The smell

"There should be a B.O. squad that patrols the city like a "Smell Gestapo". To sniff 'em out, strip 'em down, and wash them with a big, soapy brush."

-Jerry Seinfeld in the episode "The Smelly Car"

At a recent basketball game, all I could think of was a Seinfeld episode "The Smelly Car." In that episode, a valet leaves a strong body odor in Jerry's car.

What made me think of that episode was when someone involved with the basketball game ran by me with horrible B.O. The first time by, I thought it was one of the players. Then I realized it wasn't one of the players, it was a ref.

I didn't understand how he could smell that bad. The game just started. Maybe he worked up a sweat before the game or maybe he just smells? Who knows? Every time I saw him running to the baseline (where I was standing to photograph the game), I held my breath until he ran away. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn't. I just kept hoping the half would end soon because I couldn't stand his smell for too much longer.

At halftime, I was so excited to exit the gym and leave Mr. Smelly.

Fallen Hero

On local Toledo, Ohio television today was the funeral for Toledo Police Detective Keith Dressel. Dressel was shot and killed in the line of duty Wednesday, Febrauary 21. The funeral coverage started at 10 a.m. and it ended with his grave side services around 3:15 p.m.

During the five hour funeral service, television announcers said there were approximately 3000 mourners at the church. Thousands of police officers were in attendance from 37 states and Canada to honor Detective Dressel for his service to the Toledo Police Department.

I watched most of the funeral coverage. Besides the bagpipers playing "Amazing Grace", helicopter flyovers, a riderless police horse, playing of taps, 21-gun salute and folding of the flag, I think that the saddest moment came at the end of the church service. It is a tradition that when an officer dies in the line of duty that they have a "last call". "A radio dispatcher called out Keith Dressel's unit number and name repeatedly. Getting no answer, the dispatcher gave a short message remembering Dressel, saying he had answered his final call."

Detective Keith Dressel
1971-2007

So tired

My goal was to run a couple of miles today. I didn't meet that goal.

After returning home from work this morning, I took a two-hour nap on the couch. I woke up at 12:30 pm and then woke my husband up. We went to get lunch. He had a meat lovers personal pizza and I had an meatless onion and mushroom personal pan. We finished lunch and went home. My husband layed down on the couch, put his feet up and went to sleep. I grabbed my book and read 30 pages. At the time I thought I would change my clothes after reading to get ready for a run. What I did instead was grab a blanket, layed down and took an hour nap.

I'm beginning to think naps are more fun then running.

Miles run in 2007

To catch up on mileage, I ran an extra day last week. With that extra day of running, I finished the week with 13 miles. Usually I only run around 10 miles on any given week. So I was really happy finishing my week with more mileage. I would like to continue running four days a week. If I can keep that up, I can accomplish my goal of running 500 miles this year.

This afternoon after waking up from a nap, I forced myself to run 3 miles. That was the longest 3 miles I have run in a while. Running while your still tired isn't a good idea.

Total miles run through February 22:

2004: 43.4
2005: 62
2006: 69
2007: 71

Ash Wednesday

Soon I will be eating my one and only meatless meal of the day. I am fasting today in observance of Ash Wednesday.

One of my co-workers was eating carrots this morning. She offered some of her carrots to another co-worker who was standing beside me, he accepted and took a few from the bag. Then she said, "I would offer some to you, but you can't eat today."

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

Currently Reading: From Here to Eternity, James Jones
Up Next:

Random things.....

I was disappointed in the Daytona 500 yesterday. With 5 laps to go, my favorite driver, Dale Earnhardt, Jr was caught up in a crash. Earlier in the race his car was very loose. At one point he said this over the radio to his crew chief Tony Eury Jr., "I hate to be Captain Obvious here, but we're not very good." With 30 or 40 laps to go he managed to get near the front of the pack, only get involved in a multi-car crash. After Junior crashed out of the race, it was nice to see Kevin Harvick win. Junior finished in 32nd place. Oh well, on to California Speedway.

My husband and I went to Lowe's today to pick out new cabinet handles. Our old handles were in need of replacing and they were just ugly. After picking out the handles, we looked at some paint swatches. We hope to repaint our kitchen soon in nice Merlot color, with green and white accents.

I'm never ready for this time of the year, but it has arrived. Wednesday is the start of Lent. Fasting doesn't bother me, the thing that bothers me is no meat on Fridays. Usually after work on Friday nights, my husband and I go out for dinner and I always order something with meat, i.e. steak, beef nachos, etc. So until Easter, it will only be tuna or pasta for me. BOO! I haven't decided what I'm going to give up for Lent this year. I will probably give up the vending machine at work. Every year I give that up and do a good job of avoiding it.

