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
Currently Reading: Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
Up Next: Library trip
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ballet
I will be doing something fun for myself this afternoon. I will be going to a dance studio in town to photograph ballet after a year hiatus. I never wanted to give up photographing it, but work would usually get in the way. With high school sports games being held later in the evening, I can photograph an early ballet class. I'm so excited!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Trip details
Monday - I ran three miles in the morning around the neighborhood surrounding where I was staying. While on my run I noticed some streets the sidewalks stopped near the end of the blocks. The sidewalks that I did run on, some were very uneven. I had to watch every step so I wouldn't trip. After showering and breakfast, my husband's uncle drove us to Newark, New Jersey. We boarded the PATH train and it took us right into the city. While looking for Madame Tussauds, that is where we needed to get our bus tour tickets, we saw a woman walking in Times Square with an outfit that was bad. She was wearing a white shirt and pant. The shirt and pants looked like tissue paper because it was see through. To top everything off she was wearing a dark bra and panties. Not a good look.
Once we got our tickets, we took the downtown tour. Points of interest on this tour was Times Square, Macy's, Empire State Building, SoHo, Chinatown, World Trade Center, Wall Street and others. At different points around the tour, you could hop on and off the bus. My husband and I got off at the Empire State Building. After waiting in lines for 40-50 minutes, going through the metal detector, we finally made it up to the 86th floor - Observation deck. I was taking pictures of the skyline and my husband whispered in my ear, "Psycho". Who, I asked. He said the girl next to me put her Smurf figurine on the ledge and took a picture of it. Sad.
Later that evening, we took the Night Tour. It was 2.5 hours long and we got to see the Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn, Chinatown, SoHo, Empire State Building, Little Italy and Times Square. What bothered me the most on the night tour was riding across Manhattan Bridge. I'm not afraid of going across bridges, but when you're sitting in the outside seat on a double-decker bus going 40 mph on a bridge where you can't see the guardrails, its a bit freaky. I tried not to look down. But I we did see some spectacular views from the bus. In Brooklyn, the bus drove by a basektball court. The tour guide said pick up basketball games are played there 24/7. Some of the other tourists on the bus were taking photos of the guys playing basketball. One of the people on the basketball court got out his camera and took a photo of us tourists on the bus. It was funny. I didn't understand why people were taking pictures of guys playing basketball in Brooklyn.
Tuesday - I decided not to run because my right calf hurt. After breakfast we were driven to Newark to board the PATH train to New York City. Our first stop was to our hotel, Hotel Mela, to drop off our suitcase and to check in. We wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty. We hopped on the subway. During the ride there, I noticed on the wall of the subway car that if you wanted to get dropped off at Battery Park to go to Staten Island or the Statue, you have to be in the first five cars. Unfortunately we weren't. We were in the next to last car. We got off at the next stop to wait for another train to pick us up. The next train didn't come by for 15 minutes. We arrived at Battery Park and walked to pick up tickets to go to the Statue of Liberty. Tickets, more lines and more metal detectors were waiting for us before we boarded the ferry. At these metal detectors, we had to take off our belts, put in all necklaces, loose change, wallets, bags into totes. Over on the island, my husband really wanted to go into the base of the statue. Where the line was to go into the base, signs said that you needed to get your base tickets a week in advance. We didn't know about it. My husband was disappointed.
After the seeing Lady Liberty, we got on the tour bus to go on the Brooklyn Tour. The tour was 1.5 hours, or so it should have been. Traffic was bad. We went on the tour around 3:00 p.m. So the time we get over to Brooklyn, school is getting out. Bueses and cars were all over. During the tour, a man and woman were sitting in front of us. The woman stands up and walks back to the tour guide. She tells him that she wants off the bus. The tour guide was saying that this tour isn't a hop on/hop off. If he dropped them off in Brooklyn, they would have to find their own way back. This lady was just misable on this tour. Ok, we get it. Brooklyn isn't Manhattan. Not too many tall buildings or fancy shopping. Sit down and shut up. Later, she got up again asking the tour guide how much longer it was going to be. He told her after we go back over the Manhattan Bridge, the bus could drop them off somewhere. That is what they exactly did. The couple was dropped off in Chinatown. At 4:30 p.m., we were supposed to be done with the tour. We weren't due to TRAFFIC. It was so bad. I've never seen rush hour traffic so bad. We were sitting on one street for 10-15 minutes. I was so happy when some people on the bus asked to be dropped off at the Waldorf Astoria & Towers. When they got off, we got off the bus as well. We needed to get ready for Wicked.
We walked the couple of blocks, 7 or 8 blocks, to the Gershwin Theatre for the Broadway muscial, Wicked. The shoes I wore were a huge mistake. I have only worn them a couple of times before. They killed my feet and rubbed off some skin on my toes. I loved the musical. My husband liked it too. If it ever comes to Toledo, I will go see it again. I recommended it to everyone. After the show, we walked a painful couple of blocks to Angus McIndoe restaurant. I ordered three drinks. Two of the drinks they didn't carry and one they couldn't make. So I stuck with water. My husband and I had the New York Strip Steak. It was delicious. One of the best I had. Our server was terrible. The bus boy and the server from the next table did a better job of serving us. Our server was too busy flirting with the bartender. She didn't get a very good tip. The bus boy did.
Wednesday - Got up early for our session with PhotoTrek tours. Our photographer took photos of us in Times Square, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge and SoHo. On the subway during rush hour, it was quiet until some crazy dude started talking loud. He was putting words together like Blue, Ball, Girl, Pants, Government. He would rant then quiet down. At one point I thought he got off the train, but he continued again. A woman who was near him encouraged him to keep talking and maybe one day write a book. OK psycho. The entire time he was talking I was laughing. Our photographer said that he is a New Yorker and has learned to ignore things like that. I thought it was funny. After lunch, we went on the final bus tour of Uptown Treasures & Harlem. While on Bleeker Street, our tour guide said that the bus company made an agreement. They would stay off the microphone on Bleeker Street because it is a quiet street. OK. Why is it quiet? Bleeker Street is lined with bars. Our last stop before leaving Manhattan was Trinity Church and the World Trade Center site.
Thursday - I got up early to run. During my run, I thought to myself how nice it was to run outside without people honking and yelling at me. Just then I stepped in a low spot in the road and twisted my left ankle. I fell hard onto my right knee and laid in the middle of a street. A guy on the sidewalk asked if I was OK. I told him I twisted my ankle. A man in a nice suit was opening his garage door and saw me in his driveway. He asked if I was alright. I said that I twisted my ankle and I wondered if he could give me a ride. He said yes and I climbed into his fancy SUV with leather seats trying not to sweat all over. He dropped me off and I thanked him. I was far from the house. I can't image trying to walk on that.
I iced my ankle and went and bought an ankle brace. It wasn't a tie up one that I like but it made due. After breakfast, I asked to go to a medical store to see if they had the ankle brace I was looking for. They did. The worst part of it was it cost $65. Since my ankle was in bad shape I really didn't feel like doing anything. What we ended up doing for the day was going to a mall, Barnes & Noble and tending to my ankle.
Friday - Iced my ankle and felt sad when I saw others running. I know I have to get back to running. The half marathon is in less then 30 days! We went to Short Hills mall, a very upscale mall, to look around. Didn't buy anything because everything was too expensive. After the mall, I wanted to get back to the house to get off my ankle and read my book about the Supermodel Gia.
Saturday - Eat breakfast with my husband's uncle and drove home. We made it home in 8.5 hours with one stop.
I enjoyed the trip to New York City and New Jersey. I didn't like twisting my ankle, but that sometimes happen. If we go to New York again, I would like to skip all the tourist attractions and walk the neighborhoods. We didn't see too much of anything riding a bus. If you are down walking the sidewalks, you see everything.
Once we got our tickets, we took the downtown tour. Points of interest on this tour was Times Square, Macy's, Empire State Building, SoHo, Chinatown, World Trade Center, Wall Street and others. At different points around the tour, you could hop on and off the bus. My husband and I got off at the Empire State Building. After waiting in lines for 40-50 minutes, going through the metal detector, we finally made it up to the 86th floor - Observation deck. I was taking pictures of the skyline and my husband whispered in my ear, "Psycho". Who, I asked. He said the girl next to me put her Smurf figurine on the ledge and took a picture of it. Sad.
Later that evening, we took the Night Tour. It was 2.5 hours long and we got to see the Manhattan Skyline from Brooklyn, Chinatown, SoHo, Empire State Building, Little Italy and Times Square. What bothered me the most on the night tour was riding across Manhattan Bridge. I'm not afraid of going across bridges, but when you're sitting in the outside seat on a double-decker bus going 40 mph on a bridge where you can't see the guardrails, its a bit freaky. I tried not to look down. But I we did see some spectacular views from the bus. In Brooklyn, the bus drove by a basektball court. The tour guide said pick up basketball games are played there 24/7. Some of the other tourists on the bus were taking photos of the guys playing basketball. One of the people on the basketball court got out his camera and took a photo of us tourists on the bus. It was funny. I didn't understand why people were taking pictures of guys playing basketball in Brooklyn.
Tuesday - I decided not to run because my right calf hurt. After breakfast we were driven to Newark to board the PATH train to New York City. Our first stop was to our hotel, Hotel Mela, to drop off our suitcase and to check in. We wanted to go to the Statue of Liberty. We hopped on the subway. During the ride there, I noticed on the wall of the subway car that if you wanted to get dropped off at Battery Park to go to Staten Island or the Statue, you have to be in the first five cars. Unfortunately we weren't. We were in the next to last car. We got off at the next stop to wait for another train to pick us up. The next train didn't come by for 15 minutes. We arrived at Battery Park and walked to pick up tickets to go to the Statue of Liberty. Tickets, more lines and more metal detectors were waiting for us before we boarded the ferry. At these metal detectors, we had to take off our belts, put in all necklaces, loose change, wallets, bags into totes. Over on the island, my husband really wanted to go into the base of the statue. Where the line was to go into the base, signs said that you needed to get your base tickets a week in advance. We didn't know about it. My husband was disappointed.
After the seeing Lady Liberty, we got on the tour bus to go on the Brooklyn Tour. The tour was 1.5 hours, or so it should have been. Traffic was bad. We went on the tour around 3:00 p.m. So the time we get over to Brooklyn, school is getting out. Bueses and cars were all over. During the tour, a man and woman were sitting in front of us. The woman stands up and walks back to the tour guide. She tells him that she wants off the bus. The tour guide was saying that this tour isn't a hop on/hop off. If he dropped them off in Brooklyn, they would have to find their own way back. This lady was just misable on this tour. Ok, we get it. Brooklyn isn't Manhattan. Not too many tall buildings or fancy shopping. Sit down and shut up. Later, she got up again asking the tour guide how much longer it was going to be. He told her after we go back over the Manhattan Bridge, the bus could drop them off somewhere. That is what they exactly did. The couple was dropped off in Chinatown. At 4:30 p.m., we were supposed to be done with the tour. We weren't due to TRAFFIC. It was so bad. I've never seen rush hour traffic so bad. We were sitting on one street for 10-15 minutes. I was so happy when some people on the bus asked to be dropped off at the Waldorf Astoria & Towers. When they got off, we got off the bus as well. We needed to get ready for Wicked.
