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
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
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
Lindbergh, A. Scott Berg
The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963, Laurence Leamer

Currently Reading: The Royals, Kitty Kelley
Up Next: The Reader, Bernhard Schlink

Hot N not so much cold

If you didn't know, its hot outside. Weather.com says that it is only 89 degrees. With the heat index its 94 degrees. The humidity is at 53%.

With all of that, I'm going to have to wait until later this evening to run. I could run now but I would rather not collapse from heat exhaustion. Today would be the perfect day to run on my treadmill. Too bad its not working properly.

That dog has a puffy tail

I went running at a local college track Monday. I wanted to run somewhere flat to see how it would feel on my heel. The first two miles went great. I was taking it easy being out in the heat and humidity. The third mile, I was going really slow. My back started to bother me and my right knee hurt. A while after those two pains started, my heel started to hurt. I stopped to walk. It was at this time I looked down at my hands. They were swollen. I had no idea what was going on. It was painful to bend my fingers. I couldn't get my rings off. It was weird. I picked up a water bottle and continued walking with it. I finished my five miles and my hands were still swollen.

Apparently this is common. I was relieved to find out that it happens to other runners as well.

In need of repair

I was on the last lap of my 5 mile run when the belt on the treadmill started to jerk. My treadmill has been my salvation with the heat, humid and my plantar fasciitis.

Every year something happens with the treadmill. The treadmill I currently own is only a year old. Maybe I wear it out because I'm on it five times a week. Maybe it is just normal wear and tear. Who knows. I'm disappointed to say the least.

Later today, I or my husband will make the call the repair center. We will have to wait a week or two just to get the repair man to come to the house and look at it. Then wait another week or two to get the parts in. Maybe we will get lucky and get an appointment for this week. For now my runs will be outside until the treadmill is fixed.

Most runners love being outside anyway. For me I prefer the treadmill. The only time I enjoy running outside is during an actual race and when it isn't hot and humid. On my treadmill, I can watch TV and run in front of a fan. Now its outside in the humidity and with people who think it is funny to yell at runners. Thank goodness for my iPod.

Toonces

I was reading Pop Candy this morning and saw a picture of Toonces. When I was younger I tried to stay awake for Saturday Night Live just to see a sketch of Toonces. I thought it was cute that a cat drove a car. He was not a good driver, he was really bad. Toonces always drove off a cliff.

My favorite Toonces sketch was when he was "The Tooncinator." It appeared back in 1991 when I was 12 years old. Ilike the sketch because it was a play on Terminator 2, which I like. If I could find the video I would link it.

The only video I could find is Toonces Without a Cause.

EDITED: I found "The Tooncinator":

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=0182e317-e961-431a-9c6e-c663162d404f" target="_new" title="tooncinator!!!!">Video: tooncinator!!!!</a>

Random things

I went to physical therapy for the first time Wednesday. The therapist asked a bunch of questions about my plantar fasciitis. When did it start? How painful is it? And so on. We did a couple of exercises with my feet. She wanted to see how flexible my feet were. She was impressed. She said my feet are very flexible.

I told her that I several twisted my left ankle last September. She was feeling my ankle and told me that I torn a tendon. She said with my ankles/feet being so flexible that has saved me from breaking an ankle. When she was telling me this, I wanted to barf. I can't stand talking about ankle injuries or seeing someone do it on TV or in life. Before I was done for the day, she did one more exercise to my foot. Warning me that it was painful. She dug her hand/knuckles into the bottom of my foot. Moving from the top down to my heel. It was very painful. Instead of screaming in pain. I was laughing. I couldn't control it. My next appointment is Friday afternoon.

I watch Showtime a lot. I'm a fan of Dexter, The Tudors and Nurse Jackie. Now you can add Weeds to the list. I've become interested in the show by all of the commercials that they show when watching a program through On Demand. I put Season One on my Netflix queue and disc 1 arrived yesterday. I finished watching the first DVD this afternoon. Now I have to play the waiting game for disc 2.

I think my dogs know when I want to take a nap. They will let me sleep for about 15 minutes. After that it is non-stop barking, jumping on the couch, sticking their noses in my face. This afternoon I was enjoying a nap. I am woken up by Blitzkrieg. He was trying to climb on the couch with me. I told him to get down and he laid in front of the couch. I drifted back off into sleep and he is tried to get back on the couch. After that occurred, my nap was officially over. Thanks puppies.

It is another wonderful muggy day in Michigan. I have a date with my treadmill and the air conditioning.

