Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin
Sex Wars, Marge Piercy
My Dark Places, James Ellroy
Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant, edited by Henry Ashby Turner, Jr.
L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy
Straight Up and Dirty, Stephanie Klein
Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson and the Year that Changed Our Lives, Susan Dworkin

Currently Reading:
Up Next:

I will be going to the library Friday morning. I hope to come home with some books to read.

Is it that time already?

It's only November 14, 2006 and my husband and I have been invited to a New Year's Eve Party. We've been told to bring an appetizer. I was thinking Fried Ravioli or Mac and Cheese Skewers. YUM-O!


Fried Ravioli
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show: Everyday Italian
Episode: Italian Street Food

Olive oil, for frying
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Italian-style bread crumbs
1 box store-bought cheese ravioli (about 24 ravioli)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated, for dipping


Pour enough olive oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325 degrees F.

While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip ravioli in buttermilk to coat completely. Allow the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, and continue with the remaining ravioli.

When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.


Mac and Cheese Skewers
Recipe courtesy Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh
Show: Party Line with the Hearty Boys
Episode: Grown-Up's Halloween

Salt, for pasta water
1/3 pound rigatoni (about 40 pieces)
4 ounces easy melting American Cheese (recommended: Velveeta)
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan 2
tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 teaspoons water, for egg wash
2 cups vegetable oil 20 cherry tomatoes, halved

Special equipment: frilly toothpicks

Fill a saucepan halfway with water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and salt the water liberally. Add the rigatoni and cook 9 to 11 minutes, until al dente. Drain, rinse well under cold water and set aside.

Cut the block of cheese into 1/2-inch slices and cut each slice into 4 equal pieces lengthwise. Cut each piece in half. You should have 40 pieces. Slide 1 piece of the cheese into each rigatoni (the size should be near perfect.)

Pour the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and parsley into a small bowl and mix well. Working in small batches, put the stuffed rigatoni into the egg wash first, then roll in the bread crumb mixture. Place in a sealable container (they can be stacked on top of each other). Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours and up to 2 weeks.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Pour the vegetable oil into a medium saucepan and place over medium heat for 5 minutes. Test by dropping a cube of bread into the oil; if it turns golden within 1 minute the oil is ready.

Working in batches of 6 to 8 and using a slotted spoon, carefully drop the rigatoni into the oil.
Fry for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the bread crumbs are a golden brown. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all of the rigatoni have been fried. Keep warm in the preheated oven.

To serve, skewer 1 piece of the mac and cheese and a cherry tomato half with a frilly toothpick. Serve while still warm.

Double vision

I had my yearly eye exam today.

I was hoping to come home with my new contacts. My eye doctor wanted me to get contacts that I throw away every two months. They sounded nice. She then told me the price. Umm Pass. Too expensive.

I was asked to get an eye exam with a new machine. I declined. It was an extra $29. I kept telling the doctor, "Whatever is cheaper." I'll always say that because I don't have vision insurance. GRRRRR!!!!

At the end of the exam, I was told by the certified optical dispenser to have a seat while she got my contacts. She came back with one, the right contact. Usually they have my contacts on hand. She told me that I could take the right one now or wait to pick them up. I decided to pick them up when they come in sometime next week. BOO!

Standing at the counter, the office assistant worked on my bill. She said, "that will be $201.40." I swear it didn't cost that much last year. Disappointed, I handed over my debit card and said goodbye to my money.

Two hundred one dollars for an eye exam and contacts. I'm sure glad that I didn't get that fancy eye exam and the expensive disposable contacts. If I did, my bill would have been $90-100 more and my debit card would have been declined.

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin
Sex Wars, Marge Piercy
My Dark Places, James Ellroy
Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant, edited by Henry Ashby Turner, Jr.
L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy
Straight Up and Dirty, Stephanie Klein

Currently Reading: Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson and the Year that Changed Our Lives, Susan Dworkin
Up Next:
On Hold: Elizabeth, Sarah Bradford

The dogs

Kelly biting Blitzkrieg in an attempt to get him to play. Needless to say, it didn't work.

Election Day

I have never been so glad for it to be Election Day.

This is the day that the ads on the TV and radio will stop. I'm very happy, because I'm sick of seeing them. This is the day that the ads will stop appearing in my mailbox. The ads were sent to me in my married name, my husband's name, my maiden name, our family name and RESIDENT. At our house we averaged 4 or 5 pamphlets/flyers a week. Sending me those pamphlets won't sway my vote. I already knew who I was voting for. Basically, politicians, you're throwing your money away. I only looked at the pictures and then threw them in the trash or the shredder.

This morning while putting out going mail in the mailbox, a political pamphlet was sitting on the end of my front porch. I thought that was a dumb place to leave it. It was raining and it was getting soaked on the top step of my porch. Wouldn't it have been better to leave it in the door? Oh well, it went right into the trash.

Tomorrow is a new day. A day without political ads on my TV, in my mailbox or on my porch. I'm Deloris and I approve this message.

Souper Run 10K

Sunday, I was one of 400 runners to participate in the 6th Annual Souper Run held in Adrian, MI. The Souper Run raises money for The Daily Bread, Lenawee County's Soup Kitchen. As I did last year, I decided to run the 10K again this year.

It was a cool morning, but not too cold. I ran in shorts, one heat gear long sleeve shirt, another long sleeve running shirt, a hat and sunglasses. The first mile went well. During the second mile, I developed stomach cramps. I really wanted to stop and walk, but I didn't. I slowed up my pace until the stomach cramps went away. By that time, most of the 10K runners were too far ahead of me to catch them, except for one guy.

Around 4 miles, I was really getting warm. I rolled up the sleeves to my both of my long sleeve shirts. That helped cool down my arms. It felt like they were on fire. At this point I knew that the hardest part of the run was still to come. But before heading down into Island Park, around 4.5 miles a worker was on the side of the road. I was running by her and said encouraging things to help me keep going. At that point in time, I really don't listen to what people are saying, I just want to finish the race so I can walk. But she said, "good job you're almost done. When you finish you can get some hot soup!" When she said that I just wanted to puke. I didn't want any hot soup because it sounded nasty at the time.

I made my turn to head down to Island Park. Running downhill was alright. I finally get downhill and I see a water stand. Usually I never drink water while I'm running, but I held out my hand for a glass. I bent the cup and took a drink. I think most of it ended up on me, but it was good. The guy who was in front of me, stopped to drink his water. When he did that, I thought I had a chance to catch him. I was about 30 yards away from him running through Island Park. But he got away from me on the hill. By the time I had to run back up the huge hill at Island Park, I had nothing left. I ran up the hill, but it felt like I was walking. When I reached the top of the hill, my legs were so tired. But I kept going. Finally, I made my last turn to the finish. Most of the time, I sprint to the finish. I couldn't even do that. I was very tired. I finished my 10K in 1:13.15.

I didn't run as fast as last year's 10K, but my goal was just to finish. But finishing is my goal for every race that I run. After running a disappointing time I was happy when I received a medal, I was third in my age group, 25-29.

