailed on several times.
My 2019 Marine Corps Marathon post-race pic
I have run the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. twice. The sites and sounds of that race rival anything else I have participated in. You run through Georgetown, Potomac Park, The National Mall, Crystal City, The Pentagon, and end in Arlington National Cemetery. There are very few events as awe-inspiring as that marathon.
I have run the boardwalk in Virginia Beach, home of the annual Shamrock Run, but never during that popular race. Central Park and Times Square have been backdrops of several runs for me. The hustle and bustle of New York City has an amazing way of spurring you on to a faster pace.
The hilly jungles of Saint Lucia are perhaps the most difficult I have experienced. The tranquil wonder of that island exceeds any other place I have visited. With that said, its oppressive heat and agonizing slopes make it a difficult place to run.
Slow down with a run
Travel is the best way to vacation. Unfortunately, we are often in a hurry to reach our destination. We jump from cab to plane to bus to train. We rush past people in the street to be the first in the door, first to get a table, first to take a picture, and the first to get on the plane to go home. While we are supposed to be decompressing and relaxing, we often speed up even more.
Take the time to jog around the places you visit. A thirty minute run is the perfect way to see the intimate details of your environment that are lost in an Uber. I like to run before my family wakes up. Seeing the sunrise on the ocean or behind a mountain is the most amazing way to start a day.
If you are just reaching a point in your life that you are considering running for health, these have been just three reasons running has changed my life. There are countless other ways it will change yours. Run for your health. Or Run for new relationships. You can Run to see the world. Run for any other reason you can think of. Just Run.
A new ride has arrived in the Disney Parks. It’s name is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. For better or for worse, it replaces a long standing popular ride in a move that has become the norm for Disney Parks. Since the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 1955, the castle in the central hub has been the trademark of the park. When The Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, Cinderella’s Castle followed the same model.
When EPCOT opened in 1982, the entire park broke from the established Disney model. Instead of a castle, there was an enormous geodesic sphere in its place. The structure stands 180 feet tall. Unlike the previous castles, the building stood almost immediately inside the main gates. A dark ride called Spaceship Earth was housed inside the sphere. While it was gone through some changes over the years, the ride as a whole is the same.
There’s something in the air in Hollywood
The next major Disney Park in the United States opened in 1989. Known as MGM Studios at the time, it was another change in direction for Disney. This new idea was to be an recreation of old Hollywood, making the whole park a nostalgic look at the history of cinema. Instead of a Main Street USA immediately inside the gates, an artistic version of Hollywood Blvd made its was into the park. At the end of that street stood the newest icon of a Disney Park, The Chinese Theater. It is nearly identical to the one located in Hollywood, complete with handprints in the concrete. It does lack the seedy “actors” in cheap costumes demanding your money for a picture with them like the real theater has, which is nice.
The Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a close recreation of the original
Housed within The Chinese Theater was The Great Movie Ride. This attraction was a dark ride of sorts, which is Disney’s bread and butter. It featured a ride vehicle operator who was going to take you on a trip down Hollywood Memory Lane, showing you detailed dioramas of unforgettable movie scenes. Along the way, you realized your driver was part of the show in more ways than you realized. After a live shootout, a gangster commandeered your ride vehicle to make his or her escape. The bad guy eventually gets what’s coming to them by a curse in an Indiana Jones temple scene. All in all, The Great Movie ride was relaxing but still entertaining break from the business of the park. Sadly, due to the end of some licensing agreements, it closed in 2017.
An Icon gets his due
Rumors quickly swirled of what the next ride would be that would replace The Great Movie Ride. Disney quickly revealed the ride would feature Mickey Mouse. The Walt Disney Company introduced the iconic rodent 91 years ago. He has appeared in countless films and television. He is the “face” of the organization and yet he hasn’t never had his own ride in a Disney Park. That changes with Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway’s arrival.
