Weekend update

I was happy to get my car back Friday. What I wasn't too happy about was the price tag. But I shouldn't complain. This is the first time in five years that I had major work done on it. I did notice something Sunday while driving to my Mom's for Easter. I've had a nice Pilot Dr. Grip pen in my car for about two years. I really like those pens because they write in extreme cold weather. I keep it in the center console with my CDs and Sharpie markers. I noticed it was missing Sunday. The people at the car place stole my pen! That didn't make me very happy. I also had a Bic pen mixed in with the Sharpie's, but they didn't take the 99 cent pen. They took my nice pen. After leaving my Mom's, I stopped at the store to buy a new one. It cost me $6.00. Next time I get my car serviced, I'm taking my nice pen out of the car.

My husband and I went to the Toledo Museum of Art Saturday afternoon. We went to see Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks in the Canaday Gallery. Stunning photography. It was nice to see so many of his famous prints up close and learn the stories behind them. Beautiful exhibition.

We had tickets to see Wicked that night at the Stranahan Theatre. The performance was wonderful. I enjoyed seeing it again. What I didn't enjoy was how hot it was inside. Mainly during the second act, I was using my playbill as a fan. The other thing that made me mad was the two high school girls sitting behind us. They talked throughout the entire show. That isn't even the worst part. They also sang along to most of the songs. I really wanted to turn around and tell them to shut up. My husband didn't pay almost $70 a ticket for us to hear high school girls sing songs terribly.

Party Down

I was watching a movie on Encore yesterday and I saw a commercial for the show Party Down on the STARZ network. I never even heard for the show but the commercial looked interesting. I went to Netflix to see if they had the DVDs of the show available. They did. The DVDs are being released next Tuesday. I noticed that Season 1 of Party Down were streaming online on Netflix. I watched the first two episodes. I found the shows enjoyable and funny. Jane Lynch is in the show, only for Season 1, and she is incredible. I need to find time this weekend to watch the rest of Season 1. Once I finish with those, I will be out of the loop. Sadly, I don't get the STARZ network. I will have to wait until they are streaming online or rent the DVDs to see Season 2 which starts later this month. Boo.

Party Down trailer:

In the shop

I took my car in today to get the brakes fixed. I was told that I would receive a call after my car was inspected for an estimate and to give the go-ahead to fix my car.

I received the phone call when I was running. I was told that all four brake pads needed to be replaced. I was expecting that. I've had my car for five years. It was due. Then I was told about some other brake parts needed to replaced, all four of them, whatever they were. Also that I needed two new rear tires and my transmission line needed to be replaced because it is leaking. Great.

I was happy that I remembered to bring the coupons that the car place sent to me in the mail a while ago. With those coupons, I saved $40. Which is nice. The bad part is all of the parts and work will cost just below $800 and I don't get my car back until Friday. They are waiting on a part that will arrive tomorrow. So for the time being, I have a loaner car. It is decent. It is a Pontiac Grand Am. I had one before I bought my Grand Prix. It feels so weird to drive a different car. Good thing I only need it to drive to work in the morning and back to the car place when my car is finished.

Random things

My brakes have been squeaking for the last month. The squealing has gotten louder in the last couple of weeks. Annoying. It seems like if people are outside when I'm braking, they will turn and look. I know its loud. It is getting fixed Thursday. I will be taking my car to the dealership for them to look everything over in the morning. I've had my car for five years, it is probably time for new brakes.

I finished the hard part of the week. Three days in a row of photographing high school spring teams head shots. I finished up a school this afternoon. I'm done with head shots for the next couple of weeks. Thursday and Friday are going to be stress free days. I only work in the morning and have the rest of the day off. Which is really great because the weather is going to be so wonderful and warm.

My weight loss goal was to have lost 30 pounds by today. I just fell short of that. I have lost 28 pounds so far. Hopefully those stubborn two pounds will be gone within the next week or so.

Books read in 2010

I was so happy to have read five books in a span of a week. Granted the books were very short, but it does feel good to fly right through them.

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961-1990, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Real Life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's famous residence, John Whitcomb
Amelia Earhart, Tanya Lee Stone
The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
Hungry, Crystal Reen with Marjorie Ingall
Harry S. Truman, Robert Dallek
The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King, James Patterson

Currently Reading: Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane
Up Next: Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie, Richard Hack

Busy week

I'm looking forward to Thursday and Friday. My week won't be as busy as the first three days of the week.