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin
Sex Wars, Marge Piercy
My Dark Places, James Ellroy
Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant, edited by Henry Ashby Turner, Jr.
L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy

Currently Reading: Elizabeth, Sarah Bradford
Up Next: Straight Up and Dirty, Stephanie Klein

It's 3 am......

Daylight Savings Time ended October 29, 2006. When it ended my body alarm clock didn't turn itself an hour back.

When my husband came home from work around 6 am Sunday morning. I was awake. On weekends, I usually get up at or around 7 am. I really wanted to try to go back to sleep, but that wasn't happening. I couldn't lay in bed anymore. I went downstairs, let the dogs out, skimmed the newspaper and started housework. Sunday afternoons, I try to take a nap during the NASCAR race or football game. But I had no luck. I was so busy attending to my dirty pants and folding the three loads of laundry. Later I ran six miles on the treadmill, finished watching the race, took a shower and decided to go to bed at 8 pm.

Monday morning I woke up and looked at my alarm clock. It read 3 am. I was awake an hour before my alarm is supposed to go off. I tried to go back to sleep, but I kept looking at the clock every 15 minutes. Finally at 3:45 am, I couldn't stand it anymore. I got up, got ready and went to work at 4:20 am.

Tuesday and Wednesday morning were a repeat of Monday morning. I woke up at 3 am three days in a row! How depressing.

Will Thursday and Friday morning be the same? I hope not, but it is 7:27 pm and I'm getting tired. Will I make it through my TV show that is a hour long at 8 pm?

Yum-O!

Lately I have been watching a lot of Food Network. There are a few shows that I like to watch, Paula's Home Cooking, Everyday Italian, Iron Chef America and my favorite 30 Minute Meals.

Last week on 30 Minute Meals, Rachael Ray had a show called Bachelor Buster. This episode was geared toward bachelors, but if you know me, you know I love steak and I could eat it everyday. After watching the show, I wanted the meal. She made Strip Steaks with a Side of Blue Cheese Spaghetti and Warm Mushroom Salad Stuffed Tomatoes. I printed out the recipe from the website and showed it to my husband. After saying for about a week that I wanted to make that, my husband Mike and I went to Meijer and Country Market Monday to buy supplies that we needed to make the Strip Steaks with Blue Cheese Spaghetti. We didn't make the Warm Mushroom Salad Stuffed Tomatoes because Mike isn't a fan of tomatoes.

The meal was fabulous! It was easy to make and it was very good. Mike and I will be making this again.

Here is a picture of Rachael for the guys.


Strip Steaks with a Side of Blue Cheese Spaghetti
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
4 servings

4 slices bacon, chopped into 1-inch pieces
Salt
1 pound spaghetti
4 (8-ounce) NY strip steaks
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
5 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/4 to 1/3 cup cream or half-and-half, eyeball it
8 ounces blue cheese crumbles
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons chives, chopped, a palm full
2 cups arugula, a small bunch, cleaned, trimmed and shredded

Put a large pot of water on the stove to bring to a boil for pasta.

Preheat broiler to high with rack on top shelf.

Preheat medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped bacon and cook until crisp. Salt water for pasta and add spaghetti to the pot. Cook to al dente, with a bite to it.

Season the steaks with salt and pepper on both sides and arrange on slotted broiler pan.

Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon and drain off most of the fat, return pan to heat and reduce heat to medium. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan and 1 tablespoon butter. When butter melts into extra-virgin olive oil, add in 2 cloves garlic and the shallots, saute for 3 minutes.

Arrange steaks on the broiler pan. Place under broiler - leave door to oven cracked ajar to limit flare ups and smoke. Cook 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, up to 5 to 6 minutes on each side for medium well doneness.

To the garlic and shallots, add in flour and cook a minute more. Whisk in stock, bring to a bubble, about 30 seconds then stir in the cream. When cream comes to a bubble, add in blue cheese and sage and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir until cheese melts. Reduce heat to lowest setting.

Soften 4 tablespoons butter in microwave on high for 15 seconds. Mix in chives and 2 cloves minced garlic and reserve.

Remove steaks from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Place 1/4 of the chive and garlic butter mixture on each steak to melt down over the meat as they rest.

Drain pasta and toss with sauce to coat and combine evenly. Taste to adjust seasoning. Serve steaks with pasta alongside. Scatter the arugula and bacon bits across the top of the pasta.

Photo Credits: www.foodnetwork.com & www.fhmus.com

Rainfest 2006

The weather this past Friday and Saturday were terrible. There was rain, hail and cold temperatures. I was lucky to be photographing out in the elements Friday night and Saturday morning.

Friday night I drove to Dearborn High School to photograph Dearborn vs Adrian in a pre-district football game. The football field was in terrible condition due to the rain. It was raining pretty hard, that made difficult to take notes. The rain was washing most of my notes away. The rain and gel ink pens don't mix. I was wearing a long raincoat down to my calves. That didn't stop me from getting wet. The rain and mud found my pant legs. My jeans were wet all the way up to my knees. Mud even got inside of my pant legs. The raincoat sleeves aren't as long as the sleeves on my winter coat. The rain soaked my sleeves and ran down my arm inside my coat. I was very excited to walk back to my car at halftime and drive back to Adrian.

Saturday morning I drove to Jackson to photograph the Division 3 and 4 Regional Cross Country meet at Ella Sharp Park. I was prepared I wrapped my camera in plastic. I had one two coats, my raincoat and a hat. Before the meet began I bought cookies at the concession stand. I was thinking that it was getting hot and that I should go back to my car and take off some of my coats. I started walking to my car and the skies opened up. First it started raining. Then the hail came. I was standing in the middle of the cross country course. The only shelter was some trees and a bush. I stood in the rain/combo, then about 5 minutes into it, I stood under a tall bush. About 10 minutes before the start of the Division 3 boys race the hail and rain stopped. This made the course very muddy. My boots were covered in mud and so were my jeans. A replay of the night before, wet and muddy jeans.

Sunday morning I did laundry. It took 3 washes to get most of the mud out from the inside of my pantlegs. Three washes. My washer sucks.

Miles run in 2006

After buying some new fabulous shoes today at Running with E's in Adrian, I ran on the treadmill. That is not too exciting, but today it was. Running just two miles today, I reached my New Year's Resolution to reach 400 miles run for the year!

I just looked up my New Year's Resolution post and I never said that I wanted to run over 400 miles this year. I wrote that I wanted to finish the year with more then 350 miles. But I know that I mentioned it to everyone. Anyhoo.

My final road race of 2006 is November 5. I turned in my entry fee when I bought my shoes this afternoon. I'm running in the Souper Run 10K in Adrian. This will be my second 10K of the year. Last year's race was terrible. It was cold and very windy. I think the wind gust were about 25-30 mph. The 5K and 10K course run together until the two mile marker then the 10K course turns right and the 5K course turns left. Most of the people running in the 10K race took the easy way out and turned left. With them not finishing the 10K it messed up all of the timing. It was very irritating.

