Tag / Hayley

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Ballpark Tour: Blue Jays

With the offseason underway, we continue our tour of all of the different baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years. This week, we look at the Toronto Blue Jays, the lone team currently existing outside of the United States. So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my one game history with Rogers Centre.

Stadium Name: Skydome/Rogers Centre

Years in Service: 1989 – Present

Visits: 1

Following the Grey Cup game in 1982 at Exhibition Stadium, dubbed the Rain Bowl due to a torrential rainstorm, tens of thousands of people attended a rally at Toronto’s city hall chanting “We want a dome”.  After years of studies, they got their wish on June 3, 1989 when Skydome opened as the new home of the Blue Jays, featuring the first functional retractable roof in North America.

While the stadium quickly became an albatross for the province of Ontario, due to cost overruns and a recession, the Blue Jays became a force to be reckoned with.  The Jays won the AL East crown in 1989 and 1991, losing to the eventual World Series champions both years.  In 1992, they again won their division and became the first Canadian team to capture a World Series title.  They repeated as champions in 1993, becoming the first team to win back-to-back Series since the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

Since then, things have been relatively quiet for the Blue Jays.  In 2005, the stadium was renamed Rogers Centre, after the new owners of both the stadium and the team.

I attended my first (and, so far, only) game at the Rogers Centre in September of 2015 when I was visiting Toronto with my friend Hayley.  In addition to adding a new stadium to my resume, former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle was scheduled to start, so I was really looking forward to the game.  Sadly, Buehrle was bumped a few days due to a sore shoulder, so I ended up having to see David Price take on the Orioles.  He handled them with ease, picking up his 100th career victory.  I didn’t have the best seats in the house, sitting out in left field, but was in the shade, which was in short supply during a hot afternoon with the roof open.  I certainly hope to return one day.

by jim

Ballpark Tour: Blue Jays

With the offseason underway, we continue our tour of all of the different baseball stadiums I’ve been to over the years. This week, we look at the Toronto Blue Jays, the lone team currently existing outside of the United States. So, without further ado, let’s take a deeper look at my one game history with Rogers Centre.

Stadium Name: Skydome/Rogers Centre

Years in Service: 1989 – Present

Visits: 1

Following the Grey Cup game in 1982 at Exhibition Stadium, dubbed the Rain Bowl due to a torrential rainstorm, tens of thousands of people attended a rally at Toronto’s city hall chanting “We want a dome”.  After years of studies, they got their wish on June 3, 1989 when Skydome opened as the new home of the Blue Jays, featuring the first functional retractable roof in North America.

While the stadium quickly became an albatross for the province of Ontario, due to cost overruns and a recession, the Blue Jays became a force to be reckoned with.  The Jays won the AL East crown in 1989 and 1991, losing to the eventual World Series champions both years.  In 1992, they again won their division and became the first Canadian team to capture a World Series title.  They repeated as champions in 1993, becoming the first team to win back-to-back Series since the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

Since then, things have been relatively quiet for the Blue Jays.  In 2005, the stadium was renamed Rogers Centre, after the new owners of both the stadium and the team.  After years of failed expectations, the Blue Jays finally have something to be excited about, thanks to Vlad Guerrero Jr, one of the most exciting young players in the game.

I attended my first (and, so far, only) game at the Rogers Centre in September of 2015 when I was visiting Toronto with my friend Hayley.  In addition to adding a new stadium to my resume, former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle was scheduled to start, so I was really looking forward to the game.  Sadly, Buehrle was bumped a few days due to a sore shoulder, so I ended up having to see David Price take on the Orioles.  He handled them with ease, picking up his 100th career victory.  I didn’t have the best seats in the house, sitting out in left field, but was in the shade, which was in short supply during a hot afternoon with the roof open.  I certainly hope to return one day.

by admin

FB4: Week 27

A pretty good week, with 5 out of the 7 days coming above goal.  Things started off strong on Sunday, with just over 7100 steps.  Monday was the big day of the week, coming in at nearly 11,200 steps.  Tuesday was back down at 8300 steps, while Wednesday finished 105 steps higher.  Thursday came in just shy of 7200 steps.  Friday was a down day, with 6300 steps.  Saturday used a trip to Medieval Times with Hayley and Daryl to finish just shy of 6000 steps.

Total steps: 54,501

Daily average: 7785.9

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FB4: Week 13

A vaguely successful week, coming in 248 steps over my goal.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, falling just short of 5200 steps.  Monday was an improvement, but still fell 74 steps short of my goal.  Tuesday was the highlight of the week, coming in at nearly 8500 steps, thanks to a post-work trip to Naperville for a book event with Gillian Flynn and Patton Oswalt.  Wednesday just barely surpassed 7100 steps, despite a post-work trip to Lisle for a singing performance.  Thursday again just managed to surpass 7000 steps.  Friday almost got to 7200 steps.  Saturday surpassed 8200 steps, thanks to a trip to Gameworks with Daryl and Hayley.

Total steps: 49,248

Total steps: 7035.4

by admin

The Ever Growing 10,000 Step Club

Last year, as I was finishing up my second year with the Fitbit, I took my last look at the top 25 step days I’ve had since I first started tracking my steps way back in July of 2011.  At the time, I had surpassed the 10,000 step plateau 116 times.  In the past year, I have managed to add an additional 49 occurrences, raising the total to 165.  With my third year using the Fitbit coming to an end last week, I thought it would be appropriate to take a new look at my top 25 step days over the past 6 1/2 years, featuring 7 new entries.

btn10K-41: 6/6/2013 – 24,988 steps

My best single day total continues to be from my 2013 trip to Disney World.  The day’s excursion to both Epcot Center and the Magic Kingdom ended up with a total of approximately 12.5 miles.  And yes, it still bothers me that I didn’t get those 12 additional steps to reach 25,000.

