Random things

I thinking I'm getting the hang of my new running form. Earlier today at physical therapy my therapist said my form was better. She put tape on the carpet and I had to run in a straight line over and over. Sometimes I still catch myself running with my floppy arms. Can't wait to test out the new form tomorrow morning at the 5K.

My vacation officially started around 10 a.m. this morning. Having a week off will do me wonders. I get to take a break of going to bed at 9 p.m.

I feel like I have been ignoring my blog this week. I posted a photo last night and saw that Monday was my only other entry. Besides work, running, reading and television not much as been going on with me. I have photographed a couple of games this week. A state championship little league softball game and the start of the state legion baseball tournament. I guess its the week for state championships in summer baseball and softball. In just a few short weeks it will be the start of the fall sports season.

I mentioned that I have watched some television. Not as much as one would think. I've watched a couple of hours here and there. I have mostly been watching some DVDs this week. I've been watching the show Spaced. The show was broad casted on the BBC in 1999 and 2001. There were only two seasons and season two was the better of the two. The show stared Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson. They needed somewhere to live so they pretend to be married to rent a flat. When they get the flat we follow their everyday lives and meet the neighbors and their friends. After the TV show Simon Pegg went on to star in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz with Spaced co-star Nick Frost. Those two are great together in Hot Fuzz.

Later tonight I will head off to the county fair and get some delicious fair food before it ends. The only other day I was at the fair was opening day Sunday. I photographed the queen's contest for the paper. I was suprised how good the talent was this year. Usually the talent is strong with one or two contests. All six girls had great talents. That day I had the best taco's ever. Maybe tonight I will get some Fiske fries with vinegar or pizza. Haven't decided yet. Is putting vinegar on fries something that is done all over or just in Michigan? The only time I put vinegar on fries is when I buy Fiske fries at the county fair.

Scribbles and rust - Adrian, MI

Weekend update

For my birthday, my husband took me to Evans Street Station. Grilled beef tenderloin was on the menu and I ordered it. The meat was so tender and delicious I wanted to ask for seconds. The sides of the dish was twice baked German potato and asparagus. The potato was wonderful. When I saw asparagus on my plate, I was disappointed. I'm not a fan of it. Since the meal was expensive, I wanted to eat all of my dinner. I tried a stalk. It was good. It didn't taste like asparagus. It had a nice butter and oil taste to it. That made me happy because I finished all of it. That one serving still has not made me a fan.

At physical therapy last week, my therapist critiqued my running form. She said it was horrible and I needed to change it. For some reason I have been swinging my arms across my body. She told me to work on keeping them straight. My foot plant is also bad. I stomp around like a Clydesdale. I have been doing that since the start of my plantar fasciitis back in January. My therapist wants me to try to run quiet. I'm really working on that. When my heel was in such terrible pain I would avoid striking it on the ground. I would land flat footed. That made me walk with a stomp. Hence the Clydesdale reference. My husband has called me Clip-Clop. The therapist also wants me to land on my foot plant toward the outside edge of my foot. My foot should then naturally roll inward and push off my big toe.

I ran 8 miles tonight. I did a good job of keeping my arm swings straight. They didn't cross my body. Every now and again I would hear myself stomping. When I would hear the stomping, I would try to land on the outside of my foot first. During my run I drank 1.5 bottles of water and 1.5 bottles of Gatorade. I was thinking about buying some GU. Does anyone know what the best flavors are?

Summer is quickly coming to an end. My last 5K of the summer is Saturday and in a month I will be back in the swing of another fall sports season. I don't mind because it is my favorite season. Spring is my second. Who could resist watching football and cross country? Those are my favorite sports of the fall season. I always hate seeing the fall season come to an end. But that is many months away. For now I will enjoy the sun, warm weather and the great sporting events that will be coming up in a few short weeks.

Random things

Friday morning I awoke to a loud banging noise. I got out of bed to look out the window. Someone was banging on the front door of my neighbor's apartment. Did he really need to drop whatever this was at his place at 5:50 a.m.? Apparently he did.

