Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill,Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession,Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.

Currently Reading: Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, Cormac O'Brien

Gwen

Competitive Image/Paul Phillips

American Gwen Jorgensen was able to overcome a 68 second deficit off the bike to win her fifth World Triathlon Series race and first world championship title in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. American Sarah Groff finished the race in fourth place, but was runner-up to Jorgensen in the world championship series.

Jorgensen is the only woman in World Triathlon Series history to win five events in a year. She ties the record with Olympic Gold medalist Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain, who won five events in 2009.

ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Edmonton
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – Aug. 30, 2014
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run

Women
1. Gwen Jorgensen USA 2:00:05
2. Andrea Hewitt NZL 2:00:21
3. Nicky Samuels NZL 2:00:31
4. Sarah Groff USA 2:01:20
5. Aileen Reid IRL 2:01:21
6. Claudia Rivas MEX 2:01:22
7. Sara Vilic AUT 2:01:24
8. Pamela Oliveira BRA 2:01:26
9. Katie Hursey USA 2:01:27
10. Rachel Klamer NED 2:01:30

Final 2014 Threadneedle ITU World Triathlon Series Rankings
1. Gwen Jorgensen USA 5085
2. Sarah Groff USA 3987
3. Andrea Hewitt NZL 3845
4. Jodie Stimpson GBR 3453
5. Nicky Samuels NZL 3073
6. Helen Jenkins GBR 2903
7. Emma Jackson AUS 2647
8. Aileen Reid IRL 2543
9. Kirsten Sweetland CAN 2540
10. Alice Betto ITA 2518

Michigan

mgoblue.com

The fall sports season for the University of Michigan started on Friday. The women's cross country team participated in the Michigan Open at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter.

Michigan's Shannon Osika won the race by inches over teammate Erin Finn. Osika and Finn both finished with the time of 17:01.5. Brook Handler was third in 17:35.8. Taylor Pogue was fourth (17:45.4) and Anna Pasternak rounded out the top five in 17:51.9.

According to mgoblue.com: "Finn, Osika, Handler and Pogue led the group from the gun and helped pace a group of Wolverines that remained tightly knit through the first mile. Over the second mile, Finn and Osika spread things out and with about 500 meters to go, the two were deadlocked. Both finished strong over the final stretch, with Oiska earning the win by the slimmest of margins."

mgoblue.com

The Wolverines will be back in action at the Black and Gold Invitational in Iowa City, Iowa on September 20.

Michigan Wolverines football team opened their season Saturday against Appalachian State. This was not a repeat of 2007 when Appalachian State defeated the Wolverines. The Wolverines beat the Mountaineers 52-14. Michigan's quarterback Devin Gardner and wide receiver Devin Funchess hooked up for three touchdowns before half time. Tailbacks Derrick Green and De'Veon Smith had a good day as well. Green rushed for 170 yards and Smith had 115 yards.

Michigan will travel to South Bend, Indiana next week to take on Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on NBC.

Fun weekend

My husband and I had fun plans made for the last weekend of summer.

We traveled up to IKEA in Canton, Michigan on Friday afternoon. My husband wanted to buy glass cabinet. In 2013, we went to IKEA for the first time and my husband found this glass cabinet. He has since filled it up and needed another one. While walking around the store, we saw items that we would love to add to our home. A house is never complete, but we also discussed ideas of how to change rooms in our house as well. I wish I had these ideas when we were renovated our house back then. Oh well. It's great to keep learning and expand your knowledge.

After IKEA, we continued north to Novi and the Twelve Oaks Mall. The only reason for driving north to Novi was we wanted to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Novi is the only Cheesecake Factory location in Michigan. After visiting the Michigan State Fair last year, we wanted to eat there. We found out the wait was 1.5 hours, so we left. This visit was different. We were told our wait would be 15 minutes. Not even five minutes later, we were at a table.