Total miles run up to October 26:
2004: 242.5
2005: 293.3
2006: 400.8

Snickers of pain

My lunch of Pizza Hut and snack of a Snickers bar felt like I was eating razor blades yesterday. It hurt to chew the crust off of my pizza. I love the crust, it is the best part of Pizza Hut's pizza. So instead of enjoying them, they are now treats for the dogs. BOO!

I bought the Snickers bar during halftime at a very cold regional soccer game in Brownstone, MI. The candy bar was stored in the cold concession stand right behind the football/soccer field. Me not thinking the candy bar would like a brick, I took a bite. It hurt and there was pain. Candy bars are supposed to be soft! But being stored in a building without that much heat and the cold temperatures, everything was working against me and my mouth. Damn you Snickers!

I called the dentist today and told them about my mouth. They said that the pain should have subsided by now. Not a good sign. I'm going for a visit 1:15 pm this afternoon. I can't wait for them to tell me that it is infected.

**Update: I went to the dentist this afternoon. He told me that I had dry socket. He put two medicated dresses in the extraction sockets. I have to go back on Friday to have them removed. In the couple of hours that I had them, they are really working. YEA!

Dry socket refers to a condition which my arise after the removal of teeth. Symptoms include a throbbing, radiating pain. This pain may travel to the ear, jaw, teeth, head or throat. This condition will resolve without treatment, however, the pain can be managed through the use of pain relievers and/or with medicated dressings placed in the extraction socket.

Sweetest Day

Saturday was Sweetest Day. Before I met Mike, I didn't know it existed.

Last year I didn't get Mike anything, not even a card, because I said it was a made-up holiday*. Sometime last week, I asked Mike what we were doing Saturday. He said nothing. I said we're not doing anything for Sweetest Day? He said that last year I said it was made up so he didn't plan on anything. It is rare that Mike and I have the same day off and actually do something together, so it was nice to make plans.

We decided to go to the movies. We went to see Flags of our Fathers. I was hoping it would be good because Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby were good Clint Eastwood films. After seeing the movie, I was disappointed. It was good, but not that good. In the beginning, it was hard to follow. It was jumping back in the past then to present time, then back to the past and all over. The movie also dragged in many parts. I was thinking during the movie, "Did this really need to be here?"

After the movie we went to dinner. With my jaw still hurting from my oral surgery, we settled on El Chaps. I had tacos and a cheese enchilada. It was soft for me to eat and didn't involve that much chewing. It was there we saw that the Tigers were down to the Cardinals in the World Series. The Tigers lost Game 1 of the World Series to the Cardinals 7-2. But at least one Michigan team won that day, Michigan beat Iowa in football 20-6.

*On the back of the card I bought Mike, it explained the origin of Sweetest Day.

Observed the 3rd Saturday in the month of October, Sweetest Day observance originated in Cleveland in 1922. Herbert Birch Kingston, a philanthropist and candy company employee wanted to bring happiness into the lives of orphans, shut-ins and others who were forgotten. With the help of friends, he began to distribute candy and small gifts to the underprivileged.

Primarily a regional observance celebrated in the Great Lakes region and the Northeast, Sweetest Day is gradually spreading to other areas of the country. Ohio is the top state for Sweetest Day sales, followed by Michigan and Illinois.

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin
Sex Wars, Marge Piercy
My Dark Places, James Ellroy
Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant, edited by Henry Ashby Turner, Jr.

Currently Reading: L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy
Up Next: Elizabeth, Sarah Bradford

Dave and Erin's wedding - the picture story

Here we are in the parking lot of St. Anthony's Church in Columbus Grove, OH. We got a late start driving down to the wedding. Chris and Anna followed Sean and I because they didn't have the directions. I would say we made it in record time with Sean's speeding. We got to the wedding a half hour before it started.

Before the ceremony started I went downstairs to use the restroom. There is where Erin and her bridesmaids were hanging out before the ceremony. Erin was lovely in her dress.

Sean congratulating Dave after the wedding.

Anna and Chris were very hungry because they skipped breakfast. The pretzels, chips and nuts were good, but it wasn't filling them up. Sean asked the bartender what time dinner was supposed to be served. He said between 5 and 5:30 pm, which at that point in time was an hour and half away. We all grabbed our coats and headed to Ottawa to get some food. Anna and Chris went to McDonald's and Sean and I went to Subway.

Anna and Chris listening to the Tigers game in the car while waiting for Sean and I to return from Subway. Anna is laughing at Sean because he was pulled over by an Ohio State Trooper.

Sean looking over his traffic citation that he just received. While driving back from Subway in Ottawa to the reception in Columbus Grove, Sean was pulled over by an Ohio State Trooper. Sean was clocked on radar doing 72 mph in a 55. The Trooper wrote Sean for the entire amount.

Anna and Chris

Anna and Sean pass time before eating at the reception by playing a game of spoons.

Anna's spoon lost.

The happy couple Erin and Dave relaxing in the cool entryway of the reception hall.

Erin striking a pose.

Sean getting a little help from Anna drinking his Red Bull while enjoying the Tigers game on the bar TV.

My husband Mike couldn't make it to the wedding, so I asked my friend Sean to join me. Here we are dancing. This is the only picture of me from the evening taken by Anna. What is the guy in white doing behind us?

Chris and Anna take a turn on the dance floor before leaving.

Dave saying goodbye and thanks to his Michigan friends for coming to his wedding.

Pain, puke and more pain

This morning I went to the oral surgeon to have all four of my wisdom teeth removed. While sitting in the chair the dentist asked the usually questions - Are you allergic to any medicine? Who is driving you home? Have you ever had blood drawn or an IV?

After the question and answer session, he pulled up my right sleeve on my shirt to insert the IV. It took him a while to find a vein. When he did find one, I heard him say to the nurse that my vein wasn't taking the medicine. I asked if he found a vein and he said that sometimes those veins don't take the medicine. Since my right vein wasn't taking the medicine, he had to pull my left sleeve up on my shirt to stick the needle in for my IV. After he got the needle in he said that patients accused him of moving the lights on them. I said that I heard that from people. And that was the last thing that I remember.

Probably a half hour later, the nurse, or whatever you call them, told me to stand up and walk with her to another room. I laid down on a nice bed and then Mike came into the room. While the lady talked to him, I was drifting in and out of sleep. I think I heard the lady tell Mike to keep me up. After she told him everything that he needed to know. It was time to leave and get my pain medication.

I barely remember the drive to Meijer drive-thru pharmacy. The pharmacist said my prescription would be done in 25 minutes. Mike drove me home and helped me on the couch. He asked what I wanted for lunch. I just said fries. Mike left to get my prescription and came back with lunch and a bouquet of flowers for me. How sweet! Mike gave me my medicine and my fries. It took me probably 20 minutes to eat fries. I think that was the slowest time for me ever to eat fries.