Mickey’s Runaway Railway was announced at a D23 event
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway features some of the newest technology Disney has been introducing in recent years. First, the ride incorporates a trackless ride system. This was originally introduced in Ratatouille: The Adventure at Disneyland Paris. It utilizes a system of magnets beneath the floor to maneuver the vehicle through the showroom. The free moving illusion also allows for complex choreographic movements with other ride vehicles. This technology has most recently been seen in Rise of The Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge, which is the Star Wars themed sub-park also located in Hollywood Studios.
The ride also features Disney’s new projection animatronics. Disney Imagineers invented animatronics at the very infancy of Disneyland, as a way of making lifelike characters in the parks. Audio Animatronics, as Walt coined them, were complex machines using hydraulic actuators to make a robot seem alive. When Great Moments With President Lincoln debuted at the World’s Fair in 1964, it was huge attention draw. It was moved to Disneyland in 1965.
Walt Disney talking about Great Moments with President Lincoln
This new technology still uses a lifesize robot to create movement, but the face is a blank canvas. On the head, light is cast by powerful projectors to bring a three dimensional face to life. This is best utilized to make animated characters come to life in our real world. It was used initially in Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure. It has been used several in several rides since, very notably in Frozen After After at EPCOT.
Opinions are like…wait, this is a Disney Post
Reviews of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway have been popping up all over the internet. Some are critical of the ride, claiming that Disney mailed it in and didn’t take advantage of an opportunity to make something more special. Most others love the ride, emphasizing that Mickey is a character that was finally getting what he is owed. Many people, however, have focused their attention on the use of the newest iteration of the Mickey art style.
Mickey’s new art style is not universally loved
A few years ago, the look of Mickey Mouse and the rest of his entourage changed in a very significant way. After decades of the classic look, they began to appear with a more simplistic art style. It was reminiscent of Ren & Stimpy cartoons. The look has not been popular with many Disney fans, this blogger included. I have been critical of it since I first set eyes on it. I will admit, begrudgingly, that it is growing on me. Ultimately, the choices Disney makes with their characters are their choices, and their choices alone. We can be critical, of course, but we are not in charge.
The wait may kill me
I will get my first opportunity to ride Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at the end of June of 2020 and I will certainly post my review of the ride at that time. Since you clicked on this post because you want to know more, below is a full ride through of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway by my friends at Attractions Magazine.
Full POV Ridethrough of Mickey’s Runaway Railway
The new art style of Mickey and friends actually seems to work on this ride, especially with the 3d light mapping on the faces. These videos are great to watch, but I have found through experience that Disney Magic always best experienced with your own eyes.
Have you been on the ride yet? Do you have thoughts on the new art style? Are you still angry at the loss of The Great Movie ride? Let me know in the comments.
Thank you for reading. Hope you come back tomorrow for a Fitness Fridays post.
The universe gifted me two wonderful children. Each of them has their unique qualities. My older son has an edge to his personality but he can also be sweet at times. He is great at reading a room and engaging anyone in conversation. My younger son has a heart of gold. His kindness presents itself to everyone he meets. Childhood cancer is a terrible curse on society and a new child is diagnosed with it every 2 minutes. Luckily for me, I never had to deal with any childhood cancer with either of my children. now, one of them is trying to help fight it.
For the last two years, my youngest son Michael, has participated in St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving Campaign to raise money to the non-profit. With the raised funds, St. Baldrick’s spearheads the fight to eliminate childhood cancers.
Who is St. Baldrick?
St. Baldrick is not actually a real saint. No Baldrick (to the best of anyone’s knowledge) walked the fields of Ireland at any point in time. The name is actually a derivative of BALD and ST. PATRICK because the annual head shaving takes place on or around St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Baldrick’s has been fighting childhood cancers since 2000
The first Head Shaving event took place in New York City in the year 2000 and has grown nation wide. Each year, they raise money for research into childhood cancers and the amount continues to grow. In 2019, they awarded 24.7 million dollars to organizations fighting pediatric cancer.
Please help Michael
Today’s Wildcard Wednesday post is short and sweet because I would like everyone to read it quickly and take the moment to help out.
