Welcome Back Pine Valley

On September 23, 2011, "All My Children" aired their final episode on TV. During the Tribute to Pine Valley tour on the blogs there was much talk of it coming back in January 2012, but online this time. 

There were many questions -- how would this happen? Would it still be free? Who would come back? How would it be different?

One thing led to another and it didn't happen. The ending of the show was left with lots of closure, yet open ended enough that it could pick up where it left off. When it was announced that it would not continue, I'll admit, I felt robbed of a decent closing. The last scene had JR pointing a gun at a room filled with most of Pine Valley and Tad Martin giving a speech that would make his adopted father proud. The gun fires, and the show ended.

Fast forward to 2013. An announcement is made that The OnLine Network (TOLN) will start showing new episodes of "All My Children" on April 29, 2013. Prospect Park is the creator of the new shows.

Back to the online flurry of questions: how will this happen? Will it still be free? Who will come back? How will it be different?

***SPOILER ALERT***

Rather than posting the answers on FaceBook, I'm posting them here.

Each day (starting a midnight (or is it 5 AM?)) a new episode will air for free at Hulu.com. You have to watch a 1 minute ad (no biggie). Up to 10 episodes will be available. If you need to back further than that, subscribe to Hulu Plus. Hulu.com can only be watched on a computer. Hulu Plus allows you to connect it to your TV set. mobile device or tablet and it eliminates commercials. So far I'm fine with it on my laptop.

Many favorites came back: Brooke, Adam (who had retired when the show moved to California), Opal, David, Bianca, Joe (who also retired), Cara, Griff, Angie, Jesse, Cassandra, Zach, and a few others. Missing, though for one reason or another, Erica (how can the show continue without Susan Lucci?), Jack, Tad, Kendall, and so far no JR (the actor is on a different soap and could not work out an agreement, I heard he was being recast). 

The episodes are only 30 minutes long instead of 60. Not much difference when you factor in there were a lot more commercials on TV.

The show is set on the 5th anniversary of the shooting. Accept that shooting took place in the Fall and the show is set in the Spring and move on. Accept that most of the actors have barely aged 18 months (in some cases look younger due to some rest). Accept that the kids have been aged at odd increments (elementary school kids are now in high school, older kids are now post college age) and move on. It is a soap after all.

The show is already definitely steamier. Already AJ has dropped his towel, Jesse and Angie have gone at it on the couch, and Cara has had a fantasy scene with David. Hope the actors used their time off at the gym. ;)

The new sets are beautiful. Opal now has a home. I'll miss that the outdoor scenes are now filmed in Connecticut instead of Princeton, New Jersey. Beats when they filmed the outdoor set in California, though.

AMC has not added many new characters (so far), but the addition of the older kids is going to take a few days to adjust to. Bianca, who still looks to be in her 20s is mom to Miranda, who is now in high school instead of being Ashley's age. Same with AJ and Dixie, except they are supposed to be grandson and grandmother. That type of thing.

The first episode tried to answer some questions as to what happened during the last five years. Today they implied Tad has been in a coma this whole time (leaves room for a return!). Sounds like David was involved with the shooting? Lucy (the baby Jesse stole for Angie) was in their lives for the past five years. She stayed the same age and just moved to Portland. Brooke and Adam are still together, but not yet married (AMC loves to put on weddings). Lots of questions still. 

This format is nice because you can log in at anytime to watch it. No setting the VCR (yes, I'm still stuck in the 1990s). I can watch it anywhere in the US. Sounds like they struck a deal with Canada, too. I'm not up on those details.

I thought my AMC habit was dead. I no longer twitch at 1 PM to watch it. I hardly ever scowl at my parents when they talk about "Days of Our Lives." Today, that changes ... I can resume visiting my friends and wondering my my grandmother would have thought of this transition. Wondering where these story lines will go.

Tune in tomorrow for more happenings.

Day 2: maybe yesterday's guesses were all wrong? I miss KathyPVB's spoiler alerts. 