After lunch both of us laid on our couches and fell asleep. Around 5 pm, Mike changed his clothes to his sexy suit for his city commission meeting. I was laying on the bed talking to him while he changed. I didn't feel good. We both walked back downstairs and I headed right to the bathroom and threw up twice. There went lunch. Mike kept telling me that was a side effect of the medication. About an hour or two after he left, I was hungry again. Mike bought me a McFlurry for lunch and put it in the freezer. I went to the freezer and ate it. About a half hour after eating it, I was running back to the bathroom. Up it came. Not just once, but a couple of more times. I was so disappointed. That flurry was good.

After throwing up more, I started feeling severe pain. I took another pain pill with water. That didn't stay down long either. A while later, I was back running to the bathroom to throw up.

So here I sit. I threw up everything I had today. My jaw is in pain. I'm still spitting up blood. One thing I remember the lady telling Mike that I couldn't brush my teeth until tomorrow, talk about nasty! There is nothing like the taste of puke in your mouth. YUM!

The day has finally come

Monday.

Three days from now it will be Monday. It is the day I have been dreading for a couple of months. Monday at 10:15 am, I will say goodbye to $400 and finally have all four of my wisdom teeth removed. I will be out during the surgery, which is good. The doctor said the procedure will take about a half hour. After the surgery my husband is the lucky one to take my drugged-up ass home. I'm so looking forward to the pain.

On the other hand, there is a part of me that is excited about getting my wisdom teeth removed. I'm excited because I don't have to set my alarm clock for three days, I'll be able to stay in bed past 4 am and have a couple of days off.

I'm so glad for sick days.

Yuck!

Before my husband and I started grocery shopping at Meijer, I went to the restroom. I walked in the ladies room and didn't see anyone else. I picked the second to last stall and took off my coat. I noticed shoes in the next stall. That woman finished her business and walked out without washing her hands. As I walked up to the row of sinks to wash my hands with soap and water, I said "disgusting" out loud. After I said that a woman walked out of a stall and over to the sinks. She put her hands under the automatic faucet and "washed" her hands with just water. After getting her hands wet, she played with her hair and started to walk out. Before she got to the door, I said, "gross" loud enough for her to hear it.

After washing and drying my hands, there was no way I was going to touch that door. I kicked it open with my shoe.

How can people not wash their hands with soap after using the restroom? That is the grossest thing ever. Especially when you're at a grocery store with food that I know that they are going to touch and put back on the shelf.

NASTY!!

Isn't that nice

While standing under an umbrella during a soggy soccer pre-game warmup, a woman walked up to me. She asked me if I worked at the local newspaper. I said yes. This is usually when they say that the newspaper got their daughter/son's name wrong in the paper or we left something out, but this was different. She told me that my photos of her son and the rest of the team were great. She said she was amazed with all of the wonderful pictures that I took of her son. I said thank you and walked away.

It is rare that two good things happen at a game - first a nice complement and then the game was canceled due to wet conditions of the field.

Random things

Over the weekend, my husband Mike and I saw The Departed with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. In the movie, Matt Damon's character, Colin Sullivan, is a dirty Massachusetts State Police officer working with the mob. I really liked this movie. All of the actors were great and Damon was so good that I wanted to kill him throughout the movie. He got what he deserved in the end.

Sunday afternoon with one lap to go at the UAW-Ford 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Dale Earnhardt, Jr was in the lead, behind him was Jimmie Johnson and Brian Vickers. Jimmie Johnson and Vickers pulled out from behind Earnhardt to pass him. Junior pulled out in front of Johnson to block. Vickers got in the back of Johnson, Johnson then got into Earnhardt, they both turned sideways and crashed. Vickers went on to win. Earnhardt and Johnson finished 23rd and 24th. Earnhardt said in interviews he would have been happy with second or third, but Vickers got too excited and crashed into the back of his own teammate. GRRRRR to Vickers!

The day after Talladega, Jeff Gordon cried to the media about Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Gordon said that "there was more bump-drafting than he'd seen in a long time." He also said one of the worst offenders was Earnhardt, who put the bumper of his No. 8 Chevrolet under countless cars as he battled from a lap down to take the lead. NASCAR warned Earnhardt during the race but said after the race that they didn't see any excessive bump-drafting. Cry some more Jeff.

My husband and I went to Fricker's today for lunch. The waitress came to take our order and told us that it was 25 cent wing day. She took our drink orders, I ordered water and Mike ordered Sierra Mist. Our waitress told us some rules to follow for 25 cent wing day, you MUST order a pop or alcohol. Mike covered us with his Sierra Mist. If you just order water, the wings are full price. She also went on to say that if we do not eat all of the wings, we can't take them home. Fricker's will not provide a to-go box.

While we were eating, a group of four were sitting at the table in front of us. I saw that they all had left over wings. I then saw them dumping all of their wings into a to-go box. Our waitress told us, no wings can leave the building. These people had 10 or more in their to-go box. I guess their waitress didn't get the wings memo.


Photo Credit: TOP - raremovieimages.com & Warner Brothers

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin
Sex Wars, Marge Piercy
My Dark Places, James Ellroy

Currently Reading: Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant, edited by Henry Ashby Turner, Jr.
Up Next: LA Confidential, James Ellroy

Random things

UPS dropped something off at my door yesterday. A month after sending in my order, it had arrived. My sample AsukaBook was delivered to my house, by the way it is cool. Now I have all of my sample albums to show clients during wedding appointments.

The treadmill repair man came to the house yesterday. The front roller on the treadmill had to be replaced. He fixed it and before he left he said to me as I was sitting on the couch reading a book, "Everytime I come here you're reading a book. You're just like my father-in-law. You must love books." I smiled at him as he walked out of the door. Very observant you are Mr. Repair man. Hopefully we won't be seeing you any time soon. This afternoon I plan to try out my fixed treadmill. How I missed you.

Wednesday night Bravo aired the Project Runway 3 Reunion show. Can I just say how boring it was? I think that was the worst one yet. Keith, I think you're smoking something if you think the producers stashed those books under your bed. Season three was good, but not as good as Season two.

Ten more days until all four of my wisdom teeth are removed. I'm still working on the $400 that I need to pay the day of the surgery. I'm so looking forward to it.

Top Model recap

Tonight on America's Top Model, Monique, the girl I disliked so far this season was eliminated.

This week the girl's challenge was to walk a runway suspended over water. The night before Monique went to the hospital for dehydration. The morning of the challenge she got herself out of bed and went to the runway walk/photo shoot. Before hair and makeup she told Jay that she was sick and wanted a ride back to the house. I was so excited. If the girls miss a shoot that is it for them.

During judging Tyra said that many girls have been sick but still made it to the shoot. She mentioned last season's winner Danielle, not by name, but said she had an IV in her arm and rode an elephant through the jungle to make it to her shoot.

