Today I worked on Episode 204 ("The Double Down") of the television series Castle, which apparently was in NYC to shoot for a day. I worked as nondescript background.

 

 
September 10, 2009 (Thursday)

This morning I had a print go-see for Getty Images at the office of Digiphotogroup.com.

After the go-see, I stood in for Jim True-Frost and worked pedestrian background for Episode 11005 ("Hardwired") of the television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

 

 
September 11, 2009 (Friday)

Today I attended (but mostly worked) the first day of the international conference sponsored by the Institute of General Semantics titled "Across the Generations: Legacies of Hope and Meaning." Included in the program was the 57th Alfred Korzybski Memorial Lecture, which was delivered by Mary Catherine Bateson.

 

 
September 12, 2009 (Saturday)

This morning I did the Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games 4-Miler in Central Park. I finished in 25:29, meaning my average miles were 6:22s, a new record for me for this year.

At racetime, the temperature was 65, damp from an overnight rain, cloudy, and humid. I've only had about 10 hours of sleep in the last two days and somewhat overworked at that, but I felt alright at racetime. However, that all changed as my didn't feel all that quick once the race started. I was fortunate enough to be seeded for the first corral for this race, but I wasn't even at Cat Hill when hordes of men passed by me rather quickly, leaving me in their wet dust. This was a psychic blow of sorts in that I felt like a much faster runner than how I started, but I sucked it up and trudged on, though it did cross my mind to give up.

And a good thing I didn't. So mired in my own running issues for the day, I missed what my time was at the first mile marker. Maybe that was a good thing, because once I hit the second mile marker, I did some quick, easy math and discovered that I was running 6:15s. This was quite a bit surprising because I sure as hell didn't feel as if I was running 6:15s!

With this newfound motivation, I pushed myself in the next two miles. Mile 3 in these 4-milers is usually the toughest because you have a low potential energy and longish gradual hills to climb. I had a guy who was running around my pace who would pass me on the uphills, but I would overtake him on the downhills using my short-stride approach.

It wasn't until the very end of the race that I beat him. He overtook me in the last bit with the finish line in sight (this time at 69th St. rather than on the 72nd St. Transverse), but I still had fuel in my afterburners and I pulled off my classic "machine sprint"--arms pumping like a robot and flying, flying, flying to my finish. I heard some cheers from people in the audience as I charged to a splashy sprint finish.

I had missed my exact finish time but my estimate was about spot-on: I had somehow managed to create yet another personal record. I still don't quite fathom this considering that I felt slow sluggish and was passed by so many people. Regardless, the news is good. The humidity coupled with my lack of sleep probably played the most significant roles in the day.

Fitness Mind, Body, Spirit Games
4-mile Race
Finished: 25:29
Pace: 6:22

EDIT: Here is video from the race. I can't pinpoint myself but I'm somewhere in the mass of the first corral out the gate at the start.

 

Today I attended the second day of the international conference sponsored by the Institute of General Semantics titled "Across the Generations: Legacies of Hope and Meaning." I also played moderator for a talk by the charismatic Bob Eddy.