Books read in 2007 - Final Count

While at work last night I finished reading, Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess by James Spada. It was a great book that I loved. That book was my final one for 2007. The library was closed today, so I could only return the books. On Wednesday, I will pick out some books to start the new year. I hope to stay away from books that are over 500 pages. They seem to slow me down.

Final count of books read in 2007: 43

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton
Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming
Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman
Shadows of a Princess, P.D. Jephson
Just Jackie, Edward Kline
Leni, Steven Bach
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote
The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger
Cary Grant: A Class Apart, Graham McCann
Princess Grace, Sarah Bradford
John Wayne's America, Garry Wills
Jack and Jackie, Christopher Andersen
Henry Ford and the Jews, Neil Baldwin
General Patton: A Soldier's Life, Stanley P. Hirshson
Diana, Sarah Bradford
Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock, John Russell Taylor
Ingrid, Charlotte Chandler
American Spy, E. Howard Hunt
Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, Suzanne Finstad
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Dearly Devoted Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, Donald Spoto
Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Anthony Summers
Sinatra, Earl Wilson
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life, Donald Spoto
Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, James Spada

Random things

Not much has been going on this week with me. Besides having Monday and Tuesday off this week, I have been working only in the morning. It is Christmas break and most schools don't have any sporting events. So needless to say, my nights have been free. I've been running, reading, watching DVDs/TV, going to sleep early and my husband and I attended a party last night. Next week my life will return to a normal schedule. Work in the morning and work in the evening.

Last New Year's Eve, my husband and I went to a party at one of his friend's house. This year that friend has to work so my husband and I had to make other plans. At first we didn't know what we were going to do. I told my husband if we don't do anything, that I would fall asleep on the couch around 9:30 pm. A couple of years ago, that happened because we stayed home and watched movies. I didn't want to repeat that so my husband made reservations at a restaurant that will have a live band. It should be fun. Dinner, dancing, music and entertainment. That should keep me up until midnight. I hope.

Next week I will post my final counts of miles run this year and books read this year. Also next week I will post my New Year's resolutions.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Favorites of 2007

Favorites of 2007

O Come........

At Christmas mass Monday, my brother, sister and I couldn't help but laugh when singing, O Come, All Ye Faithful. The reason for the laughter is from a scene in the terrible TV special of A Very Brady Christmas (1988).

Mike gets a phone call to go down to a construction site on Christmas because of some problems. Our question always is, "Why are they working construction on Christmas?" He walks into an unstable structure and it collapses on him. Word reaches the family and they all come down to the construction site. Cindy talks with her Mom, Carol, and asks if she remembers when she had throat problems and couldn't sing at church. Cindy asked Santa to give her mom her voice back and at church Carol magically sings O Come, All Ye Faithful. It was a Christmas miracle! Cindy and Carol thought it would be a good idea to sing that song. As soon as they start, the entire group of onlookers join along. Once Mike, who is stuck under rubble, hears the singing, he magically has the strength to get up and walk out under his own power.

Bad acting, bad movie. But every year it is on TV, we all watch it and poke fun at it. It has been 19 years since it first aired and every time we sing O Come, All Ye Faithful we always laugh because it will be forever associated with A Very Brady Christmas.

Favorites of 2007

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas
May the holiday spirit
find a home in your heart.

Favorites of 2007

Both photos were taken at Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Growing up I loved trains. Seeing a caboose on the end of a train was really rare. The caboose that I took the photo of was still in good condition. The bottom photo is of a roundhouse. The building was a beautiful color and doors and windows caught my attention.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton
Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming
Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman
Shadows of a Princess, P.D. Jephson
Just Jackie, Edward Kline
Leni, Steven Bach
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote
The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger
Cary Grant: A Class Apart, Graham McCann
Princess Grace, Sarah Bradford
John Wayne's America, Garry Wills
Jack and Jackie, Christopher Andersen
Henry Ford and the Jews, Neil Baldwin
General Patton: A Soldier's Life, Stanley P. Hirshson
Diana, Sarah Bradford
Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock, John Russell Taylor
Ingrid, Charlotte Chandler
American Spy, E. Howard Hunt
Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, Suzanne Finstad
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Dearly Devoted Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, Donald Spoto
Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Anthony Summers
Sinatra, Earl Wilson
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life, Donald Spoto

Currently Reading: Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, James Spada
Up Next: Library trip

Random things

Christmas is only one day away. Why doesn't it feel like it? I was talking with my husband and I mentioned that it doesn't even feel like Christmas. We have our lights, tree and presents under the tree, but it feels like any normal winter day. He agreed. Something is off this year. I'm hoping that the Christmas feeling will sink in at mass tonight and when my husband and I host a traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

I had to work last night. It felt very odd being in the office on a Sunday night. But with that Sunday night shift, it saved me from getting up at 4 am to go to work this morning. It was nice sleeping in. I slept until 6 am. That is called sleeping in for me on a Monday. Next Sunday I will be at the office again working a night shift and be sleeping in on a Monday morning.

In the new year, I will be doing something different. Back in November, my church asked for volunteers for different ministries at mass. I signed up to be an altar server. My church allows fourth grade students through adults, so I wanted to try. Back when I was in elementary, our faith formation class teacher asked the class if anyone wanted to be an altar server. I was interested and asked about it. I was turned down. At that point in time, only boys could be altar servers. I was disappointed. Now I get a chance do something I wanted to do long ago. I'm glad that I won't be the only adult to be an altar server. A husband and wife that attend the same mass as I do have been servers since the summer.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Favorites of 2007

Both of these photos were taken this summer at Greenfield Village at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. I loved the texture of the old train engine and it was such a hot day, I couldn't believe these reenactors were walking around in those dresses. I was sweating in a t-shirt and shorts.

