Random things

I'm very thankful for the clips that I have been posting recently. If I didn't have those, I would have nothing to blog about. The spring sports season is winding down. We have two baseball and two softball teams left. They all play Saturday in regional games. If any of them win, they will play again next Wednesday in a quarterfinal game.

Besides working, running and reading, I haven't been motivated to do anything. I need a break. I think I need a vacation. I have four weeks to use before the year is out. Since Japan is out due to swine flu scare, I have been looking for places closer to home. Like the Midwest area. Some of the places I have looked at are Northern/Western Michigan, Wisconsin Dells and Indianapolis. I left Mackinac Island and Chicago off of the list. We have been to both places twice recently. We want a place that we can drive to and stay for a couple of days and/or a weekend. Nothing has been decided yet. It is nice just to have ideas to throw around. For all the people who read my blog that live in Wisconsin, would Madison or Milwaukee be a good place to take a vacation? Not a full week, but a couple of days. Is there anything worth seeing?

My husband is in the middle of remodeling our bathroom. He is currently tiling the shower. He rented a wet saw just for today. I hope he can finish it all today. He still has a long way to go. It would be nice to have the bathroom completed this week. This past Sunday it has been a week since he started the project. My temporary shower in our other bathroom is terrible. It is small and I get water everywhere. I can't wait to be back in my big shower. I know I have to be patient. He is working as hard as he can.

I want a hamburger ... no a cheeseburger.

One of the best lines from Caddyshack was used in a Family Guy episode called Not All Dogs Go To Heaven. I loved what Patrick Stewart did to Will Wheaton after he said the line from Caddyshack.

Books read in 2009

The spring sports season is winding down. The only games for this week are regional baseball and softball on Saturday. With my week free I will be running as always and reading more. My reading pace had slowed down since the spring season began. I would like to get back to reading a book in a couple of days or a week. I finished Eisenhower by Geoffrey Perret Saturday evening. I was restless without a book to read on Sunday. I did re-read a couple of my Runner's World magazines, but it wasn't the same. I wanted a book in my hands.


America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan
Last Flight, Amelia Earhart
The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell
Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret

Curretly Reading: Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
Up Next: Lindbergh, A. Scott Berg

Miles run in 2009

I noticed today that I was walking and not even thinking about it. I was walking without pain. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you've heard my sob story of plantar fasciitis. I'm taking anti-flammatory pills and they are going to run out soon. Once I'm off of them, I hope I will be on my way to walking and running pain free for good.

2004: 134.8
2005: 167.7
2006: 219.7
2007: 205.4
2008: 431.5
2009: 409.5

Season finale already

One of my favorite shows has its season finale Sunday. Breaking Bad on AMC is about a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. To provide for his family after he is gone, he produces meth with a former student.

Preview for Sunday's Season 2 finale.

One of my other favorite AMC shows, Mad Men is set to return in August. That is too long of a wait for a great show like that.

Something I didn't except to hear

As I woke up from my nap this afternoon, my husband was walking toward me. He informed me that our two week trip to Japan had been canceled. The Japanese are afraid of the H1N1 virus.

I'm a little sad about the trip being canceled. It would have been my first trip overseas and on an airplane. The good news is that I get a full refund. Yea money!

Busy, Busy

I have been busy so far this week and its only Wednesday. Besides working in the morning on Tuesday, I worked most of the evening as well. Tuesday was our paper's county track invitational. My job was to photograph the boys track athletes. I always enjoy the meet. What I don't enjoy is all of the work after the meet is over.

I left the track at 8:30 p.m. I drove home and edited the photos on my computer. I finished editing around 9:20 p.m. and then had to print out the contact sheets. All 12 of them. When those were printed, I had to identify the kids in all 107 of my photos. Before leaving to go to the office, I burned a CD of the images. I left my house, drove to the office and loaded my photos onto my computer. I left work around 10 p.m. Finally when I got home, I ate dinner with my husband. I think I finally went to sleep after 11 p.m. I swear it was a short time later when the alarm clock went off. It went off at 4:05 a.m. to be exact.

I already worked my morning shift but I have to photograph two district soccer games back to back later today. I was looking forward to having this afternoon off because of the long day Tuesday. Since I don't have the rest of the day off, I had to rearrange my schedule. Instead of running 4 miles later, I ran them when I got home. After my shower, I need to start lunch. I hope to catch a quick nap, then it is back to my car to drive to the soccer games in the next county over. It is very humid today, so I can't wait to stand outside this afternoon.

Books read in 2009

I have been thankful for the long holiday weekend. I've been able to sit down and read for a long period of time. I haven't been able to do that since the winter sports season. I finished The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart by Mary S. Lovell Sunday evening. I started reading Eisenhower by Geoffrey Perret right after dinner. I continued reading until 11 p.m. and ended at page 70. Not bad for a couple of hours.

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan
Last Flight, Amelia Earhart
The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell

Currently Reading: Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret
Up Next: Library trip

The Tudors

I watched the Season three finale of The Tudors earlier this week with OnDemand. If you don't want to know what happens, stop reading now. I was sad to see Thomas Cromwell executed. The actor who played Cromwell, James Frain, was excellent. He did a wonderful job for the three seasons he was on the show.

His execution was awful. Sir Francis Bryan and Edward Seymour got the executioner drunk the night before. The day of the execution, he was hung over. Instead of beheading Cromwell with one swing, he had to do multiple swings. After three swings and the job still not done, the executioner was pushed out of the way and a guard finished the job. How awful. Especially for his son, who was in the crowd watching.

YouTube didn't have a link to the Cromwell execution yet. But I did find video of executions from the first two seasons. Don't worry, it is not gory.