We walked the couple of blocks, 7 or 8 blocks, to the Gershwin Theatre for the Broadway muscial, Wicked. The shoes I wore were a huge mistake. I have only worn them a couple of times before. They killed my feet and rubbed off some skin on my toes. I loved the musical. My husband liked it too. If it ever comes to Toledo, I will go see it again. I recommended it to everyone. After the show, we walked a painful couple of blocks to Angus McIndoe restaurant. I ordered three drinks. Two of the drinks they didn't carry and one they couldn't make. So I stuck with water. My husband and I had the New York Strip Steak. It was delicious. One of the best I had. Our server was terrible. The bus boy and the server from the next table did a better job of serving us. Our server was too busy flirting with the bartender. She didn't get a very good tip. The bus boy did.
Wednesday - Got up early for our session with PhotoTrek tours. Our photographer took photos of us in Times Square, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge and SoHo. On the subway during rush hour, it was quiet until some crazy dude started talking loud. He was putting words together like Blue, Ball, Girl, Pants, Government. He would rant then quiet down. At one point I thought he got off the train, but he continued again. A woman who was near him encouraged him to keep talking and maybe one day write a book. OK psycho. The entire time he was talking I was laughing. Our photographer said that he is a New Yorker and has learned to ignore things like that. I thought it was funny. After lunch, we went on the final bus tour of Uptown Treasures & Harlem. While on Bleeker Street, our tour guide said that the bus company made an agreement. They would stay off the microphone on Bleeker Street because it is a quiet street. OK. Why is it quiet? Bleeker Street is lined with bars. Our last stop before leaving Manhattan was Trinity Church and the World Trade Center site.
Thursday - I got up early to run. During my run, I thought to myself how nice it was to run outside without people honking and yelling at me. Just then I stepped in a low spot in the road and twisted my left ankle. I fell hard onto my right knee and laid in the middle of a street. A guy on the sidewalk asked if I was OK. I told him I twisted my ankle. A man in a nice suit was opening his garage door and saw me in his driveway. He asked if I was alright. I said that I twisted my ankle and I wondered if he could give me a ride. He said yes and I climbed into his fancy SUV with leather seats trying not to sweat all over. He dropped me off and I thanked him. I was far from the house. I can't image trying to walk on that.
I iced my ankle and went and bought an ankle brace. It wasn't a tie up one that I like but it made due. After breakfast, I asked to go to a medical store to see if they had the ankle brace I was looking for. They did. The worst part of it was it cost $65. Since my ankle was in bad shape I really didn't feel like doing anything. What we ended up doing for the day was going to a mall, Barnes & Noble and tending to my ankle.
Friday - Iced my ankle and felt sad when I saw others running. I know I have to get back to running. The half marathon is in less then 30 days! We went to Short Hills mall, a very upscale mall, to look around. Didn't buy anything because everything was too expensive. After the mall, I wanted to get back to the house to get off my ankle and read my book about the Supermodel Gia.
Saturday - Eat breakfast with my husband's uncle and drove home. We made it home in 8.5 hours with one stop.
I enjoyed the trip to New York City and New Jersey. I didn't like twisting my ankle, but that sometimes happen. If we go to New York again, I would like to skip all the tourist attractions and walk the neighborhoods. We didn't see too much of anything riding a bus. If you are down walking the sidewalks, you see everything.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Central Park
Photo by Marc Samuels, PhotoTrek ToursThis is one of my favorite photos of my husband and me. It was taken under a bridge in Central Park in New York City.
Books read in 2008
I stayed true to form. While on vacation, I bought some books to read. I read a book in just over three days. I'm sure it could have been quicker, if we didn't do things during the day. I finished the book Thing of Beauty: The Tragedy of Supermodel Gia by Stephen Fried somewhere in Pennsylvania. I will do a recap of my trip Monday.
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
Currently Reading: Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Up Next: Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
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
Currently Reading: Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, Stephanie Klein
Up Next: Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Trip details-day one
Day one of vacation started with an 8.5-9 hour trip. Can Pennsylvania BE any bigger? I think we were in that state the longest. The funniest thing that kept me interested and not falling asleep was two idiots in their trucks racing on I-80. It all started when we passed them doing 75 mph. A couple of minutes later, one of the guys in the truck passed us. Next thing you know, the second guy in his POS truck was doing 90 mph to pass us and the other truck. The passing thing went on for 20 or 30 miles. Both trucks took the same exit before hitting New Jersey. Maybe the wanted to continue that on their exit.
When we finally made it, we were just so excited to get out of the truck. I'm so looking forward to getting back in the truck when we come back to Michigan at the end of the week.
When we finally made it, we were just so excited to get out of the truck. I'm so looking forward to getting back in the truck when we come back to Michigan at the end of the week.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
The dress
I mentioned before that I needed a dress for a dinner at the Grand Hotel in October. I found my dress this morning.It was one of the two dresses that I posted photos of in the post link above.
I went with this one. The color is Espresso.
Photo Credit: www.alfredangelo.com
Friday, September 12, 2008
Random things
I was sitting in the stands yesterday before photographing a volleyball game. A family came and sat next to me. I overheard the mother talking talking to her two young daughters:
Mom: "The hot dogs here suck. When this is over, we'll go to 7-11 and get some hot dogs."
Less then five minutes later, the two daughters come back to the stands with a hot dog and hand it to their mom.
Mom: "These hot dogs are good."
Idiot. So did you still go to 7-11 for those hot dogs?
The other night I was flipping through the channels. I stopped on HBO. On September 10, they were showing the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Why? We are still a month and a half away from Halloween. Let us enjoy the fall before that awful snow starts flying.
Project Runway had their fashion show this morning at 9 a.m. Since I've been home, I have been looking at different blogs and websites to see if any photos are posted yet. No photos as of 10:37 a.m. I have been following tomandlorenzo's twitter. I loved their comments about Kenley. "Kenley's up. She look silly in her pink and purple outfit." As you might tell, I'm not a fan of her. I would like to see Leanne or Korto win.
I went to the bridal store this morning after leaving work. It doesn't open until noon. I don't think I will be making it back there today. After I run tomorrow morning, I will be there when the store opens at 10 a.m. If they don't have what I'm looking for, its off to the mall to see what they have.
I have to photograph a football game tonight. It is my final assignment before I'm officially on vacation. The outlook is not so good. It is raining and it is supposed to rain the rest of the night. I see boots, a raincoat, messy notes and plastic bags in my future. The plastic bags are to cover my camera and strobe.
The other day my husband and I went to the store to pick up a few items. While parking the truck, I noticed he ran something over. When I hopped out of the truck, I saw that he ran over a pair of boys underwear. The worst part about it is that they were heavily soiled. It was so gross. I just can't believe people. Is this their thinking on how to handle the situation? Little Johnny made a mess in his pants. Not to worry. We will go buy him a new pair. What to do with the soiled pair? I know, just throw them in the parking lot! Somebody else will clean them up sooner or later. One word: NASTY!
Mom: "The hot dogs here suck. When this is over, we'll go to 7-11 and get some hot dogs."
Less then five minutes later, the two daughters come back to the stands with a hot dog and hand it to their mom.
Mom: "These hot dogs are good."
Idiot. So did you still go to 7-11 for those hot dogs?
The other night I was flipping through the channels. I stopped on HBO. On September 10, they were showing the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Why? We are still a month and a half away from Halloween. Let us enjoy the fall before that awful snow starts flying.
Project Runway had their fashion show this morning at 9 a.m. Since I've been home, I have been looking at different blogs and websites to see if any photos are posted yet. No photos as of 10:37 a.m. I have been following tomandlorenzo's twitter. I loved their comments about Kenley. "Kenley's up. She look silly in her pink and purple outfit." As you might tell, I'm not a fan of her. I would like to see Leanne or Korto win.
I went to the bridal store this morning after leaving work. It doesn't open until noon. I don't think I will be making it back there today. After I run tomorrow morning, I will be there when the store opens at 10 a.m. If they don't have what I'm looking for, its off to the mall to see what they have.
I have to photograph a football game tonight. It is my final assignment before I'm officially on vacation. The outlook is not so good. It is raining and it is supposed to rain the rest of the night. I see boots, a raincoat, messy notes and plastic bags in my future. The plastic bags are to cover my camera and strobe.
The other day my husband and I went to the store to pick up a few items. While parking the truck, I noticed he ran something over. When I hopped out of the truck, I saw that he ran over a pair of boys underwear. The worst part about it is that they were heavily soiled. It was so gross. I just can't believe people. Is this their thinking on how to handle the situation? Little Johnny made a mess in his pants. Not to worry. We will go buy him a new pair. What to do with the soiled pair? I know, just throw them in the parking lot! Somebody else will clean them up sooner or later. One word: NASTY!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Random things
This morning while at work, I was watching a cable news network show video of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center. When the first World Trade Tower collapsed, the song "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra started playing on my iPod. Freaky.
Laura Novak, an awesome photographer from Delaware will be in New York on September 16 doing portrait sessions. My husband and I have a photo session scheduled on September 17 with PhotoTrek tours. I wish Laura would have posted her upcoming New York trip a month ago (top entry). I would have definitely booked her. Her work is amazing!
My seven year wedding anniversary is Monday. My husband and I will be in New York City on our anniversary. We are planning to sight see and take a tour of the city at night. I'm so bad. I still haven't bought him a card or a gift yet, I've been so busy with work. I have only until Saturday to shop.
In speaking of shopping, I will be swinging a local bridal store Friday to look for a nice dress. I need a dress for my upcoming trip to Mackinac Island. I really want to find something in town. I'm afraid, we won't have any time in the upcoming weeks to make it to Toledo.
Laura Novak, an awesome photographer from Delaware will be in New York on September 16 doing portrait sessions. My husband and I have a photo session scheduled on September 17 with PhotoTrek tours. I wish Laura would have posted her upcoming New York trip a month ago (top entry). I would have definitely booked her. Her work is amazing!
My seven year wedding anniversary is Monday. My husband and I will be in New York City on our anniversary. We are planning to sight see and take a tour of the city at night. I'm so bad. I still haven't bought him a card or a gift yet, I've been so busy with work. I have only until Saturday to shop.
In speaking of shopping, I will be swinging a local bridal store Friday to look for a nice dress. I need a dress for my upcoming trip to Mackinac Island. I really want to find something in town. I'm afraid, we won't have any time in the upcoming weeks to make it to Toledo.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Miles run in 2008
While on our trip next week, my running may be limited. I do plan on taking my GPS with me. Except for one night in New York City, we will be staying with family members in New Jersey. During the mornings while my husband is still sleeping, I plan to run around the neighborhood to keep in shape. I have to keep in shape for that half-marathon coming up soon. The run is in one month and eight days, to be exact. If I only run two or three miles that is fine. It is better then nothing. But I will be doing a lot of walking in the upcoming week.
2004: 210
2005: 238.6
2006: 339.7
2007: 440.2
2008: 702.4
2004: 210
2005: 238.6
2006: 339.7
2007: 440.2
2008: 702.4
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Books read in 2008
Thank you to the Big Ten Network for showing a soccer game last night. I had the soccer game on but I wasn't paying attention to the TV. I just needed it for background noise. I finished the 992 page Truman book about ten minutes before going to bed. With our trip coming up, I didn't check out any books at the library. Usually when on trips, I always buy a book at a bookstore. My husband gets up later then I do, it gives me something to do besides watch TV.
