End of the year questions

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Ran the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Half Marathon

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yes. I missed the mark on one. I ran over 600 miles, my husband and I ate at home more and I shot more personal photos. The only one I didn't make was reading over 45 books.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister Debbie

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. My grandmother and a family friend.

5. What countries did you visit?
The United States. I'm hoping someday I will make it to Italy.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
I would like a little bit more money.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
September. My last bride picked up their order and October 19. I finished my first half marathon.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Completing a half marathon.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Its not really a failure, but a disappointment. But it was my decision to end my wedding photography career.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I twisted my left ankle very bad while running on vacation in New Jersey. My ankle will never be the same.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My Nikon D300

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Don't know.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Supporters of a local politician.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Car payment, student loan, gas and house payments.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going on vacation twice this year. Using my Nikon D300 for the first time.

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Womanizer

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? The same.
c) richer or poorer? About the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Shoot photos for myself.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? complain

20. How did you spend Christmas?
First, I opened presents with my husband, then went to my mom's house then to my husband's parents house. It was a long day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
No. Still in love.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Dexter, Mad Men & Top Chef

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
We are not supposed to hate.

24. What was the best book you read?
I have too many to choose from but I did enjoy Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Jordin Sparks and Jennifer Hudson

26. What did you want and get?
Dexter Season 2 and books on my list.

27. What did you want and not get?
Mad Men Season 1 and a point and shoot digital camera, so I don't have to lug my huge Nikon D300 everywhere.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Sex and the City: The Movie

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 29 and I ate dinner with my husband at Evans Street Station in Tecumseh.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More money.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Aeropostale and running clothes.

32. What kept you sane?
My husband and photographing things that I like.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I did read a bunch of books about Grace Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco.

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
People who sue to get their way after a ballot issue is voted down.

35. Who do you miss?
My dad and my friends that have moved away.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Caitlyn

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008. Enjoy life everyday.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. How did we get here? - Paramore

Movies

Besides Sex and the City: The Movie, the only other movie that I wanted to see this year is Revolutionary Road. The date the movie opened was December 26, 2008. Unfortunately, that movie isn't playing anywhere near me. I checked listings for Ann Arbor and Toledo, nothing. I emailed the corporate office for the movie theater in my town about the release of the movie. They replied back that they weren't sure if it was going to be released here. I guess I will have to wait for it on Netflix. BOO!



Now I'm hoping that this movie, Gran Torino, will be released in town January 2009. But I doubt it will. Probably another one that I will have to wait for on Netflix.

Miles run in 2008

Sunday afternoon I ran 3 miles on the treadmill. My legs haven't been feeling too fresh these past couple of weeks, so a run without tired legs was nice. After running, I did two sets of abs, bench and triceps with free weights. Once I put the weights down, I didn't feel too good. I walked upstairs to the bathroom and got in position to throw up. I took a couple of deep breaths and felt better, so no throwing up.

Only two more days of running in 2008 for me, Tuesday and Wednesday. I would say 2008 has been a great year for me running wise. I think I ran more this year then I did in all of my years combined in junior high and high school track. I hope 2009 will be a great running year. Here's to running more 5Ks, 10Ks and another half marathon!

2004: 310.6
2005: 347.8
2006: 467
2007: 565.7
2008: 951.2

Books read in 2008

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
Joan Crawford, Bob Thomas
Duke: A Love Story, Pat Stacy
The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith
Daughter of the Sky: The Story of Amelia Earhart, Paul L. Briand, Jr.
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, Charles J. Shields

Currently Reading: Dissecting Death, Frederick Zugibe, M.D., Ph. D.
Up Next: America's Queen, Sarah Bradford

Jingle Bell run results

I didn't run in an official Jingle Bell run, but I did run 3.1 miles on Christmas morning. My time on the treadmill was 30:28.

Merry Christmas

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

My husband and I standing on the corner of Prince Street in New York City.

So much already done

On my day off, I woke up at 4:30 am. Usually I get up at 4 am, so that is sleeping in to me. I got up and started my day. The area had freezing rain overnight so I salted the sidewalks and the back deck. Gathered my husband's and families gifts and wrapped them. And to top it off, did a nice 3 slow miles on the treadmill. All of this before 9 am.

Later this afternoon I will be taking a nap, making queso dip, going to Christmas mass, being the altar server that carries incense and eating dinner with my family later tonight. It will be a busy, but fun day.

Jingle Bell run

Yesterday I posted this:

Anyone want to join me in a Jingle Bell run? I usually run five days a week thanks to my treadmill. This week I will be running on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Join me by running a 5k (3.1 miles) on either on Christmas Eve or Christmas and share your results. You can post your results on my blog or your own. We all may not be running in the same spot, but we will all be running together.

Time off

This morning at 10:30 am, I was finished with my work week. I used a couple of vacation days for tomorrow and Friday and I don't have to go back until Monday morning. I'm looking forward to my five days off.