Some questions are answered here. There will only be four episodes a week, with Friday airing a recap. So instead of the Friday cliffhanger, we can look forward to Thursday cliffhangers. 

Seriously into Training for D3

My 17-week training schedule says I just finished week 2, however my legs are telling me I finished week 1.

This is my first time training for back-to-back races: The Dumbo Double Dare, a.k.a. D3. On August 31st I will run 6.2 miles. The next morning I return to the start line for a half marathon. Lots of bling is involved -- one for each race, another for doing the two back-to-back, and a fourth one for completing the Coast-to-Coast challenge (begun with the Princess half). There is another one for eating bacon along the course (or the vegetarian option) and a fifth one for being "Mad as a Hatter." The last one is hard to explain.

The first week of training was just like any other week I run -- 30-45 minutes (2.5-4 miles) twice a week, and a long run of 3.1 miles on Sunday. Instead I ran 8K on that Sunday (4.97 miles).

Week two started off just like week 1, then it added a twist for the weekend: back to back runs. Ouch! I ran 3.1 miles on Saturday. Sunday called for 6.2 miles. My overall time was okay (I ran a 12:10 mile overall, even though the first mile was closer to 11:30). My legs were feeling it!

Thoughts:
1) I'm so glad I found a training program that includes a few back to back training runs (5 out of the 17 weeks).
2) I'm really glad today is a rest day!
3) I reminded myself during the run it will be easier at Disney because during the race I'll be resting often to take pictures. If I can run it in Mercer County alone, I'll have no troubles in California with all those people.

This weekend many ladies I know ran in the Nike Women Half Marathon in DC. The prize for finishing was a Tiffany necklace, complete with the light blue box. This was the first year for this race. Registration was by lottery. I want to enter in the lottery next year.

I came to the conclusion this weekend that the swag is turning into a factor for choosing one race over another. A race that has women-cut tech shirts as an option wins out over one with cotton tees or unisex cut tech shirts. Medals or necklaces for finishing are also a must. Exceptions for local races that do not involve travel or insane schedules.

This week kicks it back a notch -- two 20-45 minute runs and a long run of 5 miles on Sunday. I can do it!

Quick trip to NYC

Continuing with the recent theme of things I could or should be doing with all that free time while Ashley is in school (Thunder game, movie) was a quick jaunt into NYC to see a show.

We are lucky we live close to both New York City and Philadelphia. People in our neighborhood commute to those cities. We, though, only go to each one a couple of times a year. Our most recent trip to NYC was earlier this month when we saw "Newsies." 

There are lots of excuses for not going into NYC -- it isn't cheap, it is only easy-ish (parking is a hassle, the trains don't run as often as I would like, it takes about 2 hours to get to NYC from our house when you factor in driving to the train station, catching a train, etc.). Still, we are lucky it is so close to us.

This week Noemi, a friend from Sustainable Lawrence, is starring in a one-woman off-Broadway show that she wrote and is also producing called "The Fountain of Youth." Anyone in theater will tell you that is a lot of hats to wear for a show.

I took the train in with Noemi -- thus eliminating the hurdle of finding parking at the Princeton Junction Train Station. Since I was going to her show, I took the train back with her and her husband, Ron.

While in NYC, I made a pilgrimage stop to the New York Public Library to visit old friends from the 100 Acre Wood. They moved to NYC in 1987. It was a quick visit. 

I had dinner at The Counter -- a burger place on the corner of Broadway and 41st Street. Bill told us about this place during our last visit to NYC. It is amazing -- I had a vegan veggie burger with goat cheese, grilled pineapples, roasted red peppers, roasted onions and artichokes on a ciabatta roll with a side of sweet potato fries. They also have chicken, turkey burgers, beef, and bison. Lots and lots of choices.

The play was the first half of a double bill. It was fun. I was most impressed that Noemi could easily switch between 10 different characters with a shift in her body language, voice and minimal props. She even played a man. The play was very thought provoking. We talked about it during the ride home.