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
Currently Reading:
Up Next: A trip to a bookstore in NYC
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
Currently Reading:
Up Next: A trip to a bookstore in NYC
Monday, September 08, 2008
Due date
Its been like a year since I finished reading a book. Actually, the last book I finished was on August 11, it was Jackie after Jack by Christopher Andersen.The book I'm currently reading is Truman by David McCullough. It is an interesting book and I like it. The book spans his entire life. From his boyhood on the farm, to his presidency and his return to civilian life. The problem is it is only 992 pages. Only. The book is due back Tuesday at the library and I have 100 pages to go. I don't know if I will finish it in time. I already renewed it once, I don't think the library will let me renew it a second time. I don't know why not? I don't think people in this city are lining up to read about Harry S. Truman.
So in between lunch, a nap, a soccer game, dinner, and some TV today, I have 100 pages to go. I think it can be accomplished. Later, I'll multi-task while watching TV. Reading and TV, nothing beats that.
Photo Credit: www.wikipedia.org
Friday, September 05, 2008
Dress shopping
In October, my husband and I will be traveling to Mackinac Island. He will be attending a conference and I'm along for the ride.
The conference will be taking place at the Grand Hotel. One of the nights we will be on the island, I'm sure we will be eating dinner in the main dining room. In the evenings, the hotel requires a certain type of dress. "The Grand Hotel experience includes dressing for dinner. Evening wear is required in all areas of the hotel: coat and tie for gentlemen, and dresses or pantsuits for ladies." That is something that I don't have.
Two dresses that caught my eye by Alfred Angelo.
The conference will be taking place at the Grand Hotel. One of the nights we will be on the island, I'm sure we will be eating dinner in the main dining room. In the evenings, the hotel requires a certain type of dress. "The Grand Hotel experience includes dressing for dinner. Evening wear is required in all areas of the hotel: coat and tie for gentlemen, and dresses or pantsuits for ladies." That is something that I don't have.
The last dress I bought was back in 2004, when I was a bridesmaid in my friend's wedding. As you may know, I'm not someone who likes to dress up. I own a couple of skirts, which I only wear for very special occasions like an anniversary dinner. I don't own a pantsuit either. My outfits that I wear to the office consist of polo shirts and pants. At night when I photograph games, its a t-shirt and pants/shorts.
In the month before we leave for the island, my husband and I will be taking a trip down to Toledo, Ohio for me to go dress shopping. I'm hoping to find something that doesn't look like a bridesmaid dress and that I can wear again for those special occasions.
Two dresses that caught my eye by Alfred Angelo.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Random things
I've been at my current full time job for over six years. In those six years, I've been friends with many of my co-workers. Eventually all of them left for a better job. Today I said goodbye to another one. In the newspaper industry, it is a revolving door. People who are good at their job, rarely stay where I work. They move on to bigger and better jobs, sooner or later. The co-worker that left today is moving back to Pennsylvania. Her new job is at a newspaper close to her home. I'm happy for her, but I'm a bit sad. She was usually the first person I talked to in the morning, we would talk about reality TV together, she was fun and organized. Now who will I talk to about Top Model? She will be missed in the newsroom.
In nine days, my husband and I will return to New York City. I'm so excited. Our last trip to New York was in 2002.
Photo Credit: Freefoto.com
Last week, I mentioned that I was covering a football game that was going to be televised. Last night I was flipping through the channels and came across that football game. I watched some of the game. I wanted to how good the coverage was and to see if I could see myself on TV. Before the game started, the end zone camera did a pan of the home team's sideline and stopped the camera on the head coach. Standing behind the head coach was me. During the first half, I saw myself on TV three times. It has been a day since the football game aired. At least no one has said to me, "I saw you on TV last night," like they did back in November.
In nine days, my husband and I will return to New York City. I'm so excited. Our last trip to New York was in 2002.I would have used a photo that I took of the city, but they are all on negatives. And I don't have a film scanner at my house. On this trip, I plan on taking a bunch of photos. More then the couple of rolls that I took back in 2002.
Photo Credit: Freefoto.com
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Wolverines
I watched parts of the Michigan-Utah football game Saturday. Yes. Michigan lost 25-23. A missed a large chunk of the first half because I was attending church and most of the second half I was working on my computer.
When I came home after church, I turned on the TV and saw that Michigan's starting quarterback Nick Sheridan get pulled for another quarterback in the third quarter. The second quarterback of the game was Steven Threet. Threet attended a school in the county and I photographed many games he played when he was quarterback for Adrian. The announcers said where he was from and that Sheridan and Threet played against each other in high school. I will always remember the last game I saw Threet play in the 2006 districts at Dearborn. It was a very cold and wet night. It rained the entire game and the field was all mud. I was wearing a rain coat and water went down my sleeves and got my sweater wet. My notes for the game were barely readable due to rain. Every time I would write something down, the rain smeared it. All I can say was it was a terrible night to be a photographer, player and fan at that game. Adrian lost to Dearborn 28-7.
Along with Threet, two other players from the county are also on the team: Zach Johnson and Ryan Meyers. I photographed both guys as well playing high school sports. That's neat that three people from this county are on the University of Michigan football team. Usually players from the county don't play Division 1 football. Some people do. Like Kellen Davis. He went to Adrian, played for Michigan State and got drafted by the Chicago Bears.
I don't know how Michigan football will do this year. I don't know who the starting quarterback will be. Who knows if the other players I mentioned will see playing time. If Michigan has down year, they have a down year. Regardless, I will always watch a game and be a fan of University of Michigan athletics.
When I came home after church, I turned on the TV and saw that Michigan's starting quarterback Nick Sheridan get pulled for another quarterback in the third quarter. The second quarterback of the game was Steven Threet. Threet attended a school in the county and I photographed many games he played when he was quarterback for Adrian. The announcers said where he was from and that Sheridan and Threet played against each other in high school. I will always remember the last game I saw Threet play in the 2006 districts at Dearborn. It was a very cold and wet night. It rained the entire game and the field was all mud. I was wearing a rain coat and water went down my sleeves and got my sweater wet. My notes for the game were barely readable due to rain. Every time I would write something down, the rain smeared it. All I can say was it was a terrible night to be a photographer, player and fan at that game. Adrian lost to Dearborn 28-7.
Along with Threet, two other players from the county are also on the team: Zach Johnson and Ryan Meyers. I photographed both guys as well playing high school sports. That's neat that three people from this county are on the University of Michigan football team. Usually players from the county don't play Division 1 football. Some people do. Like Kellen Davis. He went to Adrian, played for Michigan State and got drafted by the Chicago Bears.
I don't know how Michigan football will do this year. I don't know who the starting quarterback will be. Who knows if the other players I mentioned will see playing time. If Michigan has down year, they have a down year. Regardless, I will always watch a game and be a fan of University of Michigan athletics.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
The Victors
Only a few more hours before the kickoff of the 2008 college football season. This is something that always gets me in the mood for football.
A moment in the mouth. Next thing you know its in the backyard.
I was sitting on the couch filing my nails with an emery board Thursday. I finished all of my nails and laid it on a side table. On the table along with the emery board was a bottle of water and the remote. It was noon and it was time to wake up my husband. I got up from the couch and walked upstairs to our bedroom.
I come back down less then five minutes later. I see Blitzkrieg sitting on the floor. Near him are the broken, splintered pieces of something. I thought it was a Popsicle stick that Blitzkrieg dug out of the trash. I was wondering how he got a Popsicle stick. I usually throw those away in the trash out on the back porch. There is no way for Blitz to get them unless he can open doors with his paw. I realized it was my emery board.
This dog likes to eat anything. Obviously emery boards, paper, tissue, newspaper and people food. I forgot that I can't leave emery boards on the table within reach of Blitz. He will eat them.
Twenty minutes later my husband was making lunch. I looked out the window to see what the dogs were doing in the backyard. I see Blitz sitting. I then see him dry heaving. After a couple of times, he threw up. Yup, that's right. Out came the emery board. Will that dog ever learn?
I come back down less then five minutes later. I see Blitzkrieg sitting on the floor. Near him are the broken, splintered pieces of something. I thought it was a Popsicle stick that Blitzkrieg dug out of the trash. I was wondering how he got a Popsicle stick. I usually throw those away in the trash out on the back porch. There is no way for Blitz to get them unless he can open doors with his paw. I realized it was my emery board.
This dog likes to eat anything. Obviously emery boards, paper, tissue, newspaper and people food. I forgot that I can't leave emery boards on the table within reach of Blitz. He will eat them.
Twenty minutes later my husband was making lunch. I looked out the window to see what the dogs were doing in the backyard. I see Blitz sitting. I then see him dry heaving. After a couple of times, he threw up. Yup, that's right. Out came the emery board. Will that dog ever learn?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Football!
The fall sports season can officially begin Thursday. Thursday is the start of high school football in the county.
The first game I will be photographing tomorrow, will be recorded and broadcasted on Comcast cable at a later date. This is the first year that Michigan High School Athletic Association will be broadcasting high school games. Its cool that they picked two schools from my county for the first ever game. They wanted a small community game with a lot of people and I think that is what they will get. Last year these two teams also made it to the state football semi-finals with one of the teams making it to the state final in different divisions.
Another reason I love high school football is I get to hear "On, Wisconsin!" Thursday and Friday I will hear it multiple times. Thursday I will be shooting where I went to high school and "On, Wisconsin!" is the fight song. I will be going to another high school football game Friday. That school also uses "On, Wisconsin!" for their fight song. Its neat that three schools in the county use that song. Every time I hear it, I sing my high school's fight song in my head.
Sand Creek fight song
(On, Wisconsin!)
On ye Aggies,
On ye Aggies,
Fight for Victory!
Ever Upward,
Ever Onward,
Fight for Old S-C!
On ye Aggies,
On ye Aggies,
Fight for victory!
Ever upward,
Raise that score,
For Old S-C!
The first game I will be photographing tomorrow, will be recorded and broadcasted on Comcast cable at a later date. This is the first year that Michigan High School Athletic Association will be broadcasting high school games. Its cool that they picked two schools from my county for the first ever game. They wanted a small community game with a lot of people and I think that is what they will get. Last year these two teams also made it to the state football semi-finals with one of the teams making it to the state final in different divisions.
Another reason I love high school football is I get to hear "On, Wisconsin!" Thursday and Friday I will hear it multiple times. Thursday I will be shooting where I went to high school and "On, Wisconsin!" is the fight song. I will be going to another high school football game Friday. That school also uses "On, Wisconsin!" for their fight song. Its neat that three schools in the county use that song. Every time I hear it, I sing my high school's fight song in my head.
Sand Creek fight song
(On, Wisconsin!)
On ye Aggies,
On ye Aggies,
Fight for Victory!
Ever Upward,
Ever Onward,
Fight for Old S-C!
On ye Aggies,
On ye Aggies,
Fight for victory!
Ever upward,
Raise that score,
For Old S-C!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Survey of the moment
A. Attached or Single? Very attached to my husband.
B. Best Friend? A couple of awesome people.
C. Cake or pie? Cake is delicious! Especially wedding or graduation cake.
D. Day of choice? Saturdays because I can sleep in.
E. Essential item? My cell phone, ipod and camera. I can't leave home without these items.
F. Favorite color? Green.
G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy bears. But I prefer Welch's Fruit Snacks Berries 'N Cherries.