Random things

This morning at work, the water was shut off. One of the pipes burst in the back, so it needed to be shut off to fixed. That meant no water in the building for over two hours. When the announcement that the water was going to be turned off, I had been drinking water for 2.5 hours. I now had to wait a while to use the restroom. We were all told that it would be a while before the water was turned back on. Around 9:30 am, the water was turned back on. I can tell you those weren't the best hours of my work day.

Around the same time that someone discovered that a pipe burst, someone else noticed that a window in the back was wide open. The people who work back there said that the window was shut when they left the night before. Somehow it opened and let all of the cold air in. It was colder then normal in the office today due to the temperature only being in the single digits

I watched The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant over the weekend. The movie is set around Christmas time, so it is winter and presumably cold outside. Julia, played by Loretta Young, puts her young daughter Debby to bed and walks over to the window to open it up. Hello! It is winter. I don't care if people back then thought that fresh air was good for you. Freakin' close the window. You're letting all of the heat out of the house.

Anyone want to join me in a Jingle Bell run? I usually run five days a week thanks to my treadmill. This week, I will be running on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Join me by running a 5k (3.1 miles) on either on Christmas Eve or Christmas and share your results. You can post your results on my blog or your own. We all may not be running in the same spot, but we will all be running together.

The appetizer that I will be making on Christmas Eve is the Velveeta Ulitmate Queso Dip. I went to four stores looking for the RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies. I was about ready to give up at the fourth store, when I looked up and finally saw a can. It was like a miracle.

Velveeta Ultimate Queso Dip
Ingredients:
1 lb. (16 oz.) Velveeta Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

Instructions:
Mix ingredients in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on High 5 min. or until Velveeta is completely melted, stirring after 3 min.
Serve with assorted cut-up fresh vegetables, Wheat Thins Crackers or tortilla chips.

Makes 3 cups or 24 servings, 2 Tbsp. each.

Snow....

I just spent an hour and a half shoveling my sidewalk, back deck and entryway to my driveway. The snow is deep, wet and very heavy. My hat, coat and the bottom of my pants are soaked.

Once I got my entryway cleared of snow, I pulled my car into the driveway. Now its stuck. My Grand Prix is so low to the ground that snow is touching the bottom of my car. I grabbed the shovel to clear snow away from my car, but its no use. I have to wait for my husband to get up to help push my car free.

I was going to shovel the entire driveway, but my arms are killing me. My husband has a F150 so I'm going to make him matte down the snow with his tires. It shouldn't take him long.

At least there is some good news. According to weather.com the snow is done for the day. There could be a chance for flurries later. Flurries are no big deal.

What is coming later tonight

I'm not excited about this:

Issued by The National Weather Service
Detroit, MI 4:31 am EST, Thu., Dec. 18, 2008

... WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST FRIDAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW MIXING WITH SLEET... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 4 PM EST FRIDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH INTO THE STATE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT AND WILL BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES. SNOW MAY MIX WITH SLEET LATE TONIGHT BEFORE CHANGING BACK TO ALL SNOW ON FRIDAY. STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES ARE EXPECTED BY EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE SNOW TAPERS OFF. MINOR ICING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE SLEET.

Snow mixing with sleet? Total snow accumulations of 4 to 8 inches? No thanks. I just shoveled my entryway into my driveway Thursday. Now I have to shovel more snow, including the entire driveway and the area around our vehicles and kill my back in the process. Thanks Mother nature.

Books read in 2008

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
Joan Crawford, Bob Thomas
Duke: A Love Story, Pat Stacy
The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith
Daughter of the Sky: The Story of Amelia Earhart, Paul L. Briand, Jr.

Currently Reading: Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, Charles J. Shields
Up Next: Library trip

Appetizer choices

On Christmas Eve, my husband and I are hosting a dinner for my side of the family. My husband makes the dinner. I usually make the appetizers. I thought about making a cheese ball again. But my husband said nobody really ate it at Thanksgiving. That was alright. I was a great snack for the next two weeks.

While at the store yesterday, we were coming up with ideas for appetizers. I looked at quiche, pinwheels and mozzarella sticks. Nothing was really jumping out at me. Before we left the store, we decided to buy something next week.

Buying something is OK. But I usually like to make something. I found a couple of recipes this morning for dip that I could make. I think dip would make a nice snack before a big dinner. I have two recipes. I need to decide which one I would like to make.

Broccoli and Cheese Dip
(half this recipe for 6 people or less)

4 oz. cream cheese
16 oz. sour cream
8 oz. mayo
1 hidden valley ranch packet
1 1⁄2 cups broccoli tips
8 oz. fancy yellow cheese

Mix and chill overnight. Serve with crackers.

VELVEETA Ultimate Queso Dip

Ingredients:
1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

Instructions:
Mix ingredients in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted, stirring after 3 min.

Serve with assorted cut-up fresh vegetables, WHEAT THINS Crackers or tortilla chips.