I ordered the lunch size Four Cheese Pasta: penne pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, roman cheese, Parmesan cheeses, marinara sauce and basil. It was very good and I cleaned my plate. I did order cheesecake for dessert: Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Galore: Hershey's cheesecake topped with housemade marshmallow and Honey Maid graham crackers. It was so rich and good. I actually didn't finish it all. The leftover is still sitting in my refrigerator. Next time I visit a Cheesecake Factory again, I will be ordering my go-to favorite: Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. If you know me, I love red velvet anything. I have ordered this is Portland and Chicago. I didn't order it in Novi because I wanted to try something new.

On Saturday afternoon, we crossed the Ohio border to attend the Fulton County Fair. I attended this fair as a youngster with my family every year. The last year I attended the Fulton County Fair was 1998. It was only a few weeks after my Dad passed away and my whole family went. It was nice to attend again after such a long time away. Even though I did participate in the Lenawee County Fair for years showing hogs and displaying art, I really enjoy this fair. The fairgrounds has two show barns, two show rings for horses: open air and roofed arena, many food vendors and the fairgrounds are large. I was disappointed that I couldn't pet the hogs in the barn. The barn was closed because the 4-H kids were participating in the hog judging show. We watched one of the Heavy Weight market hog shows. I picked the hog I thought should win and the judge picked the same one. I do miss being around hogs every day. Before leaving, we did walk through the arts building. Not many submissions, but the quality was good. I asked a volunteer if someone outside of Fulton County could submit work. I was told I could. I think I may do so next year.

We drove to Toledo after leaving the fair. We looked at furniture at a few different places. Our main focus was couches, reclines and dinner tables. Not too many selections caught our eye, but at least we did decide what we both wanted. The next stop was to the mall, as always. My husband bought some clothes and I bought a magazine at the bookstore across the street. The night ended with dinner at Famous Dave's, as always. 

Such a great weekend. Summer is the best time of the year.

Lincoln's Tomb IV - Springfield, IL

Best of Show

When I picked up my photos from the fairgrounds a few weeks ago, I put the ribbons I won on my bulletin board in my office. After hanging those up, I wanted to bring up the other ribbons I won up from the basement. I found the bin they were stored in. I thought that the Best of Class ribbon I won for a drawing was also in that bin. It wasn't. I saw my three First of Class and Third in Class rosette, Reserve Grand Champion banner from showing hogs, Extra Special honor ribbon for a drawing, but no Best of Show.

I couldn't remember where it was in my basement. Saturday evening, I went back into the basement to find that ribbon. This time I checked the entire first bin again. I pulled out all of the hog rosettes and banner. I put everything back into the bin and moved on to another shelf. I found photos that were framed that I had forgot I had taken. I saw Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. photos that once hung up in my house. After looking at them for a bit, I put them back on the shelf.

I checked another bin and instantly found what I was looking for. I pulled out the frame that contained the drawing. Still taped to the top left hand side of the frame was the Best of Show ribbon. This was the first time in years I looked at this drawing. Seeing it again, stirred up many emotions. The day my drawing won Best of Show at the county fair, was the day my father died in 1998.

The drawing is now in my home office. Every time I look at it, I will remember the heartache and joy it brought on that August day. 

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill,Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession,Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann

Currently Reading: Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D

Segment

The college I work at was featured on a news segment yesterday evening. The college has been upgrading the security system all summer. It will come in handy when the fall semester starts next week.

The reporter/videographer talked to my boss and the president of the college on camera. The reporter came back into our office and asked if I would be on camera with my boss for secondary footage. I did. I was shown on the news segment for three seconds. Neat. 

Click the link to view the video: http://www.toledonewsnow.com/clip/10490717/adrian-college-spends-500000-on-security-upgrades

Chicago Fire

When Chicago Fire debuted on NBC back in 2012, I debated on whether to watch it or not. I was disappointed that some of my favorite shows were canceled prior to the new fall season. I decided not to watch it because I didn't want to get into another TV show and have it canceled at the end of the season.

A few weeks, I decided to add Chicago Fire to my Netflix queue. I watched the first episode and was hooked. I finished Season 1 last week and I'm halfway through Season 2. I know I will be completed with the second season before Season 3 premiers on September 23. Chicago Fire is about the firefighters and EMTs of the Chicago Fire Department Company 51.

The cast is large and every character has their story told in one episode or another. The cast is great, the story lines are wonderful and it's a fantastic TV show.