H. Hometown? Adrian, Michigan
I. Favorite indulgence? Tuna sub from Subway
J. January or July? July. My birthday is in July.
K. Kids? Pass.
L. Life isn’t complete without? Running or naps
M. Marriage date? September 15, 2001
N. Number of brothers and sisters? Four sisters, two brothers. I'm the last of seven children.
O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges are yummy after running a 5K.
P. Phobias? None really.
Q. Quotes? "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." - Steve Prefontaine
R. Reasons to smile? My loving husband, wonderful dogs and large family.
S. Season of choice? Summer. It gives me a break from photographing sports everyday.
T. Tag 5 people: That's okay
U. Unknown fact about me? I'm a neat freak. I have the cleanest desk at work.
V. Vegetable? Onions on everything. Mostly everything.
W. Worst habit? I gossip. Heaven forbid!
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Haven't had either one performed on me.
Y. Your favorite food? Steak. I could eat that everyday!
Z. Zodiac sign? Leo
B. Best Friend? A couple of awesome people.
C. Cake or pie? Cake is delicious! Especially wedding or graduation cake.
D. Day of choice? Saturdays because I can sleep in.
E. Essential item? My cell phone, ipod and camera. I can't leave home without these items.
F. Favorite color? Green.
G. Gummy bears or worms? Gummy bears. But I prefer Welch's Fruit Snacks Berries 'N Cherries.
H. Hometown? Adrian, Michigan
I. Favorite indulgence? Tuna sub from Subway
J. January or July? July. My birthday is in July.
K. Kids? Pass.
L. Life isn’t complete without? Running or naps
M. Marriage date? September 15, 2001
N. Number of brothers and sisters? Four sisters, two brothers. I'm the last of seven children.
O. Oranges or Apples? Oranges are yummy after running a 5K.
P. Phobias? None really.
Q. Quotes? "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." - Steve Prefontaine
R. Reasons to smile? My loving husband, wonderful dogs and large family.
S. Season of choice? Summer. It gives me a break from photographing sports everyday.
T. Tag 5 people: That's okay
U. Unknown fact about me? I'm a neat freak. I have the cleanest desk at work.
V. Vegetable? Onions on everything. Mostly everything.
W. Worst habit? I gossip. Heaven forbid!
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Haven't had either one performed on me.
Y. Your favorite food? Steak. I could eat that everyday!
Z. Zodiac sign? Leo
Monday, August 25, 2008
Time waster
Over the weekend I had some people over. They said they would be at my house in an hour to hour and fifteen minutes. Since I had an hour, I cleaned my house to make it look presentable. I swept the carpets, hardwood and linoleum floors, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned off my dining room table and put the dogs outside. I really didn't want to put the dogs outside because it was hot and humid. But they are not visitor friendly dogs. I figured they would be coming back in the house soon.
In that hour window, I woke my husband up and said people were coming over. It was lunch time, but we decided to eat after they left. Closer to the hour they were supposed to meet at my house, I changed my clothes and went downstairs to wait for them. An hour came and went. No visitors. I thought maybe they got caught up in traffic. So I continued to wait and watch TV, while my husband was upstairs on the computer.
An hour and half goes by. Still no visitors. At this point, the dogs have been outside for a while. I asked my husband if they could come upstairs with him. He said yes and I brought the dogs in the house back into the air conditioning.
Two hours since the phone call and no visitors. I thought about calling them, but since they were the ones that were late, I thought they should have called. They did have my phone number. At this point, I was very upset. No phone calls to explain why they were late. My time is important as yours is. I don't like waiting around when I could have been doing other things. Also, my husband and I still haven't eaten lunch at it was past 2 pm.
Around 2:20 pm, I see their car go by the house. I said to my husband, "I bet they don't apologize for being late." They get onto the porch and knock. I walked over to the door and opened it. I greeted them. They greeted me back. No apology as to why they were over an hour late. That angered me more. I wasted over two hours of my time waiting for them. In that time, my husband and I could have eaten lunch, washed the dishes and done some work on my computer. But in that time, I made my dogs sit outside in the heat and humidity and had my husband cooped up in our computer room, hungry.
I don't understand people.
In that hour window, I woke my husband up and said people were coming over. It was lunch time, but we decided to eat after they left. Closer to the hour they were supposed to meet at my house, I changed my clothes and went downstairs to wait for them. An hour came and went. No visitors. I thought maybe they got caught up in traffic. So I continued to wait and watch TV, while my husband was upstairs on the computer.
An hour and half goes by. Still no visitors. At this point, the dogs have been outside for a while. I asked my husband if they could come upstairs with him. He said yes and I brought the dogs in the house back into the air conditioning.
Two hours since the phone call and no visitors. I thought about calling them, but since they were the ones that were late, I thought they should have called. They did have my phone number. At this point, I was very upset. No phone calls to explain why they were late. My time is important as yours is. I don't like waiting around when I could have been doing other things. Also, my husband and I still haven't eaten lunch at it was past 2 pm.
Around 2:20 pm, I see their car go by the house. I said to my husband, "I bet they don't apologize for being late." They get onto the porch and knock. I walked over to the door and opened it. I greeted them. They greeted me back. No apology as to why they were over an hour late. That angered me more. I wasted over two hours of my time waiting for them. In that time, my husband and I could have eaten lunch, washed the dishes and done some work on my computer. But in that time, I made my dogs sit outside in the heat and humidity and had my husband cooped up in our computer room, hungry.
I don't understand people.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Miles run in 2008
After waking up from my nap this afternoon, I really didn't want to run. My legs were very tired, sore and I have shin splints. Ten minutes later I decided that I needed to run. Even with the pain. With the run today, I will reward myself by taking Saturday off.
The three mile run hurt. My legs were dying. The half hour run felt like an eternity. But I got through it alright. When I finished the run, I was glad that I went through with it. If I didn't I would have felt bad the rest of the day.
By the way, what is up with USA Track and Field? Both men's and women's 4x100 meter relay dropped the baton in the preliminaries Wednesday evening. Both squads didn't finish the race. How sad is it that Tyson Gay, the 2007 World Champion in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay, never made it to a final at the Olympics?
2004: 199
2005: 225.3
2006: 317.4
2007: 344.9
2008: 653.2
The three mile run hurt. My legs were dying. The half hour run felt like an eternity. But I got through it alright. When I finished the run, I was glad that I went through with it. If I didn't I would have felt bad the rest of the day.
By the way, what is up with USA Track and Field? Both men's and women's 4x100 meter relay dropped the baton in the preliminaries Wednesday evening. Both squads didn't finish the race. How sad is it that Tyson Gay, the 2007 World Champion in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay, never made it to a final at the Olympics?
2004: 199
2005: 225.3
2006: 317.4
2007: 344.9
2008: 653.2
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Heartbreak
Talk about heartbreak.
This morning I watched the men's 200 meter final live on Canadian Broadcasting. I saw Usain Bolt from Jamaica break Michael Johnson's world record with the time of 19.30.
After the race, the silver and bronze medalists Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon from the USA celebrated with Bolt on the track. They were holding and waving their respective flags proudly. A couple of minutes after the race, the CBC announcers said that Spearmon was disqualified. He was disqualified because he ran out of his lane for a couple of steps. Spearmon didn't know what happened and he continued to celebrate. The bronze medal was given to Shawn Crawford of the USA.
Later this afternoon, I read that the silver medalist, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles was also disqualified. He also stepped out of his lane on the turn. With that the fourth and fifth place runners, Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix both from the United States received the silver and bronze medals.
Crawford said after receiving the silver medal, "It feels kind of weird, it feels like a charity case."
I feel really bad for Martina and Spearmon. They ran a good race and tried to catch Bolt. They stepped out of their lanes and were disqualified because that is the rule. When I ran track in high school, I stepped on the line a lot. On the backstretch I always ran over the line. I never got disqualified. It also wasn't the Olympics.
This morning I watched the men's 200 meter final live on Canadian Broadcasting. I saw Usain Bolt from Jamaica break Michael Johnson's world record with the time of 19.30.
After the race, the silver and bronze medalists Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon from the USA celebrated with Bolt on the track. They were holding and waving their respective flags proudly. A couple of minutes after the race, the CBC announcers said that Spearmon was disqualified. He was disqualified because he ran out of his lane for a couple of steps. Spearmon didn't know what happened and he continued to celebrate. The bronze medal was given to Shawn Crawford of the USA.
Later this afternoon, I read that the silver medalist, Churandy Martina of the Netherlands Antilles was also disqualified. He also stepped out of his lane on the turn. With that the fourth and fifth place runners, Shawn Crawford and Walter Dix both from the United States received the silver and bronze medals.
Crawford said after receiving the silver medal, "It feels kind of weird, it feels like a charity case."
I feel really bad for Martina and Spearmon. They ran a good race and tried to catch Bolt. They stepped out of their lanes and were disqualified because that is the rule. When I ran track in high school, I stepped on the line a lot. On the backstretch I always ran over the line. I never got disqualified. It also wasn't the Olympics.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Random things
Sorry for the lack of blogging. I have been busy working, running, napping, watching the Olympics and trying to read the huge Truman book. Here are a few random things.
With the start of the Olympics, it seems like that is the only thing I have been doing. Every moment that I have, I'm in front of the TV watching. It starts in the morning at work. Instead of watching a cable news channel, I turn the TV on to a channel with the Olympics on. No one seems to mind.
What has been going on with the Americans in track and field? Deena Kastor pulling out of the marathon on the third mile. Tyson Gay not even making it to the 100 meter finals. Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong and Leonel Manzano failing to qualify for the finals of 1500 meter run. It has been a disappointing start for USA in track and field.
Last Saturday, I photographed a wedding. It was my last wedding for 2008 and hopefully forever. I'm hanging up wedding photography for the second time. I photographed a friend's wedding back in 2004 and I said I was retiring from it. Somehow in 2006, I got back in the game. This time, I'm going to stick to my word and stay away from it. The only way I would photograph another wedding would be for one of my siblings. Driving home from the wedding Saturday, I was thinking about my short two year career as a wedding photographer. It has been good. The couples I've met, they have all been great. It was nice for them to include me on their big day. But I'm not going to miss it. The stress of the entire day. Trying to get every shot perfect. Hearing the same songs over and over at receptions. The endless hours of editing on the computer. Missing huge sporting events at my full time job. After I finish editing my last wedding and an album, I will be free! Saturday's will be mine again. I can photograph a game, run a 5K race or relax on a day off. It will be great.
It is exactly two months before I run the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Half Marathon. I'm getting nervous about it. I really need to get back to my long runs. I'm slowly adding them back in my weekly runs. But its hard. Currently, I'm battling some shin splits. Soon I hope they will pass, so I can kick up my mileage. I will be ready on October 19. I will finish the half marathon, even if I have to walk a bit.
With the start of the Olympics, it seems like that is the only thing I have been doing. Every moment that I have, I'm in front of the TV watching. It starts in the morning at work. Instead of watching a cable news channel, I turn the TV on to a channel with the Olympics on. No one seems to mind.