This morning I ran in a 5K on a local high school cross country course. This race is always my birthday present to myself. The Hudson Booster Cross Country Open is usually run before or on my birthday. This year it was a day before my 30th birthday. I can't believe I'll be 30 Sunday.

Before the race it was pouring and it stopped right before we started. The course was soggy and muddy. The hills were muddy and terrible. Instead of running up or down the hills. I decided to walk them so I didn't slip and fall. I caught up with a girl around 1.5 miles. She would run, then stop to walk. When I caught up with her, she started running again. She couldn't hold her pace any longer. Before crossing the 2 mile mark, I passed her. When I turned a corner on the course, I took a look behind me. I saw three to four people. My goal for the rest of the run was to not let those people pass me. I achieved my goal. I finished 20-30 seconds before the next person. I was not pleased with my time at all. My time was 38:07:04. That is my worst time in over five years. I blame it on the race and the soggy course. I did place second in my age group.

Later tonight after church, my husband will be taking me out for my birthday dinner. I chose Evans Street Station. We only go there once or twice a year. It is expensive, but the food is excellent. If they haven't changed the menu from the one that is posted on their website, I'm looking forward to the grilled beef tenderloin.

On my birthday Sunday, I will be working. Sunday is the start of the county fair. The only thing I photograph all week is the queen's contest. After the contest I will be meeting up with my husband to enjoy some dinner at the fair. Hopefully dinner will be taco's from the best taco stand ever.

Stuck Together, Torn Apart

I'm a fan of the show Family Guy. The other day I was watching TBS and one of my favorite episodes came on, Stuck Together, Torn Apart. There are so many laughs in this one episode; the Magnum, P.I. bit, Peter's line of "Lets go drink till we can't feel feelings anymore", Stewie's line when Brian and him got pulled over by the police, "We met on the Internet. He lured me down to the park with promises of candy and funny stories." There are so many more. The whole episode is funny.

If you have 22 minutes, please enjoy the episode:
http://www.familyguyx.net/episode/stuck_together_torn_apart/link_1117/

Photo Credit: Wikia Entertainment

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
The Royals, Kitty Kelley
The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Marilyn Revealed: The Ambitious Life of an American Icon, Ted Schwarz

Currently Reading: The Kennedy Women, Laurence Leamer
Up Next: Library trip

Miles run in 2009

I ran a 10K Saturday morning. The first 4 miles were I wanted to be. The last two miles my legs wanted to give up on me. I continued running even though they didn't want to. I tried to catch the woman ahead of me, but she got away. The course was run on city streets, gravel and country back roads. I had to past a busy intersection to finish my run. A police officer stopped traffic in the intersection. The officer said to me, "You're doing a good job. I know I couldn't do it." I'm sure with a little training you could. I finished the race strong. I actually wished I pushed it earlier, but I was unsure. I forgot the layout of the course and I though I had a couple more streets to go down. I was wrong. I finished in 1:15:44.

2004: 171.8
2005: 216.4
2006: 280.6
2007: 284.5
2008: 572
2009: 560.4

Colors - Adrian, MI

Head banging

I enjoyed my day at Cedar Point with my husband. I rode 7 roller coasters. One of them twice. What I didn't enjoy was banging my head on the shoulder harnesses. When the ride would flip me upside down or make a sharp turn, my head would hit the harness on both sides. I stepped off of the roller coasters with a huge headache.

The ride I banged my head the most was Maverick. First of all I will say I loved this ride. If the line wasn't so long to get on, my husband and I would have rode it twice. There were signs before getting on saying to take your earrings out before riding. I didn't see anyone else take theirs off. I should have followed the instructions. The backs of my earrings dug into my neck during every twist, turn and roll.

I didn't bring any aspirin with me. Mistake. I didn't want to buy any at the park. If Gatorade or water cost $3.75, I could only image how much Tylenol would have been. Next time we go, some kind of aspirin will be in my pocket.

Photo Credit: Cedar Point

Day off

I've had a productive day off. So far today I have read, ran 4 miles, napped, went swimming for two hours, took two showers and now I'm getting ready to go out to dinner.

