Favorite TV shows of the Summer

Summer TV used to be the worst. There was nothing new on. Repeats galore. It was really bad when I still lived at home and we didn't have cable, satellite or the internet. Thirteen years later it has improved. Below are shows that are fresh and I wanted to share.

Showtime

A brilliant show was introduced to viewers last fall on Showtime: Masters of Sex. From the Showtime website, "Masters of Sex stars Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as real-life pioneers of the science of human sexuality, William Masters and Virginia Johnson. Their research touched off the sexual revolution and took them from a Midwestern teaching hospital to the cover of Time magazine and multiple appearances on Johnny Carson's couch."

Masters of Sex returned for its second season Sunday on Showtime at 10 p.m.

Murder in the First premiered on June 4 on TNT. It is a police drama that was created by Steven Bochco (NYPD Blue) and stars Taye Diggs and Kathleen Robertson. It is set in San Francisco and follows a single case for the entire season.

I started watching the show because of Kathleen Robertson. I loved her in Boss, Starz channel, with Kelsey Grammer. I was disappointed when the show was canceled after the second season. I do like Murder in the First because they are working on one case for the entire season. It is more realistic because murder investigates, frankly all investigations take time. It nice to see how the case goes from the police, to the lawyers and to the court system. I think this show is a winner. 

 NY Med is a reality show. A real reality show. It documents the real life medical drama of New York City's Columbia University Medical Center, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian, Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn and University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.  On the show's facebook page, "NY MED is a hospital drama where the medical heroes are real. Adrenaline-charged and poignant, this limited series is a deep dive into the volatile world of big city hospitals. This season tells a riveting tale of high stakes medicine in two vastly different communities, from Manhattan to the hectic streets of Newark. Faithful viewers might remember the returning trio of nurses, renowned surgeons and ER residents - many of whom will face personal crises that impact their jobs and their lives."

I started watching this season and I was hooked on the first show. I did catch some of season one on cable, but I didn't watch the entire show. I did watch all of season one online. I love seeing how these doctors, surgeons and nurses work. Most of the people highlighted on the program seem really down to earth and fun. I would love to be friends with all of them. I'm a little sad that the season is only with episodes. But I do understand it takes a while to film it. 

If you want to watch a reality show that is real, watch NY Med on Thursday evenings.



 

Kelly Carter Scholarship 10K Run

I ran the Kelly Carter Scholarship 10K Run Saturday morning. It was a sunny morning, warm and with a slight breeze.

The 10K race started ten minutes after the 5K. I was surprised that there were only 14 of us running the the longer race. Once the horn sounded, I took off. I was behind two guys in third place. The first two guys ended up running away from me so early in the race. I just kept plugging along because I could hear someone behind me. For the first two miles, the person stayed behind me. When we reached the mile two marker, the runner passed me on the left. It was a guy. He started pulling away from me. I was happy to gain on him while running up an incline. Once I got behind him again at the mile 3 marker, he started pulling away.

Between mile three and four, the course has us cross a busy street. The guy in front of me crossed the road from the left side to the right. I stayed on the left because the course had us turning left ahead. As we were getting closer to the left hand turn, the guy in front of me kept running straight. I yelled, "Sir. We turn here." The guy turned around and got on my shoulder. He thanked me for telling him he was going the wrong way. I don't like to see people get lost. Two years ago, a couple of runners got lost. They yelled at the race director saying the course should have been marked better. The course was marked clearly. In pink spray paint. In huge letters and numbers too.

After the guy made the wrong turn, he was having trouble keeping up with me. I was able to put him behind me just before reaching the mile 4 marker. I could also hear someone else too. I just wanted to keep them behind me. Crossing the mile 5 marker, a volunteer was shouting times. I knew I was just ahead of the others by a couple of seconds. I needed to carry that pace to the end to beat them.

Making the right and final turn to the finish, I did pick up my pace a little. I didn't know how close the people behind me were and I didn't want to get beat at the line. I finished the 10K in 56:23.91. I was the third overall runner and first woman. I beat the guys behind me by a couple of seconds. The man who I told he was going the wrong way, thanked me again and told me I was a good pacer for him.

This was my fifth win of the year. I will definitely cherish these wins. I don't know if I will ever get one again. 

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

Currently Reading: Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron

European Starling - Adrian, MI

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
 
Currently Reading: Intensive Care, Echo Heron

Fourth of July

For the first time in years, my husband and I planned to watch fireworks together. Our schedules worked out that we both had the day off.

We drove up to lake about an hour and a half early to find a spot. We found one near the shore. Across the street from us were other people waiting. To pass the time, they were lighting off fireworks. Normally it isn't a big deal, but they were lighting them close to other people. When it started getting darker, beer made an appearance. This time they were lighting fireworks about a foot away from vehicles. Not too smart. I'm just glad we were across the street and not next to them.