Makes 3 cups or 24 servings, 2 Tbsp. each.

Bright lights - New York City, NY

Freaky!

All of this happened within 30 seconds.

I was stopped at an intersection waiting at a red light. When I pulled up to stop, I saw a woman standing on the corner. I didn't know if she wanted to use the crosswalk, so I made sure to park behind it. The woman ran across the street the other way, while traffic had the green light. Once she was on the other side, she decided to run back across the street. She didn't wait for the light to change from green to red, she just went. Oncoming traffic had to jam on their brakes to avoid hitting her. Once she was back on the corner near me, I saw her walking up to my car. I thought for a second to roll down my window to ask if she needed help, but I decided not to. She walked up to my car, lifted up the door handle and tried to open the door. I was shocked. I started yelling, "Don't open my door!" At that point the light changed to green and I accelerated away from her. As I was driving away, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw she tried to get into the car behind me. They also continued on without stopping. As soon as I got to the next stoplight, I took out my cell phone and called the police. I told them that a woman just tried to open my door at a stoplight. They said they received a couple of calls about that. I described the woman. She had blonde hair, glasses and was wearing a white sweater and blue jeans. She fit the description. They said someone was on the way.

I found out about the woman later. She thought sharpshooters were after her with the orders "Shoot to kill." Okay.....

I'm so glad that my car doors automatically lock when I put my car into drive.

Books read in 2008

I finished the Murder of Bob Crane by Robert Graysmith in a couple of days. When I selected the book from the library, I have never heard of Bob Crane. On the cover of the book, it said Crane was a Hogan's Heroes star. Hogan's Heroes is a show I have never personally watched. My husband does enjoy it. I found the book was a good read. The book covered most of his life. His early radio career, his marriages, children, Hogan's Heroes, the last couple of days of his life and after his death. Crane's friend, John Carpenter was arrested for his murder. The book ended just before Carpenter's trial started. Since I didn't know the outcome of the trial, I had to look it up. Carpenter was acquitted due to a lack of convincing evidence. The murder still remains unsolved. While Googling Bob Crane, I found a couple of websites that had posted photos from the crime scene. I, of coursed viewed the photos. If you view the photos, just to let you know they are graphic.

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
Joan Crawford, Bob Thomas
Duke: A Love Story, Pat Stacy
The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith

Currently Reading: Daughter of the Sky: The Story of Amelia Earhart, Paul L. Briand, Jr.
Up Next: Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, Charles J. Shields

Empire State Building - New York City, NY

Miles run in 2008

I was happy when I reached 900 miles run for the year Sunday. I don't think I have ever run this much, even when I ran track in junior high and high school. If I didn't ease my mileage after the half marathon, I could have maybe reached 1000 miles. Oh well. There is always next year.

Last week I bought a new pair of shoes. I bought the Mizuno Wave Rider 11. It is the same brand I have been buying for a couple of years. When I ran with them the first time Sunday, it felt like I was running on air. The shoes are very light and comfortable. And that is why I keep going back to them.

2004: 288.6
2005: 324.8
2006: 445.0
2007: 534.6
2008: 906.1

Books read in 2008

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
Joan Crawford, Bob Thomas
Duke: A Love Story, Pat Stacy

Currently Reading: The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith
Up Next: Daughter of the Sky: The Story of Amelia Earhart, Paul L. Briand, Jr.

Books read in 2008

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
Joan Crawford, Bob Thomas

Currently Reading: Duke: A Love Story, Pat Stacy
Up Next: The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith

Manhattan - Brooklyn, NY

End of the line - Brooklyn, NY

Wasted time

An assignment that should have taken an hour to an hour and a half tops, took a little bit longer. It took over two hours. That is not including the drive time in winter weather. Total time was three and a half hours. I did have plans for later in the evening, but I ended up not doing them because the assignment was so long. The person in charge of setting up the event was even getting annoyed that everything was taking so long. He said to me, "I hope you didn't have anywhere to be."

Best line from the movie Hot Fuzz

Last week the movie Hot Fuzz was on HBO. My husband fell asleep and missed the best part of the movie. I recorded it for him. When he woke up from his nap, I told him I had something to show him. After seeing the clip my husband said he does this at work. I never laughed so hard.

Black Friday

After lunch my husband and I joined the other people at the stores. We weren't there for Christmas shopping. We were looking for a $3.99 DVD of Hot Fuzz.

The first store, which had the DVD on sale, we didn't find it. Looked at all of the DVD bins and the DVD section. Nothing. Since we were in a store, I went to the book section. I was close to finishing reading the library book, Wicked, and I wanted something else to read. I looked for something to read but came up empty handed. My husband and I walked back out to the truck and headed across the street to a different store.

At store number 2, we had the same results. Nothing on both ends. No DVD and no interesting books to read. I think the busiest section of the store was the DVD's and electronics. People were walking around with multiple DVD's in their hands. I'm glad they found some, because we didn't.