Books read in 2009

I finished reading Last Flight by Amelia Earhart. She wrote the book along the way of her last flight before her disappearance. On her last stop before Howland Island, she wrote how excited she was that she was almost home. Too bad, she never made it that far.

A short video from National Geographic about Amelia:


America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan
Last Flight, Amelia Earhart

Currently Reading: The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell
Up Next: Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret

She never got the boy

I recently watched movies featuring the actress Rachel Ward. The movies were The Thorn Birds and Against All Odds.

In both movies, she is alone at the end and doesn't get the man she wants. In The Thorn Birds, her character Meggie can't be with Ralph because he was a priest and he also died. In Against All Odds, her character Jessie made a deal with Ben. If he doesn't kill her love Terry, she will do anything that he wants. What Ben wants is Jessie and Terry to stay apart.

The final scene of Against All Odds with one of the best songs ever, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" by Phil Collins:


The ending to The Thorn Birds:

For the fallen - Adrian, MI

Last Friday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day. I attended the ceremony that was held where I live. Roses were placed on an memorial wreath for the police officers that died in the line of duty in the county.

Books read in 2009

I finished the book Who Killed Bobby? by Shane O' Sullivan over the weekend. It was a good read. Who doesn't love conspiracy theories? Was the FBI or CIA involved? Was Sirhan Sirhan a "Manchurian Candidate"? Was there a second or possibly third shooter in the kitchen on that night? Who was the girl in the polka dotted dress? These answers will probably never been known. But it is always good to think about the possibilities.

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, Shane O'Sullivan

Currently Reading: Last Flight, Amelia Earhart
Up Next: The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell

The Thorn Birds

I finished watching The Thorn Birds this morning. I have to say that I loved it. It was a great miniseries. Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward did a fantastic job with their characters. After everything Ralph and Meggie been through, they still weren't together at the end. I guess life doesn't always have a happy ending, or a movie ending.

This movie reminded me of something a friend said to me. He said that after seeing Phantom of the Opera (the play) five times, he always hoped Christine would end up with the Phantom. I felt the same way after seeing the play three times. I felt the same way about The Thorn Birds. I wanted Ralph to give up the church to be with his true love Meggie. He didn't because he loved God more. At the end, there was a chance for them to finally be together. WARNING SPOILER. But he died. I couldn't image a life with that much heartbreak.

I found a video that shows the lifelong relationship between Father Ralph and Meggie. The song is "Original Sin" by Elton John.

Random things

My first run after my doctor ordered a decrease in mileage wasn't good. My legs were really tired. If my doctor gave me the OK to run as much as I wanted, I don't think I could have even made it past 3 miles. I hope my run this afternoon will be better.

I was supposed to photograph a college regional baseball game Wednesday afternoon. The whole tournament was postponed a day due to rain. The tournament started back up at 10 a.m. this morning. The rain has cleared out and it is sunny. At game time the temperature is supposed to be 69 degrees and sunny. Should be some good baseball weather.

Since my game was postponed Tuesday, I watched the Disc One of The Thorn Birds. I mentioned before that I really liked the book. Add another one to the "like" column. I'm really enjoying the miniseries as well. The book and the miniseries are different. In the miniseries some parts are skipped over and have been changed. I really don't mind the changes. The storyline between Father Ralph and Meggie is great. Forbidden love always makes a good story. I will have to go without The Thorn Birds today. Disc Two should arrive in the mail by Saturday. I can't wait for it. I highly recommend both the book and the miniseries.

I watched the Cycle 12 finale of America's Next Top Model last night. I was disappointed by the results. Teyona was named the winner against Allison. I don't think she deserved it. The judges have been praising her the entire cycle, but I didn't think all of her photos were that spectacular. Allison had come from the bottom to be a contender. She improved her photos and her runway walk. Her CoverGirl commercial went well. She got her dialog down in a couple of takes and she walked great in the runway show. Teyona's CoverGirl commercial was horrible. She couldn't do the dialog without messing up. Her walk on the runway was OK. The judges even called her a robot, but let's give her the win. It doesn't hurt to be Tyra's favorite. I think Allison will do fine in the modeling world without winning. She will probably have more work then the winner Teyona.

I mentioned earlier that it rained yesterday. This morning a thunderstorm rolled through the area. Thunder woke me up this morning around 2:45 a.m. It was then that I heard the dogs trying to escape from the kitchen. To help ensure the dogs wouldn't escape, I had two chairs and the kitchen table in front of the gate. It did stop their escape attempt. I got out of bed, moved the table and chairs to let them out. I grabbed a blanket and laid down on the couch. The dogs were still scared. Instead of sitting on the floor by me, they decided to climb up on the couch on lay on me. There is nothing like two German Shepherd's laying on you. Kelly thought my head and back was comfortable and Blitzkrieg laid on my legs. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. The dogs couldn't keep still and kept moving around. Needless to say, I didn't get back to sleep. I finally got up at 3:55 a.m. to get ready for work. I was at work at 4:15 a.m.

Decrease again

I visited the foot doctor today. He told me that my heel is still inflamed. Which I think I knew. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory pill for me. I haven't been on those since I first got plantar fasciitis.

I told him about the pain I had in my leg last week and when I finish running I end up limping until the next day. He asked if I stretched, iced and wear my orthotics. I said I do. He told me to cut down my mileage again. He said no more then 3 miles a day. I asked him for how long. He said until the next time I come back, which is in two weeks. If the medication doesn't help my inflamed heel, the doctor said the next step is a shot in the foot. I'm really hoping the medication works. I think that I will probably have to end up getting the shots. I'm really not looking forward to those.

