Miles run in 2009

For the last month I have been running 30 miles a week. I also run six days a week now. It all started on an off day. I was going to take the day off from running but decided to run anyway. I really don't mind running an extra day. I think it will help me get ready for my half marathon.

I've been loosely following a half marathon training guide and have been doing a long run once a week. Even though it takes me a while, I'm beginning to enjoy them. Last week I ran 12 miles. It took me almost two hours and fifteen minutes. I was really pleased that I could run that long. At 6 miles I took a short break to stretch and take some GU, then it was right back to running. My long run will be Tuesday or Wednesday this week. The plan is to run 12 miles. But I may just add the extra 1.1 miles to see how I will feel afterwards.

2004: 205.5
2005: 232.9
2006: 325.9
2007: 364
2008: 683.3
2009: 717.6

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
The Kennedy Women, Laurence Leamer
The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat, Bob Woodward
Case Closed, Gerald Posner
All the President's Men, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein (again)

Currently Reading: The Final Days, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
Up Next: Library trip

This week

This week I have been busy with work. The fall sports season is in full swing now.

Monday and Tuesday I photographed soccer games. Before the soccer game Tuesday, I had to photograph a school's team photo day. The assignment was dumped on me after the start time was pushed back by an hour. There was 3.5 hours of work that I wasn't expecting and it messed up my plans for the afternoon. It made me miss my nap. Boo.

Wednesday I went to another school to photograph the cross country team. They had their formal team photo last week, but we weren't told. I found out Saturday at the cross country meet that I missed it. After finishing with the team, I went home and ran 12 miles. It took me 2:13:28. It felt like an eternity. But the one good thing about it, I really wasn't sore afterwords. Not like last year when I did my half marathon. I was in so much pain and it hurt to walk.

I was able to take a breather today. No games for me to photograph. After work I watched Top Chef. I'm really sick of reality shows doing battle of the sexes. Yawn. I was hoping the Michigan chef would go farther into the competition. But she didn't. It didn't seem like she knew what she was doing. Oh well. For lunch I made spaghetti and garlic toast. It was yummy. Unlike Tuesday, I did take a wonderful nap today. After my nap, I ran 4 miles. My legs weren't too pleased. They were still tired from the 12 mile run.

Tomorrow is the first high school football game of the season. I hope the game that I will be photographing will be good. There is nothing worse then awful football. These two teams have been playing each other for five years or so. The games are always close and are determined by five points or less. On a different topic, I can't believe this is my 10th year of photographing football. I have been around for a while.

After the football game, my work week will be over. I really look forward to sleeping in Saturday morning and watching my Netflix rentals.

Nail - Adrian, MI

The calm before the storm

This week I have been busy at work. Myself and the other photographers I work with have been going to many media days at local high schools. Media day is team photo day. This is where the sports teams gets their photos taken by portrait photographers. I'm there to take the players head shots or as we call them mug shots. It is not fun work. I photograph the athletes two by two. I hand them a notebook and a marker and ask them to write their first and last name across the page. Many do not understand the request. I get so many questions. Will the paper be in the picture? When are these going in the paper? What is this for? After an hour or two all of the players and teams are photographed.

Usually when we start photographing media days. That means that the upcoming season is right around the corner. Saturday starts the fall sports season for me. In the morning I will be photographing the county cross country preview meet. I will see four races total, girls/boys freshman-sophomore race and girls/boys junior-senior race. It should be a nice morning for the kids to run. The race will be held on a brand new course as well. I'm excited to see how the returning runners will do.

Today is really my last day to relax before the upcoming sports seasons start. I know that I will not have another Friday off until football season is over. Which is November. Then the process starts all over again with the winter sports season.

Books read in 2009

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Miles run in 2009

Today I ran my longest ever: 11 miles. I'm doing all of the hard work well before my upcoming half marathon. Last year I twisted my ankle a month before the race. During the race I had to walk some because my ankle was killing me. This year my goal is to run the half marathon the entire way. For the last couple of weeks I have been doing my long run on Mondays because that is how my schedule has worked out. In the coming weeks that will change. Next week, I want to try to run 12. After that I will probably decrease it again. I was real thrilled with my run today and it went well. I hope my half marathon will go that well in two months.

2004: 200.5
2005: 225.3
2006: 313.9
2007: 337.9
2008: 643.2
2009: 667.6

August 15

John Wayne Clark

April 10, 1942 - August 15, 1998

Eleven years ago, my father, John, passed away suddenly at the age of 56. It was very devastating to me and my family. All of our lives changed in that one instant. Not a day goes by without me thinking about him. He is gone, but not forgotten.