Things that make me happy

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will be starting fifth Sunday in the Daytona 500. I'm glad Junior was able to continue and finish second in the race after Michael Waltrip crashed into him on lap 13.

Some of my favorite TV shows are returning from break and I can't wait to watch them. America's Next Top Model Cycle 8 will have a two hour premiere on CW February 28. The Sopranos should return to HBO for its final episodes in March, "should" being the key word. The Shield will return with its sixth season on FX April 3. And this is a ways off, HBO's Big Love is scheduled to return on June 3. I miss you TV friends!

This cute picture of my dogs, Kelly and Blitzkrieg running to me after I called their names. They were having a good time playing in the snow.

Random things

I ran 4 miles on my treadmill yesterday while watching The Food Network. Usually I watch Food Network when I run on the treadmill, but yesterday was bad. Two shows that I watched back-to-back were making desserts with chocolate. The first show I made it through alright without really craving chocolate. The second show featured chocolate chip cookies and brownies, this is where things went bad. The last mile was tough and I swore it would never end. I kept thinking about a cookie covered ice cream bar that is in my freezer that I wanted to eat. Upon finishing my 4 mile run, I ate the ice cream bar and it was very delicious.

Overnight, we received a lot of snow. I was hoping I would be able to back my car out of the driveway without any problems. I was outside at 4:30 a.m., brushing the snow off of my car. While brushing, the snow in my driveway was deep it came up to my mid-calf . Once I got in my car, I didn't buckle my seat belt because I knew there was going to be problems. I start backing out and my car gets stuck. I got out of my car and moved the snow away from my tires, while wearing my dress pants. After 15-20 times doing that, I had my car backed up to turn out of the driveway. I was backing out and my car got stuck again. I cleared the snow away from all of the tires and still had no luck. I put the car into drive, reverse and repeated often. There was one point in time that 3/4 of my car was out into the street and the front was stuck in the huge snow drift at the end of the driveway. While my car was sticking out into the street a person driving a Jeep Wrangler was coming into my direction. I was hoping they would stop and help me get my car out. No, they didn't stop. They just sped on by. Finally after many attempts, I was out into the street. Twenty minutes later, I was on my way to work with dirty, wet pants and wet shoes and socks.

I was so grateful when I came home from work and my neighbor said he would use his snow blower to clear the entry to my driveway. If he didn't, I would still probably be outside doing that. While he cleared my entryway, I grabbed my shovel and cleared the back patio, driveway and the front porch.

And last, for Valentine's Day my husband bought me two bouquets of flowers, mixed and roses. It was a very lovely surprise.

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

Currently Reading: Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother
Up Next: From Here to Eternity, James Jones

Miles run in 2007

I need to run more then 3 days this week. I have to make up mileage that I missed the past two weeks due to my treadmill not working and the bitterly cold days. I'm not as behind as I thought I was, but I'm still behind. Tuesday, I will be back on the treadmill.

Total miles run through February 12:

2004: 41.4
2005: 56
2006: 55
2007: 50

What I have been waiting almost two weeks for

My treadmill is fixed!

After the repair man left around 2:30 pm, I took my daily nap on the couch. I didn't think I would sleep for too long. I was wrong. My nap lasted for 2 hours. When I woke up, that didn't leave me with enough time to stretch, run, lift weights, shower, dry my hair, get dressed and drive to my game.

Saturday morning, I don't have to get up early for anything. I have no games to photograph. No work to get ready for. Instead about a half hour after I wake up tomorrow morning, I will be getting reacquainted with treadmill. We have missed each other.

If my legs are up to it, a 4 mile run might be in my future.

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

Currently Reading: The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon
Up Next: Leni Riefenstahl, Rainer Rother

Treadmill Update II

My husband had to cancel the treadmill appointment for today. All of the parts haven't arrived yet. They told my husband to call back when all of the parts have arrived. In yesterday's mail, we received the belt. Today the UPS man delivered a huge box. I assume that is the deck. That means we are still waiting on the roller.

The repair company called me and asked if I had received all of the necessary parts to for the treadmill. I told the operator that we haven't. The operator checked the computer and said that all of the parts were shipped out Monday. They were considered that all of them haven't shown up yet. The operator told me to call and schedule an appointment when everything had arrived. You think? I have been waiting for a week and half to get my treadmill fixed. How long does it take to ship three parts across the state?