Miles run in 2009

I visit the foot doctor tomorrow. I hope he will tell me that my plantar fasciitis is getting better with the use of my orthotics. My heel felt good during my 4 mile run Sunday. Right after finishing running, I started to limp. I stretched and iced and the limping continued.

The pain I had in my lower left leg last week, has gone away. I went to Google and Web MD to find out what it was. I don't know if I'm right or not, but I think I had posterior shin splints.

2004: 112.9
2005: 151.0
2006: 187.6
2007: 181.3
2008: 370.5
2009: 355.4

More pain

Near the end of my 7 mile run Wednesday, a muscle on the inside of my leg was hurting. I kept going and I finished limping. I stretched, iced and hoped it would get better.

This morning, it was feeling a little better. I Googled leg muscles and found a illustration. I don't know which muscle it is exactly that is in pain. But I now know what the lower leg muscles are called. I'm unsure if this muscle pain is related to my orthotics, so I called my foot doctor to find out. The receptionist/office worker didn't know if the pain was due to my orthotics. I was supposed to go to the foot doctor next Friday. This appointment is a follow up for my orthotics. Now I will go in Tuesday. I hope that whatever is going on with this muscle is related to my orthotics. If it isn't and the pain doesn't go away, I will have to go see my regular doctor.

Attached is an illustration of leg muscles. My pain is from the Peronus longus muscle down to the Peroneus brevis muscle. It could be any of those. I don't know which one it is exactly.

Books read in 2009

I've said it before. I rarely read fiction. If I do, it has to be one that I've heard of. For a while I have been wanting to read The Thorn Birds due to mentions on Sex and the City and VH1's I Love the 80s. I really enjoyed the book and found it hard to stop reading. Now that I'm finished with the book, I'm waiting for the DVDs of the TV mini-series to be sent to my house from Netflix. I've read on many message boards that Richard Chamberlain is fantastic as Ralph de Bricassart. The tagline for the TV mini-series is Desire. Passion. Scandal. Can't wait to see it.

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware
The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

There's something about Amelia

Amelia Earhart has quickly become one of my favorite people to read about. Her story is very interesting. She was so close to finishing her trip around the globe with navigator Fred Noonan when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. There have been many theories about their disappearance. They crashed and sunk. They were spies for Franklin Roosevelt. They were captured by the Japanese and also they assumed another identity. It would be great to know one day what really happened to them, but it will probably remained unsolved.

One thing I did learn about Amelia is that she smiled with her mouth closed. She did that to hide a gap-toothed smile. Her wax figure at Madame Tussauds captured her smile well.

Queen of Terror

I decided to look this up on YouTube Sunday out of the blue. I didn't find it there, but through Google. When I watched it I could recite all of the dialog from memory. This sketch first appeared back in when I was in high school. I don't know what made me look it up after all of these years.


AGD - 02 - Queen of Terror

Disturbia - Onsted, MI

The Senior Elite Jazz Team from Encore Dance Studio was performing to the song "Disturbia" by Rihanna during rehearsals for the Onsted All Star Review on April 18, 2009.

Random things

It seems that every year when the weather is nice and my bedroom windows are open, it happens. The neighbors across the street in the rented apartments sit on their porch and talk, laugh, yell very loudly at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. It was a comfortable night so I wanted to let some air into the bedroom. Instead of air and the precious sleep, I hear four people yakking and laughing after 9 p.m. I know after 9 p.m. isn't late for most people, but most people don't get up for work at 4 a.m. I laid in bed for about five minutes hoping that they would be quiet or go inside. Nope. They didn't. I hopped out of bed and closed the windows. I laid back down and heard them still, only muffled. Ten or fifteen minutes later I finally fell asleep thanks to Tylenol PM. Before going to sleep I thought how would they like it if I sat on my porch very early in the morning and did exactly the same thing? I'm sure that they wouldn't like it.

I had two assignments to do later this afternoon so I rearranged my schedule. When I got home from work at 10:30 a.m., I changed my clothes and got on the treadmill for four miles. After the treadmill, I showered and woke my husband up for lunch. He didn't get out of bed for another 15 minutes, so that pushed lunch back farther. My hope was to eat lunch and take a quick nap before leaving. By the time lunch was over, there wasn't enough time to catch a nap. It had been raining in the county all day, I called the school I was supposed to photograph a track meet at to see if it was still going to be held. I was told that the track meet was canceled for today.

With one assignment out of the way, I got in my car and drove to the other assignment-spring team photos. I parked in the lot by the school and noticed that the portrait photographer's van wasn't anywhere in sight. I waited in my car hoping the photographer was on his way. Ten minutes before the photos were to be taken, I called my husband. I asked him to check my email. The coach emailed me a couple of weeks ago to tell me when spring photo day was. He looked in my email and couldn't find it. I guess I deleted it. I called the school to find out if the pictures were still going to be held. I was told that they were rescheduled. Rescheduled? I called the school back to talk to the athletic director. He told me that the photos were rescheduled for May. I'm glad that I drove all the way out to the school for nothing! GRRRR!

Both of my assignments for the day didn't pan out. I rearranged my schedule for nothing. One good thing about today, I sat on the couch and read my book.

Wikked Lil' Grrrls - Onsted, MI

The Junior Elite Jazz Team from Encore Dance Studio was performing to the song "Wikked Lil' Grrrls" by Esthero during rehearsals for the Onsted All Star Review on April 18, 2009.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Still Missing: Amelia Earhart and the Search for Modern Feminism, Susan Ware

Currently Reading: The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough
Up Next: Library trip

Happy Birthday

Happy 35th birthday to my husband.