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
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
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
Lindbergh, A. Scott Berg

Currently Reading: The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963, Laurence Leamer
Up Next: The Royals, Kitty Kelley

Miles run in 2009

I had an appointment with the foot doctor this morning. He asked how my foot was. I said some days I am walking normal, other days it hurts. He said that I'm getting better slowly. That is good news. He could say that I'm not getting better. He then told me that he is sending me to physical therapy for a month. I think the therapy will be good and help improve my foot. Before leaving I asked if I could increase my mileage. He said I could. He said I can add a mile every week. I told him that I wanted to run a 10K in the middle of July and he said I would be ready. Yay mileage! I start physical therapy Wednesday morning. Should be fun.

2004: 151.6
2005: 187.7
2006: 239.8
2007: 225.4
2008: 475.0
2009: 453.5

Weekend update

I drove 1.5 hours west to Battle Creek Friday. I went to Battle Creek to photograph a state semifinal baseball and softball game. I walked into the stadium where my first game of the day was going to take place with my camera around my neck and carrying a book. A young vendor stopped me and asked what book I was reading. I showed him the cover of my book, Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg. I've never seen someone so excited. He told me that he thought it was awesome that I brought a book to the game. As he is a reader as well. I told him that I usually bring books with me to read before shooting a game. He just thought that was the neatest thing.

It was a sunny day and I sat in the dugout during warm ups to read and to avoid a getting a sunburn. About 15 minutes before the game was to start, I was asked if I came here to read or work. I'm was just keeping myself busy. I read a few pages before the game started. The game lasted two hours and I did a good job of avoiding the sun. The team I was there covering won and advanced to the state championship.

In between games, I put my book back into the car and walked over to the softball diamonds. I got something to drink and waited for my second game of the day to start. During the softball game, there was no way to avoid the sun. The photographers had a media box on the field on the first base side. No shade anywhere near us. Before leaving home, I put on sunblock. During the softball game, I could feel myself burning. My face and arms got the most sun. This game didn't turn out like the baseball game. The team I was there for lost.

I photographed two games back to back. That meant standing for a long period of time. During the baseball game, I sat down a couple of times in between innings. But I stood on concrete. During the softball game, I never sat down and stood on dirt. My feet were hurting. My left heel was in pain. I stretched my feet a couple times during each game. It didn't help. Nothing seemed to help.

The plan was to finish work and eat dinner with my husband when he got done at 10 p.m. I received a phone call from my husband around 9:45 p.m. He asked if I was still working, the answer was yes. I asked him if he was being held over. He said yes. That meant no dinner together. I was disappointed. But at least we would have dinner together Saturday night. So I finished editing at my home. Burned the images onto a CD and took my contact sheets to the office. I stayed around longer to talk to co-workers and left around 11:30 p.m. I needed something to eat, I went to my usual Friday spot: Subway.

I went to bed around midnight and woke up around 6 a.m. Saturday morning. I got up and did some work on the computer. Once that was finished, I went into the office. I read the rest of the morning before waking up my husband. We ate lunch and he had to go to work. While he was at work, I took a nap, started the laundry and went to church. A couple people at church said that I got some sun and that I looked tired. The answer to both was yes. My face was a nice shade of red and I had bags under my eyes. Standing in the sun and not getting enough sleep made me tired. After church, I finished the laundry, read and waited for my phone call. Around 10 p.m. after dosing off a couple of times, I was expecting a call from my husband. It didn't come. I got a call from him at 10:45 p.m. He said that he was held over again and would be home at 11:30 p.m.

He pulled into the driveway and I got into his truck. He asked what I wanted for dinner. I really didn't know. We drove to a restaurant that I knew closed at midnight. He wanted to go in. I saw the time was 11:40 p.m. and I said that I didn't want to go in. No other cars were in the lot. I said that they probably had the kitchen all cleaned and they were waiting to go home. We drove by another restaurant that was open. It was the same thing. They closed at midnight and had a bunch of cars in the lot. I told him to just to go to Taco Bell. They were open until 4 a.m. We didn't go to a sit down restaurant, but we did have dinner together. Really late.

Random things

Monday was the premiere of Nurse Jackie on Showtime. I think it is a great show already. Edie Falco is great as Jackie. Who knew I could like a nurse who has a prescription drug problem? I think it is funny that Paul Schulze plays her lover on the show. If you don't know Paul, he played Father Phil Intintola on The Sopranos. Nurse Jackie and The Sopranos are both completely different shows, but I can't help thinking about Carmela Soprano and Father Phil getting it on.