Tomorrow will be another busy day. We will be spending most of it at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio. Can't wait to hear "Thank you for coming to Cedar Point, America's Roller Coast." every time we get on a ride.

Waiting

After work I drove over to the foot doctor. I noticed a bunch of cars when I was pulling into the parking lot. I walked into the office and I was the 11th person in the room. I was wondering why there were so many people. I heard the receptionist say that the doctor was on vacation last week. It seemed like everyone was booked for the same time slot.

My appointment was for 10:30 a.m. I overheard a woman say that she had been waiting for a while. Her appointment was for 10 a.m. It was now 10:40 a.m. When I sat down I chose a seat that had empty seats around it. I'm not a fan of sitting really close to people I don't know. I sat two chairs away from an older woman. As time dragged on and I was still sitting in the waiting area, more people kept walking into the office. Around 11 a.m., there were 13 people waiting.

A couple of minutes before getting called back, I noticed an awful smell. It was coming from the older lady sitting to my left. I think she had an accident in her pants. The smell was strong. I didn't want to be so mean to cover my nose with my shirt, but I had to do something. The next best thing was my long hair. It did the trick.

When I finally saw the doctor asked how my foot was doing. It is doing better. I told him that when I get done running there is still some pain. I said I have being doing my stretches everyday. He asked me if I wanted to go back to physical therapy. I said I did. He wrote out prescription for me for another month. He said since I'm doing better with physical therapy, no shots. Yea!

I see the foot doctor again in three weeks. Next time I hope the wait won't be so long and that he will say no shots again.

Random things

Over the weekend I ran a 5K. The morning started off fine until I realized I left my iPod at home. I thought about driving home to get it. But I didn't. About ten minutes before the race was about to start a thunderstorm rolled through town. That delayed the start of the race for 15 minutes. When the race started we ran in a heavy downpour. I got my shoes and sock wet. That didn't make me happy. I had a comfortable pace at the start of the race. When I passed a volunteer worker on the first corner, I heard him talking to someone behind me. It was another volunteer on a bike saying that I was the last runner. I didn't like that. Just ahead of me was two other runners. My goal to was to stay with them.

Through the first mile I was right behind them. Before hitting mile 2, I caught up to them and passed them. One of the runners stopped to walk. The other runner stopped as well. I thought they were going to eventually catch up with me, but they never did. The last mile was terrible. I couldn't believe how many hills there were. I put my head down, got up them and finished with a time of 35:37. I was happy that I actually passed two people and didn't finish last. I was surprised during the medal ceremony when I was called to receive one. The overall female winner was in my age group. That moved everyone up one. I went from fourth to third.

This week I'm using two vacation days. My last vacation was back in October. I'm ready to take a break. On Wednesday my husband and I really don't have anything planned. If it doesn't rain we are going to go swimming. I don't know if we are going to the city pool or a nearby lake. Thursday we are going to Cedar Point. We haven't been there in about 10 years It will be fun to ride most of the roller coasters.

In the coming weeks I have more vacation time. I don't have plans for those days yet. But I will always find something to do.

Blue hinge - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2009

I wrote Wednesday that it felt like it took a year to finish reading my last book. I started The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Wednesday afternoon. I found I couldn't put it down. Literally it was a real page turner. At some point I did put my book down to run, eat, shower and go to sleep. This afternoon I finished the book. The book and the movie were pretty much the same. Only a couple of things were different. Overall I really enjoyed the book and recommend it. I think that was the quickest I have read a book.

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
The Royals, Kitty Kelley
The Reader, Bernhard Schlink

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

Books read in 2009

It has felt like a year since I started The Royals by Kitty Kelley. Actually it has been ten days. It could have been finished earlier but I was catching on up Showtime's Weeds. I'm caught up with the current season now and watched Monday's new episode Tuesday morning. My next book The Reader by Bernhard Schlink is only 224 pages long. That should be a piece of cake. I enjoyed the movie so I'm hoping the book will be a nice, quick read.