Weekend update

This past weekend was so nice. The weather was wonderful. I ran a 5K Saturday morning and it was in the lower 60s. It was a very good day to run. Last year the weather was cold and a raining. I started the run limping. I'm still getting used to my orthotics. A couple of minutes into the run, the limping went away. When I crossed the first mile I was surprised at the time. It was faster then my opening mile in last week's 5K. Personally, I thought I was going much more slower then that.

Mile two is always my downfall. This time I developed stomach cramps. They were really bad. A couple of times I thought about stopping and walking. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So I kept going along, slowly. Besides the stomach cramps, my back started to hurt. It was a wonderful combination. What really helped me turn things around is when I two runners in front of me started to walk. My goal was to catch them.

I did catch one runner and passed him. The other one was just out of reach. With a half mile or less to go, the guy that I passed, passed me back. I was staying with him until we hit an incline. I tried to stay with him, but he did get about 10 to 15 feet in front of me. The gap didn't get any bigger, which made me happy. I finished in 35:42:58. It wasn't my slowest time ever, but it also wasn't my fastest either. After the race I was happy. I was unsure how my heel would feel in the orthotics. I know that they really helped. Except for the limping at the beginning of the race, my heel felt good the rest of the way. Once I did cross the finish line, I did limp a little. But it wasn't as bad as last week.

Besides actually running, I did watch some cross country and track & field on TV. ESPN and CBC had the Penn Relays, The Drake Relays and the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. I was disappointed in the Relays coverage. What they did show was good, but I wanted to see more of the college runners and individual events. The Penn Relays showed USA vs The World which was cool. It was nice to see USA Track and Field redeem itself in the relays after the horrible Beijing Olympics, but I was hoping for more. They did show some footage of the Tennessee women's team winning the distance medley. It would have been nice to see the entire relay.

At the Drake Relays, they showed the men's mile. That was nice, but what about the women's mile? In the 100 meter hurdles race Lolo Jones, she hit the second-to-last hurdle in the Beijing Olympics and finished fourth, was in the field. Throughout the entire race the camera was focused on her. She hit a hurdle, pulled up and didn't finish. Tiffany Ofili of Michigan won the race. I felt bad for Tiffany, they didn't interview her or really care that she won the race. Even though her time is the third fastest in the world this season. The announcers were focused on Lolo and how bad her injury was. I hope Lolo gets better but give the winner some love.

The IAAF World Cross Country championship was held at Amman, Jordan in March. It was nice seeing that on TV, even though happened almost a month ago. In the men's and women's races the Kenyon and Ethiopian runners were strong. A Kenyon won the women's race and an Ethiopian won the men's race. During the race, you could hear the music being played there. It was mostly Top 40 music. I heard Shania Twain and The Proclaimers. At one point the announcers even said "Shania Twain is being played over the loud speakers." I find that strange because that music was picked to play over the loud speakers at a World Cross Country Championships.

Miles run in 2009

I received the best phone call today. It was the phone call to tell me my orthotics were ready to be picked up.

I tried them out for the first time in the foot doctor's office. I was surprised to feel how comfortable they were. I was told to wear them for an hour today, then two hours tomorrow and so on. I wore them today during my run. I could really tell the difference in my heel. It didn't hurt. Near the end of my 4 miles, it started to get uncomfortable. It felt like I was running in a new pair of shoes that weren't broken in yet. But that is ok. I would rather feel that then have a horrible pain in my heel.

2004: 96.25
2005: 125.6
2006: 158.4
2007: 155.5
2008: 320.5
2009: 305.3

Orthotics status

I called the foot doctor Monday to check the status of my orthotics. They weren't in. I told the office worker that Thursday will be six weeks since I got casted for my orthotics. I was told that they would be in my hands in 2 to 4 weeks. The office worker said that they would call the company to find out what was going on. I got a call back and was told that my orthotics would be shipping in the next day or two. All I can say is its about time!

I have been waiting for these to help my plantar fasciitis. I really wanted to run my first 5K of the year with them. But that didn't happen. I doubt I will have them this week, so I have to run another 5K without them. I hope immediately after the race Saturday I'm not limping like I was Sunday. I limped for two days. Even with all of the stretching and icing. GRRR!

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore
Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

Running pains

My 5K time from Sunday morning wasn't the fastest or slowest ever. But I did finish and I wasn't last. It was also my first time running outside since November 2008.

The run started off really well. My first mile was fast, at least fast for me. I crossed it in 9:50. I did slow down during the second mile, which I always seem to do. Around 2.5 miles, my heel was started to hurt. I knew I was almost done running so I kept going. Only after I crossed the finish line is when I started to think about my heel.

Immediately following I began to limp. I couldn't put too much pressure on my heel. Waiting for the final results I keep stretching to see if it would help me. It really didn't. At home I iced and stretched my heel many times during the entire day. When I wasn't stretching or icing, my foot was in my night splint boot. Nothing seemed to help.

I woke up this morning and my heel was still killing. I hobbled around the first couple hours of work and later I began to do some stretching. After stretching I could walk a little bit better. But I was still limping. I plan on icing and stretching again today.

Tomorrow I will be back at it, running. This week I will be running slow and easy. I have to get ready for my next 5K Saturday morning. I hope when Saturday rolls around, my heel will feel better and be running with my orthotics. I supposed to call the foot doctor later this afternoon to see if they have arrived. I hope they do because I really need them!

First race

My first 5K race of the year is Sunday. I will be running outside for the first time since my last road race of November 2008. I'm a little worried.

I will be running a race with plantar fasciitis for the first time. I'm wondering how my heel will react to the hard road surface. I've been on a treadmill for so long. I got casted for my orthotics almost five weeks ago. I was told they would take two to four weeks to come in. I called this afternoon to check on the status. They were not in yet. I was told to call back Monday.