At store number 3, we didn't find anything. The DVD selection was horrible. In fact their wasn't a selection. It was basically a shelf. A shelf of crap. The book section was the same as the first two stores. All three selling the same crappy books. Before we left the store, I did buy something for myself. A six pack of orange Crush. I have stayed away from Crush, because I stopped drinking pop many years ago. I read the bottle. It said orange flavored drink. And what really put me over the top. There is no caffeine in Crush. I did my part on Black Friday. I paid $3.59 for a six pack of Crush.

Finally we went across the street to the mall. We noticed not many cars in the parking lot. I was glad I wasn't out trying to shop for Christmas. The stores had nothing that I wanted to buy. I have a gift certificate left over from my birthday. I went into the store it was for to look for something to buy. I ended up walking out of the store with nothing. None of the clothes caught my attention.

We did go into the bookstore. My husband found a bargain book about the Civil War. A sticker on the front of the book said buy one get one free. My husband and I looked around the bookstore for about 20 minutes to find another book. Nothing. I didn't even find anything that I wanted. I was disappointed.

We went to three stores and a mall, my husband and I bought a $20 book and a six pack of Orange Crush for $3.59. That will really help the economy.

Books read in 2008

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire

Up Next: Library trip

Turkey trot

I wasn't in an official Turkey Trot this morning. But I did run a 5K. On my treadmill.

There isn't a 5K race on Thanksgiving where I live. So I started running my own Turkey Trot on my treadmill a couple of years ago. Now its just tradition.

I didn't win a medal, but I was happy that I did run today. I will get back on my treadmill tomorrow. I need to run off all of the food I ate today.

Longest day ever

The longest I ever worked in one day was 13 hours. Now I can say I have worked longer then that. I just finished working 16 hours. I didn't work all of the hours consecutively, which really helped. Also, I didn't start and finish them on the same day. I started work at 4:30 am Tuesday and finished work at 2 am Wednesday morning.

I have a couple of work related items to do later this morning. The good news is, they won't take very long at all. By 1 pm today, I will be done with work until Monday morning. That is awesome after working so long today.

Unexpected project

When I walked into the dining room Sunday, I noticed something different. A bunch of ceiling tiles were stacked on the table and some were on the floor. They fell from the ceiling when my husband came home from work. He picked them up and stacked them on the table. The previous owners of our house re-tiled the dining room and didn't do a great job. When we moved in, some of the ceiling titles were bowing in spots.

My husband and I were talking about redoing the ceiling about a month ago. But that was supposed to be a project for next year. Well it is a project now. My husband ripped down the rest of the ceiling tiles that didn't previously fall to the floor. After all of the tiles were down, he decided he was going to repaint the dining room. We painted it way back in 2002 after we moved in. Over time the walls began to get scuff marks and gouges from everyday activities. It is time for a fresh coat of paint.

Currently all of the furniture is in the middle of dining room. That was necessary because he primered the walls last night. Today the wall will have its fresh coat of paint. Once he is finished with the walls, the furniture will be moved back to its place. As for the ceiling, that will be on hold. We, or actually my husband, needs to call a contractor to coming in a put drywall up. After that job is done, we will be looking at new crown molding to add to the room.

Then finally, we can check the dining room ceiling off of our list of things to do. We have lived in our house for six years and we still have many projects left to do.

Random things

I went to the eye doctor this morning. Got an exam, the puff of air in my eyes and ordered new contacts. I was there for 20 minutes or so and it cost me over $200. Without eye insurance, that is very expensive. I swear each year the price keeps going up and up. I wonder how much it will cost next year?

Following the eye doctor, I drove to the library. I went in and looked around. Nothing really looked good. I did try to find a book about Joan Crawford. The computer card catalog said the book was in. But it wasn't on the shelf. I really didn't want to ask for help, because I didn't want to wait around. After I finish Wicked, I'll give the library another try. Hopefully, I'll find something that I'll want to read.

The dance studio that I photograph at is closed this week for Thanksgiving. This week, I'm trying to catch up on my photo blog. I'm loading my favorite photos from each class and a slideshow. My goal is to have the blog up to date by the end of the week. But I have a long way to go. I still have photos and slideshows to load from 14 classes.

Tuesday will be my longest day of the week. I will go to work at 4:30 am and leave at 10:30 am. Around 2:30 pm, I will get in my car and drive to a high school to photograph winter team sports head shots. Later at 7 pm, I will drive across town to photograph a college basketball game. At halftime I will leave, drive back to the office and work a night shift to get out the next day's paper. I'm figuring that I will leave work around 1:30 or 2 am. I'm hoping that I will be able to keep myself awake. Before my afternoon assignment, I my plan is to take a nap. After that long day, I will be able to relax because I will have a four day weekend.

Books read in 2008

I highly recommend Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. It was a very good read. The ending of the book surprised me. I thought it was going to go one way and it ended up going a in a different direction that I didn't expect. Now I hope the movie is as good as the book.