When Monique was eliminated she turned around and left judging without saying anything. Melrose couldn't hide her relief that the bitch was leaving. In Monique's exit interview she said that ANTM was a waste of time. If she had gone on in the competition I bet she wouldn't have thought that.

Photo Credit: www.cwtv.com/shows/americas-next-top-model

GRRR!

Today was the day the treadmill repair man was supposed to come to my house. At work today, I kept thinking I have to get home to wait for the repair man. Late morning I received a phone call from my husband. He left me a message: the treadmill repair man wasn't coming today. They had to reschedule for Thursday.

I have been waiting for a week to get my treadmill repaired. I was hoping to run tonight after photographing a cross country meet. That didn't happen. I got home and talked with my husband and the sky was getting dark. If the treadmill was repaired I could have ran in my basement. Now I have to play the waiting game for the repair man Thursday. BOO!

Siena Alumni 5K Run

I was still recovering from being sick all last week but I ran the Siena Heights University 5K Alumni Run in Adrian on Saturday. The Siena Alumni Run is part of Alumni Weekend at the university. Since Siena doesn't have football, I guess that would make Alumni Weekend our Homecoming.

It was a cold morning. It quit raining a couple of hours before the race, which was nice. I get to Siena and park in the Fieldhouse lot to walk to registration. I get in the Fieldhouse and walked to the pre-registration table. I recognized the woman taking names, it was the school's librarian, Melissa. When I was in college, she helped me find a lot of material for papers that I was writing at the time. I said my name and she looked at her sheet. My name wasn't there. I explained that I filled out my registration sheet and mailed my check Tuesday. I asked if she wanted me to pay, Melissa said she believed me and not to worry. She gave me my bib number and told me to get a T-shirt.

I went over to the T-shirt table and saw they were handing out the same shirts from last year. Not an issue, I liked last year's shirts. I asked for an extra large and the girl said that they didn't have any. She said the large's ran big. I took a large but I knew it would be too tight. I went back to my car to take off my windpants, coat, grab safety pins and throw my shirt in the passenger seat. To warm myself up I jogged back to the fieldhouse and went inside to stretch. The gym was a bit warm to me, but the other people in the gym were wearing sweatshirts and coats. I finished stretching and waited by the doors for Tim Bauer, Siena's Cross Country/Track coach, to tell the runners it was time to go.

At the start line, there were only a handful of non-ex-Siena Cross Country runners. There were kids of runners, parents of some runners and a 5k regular. We took our position at the start and we were off. It was a nice run down Hanke Lane of the fairgrounds, by the horsebarns and down Maple Avenue. On Maple Avenue, I knew that a few people were behind me. To that point no one threatened to pass me. At Broad and Maple, we turned down Broad and headed back to Siena Heights Drive. At this point someone was behind me. I could hear there footsteps. I never turned around to see who it was. But I knew that they were not going to pass me.

My mile and two mile splits were fast for me, but I knew the last mile would be the hardest - running uphill on Siena Heights Drive heading back to the Fieldhouse. Last year on the hill, I was passed by a runner. I hoped it wouldn't be the same this year. Every step I took I heard the steps behind me getting closer. I know I slowed on the hill, but I didn't get passed. I was so happy to see the crowd of workers telling me to turn right down the parking lot to the back door of the Fieldhouse. Once I got inside the gym I did tried my hardest to sprint, which at that point wasn't very fast. I heard Eric Clarke, owner of Running with E's, yelling for me to finish strong. I crossed the finish line in 32:28. Not my best time, but that is still a good time for being sick. I didn't turn around to see who was behind me, I just wanted a drink.

I grabbed my bottle of water and walked back into the gym to look at the board to see if I got a medal. About 5 minutes after the race, names were hung in the age groups. I saw my name was second in the 25-29 age group. While standing in the gym a man walked up to me and said, "I thought I was going to catch you on the hill." It was the same guy who passed me last year. Last year I was his pace maker. This year, he was mine.

All of the runners were called into the gym. Tim thanked everyone that ran and said that next year it will be called the Saints Run hoping to attract more runners. Then the medals were handed out. I received my silver medal and a handshake from Tim. The medals didn't come with a ribbon attached. Later that night, being the geek that I am, I went to Hobby Lobby to buy some ribbon. The medal is now hanging with my other medals in my work room. Since I started running 5k's I have received at least one medal a year. Right now I have 8. I hope to get one more this year.

Other then me still being sick, the weather was perfect to run Saturday. It was a little chilly, but otherwise a great day.

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin
Sex Wars, Marge Piercy

Currently Reading: My Dark Places, James Ellroy
Up Next: Hitler: Memoirs of a Confidant, edited by Henry Ashby Turner, Jr.

The joys of a cold

Last week I photographed two sporting events in the rain. This week, I'm paying for it.

Monday, I still could breathe fine. Tuesday morning I woke up and my throat was sore and breathing wasn't that easy. At work I was taking cold medicine and using so much Kleenex. I was sure to wash my hands after needing the Kleenex before touching my computer again. At the end of the day, I sprayed my work stations down with Lysol to get rid of any germs.

Sleeping Tuesday night/Wednesday morning was bad. I had to prop my pillows up and sleep with my head against the headrest. Not the most comfortable way to sleep. Last night was worst. I tried to sleep sitting up. That didn't work. Before going to bed, I took some NyQuil. It is supposed to help me sleep through the night. It didn't. I woke up at 1 am, not being able to breathe through my nose. I know I wasn't supposed to do this, I went back downstairs and took another cap full. That time it put me to sleep, but 4 am came too quickly. It was time to get ready to go back to work.

The past two days have been bad. Every 6 hours I'm taking DayQuil. At night it is NyQuil. Thursday morning I had the same result, up at 1 am, taking another cap full of medicine. I need my cold and sickness to go away. Saturday I need to be feeling better to run in a Alumni 5k at Siena Heights University in Adrian and then meeting a couple to shoot their engagement photos and talk about my photography services. I don't need to be stuffed up and sick. I just need to keep taking my medicine, try to get more sleep and stay out of the rain.

Puppies

Friday evening I saw PIMP MOBILE written on a car. At Clinton today I parked in the school lot next to a full size pickup truck. Handwritten on the dirty truck passenger side was: I eat puppies for breakfast & they are good. :)

When I was growing up I always wrote WASH ME on my Dad's dirty truck. Are puppies the new WASH ME?

Weekend Update

This past Saturday, my husband Mike and I drove down to Toledo, Ohio. Our first stop was Westgate Franklin Park. We parked at Macy's. Macy's took over for Marshall Fields, but I think seeing a Macy's in Toledo is weird. We just walked through to get to the other stores we wanted to go to.

Our first stop as always was Pottery Barn. I love that store, but it is so expensive. In the back of the store was their desks. I sat at one that I would love to have for my home office. If I got it, I know it would take up the entire room. Sadly, I had to leave it.

Our next stop was Dick's Sporting Goods. Mike and I looked at all of the new Under Armor clothes and running shorts. We didn't buy anything, but I think we spent more time watching the Michigan and Wisconsin football game on the big screen TV.