Books read in 2007

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton
Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming
Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman
Shadows of a Princess, P.D. Jephson
Just Jackie, Edward Kline
Leni, Steven Bach
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote
The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger
Cary Grant: A Class Apart, Graham McCann
Princess Grace, Sarah Bradford
John Wayne's America, Garry Wills
Jack and Jackie, Christopher Andersen
Henry Ford and the Jews, Neil Baldwin
General Patton: A Soldier's Life, Stanley P. Hirshson
Diana, Sarah Bradford
Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock, John Russell Taylor
Ingrid, Charlotte Chandler
American Spy, E. Howard Hunt
Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, Suzanne Finstad
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Dearly Devoted Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, Donald Spoto
Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Anthony Summers
Sinatra, Earl Wilson

Currently Reading: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life, Donald Spoto
Up Next: Grace: The Secret Lives of a Princess, James Spada

My best of 2007

I took a lot of photos in the year 2007. I looked over my former blog, DCO's Photo Gallery, and found 10 that I really loved. This photo won me over and I chose this photo as my best for the year.

I really love run down industrial buildings. This building was sitting empty for a couple of years, it was finally sold and in the process of being torn down. All of the colors, the broken glass, objects left behind, the spray paint, when I shoot I try to find beauty in the ugly. And I did. The color of the door was a great blue and the broken glass window was perfect. Perfect only to me. It was cracked but all in one piece, not broken on the floor like every other window was. I did take a photo of the entire door, but I really didn't like it. The focus of the photo for me is the No Admittance sign and the broken glass. With the full view of the door you really couldn't see the cracked glass. This photo the viewer can see it.

I know I did this backwards, but for the next nine days I will post my other favorite photos of 2007.

Eyes - Adrian, MI

Chew toys - Adrian, MI

Holly - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2007

Forty! Forty Books read in 2007. Another New Year's Resolution is completed. I could possibly finish one to two more books before the year is over.

A Man of Faith, David Aikman
Hannibal Rising, Thomas Harris
All of the President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward
House of Sand and Fog, Andre Dubus III
Jack: A Life Like No Other, Geoffrey Perret
Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate, Bob Woodward
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Cultural Warrior, Bill O'Reilly
Ava Gardner: Love is Nothing, Lee Server
The Man Who Would Not Shut Up, Marvin Kitman
Clint Eastwood, Richard Schickel
Notorious: The Life of Ingrid Bergman, Donald Spoto
Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Leaming
Empire: The Life, Legend and Madness of Howard Hughes, Donald L. Barlett
Diana, Andrew Morton
Mrs. Kennedy: The Missing History of the Kennedy Years, Barbara Leaming
Judy Garland: The Secret Life of an American Legend, David Shipman
Shadows of a Princess, P.D. Jephson
Just Jackie, Edward Kline
Leni, Steven Bach
Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote
The Devil Wears Prada, Lauren Weisberger
Cary Grant: A Class Apart, Graham McCann
Princess Grace, Sarah Bradford
John Wayne's America, Garry Wills
Jack and Jackie, Christopher Andersen
Henry Ford and the Jews, Neil Baldwin
General Patton: A Soldier's Life, Stanley P. Hirshson
Diana, Sarah Bradford
Hitch: The Life and Times of Alfred Hitchcock, John Russell Taylor
Ingrid, Charlotte Chandler
American Spy, E. Howard Hunt
Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood, Suzanne Finstad
Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Dearly Devoted Dexter, Jeff Lindsay
Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn, Donald Spoto
Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, Anthony Summers

Currently Reading: Sinatra, Earl Wilson
Up Next: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: A Life, Donald Spoto

Snow

Over the weekend there was a huge snow storm. I'm glad it happened over the weekend because if it happened this morning, there would be no way I was getting out of my driveway.

Sunday morning I grabbed my shovel and went outside. My neighbor did most of the hard work with his snow blower. He took care of my sidewalk and entry to our driveway. He couldn't do my driveway because it is gravel. So I had the fun task of shoveling the driveway.

Shoveling the driveway was not fun, the snow was still coming down and it was very windy. I was outside for 1.5 to 2 hours and my hat, coat, gloves, wind pants were coated with ice. The snow was fluffy but very heavy. I have tendinitis in my left wrist and it started to hurt during the shoveling. I switched hands with the shovel a couple of times to give my wrist a break. While I was shoveling with my right hand it felt awkward, but it did help. I stopped shoveling the driveway when my left wrist was stiff. I cleared out 3/4 of the driveway. I figured I would let my husband finish the rest later. About a half hour after I came inside, my neighbor who we share our driveway with, finished the rest. I was so pleased she did that. It was very helpful.

After the snow stopped that afternoon, my husband and I went out to clear off our cars. The process took about a half hour. Once my car was cleaned off, I backed it out of its spot to clear the snow surrounding my car. This morning, besides scrapping the frost off of the windows, it was very easy to get into my car and back out of the driveway and go to work.

Photo: Looking down the sidewalk near my home Monday morning.

Covered - Adrian, MI

767 - Adrian, MI