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shannon_aLast year I brought my Burning Wheel campaign to an end after the finale of Year One because we just couldn't game regularly any more, and it was frustrating to keep preparing adventures, then canceling them. But, we've been enjoying plenty of SeaFall and T.I.M.E Stories since, which still offer continuity, but don't require anyone to prepare things in advance.
But, after several trips down to San Jose this spring and summer, that has also fallen off this fall, due to trips and busyness of folks. Which is sad, because I don't get to see the last remnants of my college group, but happy because I get more time to enjoy the hills, parks, and seasides of the Bay Area.
So last weekend I went on a hike that I'd sorta been dreaming of for a long time.
You see, we have these hills backing the East Bay, and there are continuous parks across them, running north to south: Wildcat Canyon, Tilden, Sibley, Huckleberry, Redwood (and Roberts and Joaquin Miller in the same clump), Anthony Chabot, and Lake Chabot. You can walk from El Sobrante in the North to Castro Valley in the South without ever stepping off a trail, except to cross an occasional street (of which I think there are five: Lomas Cantadas, Fish Ranch, Old Tunnel, Pinehurst, and Redwood).
So I've dreamed of getting up early, taking a cab to the entry to Wildcat above El Sobrante, and walking to Castro Valley BART. But, that's probably 10 or 12 hours, and maybe 30-35 miles, so it's never going to happen. Nor is my idea of walking from my house to Castro Valley BART via the hillside parks, which is a bit shorter, but still not practical in a day.
But, a few times I've walked from my house to the Chabot Space & Science Center, in the northwest corner of Redwood and Roberts Parks, and then took the bus home, so I said why not start my morning on a different day with that bus ride, and then continue my hike southward from the Space & Science Center.
So when I had last weekend abruptly free due to gaming cancellation, that's what I did.
Sorta.
I wandered out to Cheese 'n Stuff on Saturday morning, and was delighted to find them actually open and making sandwiches during their posted hours for the first time on a Saturday in four or five months. But then I realized that it'd be 12.30 or so before I made it up to Chabot if I walked to BART, took BART to Fruitvale, and then the bus up to the Center. So I decided to splurge and just Lyft instead. I'm usually much tighter with my money when I could just spend a bit of time and/or effort instead, but I wanted to be able to really have time to walk, and I've been stockpiling my "allowance" lately because I haven't been wanting to buy much before we move.
So, instead I got to Chabot Space & Science before 11am.
Unfortunately, on the way up I discovered that sunscreen had never made it back into my backpack following September's trip to Prague (and the inevitable interactions with the TSA). Well, no problem, it was already late October ... but I decided to keep to the shadier creekside trails as much I could.
Redwood Regional Park is awesome. And the creekside trails are the ones I like the best, so that was a happy accident. Then I got out to Anthony Chabot, and I'd only walked along one little corner of that park, once before, so I really enjoyed walking the length of it: a zig-zag up a hillside above Redwood Regional, then a walk in the shelter of a westward hill that was unfortunately just a little too far above a creek to really enjoy it.
Unfortunately, the creekside walking cost me time, particularly in Redwood Regional, where I probably went close to an hour out of my way. So, as I was nearing the south side of Anthony Chabot I decided that I didn't want to walk all the way out to Castro Valley. Instead, I skirted the northwest side of Lake Chabot, which was beautiful and enjoyable, and then took a long walk down to San Leandro BART.
And that was kinda, sorta, my dream hike last weekend.
What I didn't have on my dream hike (or the medium-length BART ride back) was my laptop computer. I always take it hiking with me, and until things got very busy this year, I regularly did Designers & Dragons related writing while out. But last weekend, my computer was in the shop.
The big problem was the hinges on my screen, which had gotten so loose that the screen just flopped over or flopped closed unless it was balanced precisely. But, I also wanted to get the battery replaced, because it was saying that it needed service, and we're soon going to be on an island without an Apple store.
I was shocked to discover that they tighten up the hinges by replacing the entire screen half of the computer, which is grotesquely costly and wasteful. But, it's covered by a "quality" program, which is a fancy way of saying "we fucked up, and either we got sued or don't want to get sued, and so we offer free fixes". The battery was not covered by a quality program, but it's 2.5 years old, and was still holding a charge well, so I have no particular complaints there.