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates

Currently Reading: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire
Up Next: Library trip on Monday

Random things

It feels like I haven't blogged in a year. In reality it has been only since Tuesday. I haven't really been near my computer, except at work. When I've been home, I've only been on the computer to check email.

Wednesday, Bravo made me really happy. They replayed the first season of Top Chef. I really enjoy that show. I have watched every season and I still think that it is the best. My favorite chef was Stephen Asprinio. He didn't win. He made it to the top five. Stephen knows wine and certainly knows how to dress.

Also Wednesday was the finale of America's Next Top Model cycle 11. Since the beginning, I really liked McKey. She was never in the bottom two and always had a fabulous photo. On the finale she was named the winner over Samantha. Her CoverGirl photo was great and I think that put her over the top.

Last night I was so excited about the dinner I made. I made meatloaf. I haven't made it in a couple of years because I always thought I lost the recipe. I didn't. I was looking through a cookbook earlier this week and found it. Usually, I don't make dinner unless it comes out of a box or a bag. When it is more then that, my husband makes dinner. I prepared the meat and made the potatoes. The hour wait to eat was worth it. The meatloaf tasted the way that I remembered it growing up, delicious. Now that I know that I have the recipe, I could eat it everyday.

This morning, I took my car to get an oil change. When I handed my keys over, I was told it would take an hour. I brought along my book to pass the time. I walked into the waiting area and sat down. The first thing I hear is the TV. It was really loud. But it always is. They must turn it up because they think not everyone can hear it. To drown out the noise of the TV, I put in my earphones, turned on my iPod and opened my book. The sound of the TV was distracting me from reading. I read and reread the same paragraph for a couple of minutes. I finally concentrated on the words and was able to turn the page. At one point, I looked up at the TV to see what time it was. I was amazed that 40 minutes had passed so quickly. Many thanks to my book.

Shortly after that a woman walked into the waiting area with her son who was about 3 or 4. She sat down and he immediately ran over to the toy box. He instantly started going through all of the toys. He would get them out of the box, walk across the waiting area to his mother and set down the toy. Then he would go back to the toy box and do it again. After a while he grew tired of the toys. He picked up one and threw it in the toy box. He walked back over to his mother and started throwing toys from across the room. They didn't make it into the toy box. He walked back over near the toy box and started throwing every other toy. Most of them didn't make it back into the box. They landed in a pile to the side of the toy box. The entire time this boy was throwing the toys, his mother was on her cell phone. She didn't tell him to stop or even look in his direction. Just as long as he wasn't bothering her. My name was called moments later. I was so happy my car was done so I could leave. I don't know how much longer I could have sat there while this kid was throwing toys and his mother did nothing about it.

Photos of Stephen and McKey.

McKey photo credit: www.cwtv.com

Life's sweetest moments

Since my freshman year in college, I always had to work the busiest shopping day of the year. The jobs I held during college were in retail, so I was always expected to work. For the first time in 11 years, I have the day after Thanksgiving off. This year, I will not back my car out of my driveway at 4:25 am to see a lineup of cars heading down the street toward the mall, Meijer and Wal-Mart. I will still be in bed, sleeping. What really makes it sweet is it will be a four day weekend. How fabulous!

Books read in 2008

I have been reading Revolutionary Road for about two days. I've already passed 180 pages. I'm really enjoying this book and can't wait to see the movie.

Revolutionary Road trailer


A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans

Currently Reading: Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
Up Next: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Gregory Maguire

Miles run in 2008

Ever since I finished my half marathon in October, I have been running less miles a week. For over a year I have been running over 20 miles a week to train for the half. Now I'm leisurely enjoying running less then 20 miles a week, five days a week. In the new year, I will pick my mileage back up and train once again for the half marathon. Every once in a while its nice not to worry about mileage.

2004: 259.6
2005: 313.8
2006: 426.0
2007: 499.5
2008: 861.0

Books read in 2008

I picked up a vintage copy of Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates at the local library. I have been eyeing that book for over a month because of the trailers for the opening movie in January. Revolutionary Road stars Leonardo DiCarpio and Kate Winslet.


A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns
Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris

Currently Reading: Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans
Up Next: Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates

Escape

I'm really thankful my neighbor came over to my house yesterday. He let me know that one of our German shepherds, Kelly, escaped from the backyard. If he didn't see her, she could have run away or maybe into traffic. Not something that I like to picture.

When I opened the door, he said that one of our dogs was loose. I asked which one it was and he pointed to the front of his house. I saw Kelly standing there. I asked if Blitzkrieg was out. He said it was just her. I called Kelly and she came right to me. I thanked my neighbor and shut the door.

I went outside to check the backyard. I wanted to find where she got out. I looked at the fence. I found one of the rails to our backyard fence not screwed in at the bottom and was loose. I knew about this for a while. The railing has been like that for almost a year. But she has never escaped before. So I really didn't know if that was the way she got out. Kelly can jump, so I though maybe she jumped over the fence.