Michael has been passionate about St. Baldrick’s for some time now. Growing his hair out every year is annoying at times, but he is happy to endure it. He truly believes in the good he is doing for other kids. That is a selflessness you seldom see in children. He would be honored to be one of the top fundraisers locally and we are trying to help him reach that goal.
This is Michael having his head shaved last year for St. Baldrick’s
Would you please take a moment to give a small donation to the cause of fighting childhood cancer in my son’s name? I promise you that he AND children suffering from pediatric cancer thank you!
When I went through my initial weight-loss journey in 2010, I lost a large majority of the pounds on a stationary bike. For distraction purposes, I parked my recumbent in front of a television. That allowed me to combat what was sometimes three hours of torture. That summer I purchased my first bicycle and began riding on the road. I couldn’t believe how superior being outside was to that stationary bike.
Running joined cycling that summer as well. I ran almost daily on a fine gravel path near my home. The scenery, with its natural beauty, was the perfect background for me to find peace while I went through the personal hell of run training.
As is the way of the world, all good things must come to an end. That winter, when the weather finally became too cold, I could no longer ride outside. At least I was able to run. I continued that right into the most frigid of months. One day, over a beer, a fellow cyclist made aware of bike trainers.
Lesser of all the evils
Bike trainers are a device a cyclist can use indoors to continue their training throughout the year. There was a limited number of options in 2011. You could go with a fluid trainer, which had its internal components encased in a viscous liquid that provided resistance. A magnetic trainer was another option. It used opposing magnets to provide the resistance while you pedaled.
There are many bike trainer options on the marker. Wahoo is my trainer of choice.
Rollers were a niche trainer option for only the most hardened and insane of cyclists. They were just what the name implies. You rode your bike, unconnected to anything, on a series of tubes with bearings that made you feel as if you were actually riding. The reality is that one wrong move would send you flying off the rollers to certain death. In reality, you probably wouldn’t die. However, I bet you would break something and it would most likely be a lamp or table.
Cycling on a trainer is the worst
I went with a MAG trainer, which was coincidentally magnetic. The first time I attached my bike to the device, I was full of hopeful expectations. I imagined it would feel just like riding my bike on the road. It wasn’t. Not one bit. I am fairly certain I only lasted about ten minutes that first time. Why? Oh, there are so many reasons:
When you ride your bike outdoors, there is a sway to your body that you can use to apply power to pedals. That isn’t possible since the bike is locked into a very heavy device.
When you ride your bike outdoors, you can view ever-changing scenery because you are generally going 15-20 mph. The absolute opposite is true on a trainer. I can only stare at that lonely house plant for so long.
When you ride your bike outdoors, you can take pedaling breaks because of downhills. Sometimes you get to pedal harder because you are climbing up a hill. Basically, things are constantly changing. Not on a trainer. On the trainer, you pedal. You pedal only what that horrible trainer gives you. That is all.
When you ride your bike outdoors, you get to feel the wind. As your body is heating up from exertion, the wind from your speed is there to keep you cool. That is not the case on a trainer unless you put a fan in front of you. That is highly suggested, by the way. However, even with a fan, it never feels the same. I believe it is the singular direction and speed of a fan that leaves it feeling artificial.
When you ride your bike outdoors, you can join and race other cyclists. On a trainer, you generally lose that. Sure, you can set up multiple trainers in your home. Let’s be honest here, how many of us have 500 square foot living rooms to fit a whole peloton of bikes?
Due to this amassed number of complaints I have about trainers, I seldom used mine. Each and every winter would come with me deciding to bite the bullet and ride my trainer. Every winter would also see me get about two weeks into that decision and then completely change my mind. Trainers suck. PERIOD.
The Dreadmill
Treadmills do not even require too much explanation. While I am certain that a relatively small percentage of the population will even ride a bike on a trainer, I am positive that a vast majority have run on a treadmill at least once. While there are plenty of benefits to running on a treadmill, the physics of it are just different enough from running on the road that I struggle mightily with it.