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
The Royals, Kitty Kelley

Currently Reading: The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Up Next: Library trip

Caught - Adrian, MI

Miles run in 2009

The replacement treadmill parts are arriving slowly. We had three packages delivered. I wonder if that is it. Or are more coming? Without my treadmill, I have been running on the sidewalks and a local college track. Since I have been running outside, I notice my legs are always tired. I think it has more to due with the heat, wind, hills and inclines outside. When the treadmill gets fixed, I will try to mix up my workouts. Some outside, some inside. I'm thankful that the weather has been nice recently. One week it was 90 and humid everyday. This week will be in the low 80s. Another great week to run outside.

2004: 164.7
2005: 210.2
2006: 264.6
2007: 255.2
2008: 536.6
2009: 505.2

Off day

Our office is closed today to observe Independence Day. Since its closed, it was a day to sleep in. I slept until 6 a.m. That is two hours longer then normal on a weekday. So I was successful.

I have already been so busy today. This morning I watched a movie, went to the office, picked up a few items at the grocery store, read, and napped. The only thing left on my list to do today is to run. My original plan was to run this morning. After Thursday's 6. 1 mile run my legs are dead tired. I will try for a 3 or 4 mile run later this afternoon. Maybe I will have the energy by then.

Too bad there wasn't graffiti on it - Dearborn, MI

Baseball talk

The other day I photographed a baseball game. Before the game started the umpire asked the head coach if he had any balls. Of course he meant baseballs. One of the players sitting on the bench said that he should already have two of them. His buddy sitting next to him said that he knew that joke was coming. The head coach then said, "Gentlemen, we have a lady here in the dugout. Let's act like adults and treat her with respect." I said it was alright. The assistant coach said that it wasn't alright. The boys needed to treat me with respect.

I really didn't mind the comment. I thought it was funny. I say worst then that when I'm not working. But it was nice to hear the coaches say that they should respect ladies. That is a good life lesson.

Random things

I had plans to finish the book The Kennedy Men; 1901-1963 by Laurence Leamer last week. That didn't happen. Instead of reading like I should have been, I was running and watching Weeds. I recently got into the show and have been playing catch up with it thanks to Netflix. I have watched the DVDs back to back. Once they arrive in the mail, I have been watching them in one sitting. Usually there are five episodes on a DVD. I admit I have been sitting on my couch watching over two hours at a time. Its the summer. I'm allowed. I'm really glad that the episodes are a half hour long. If not, that would be a lot of television. I have the final two DVDs of Season 4 left. Once I see those, I can watch the current season five on Showtime and my DVR.

The heat and humidity were terrible last week. I forced myself to go out and run. All of my runs were horrible but I was glad that I did them. I wanted to see how well I could handle it. I had a couple of bad days were I couldn't run the entire time without walking. Other days I ran the entire time. This week will be different. It will be cooler and not hot and humid. I'm really looking forward to Tuesday's run. The high is supposed to be 66 degrees. Is this really July?

I ran the Hospice of Lenawee Run, Walk and Bike Tour 5K Sunday. It was a cool and windy morning. My times running were awful last week so I just wanted to maintain a nice pace. During the first mile, a guy that I knew ran up beside me. He got front of me and I stayed right behind him. Usually I never run with anyone, but it was nice to hang with someone during a race. Besides staying with the guy I knew, I came upon a woman and passed her. She is a runner who starts too fast and then has to stop and walk. This woman was ahead of me for most of the first mile of the race. I passed her and it became a game during the last two miles. I would pass her when she was walking and then she would pass me again. With a half mile to go, I passed her for the last time. She never caught back up to me. With less then 200 meters the guy and I were side-by-side. I said to the guy, "Let's go, " hoping he would sprint with me to the finish. He said that he couldn't because he didn't have anything left. I left him and sprinted to the finish. I was so excited. I have never out kicked a man at the finish. Usually they do that to me. My final time was 35:20. It was a decent time. I was seven in my age group with six to seven women behind me.

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.