My anti-flammatory pills ran out Wednesday. I have been stretching and icing my heel everyday. I have an appointment with the foot doctor next Tuesday. I hope he sees improvement. If he doesn't, I have to have cortisone shots. If he does maybe I would be able to increase my mileage again. Let's hope for the second option.

In speaking of feet, I bought myself new running shoes Wednesday. I've been running in my old pair for 500 miles or so. My first run in the new shoes went well.

I will be spending most of my Friday working. Besides my morning desk shift I will be photographing a local baseball and softball team playing in a state semifinal game in Battle Creek. The games are back to back. My hope is when the first game ends that I will have time to relax before standing for another hour or two at the second game.

Besides the state semifinals games, it is also race weekend. This weekend is the NASCAR Sprint Cup and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. Where I live is about 25 minutes away from the track. I haven't been to MIS for a NASCAR race in two years. For the past couple of years, I had weddings to photograph. This year my excuse for not going is the lack of hours. Since I have been away for a couple of years I do miss being in that environment. I miss seeing some of my photographer buddies and photographing Dale Jr. The things I don't miss is the traffic, the crowds of people on pit lane and the noise. On Sunday, I will be enjoying the race from my couch.

Zack attack!

I am not a fan of Jimmy Fallon, but I have to admit that I watched an excerpt of his show. Mark-Paul Gosselaar was on the show and he did the interview as Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell. Growing up my sisters and I watched SBTB every Saturday morning. I know all of the episodes and could probably recite them. My all time favorite episode is where Jessie takes caffeine pills.

Parody of The Silence of the Lambs

I'm a fan of The Silence of the Lambs because of Anthony Hopkins. His portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter was great. A couple of weeks ago my husband and I were watching Family Guy and they did the famous Buffalo Bill scene. With Chris Griffin as Buffalo Bill. I tried to find a good clip of it from Hulu.com. They didn't have one. Here is the only clip that had the entire scene. The quality is not the best. Enjoy!

It was a dark and stormy night

I was laying in bed reading before going to sleep Monday evening when my husband informed me that the county was under a tornado warning. He turned on his radio and heard that funnel clouds were spotted nearby. We decided to go to the basement.

He ran downstairs to get the dogs into the basement. Instead of following him, I stopped to grab my contacts (I had already taken them out for the night), put on my shoes, picked my camera, camera bag, cell phone and wallet. Then I went downstairs. I was a couple of minutes behind him. In case something happened, I wanted to have those things with me. I know everything is replaceable but I needed those items to be in my hands. Security, I guess.

We watched weather reports from the basement as the dogs circled. Several funnel clouds were spotted in the area. Thankfully, nothing touched down. The tornado warning only lasted about 15 minutes but the storm that rolled through the area was severe. When the storm passed and the warning expired, it was 45 minutes past my bedtime. I could crawl back into bed and go to sleep.

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
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
Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand

Currently Reading: Lindbergh, A. Scott Berg
Up Next: The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963, Laurence Leamer

Weekend update

Early Saturday morning, I was awaken by my neighbors. A male visitor parked on the street in front of the house/apartment. The neighbor woman opened her door and yelled that he couldn't park on the street. He would have to go down the alley and park behind the house. He got back into his car and did just that. Around 3:30 a.m., I heard some yelling again. The male visitor was leaving the house. It sounded like they got into a verbal argument and he wanted to go. When he was outside, I heard the woman begging him to come back inside. I didn't hear a car leave, so he must have went back inside.

I went to a softball regional game Saturday. The team I was there to cover were defeated in the first game of the day. They lost 2-1. Last time I covered a game there, I stood in the dugout. This year, media boxes were put on the field. I stood on the first base side. I felt bad for the people sitting behind me. I felt like I was in their way. Nobody said anything to me about being in the way. That made me feel better. It was a sunny morning and I didn't put any sun screen on. I didn't put any on because I thought I was going to be in a shaded dugout. During the game, I tried to keep my back to the sun. Obviously that didn't happen because I got a light burn on my arms and face.

While running Sunday, I was watched the movie Run Fatboy Run. There were a couple of parts that got me really laughing. I had to grab the handrails of the treadmill to make sure that I didn't fall off. That is why I watch Food Network when I run on the treadmill. I never laugh during those shows to make me fall off.

It's the Gifts That I Hate

My husband was telling me about an episode of Robot Chicken that he watched recently. He said it was how Freddy Krueger got his start. I found the clip and thought it was cute.

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