Waiting for the music to start - Adrian, MI

Heel update

As I was walking downstairs Monday morning, my heel felt good. The pain disappeared. It was the best my heel felt in two weeks since the problem started. On Tuesday it was different. The pain returned. Wednesday, the pain was a bit worse. Sitting at my desk at work, my heel was throbbing. I know that isn't good. I called a podiatrist when I got home. I was hoping I could get an appointment for this week. I didn't. My appointment is for next Tuesday. I'm praying that it won't be something awful that requires me to take a break from running. I admit I'm addicted to running. It is something that I need to do.

Too tired to write anything

I'm tired from shoveling snow. So here is a photo that I took last week. Enjoy!

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward

Currently Reading: Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
Up Next: How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.

Weekend update

I photographed something fun Friday night. It was a college men's volleyball game. It is the first men's team in the area and it was their first home game. The two teams were Michigan State University at Siena Heights University. It was cool to see a small NAIA university play a huge Division I club team. Siena defeated MSU 3-1. I really enjoyed the game. The speed of the game was fast and the hitting was unbelievable. Siena has a great player from Colombia. His jump serve is awesome and he is a great setter. The game I'm looking forward to seeing is when University of Michigan's A Team visits Siena on February 9.

My husband and I went to Toledo, Ohio Saturday night to see Revolutionary Road. I really enjoyed the movie. My husband not so much. He fell asleep twice and was on the verge of snoring. I had to tap him to get him to stop. This movie is not for everyone. There is no happy ending.

I've been to a lot of movies in my life. I have to say the people around us in the theatre with me were the rudest people ever. People talked throughout the entire movie. The two older ladies sitting in the row ahead of me. The married couple sitting next to my husband who smelled like alcohol. And the big group behind me. I would have to say the group behind me was pretty bad. One girl kept announcing what was going to happen and she let her cell phone ring and ring. The couple sitting beside my husband arrived to the theatre 10 minutes after the movie started. They laughed and talked the entire time. The old ladies in front of me didn't even try to whisper. They talked loudly. Maybe this is why I don't go to the theatre that much. I would rather watch a movie at my house where it is quiet. Nobody is talking and kicking the back of my seat.

Revolutionary Road

The movie I have been waiting to see since December 26, 2008 is Revolutionary Road starring Kate and Leo. The movie opened nationwide on January 23, but not in my town. My husband, who is awesome and will be coming with me, and I will be driving to Toledo, Ohio tonight to see it. Finally! I enjoyed the book so much, I hope the movie will be that great as well.

Sleep problems

When I was a child I could fall asleep instantly. Now that I'm almost 30, not so instantly.

My work schedule is hard on me. I wake up at 4 a.m. Monday through Friday. On those nights, I need to be in bed by 9 p.m. Usually that doesn't happen. Lately, I have been going to bed later because games run late, my work is taking longer at the office and I eat dinner when I get home. Earlier this week, I tried to go to sleep at 9:30 p.m. I tossed, turned and couldn't get to sleep. I looked at my alarm clock, it read 10:42 p.m. I think I finally got to sleep way after midnight.

I noticed I was tossing, turning, and not being able to sleep quite frequently in 2008 and already in 2009. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good over-the-counter sleep aid? I would really like something that won't make me miss my alarm at 4 a.m. and something that I won't become addicted to. Please help me get a better night's rest.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs

Currently Reading: Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Up Next: Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro

House projects

Another household project is underway. It has been going on for over a week now. Back in November, the ceiling tiles in the dining room started to bow. My husband came home on a dinner break and saw the sagging ceiling. He decided to pull the sagging tiles down. The next morning when I walked into the dining room, I saw the missing ceiling tiles. While I was standing there, a couple of ceiling tiles fell to the floor. Later that week, my husband pulled down all of the ceiling tiles.

Before Christmas my husband called some contractors to get estimates on the ceiling. They were really high, so he decided to redo the ceiling himself. Last week, he put up three sheets of the drywall with a lift and hammered away. Then came the joint compound. Then the sanding and the dust it caused. White powder from the sanding got all over the furniture, chairs and floor. Yesterday he sanded the entire ceiling to get it ready to paint. The room was onced again covered with white dust. I walked through the room and left white footprints everywhere.

Last night, he put the first coat of primer on. He hopes to put the second on today, but I don't think he will have time before going to work. This whole process is taking quite a while and he doing it himself. Saving money in the process. I told him the ceiling looked really good. But I can't wait until the room is done. I don't enjoy the walking around the maze that is my dining room. I want to be able to walk into the dining room and enter another room without bumping into furniture.