I will try to run the race like I normally would. If my heel is in so much pain, I will stop and walk. If the pain is something that I can tolerate, I will continue running. I just want to finish the race. After the race I will definitely stretch and ice my heel multiple times the rest of the day.

ZS - Adrian, MI

Soon to be a Wolverine?

My favorite Duke basketball player, Greg Paulus, may be trading a basketball for a football. MSN had a story that Paulus was in Ann Arbor Tuesday and had a meeting with University of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez.

I say let him have a tryout. The story mentioned he was Gatorade National Player of the Year when he was a quarterback in high school. Let's see if he can still play after being away from it for a couple of years. Maybe all of the new faces for the upcoming 2009 season will help us fans forget the horrible season Michigan had in 2008.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Rain and all. The show still goes on.

I just finished covering a track meet. It was a typical Michigan spring day. Very cold and pouring rain. I wore jeans, a winter coat, a waterproof jacket with a hood, a long rain coat and carried an umbrella.

Conditions were horrible for everyone, especially the athletes. I mentioned it was pouring and very, very cold. I think with the wind chills the temperature was down in the 30s. I really felt bad for the runners. They had to take their warm ups off when they ran. They were only wearing a very thin uniform. Some of the kids were also wearing tights. I tried to stay dry when taking pictures. I had my camera covered in plastic and held an umbrella. I wrote my notes with a pen. The ink scattered all over the page as soon as I started writing. The raincoat I was wearing stopped just below my knees. My jeans below that were soaking wet. My shoes and socks were sopping with water and my hands were red and tingling.

Many of the other games and meets were canceled in the area. The host team wanted to move the meet to Thursday, but they didn't. A couple of the volunteers said that I was dedicated to be covering a track meet in the pouring rain. Yes, I guess you could say that. I do love track & field, but I was also being paid to be out there.

Weekend update

Last week I started watching The Tudors on Showtime. I've heard the show was good and I wanted to see if it was something I would like to watch. I taped one of the episodes from Season 2 and watched it. I really liked it. I watched the entire Season 2 on Showtime on Demand. I had Season 1 on my Netflix queue. Disc 1 of Season 1 kept getting pushed back by my husband. Finally when it was in the number one slot, it said I had a short wait. The short wait turned into a long wait. I wanted to see them now and not later.

I drove to both video rental stores in town. The first place didn't have it available. The second place had Season 2 on the shelf. I asked about Season 1 and it was out. The worker said it was due back today. I didn't want to wait around for it so I headed to a store to see if I could buy it. The first store I went to only had Season 2. The second store didn't carry it at all. I tried another store and finally found it. I found Season 1 and Season 2 together. And a nice bonus was they were both on sale. I bought them, went home and watched Season 1. When I watched Season 1, it helped fill in the gaps that I didn't understand when I watched Season 2 the first time around. I finally understood what people were talking about and who all of the characters are. The Tudors is my new favorite show.

Over the weekend, I was an Altar Server for my church's Easter Vigil. Everyone involved with the mass had rehearsal at 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning. Rehearsal went well, but it was three hours long. Some people were still walking in the door at 9 a.m. so we had to wait until everyone was there before starting. I don't get it. Why can't people get up earlier to be somewhere at a certain time? When I was meeting with clients for my wedding photography business, no one showed up when they were supposed to. They were always 15-20 minutes late.

Before mass I was studying my notes. The Easter Vigil mass isn't like a normal Saturday mass. There were many more duties to do. My serving partner and I were told not to bring our notes to mass. But we did anyway. I needed my notes to remind when to we needed to start doing our duties at certain points during the vigil. After mass I was told my many people that my serving partner and I did a great job. It was really nice to hear. Even though I did study my notes at home, it was a relief to have them sitting under my chair to refer to.

I had a nice Easter. I ran a Bunny Hop 5K on my treadmill. I like to run 5Ks on holidays, even if they are on my treadmill. Run in the morning, eat good food all day. I felt really good during the run and my heel felt really good as well. After my run, I went to my Mom's house and had dinner and my husband went to his parents house. All my siblings were there except one brother and sister. They both had to work. We had a nice conversation and had some delicious food.

Dad

John Wayne Clark
April 10, 1942 - August 15, 1998

Thinking of you on your birthday. Happy 67th birthday.

"We Lost a father with a heart of gold"

We lost a father with a heart of gold,

How much we miss him can never be told,

He shared our trouble and helped us along,

If we follow his footsteps we can never go wrong.

We miss you from your fireside chair,

Your loving smile and gentle air,

Your vacant place no one can fill,

We miss you father and always will.

He was a father so very rare,

Content in his home and always there,

On earth he toiled, in heaven he rests

God bless you father, you were one of the best.

Each time I look at your picture,

You seem to smile and say,

Don't be sad but courage take,

And love each other for my sake.

Building front - Adrian, MI

Miles run in 2009

My plan is to get in a 6 mile run today, but it could change. I'm photographing a softball game later this afternoon. I will again be standing on concrete in the dugout for over an hour. How my feet feel after the game will determine how far I run today.

2004: 80.5
2005: 109.1
2006: 135.8
2007: 133.4
2008: 279.7
2009: 253.1

Books read in 2009

It has felt like a year since I read my last book. The actual time has been two weeks. Since spring started it is harder to sit down with a book because of my work schedule. I have started reading about ten pages a night in bed before going to sleep. It has helped.

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez
A Portrait of Joan: The Autobiography of Joan Crawford, Joan Crawford & Jane Kesner Ardmore

Currently Reading: Mrs. Lincoln: A Life, Catherine Clinton
Up Next: Library trip

Is this spring?