2: 3/22/2016 – 22,493 steps

My second highest day shares much in common with my #1 day, taking place in Disney World in March of 2016.  The day’s excursion started at Hollywood Studios before heading over to Epcot Center with Jeff and Val.

3: 7/27/2013 – 20,592 steps

My third highest total came nearly 2 months after my highest, thanks to the BTN 5K and a, for lack of a better word, misunderstanding about where I should be picked up after the race.

4: 8/5/2017 – 20,218 steps

The first new entry came last August on the first day of my trip to Boston with Danny and Michael.  After landing in town, we traipsed to the Science Museum, a breakfast joint, our hotel, and, finally, Fenway Park.

5: 7/14/2017 – 20,208 steps

Our second new entry came last July, as Angelina and I took a day trip to Disney World to celebrate her high school graduation.

6: 9/19/2017 – 20,028 steps

The third straight new entry, which helped to double my total of 20,000 step days from the previous 5+ years, had a myriad of activities.  First was the latest edition of the Sprint and Stride, followed by a trip to Best Buy with Val to buy a new TV, then off to her apartment to install the new TV, and, finally, Season Ticker Holder Family Night at Wrigley Field.

7: 11/11/2017 – 19,590 steps

Our fourth straight new entry came thanks to last fall’s trip to California to see Angelina skate.  This day was spent in Anaheim at Disneyland.

8: 6/2/2016 – 18,725 steps

Day #8, which dropped 4 spots, comes from June 2016’s trip to Universal Studios.  Our first full day at the park, we split the day between Universal and Islands of Adventure, taking in all of the different Harry Potter options.

9: 6/4/2016 – 18,617 steps

Our next entry is also from the June 2016 trip to Universal Studios.  The day included another trip to Islands of Adventure, and would have ended up even higher but for an afternoon trip to the hotel pool.

10: 6/21/2017 – 18,290 steps Continue reading →

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Fitbit III: Week 41

What looked to be a disappointing week got turned around thanks to a trip to California.  Sunday got the week off to a slow start despite a trip out to see the new Thor film with Hayley and Val.  Monday was a nice bounce back, coming close to 8500 steps thanks to a trip to North to work out my issues with Hayley.  Tuesday and Wednesday were both back down under goal, despite Hayley’s goodbye party.  Thursday bounced back once again, due to post-work packing.  Friday started with a flight to California, followed by a trip to Hollywood and the Warner Brothers Studio Tour.  Saturday came 410 steps shy of 20,000 thanks to spending the day in Disneyland.

Total steps: 63,339

Daily average: 9048.4

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Fitbit III: Week 40

An overall decent week, with each day finishing over my 6500 step goal.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday thanks to a birthday celebration with the family.  Monday jumped up over 8000 steps thanks to upgrade related trips around the building at work.  Tuesday was back down around 7000 steps, with Wednesday and Thursday both surpassing that plateau.  Friday was the big day of the week, coming in over 8500 steps thanks to an after work trip to Rosemont with Jeff, Hayley, and Val.  Saturday used a trip down to The Second City to come in over 7500 steps.

Total steps: 52,345

Daily average: 7477.9

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Fitbit III: Week 36

Another good week, as I ran my streak of days over goal to 22.  Things got off to a good start thanks to a Sunday trip to Rosemont for lunch and a movie with Hayley, which put me over 7000 steps.  Monday combined work and a post-work walk to surpass 9000 steps.  Tuesday used the same formula, plus a trip to North for lunch, to just sneak past 10,000 steps, my lowest total ever for a 10,000 step day.  Wednesday was back down under 9000 steps.  Thursday combined work with a trip to the city for dinner with Val to come in close to 7800 steps.  Friday used another day of work plus a walk to come back in over 8600 steps.  Saturday used a morning walk to come in at close to 7300 steps.

Total steps: 58,859

Daily average: 8408.4

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Fitbit III: Week 35

Another up and down week, as I ran my streak of days over goal to 15.  Things got off to an ok start on Sunday with my final trip to Guaranteed Rate Field of the year, finishing a whopping 72 steps over my daily goal.  Monday used a lunch and learn in North Plaza with my two warring girls to finish at nearly 7500 steps.  Tuesday was a big day, coming in just shy of 9500 steps.  Wednesday again used a trip to North Plaza, plus an after work dinner with Hayley, to help finish just above 7200 steps.  Thursday finished above 10,000 steps, thanks to a trip to Lincoln-Way West to pick up Michael from swimming, which I circled twice while waiting.  Friday was back down in the 6700 range, before another 10,000 step day on Saturday, thanks to a morning walk to clear my head (didn’t work) and an afternoon trip to the grocery store.

Total steps: 58,676

Daily average: 8382.3

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Fitbit III: Week 33

A tough week, both in the step game and emotionally.  Things got off to a slow start on Sunday, with under 5000 steps, despite a trip to Guaranteed Rate Field.  Monday bounced back a bit, finishing a whole 30 steps above goal, despite learning some people I loved were in a bad spot.  Tuesday was another down day, in which I spent hours during the day with Val trying to figure out her life then spending more hours at night with Hayley trying to do the same.  Wednesday bounced back again, this time 32 steps above goal, with another afternoon spent trying to help Val.  Thursday almost hit 7000 steps, for reasons that are now unknown to me.  Friday was back down again, finishing under 4800 steps.  Saturday used a good neighborhood walk to make it the week’s most successful day, finishing just over 8500 steps.

Total steps: 43,263

Daily average: 6180.4