Besides working this morning in the office, I had a couple of photo shoots this afternoon. The first was taking head shots of a county boys and girls track team. After that, I had to photograph a girls soccer game. As soon as I stepped onto the field, I knew I should have brought my winter coat. It was cold and windy. I wore a spring jacket with a hood, but that wasn't enough. I keep a stockpile of coats in my backseat, so I put a fleece jacket on over my spring coat. I was still cold. The wind was going right through both jackets.

Tuesday will be another busy day for me. I work in the office in the morning and have to photograph two schools spring sports head shots. Both schools only have baseball, softball and track so it shouldn't take too long. I hope.

Wednesday, it is the same story. Work in the office in the morning and photograph another school's spring sports teams.

What I'm most looking forward to is the local schools start Spring Break on Thursday. While the students are on spring break, no games! The local colleges will have games, but no high school games next week. I look at their spring break as a little break to help me recover from the long winter sports season. Yay!

Favorite photos

Last Thursday and Saturday, I photographed a local girls basketball team playing in the state semifinals and state championship game at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. I shot many photos, but the two were my favorites from the weekend. The team won their semifinal game and lost in the state final. I call them Victory and Defeat.

Lens repair

I sent my lens that I use to photograph sports to back to company service department get fixed. I was having so much trouble with it for the last couple of months. When the lens was attached to my camera body, it didn't have a tight fit and could turn in either direction. Not good. Another problem with the lens was the auto focus. The auto focus worked very slow, which isn't good when shooting sports. Sometimes it would get in focus, sometimes it didn't. I overshot every game I went to, just to make sure I had enough photos that were actually in focus.

I finally decided that I couldn't work with the lens anymore and it really needed to be fixed. I was extremely happy that my lens was still under warranty. With it being under warranty meant my lens was fixed for free. Major bonus for me. I packed it up and shipped it out to the company. After the company received it, they sent me updates the entire time my lens was in the shop. The description about the work being done on my lens was moderate repair, but major parts were replaced. I don't know how much those "major parts" cost, but I was truly thankful for the warranty.

I used the lens today to photograph a baseball game. The lens felt like it was brand new. It had a tight fit on my camera and the auto focus worked like it was supposed to. I didn't overshoot the game and had less then five photos that were out of focus.

Books read in 2010

I love reading books in a day or two. When I do that I can get through the library stack quicker. The quicker I read my pile of books, the sooner I can go back to the library and get more books to read.

I'm such a book nerd.

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961-1990, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Real Life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's famous residence, John Whitcomb
Amelia Earhart, Tanya Lee Stone
The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
Hungry, Crystal Reen with Marjorie Ingall

Currently Reading: Harry S. Truman, Robert Dallek
Up Next: The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King, James Patterson

Miles run in 2010

Oh my gosh! I can't believe how much I've already run this year. I'm very thankful to be injury free this year. Not dealing with injuries have helped me up my mileage. I have been running 40+ miles for the last two weeks. Its not as hard as I thought it would be.

I had to change the time that I run to accommodate all of the extra miles. Instead of running in the afternoon, I run when I get home from work in the morning. There are days when running is the last thing I want to do when leaving work. Like the trooper I am, I just do it. My plan was to run when I got home from work today, but I don't have a game to photograph later. That means I can nap and run when I wake up, I will probably run around 2:30/3 p.m. The rest of the evening is free. I will probably curl up on the couch with a book and watch some women's basketball.


2004: 70.6
2005: 93.1
2006: 116
2007: 75
2008: 232.5
2009: 209.1
2010: 414.5

Books read in 2010

I went to the library this weekend and I came home with seven books. I read so much that I already finished two short books. Spring break for the county schools is next week. What really makes me happy is that the high school's don't play any sports during spring break. That means a lot of free time for me, which means reading more.

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961-1990, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Real Life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's famous residence, John Whitcomb
Amelia Earhart, Tanya Lee Stone
The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan

Currently Reading: Hungry, Crystal Reen with Marjorie Ingall
Up Next: Harry S. Truman, Robert Dallek

Change of plans

I made my plans for the weekend during the middle of the week. That will teach me. Those plans are gone. I have new plans now.