What has been going on with the Americans in track and field? Deena Kastor pulling out of the marathon on the third mile. Tyson Gay not even making it to the 100 meter finals. Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong and Leonel Manzano failing to qualify for the finals of 1500 meter run. It has been a disappointing start for USA in track and field.
Last Saturday, I photographed a wedding. It was my last wedding for 2008 and hopefully forever. I'm hanging up wedding photography for the second time. I photographed a friend's wedding back in 2004 and I said I was retiring from it. Somehow in 2006, I got back in the game. This time, I'm going to stick to my word and stay away from it. The only way I would photograph another wedding would be for one of my siblings. Driving home from the wedding Saturday, I was thinking about my short two year career as a wedding photographer. It has been good. The couples I've met, they have all been great. It was nice for them to include me on their big day. But I'm not going to miss it. The stress of the entire day. Trying to get every shot perfect. Hearing the same songs over and over at receptions. The endless hours of editing on the computer. Missing huge sporting events at my full time job. After I finish editing my last wedding and an album, I will be free! Saturday's will be mine again. I can photograph a game, run a 5K race or relax on a day off. It will be great.
It is exactly two months before I run the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Half Marathon. I'm getting nervous about it. I really need to get back to my long runs. I'm slowly adding them back in my weekly runs. But its hard. Currently, I'm battling some shin splits. Soon I hope they will pass, so I can kick up my mileage. I will be ready on October 19. I will finish the half marathon, even if I have to walk a bit.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Ten years ago
John Wayne ClarkApril 10, 1942 - August 15, 1998
Ten years ago, my father, John, passed away suddenly at the age of 56. It was very devastating to me and my family. All of our lives changed in that one instant. Not a day goes by without me thinking about him.
Below is one of the songs that was sung at my father's funeral. Every time I hear this song, it takes me back to that day.
We Remember
by Marty Haugen
Refrain: We remember how you loved us to Your death,
And still we celebrate for You are with us here.
And we believe that we will see You when you come in Your glory, Lord.
We remember, we celebrate, we believe!
1. Here, a million wounded souls
Are yearning just to touch you and be healed;
Gather all your people, and hold them to your heart.
Refrain
2. Now we recreate you love,
We bring the bread and wine to share a meal;
Sign of grace and mercy, the Presence of the Lord.
Refrain
3. Christ, the Father’s great “Amen”
To all the hopes and dreams of every heart;
Peace beyond all telling, and freedom from all fear.
Refrain
4. See the face of Christ revealed in every person standing by your side.
Gift to one another and temples of Your love.
by Marty Haugen
Refrain: We remember how you loved us to Your death,
And still we celebrate for You are with us here.
And we believe that we will see You when you come in Your glory, Lord.
We remember, we celebrate, we believe!
1. Here, a million wounded souls
Are yearning just to touch you and be healed;
Gather all your people, and hold them to your heart.
Refrain
2. Now we recreate you love,
We bring the bread and wine to share a meal;
Sign of grace and mercy, the Presence of the Lord.
Refrain
3. Christ, the Father’s great “Amen”
To all the hopes and dreams of every heart;
Peace beyond all telling, and freedom from all fear.
Refrain
4. See the face of Christ revealed in every person standing by your side.
Gift to one another and temples of Your love.
The Stroke
A couple of days ago at work, I started singing this song out of the blue. Now it is stuck in my head. When I hear it, all I can think of is the movie Billy Madison.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Toledo trip
Last Friday, my husband and I went to Toledo, Ohio to have some fun. We went to the zoo, Tony Packo's and a Mud Hens game. It was a nice end cap to a lovely week of vacation.
In December, we always go see the Lights Before Christmas at the zoo. During the lights some animals are still outside. Those animals are polar bears, penguins and a few others. This trip to the zoo, we got to see all of the animals. The only animal that I didn't see that I wanted to was the Siberian tiger. It wasn't in its cage.
The day was nice, in the 70s. We decided to go into the aquarium. As soon as we walked into the door we were hit with a disgusting odor. It smelled like horrible B.O. We suspected that people came inside to cool down and get out of the heat. The smell was so bad that I had my shirt covering my nose. It reminded me of the Seinfeld episode, "The Smelly Car". I told my husband that I would rather smell hog crap then what we were smelling in the aquarium. I grew up on a hog farm so the smell never bothered me. After five minutes we couldn't tolerate the smell any longer. We left the aquarium. The smell didn't stay in our hair like it did on the Seinfeld episode.
At the baseball game, our seats were three rows behind the third base side wall. So we were pretty close to the field and right behind the bullpen. I think baseball is OK sport overall, but I do get bored. While watching it on TV, I like to read. When I'm photographing a game, I have to pay attention. Also, I can leave early. When I'm at a game with my husband in a different city, I can't leave early. I only knew a couple of the players, so the game didn't hold my attention.
During the game, a couple of tween's tried to get the wave going in our section. Every couple of innings they would stand up and say they were going to start the wave. The girls would count in unison and throw their hands in the air to start the wave. They didn't have any luck with it. The wave only lasted for two sections. In the eighth inning the wave was started on the first base side and it went all the way around the park. I wonder if the girls were disappointed that they tried to start the wave numerous times and it didn't work. By the way, we didn't participate in the wave.
Some entertainment for the evening was when a ball was hit foul in the section next to ours. A large man with a glove tried to get the ball. He had the ball in his glove and it popped out. He scrambled after the ball and leaned over his seat to get it. When he did that his shirt lifted up and he showed everyone his ass crack. My husband yelled out "Gross!" A little boy sitting in front of us thought that was funny, he turned around and laughed. I laughed too. After laughing I told my husband that was not nice.
The night ended with the Mud Hens winning 9-3 and a nice display of fireworks behind center field.
In December, we always go see the Lights Before Christmas at the zoo. During the lights some animals are still outside. Those animals are polar bears, penguins and a few others. This trip to the zoo, we got to see all of the animals. The only animal that I didn't see that I wanted to was the Siberian tiger. It wasn't in its cage.
The day was nice, in the 70s. We decided to go into the aquarium. As soon as we walked into the door we were hit with a disgusting odor. It smelled like horrible B.O. We suspected that people came inside to cool down and get out of the heat. The smell was so bad that I had my shirt covering my nose. It reminded me of the Seinfeld episode, "The Smelly Car". I told my husband that I would rather smell hog crap then what we were smelling in the aquarium. I grew up on a hog farm so the smell never bothered me. After five minutes we couldn't tolerate the smell any longer. We left the aquarium. The smell didn't stay in our hair like it did on the Seinfeld episode.
At the baseball game, our seats were three rows behind the third base side wall. So we were pretty close to the field and right behind the bullpen. I think baseball is OK sport overall, but I do get bored. While watching it on TV, I like to read. When I'm photographing a game, I have to pay attention. Also, I can leave early. When I'm at a game with my husband in a different city, I can't leave early. I only knew a couple of the players, so the game didn't hold my attention.
During the game, a couple of tween's tried to get the wave going in our section. Every couple of innings they would stand up and say they were going to start the wave. The girls would count in unison and throw their hands in the air to start the wave. They didn't have any luck with it. The wave only lasted for two sections. In the eighth inning the wave was started on the first base side and it went all the way around the park. I wonder if the girls were disappointed that they tried to start the wave numerous times and it didn't work. By the way, we didn't participate in the wave.
Some entertainment for the evening was when a ball was hit foul in the section next to ours. A large man with a glove tried to get the ball. He had the ball in his glove and it popped out. He scrambled after the ball and leaned over his seat to get it. When he did that his shirt lifted up and he showed everyone his ass crack. My husband yelled out "Gross!" A little boy sitting in front of us thought that was funny, he turned around and laughed. I laughed too. After laughing I told my husband that was not nice.
The night ended with the Mud Hens winning 9-3 and a nice display of fireworks behind center field.
Books read in 2008
A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Currently Reading: Truman, David McCullough
Up Next: Library trip
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
Currently Reading: Truman, David McCullough
Up Next: Library trip
Friday, August 08, 2008
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Routine
My vacation ends Sunday and Monday I will return to work. To make myself feel better, I'm looking at the bright side. In about six weeks I will be on vacation again. I have enjoyed every morning this week of sleeping in. That is until this morning.
My boy Blitzkrieg was barking. I thought it was because my husband was home from work. I lifted my head off of the pillow to look toward the windows to find it pitch black. It was too early for him to be home from work. I grabbed my alarm clock, which I have been avoiding all week, to check the time. It read 4:20 am. On weeks that I'm not on vacation, that would be a normal time for me to be getting ready for work. Most days I'm out the door by 4:25 am. But this week, its too early for me to be awake.
My dogs, Blitzkrieg and Kelly, are normally up at this time of morning. They have already been outside to do their business and have been fed. I'm thinking that Blitzkrieg is used to a routine. He wouldn't stop barking, so that led me to get out of bed and head downstairs. I let the dogs outside. A couple of minutes later, I scooped out some food for them and promptly returned to bed. Mornings when sitting at work, I always think how nice it would be to go back to bed. This morning I did go back to bed, but I couldn't get back to sleep. I tossed and turned and probably an hour later finally returned to sleep.
I have a couple of more days to enjoy sleeping past 4 am. Monday morning, I will finally need the help of my alarm clock to wake me up for work.
My boy Blitzkrieg was barking. I thought it was because my husband was home from work. I lifted my head off of the pillow to look toward the windows to find it pitch black. It was too early for him to be home from work. I grabbed my alarm clock, which I have been avoiding all week, to check the time. It read 4:20 am. On weeks that I'm not on vacation, that would be a normal time for me to be getting ready for work. Most days I'm out the door by 4:25 am. But this week, its too early for me to be awake.
My dogs, Blitzkrieg and Kelly, are normally up at this time of morning. They have already been outside to do their business and have been fed. I'm thinking that Blitzkrieg is used to a routine. He wouldn't stop barking, so that led me to get out of bed and head downstairs. I let the dogs outside. A couple of minutes later, I scooped out some food for them and promptly returned to bed. Mornings when sitting at work, I always think how nice it would be to go back to bed. This morning I did go back to bed, but I couldn't get back to sleep. I tossed and turned and probably an hour later finally returned to sleep.
I have a couple of more days to enjoy sleeping past 4 am. Monday morning, I will finally need the help of my alarm clock to wake me up for work.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Books read in 2008
A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
The Family, Kitty Kelley
Currently Reading: Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Up Next: Truman, David McCullough
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
Currently Reading: Jackie after Jack, Christopher Andersen
Up Next: Truman, David McCullough
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Letdown
Luck is not on our side. For the second year in a row, my husband and I had to cancel our plans to go to Cedar Point today.
We have been watching the weather for the last couple of days and it said that the area was supposed to get severe storms throughout the day. By yesterday afternoon, we gave up on the fact of going to Sandusky, Ohio. We didn't want to be stuck in the rain. I think my husband was a bit relieved that we weren't going. He has had a cold all this week and most of last. He mentioned how fatigued he has been. Yesterday afternoon, I knew it was true when he took a longer nap then me.
After dinner last night, we were sitting on the couch watching Local on the 8s on the Weather Channel. The weather completely changed for today. All of the storms that they predicted for today, broke up or went through the area last night. The chance of severe storms was gone. The chance of rain dropped from 60% to 40%. I asked my husband if he still wanted to go. He didn't.