Walking out of Dick's, there was a crowd of people kneeling on the ground. An older lady fell and she needed help. The mall security guards were helping her and calling for an ambulance. We looked just like everyone else and went into Borders. I actually wanted to buy a book for I went to get it and Mike went back to the collectible section and found a book. I bought, actually Mike bought me Stephanie Klein's book, Straight Up and Dirty. It will have to wait. Earlier Saturday morning I went to the Lenawee County Library and borrowed four books. I need to read those first before reading books that I own.

After leaving Borders it was 3 pm, we decided to stop and eat some lunch at Famous Famiglia Pizzeria. Mike order a slice of pepperoni and garlic knots, I had the tomato and basil slice. While he was standing in line to pay, I went looking for a place to sit. I found an empty table that had an empty tray on the end of the table. I grabbed it and put it on the chair next to me. A guy sitting 3 tables down grabbed it from my hand and said it was his. He was saving all of the tables because more people were coming. I said I can move to a different table and he pouted and said I didn't have to. I stood up and found another table. When we were leaving, I wanted to see if was telling the truth about the other people, he was. Why couldn't he just say that the table was taken instead of pouting like a little girl?

Mike and I finished our mall trip at JCPenny. He was in the buying mood and bought four pairs of pants, a pair of windpants and a couple of shirts. He picked out a pair of pants that he never would have bought if I wasn't with him. He tried them on when we got home. They look very good on him.

After the mall, we drove to Bed Bath & Beyond. Friends of mine, Dave and Erin are getting married in October and I needed to buy them a wedding gift. We picked out kitchen accessories, towels, pot holders and oven mits. I kept putting stuff in the cart, I'm surprised Mike didn't stop me.

We finally drove back home after a busy shopping day. Before going home we stopped and had dinner at Main Street Stable and Tavern in Blissfield. We were seated next to a group of teens that were dressed up for a dance. They were very loud, but what teenagers aren't. Our dinners were excellent. We skipped the dessert and went home to watch the Michigan State/Notre Dame football game that I fell asleep during.

Ridin' Dirty

While driving to Onsted to photograph a football game, a black car was behind me at a traffic light in downtown Adrian. I saw some writing on the hood from my rearview mirror and I thought that the car owner had some design or sticker put on the hood of their car. The light changed and we went. The car that was behind me pulled into the next lane. The black car passed me and I saw more writing on the car.

My favorite was on the driver's side door: PIMP MOBILE. I laughed when I read it and it made me wonder. Why was a female driving the PIMP MOBILE?

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey
There She is, Miss America, edited by Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin

Currently Reading: Sex Wars, Marge Piercy
Up Next: My Dark Places, James Ellroy

Treadmill Update

In yesterday's post I briefly mentioned that my treadmill wasn't working correctly. About two weeks ago at the end of my 4 mile run the treadmill belt started to slip. When I was finished I told my husband about it. A couple of days later I got back on the treadmill and the belt was starting to slip worse and I could only run a mile.

A day or two later the repair man came to look at the treadmill. He turned it on, watched it and listened to it. He even had my husband get on and run. The repair man tighten the belt a half a turn and said that nothing was wrong with it. That evening after my photo assignment I came home and started to run on it. The first quarter of a lap was fine. Then it happened. The belt was slipping worse. I couldn't run on it and stopped after a half mile. Mad, I walked upstairs and wrote a note to my husband on the dry erase board saying the treadmill still wasn't working right.

The next day, my husband tighten the belt for me hoping to solve the problem. I came home from an photo assignment and got on the treadmill. With the belt tightening, it still didn't help, the belt was slipping. I needed to run so I stayed on the treadmill for a mile. I couldn't stay on it longer because running with my hands on the arms rests isn't natural.

Today the repair man came back to the house. My husband took him to the treadmill in the basement. I heard Mike tell the repair man that the treadmill belt was slipping worse and they turned the power on to the treadmill. They got the belt going and then they both walked back upstairs. The repair man said to my husband, "Now I know you're not making it up. I'll fix you up." And with that he was gone. I asked Mike what was wrong with the treadmill. He told me the rollers have to be replaced. We just had them replaced about a year ago. I guess they just don't last long. Or I just beat the crap out of my treadmill.

Miles Run in 2006

With my treadmill not working correctly, I ran outside today. It was the first time I had to wear a long sleeved shirt and a hat. The weather was a little cold at 54 degrees and a wind of 6 mph. On parts of my run, I could really feel the wind. But otherwise, the run was good. I almost made it through the entire 3.4 miles without cramps, but with less then a mile to go, I developed some. Instead of stopping, I kept on running. They went away after a couple of minutes.

I'm 46 miles away from my New Year's Resolution to run 400 miles for the year 2006.

Total miles run up to September 20:
2004: 219.6
2005: 245.3
2006: 354.0

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith
Grace, Robert Lacey

Currently Reading: There She is, Miss America, Collection of authors
Up Next: Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson and The Year That Changed Our Lives, Susan Dworkin

Anniversary dinner

This past Friday, September 15, was my five year wedding anniversary. My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Evans Street Station in Tecumseh.

To start out my husband had Charleston Crab Cake with Crispy Sweet Potato, White Wine-Mustard Butter and I had the Grilled Vegetable Stack with Goat Cheese, Crouton, Balsamic Reduction and Curry Oil. Then it was on to soup or salad, Mike had Michigan Potato Chowder with Crisp Bacon, Tabasco Oil and Chives and I had Petite Greens Salad with Bosc Pear, Bleu Cheese, Tiny Brioche Croutons and Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette. And for the main course Mike and I both had the Char Crusted Beef Tenderloin with Forest Mushroom-Roasted Shallot Timbale with Goat Cheese and Asparagus. We didn't eat the Asparagus, I know, we're bad. For dessert we ordered cheesecake. When our server brought it out, she said it was on the house because it was our anniversary. How nice!

As an anniversary gift, Mike bought me a new 70-200mm /2.8 Sigma Lens. I was so excited and happy! He bought it to replace my 7-year old 80-200 Nikon /2.8 lens, that wasn't as good as it should be. I thought about selling the old lens. But I decided to keep it as a backup lens. I used my new lens today to photograph a golf invitational. It is awesome. I love it.

Mike's gift it wasn't as expensive or big as mine. He told me to save my money to spend on my photography business. I wanted to get him something. I decided to buy him a Lowe's gift certificate. Right now he is in the middle of redoing our staircase in the house. It is almost finished. At least all of the steps are back on the stairs. All but four are nailed down. But at least I won't fall down the stairs at 4 am. He liked his gift certificate and I know it will go to good use.

Runway Show

Friday morning at 9 am at The Promenade, the final 3 contestants (actaully the final 4) on Project Runway will be showing their fashion designs in Olympus Fashion Week in New York City.