My husband put away the shovel awhile ago. This morning I had to retrieve. I needed to use it. The weatherman said yesterday that the area was supposed to receive under an inch of snow, not much accumulation. This morning was a different story. When I walked downstairs after waking up, my husband told me not to look out the window. I looked out the window and the street was covered and my car was covered with about two inches of snow.

The snow that we got was very heavy and wet. Shoveling it wasn't easy. It took longer then normal. Later this week the temperatures are going to be in the 50s and 60s. When this snow melts there will be plenty of pools of water and probably some flooding. I think this is payback for the 60 degree day we had the day after Christmas.

Afraid

There has been two thunderstorms overnight this past week. I can sleep through them without any problems. Sometimes when the thunder is very loud it will wake me up. Within a few moments, I'm back to sleep.

This week both thunderstorms scared my dogs. During thunderstorms they are afraid and push open one side of their gate that keeps them locked in the kitchen. Some loud thunder woke me up and then I heard the dog's nails walking across the hardwood floors downstairs. I hopped out of bed and went downstairs. It was still raining and thundering, so it was no use to put them back in the kitchen. They would only try to escape again. I grabbed a blanket and laid down on the couch. Blitzkrieg had to be right next to me. He pushed an end table out of the way to lay down right in front of me. Kelly was just on the other side of the end table. I feel asleep for about an hour or so.

When I woke up, the storm was over. I got up, folded my blanket and led the dogs back to the kitchen. The dogs were fine for the rest of the night.

Early Friday morning, I was awaken by thunder again. The dogs forced the gate open and were walking around downstairs. I went downstairs, fixed the fence, grabbed a blanket and laid down on the couch. I woke up an hour later and didn't hear anymore thunder. I folded up the blanket and led the dogs back into the kitchen.

When my alarm went off at 4 a.m., I could hear the dogs walking on the hardwood floor. They escaped. I didn't hear anymore thunder, but the dogs apparently heard something. It scared them, pushed the gate open and escaped.

The dogs have always been afraid of thunder. Both of them act like children and for some reason cannot be alone. They calm down if my husband and I are by their side during a storm. The dogs I had growing up never had that problem. But they were also outside dogs. They went inside their doghouse for protection. I guess I am the protection from the storm for Blitz and Kelly.

The Tudors

I recently began watching The Tudors on Showtime. The third season begins on Sunday and I haven't seen the first season or most of the second season yet. I only started watching the second season a day ago. There was a repeat on one of the Showtime channels so I recorded it on the DVR. While watching, it was difficult to keep up. Besides King Henry and Anne Boleyn, I didn't know who anyone else was. Most of the characters never said each others name in the dialog.

Since my husband and I have On Demand, I have started watching the beginning on the second season. I have watched three episodes already. The first season isn't available on Showtime On Demand. The Tudors entire season one DVDs have been near the top of our Netflix queue. Disc one has had "Short Wait" next to it for a couple of weeks. Since it is on a Short Wait, my husband leap frogs The Tudors for movies that he picked out. I watched a movie yesterday and put it in the mailbox today, so one of his movie choices will be the next to come. I doubt I will receive Season One: Disc One before Sunday's season premiere. Oh well. I can read about the show on Showtime and Wikipedia.

Weathered - Adrian, MI

Weekend update

My husband and I got our passport applications sent in Friday. Our passport photos are terrible. My husband's photo is better then mine. My hair is flat and I had to have my hear tucked behind my ears. I said to my husband that my driver's license photo is better. Along with the passports, I wrote out a check for the down payment for the Japan trip. I have two payments left and they are big.

I ran six miles Sunday. During the run, I felt fine. As soon as I stepped off the treadmill, my left heel was in pain. I was limping around yesterday and I'm still limping today. As the morning as gone on, I could gradually put my pressure on my heel. Now my limp is not as bad as it was early this morning.

While watching a women's NCAA tournament game, ESPN had something scroll across the bottom of my screen that made me happy. The nation's top scoring freshman, Seth Curry, is transferring to Duke. He will be eligible to play in 2010-2011. I wonder if he will be as good as his older brother Stephen?

After a week of not reading a book, I finally made it to the library and picked out two. I'm hoping to start reading one of them later this afternoon. If my schedule changes, I won't get to those books until Wednesday. I hope it doesn't end up that way.

Random things

This week has been very busy. Not enough time to blog. Just a short recap.

Monday morning, my husband's grandfather passed away. Later that evening when he was helping plan for the funeral, I went down to the dance studio to photograph a class.

I photographed a college baseball game Tuesday. It was a nine inning game, but I only stayed seven innings. I got all the photos that I needed. The home team destroyed the away team 25-2 and my left heel was in pain from standing on concrete in the dugout. After I finished work, I got on the treadmill and ran three miles.

I finished work on 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and came home to the treadmill and did four miles. At 1 p.m., my husband and I drove to the funeral home for his grandfather's viewing. There were two visitations, so in between we headed to his parent's house for a lite dinner. Immediately after eating, my stomach became very upset. My husband asked if they had Pepto, but they didn't. When dinner was over we drove back to the funeral home for the second viewing. Before I could go back in, I needed something. I walked across the street to a gas station and convenience store and found some bismuth tables. I had to take four of them before they worked. When we returned home for the evening, I washed up and went to bed around 8:45 p.m.