The other play was "Cowl Girl." Three actors each only playing one role. The actor playing Jason reminded me of my eye doctor. The actor playing Alex bore a strong resemblance to someone I know from SVP. I kept thinking it was them on the stage! Each role showed significant growth in 75 minutes. Both shows were part of an acting workshop. The hope is to hone the productions and keep finding new venues (and new funding) for future productions.

It is always fun supporting a friend in the arts.

I was a bit beat today, though. Not used to coming home after midnight, being up in time for the school bus, and having a full day. I'm ready for the weekend!

Mid-Day Trenton Thunder Game

 Once again, Sharon invited me to do something I should have been doing since Ashley returned to bricks and mortar school. Instead of the movies, this time she invited me to a mid-week day Trenton Thunder baseball game on April 17.

The game started at 10:35 -- a good time, perhaps, for school groups. An odd time for baseball players and their routines. 

The game started with overcast skies and very little need for sunscreen. As we walked up to the concourse, Sharon and I swapped tales about our worst sunburns happening at this stadium. Mine was May 16, 2002 -- the day before Ashley was born. Hers was in April a different year. I should have worn sunscreen as when the skies cleared in the 7th inning, the rays seemed to shine down on my face and neck.

We both brought our cameras. Sharon's camera is just a wee bit larger than mine and smidge more powerful (both vast understatements). She and Thunder prospect, Tyler Austin, have formed a connection through her photography. Though she is a die-hard Mets fan, she roots for Tyler. We both took some pictures of him playing. He was the DH that day, hence no pictures of him in the field. He drew two walks and scored once. Not a bad day for him.

Unfortunately it was not enough for Thunder and they lost 10-6.

This was my first game since the 2011 season. Hopefully I'll make it a habit to return to many more games. I just love sitting in the stands and watching the game unfold before me. The pace is very relaxing and soothing, with a few jolts of electricity tossed in to keep fans on their toes.

Go Thunder!

Rutgers Unite Half Marathon and 8K

As I wrote earlier in the week, I had absolutely no intention of running the Rutgers Unite Half Marathon or the 8K. It starts at 8 AM on Sunday morning. I've just resumed training for the Dumbo Double Dare coming up at the end of the summer. It wasn't on my radar.

Then the bombing took place at the Boston Marathon. I suddenly wanted to connect with the running community by doing a race.

Meanwhile on FaceBook. I read about other friends running the Rutgers race. Most were doing the half marathon, but my training buddy Sharon was doing the 8K. I did the math. 8K=4.97 miles. THAT I could do, and do well.

Sharon graciously saved me a drive to Rutgers on Saturday and picked up my race packet. I returned the favor and drove her to and from the race today. I picked her up in West Windsor at 6:30 AM. We parked in the familiar parking lot on College Avenue -- the same one we used for our SCILS classes when we were earning our MLIS degrees. 

We miraculously caught the shuttle bus to the starting area, thus sparing ourselves a 20 minute walk to the start. I saw the Bronc for the first time and had Sharon snap my picture with him. The half marathon started at 8. Us 8K runners started 15 minutes later. My goal was to finish before the first half marathoner crossed the line (same finish line). My second goal was to finish in under an hour. I made the latter goal, but not the former one. Darn super fast runners!

The race took place over the Rutgers New Brunswick campuses. As a grad student, all but one of my on-line classes was in SCILS (School of Communication Information and Literary Services), with one held in a different building, and the rest online. I never made it to the other campuses. This race was a nice tour of the area.

Unlike most of my races lately, I only took this one mid-course, and that was within the first mile. We started at the Rutgers Stadium on Busch Campus. Ran past Johnson Park. Over the Raritan River to Buccleaugh Park (a couple of hills here). Up another hill and we were at the College Avenue building. Before I knew it, we were passing SCILS and the finish line was within sight.