What I do have a complaint about is the insane bureaucracy at Apple. Basically, they seemed flabbergasted that I would bring a computer in for two problems. So they filled out two tickets. And they shipped it out to Texas to replace the screen (and hinges). And then shipped it back to Berkeley. And then they shipped it out to Texas AGAIN to fix the battery. And shipped it back. It took them an insane 8 days in all, which is why I didn't have a computer while hiking last weekend.
And generally, I was going into withdrawal over the lack of laptop computer. I didn't do much writing at night. I often had to run up to my office to note something. I couldn't even sit down on my sunroom couch to write during the workday, as I often do when doing something that is straight writing.
But I finally got the computer back on Friday.
And here's the funny thing: the scratches on the bottom of my case are gone. I don't know how much of the computer overall they replaced, but it clearly included the bottom of the case, which I wouldn't have expected. And there was no comment on that.
The keyboard and trackpad also feeler cleaner and tighter, but what wasn't fixed was the occasional problem with my "r" and "i" keys repeating.
I looked this up, because it's annoying for the amount of typing I do, and guess what, there's another "quality" program out there for these early generation butterfly keyboards. Which I've always found to be the huge problem with this particular MacBook model, because a grain of dust gets in there, and the keyboard stops working ... and though I never eat near my laptop, I do take it out to parks, so grains of dust get in.
So apparently I can have the whole keyboard replaced for free, and it's supposed to be a priority repair.
It's just as well that I didn't request that it be fixed with the other problems, since they would have incompetently shipped it to Texas a third time, but I really should fix it before we leave. Maybe in December. Maybe sooner if I get too pissed off by the rrepeats. (I've gotten pretty annoyed at them while writing this; I think I've back-spaced over somewhere between 12 and 20 extra "r"s and a half-dozen or so extra "i"s.)
I will say I've been unimpressed by my last few Apple laptops. Obviously, they're pushing the boundaries of micro-design with these lighter and lighter computers, which has been what I needed for a computer I often take on hikes and bike rides. But the previous keyboard had big enough problems that it was the failure that caused me to get a new computer (and those problems were well documented by other people and the internet). And this one is similarly troubled, and it's apparently even more widespread since Apple was forced into yet another quality problem.
Well, with almost this whole computer being replaced (for the cost of just $200 for the battery), it should last me a few more years afterward, and then I can get a more normal sized laptop, since it will be thrown into a car as often as a backpack at that point.
So this weekend (with computer) I decided to head out to Briones Reservoir, in large part because my five year old EBMUD permit expires this Friday, the 8th. I could still get one-day passes if I wanted, but I found it likely this would be my last trip out to EBMUD lands at least on this side of the move. And Briones is really a treasure so I decided to return there for what I think was my third trip.
I took BART and my bike out to the Orinda Connector Trail, which is at the corner of San Pablo Dam & Bear Valley. Then I walked up from there to the Reservoir, and along its south side.
It's a lovely trail, pretty high above the Reservoir (so you don't see it as much as you might like), but through really nice forested areas. And every once in a while you get a gorgeous view. I've walked all around the Reservoir, and this is definitely the nicest side.
I had another hiking dream here, of walking through the Briones Reservoir and then into Briones Regional Park, and from there ever onward, to Pleasant Hill or Walnut Creek. And, once again, I sorta accomplished it. At the southeast corner of the Reservoir is the connector trail to the Regional Park, and I took that, and *poof* was walking alongside one of the entrances to the park. (I'd imagined a more romantic merging of one park into the other, but instead I exited the beautiful reservoir, and then found myself at a scrubby park entrance.) I didn't go far into the park, just to a picnic area maybe a half mile in, where I ate some chocolate.
I could have gone further if I hadn't biked out to San Pablo Dam. Heck, I considered going on and just taking a Lyft back to my bike, but instead turned around. Which meant I got to walk along the beautiful Reservoir on the best trail one more time.
One last time.
I think I got about three paragraphs of writing done on my laptop while on BART during that trip. Ah well. I often like to write at a picnic table while out, but with the huge hike from San Pablo Dam to Briones Regional Park and back, that just wasn't in the cards.
And now it's back to normal life. I signed off on our final shipping contract today, and just put together a check and contract for our stager, and moved some boxes around. And after today we've just got 58 days left.