I was rushing around Thursday to finish work early. I needed to go home and change my clothes for the late morning funeral. The service lasted about 45 minutes and then we went to a local church for lunch. I went home at 1:30 p.m. to let the dogs outside and to get ready for my college softball game. I stayed for the entire seven inning game to get photos. I got the photos that I needed, but once again my heel was in pain. Standing on concrete really doesn't help me too much. I hope my orthotics come in soon. I need relief! Once again after work, I changed my clothes and ran three miles on the treadmill. I didn't watch the game because it was played when I was sleeping. But what happened to Duke? Villanova beat them really bad. I thought it was going to be a closer game then it was. Now that the Blue Devils are out, I really don't care who wins the national championship. I probably won't be watching anymore games either. At least on the men's side. I still have a few teams that I follow playing in the women's tournament.

Today is another busy day. My husband and I have to get our passport photos taken. Once that is completed, we will be going to the post office to submit our passport applications. Later this year we are going to Japan. Following the post office, I have a college softball game to photograph. And when I get home later, I will be on the treadmill again for what I hope is a 4 mile run. I will see how my heel feels after the game.

Tagger - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar
Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Graffiti NYC, Hugo Martinez

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

Duke!

Duke Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating Texas Longhorns 74-69 Saturday. The Blue Devils will play Thursday, March 26 at 9:57 p.m. against Villanova.

Another Duke game that I will not see. Why do they have to play so late? Some of us have to work early the next morning. GRRR!

Miles run in 2009

So far 2009 has been a disappointment. Altering my running schedule for plantar fasciitis saddens me. Running is one of my favorite things to do. I do it five times a week. Some days I'm eager to run. Some days it is a struggle to do it. Regardless how I feel that day, I do it. I'm trying to keep my mileage down, but it is hard. I want to keep pace with 2008. In a week or two, I should be getting my orthotics. I hope it really helps my heel. Running with constant pain isn't very fun.

2004: 70.6
2005: 93.1
2006: 112
2007: 109
2008: 232.5
2009: 209.1

Random things

These past couple of weeks have been busy. It seemed like I was always in my car driving somewhere.

The start of this week, I was in my car once again driving 85 miles one way to cover a regional boys game. I know I spent more time driving back and forth, then at the game itself.

I used Google maps to get directions to the school. When I was driving through the town, I couldn't find the street I was looking for. I drew a map of the area for the drive home and it came in handy. I used that map to find my way to the school. I found the street the school was on and turned on it. I saw a school building and pulled into the parking lot. While sitting in the lot, I noticed a bunch of parents waiting for their kids to finish practice. That should have been my first clue something wasn't right. After 10 minutes of seeing girls leaving with their parents I knew something was up. I kept thinking "Where are the buses?" "Where are the fans for the game?" I started my car and went back up the driveway to drive around the school. Once I was in front of the school I looked to see if there was a drive leading to the back of the school. There wasn't. That is when I looked straight ahead and saw the high school. I was sitting in the middle school lot. DUH. I pulled out of the lot and drove up the street to the high school parked and went in. After the game I was stopped at the end of the school's driveway waiting for traffic when I saw a road sign. It was the street I was looking for when. If only I went up a couple more blocks.

I scheduled myself to cover a college baseball game at 1 p.m. Tuesday. Also on the schedule was a college softball game at 3:30 p.m., at the same university. All of the other photographers were busy, so I had to cover it. It was a nice, sunny day so I didn't mind being outside. I got my first sunburn of the year also. What I didn't enjoy about the games was standing on concrete. For both games I shot in the dugout. Standing on concrete for over 4 hours didn't help my plantar fasciitis at all. My heel was killing me. After work I still needed to get my workout done even though my heel hurt. I changed my clothes and got on the treadmill for three miles. It was a long day. Eleven hours of work and three miles run.

After a long Monday and Tuesday, I decided to take it easy Wednesday. I had my oil changed after work, ate lunch, took a nap and ran 6 miles. I don't consider 6 miles easy, but it was nice to stay home and really not do anything.

My plans are to take it easy again today. I finished work at 10:30 a.m. and my plans for the rest of the day is to make lunch, watch the NCAA tournament, nap, run and photograph a dance class.

I didn't fill out a bracket like everyone else at work did. If I did, I would have picked Duke to win it all. I love Duke. I think they are a very good team especially when they nail their 3s. It would be nice to see them win it, but I don't know if they can. There are a bunch of good teams this year. Besides Duke, I would like to see the Big Ten teams do well. Michigan plays Clemson tonight. Go Blue!

Crystal - Adrian, MI

Registered

Event: Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon
Category: HALF MARATHON - Run
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009

Bib Number: 10001

Time until the race: 7 months, 1 day

Links, where are you?

I planned on registering this morning for the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Half Marathon. The website doesn't have the links up yet for online registration. Boo! I will check back later this afternoon.


I'm a geek. Last year I registered on the first day. I just want to have the registration completed and my hotel room booked. I like to get things done early.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar

Currently Reading: Subway Art, Martha Cooper & Henry Chalfant
Up Next: Library trip

Hook - Adrian, MI

Registration

I was thinking about the half marathon yesterday while reading the latest edition of Runner's World. That led me to check a website and see if the half marathon registration is open yet.

On Monday morning registration opens for the Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon. I will be entering the half marathon again and booking my hotel room for the event. I like being able to look forward to a big race and train for it. Training will be different this year with plantar fasciitis. But if I can run a half marathon less then a month after twisting my ankle. I can run one with plantar fasciitis. My goal this year is I to beat my time from last year: 3:01:05. If I can't, then finishing will be good enough for me.

Ready for a break

I have been covering tournament basketball games all week. I have a game tonight and another on Friday. I'm ready for the winter sports season to be over. The season has been long and I have seen enough basketball games. When the season is completed, I really look forward to the break in between the seasons.