Later that morning, I let Blitzkrieg and Kelly outside. I looked out the dining room window a couple of minutes later to check on them. I saw Kelly with her head through the fence railings. She was trying to escape again. And right next to her watching was her pal Blitzkrieg. I pounded on the window and Kelly immediately removed her head from in between the fence railings and ran to the backdoor. She knew what she was doing was wrong. Kelly came back into the house with her head down.

My husband fixed the fence later in the day. Kelly can no longer escape from our backyard and run the streets alone.

A bit odd

The past two Fridays, I covered a high school football playoff game. The first game was Adrian Maples vs Mason Bulldogs and the second game was Sand Creek Aggies vs Reading Rangers. Both games and all four schools had something in common. Their fight song. All four schools used On, Wisconsin! as their fight song.

I found it strange that two weeks in a row, I heard the same song at two different schools. Not that I'm complaining. I'm a graduate of Sand Creek. No matter what school I'm at and I hear On, Wisconsin! I always recall my high school fight song in my head.

Since all of our county football teams lost last Friday, it will be a while before I hear On, Wisconsin! again.

Something that made my day

Kim Cattrall was on a British TV show and she said that there will be a Sex and the City movie sequel. I was pleased with how the movie ended. But it is always nice to see the girls again.

Feeling rundown

This morning at work a co-worker asked me why I have been so quiet this week. I answered that I was tired. She looked at me and said that everyone is tired. I thought I needed to explain myself:

I have been really busy these last couple of weeks. For the past three weekends in a row, I have run a race. The first was a half marathon, the second a 5K and the third a 10K. After my half marathon, I have continued to run four to five times a week. Last Saturday, I covered the cross country state finals at Michigan International Speedway. That included running in and out of a van going from point A, B and C. After getting photos of the local runners, I ran from the finish line to the media vans that were located behind pit row. About two hours later I was an alter server at church. This week I have driven out of the county twice to cover district volleyball games. I will be leaving the county again tomorrow night for a district football game. The drive times to each place have been an hour as will tomorrow's drive.

After I explained to the co-worker why I was tired, she said that listening to me just made her tired.

I try to take naps every afternoon. I go to bed early and rise every early (4 a.m.). But it seems like I'm always tired. I was supposed to run today, but I decided to take a day off. My treadmill will still be in the same place tomorrow. All I can say is I'm looking forward to the weekend. Much needed rest.

Results

For this entire election season, there was only really one race I was concerned about. And it wasn't the Presidential election.

I went to bed last night without seeing any results. I woke up this morning and refreshed some election websites on my computer. The results were staring me in the face. The best candidate for the job won. Now I can stop worrying about what could of happened if the race went the other way. Today begins a brand new era. An era that makes many people happy.

Jump - Adrian, MI

I'm sick of hearing, talking and thinking about the election. I can't wait until its over. No more ads on TV, radio or in my mailbox. Here is something that has nothing to do with politics.

Random things

Due to the time change, I woke up at 6:20 am and I couldn't get back to sleep. Instead of laying in bed, I got up and started housework. Not the most pleasant thing I like to do very early on a Sunday morning. But I did. At 9 am I had a 10K to run and I didn't want to do housework when I got home. So I did it before. I believe it was the smart choice.

I mentioned I ran a 10K race Sunday. It was the worst 10K I have ever run. Before reaching mile 2 my legs were dead. I only ran three days last week and it was at the beginning of the week. I rested Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Saturday I did run during the state cross country finals at Michigan International Speedway. It was only a short distance from the finish line to the media vans three times. It seemed like the rest days didn't help. My three mile time was a bit slow, but right where I should have been. The race really killed me when I entered the new designed course through the cemetery. The inclines and the hills really hit me. It seemed like I was never going to get through the cemetery and get to the finish line. I crossed the finish line at 1:16:56. I finished dead last. The last runner on the course. I have finished last many times before and that is OK. I would rather finish last then not running at all. I may not be very fast, but I love to run. And I'll continue to run as long as I can.

The Detroit Lions played a very close game. They played well the first half and my favorite player Jason Hanson (the kicker) made a 52-yard field goal. Detroit was leading at halftime 23-13 and the Chicago Bears came back to beat them 27-23. The Lions are now 0-8. It was announced today that the Lions signed Daunte Culpepper. I don't know if he can help them now.

Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain won her third New York City Marathon. American Kara Goucher finished third. Goucher is the first American to finish in the top three since 1994. I watched the marathon highlights on TV Sunday and I have to say Kara looked very good in her first marathon.

Sr. Elite Jazz Team - Adrian, MI

The Senior Elite Jazz Team practicing a dance routinue Wednesday to Rihanna's "Disturbia".