I'm really going to freak on the next big house project. My husband will be redoing the bathroom in the coming months. He has to gut the entire room. He said it will take some time to do, maybe five days if it all goes well. If it all goes well?! Five days without a shower in the house! I can't live without a shower. I think I see a hotel room in my future.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith

Currently Reading: Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Up Next: Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward

MIles run in 2009

Sunday's five mile run felt good. My heel is still tender but I'm icing it twice a day and doing stretches. I need to find some really good insoles to help cushion my heel. The ones I have now are good, but a few years old.

2004: 20.2
2005: 24
2006: 23
2007: 26
2008: 42
2009: 52

Pure Country

I watched the movie Pure Country this morning. At the end of the movie, George Strait's character Dusty sings I Cross My Heart. That was the first song my husband and I danced to as man and wife. Every time I hear the song, it takes me back to September 15, 2001.

Random things

Ever since I wore boots to work on Monday, my left heel is hurting. Another runner suggested to me on dailymile that it could be plantar fasciitis. I hope its not, but I do I have a couple of the symptoms. If the pain is still around next week, I plan on visiting a foot doctor. To help my heel, I iced it this morning and did some stretching. Before going to my photo assignment tonight, I will put insoles or gel heels into my shoes to help ease the pain while shooting.

I was reading Marilyn's Last Words by Matthew Smith before my photo assignment started last night. Someone I knew was standing behind and saw that I was reading a book. I was at a start of a new chapter and they saw the heading. They repeated the heading then asked what I was reading. I showed them the front of the book and they proceeded to roll their eyes. It really irritated me. Every time that I'm reading or listing to on my iPod before an assignment people have to know what it is. Why do they need to know? If I want people to know, I will tell them.

Currently it is 4 degrees with a wind chill of -11. I'm really looking forward to this weekend and next week. Temperatures will be in the 20s. That will really feel like a heat wave.

Underneath the tracks - New York City, NY

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple

Currently Reading: Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Up Next: Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs

So excited

I just did something that makes me very happy .... I paid off my car loan.

The car is now mine. I own it. No more car payments! The day I will really celebrate is when I pay off my student loan.

Weekend update

The county was hit with snow Friday night through Saturday evening. Around here we got 8-10 inches of snow. Saturday morning I went out to shovel the sidewalk and the entry to our driveway. The snow was wet and heavy and not too much fun to shovel. Sunday, the area received about a inch of snow. I went back out this morning to shovel, again.

I'm tired of snow already and its only January. More snow will be falling again this week. It seems like we can't catch a break. For tonight, accumulations of 1 to 2 inches are likely. We get get a break from the snow Tuesday. Even though there won't be falling snow, we get blowing and drifting snow and lows that are going to be -2 to -8 below. The snow returns Wednesday with accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. I would like to know where all of this snow is supposed to go? I'm running out of room in my front yard like everyone else is.

Besides shoveling, I did go see Gran Torino with my husband Saturday. I really enjoyed the movie. I thought it was a drama, but we laughed through the entire movie. Clint's character says some really un-PC things. But as an actor and director, Clint Eastwood can do no wrong.

After the movie we went to dinner at a restaurant. All week I have been craving nachos. After I ordered them, I was told by our server that they changed the way they do nachos. OK. I didn't think it would be that big of a change. First of all they now serve it with spicy chili instead of straight beef. As part of the chili, beans were included. I'm not a big fan of chili beans. I picked most of them out because they are mixed in with the chili. There was no way to order them without the beans. Boo. Second, the drippy, runny cheese is gone. Shredded cheese is now sprinkled on top and melted under a burner. I liked how they were the way before. I will never get nachos there again. Maybe I'll start going to Taco Bell. They still use the runny cheese.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford

Currrently Reading: Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Up Next: Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith

Bummer

On December 30, I ordered a sweater and polo shirt online. I received an email from the company a day later with the tracking code. A couple of days later, the tracking information was updated and my clothes were to arrive at my house Monday, January 5.

Monday morning I checked the tracker and it said my package was out for delivery. Monday afternoon a package was delivered to my door. It was one of two packages that was supposed to be arrive on January 5. Before leaving for a game that evening, I got online and checked my tracker. It said my package was "Out for Delivery". I wanted to call the company and find out if it was still on one of the trucks, but I didn't have time becuse I needed to go to work.

The next day I checked the tracking information. It had changed overnight. Now it read... "INCORRECT ROUTING AT FACILITY / THE PACKAGE WAS MISSORTED AT THE HUB. IT HAS BEEN REROUTED TO THE CORRECT DESTINATION SITE." Bummer. According to the tracking information my package has had quite a journey so far. It has been scanned in numerous states: Kansas, Illinois and Texas. Hopefully in a couple of days it will say Ohio and Michigan.

Giggle - Adrian, MI

Senior Performance Lyrical - Adrian, MI

One of my favorite photos that I took of this class. All of the focus is on the dancer behind the teacher.