Boston

Our final plans are coming together. My husband booked our flight and hotel this afternoon. In a few short weeks we will be going to Boston.

I've never been there, so there will be many things to see and do. Besides seeing the many great things in this city, our hotel has fitness center and an indoor pool. My only request for a hotel was it had to have a fitness center. I need to continue training for my half marathon. My goal is to run early in the morning. I hope to have my run done anywhere between 6-8 a.m. When I get back to the room that will give me enough time to ice, stretch and shower before waking my husband up for the day.

It should be a fun trip. Can't wait.

Photo Credit: Wallpaper Me

More random things

I'm very jealous of my husband. He is off of work until next Wednesday. I really want to be back on vacation. I will be soon. In about another five weeks.

Over the weekend I had a new drink. While my husband and I were grocery shopping Saturday, I spotted Smirnoff Strawberry Acai. I wanted to try some, but I didn't want to purchase an entire six pack. What if I didn't like it? We went to a liquor store in town and the best I could find was a 40 ounce bottle. I bought it. I twisted off the cap later that night. The drink was gone in less then 15 minutes. It was so good! I think Smirnoff Strawberry Acai is now my favorite flavor. Sorry Smirnoff Wild Grape.

Before all of my long runs this week, I have been eating, drinking, ingesting GU energy gels. I have been trying different flavors to see which ones I like. So far I'm a fan of Tri-Berry, Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Outrage. I have noticed that when I have a GU my energy level is a bit higher near the end of my runs. Anything to keep me going longer is good.

The IAAF World Championships for track and field start Saturday. For the next week I will be glued to my TV watching as much track as I possibly can. I already have every live event set to record on my DVR. I'm so happy that three different channels will have live coverage. Can't watch enough track.

Random things

I was on vacation last week and I had a total of nine days off. It was awesome. It was nice not having a schedule to follow. I loved going to bed late and getting up late. Sitting around in a pajamas until 9 a.m., watching movies, reading and running. I finished a book and started another. I watched a couple of movies and I ran six days for a total of 30 miles. That was a first for me. I have never run 30 miles in a week before. I only did that because I need to train for my upcoming half marathon. Which is rapidly approaching. The race is in two months and seven days.

I read in the Detroit Free Press, that the marathon/half marathon route will take us right by the set for the 2010 movie Red Dawn. The set will be at Michigan and Griswold or at mile 12.3. Should be interesting to see a movie set on the run.

Last week I neglected my camera. I didn't pick it up. We didn't go out and find things to shoot. I know I should have went out and photographed on my own, but I really didn't feel like it. Am I a bad photographer or what? To make up for the fact that I didn't touch my camera in a week, I picked up a couple of goodies. I bought two 8GB San Disk Compact Flash cards. I put one in my camera today. With the settings I have on my camera it holds 2100 photos. That is great. I don't think I would ever fill up my card, but its nice to have.

I didn't enjoy getting up for work this morning. I woke up a half hour before my alarm went off. So there was no way I could possibly fall back asleep. I think I looked at the clock every five minutes. I finally got up around 4 a.m.

After work I went to physical therapy. I asked when I was supposed to be reassessed. They wondered why. I told them that my foot doctor said that I was to continue therapy until I was reassessed again. After that happens, I will be done. I told C and K, my therapists, and they were disappointed. They really don't want to let me go yet. My foot is much better, but I still have pain in my heel. I think my heel is around 90%. That is still not 100%.

I want to say thank you to AMC. I ran 10 miles on my treadmill today and watched two episodes of Mad Men. AMC had a Mad Men Season Two marathon on today. I was glad that I didn't have to fumble with the remote looking for things to watch. Mad Men kept me entertained for almost two hours. Mad Men Season Three premieres Sunday and I'm so excited. We the fans have been waiting for a year for this show to come back. I know it won't disappoint.

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
The Kennedy Women, Laurence Leamer
The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat, Bob Woodward

Currently Reading: Case Closed, Gerald Posner
Up Next: All the President's Men, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein (again)

Random things

I met with my friends from college Wednesday night. We talked, laughed and enjoyed a nice dinner together. The last time all of us were together was probably five years ago. We promised not to let another five years go by before getting together again.

At physical therapy this morning I had many different assistants helping me. Seems like every time I would do any exercise, they would have to go help someone else. I was doing many of my stretches alone this morning. One of my therapists, C, came over to demonstrate a new exercise for me. Then she passed me off to another therapist. As C was walking away I said that she was the fourth person to ditch me today. We both laughed.