I taped Project Runway Wednesday and watched it today. I was disappointed to see Kayne not make the final 4. I was hoping Jeffrey would have been eliminated. As for the final four designers, I'm looking forward to Michael and Laura's designs the most. All season their designs have been clean, simple and fabulous.

When Olympus Fashion Week posts photos on their site, I link the page.

Photo Credits: tv.yahoo.com

Random things

Mike "Boogie" won Big Brother 7: All Stars Tuesday night. Mike beat Erika by a vote of 6-1. Mike played a good game all season, but I think his Chilltown alliance Will should have made it to the final two and won. Without Will, Mike wouldn't have made it to the final.

The treadmill belt at my house is once slipping again. I was running on it yesterday and it was terrible. I ran a mile on the treadmill and had enough with the jerky belt. I finished up my run outside before heading to my boys soccer game at Adrian.

My husband is redoing the stairs in our house. For the past week, various steps have been missing from the staircase. Yesterday he pulled the rest of the steps off. We now have to walk up and down the stairs using the stringers. It is pretty interesting walking down the stairs at 4 am in the dark. I've been lucky, no falls so far.

Friday, September 15, is my five year wedding anniversary. My husband Mike took the day off from work and I have the night off as well. I don't know what the plans for the evening are except that we are eating dinner at a nice restaurant. I asked if I had to dress up. The answer was yes.

On Saturday morning, I'm meeting an friend in Jackson to take some baby and family photos. I'm meeting her, her husband and their son at a park. These photos will be used on my website, Deloris Clark-Osborne Photography, in the Galleries section. I hope to have new pictures up in a couple of weeks.

Finally next Wednesday Tyra is back with the start of a new season America's Next Top Model: Cycle 7 on CW. It will be a 2-hour season premiere.


Photo Credits: www.cbs.com & www.upn.com

Fax troubles

After a week of working on my sample wedding album, I sent a PDF to AsukaBook. To complete the order I had to fax my credit card information to the company. I don't have a fax machine so I went to Staples to use the self serving fax machine.

I walk into Staples and an older lady is using the fax machine. She had a bunch of paper in the fax machine. She was looking at all of the buttons, not sure if she was pressing the right one. She finally presses the button and the papers go through the fax. After sending her huge fax, a confirmation sheet printed and came out. She grabbed the paper from the fax and started to study it. After a few moments she asked an employee what the paper meant. The employee told her that it was a confirmation sheet and her fax went through. Finally, she collected her gobs of paper and her purse and left the fax line.

I walk up to the fax, fill out my cover sheet, stick the forms in and send the fax. Or so I thought. All of the papers went through, but the fax read BUSY. The confirmation sheet pops out and said that the line was busy and didn't go through. I tried it two more times, I got the same results. I was a bit frustrated and I wanted to stand there and keep sending it until it went through but a guy was behind me in line. I stepped out of the line to let him send his fax. I walked over to the counter and asked if I had to pay for the faxes that didn't go through. The Staples employee said no, but to keep trying.

I walked back over to the fax line and the guy was still faxing his stuff. Then out of nowhere comes the older lady who was in front of me. She walks right past me and puts all of her papers and purse on the counter next to the fax. The guy finishes his fax and leaves. I thought to myself, just to walk up to the fax and use it. But I didn't. I waited to see what the older lady was going to do. After a couple minutes of standing behind the fax, I finally walked up and tried the fax again. I looked over at the lady and she was writing more stuff on a handful of papers. She wasn't going to be using the fax for a while. I put my papers in, dial the number and get the same results: BUSY. I turned from the fax machine and left.

I walked out to my car and called AsukaBook and said my fax wasn't going through. The customer service girl said to try again because they have been really busy. I really didn't want to go to Staples again, so I decided I would find a different place to send my fax. As I was leaving the parking lot I saw a Postal Plus and it had a fax sign in the window. I parked my car and walked in. I asked the lady behind the counter if she could fax for me. She put in the papers and started the fax. It took about 2-3 minutes to go through, but it finally did.

If I stayed at Staples I would have paid more for the fax and probably would have been stuck behind the older lady again. Postal Plus was cheaper by 69 cents. I like that Postal Plus employees only use the fax machine. Now I don't have to wait in line behind people who don't know how to work a fax machine.

Books read in 2006

The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre
The American Way of Death Revisited, Jessica Mitford
Shopgirl, Steve Martin
The City of Falling Angels, John Berendt
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
Portrait of Myself, Margaret Bourke-White
The Last Days of Marilyn Monroe, Donald H. Wolfe
Marilyn: The Last Take, Peter Harry Brown and Patte B. Barham
The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Sarah Churchwell
Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart, Charles Higham and Roy Moseley
Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken Kogan
The Hidden Hitler, Lothar Machtan
Auschwitz: A New History, Laurence Rees
Jack The Ripper: The Complete Casebook, Donald Rumbelow
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Turning the Tables: Restaurants from the Inside Out, Steven A. Shaw
Lincoln's Melancholy, Joshua Wolf Shenk
The Dark Side of Camelot, Seymour M. Hersh
Sinatra: The Life, Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan
The Third Reich in Power, Richard J. Evans
Once Upon a Time: Behind the Fairy Tale of Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
Bridesmaids: Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and Six Intimate Friends, Judy Balaban Quine
Grace and Power, Sally Bedell Smith

Currently Reading: Grace, Robert Lacey
Up Next: There She is, Miss America, Elwood Watson and Darcy Martin

Busy, Busy

For past week, I've been working on my photography business. Right now I'm in the middle of creating a sample AsukaBook album. I have enjoyed creating it, but it is time consuming. I have nine more pages to make. I hope to finish it today. I posted pages 4 & 5 of my sample AsukaBook album.

I did finally buy something for my business that I needed. I finally got around to making my business cards. I made them Wednesday and they shipped on Thursday. They should be coming any day now. I still need to buy some more sample albums, fill them with pictures, complete my wedding contract and make price lists for prospective clients.

There is so much left to do, but there isn't enough time to do it.

**I updated my Wedding Photo Gallery on my business website, Deloris Clark-Osborne Photography. Click on the Wedding Photo Gallery link to see photos from last week's wedding.

Bills, Bills, Bills

I had my oral surgery consultation this afternoon. I knew it would cost me money to get all four of my wisdom teeth removed, but I didn't think it would be so much.

My appointment was for 1:15 pm. I got there about 5 minutes early. I sat down in the waiting room because two people were at the window discussing payment. I overheard them saying that a payment like that would be an entire paycheck. They got there bill taken care of and left. I went to the window and gave my name. The receptionist gave me about 5 sheets of information to fill out. It took about 5-10 minutes to read and fill it all out. I gave them back to the receptionist and waited another 5 minutes. My name was called and I went back and sat in a big white exam chair.

I waited a couple of more minutes then the Doctor came in. He introduced himself and went on to explain the benefits of having my wisdom teeth removed. The doctor said that usually wisdom teeth come out when someone is 17, not 27. I guess I missed that one. After his talk he said he would give me some time to think about it. I told him that I would have them removed. Just like that I was asked to go back out to the receptionist to make an appointment.