The break is usually a week or two and it helps me recoup. It will be nice to go to work in the morning and then have the rest of the day to whatever. Most of the time I have to cut a run or nap short because I have to go to a game. During the break, I don't have to do that. I won't have to rush off to anything which will be great. With spring sports around the corner, I will have to rearrange my running schedule. Most games are in the late afternoon and that is usually the time that I run. I will figure something out like I always do.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell
Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman

Currently Reading: Freight Train Graffiti, Roger Gastman, Darin Rowland & Ian Sattler
Up Next: The Birth of Graffiti, Jon Naar

Weekend update

Saturday morning I attended a flash workshop. The workshop was put on by co-workers of mine. It was a nice refresher course about pop-up and accessory flash. I learned some things about filters and wireless flash. I stayed only for the lecture and it was about two hours. In those two hours I couldn't get comfortable. We were sitting in 100 year-old wood auditorium chairs that hurt. Every couple of minutes, I changed the position I was sitting in. Besides being uncomfortable, I couldn't control my yawning. I'm hoping my co-workers weren't thinking I was bored because I wasn't. If it helps, I actually yawned the entire day. I was tired because I didn't get my afternoon nap.

That afternoon my husband and I went to a local tile shop to pick the tile for our shower. My husband went the day before and scouted some out. He showed me the ones that he liked. Within five minutes I told him what I liked and had our decision made. After we walked out of the store, my husband said that he was happy that those decisions were finally made. Now he is itching to start remodeling the bathroom. I'm not. Another project were the house is ripped up and things are laying in places they shouldn't be. Most of all I will be disappointed that there won't be a shower. I've said it earlier, I will book a hotel room just to use the shower.

In the evening my husband and I went to Toledo, Ohio. We stopped and picked up a few items for the bathroom at Bed. Bath and Beyond. After BBY, we went to the mall to walk around. I ended up buying another polo shirt at Aeropostale and had my eye on a few at American Eagle. (When we got home, I put my new polo into the closet. All of my polo's are hanging in rainbow order. I have 17 polo shirts from Aero & AE. I hope to add to that number this weekend.) After the mall we had dinner at a steakhouse and then drove back home.

Around 3:30 or 4 a.m., I woke up to stomach pains. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom. I threw up several times. And no, I'm not pregnant. I don't know what it was. My husband and I had the same meal. He didn't have a problem. Recently it seems like I'm the one to get an upset stomach and throw up. Lucky me.

I didn't adjust to daylight saving time on Sunday morning and woke up an hour later. That threw everything off all day. Besides taking a long nap, which I really enjoyed, I watched Duke Blue Devils womens and mens basketball teams lose. Boo. I also got in a five mile run. I took it slow and easy because my heel was hurting. Same story as always. I wish it would go away.

Random things

Thursday was a blah day. Something happened at work and had me thinking about it all day. The outcome was correct but if I did the leg work before, I wouldn't have been in the position I was. That will teach me to do work stuff in advance and not the last second.

Later this after afternoon, I will get driving my car 85 miles one way to photograph a wrestling quarterfinal match. I'm not a big fan of wrestling, so I wanted to give the assignment to someone else. No one else could do it, so I had to take one for the team and do it myself. I'm hoping it goes by quick.

A couple of years ago, I had to photograph two quarterfinal wrestling matches in one day. One match was the first of the afternoon and the other was the last of the night. Since there was a big time gap, I spent my time in the arena talking to the reporter and reading a book. After my first match was over, I went to the media area to grab some lunch. I was surprised at what was being served. It was mostly lunch meat. Normally that isn't a big deal because I like lunch meat, but it was a Friday during Lent. On Fridays during Lent, I abstain from eating meat. The only choices I had was a very small bowl of salad, orange slices and cookies. Not exactly a filling meal, at least for me. When I stop in the media area this afternoon, I hope they have more meatless choices then in years past.

Steady stream - Adrian, MI

Sarah - Adrian, MI

I photographed Sarah last Friday for an assignment. After photographing her doing dance poses, I asked her to do a routine from one of her jazz classes.

Books read in 2009

America's Queen, Sarah Bradford
Deadhouse: Life in a Coroner's Office, John Temple
Marilyn's Last Words, Matthew Smith
Corpse: Nature, Forensics and the Struggle to Pinpoint Time of Death, Jessica Snyder Sachs
Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott, David Sheward
Sinatra in Hollywood, Tom Santopietro
How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner, Jan Garavaglia, M.D.
Pieces of My Heart: A Life, Robert J. Wagner & Scott Eyman
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice, Maureen McCormick
Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed, Michelle Morgan
Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Crimes Of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Jeff Ferrell

Currently Reading: Getting Up: Subway Graffiti in New York, Craig Castleman
Up Next: Library or used book store trip

Foot doctor visit

I saw the foot doctor this morning. I told him that occasionally my heel gets a sharp pain and throbbing. He was surprised. He said I had two options: a shot or orthotics. I preferred the second option. So next Thursday I go back to the foot doctor for a casting of my feet. The orthotics will come in two to four weeks later.

I hope the orthotics work. I really don't want a needle in my heel.

Miles run in 2009

This year has not been as good to me as 2008. My only major injury of the 2008 season was a severe twisted left ankle weeks before my half marathon. This year I've been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and it has really been slowing my running down. There are good and bad days. One day my heel will be fine, the next it is painful and throbbing. I ice, stretch and wear a boot (night splint) to bed to help my heel, but the pain just comes back.

An athletic trainer friend of mine asks for updates when I see her. She suggested maybe I stop running for a couple of weeks. I told her I couldn't. Me without running. I can't picture it. But maybe I should cut back my mileage again. I see the foot doctor again tomorrow for a checkup. I'm going to mention the pain and throbbing and see what he says. I hope it is good news.

2004: 46.4
2005: 71
2006: 83
2007: 80
2008: 172.5
2009: 151