Books read in 2008

A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
All Too Human, Edward Kline
Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns

Currently Reading: Audrey Hepburn, Barry Paris
Up Next: Postmortem: How Medical Examiners Explain Suspicious Deaths, Stefan Timmermans

Random things

This past weekend's 5K run at the cemetery went OK. The course was basically the same from last year, except for the new hill they threw in. The weather conditions were on the chilly side but that didn't stop the 100 plus runners. My time was OK. Nothing too spectacular, 33:50:92. By the way I was running, I thought my time would have been faster then it was. I guess the many rolling hills of the cemetery got me.

Sunday was the season finale of Mad Men. I can't believe we have already watched 13 episodes. I'm greedy and I want more. Words cannot explain how much I love this show. The show has been renewed by AMC, but the stars of the show haven't renegotiated their contracts. I hope they do. What is Mad Men without Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and Roger Sterling (John Slattery)?

More TV news, Bravo is planning a copycat of Project Runway. I read that season 6 in Los Angeles just rapped up. I wonder how long it will take before we see it aired on a new station? Also, another Bravo favorite of mine, Top Chef returns November 12.

This coming Saturday is one of my favorite days of the year. It is the cross country state finals in Michigan held at Michigan International Speedway. It is the day where I get to see some of the finest runners in the state. Also, the media van that the photographers ride in gets up to 80 mph on the banks of the race track. It is necessary to drive on the track, we need to get to the finish quickly to catch the runners at the finish line. Awesome! The weather is going to be partly cloudy and 51 degrees. Should be a great day to watch some runners.

My last race of the year is Sunday. It has been a great 2008 season and I can't wait until 2009. I will be able to enter in more 5/10K races that I couldn't before due to photographing weddings and run the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon again.

The lovely Marilyn - New York City, NY

Marilyn Monroe at Madame Tussauds in New York City.

Books read in 2008

It took almost a month for me to read the book, Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady by Joel Lobenthal. That is too long. A couple of weeks ago, I picked up four books at the library that I think I'll have no trouble getting through fast.


A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Truman, David McCullough
Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried
Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal

Currently Reading: All Too Human, Edward Kline
Up Next: Princess Grace, Gwen Robyns

Leap - Adrian, MI

Jr. Elite Jazz - Adrian, MI

One of my favorites from the Jr. Elite Jazz class at Encore Dance Studio in Adrian, Michigan.

Miles run in 2008

I read that after running a half marathon, you want to get back into training slowly. I couldn't stand the thought of letting another day go by without running, so I ran Tuesday. Granted it was an easy two miles. But hey, its still running.

Tuesday marked something else as well. It was the first time in a month that I ran without my ankle brace. My ankle felt good. Now my right foot didn't. I had a pain on the outside of my right foot. It wasn't too bad to force me not to run. I plan to run three miles today, two miles Thursday and rest Friday. On Saturday I will be running in a 5K through a cemetery in the evening. I know I will be wearing my ankle brace. The paths are big enough for one car. With a bunch of runners it would be easy to roll an ankle running off the side of the asphalt. Maybe there won't be too many runners, it is supposed to be rain.

2004: 237.4
2005: 245.3
2006: 389.9
2007: 458.2
2008: 806.7

A snack

After work this morning I was hungry. I did eat my Special K bar and fruit snacks for breakfast, but I was still very hungry. I wanted to snack on something before lunch other then the chips sitting on top of my refrigerator. I was in the mood for broccoli, carrots and vegetable dip. I went to the store and found the veggie trays. The smallest tray contained carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and veggie dip. The cost of the small tray was $9. I really didn't want to pay that much for a tray of two veggies that I don't even like. I'm not a fan of celery and cauliflower. I didn't want to buy the tray and waste the other veggies.

I started looking around for a small bag of broccoli and something caught me eye. It was a salad called broccoli delight. It had broccoli, shredded carrots, sunflower kernels and light ranch dressing inside a plastic package. I bought that along with a tub of light veggie dip and a bag of carrots and broccoli for later.

When I got home I peeled back the plastic and mixed my broccoli delight. I was surprised how very good it was. Who knew I would come to love broccoli and carrots as a snack? Growing up, I didn't like broccoli and I only liked carrots in coleslaw. I was so happy with myself that I chose to eat veggies instead of potato chips. What I really like is how it is a very basic salad, that can be made very easily. I see it as something I will eat quite frequently in the future.

Half Marathon

My first half marathon experience was a tough one. It is something I'll never forget.

The race started off well. I didn't go out fast and didn't pay attention to any other runner around me. I wanted to save my energy because I knew I would need it later in the race. Until mile 4, I was doing great. The run up to and on the Ambassador Bridge killed me. The incline was steep. I continued running, but if you saw me it probably looked like walking. I knew I had to keep my legs moving.

After getting off the bridge and stepping on Canadian soil, I felt pain in left foot. My ankle brace was too tight and it was killing my foot. The half marathon had time limits for certain miles. If you didn't make it past the Ambassador Bridge or the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel (underwater mile) at a certain time, your race was over. So it was definitely not a time to stop and loosen my ankle brace. I continued running with the pain. Before entering the tunnel, someone announced the time. I was fifteen minutes ahead of the tunnel cut off time. So I made a deal with myself. If I could run through mile 8, I would stop and walk to help my foot. And that is what I did. After I passed 8 miles, I started walking. At this point between the pain of my left foot and my legs, I didn't know which was worst.