I won't be seeing a movie today. I really wanted to see Remember Me but that will have to wait for another day. Instead I will be running, cleaning my house, doing laundry and picking up items at the grocery store. Saturday morning, I will be driving north to photograph a girls basketball team playing in the state championship game. That event takes out my morning and most of my afternoon. Boo. But there will be a happy ending Sunday morning. Starting at 7:30 a.m., Universalsports.com will be showing the NYC Half Marathon live. I will watch it from start to finish. Anytime I can watch cross country, road races, marathons or track & field, it makes me very happy.

Books read in 2010

I finished reading my last book on Wednesday. By the time I finished, the local library closed for the day. The next time I can visit the library is Friday. Couldn't stop by today. Too busy and also, have to work for most of the afternoon and evening. I don't like going without a book, but I think I can manage until Friday.


Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961-1990, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Real Life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's famous residence, John Whitcomb

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

Random things

Daylight Savings time started on Sunday. I'm having trouble adjusting to it. I have problems every year. It is so hard for me to fall asleep even with sleeping pills. I usually take my pills around 7:30 p.m. By the time 9 p.m. rolls around I'm yawning and ready for bed. Not this week. It seems I can't get to sleep until 10 p.m or later. Not good when I wake up at 4 a.m.

On Tuesday night, I photographed a quarterfinal girls basketball game. The team I was covering won and will play in the state semifinals Thursday evening. I decided to stay for the entire game since it was a quarterfinal. Since I stayed longer, that delayed me getting home. When I got home, I still had to edit my 330 photos. When I finished working it was 10:30 p.m. That only gave me five hours or less of sleep. I woke up this morning very tired. I was happy to get an 1.5 hour nap this afternoon.

The weather around here has been very nice. It has been near 60° or above all week. The temperature will be 68° Thursday. I should really enjoy it, next week the temperatures are going to be back in the 40s. Boo.

I have lost 25 pounds so far this year. It has been a challenge and I think I'm doing well. I'm so happy that I'm seeing numbers on the scale that I haven't seen in years.

Weekend update

I figured since the weather is going to be above 50° this week, I would wash my winter coat. I washed my two pairs of gloves, scarf and my husband's winter coat. I put all of the items in the washer and dryer. When I was putting the gloves back into my pocket. One came up missing, a Mizuno running glove. I checked the washer and dryer. Nothing. I checked my coat, my husband's coat. Nothing. I unfolded the towels that were in the laundry cycle with them. Nothing. I'm a little sad. The dryer ate another piece of clothing. If the glove doesn't turn up, I'll just buy another pair.

I did something last week, I never thought I would do: run 40 miles in a week. Well, actually it was 41 miles. I ran my usual six days a week and my daily mileage was no lower then 5 miles. I'm going to try to do it again this week. I will be doing my long run of 10-13 miles later this afternoon. What a way to start out the week!

The NCAA basketball brackets have been announced. I'm happy to see that the Duke Blue Devils were one of the #1 seeds. I've been a Duke fan for the last couple of years and I would love to see them get back to the finals. But they must take it one game at a time.

I'm debating on whether to see Remember Me at the movie theater. My sister said she didn't like the end of the movie. I read the spoilers and I know what happens. I guess I'll see how my week goes.

Remember Me trailer:

Random things

I can't believe how busy I have been this week. I photographed two boys and two girls basketball games this week on three different nights. I traveled over 130 miles round trip twice and 60 miles once. I have another road trip Tuesday night. This road trip is closer and it will take about 45 minutes to get there. I could have more road trips during the week if basketball teams keep winning and extending their seasons.

I'm surprised that how busy I've been this week, I have still had time to run. I ran 6 miles today and that put my total for the week at 35 miles. My plan is to run 5 or 6 miles on Sunday. With those miles it will put my weekly total up to 40 miles. That will certainly be a first for me. It was only a year ago that I was only running 22-25 miles a week. This year, I have upped my mileage and run 30+ miles a week. It is unbelievable that I have increased my mileage so much.

I've noticed for a while that my 70-200 mm lens hasn't been performing like it should. I finally did something about it. I had it packed and shipped to Nikon today to get fixed. I will be using my 70-200 mm backup while my lens is getting fixed. I bought that lens last June and I'm thankful it is still under warranty. I hope that Nikon will be able to fix the problems and get it back to me as soon as possible.

Miles run in 2010

My running is going very well this year. I think it is because I lost weight. I have lost 21 pounds in 2010. I can run a little bit faster and not get so tired. My goal is to lower my 5 and 10K times this year.