Which is why I'm hiking like I'm running out of time. Non-stop!
But, after several trips down to San Jose this spring and summer, that has also fallen off this fall, due to trips and busyness of folks. Which is sad, because I don't get to see the last remnants of my college group, but happy because I get more time to enjoy the hills, parks, and seasides of the Bay Area.
So last weekend I went on a hike that I'd sorta been dreaming of for a long time.
You see, we have these hills backing the East Bay, and there are continuous parks across them, running north to south: Wildcat Canyon, Tilden, Sibley, Huckleberry, Redwood (and Roberts and Joaquin Miller in the same clump), Anthony Chabot, and Lake Chabot. You can walk from El Sobrante in the North to Castro Valley in the South without ever stepping off a trail, except to cross an occasional street (of which I think there are five: Lomas Cantadas, Fish Ranch, Old Tunnel, Pinehurst, and Redwood).
So I've dreamed of getting up early, taking a cab to the entry to Wildcat above El Sobrante, and walking to Castro Valley BART. But, that's probably 10 or 12 hours, and maybe 30-35 miles, so it's never going to happen. Nor is my idea of walking from my house to Castro Valley BART via the hillside parks, which is a bit shorter, but still not practical in a day.
But, a few times I've walked from my house to the Chabot Space & Science Center, in the northwest corner of Redwood and Roberts Parks, and then took the bus home, so I said why not start my morning on a different day with that bus ride, and then continue my hike southward from the Space & Science Center.
So when I had last weekend abruptly free due to gaming cancellation, that's what I did.
Sorta.
I wandered out to Cheese 'n Stuff on Saturday morning, and was delighted to find them actually open and making sandwiches during their posted hours for the first time on a Saturday in four or five months. But then I realized that it'd be 12.30 or so before I made it up to Chabot if I walked to BART, took BART to Fruitvale, and then the bus up to the Center. So I decided to splurge and just Lyft instead. I'm usually much tighter with my money when I could just spend a bit of time and/or effort instead, but I wanted to be able to really have time to walk, and I've been stockpiling my "allowance" lately because I haven't been wanting to buy much before we move.
So, instead I got to Chabot Space & Science before 11am.
Unfortunately, on the way up I discovered that sunscreen had never made it back into my backpack following September's trip to Prague (and the inevitable interactions with the TSA). Well, no problem, it was already late October ... but I decided to keep to the shadier creekside trails as much I could.
Redwood Regional Park is awesome. And the creekside trails are the ones I like the best, so that was a happy accident. Then I got out to Anthony Chabot, and I'd only walked along one little corner of that park, once before, so I really enjoyed walking the length of it: a zig-zag up a hillside above Redwood Regional, then a walk in the shelter of a westward hill that was unfortunately just a little too far above a creek to really enjoy it.
Unfortunately, the creekside walking cost me time, particularly in Redwood Regional, where I probably went close to an hour out of my way. So, as I was nearing the south side of Anthony Chabot I decided that I didn't want to walk all the way out to Castro Valley. Instead, I skirted the northwest side of Lake Chabot, which was beautiful and enjoyable, and then took a long walk down to San Leandro BART.
And that was kinda, sorta, my dream hike last weekend.
What I didn't have on my dream hike (or the medium-length BART ride back) was my laptop computer. I always take it hiking with me, and until things got very busy this year, I regularly did Designers & Dragons related writing while out. But last weekend, my computer was in the shop.
The big problem was the hinges on my screen, which had gotten so loose that the screen just flopped over or flopped closed unless it was balanced precisely. But, I also wanted to get the battery replaced, because it was saying that it needed service, and we're soon going to be on an island without an Apple store.
I was shocked to discover that they tighten up the hinges by replacing the entire screen half of the computer, which is grotesquely costly and wasteful. But, it's covered by a "quality" program, which is a fancy way of saying "we fucked up, and either we got sued or don't want to get sued, and so we offer free fixes". The battery was not covered by a quality program, but it's 2.5 years old, and was still holding a charge well, so I have no particular complaints there.