The fireworks promptly started at 10 pm. To see them, we had to exit the car and walk down the road some. The display was nice, but I thought that they would be higher in the air. The show lasted about 20 minutes. When the grand finale was over, we walked back to the car and drove home.

When we opened the backdoor, both dogs greeted us. When walking around the corner of the kitchen, we saw that our female dog Kelly, opened the oven dog and removed both racks. My husband closed the oven door and looked around the house to see what else Kelly may have done. Besides a piece of furniture being knocked over, he didn't see anything. As he was picking that up, I looked over at our bathroom door. Kelly clawed the door and took chucks out of it. She really wanted inside. Besides clawing the door, she scratched and punctured the door handle with her teeth.

Before leaving to watch the fireworks, we closed all of the windows and turned on a radio. We thought that would help drown out the sound of fireworks set off around the house. We were wrong. Seems like every year her fear of fireworks gets worse. Beside putting on a Thundershirt, closing the windows and turning on a radio, we will have to give her pills to chill her out. Last year, neighbors lit fireworks until September. I guess we will have to buy a big bottle to keep her calm.

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

Currently Reading: Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson

Gwen

Competitive Image

The ITU World Triathlon series was in Chicago's Grant Park over the weekend.

Coming off the bike and heading into the run, American Gwen Jorgensen trailed the leaders by 67 seconds. Jorgensen caught the leaders, Great Britain's Helen Jenkins and Japan's Juri Ide, on the fourth and final lap. Jorgensen surged ahead of Jenkins and Ide with two kilometers to go and ran away with the victory.

Jorgensen won the ITU World Triathlon Chicago in 1:55:33. Her 10K run was the best of the race in 34:14. The win in Chicago makes it Jorgensen's third straight victory and sixth career win in the ITU. She is now the ITU career wins leader in only her fourth year on the circuit.

The ITU series will be in Hamburg, Germany on July 12-13.

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships

The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships concluded Sunday at Sacramento State University in Sacramento, California.

There were five days of events. See the full results at the USATF website. When you reach the page, go to timetable results. You will be able to search by day.

Thursday

Photo Run

The women's and men's 10,000m finals took place Thursday evening. The women's race came down to two ladies, Kim Conley and Jordan Hasay. Hasay passed Conley on the backstretch. Conley was able to pull back up to Hasay and pass her to win the race. Conley won in 32:02.07 and Hasay finished second in 32:03.28. Coming in third was Amy Hastings in 32:18.81.

Galen Rupp ran away from the competition and won the men's 10,000m race in 28:12.07. Chris Derrick was runner-up in 28:18.18 and Ryan Vail was third in 28:26.02.

Friday

More exciting distance races took place on Friday night: the women's and men's 5000m. Another close finish in the women's race. Molly Huddle was able to chase down Shannon Rowbury in the final stretch. Huddle won the race in 15:01.56 over Rowbury's 15:01.71. Marielle Hall of University of Texas finished third in 15:12.79. My Oiselle teammate Lauren Penney finished 12th in 16:07.34.

Bernard Lagat ran away with another USA title by winning the men's 5000m in 13:31.41 over Andrew Bumbalough in 13:32.01. Hassan Mead claimed third in 13:32.42.

Saturday

Jeff Cohen

Emma Coburn set an meet record with her win in the women's 3000m steeplechase in 9:19.72 over second place Ashley Higginson in 9:27.59. Stephanie Garcia took the bronze in 9:32.76.

Leo Manzano won a very close men's 1500m in 3:38.63 over Pat Casey in 3:38.94. Lopez Lomong just edged out Will Leer for third place with the times of 3:39.103 to 3:39.109.

Sunday

The women's 800m was very exciting. Ajee Wilson was able to hold off Laura Roesler to win the race in 1:58.70 to Roesler's 1:59.04. Third place Molly Beckwith was able to run sub-2 minutes with her finish of 1:59.35.

The men's 800m race did have a fall from Charles Jock. Duane Solomon was able to pull away from Casimir Loxsom to win the race in 1:44.30. Loxsom was second in 1:45.97 and Erik Sowinski was third in 1:46.94.

Associated Press/Mark J. Terrill

Evan Jager won another men's 3000m steeplechase championship with the time of 8:18.33 over training partner Dan Huling (8:19.73). Donn Cabral was third in 8:20.04. Michigan's Craig Forys was sixth in 8:37.06 and Mason Ferlic 9th in 8:43.12.

The last distance event of the meet was the women's 1500m. In this race featured so many runners that I enjoy watching. Jenny Simpson won the race in 4:04.96 over Mary Cain who finished in 4:06.34. Katie Mackey was third in 4:07.70. Cory McGee was seventh in 4:12.16. Former Michigan runner Amanda Eccleston was 10th in 4:16.92 and Oiselle teammate Kate Grace with 11th in 4:18.97. Morgan Uceny had another bad day with a fall and finished last in 4:24.01.