2004: 55.6
2005: 79
2006: 94
2007: 90
2008: 210.5
2009: 174
2010: 333.5

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961-1990, Carl Sferrazza Anthony

Currently Reading: Real Life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's famous residence, John Whitcomb
Up Next: Library trip

Shutter Island

My husband and I saw Shutter Island over the weekend. It has been a while since we both sat in a movie theater together to see a movie. The last movie we saw together was Revolutionary Road back in January 2009. My husband didn't like the movie and fell asleep. No falling asleep during this movie. We both liked Shutter Island but my husband said a couple of parts dragged. I didn't think the movie dragged at all.

The only problem I had was not with the movie but a group of teenagers. They laughed and were in and out of the theater multiple times while on their cell phones. Annoying. That is the reason why I love Netflix and seeing movies in the afternoon while the children are still in school.

Official trailer of Shutter Island (2010):

Random things

This week was the start of girls basketball districts. I have to photograph a final tonight. It has wore me out. The entire winter season has. I'm tired of seeing basketball. I will be busy with the boys basketball districts and girls basketball regionals next week. The only thing getting me through this is the winter season will be over soon. Very soon.

If I had tonight off, I would be doing this instead. Since I don't, the plan is for tomorrow night. My husband and I will been seeing the movie Shutter Island. I have read good and not so good reviews for the movie. I hope that it will entertain me and its good. There is nothing worse then spending $15 to see a bad movie.

Good news to report, I have lost 20 pounds so far this year. I swear I was stuck at 18 pounds for almost a week. It is good to see the scale moving again.

Annoying

I photographed a basketball game last night. Since I've been out of high school, it seems like everyone (coaches, players and fans) have become more vocal at games.

At the game, one of the coaches kept yelling and complaining about everything. The coach just wouldn't be quiet. The players on the bench kept yelling "Travel!" I remember when I played basketball, we never yelled anything from the bench. Once a teammate of mine yelled from the bench about a call and our coach told us to stop. We cheered for our teammates and clapped. That is how every team was. The fans have gotten annoying as well. Some guy yelled from the stands for the entire first half. Whatever happened, he had to give his opinion. He also gave the refs earfuls when they were on his side of the court.

Go to the game, coach your team, cheer for your teammates and clap for a good play. Enough with the annoying whining. Just because you complain doesn't mean the call will be overturned. I have photographed sporting events for 11 years and never seen a call reversed because of it.

Long wait

I went to the doctor's office yesterday for a yearly checkup. My appointment was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. I signed in at the reception desk and was asked for my insurance card. The receptionist needed my card to type in numbers and information. I was told to have a seat and wait. About 5-10 minutes later the receptionist called my name. She handed me a clipboard with sheets to sign. When I sit back down and lady behind me says, "My sister's name is Deloris." I just nodded my head because I didn't want to strike up a conversation or even talk to anyone in the waiting room.

Slowly all of the women around me were called into the office, one by one. I was still the only one in the waiting area for a while because it was lunch time. When my name was finally called, I looked at my watch. It read 12:30 p.m. I waited a hour already for an 11:30 a.m. appointment.

I was told to take off my coat and step on the scale. After weighing in, I went back into the office with the assistant to get my blood pressure taken. The assistant left the room probably five minutes later and said the doctor would be right with me. I knew that wasn't true.

The doctor walked into my room at 1:04 p.m. She made small talk with me and inquired about the book I was reading. The doctor was with me for five minutes. An hour and a half wait to see the doctor for five minutes, that is insane.

I know that every time I go to the doctor that I will be there for over an hour. I'm glad that I have a schedule that allows me free time in the morning and afternoon. I couldn't image trying to get back to work following an appointment. I would definitely be late.

Weekend update

I had such a busy day on Friday. I worked from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Went home, run, showered, had lunch, caught a 15 minute nap and got ready for work again. When I was getting ready for the second part of my work day, it started snowing. I was disappointed because the weather reports I read online said it was supposed to snow in the morning. Of course it was wrong. The snow was starting to stick to the road and that didn't make me happy. I lived in Michigan all of my life and I don't like driving in snow. If I had to drive across town, that would be no big deal. But I wasn't going across town. I was driving 85 miles away.