A fun treadmill FAIL compilation
For some reason, I am always slower on a treadmill. I am convinced it is because my gait is different on the treadmill, likely due to the sense of limited space to stride. The continuous thud of my steps mixed with the mechanical hum of the motor and belt is also a distraction that takes me out of my zen like space I try to find when I run outdoors. I have avoided treadmills almost completely during my years of running because treadmills suck. PERIOD.
Enter the great new hope
When I explained trainers earlier, I did not include one category of trainer: Computerized Trainers. There were computerized trainers on the market at that time. TacX, for example, sold a system with a slew of devices that offered a nearly realistic simulation of riding outdoors. You had the option of changing elevation and could see where you riding in the world. It came with a load of bells and whistles. It also came with an outrageous price tag. I didn’t include that category because professional cyclists and human performance organizations were the only consumers of them.
That began to change in 2013 when several companies introduced Smart Trainers to the marketplace. With this new, more affordable option, you could connect a pc, a tablet, or your smart phone to the device via ANT+ or Bluetooth technology. Now, you could use software to control the resistance of the trainer. Even more importantly, software companies could combine mapping technology and networking to introduce a whole new riding experience.
Zwift’s arrival brought a whole new way to ride indoors.
Pay to play or in this case, ride
Zwift started offering subscriptions in October of 2015. What that subscription gave you was access to a virtual world, akin to a video game. In this digitally rendered, three dimensional world, you could ride your bike along a network of roads until you heart was content. They had flats, hills, and even mountains in their fictional land of Watopia.
Zwift communicated through your Smart Trainer software to control the resistance of your trainer. As you climbed a hill in the virtual world, it became harder to pedal. As you descended the hill later, it became easier to pedal. Absolute genius. Another amazing aspect of the Zwift platform, is that all around you were other cyclists. Each and every person on a bike in that world was the avatar of a real cyclists in their home or gym using similar technology.
Time to join the cool kids
I waited one year from its release before purchasing my setup. I went with a Wahoo Kickr Snap. You had two options with Wahoo. With the main Kickr product, you removed your rear wheel and temporarily attached your frame and chain to the device. With the Kickr Snap option, your back wheel stayed on and you locked the rear wheel of your bike against a flywheel. The primary difference is that the first option allowed for that gentle sway I referred to earlier in this article. Basically, it felt slightly more “road-like.”
This setup was a godsend for me. That winter and the following one, I used the Wahoo Kickr Snap with Zwift and road indoors plenty. Due completely to that, my strength, speed, and endurance in cycling began to improve year after year.
Doth my eyes deceive me?
One day, during my third season using Zwift, I suddenly saw something on my monitor while I was riding that confused me. My brain was reeling. I actually stopped pedaling and turned my bike around in the virtual world. I had to ride back and confirm my thoughts…Sure enough, I had actually seen someone running on the side of the road in Watopia. Suddenly, Zwift was no longer just for cyclists.
Zwift started offering running at an option in 2018
I did some research. How was I going to be able to run in the virtual world too? Surely, this is a technology that belonged in a technoholic’s home. Unfortunately, I was quickly met with defeat. I began searching Zwift’s website for the setup information. It was only in a beta at that time, meaning you needed to be invited in. For the next year, the ability to run inside Zwift’s platform was limited to only very high end treadmills. That was a problem for two reasons. High end treadmills are unbelievably expensive and I still hated treadmills. Regardless of these truths, I still coveted the idea and felt a small pang of jealousy ever time I saw a runner in Zwift.
More ways to play
Instead of going out and spending five thousand dollars on a treadmill to join the fun, I made the choice to purchase something else Wahoo had brought to the marketplace. During the previous year, they released the Kickr Climb. With this device, you removed your front wheel and attached your front forks to the Climb. It connected to your trainer via bluetooth. While you were riding in the virtual world, the Climb would assess the gradient of the road you were riding. When you began to ride up a hill, the Climb would elevate the front of your bike, simulating the slope of the road. When you descended, the opposite would occur.