After therapy I had a foot doctor appointment. Usually there is a longer wait. So I took a book with me. I waited about 10-15 minutes then an assistant called my name, Deloris, so I closed my book and started walking back. An older lady stood up as well and started walking back too. The assistant turned around and saw two people following her. She then said Deloris? And the older lady in front of me thought it was her. Finally the assistant pointed to me and the older lady sat down. When the assistant took me to a room, I asked her if her name was Deloris as well. Later she told me it was. I'm sure the spelling wasn't the same but I have never been in a room with another Deloris. Funky.

The foot doctor came in and asked how my foot was doing. I said it was doing much better. I mentioned that after Wednesday's run my heel really hurt. He asked if I was doing my stretches. I said I was. He asked if I still iced. I said no. He told me to ice after running. He then asked if I was done with physical therapy. I said I was just there this morning. He told me that I was done. I told him that I haven't be reassessed yet. He said to continue therapy until they reassess. After I had my ultrasound on my foot I went to the receptionist to make my co-pay. She said that I was basically done seeing the doctor unless there is a problem. I was happy to hear that. Its only been 7 months seeing the foot doctor regularly.

I'm a little sad about leaving physical therapy. I probably only have another week or two left. My physical therapists C and K have been very helpful. It is through them and the other assistants that I'm able to walk and run without pain. They have been working me hard for the last two months to get me back running the way I was before plantar fasciitis. When my time at therapy is over I will miss talking and laughing with them.

I've been on vacation this past week. I have enjoyed it. I didn't go anywhere but I did get to sleep in, read, run and nap when I wanted to. I dropped off a library book Thursday and picked up more. I finished reading The Secret Man by Bob Woodward in a day. I finished the book just before midnight Thursday night. I have five days this week. Which is unusual. I usually only run five days a week total. Today's run makes it seven days straight. I will take Saturday off from running. I will be running as usual Sunday. My plan is to run four miles. If I do, that will put me at 30 miles for the week. Awesome.

I'm so not looking forward to Monday. The first day back from vacation is the worst. Besides my regular work I have to check files and fix anything that went wrong. Just fixing and checking files takes a couple of hours. I know some of my co-workers will be glad that I'm back.

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
The Kennedy Women, Laurence Leamer

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

Just like college times

I will be having a girls night with two friends from college later tonight. We became friends during our freshman year. All of us were art majors. They both attended my wedding. I was the photographer at one wedding and a bridesmaid at another. We've kept in contact with each other by email over time. It has probably been a couple of years since I saw them face to face. It will be nice getting together with them tonight.

Miles run in 2009

It has taken a while but after today's run I will have caught up and passed last year's mileage. Finally! Since I've gotten plantar fasciitis back in January, a bunch of my workouts have been stuck at a certain mileage. I was told by the foot doctor that I could increase my mileage near the end of June. Recently I have been taking advantage of that. My half marathon is in 2 months and 18 days. I need to continue training for that. I already have my long run of the week finished. I ran 9 miles Monday. My longest run of the year so far. Next week I hope to get through 10 miles.

2004: 181.9
2005: 218.5
2006: 295.9
2007: 309.6
2008: 605.2
2009: 604.6

Weekend update

Over the weekend I ran in a local 5K. The race was run by some running friends of mine. After the inaugural race last year I opened my goody bag to look at my t-shirt. The shirt that was given to me was a size smaller then I requested. This year I was determined to get the size that I requested.

I stood in line to pick up my race packet. I heard the volunteers tell everyone to try on their shirts. There was a problem in ordering and they are running small. When it was my turn, I told them my last name and received my bag. I pulled out the dri-fit shirt and looked at the size. It was a small. I asked for an XL. A men's XL. If you don't know, I have a large chest. One of race organizers was standing next to me when I looked at my shirt. I asked why a small was put into my bag. They thought that I wanted a women's XL and that a small would fit me. I laughed. I told her that I needed a XL because of my big chest. I was given an XL, I tried it on. It was still a bit snug. I asked for an XXL but they just ran out. They were right, the dri-fit shirts were running extremely small.

As for the race, I did really well. I crossed my first mile in 10:49, the second in 21: something and I finished in 33:59. This was the first time I finished in less then 34 minutes. The sad thing about the race was a fast race walker beat me. The same race walker beat me last year too. Oh well, she also beat a bunch of other runners as well.

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