Pinterest

When Pinterest started I received an invitation to join. I decided not to join because I didn't know what it was.

Over the years, several people I follow on Twitter posted tweets linking to their Pinterest accounts. I would look at them and click out of the link. About a month ago I was talking to a co-worker about Pinterest. I asked if it was worth it. They said it was.

So I took the plunge and started an account. For the first couple of weeks, I barely did anything with it. Then I turned the corner and found out how resourceful it is. Thanks to Pinterest, I have found so many things that I want to try. I'm thinking of starting to draw again and learning to paint. Finding books that I want to read and recipes that I want to try.

I don't know why I waited so long. If you want to follow me on Pinterest, my username is dclarkosborne.

Dad

John Wayne Clark

April 10, 1942 - August 15, 1998

Another year has gone by. But it still feels like yesterday you left suddenly. You have been missing from our lives for 16 years. Not a day goes by that we don't think of you. How much different would our lives been if you were still with us? Or would it be the way life is now? Would you be proud of how we turned out? Those are questions only you can answer when we all meet again.

I miss you.

Lincoln's Tomb III - Springfield, IL

Treadmill repair

I noticed a couple of months ago that the incline wasn't working properly on my treadmill. When I would press the incline buttons, the deck wouldn't move. It was take about two minutes before it reacted at all. When it did react, I would do my incline workout and put the incline back at zero. The incline would sometimes go to -3%. After fiddling around with the buttons, it would finally go back to zero.

I told my husband of the issues and he called customer service. After hanging up, a new incline motor was ordered. A week or two later, the part would arrive at the house from UPS. Another phone call was made to the treadmill repair man in our area. The repair man came over a week later and replaced the incline motor. I tested the incline the next morning and it worked like it was supposed to the first time I pressed an incline percentage.

While the repair man was installing the new motor, he also did general maintenance on the treadmill. He said it looked good, but wanted to order a new running belt and drive belts. Both belts were getting worn out. If I tried to walk or run under 6 mph, the belt would jerk and become sloppy. But if I kept the speed above 6.4 mph, it would work just fine. The parts were ordered and they arrived within a couple of weeks to the house. Once they were delivered, a call was placed to the treadmill repair guy for an appointment. The appointment was Friday.

I didn't run on the treadmill Saturday because I ran a 5K. I did run on the treadmill again Sunday morning. I was very happy because the treadmill felt brand new. The jerking stopped and if I wanted to walk, I could. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy. But a treadmill that works like it is supposed to does.

Pittsford Wildcat XC 5K

I ran the Pittsford Wildcat XC 5K Saturday. Before the start of the race, it was cool and windy. While running the race over the school's cross country course, the trees blocked out the wind. It started getting warm.

This is one of the toughest cross country courses I have run. It is constantly running up or down. If there is a flat stretch on the course, it doesn't last long. The footing on this course was very good. No large holes or sand to run through. I was gaining on another woman after the mile mark. That momentum stopped when we had to run up a long incline. That woman ended up running away from me. Besides passing a few people at the start of the race, I didn't pass anyone else. Not many people ran this race because of other races being run in the area.

During the second mile, the woman that ran away from me, passed a teen boy. The boy was doing a walk/run mix. My goal was to catch him. I was doing a pretty good job of chasing him down. Around 2.5 miles, the teen was walking 30-40 feet ahead of me. He turned around, looked at how close I was and took off. I was disappointed. I spent the entire second mile going after him and I had him right in front of me. There was no way I could have caught back up to him. He must have saved energy by walking most of the course.

The last stretch of the race is all on an incline. Coming up to the finish line, there are three hills to run up. The last hill isn't too big, but when the entire course has a lot of hills, it looks like a mountain. I was able to run up the hill with a steady pace and to the finish line. I finished the tough course in 30:36. Not my fastest run ever. But on a tough course like this, that time is good for me. I placed second in my age group and won a raspberry pie as a door prize. Not a bad way to start the weekend.

Lincoln's Tomb II - Springfield, IL

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill,Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession,Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell

Currently Reading: Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann

Lincoln's Tomb I - Springfield, IL