Since the treadmill still isn't fixed, I went outside to run. It wasn't as cold as yesterday, but still cold, 14 degrees. The run was nice. The sun was shining and the roads were clear of snow. On the way back is when the cold wind hit me. That made the last half of my run chilly. Tomorrow I probably will return outside for a run. I need to make up the mileage I missed last week/this week due to the broken treadmill and the very cold temperatures.

Treadmill update

While washing dishes last night, I received a call on my cell phone. It was an 800 number, so I didn't answer it. I was surprised when that the caller left a voice mail. I checked my message and it was an automated message from the treadmill repair people saying that I needed to make an appointment.

I called the number back. After going through the whole automated system, I finally talked to a human. I told him that I received a message saying that I had to make an appointment. The operator took my information and then asked if I have received the parts to my treadmill. I haven't received them yet. The operator said that the parts have shipped and should arrive Tuesday. If they don't get delivered today, I have to call back and reschedule the appointment for Friday. But for now, an appointment has been made for Wednesday afternoon.

I feel so lazy. I haven't ran since last Tuesday. I wanted to run outside this past weekend. Those plans were foiled since it was so cold. Tomorrow, I hope to be running in my warm basement on the treadmill belt watching TV.

What really happened

This is yesterday's post:

All of the county schools closed today due to the very cold weather. I was assigned to photograph a volleyball game tonight between two county schools. I called the hosting school to find out if the game was still going to be played. The school official told me that the game had just been canceled.

I'm very excited! I get to spend time with my husband who has the day off.

What really happened:

My husband went to a city commission meeting around 5 pm and didn't return until late. I went to the office and worked for 1.5 hours. Not exactly what I would call a night off or spending time with my husband.

Sweet!

All of the county schools closed today due to the very cold weather. I was assigned to photograph a volleyball game tonight between two county schools. I called the hosting school to find out if the game was still going to be played. The school official told me that the game had just been canceled.

I'm very excited! I get to spend time with my husband who has the day off.

On second thought......

I was thinking I would get dressed this morning in all of my warm running clothes and go outside for a run. That thought lasted until I checked The Weather Channel's website.

The forecast for Adrian right now at 8 am is: 0 degrees and with the wind chill it feels like -13 outside. And a later today there is a 60% chance of snow, with 1 to 3 inches accumulation. Sunday is worse. Very cold with snow showers, accumulating 1 to 2 inches . Wind chills MAY approach -20. With winds at 20 to 30 mph. High of 6 degrees.

I think I might wait on running until my treadmill gets repaired. I don't feel like running in frigid weather.

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

Currently Reading: Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, James L. Swanson
Up Next: The Manchurian Candidate, Richard Condon

Running......outside

The treadmill repair guy came yesterday. He told my husband, Prognosis: Negative. The treadmill is need of major repair. The belt, roller or rollers and deck need to be replaced. The repair man told my husband if we had to pay for the repair, the parts would cost us around $700. Good thing we added two more years to the warranty.

Usually when the treadmill is waiting for repair, the belt will move and slip of course. I decided I would just walk on the treadmill and hold on to the hand rails so I wouldn't fall off. I started the treadmill and as soon as I stepped on the belt it would stop and not move. That is when I knew the treadmill wouldn't be an option. I did something that I haven't done since early November: got ready to run outside.

I ended up wearing a pair of tights, shorts, windpants, t-shirt, sweatshirt, long sleeve running shirt and a hat. I strapped my GPS to my left wrist and went for my run. The first three minutes I thought I made the biggest mistake. I didn't put any gloves on. I can't run with gloves on, no matter how cold it is. And let me tell you, it was cold. Tempertures were in the 20s, who knows what it was with the windchill. My hands and fingers were cold and starting to tingle. I pulled my sweatshirt and long sleeve running shirt over my hands for protection from the cold. After a half mile or so, my hands started to warm and finally I pulled them out of my sleeves.

The run wasn't too bad. It actually felt good to be outside running on the streets instead of running on a belt to nowhere watching TV. I ran in the street for 95% of the time. Some city residents didn't sholve their sidewalks and I didn't want to take the chance running on snow covered ice. Other then people not taking care of their sidewalk, my only other complant was the batteries in my GPS died around 1.5 miles. When I got home I had to look in my past running logs to find out how long the route was that I took.

Since the treadmill is awaiting its new parts, I will be forced to run outside again probably Friday or Saturday. Its not that bad, but I can't wait until my treadmill is running again.