This new option on the platform created an even more immersive experience. I rode more last year with the Climb than I did in previous off-seasons. When this past fall arrived, I once again took a gander at the options for running in Zwift. While I was encouraged by seeing more treadmills availble, they all still lived in the $3-4 thousand dollar range. I was not that interested in suffering on a treadmill with that price. Again, Wahoo came to my rescue with a another new device.
Wahoo Kickr with Climb and Headwind
This blew me away
The Headwind actually popped up at the end of the previous winter, but I wasn’t going to spend the money on something new at the end of the indoor riding season. The headwind was a “smart” fan you placed in front of your cycling setup. Like the Climb, it connected via bluetooth to your Kickr. The Headwind read your speed in the virtual world and matched it with the speed of the fan. Now, you effectively felt the wind while you were riding. Suddenly, the line between indoor and outdoor riding was truly starting to blur.
Over the last couple of years, Zwift has also greatly increased their riding options. There are multiple virtual worlds you can choose from. Some are totally invented like Watopia. Others are based solidly on the real world, like London, Richmond, and Innsbruck. New York City’s Central Park is also in the software but it features a very interesting format. In this futuristic version of the park, you can ride the park loops that have made the place famous, or you can ride up technologically advanced ramps that lead to a course in the sky. It allows for the scenic New York City skyline as a backdrop while you ride up and down some pretty challenging elevation changes.
Impulse buys are the worst
A couple of days after Christmas in 2019, my girlfriend and I were walking into Dick’s Sporting Goods in Destiny USA, which is the local mall here in Syracuse. As you first walk in, there is sometimes a row of treadmills for sale. She looked over to me with hope. Unlike me, she is a treadmill runner. At that time, she had been regularly driving to the gym at night to run on their treadmills. She wanted me to buy her one. Ugh. I was pleasantly surprised to see all the treadmills were heavily discounted after the holiday.
That very night I drove home with a Bowflex BXT216 treadmill hanging out of the back of my Toyota Prius. It took me a couple of days to hook it up and several more before I gave it a real try at running on it. I still hated the treadmill and didn’t see myself using it a lot, but my girlfriend was in her glory. She spent nearly every evening on it for the next month, but I returned mostly to my bike.
I impulse bought this beauty right after Christmas
About two weeks ago, one of my clients was talking to me about her Zwift riding experiences. We were discussing the additional attachments I had purchased over the years and she asked me if I had gotten a treadmill yet, specifically to run inside using Zwift. I replied that I had just bought a treadmill but it wasn’t one of the ones listed on their website. She proceeded to tell me that the website info isn’t totally accurate. A Zwift rep told her that as long as the treadmill has bluetooth technology, it should work.
What?!?!
Is the treadmill a thing now?
I ran home after my last client and made my way to the gym in my house. My beautiful Trek Domane was sitting there, attached to my Wahoo Kickr Snap and Climb. Sitting in front of that was the Headwind. Above that was the monitor I use while riding. Next to that insane cycling setup is my new treadmill. I turned on the software, clicked on the RUN tab on the load screen. There were three options for syncing it. You can connect to a heart rate monitor, cadence counter, and the treadmill. With bated breath, I turned on my treadmill and touched the icon on the screen.
Immediately it connected. Oh my god. I stepped onto the treadmill and tried it out. Sure enough, my avatar was walking on the screen. I increased the speed and the “me” on the screen ran at the same pace. I put on my heart rate chest belt and connected that as well. Success. But I was missing the cadence. I was able to grab a Run Pod made by Zwift on Amazon. That arrived yesterday and I tried it out last night. Immediate Success.
After all these years, I now have a complete setup in my basement to allow for multi-sport training. It is perfect timing too, because I have my first multi-sport event this coming May. I will be competing in a Bike-Kayak-Run event in Schenectady. I have never participated in one of these, but being well trained will help ease my anxiety.
If you have considered the Zwift system, which works with several different trainers and treadmills, I can highly recommend it. It has been a vital part of my training regiment for many years and will continue to be for many more years to come.
