Random things

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

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

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

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

Sr. Elite Jazz Team - Adrian, MI

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

Books read in 2008

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

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

Random things

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

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

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

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

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

The lovely Marilyn - New York City, NY

Marilyn Monroe at Madame Tussauds in New York City.

Books read in 2008

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


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

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

Leap - Adrian, MI

Jr. Elite Jazz - Adrian, MI

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

Miles run in 2008

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

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

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

A snack

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

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

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

Half Marathon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Chrysler Building - New York City, NY

It's almost time

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

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

Flatiron Building - New York City, NY

Manhattan Bridge - New York City, NY

Miles to go

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

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

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

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

Five days to go.

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

Rooftop graffiti - New York City, NY

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

Graffiti door - New York City, NY

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

Extension - Adrian, MI

Bike - Mackinac Island, MI

Miles run in 2008

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

Eleven days and counting.

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

Mackinac trip

My husband and I got back from Mackinac Island Saturday afternoon. We had a nice and relaxing trip. During our trip, my husband attending conference meetings at the Grand Hotel. While he was doing that, I was doing other things.

After eating breakfast Thursday morning, I went out and pounded the pavement. I went out for an 8 mile run around the island on M-185. The run started out nice. Once I got to the back side of the island, the wind coming off the Great Lakes really hit me. To avoid injury by running off the side of the road, I ran down the middle of the road. If I happened to fall and twist an ankle, there wouldn't been help for a while. It was a chilly morning and not too many people out on the back side of the island. I made it through my run alright. Except for my back hurting and injuries on my right foot. My third toenail sliced into my neighboring toe, the second one, and created a nice cut. I also got a cut on the top of my third toe and it was bleeding.

On Thursday morning, I waited a while to go running. At 8 a.m., the temperature outside was 37 degrees and that was with the wind chill. I only had shorts and a long sleeve shirt. Those items wouldn't have kept me too warm. I ran around 11 a.m. and it was a bit warmer. I only went for a 3 mile run. My legs were a tired from the run a day before.

Besides running, I did do a little shopping. All of the stores had huge sales because it is the end of tourist season. Most of the items were between 40-70% off. I bought two sweatshirts. It was really hard just finding those two. Most of the ones that I liked, they didn't have my size. Or if they did have my size, they were really ugly. I also read in my room and enjoyed sleeping in and taking naps. Only on Friday, did I take my camera outside. And I didn't really take that many photos. I know. I'm a bad photographer. This trip was mainly about training for my half-marathon and actually relaxing. Unlike our trip to New York/New Jersey. We were so busy doing stuff everyday. It was nice to not do so much this trip.

When I was running on the back side of the island, I saw so many things that I wanted to take photos of. But I wasn't about to carry an extra ten pounds of camera equipment on run. I wished we would have taken our bikes on the trip. I could have rode my bike out and taken some photos. Since we didn't bring our bikes, I didn't have the money to rent one and I really didn't want to walk four or five miles to take photos. If and when my husband return to Mackinac Island, I will photograph the back of the island. And we will bring our bikes.

The photo was taken on the shoreline of Main Street (M-185). In the background is the Mackinac Bridge.

Flatiron District - New York City, NY

Random things

How cool was it that Michigan came back to beat Wisconsin? Down 19-0 at halftime, the Wolverines scored 27 points in the second half. Wisconsin scored a touchdown with 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter. They needed a two point conversion to tie the game. When a pass was caught in the end zone, I was upset. The game was tied and I didn't think Michigan could win in overtime. Luckily a flag was thrown. Wisconsin was flagged for having an ineligible receiver in the end zone. The Badgers were backed up and had to retry. On the second try, the ball was overthrown and Michigan held on to win the game 27-25. Next week Illinois come to Ann Arbor. I hope Michigan will have a better start to that game. They can't come from behind every week.

It has been over a week since I twisted my ankle running. The swelling has gone down and sometimes it can be a bit stiff. Otherwise it looks and feels like it will be fine. I have been running on it. Inside. On my treadmill. And with my ankle brace. This week when we go to Mackinac Island, I will test my ankle on the road. I know the road around the island is nice and flat. Not many low spots to run into.

There are 19 days left until I run the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Half Marathon. I'm getting a bit nervous for it. Twisting my ankle a week ago hasn't helped. I missed days of running. Days that I could have been running long. While up on the island this week, my plan is to run a day of 8-10 miles. As for the other days, I'll see how I feel. I'm worried that I haven't put in too many long runs even though I have been training for almost a year. I keep thinking will I be able to run 13.1 miles? Will I make it to the bridge before the cutoff time? Only time will tell.

So much TV to watch. Last night was the season premieres for Dexter and Family Guy. Also last night was a new episode of Mad Men. This afternoon, I need to squeeze in 2.5 hours of TV, a run, possibly a nap and a soccer game. If I'm going to accomplish that, I need to get started.

View from the Empire State Building - New York City, NY

Books read in 2008

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

Currently Reading: Tallulah!: The Life and Times of a Leading Lady, Joel Lobenthal
Up Next: Library trip

Barre exercises - Adrian, MI

The Velvet Rope at the Empire State Building - New York City, NY

Pointe warmup - Adrian, MI

One of my favorites from Advanced Pointe class at Encore Dance Studio in Adrian, MI.

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!

Clouds - New York City, NY

Buildings - New York City, NY

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.

Central Park

Photo by Marc Samuels, PhotoTrek Tours

This 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

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.

A couple - Blissfield, MI

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Kathy loves Dennis - Adrian, MI

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?

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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.

Ten years ago

John Wayne Clark
April 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.

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.

Butterfly - Adrian, MI

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.

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

Bees attraction - Adrian, MI

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.

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

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.

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

Bee on coneflower - Adrian, MI