I watched as the lady was writing numbers on a bill. The numbers were large. She handed the bill to me and said that half needed to be paid the day of the surgery. There were three final numbers on the bill. I asked if my final total was $800. No. She said that I need to pay half of that on the day of my surgery. I have to bring $400 with me. Then with the largest number on top, which was $1400, I need to pay that off in 3 months. Perfect. There goes Christmas. Did the insurance pick up any of this?

So much for my other bills in life, i.e. Student Loan, Car Payment, House Payment. Maybe I should delay this for another 10 years. Maybe then, I would have the money saved up.

The Wedding

Over the weekend, I was excited to spend some time with Krista Noorman and her assistant Heidi from A Picture's Worth. Krista let me tag along with herself and Heidi to a wedding up in Clarkston, MI.

First, we met at a salon in Waterford. The bridal party was there getting their hair and makeup done. Everyone in the party was happy with their hair styles except for one bridesmaid. Both the bridesmaid and the stylist were getting frustrated. The bridesmaid brought in a photo of what she wanted her hair to look like and it was no where near the picture. Everyone convinced her to do her hair differently and she did. The final result I thought looked nice, but the bridesmaid wasn't too excited with it.

The bridal party left and we waited for the flower girls to come in. The girls came in around 3:30 pm. I took some pictures and Krista took pictures of both girls getting their hair done. Krista, Heidi and I left around 4 pm and headed to Quinzos Subs just a couple of miles away from the wedding location in Clarkston.

Krista informed me a week before the wedding that we the photographers wouldn't be eating at the reception. The bride couldn't get the mansion to budge on our meals and the couple would have been charged for the full price, so that is why we had to eat at Quiznos. We were all ok with that, but later in the evening, I was really getting hungry. The mansion served a buffet style and there was so much extra food! I'm sure we could have walked up to the line and enjoyed a plate without anyone noticing.

When dinner was served Krista and Heidi were standing in the doorway that led to the seating area. I didn't want to stand in the doorway, so I was walking around the library and the hall area. The lady in charge of the food, told Krista and Heidi to leave the dining area because there wasn't enough room. Krista said to Heidi and me that was the first time she was ever kicked out of a wedding. So we walked out to our cars and had some water and Krista and Heidi had a snack.

While everyone was eating, we walked around to keep ourselves busy. We all missed photos of people singing to the couple because we were not allowed in the dining room during dinner. After a while, we all went back into the dining room to get photos of the couple cutting the cake. They cut their cake and everyone else had a smaller cake on their table. I thought it was a good idea when we first walked into the dining area when we first got to the mansion. After seeing how much cake was not eaten, then I thought it wasn't a good idea. At some of the tables, only 1 to 2 slices was taken from a cake. I really wanted to walk over to a table and start helping myself because there was practically a whole cake sitting at an empty table. Someone beat me to that, the food lady that kicked us out of the dining room. Heidi said she took half of the cake back to the kitchen area.

Finally around 9 pm the first dance started. Then there was the daddy-daughter dance. The bride was crying during the dance. Watching them made me think of what I missed at my own wedding. My dad passed away 3 years before I got married and he didn't get to walk me down the aisle or have that dance with me. I bet it would have made my day just a bit nicer. After all of the required dances were done, then everyone started to dance. I took pictures of people on the dance floor with slow shutter speeds, some turned out really good.

After 10 pm it was finally time for the bouquet toss. We were all so happy because our day was almost over and my feet were killing me. The bride tossed her bouquet, the groom took off the garter and it was time to go. I put my equipment away, thanked Krista and we both left the reception.

I thought it would be easy getting home because it was easy getting there. That didn't happen. I took the roads that led us there. Somewhere I missed a turn and was driving down some backroad. I thought if it leads me nowhere I'll turn around. It lead to a city and I thought I would see Dixie Road somewhere. I never saw it. I kept driving. I had directions for 75 if I couldn't find my other way home. I passed a sign that said Auburn Hills. I knew I went too far, I hopped on 75. I got out my 75 directions and there was about 20 different ways I supposed to take. I wasn't too thrilled about that, then I saw a sign for M-59. I decided to take that.

M-59 was a slow drive. Most of it was in a city limit so the speed limit was 35 or 40. About 20 to 30 minutes on 59, my turnoff of 23 was near. At this point I was really starting to get tired. My contacts had been in since 7 am and it was now 11:30 pm or even close to midnight. About 20 miles outside of Ann Arbor my right contact was blurring on me. It is so nice to drive on 23 with one good contact. I could have pulled over and put eye drops in, but that would delay me getting home. When I was back in Adrian, I was really tired. Near the movie theater, I thought a mailbox was a deer.

I decided to fill up my car before going home. Gas was cheaper then it was Saturday morning and the trip took 1/2 a tank. I filled up and got ready to pull out of the lot. I ran over a curb that come out of nowhere. I swear I didn't see it. I pulled into my driveway around 12:45 am. It was a long day. I slept until 9:45 am Sunday morning.

I want to thank Krista again for letting me shoot with her. The pictures will go to good use.

The waiting game

I drove out to Sand Creek Thursday to photograph a varsity football game. The scheduled start time was supposed to be 7 pm. I got to the football field around 6:15 pm thinking that the JV game would be over and warm up for the varsity would be going on. I parked my car and saw the scoreboard through the trees. It read: 10:00 to go in the 3 quarter.

I walked to the ticket booth and found out it was halftime. The JV game didn't even start until 5 pm. How is a varsity game supposed to start at 7 pm if the JV game starts at 5? Well it didn't. There was a lot of waiting around. Around 7:20 pm, the varsity players started warming up on the field. The game finally started at 7:45 pm.

I left the game at halftime, Sand Creek was beating Maple Valley 20-6. Driving back these spots were hitting my windshield, for some reason I thought they were bugs. It wasn't. It started to rain. I guess I left the game at a good time. When I got back to the office at 9:15 pm, it was raining pretty hard. When I walked into the newsroom, another photographer was downloading his images to the computer. I had to wait for him to finish. After he was done, I downloaded my 93 images. It took about 5-10 minutes to edit them. I ended up keeping only 20 pictures. Sand Creek beat Maple Valley 36-12. Click here to read the story.

I ended up leaving work around 10:15 pm. When I got home, I let my dogs outside and I sat down and rewound the tape in the VCR to see who was evicted off of Big Brother. Thursday there was two evictions, Danielle and George ended up leaving the house. That leaves the final four of Erika, Janelle, Mike and Will. I watched about 5 minutes of the tape, got ready for bed, let the dogs back in the house and hopped in bed. I got in bed around 11 pm. My alarm woke me up at 4:05 am to get ready for work. I had less then 5 hours of sleep, GRRRR!

After I watch my Big Brother tape and eat lunch, I think it will be time for an afternoon nap before my football game tonight in Morenci.

The photo above was used on the front page of the sports section. I borrowed my photo from my newspaper's website.