Another year has gone by and no trip to Cedar Point. Instead of riding roller coasters today, I will be voting the primary election (which we would have done anyway before going to Cedar Point), errands, finishing a book, running later this afternoon and whatever else comes my way.
We have been watching the weather for the last couple of days and it said that the area was supposed to get severe storms throughout the day. By yesterday afternoon, we gave up on the fact of going to Sandusky, Ohio. We didn't want to be stuck in the rain. I think my husband was a bit relieved that we weren't going. He has had a cold all this week and most of last. He mentioned how fatigued he has been. Yesterday afternoon, I knew it was true when he took a longer nap then me.
After dinner last night, we were sitting on the couch watching Local on the 8s on the Weather Channel. The weather completely changed for today. All of the storms that they predicted for today, broke up or went through the area last night. The chance of severe storms was gone. The chance of rain dropped from 60% to 40%. I asked my husband if he still wanted to go. He didn't.
Another year has gone by and no trip to Cedar Point. Instead of riding roller coasters today, I will be voting the primary election (which we would have done anyway before going to Cedar Point), errands, finishing a book, running later this afternoon and whatever else comes my way.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Miles run in 2008
Over the weekend, I ran a local 5K. The run went OK. It wasn't my fastest time and it wasn't my slowest time. With the 5K run and my Sunday run I crossed 600 miles run for the year. The day before the run, I decided to run 3 miles. Usually I don't run the day before a race to save my legs, but I needed to do it. I missed my run on Thursday because I visited my sister and her new baby at the hospital and that evening was my birthday dinner. Too many things in a day to schedule a run.
When I warmed up Saturday morning, I could tell my legs were tired. I figured that I would just go out there and run my best. The first mile I ran a bit fast for myself. At mile one mark, the time called out was 9:27. In the middle of mile two my legs were dying on me. It was in this mile that I got passed by male runner, who usually I stay with during a race and a speed walker! It was nothing new to me, I have been passed by one in a race before. I tried to hang with her, but I couldn't.
I didn't look at my watch because if a speed walker passed me, I though my time would be so horrible. When I was in sight of the finish line, I saw the clock and it surprised me. I finished the very sunny, humid race with a time of 34:26:80. I was seventh in my large age group, but not last. Even with tired legs, I beat my 5K time from July 26, which was 36:44:91.
2004: 180.4
2005: 218.5
2006: 295.9
2007: 309.6
2008: 605.2
When I warmed up Saturday morning, I could tell my legs were tired. I figured that I would just go out there and run my best. The first mile I ran a bit fast for myself. At mile one mark, the time called out was 9:27. In the middle of mile two my legs were dying on me. It was in this mile that I got passed by male runner, who usually I stay with during a race and a speed walker! It was nothing new to me, I have been passed by one in a race before. I tried to hang with her, but I couldn't.
I didn't look at my watch because if a speed walker passed me, I though my time would be so horrible. When I was in sight of the finish line, I saw the clock and it surprised me. I finished the very sunny, humid race with a time of 34:26:80. I was seventh in my large age group, but not last. Even with tired legs, I beat my 5K time from July 26, which was 36:44:91.
2004: 180.4
2005: 218.5
2006: 295.9
2007: 309.6
2008: 605.2
Friday, August 01, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Vacation time
This week seems to be dragging. It feels that way because next week I'm on vacation. Its been a while since my last, which was in March. I know I need it. I'm a bit worn down.
I don't have big plans for this vacation. My husband and I are going on a day trip to Cedar Point, maybe to the Toledo Zoo and a Toledo Mud Hens game. Nothing fancy. The fancy trips are coming up in a couple of months. We will be going to New York City and Mackinac Island.
My husband and I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon booking our plans. To save some money, we will be staying with family in New Jersey for most of the week. For one night, we will be staying in the city near Times Square at Hotel Mela. For the entertainment that evening, my husband and I will be going to the Gershwin Theater to see the musical Wicked. After the show we plan on eating dinner at one of Bobby Flay's restaurants, Mesa Grill. Those plans might have to change. We might have to eat before the show since the restaurant stays open until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
The next morning we will be meeting a photographer to take a tour of the city. As an anniversary gift, I booked a professional photographer to photograph us around NYC. Being a photographer I always take photos on vacation. The problem is my husband and I are never in photos together. I would never hand over my expensive camera to someone on the sidewalk to take our photo and I don't like bothering people to ask them to take our photo. With this photo tour, the camera is in someone else's hand. My husband and I show up and they do the work.
The rest of the time, we will be experiencing most of the attractions of the city through the New York Pass. We will be visiting places that we didn't see on our photography tour.
The second trip of the year will be to Mackinac Island. My husband is attending a 4-day conference and I am going along for the ride. I'll keep myself busy with sightseeing, eating and running around the 8 mile island. I'm not sure what the plans of the week are. We have to wait until it gets closer to find that information out.
I look forward to my upcoming vacations. They should be nice and relaxing.
I don't have big plans for this vacation. My husband and I are going on a day trip to Cedar Point, maybe to the Toledo Zoo and a Toledo Mud Hens game. Nothing fancy. The fancy trips are coming up in a couple of months. We will be going to New York City and Mackinac Island.
My husband and I spent the majority of yesterday afternoon booking our plans. To save some money, we will be staying with family in New Jersey for most of the week. For one night, we will be staying in the city near Times Square at Hotel Mela. For the entertainment that evening, my husband and I will be going to the Gershwin Theater to see the musical Wicked. After the show we plan on eating dinner at one of Bobby Flay's restaurants, Mesa Grill. Those plans might have to change. We might have to eat before the show since the restaurant stays open until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
The next morning we will be meeting a photographer to take a tour of the city. As an anniversary gift, I booked a professional photographer to photograph us around NYC. Being a photographer I always take photos on vacation. The problem is my husband and I are never in photos together. I would never hand over my expensive camera to someone on the sidewalk to take our photo and I don't like bothering people to ask them to take our photo. With this photo tour, the camera is in someone else's hand. My husband and I show up and they do the work.
The rest of the time, we will be experiencing most of the attractions of the city through the New York Pass. We will be visiting places that we didn't see on our photography tour.
The second trip of the year will be to Mackinac Island. My husband is attending a 4-day conference and I am going along for the ride. I'll keep myself busy with sightseeing, eating and running around the 8 mile island. I'm not sure what the plans of the week are. We have to wait until it gets closer to find that information out.
I look forward to my upcoming vacations. They should be nice and relaxing.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Books read in 2008
A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
Currently Reading: The Family, Kitty Kelley
Up Next: Library trip
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
Currently Reading: The Family, Kitty Kelley
Up Next: Library trip
Monday, July 28, 2008
Weekend Update
Standing in a dugout with the sun beating down on you for two plus hours isn't good. Friday afternoon, I photographed an American Legion district tournament baseball game. I stood on the stairs and leaned against a support beam for a nine inning game. I thought the game was only going to be seven innings. After the sunny game, I noticed that my legs were sunburned from just above my kneecaps down to my socks and only on the left side. Stylish look.
At the 5K on Saturday, I was talking to a girl who I photographed running cross country and track in high school and now college. She was pinning her bib to the front of her shirt. On her bib, someone wrote "Happy 20th Birthday!" I asked her when her birthday was. She said it was today (July 26). I said that today was my birthday too. I thought it was great. What are the odds of having two runners with red hair sharing a birthday at the same 5K race? We were the only red heads in the entire field.
During the run, I was following a girl that was about 15 years old. She would be running, then just stop and walk. As soon as I would catch her, she would start running again. Around mile 2, she cut the course twice. I so wanted to yell "cheater" to her and tell the race officials. But I didn't.
After the race, I overheard some older ladies saying they cut the course as well. When I was finishing the race, I saw the older women on the course to my left. At that point, I knew that those ladies still had a half mile or less to go. I handed in my card and walked over to grab some Gatorade. I took a drink and turned around. Those two ladies that I passed were standing behind me. They were talking to a friend and said that last year they got lost and took a wrong turn. This year, they said they were following the arrows and cut the course. I have run and photographed cross country events on this course for years. It is not hard to follow. The course was properly marked. How can people not follow arrows?
My husband surprised me with a gift card to Aeropostale for my birthday. I spent that gift card in ten minutes. I picked up six polo's, two t-shirts and a pair of cargo shorts. All of the items were on sale. I love sales!
While driving home today I saw three friends on the sidewalk together. Two of the friends looked like they were waiting on the other person. I slowed my car down to see what was going on. The three person was throwing up all over the sidewalk. One of the friends turned their back while the other friend watched. There was plenty of grass around. Why throw up in a high foot traffic area? GROSS!
At the 5K on Saturday, I was talking to a girl who I photographed running cross country and track in high school and now college. She was pinning her bib to the front of her shirt. On her bib, someone wrote "Happy 20th Birthday!" I asked her when her birthday was. She said it was today (July 26). I said that today was my birthday too. I thought it was great. What are the odds of having two runners with red hair sharing a birthday at the same 5K race? We were the only red heads in the entire field.
During the run, I was following a girl that was about 15 years old. She would be running, then just stop and walk. As soon as I would catch her, she would start running again. Around mile 2, she cut the course twice. I so wanted to yell "cheater" to her and tell the race officials. But I didn't.
After the race, I overheard some older ladies saying they cut the course as well. When I was finishing the race, I saw the older women on the course to my left. At that point, I knew that those ladies still had a half mile or less to go. I handed in my card and walked over to grab some Gatorade. I took a drink and turned around. Those two ladies that I passed were standing behind me. They were talking to a friend and said that last year they got lost and took a wrong turn. This year, they said they were following the arrows and cut the course. I have run and photographed cross country events on this course for years. It is not hard to follow. The course was properly marked. How can people not follow arrows?
My husband surprised me with a gift card to Aeropostale for my birthday. I spent that gift card in ten minutes. I picked up six polo's, two t-shirts and a pair of cargo shorts. All of the items were on sale. I love sales!
While driving home today I saw three friends on the sidewalk together. Two of the friends looked like they were waiting on the other person. I slowed my car down to see what was going on. The three person was throwing up all over the sidewalk. One of the friends turned their back while the other friend watched. There was plenty of grass around. Why throw up in a high foot traffic area? GROSS!
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Birthday plans
Last week, I had solid plans for my upcoming birthday. (My 29th birthday is Saturday, July 26.) The plan I had set for the day was to run a 5K on one of the toughest cross country courses in the county at 8:30 a.m. The 5K that I'm running is the birthday gift I give to myself every year. Drive home to shower, eat lunch, relax, go to church then have dinner with my husband at a fancy restaurant later in the evening. Those plans changed earlier this week.
My husband informed me that his schedule changed at work. Originally he was supposed to work overtime Saturday night from 10 pm-2 am. Now my husband has to work overtime 2 pm-2 am. There goes his time that he can spend with me on my birthday. He will spend about an hour and half or less with me Saturday. On Friday night he is also working overtime from 6 pm to 2 am. That means he will go to bed around 4 or 5 am and he won't wake up until 12 pm or 12:30 pm Saturday. By 1:40 pm he will be going into work.