What I do have a complaint about is the insane bureaucracy at Apple. Basically, they seemed flabbergasted that I would bring a computer in for two problems. So they filled out two tickets. And they shipped it out to Texas to replace the screen (and hinges). And then shipped it back to Berkeley. And then they shipped it out to Texas AGAIN to fix the battery. And shipped it back. It took them an insane 8 days in all, which is why I didn't have a computer while hiking last weekend.
And generally, I was going into withdrawal over the lack of laptop computer. I didn't do much writing at night. I often had to run up to my office to note something. I couldn't even sit down on my sunroom couch to write during the workday, as I often do when doing something that is straight writing.
But I finally got the computer back on Friday.
And here's the funny thing: the scratches on the bottom of my case are gone. I don't know how much of the computer overall they replaced, but it clearly included the bottom of the case, which I wouldn't have expected. And there was no comment on that.
The keyboard and trackpad also feeler cleaner and tighter, but what wasn't fixed was the occasional problem with my "r" and "i" keys repeating.
risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk rreward risk reward risk reward risk reward risk reward rrisk rerwarrd risk reward rrisk reward
I looked this up, because it's annoying for the amount of typing I do, and guess what, there's another "quality" program out there for these early generation butterfly keyboards. Which I've always found to be the huge problem with this particular MacBook model, because a grain of dust gets in there, and the keyboard stops working ... and though I never eat near my laptop, I do take it out to parks, so grains of dust get in.
So apparently I can have the whole keyboard replaced for free, and it's supposed to be a priority repair.
It's just as well that I didn't request that it be fixed with the other problems, since they would have incompetently shipped it to Texas a third time, but I really should fix it before we leave. Maybe in December. Maybe sooner if I get too pissed off by the rrepeats. (I've gotten pretty annoyed at them while writing this; I think I've back-spaced over somewhere between 12 and 20 extra "r"s and a half-dozen or so extra "i"s.)
I will say I've been unimpressed by my last few Apple laptops. Obviously, they're pushing the boundaries of micro-design with these lighter and lighter computers, which has been what I needed for a computer I often take on hikes and bike rides. But the previous keyboard had big enough problems that it was the failure that caused me to get a new computer (and those problems were well documented by other people and the internet). And this one is similarly troubled, and it's apparently even more widespread since Apple was forced into yet another quality problem.
Well, with almost this whole computer being replaced (for the cost of just $200 for the battery), it should last me a few more years afterward, and then I can get a more normal sized laptop, since it will be thrown into a car as often as a backpack at that point.
So this weekend (with computer) I decided to head out to Briones Reservoir, in large part because my five year old EBMUD permit expires this Friday, the 8th. I could still get one-day passes if I wanted, but I found it likely this would be my last trip out to EBMUD lands at least on this side of the move. And Briones is really a treasure so I decided to return there for what I think was my third trip.
I took BART and my bike out to the Orinda Connector Trail, which is at the corner of San Pablo Dam & Bear Valley. Then I walked up from there to the Reservoir, and along its south side.
It's a lovely trail, pretty high above the Reservoir (so you don't see it as much as you might like), but through really nice forested areas. And every once in a while you get a gorgeous view. I've walked all around the Reservoir, and this is definitely the nicest side.
I had another hiking dream here, of walking through the Briones Reservoir and then into Briones Regional Park, and from there ever onward, to Pleasant Hill or Walnut Creek. And, once again, I sorta accomplished it. At the southeast corner of the Reservoir is the connector trail to the Regional Park, and I took that, and *poof* was walking alongside one of the entrances to the park. (I'd imagined a more romantic merging of one park into the other, but instead I exited the beautiful reservoir, and then found myself at a scrubby park entrance.) I didn't go far into the park, just to a picnic area maybe a half mile in, where I ate some chocolate.
I could have gone further if I hadn't biked out to San Pablo Dam. Heck, I considered going on and just taking a Lyft back to my bike, but instead turned around. Which meant I got to walk along the beautiful Reservoir on the best trail one more time.
One last time.
I think I got about three paragraphs of writing done on my laptop while on BART during that trip. Ah well. I often like to write at a picnic table while out, but with the huge hike from San Pablo Dam to Briones Regional Park and back, that just wasn't in the cards.
And now it's back to normal life. I signed off on our final shipping contract today, and just put together a check and contract for our stager, and moved some boxes around. And after today we've just got 58 days left.
Which is why I'm hiking like I'm running out of time. Non-stop!