New Year goals

I have only a few goals for the new year. They basically are the same ones from 2008.

1. Run over 1000 miles - I ran 960.2 miles in 2008. If I didn't decrease my mileage after my half marathon in October, I would have reached it this year.

2. Eat more at home - My husband and I continued to do a good job of eating at home more last year. We saved money by eating lunch and dinner at home. We do eat out on occasion. Usually it is on a Friday night or Saturday night. I would also like to cook more. I know how to make easy stuff like sandwiches, soap, spaghetti, meatloaf and chili. I would like to make steaks or something like that for my husband. He usually makes those meals.

3. Shoot photos more - This has been a resolution for two years in a row. I did a good job of shooting more personal photos in 2008. In September, I went back to shoot at my favorite dance company. Since then I try to make it there once a week. Besides shooting ballet/dance, I want to get back to shooting my other loves: cemeteries, cemetery statues, decaying structures/industry and graffiti.

4. Continue reading - I finished 2008 with 43 books read. My plan is to finish reading over 40 books again.

Miles run in 2008 - Final Count

On New Year's Eve, I ran four miles. My legs were very tired from my 5 mile run on Tuesday. I felt like it was in slow motion during my entire run. I think those were the longest 40 minutes of my life.

My first run of 2009 was nice and slow. I wanted my legs to recover a bit before taking on a 4 or 5 mile run later this afternoon.

Total miles run for the year:
2004: 318.6
2005: 350.8
2006: 470
2007: 573.7
2008: 960.2

Moives watched in 2008 - Final Count

Final Count: 88

Favorite Movies: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944); Charade (1963); Dial M for Murder (1954); Gaslight (1944); Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); Roman Holiday (1953); Sex and The City: The Movie (2008); The Changeling (1980) and The Shootist (1976)

Favorite Documentary: Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days (2001)

Least Favorite Movie: Atonement (2007)

So bad that it was laughable: The Corpse Vanishes (1942)

Movie I watched for famous quote: Soylent Green (1973)

• All About Eve (1950)
• Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
• Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
• Atonement (2007)
• Becoming Jane (2007)
• Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
• Bus Stop (1956)
• Casablanca (1942)
• Charade (1963)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• Dial M for Murder (1954)
• Dirty Harry (1971)
• Don't Bother to Knock (1952)
• Elizabeth I (2005) HBO Films
• Gaslight (1944)
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
• Gia (1998) HBO Films
• Goodbye Again (1961)
• Gosford Park (2001)
• Grace Kelly: American Princess (1995)
• Gypsy (1962)
• High Noon (1952)
• High Society (1956)
• His Girl Friday (1940)
• How to Marry a Millionarie (1953)
• I Spit on Your Grave (1978)
• In Cold Blood (1967)
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
• Indiscreet (1958)
• JFK: The Case for Conspiracy (1993)
• Keeping Mum (2005)
• Lolita (1962)
• Marie Antoinette (2006)
• Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days (2001)
• Marnie (1964)
• Michael Clayton (2007)
• Mommie Dearest (1981)
• Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
• Nixon (1995)
• No Country for Old Men (2007)
• On the Beach (1959)
• Once Upon a Honeymoon (1942)
• Operation Petticoat (1959)
• Possessed (1947)
• Rear Window (1954)
• Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
• Rio Grande (1950)
• Roman Holiday (1953)
• Rope (1948)
• Rosemary's Baby (1968)
• Sex and the City: The Movie (2008)
• Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
• Some Like It Hot (1959)
• Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
• Soylent Green (1973)
• Suzy (1936)
• The Awful Truth (1937)
• The Beast of the City (1932)
• The Birds (1963)
• The Bishop's Wife (1947)
• The Bunker (1981) TV
• The Caretakers (1963)
• The Changeling (1980)
• The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
• The Country Girl (1954)
• The Elephant Man (1980)
• The Final Countdown (1980)
• The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
• The Killers (1946)
• The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
• The Men Who Killed Kennedy (1988)
• The Misfits (1961)
• The Nun's Story (1959)
• The Public Enemy (1931)
• The Rainmaker (1956)
• The Remains of the Day (1993)
• The Rookie (1990)
• The Shootist (1976)
• The Spiral Staircase (1945)
• The Tender Trap (1955)
• Topaz (1969)
• Torn Curtain (1966)
• True Grit (1969)
• Truman (1995) HBO Films
• Wait Until Dark (1967)
• Where Eagles Dare (1968)
• Without Limits (1998)

Books read in 2008 - Final Count

Final Count: 43

Favorite Books of the Year: Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates; The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner; Duke: A Love Story, Pat Stacy and Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia, Stephen Fried

Least Favorite Book of the Year: The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis


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
Dissecting Death, Frederick Zugibe, M.D., Ph. D.