I tried to make the best of it and said that we could go eat at the fancy restaurant Sunday. This morning at work, I went to the restaurant's website to browse the menu. I already picked out I want: Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Jerusalem Artichoke and White Cheddar Gratin, Morel Mushrooms, and Cabernet Natural Reduction. For some reason I went to their hours of operation and saw that they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Now I have to wait until Wednesday before I can get my birthday dinner. Can't go Monday because they are closed. Can't go Tuesday because my husband has to work. That is really putting a dark cloud over my birthday.
Now my Saturday evening looks to be free. Instead of enjoying a nice dinner with my husband, I think I will now be sitting at my computer working. Maybe my family will surprise me and have some dinner plans. If not, looks like the computer and I will be hanging out.
My husband informed me that his schedule changed at work. Originally he was supposed to work overtime Saturday night from 10 pm-2 am. Now my husband has to work overtime 2 pm-2 am. There goes his time that he can spend with me on my birthday. He will spend about an hour and half or less with me Saturday. On Friday night he is also working overtime from 6 pm to 2 am. That means he will go to bed around 4 or 5 am and he won't wake up until 12 pm or 12:30 pm Saturday. By 1:40 pm he will be going into work.
I tried to make the best of it and said that we could go eat at the fancy restaurant Sunday. This morning at work, I went to the restaurant's website to browse the menu. I already picked out I want: Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Jerusalem Artichoke and White Cheddar Gratin, Morel Mushrooms, and Cabernet Natural Reduction. For some reason I went to their hours of operation and saw that they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. Now I have to wait until Wednesday before I can get my birthday dinner. Can't go Monday because they are closed. Can't go Tuesday because my husband has to work. That is really putting a dark cloud over my birthday.
Now my Saturday evening looks to be free. Instead of enjoying a nice dinner with my husband, I think I will now be sitting at my computer working. Maybe my family will surprise me and have some dinner plans. If not, looks like the computer and I will be hanging out.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Random things
Over the weekend, I traveled to the Detroit area to photograph a wedding. A couple of things that I noticed on my drive there and back: They don't stop for red lights. I noticed at many lights I would stop for the yellow light, other drivers didn't. Drivers in the other lane kept going, even if the light already turned red. I have to admit while following the groom and groomsmen in their party bus limo, I happened to be in the middle of the intersection when the lights changed to red. I felt bad, but I was following the party bus to our different shooting locations. I needed to stay right behind them.
The second thing I noticed is their use of lanes. On the five lane I-696, I was driving in the second lane from the left. A car in the first lane on my left sped past me and crossed over four lanes of traffic to get to an exit ramp. I image the drive does that quite frequently because he did it with such ease.
On July 8, my treadmill belt rolled up on itself. Since then I have been running on the streets or the local high school and college track. I have to say the new Adrian College track is one of the nicest tracks I have ever run on. I have battled the awful heat and humidity during these runs. Now I don't have to battle the elements anymore. My husband and I picked out our new treadmill Thursday and he put it together for me on Sunday. Today I had my first run on our brand new treadmill, the NordicTrack A2550.
The run was a little difficult. I haven't been on a treadmill since July 8 and I was really tired. I wanted to run 6 miles, but I couldn't. My legs were beat. I know I have to take my time and build my mileage back up. I hope by next week, I can run 6 miles again without problems. Tuesday I will be back on my treadmill, hopefully for a 4 or 5 mile run.
In speaking of the treadmill, it was like a slice of heaven. The treadmill is so quiet which is a nice bonus. My last treadmill was so noisy that when running I had to turn the TV volume up to its max to hear anything. Today, the TV was at a normal volume. The treadmill has an extra wide belt. Which is good because I tend not to run in a straight line and go from side to side. The deck is adjustable. I can go from soft surface, like running outside on the grass, to a firm surface, like running on the streets. Today I started at 5, which is firm. During the run, I made an adjustment to 3. It also has a fitness age center. You do a eight minute test and it calculates your actual fitness age. My fitness age is 18. And lastly, it has a iPod dock. This is the best treadmill I have ever run on and it total kicks my last treadmill's ass!
The second thing I noticed is their use of lanes. On the five lane I-696, I was driving in the second lane from the left. A car in the first lane on my left sped past me and crossed over four lanes of traffic to get to an exit ramp. I image the drive does that quite frequently because he did it with such ease.
On July 8, my treadmill belt rolled up on itself. Since then I have been running on the streets or the local high school and college track. I have to say the new Adrian College track is one of the nicest tracks I have ever run on. I have battled the awful heat and humidity during these runs. Now I don't have to battle the elements anymore. My husband and I picked out our new treadmill Thursday and he put it together for me on Sunday. Today I had my first run on our brand new treadmill, the NordicTrack A2550.
The run was a little difficult. I haven't been on a treadmill since July 8 and I was really tired. I wanted to run 6 miles, but I couldn't. My legs were beat. I know I have to take my time and build my mileage back up. I hope by next week, I can run 6 miles again without problems. Tuesday I will be back on my treadmill, hopefully for a 4 or 5 mile run.
In speaking of the treadmill, it was like a slice of heaven. The treadmill is so quiet which is a nice bonus. My last treadmill was so noisy that when running I had to turn the TV volume up to its max to hear anything. Today, the TV was at a normal volume. The treadmill has an extra wide belt. Which is good because I tend not to run in a straight line and go from side to side. The deck is adjustable. I can go from soft surface, like running outside on the grass, to a firm surface, like running on the streets. Today I started at 5, which is firm. During the run, I made an adjustment to 3. It also has a fitness age center. You do a eight minute test and it calculates your actual fitness age. My fitness age is 18. And lastly, it has a iPod dock. This is the best treadmill I have ever run on and it total kicks my last treadmill's ass!
Books read in 2008
A Simple Act of Murder: November 22, 1963, Mark Fuhrman
Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years, David Talbot
Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Richard D. Mahoney
Marilyn Monroe: The Biography, Donald Spoto
True Grace: The Life and Times of an American Princess, Wendy Leigh
Final Disclosure, David W. Belin
John Wayne: My Life with the Duke, Pilar Wayne
Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow, David Stenn
The Lost Life of Eva Braun, Angela Lambert
Harlow: An Intimate Biography, Irving Shulman
His Way, Kitty Kelley
Natalie, Lana Wood
Rita Hayworth, John Kobal
The Fatal Friendship: Marie Antoinette, Count Fersen and the Flight to Varennes, Stanley Loomis
The Other Boleyn Girl, Philippa Gregory
John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth, Michael Munn
Robert Kennedy: His Life, Evan Thomas
Grace of Monaco, Steven Englund
Nemesis, Peter Evans
A Royal Duty, Paul Burrell
The Search for Amelia Earhart, Fred Goerner
Seinfeld: The Making of an American Icon, Jerry Oppenheimer
The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Currently Reading: Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
Up Next: The Family, Kitty Kelley
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
Currently Reading: Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
Up Next: The Family, Kitty Kelley
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Treadmill talk
While running and sweating to death yesterday evening, I couldn't wait for the repair to come and fix my treadmill today. I was thinking how nice it would be to run inside, with a fan and a TV. That dream might have to wait until the weekend. I will be forced to run in the blazing heat and humidity again today.
The repairman came this afternoon to give the treadmill CPR. The repairman took a look at the treadmill and said there was no way to fix it. One of the metal bars that helps stabilize the treadmill underneath broke at a joint. He told my husband that is why the belt bunched up. The repairman said he would call headquarters to see if we would have to send it in for repairs or we just get a new one.
My husband had to go to work for a while and said the repairman was going to call him. About ten minutes after my husband left, I received a phone call from the repairman. He dialed my number instead of my husband's. He told me that headquarters said that our treadmill is not fixable. That means that we get a brand new treadmill. A new treadmill! That will be sweet!
This weekend we need to go to the store and pick out another for free. I love warranties! I only have to endure a couple more days of heat and humidity. By Sunday I hope to be running on my brand new treadmill. Happy early birthday to me.
The repairman came this afternoon to give the treadmill CPR. The repairman took a look at the treadmill and said there was no way to fix it. One of the metal bars that helps stabilize the treadmill underneath broke at a joint. He told my husband that is why the belt bunched up. The repairman said he would call headquarters to see if we would have to send it in for repairs or we just get a new one.
My husband had to go to work for a while and said the repairman was going to call him. About ten minutes after my husband left, I received a phone call from the repairman. He dialed my number instead of my husband's. He told me that headquarters said that our treadmill is not fixable. That means that we get a brand new treadmill. A new treadmill! That will be sweet!
This weekend we need to go to the store and pick out another for free. I love warranties! I only have to endure a couple more days of heat and humidity. By Sunday I hope to be running on my brand new treadmill. Happy early birthday to me.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Miles run in 2008
Another week began without my beloved treadmill. I have been alternating my runs between the lovely city streets to the local high school track for a change. At the track, I don't have to watch out for cars, listen to rude people or really think. My GPS adds up the mileage and I just have to run in a circle. On the streets, I do get different scenery to look at and the runs seem to go faster.
My goal last week was to get in a couple of 6 mile runs. I always fell short. The first time was because of heavy rain. The second day was due to lack of time. My afternoon was clear yesterday and I wanted to get in a 6 mile run at the track. My run started off fine. Once I reached 3 miles, my legs were really tired. I stopped, grabbed my water bottle and walked. After the first walking lap, I mixed it up and ran some intervals. The second lap, I did one 100 meter sprint. The third lap, I threw in two 100 meters. The last lap I jogged. I did reach 4 miles. But that wasn't the way I wanted to reach it.
It seems like every time I step onto the track, I mentally can't go the entire 24 laps. If I was running on my treadmill or on the streets, I could do it with no problems. Maybe I can't handle running in a circle 24 times? I don't know what my problem is. Wednesday, I would like to run 6 miles. I don't know if that will happen. It is supposed to be very hot tomorrow. I'm unsure if it will be humid as well. I will just take a run on the streets and see how far I can go.
Thursday is a day of interest. The treadmill repair guy is supposed to come over. I know the treadmill needs to be repaired. I just want the repair guy to pull the belt out straight so I can run inside on the hot, humid days that will be here at the end of the week. I really don't want to kill myself outside in that weather.
2004: 170.8
2005: 212.2
2006: 270.6
2007: 276.0
2008: 560. 3
My goal last week was to get in a couple of 6 mile runs. I always fell short. The first time was because of heavy rain. The second day was due to lack of time. My afternoon was clear yesterday and I wanted to get in a 6 mile run at the track. My run started off fine. Once I reached 3 miles, my legs were really tired. I stopped, grabbed my water bottle and walked. After the first walking lap, I mixed it up and ran some intervals. The second lap, I did one 100 meter sprint. The third lap, I threw in two 100 meters. The last lap I jogged. I did reach 4 miles. But that wasn't the way I wanted to reach it.
It seems like every time I step onto the track, I mentally can't go the entire 24 laps. If I was running on my treadmill or on the streets, I could do it with no problems. Maybe I can't handle running in a circle 24 times? I don't know what my problem is. Wednesday, I would like to run 6 miles. I don't know if that will happen. It is supposed to be very hot tomorrow. I'm unsure if it will be humid as well. I will just take a run on the streets and see how far I can go.
Thursday is a day of interest. The treadmill repair guy is supposed to come over. I know the treadmill needs to be repaired. I just want the repair guy to pull the belt out straight so I can run inside on the hot, humid days that will be here at the end of the week. I really don't want to kill myself outside in that weather.