For the most part I kept with my training and ran 3 minutes and walked 2. A couple of hills made me walk an extra 40 seconds. Not bad at all. 

I heard my name announced as I was crossing the finish line! What a great feeling. I finished with a smile and easily bumped into Sharon who finished nearly 4 minutes before I did.

I finished at 57:09.6 -- a PR for the 8K distance since it was my first 8K, and nearly 3 minutes faster than my only 5 miler. By mile 4.5 I was lapped by the first half marathoner. Right after I crossed the finish line i heard the their half  marathoner was about to cross. I feel great about it!

The post-race food was the best I've seen -- or maybe that is since the half marathoners hadn't finished yet, I was ahead of the crowd instead of behind them and there was lots of well-organized food left. We had pasta salad, cookies, fruit, water, Coke, and a delicious yogurt parfait. The snacks got me through the car ride from Sharon's house to mine. 

Before the race, Gabrielle, Sharon and I decided to wear our Sparkle Skirts. Sharon's friend Stacey also wore her skirt. Unlike Disney races, the Sparkle Skirt made us stand out. I had lots of comments from the crowd about my skirt. It was fun! Since I registered so late, I did not have my name on the bib, but I was still cheered on because of the skirt and pony tail holder.

I wore blue and yellow in honor of Boston. Sharon was wearing Rutgers Colors. Someone from the Trenton Half Marathon saw me in my Trenton Half shirt and took our picture for their FaceBook page.

Sharon gave me a lovely pom pom pony tail holder so I was sporting some Rutgers scarlet.

I'm glad I did it. There was awesome crowd support along the route. I saw at least 4 bands in our 5 miles (not sure if there were more for the half marathon crowd). Several water stops, even though it was cool enough we didn't need it. 

Starting temp: 40 and breezy. Ending temp: 48 and breezy.

It was sunny. :) 

Spring has Sprung

We spent five years looking for this house. We've lived in it nearly 13 years so far (signed the paperwork on it on April 28, 2000, but waited for the former owners' children to finish the school year before we moved into it). 

After all these years I'm still amazed by how pretty it looks in the Spring. I always try to take pictures on that magical day when the sky is blue and the trees are all in bloom. These are some pictures from that day.

This also marked the week someone came and ground the last of our willow tree. :( Time to plant something new in it's place.

Princeton Running Company's Run for Boston

Last week the world was rocked by the news of bombings taking place at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This has hit the running community particularly hard.

No matter how slow we are, the Boston Marathon is the penultimate race to run. With most races, you just need a fast finger, and a willing credit card, to register for a race. With Boston, you need a super fast marathon qualifying time (a BQ) to be invited to then have the super fast finger and willing credit card to complete the registration process. 

This week the running community has united to show the terrorists and the world that we will not stop running just because of the bombing. Races will continue to happen. If anything, this event has made us even stronger as a group. Pretty amazing when you consider most training runs happen alone, or with a friend or two, not en masse as happens in a race.

Wednesday night (April 17), Don, Ashley and I joined 70 other runners for a "Run for Boston" hosted by the Princeton Running Company. Prior to the run store employees spoke about Boston. Each of the three staff members had run Boston -- one that year. She finished an hour before the explosions. Meghan, another staff member, was working the Boston Marathon Expo. We had a moment of silence, and then we were off for a one-mile route.

\\We ran down Nassau Street to Olden to Prospect to Washington and back up to Nassau Street. Ashley was not feeling well that day, so we walked behind the group. This was Don's first run with his five-finger sneakers bought for next month's SuperHero Race.


I'll admit I was the only one wearing a Sparkle Skirt. Don was the only one in denim shorts for that matter!

It was a good showing of solidarity. I heard there was a candlelight run in Cherry Hill that night, and a huge run in Philadelphia.

Tomorrow I'll be wearing my Sparkle Skirt again as I run the Rutgers 8K. This time I know I won't be the only one as my friends Sharon and Gabrielle are also wearing their Sparkle Skirts. 

More on that race tomorrow.