Exiting the tunnel on the US side, I started running again. I made it another mile or mile and a half before I stopped. I couldn't take the pain anymore. I unlaced my shoe and unlaced my ankle brace. I tied it looser to see if that would work. I put back on my shoe and started again. I quickly stopped again because the top of the ankle brace didn't feel right. I re-tied it and continued running. I didn't get too far without stopping to walk. My legs were dead. I walked the rest of the way.

I feel no shame by walking. I did train for this race for over a year. I did put in the time. I think if I didn't twist my ankle a month ago, I wouldn't stopped after 8 miles. My foot wouldn't have killed from an ankle brace. I probably would have walked at some point, but I don't think it would have been after 8 miles.

I did run to the finish line. Of course in a lot of pain. Once I crossed the finish line I was so happy to finally be done with the race. In all of the races I have run in, I have never been so happy to finish this one. My goal was to finish the half marathon in three hours. I missed the mark slightly, 3:01:05. If I didn't have to adjust my ankle brace twice, I would have made it under three hours.

My husband met me at the finish line and I told him that I would never do this race again. I said that I can scratch that off of my list of accomplishments. I think I said that because my whole body was in pain.

A day after the race, I'm still sore. But that will eventually go away. I know that I said I would never do a half marathon again, I don't think that is true. I want to run the half marathon again next year in Detroit and improve my time. I would like to do a race like this without ankle problems and see how long it takes. I've got a year to train for it.

The Chrysler Building - New York City, NY

It's almost time

A special Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon tab was inserted to the Detroit Free Press today. I went and bought my copy after work. The tab listed every runner/walker/wheelchair applicant's name, age, residence and bib number for Sunday's races. It was thilling to see my name listed in a huge paper like the Free Press. I shouldn't be too excited to see my name in print. I see it printed five times a week.

Women's Half Marathon entries:
Clark-Osborne, Deloris, 29, Adrian, 10058

Flatiron Building - New York City, NY

Manhattan Bridge - New York City, NY

Miles to go

I ran 10 miles on Sunday. It doesn't sound as good as it does.

Around 9 am, I went out for a run. I wanted to run 10 miles in one shot. It didn't happen. Around mile 3, my legs were dead. I had no energy and it disappointed me. I think it was mostly due to the fact I didn't eat before I ran. I wanted to continue, but my legs said no. I walked the rest of the way home. I think my walk was faster then my run anyway. When I got home I completed 5.1 miles by running and walking.

Later in the afternoon, I ran five miles on my treadmill to reach the goal of 10 miles for the day. I have to admit the second five miles that I ran were 100% better then the first five. My legs weren't dead and I actually had some energy. The five miles went back pretty quickly and that made me happy.

I really wanted to get through these 10 miles without any problems. But I didn't. I know when I line up Sunday up in Detroit, I will be fine. A week and a half ago, I ran eight miles around Mackinac Island without any problems. Once I get on the course, I know things will work out fine. I will have the energy of the runners and crowd around me. I get to run across the Ambassador Bridge, underwater for a mile and run into Canada. My first time out of the United States, granted its only for a couple of miles.

Five days to go.

Below is a link to the map of my Half Marathon in Detroit Sunday.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/mi/detroit/910892860

Rooftop graffiti - New York City, NY

I really wanted to stop and get a closer look at this graffiti. But I couldn't. It was taken when my husband and I were on a tour bus driving on the Manhattan Bridge. There is some motion blur to the photo because the bus was going 45 miles per hour and it was close to sunset. The tour guide said that this graffiti has been on the buildings in Chinatown since the 1980s. Awesome.

Graffiti door - New York City, NY

While riding a tour bus through Soho I saw this door. I really wanted to yell at the driver to let me off. I'm sure I mentioned it before, I love graffiti. I can't get enough of it. And New York City is filled with it. The only time I really saw loads of graffiti is when my husband and I were riding tour buses that didn't make stops. Out of all of the places that we walked in the city, there wasn't any graffiti to be found. I told my husband that next time we go to NYC, we are not going to do the tourist thing. We will be walking the streets of the different neighborhoods. I really want to see the city when we go back.

Extension - Adrian, MI

Bike - Mackinac Island, MI

Miles run in 2008

According to my half marathon first time training program, I'm supposed to be tapering my runs next week. This week will be a tough one. My plan is to run 10 miles on Sunday. I need to do that run. I need to get it in my head that I can and will be able to run 13.1 miles. For next week, I'm scheduled to run three times and then rest before the big day. I'm looking forward to the race since my 8 mile run around Mackinac Island.

Eleven days and counting.

2004: 228
2005: 268.2
2006: 372.6
2007: 434.2
2008: 767.5