2004: 170.8
2005: 212.2
2006: 270.6
2007: 276.0
2008: 560. 3
Monday, July 14, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Running woes
I was running on my not so well functioning treadmill Tuesday. I wanted to get in an easy four miles before my shooting a baseball game.
After two miles, I felt my left foot start to brush something. I looked down and the treadmill belt is gradually folding over itself. I stopped the treadmill and looked at the belt. I couldn't believe the belt got a crease in it and started bunching up. I got out the tools to tighten/loosen the belt. I made a couple of twists on both sides and started the treadmill up again. I thought the belt would loosen and straighten out. It didn't. It did the opposite. It started to fold over and bunch more. I finally gave up and decided that there was nothing I could do to help it. By the time I got done fiddling with the treadmill, it was too late to continue my run outside before going to my assignment. I was a bit upset.
Since my treadmill is unusable until it gets fixed next Thursday, I decided to go to the local high school track to run. I picked the high school because no one would be yelling stupid comments to me, it is nice and smooth and I wanted to run on a track again. I get to the track and I looked up at the clouds. Storm clouds were moving in. The weather report said there was a 30% chance of rain. It looked about certain it was going to storm. I got on the track and started running. During my run, it got really dark, windy and started to thunder. It looked like it was going to blow over, so I continued running.
During the third mile it started to sprinkle. I absolutely hate running with wet shoes and socks, but this was hardly a soaking rain so I kept going. As I was running, the rain was changing to a harder rain. At almost four miles, I was getting drenched because it was raining so hard. I finished lap 16 (4 miles) and stopped. I walked to my car to wait out the downpour. Twenty minutes later it was still pouring. I wanted the rain to stop because I really wanted to run two more miles to reach 6 miles for the day. But it wasn't meant to be. I went home. After taking a shower and sitting down at my computer to do work is when the rain stopped and the sun came out. Just my luck.
This afternoon I went back to the track to run some more. I wanted to run 6 miles, but I wasn't so sure I would make it. The sun was out, it was very humid and my calves were tight. I ran 3.5 miles. I'm sure if I would have ran slower I could have gotten in 4 miles but I didn't want to kill my legs. On days like this, I would have been in the basement running on my treadmill.
After two miles, I felt my left foot start to brush something. I looked down and the treadmill belt is gradually folding over itself. I stopped the treadmill and looked at the belt. I couldn't believe the belt got a crease in it and started bunching up. I got out the tools to tighten/loosen the belt. I made a couple of twists on both sides and started the treadmill up again. I thought the belt would loosen and straighten out. It didn't. It did the opposite. It started to fold over and bunch more. I finally gave up and decided that there was nothing I could do to help it. By the time I got done fiddling with the treadmill, it was too late to continue my run outside before going to my assignment. I was a bit upset.
Since my treadmill is unusable until it gets fixed next Thursday, I decided to go to the local high school track to run. I picked the high school because no one would be yelling stupid comments to me, it is nice and smooth and I wanted to run on a track again. I get to the track and I looked up at the clouds. Storm clouds were moving in. The weather report said there was a 30% chance of rain. It looked about certain it was going to storm. I got on the track and started running. During my run, it got really dark, windy and started to thunder. It looked like it was going to blow over, so I continued running.
During the third mile it started to sprinkle. I absolutely hate running with wet shoes and socks, but this was hardly a soaking rain so I kept going. As I was running, the rain was changing to a harder rain. At almost four miles, I was getting drenched because it was raining so hard. I finished lap 16 (4 miles) and stopped. I walked to my car to wait out the downpour. Twenty minutes later it was still pouring. I wanted the rain to stop because I really wanted to run two more miles to reach 6 miles for the day. But it wasn't meant to be. I went home. After taking a shower and sitting down at my computer to do work is when the rain stopped and the sun came out. Just my luck.
This afternoon I went back to the track to run some more. I wanted to run 6 miles, but I wasn't so sure I would make it. The sun was out, it was very humid and my calves were tight. I ran 3.5 miles. I'm sure if I would have ran slower I could have gotten in 4 miles but I didn't want to kill my legs. On days like this, I would have been in the basement running on my treadmill.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Books read in 2008
I hopped into bed last night and planned on reading a few pages before going to sleep. I was hoping the book would make me tired. It didn't. I continued reading after ten pages. I was so close to the end of the book, that I wanted to stay awake and finish. And that is what I did. I went to sleep almost an hour and half later then I should have.
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
Currently Reading: As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Up Next: Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
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
Currently Reading: As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Up Next: Diana's Boys, Christopher Andersen
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
What's new pussycat?
I saw the neighbor's cat Harley in my driveway while looking out my kitchen windows. Harley is a nice kitty cat. A slender, short haired, white and yellow cat. He is mainly an indoor cat, but they do let him out for some fresh air and to do whatever it is that cats do. If I'm outside when Harley is, I'll stop over and visit him.
I went out the front door to meet Harley. Harley was cooling off in the shade under some plants. I called his name a couple times and he ran over to me. I pet him on the head and rubbed my hand down his back. I did this a couple of times and he liked it. Harley then laid down on my sidewalk and started to roll around. I pet his back leg. He didn't like that. He swatted at me with his left declawed front paw. He then started rolling around again. I then pet his front leg. Again, he didn't like that. I got another front paw swat. He rolled around again and I did nothing.
He got up and started for home. Harley then trip over a long plastic strip from the roof lying in our flower bed. He must of thought I was trying to grab him. He hissed and continued walking home. Odd.
I went out the front door to meet Harley. Harley was cooling off in the shade under some plants. I called his name a couple times and he ran over to me. I pet him on the head and rubbed my hand down his back. I did this a couple of times and he liked it. Harley then laid down on my sidewalk and started to roll around. I pet his back leg. He didn't like that. He swatted at me with his left declawed front paw. He then started rolling around again. I then pet his front leg. Again, he didn't like that. I got another front paw swat. He rolled around again and I did nothing.
He got up and started for home. Harley then trip over a long plastic strip from the roof lying in our flower bed. He must of thought I was trying to grab him. He hissed and continued walking home. Odd.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Books read in 2008
I didn't do much over the holiday weekend because my husband was away at work. I relaxed mainly. I enjoyed staying up late and sleeping in. I was a protector of my dogs when fireworks or firecrackers were heard in the neighborhood. I ran, napped, watched Olympic trials, read two books in two days and it was great.
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
Currently Reading: The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
Up Next: As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
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
Currently Reading: The Day John Died, Christopher Andersen
Up Next: As Time Goes By: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Laurence Leamer
Friday, July 04, 2008
A bump in the road
I was really happy yesterday afternoon. I was done with work and looking forward to a nice evening of running, reading, and Olympic Track and Field trials. All of that went south fairly quickly.
My afternoon collected dark clouds quickly and upset me the rest of the day. Sorry, no details on the first account. The second upsetting thing of the day was the lack of the treadmill repair man at my house. My husband and I waited all afternoon for the guy to show up. When I rescheduled the appointment last Wednesday, the operator on the line told me that my next appointment would be July 3 between the hours of 1-5 pm. Six o' clock came and went and no repairman.
My husband called the company to inquire about the missed appointment. The operator who helped me last week did not enter my reschedule appointment in the computer properly. My husband was told the earliest a repairman could get to our house is two weeks from now, July 17. That didn't make my husband or myself very happy.
To try to regain a normal day, I ran six miles on the unfixed treadmill while watching the movie Road House on TV. That movie can always cheer me up. It is so bad its funny. I think the best part of the movie is where Patrick Swayze's character Dalton rips out Jimmy's throat with his bare hand. (If you know the movie that I'm refering to, go here and read this. It had me laughing so hard.) After my run, I called my friend and talked to him about my day. It cheered me up. After my phone conversation I tried to get passed the bad part and enjoy the rest of my weekend.
I tried to stay awake until 11 pm EST to watch the Track and Field trials on TV. I only made it to 10:30 pm. I fell asleep watching the Detroit Tigers playing the Seattle Mariners. I woke up around 1 am on the couch. I missed the trials, but I did record it and watched it this morning.
Yesterday was a bad day. It wasn't the worst day of my life. I'm going to take that experience, learn from it and work harder at it next time.
My afternoon collected dark clouds quickly and upset me the rest of the day. Sorry, no details on the first account. The second upsetting thing of the day was the lack of the treadmill repair man at my house. My husband and I waited all afternoon for the guy to show up. When I rescheduled the appointment last Wednesday, the operator on the line told me that my next appointment would be July 3 between the hours of 1-5 pm. Six o' clock came and went and no repairman.
My husband called the company to inquire about the missed appointment. The operator who helped me last week did not enter my reschedule appointment in the computer properly. My husband was told the earliest a repairman could get to our house is two weeks from now, July 17. That didn't make my husband or myself very happy.
To try to regain a normal day, I ran six miles on the unfixed treadmill while watching the movie Road House on TV. That movie can always cheer me up. It is so bad its funny. I think the best part of the movie is where Patrick Swayze's character Dalton rips out Jimmy's throat with his bare hand. (If you know the movie that I'm refering to, go here and read this. It had me laughing so hard.) After my run, I called my friend and talked to him about my day. It cheered me up. After my phone conversation I tried to get passed the bad part and enjoy the rest of my weekend.
I tried to stay awake until 11 pm EST to watch the Track and Field trials on TV. I only made it to 10:30 pm. I fell asleep watching the Detroit Tigers playing the Seattle Mariners. I woke up around 1 am on the couch. I missed the trials, but I did record it and watched it this morning.
Yesterday was a bad day. It wasn't the worst day of my life. I'm going to take that experience, learn from it and work harder at it next time.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Random things
After work I went to the bank to cash my check. As I was standing in line, an older gentleman brought his large dog inside the bank with him. The dog wasn't a leader dog or leader dog in training. The guy just brought him in with him. Have the rules on dogs inside a public place changed? Next time I go to the mall, the dogs are coming with me.
My treadmill has been sick for two weeks now. Last week, the company canceled on us. They said that no repairman was going to be in our area. That forced me to reschedule. And it didn't make me very happy. The repairman is coming this afternoon to fix it. The problems with the treadmill is the belt is loose on it and a part has to be replaced. Even though the belt is loose, I still have been running on it. The first few minutes on it are unstable, but once you get going its fine. Later today, I will have a long date with my treadmill. I plan on running six or seven miles.
I left work at 11:30 a.m. this morning. I am so excited to start a nice three day weekend! I was dying with anticipation waiting for the clock to tick down.
My treadmill has been sick for two weeks now. Last week, the company canceled on us. They said that no repairman was going to be in our area. That forced me to reschedule. And it didn't make me very happy. The repairman is coming this afternoon to fix it. The problems with the treadmill is the belt is loose on it and a part has to be replaced. Even though the belt is loose, I still have been running on it. The first few minutes on it are unstable, but once you get going its fine. Later today, I will have a long date with my treadmill. I plan on running six or seven miles.
I left work at 11:30 a.m. this morning. I am so excited to start a nice three day weekend! I was dying with anticipation waiting for the clock to tick down.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Books read in 2008
My book and iPod accompanied me yesterday during my wait at the Secretary of State. I waited about an hour and twenty minutes to renew my license, license plate, take an eye exam and get a new picture taken. I read about 50 pages and finished the book at home yesterday evening. Now I'm book less until tomorrow.
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
Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip
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
Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip
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