The drive started out alright. The roads were just wet. I was stuck behind people who wouldn't drive faster then 50 mph. Annoying. When I left the county, the snow was starting to stick to the roads. That slowed me and everyone down. I was really looking forward to reaching the interstate because I thought the roads would just be wet. In some spots they were. In others, it was snow covered. I saw fishtailing, cars in the ditch, cars stuck in the snow and a car that hit and brought down an exit sign. At different points of being on the interstate I traveled anywhere from 50-65 mph. When I got about 10 miles outside of my destination that is when the drivers were forced to a crawl. I was behind a semi truck doing 30 mph. I would have to say that was the slowest I have ever driven on the interstate. It was torture. I did arrive in one piece though.

The time at my photography assignment was well spent. I photographed team wrestling quarterfinals. I picked up a program and headed to the media hospitality room. I wanted to get something to eat and read before getting to work. Wrestling team quarterfinals always fall on a Friday during Lent, so I couldn't eat meat. The main dish that was being served was chicken. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't eat it, but I found other food to eat. I loaded my plate with salad, green beans, carrot sticks, orange slices and garlic bread. I have to say that was one of the best meals I ate at a state final. After eating I was sitting at the table reading. A worker brought in a tray of warm sugar cookies. I could smell them from where I was sitting. I really wanted one. But I stayed glued in my seat. The cookies flew off the tray by all of the guys in the hospitality room. They commented how warm the cookies were. I was glad when another reporter I knew came in and said he had a seat at the media table. I left with him. Anything to get me away from the cookies.

At the quarterfinals, I had to photograph two local teams. The problem was they were two mats apart. I balanced both teams pretty well. I took photos of all of the kids that wrestled. At the end of the night, the reporter and I emailed some of my photos back to the office. I was glad that I didn't have to try to speed back to the office to edit photos. I wouldn't have made it in time for the deadline.

The drive back was alright. Most of the interstate was wet except for a few snow covered areas. I was happy to be driving 60-65 mph because I really wanted to get home. I arrived at home at about midnight. It was a long day. I worked 13.5 hours. That tied my longest hours work record. That was the third time I have worked that many hours in a day.

Woke up Saturday morning around 6 am and went back to sleep. I woke back up around 7:15 am and got ready for work. Since I didn't got into the office Friday, I had to edit my wrestling photos. It took about an hour. When I had everything I needed, I drove to the office to load my photos on my computer. I stayed at the office for a half hour. Work was finally done for the week.

I watched a great film noir movie Saturday night, The Killer That Stalked New York from 1950. It was about a woman who is a jewelry smuggler and a smallpox carrier. She had come back to New York after smuggling diamonds from Cuba. Throughout the movie she gives smallpox to many people and they end up dying. It reminded me of the H1N1 virus outbreak. I enjoyed the film and recommend it.

On Monday I have a doctor's appointment. For years I dreaded going to the doctor because of getting weighed. I know I put on weight and I hated seeing how much I put on. This year is different. My goal was to have lost 20 pounds by the time of my appointment. I weighed myself Sunday morning and I have lost 19 pounds since January! There is still time to lose that one pound. I can still make it.

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony

Currently Reading: The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961-1990, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Up Next: Real Life at the White House: 200 years of daily life at America's famous residence, John Whitcomb

What You Waiting For?

I forgot how much I love this song and video by Gwen Stefani.

Snow keeps falling

So much snow has fallen since last night. This snow isn't the nice fluffy stuff. This snow is the wet and heavy kind. The snow is supposed to continue through this evening.

I already had enough of it. I've been outside for the past hour shoveling. I shoveled the back deck and walk, the sidewalk, front porch stairs and the entry to our driveway. The entry to the driveway was the worst. The snow was piled so high thanks to the city plow trucks. I will probably go outside later to shovel some more.

How much longer until spring? I'm really getting tired of snow and winter.

Random things

I couldn't believe the church was packed on Ash Wednesday. Last year, not too many people showed up. Every seat was full this time around. Something else that made me shake my head. People were still coming into church at 12:35 p.m. The service started at 12:10 p.m. The latecomers were only in church for ten minutes.

As part of Ash Wednesday, I did fast and not eat meat. I had breakfast around 7 a.m. I was still hungry so I continued drinking water. The many cups of water kept my mind off of being hungry. When I got home, I had a handful of Chex Mix. I wanted to eat more but I couldn't. My next meal was dinner around 6:30 p.m. I probably only had between 500-800 calories worth of food yesterday. That's not too good. I'm glad we only have to fast twice for all of Lent. I think the lunch my husband and I are having today will top yesterday's calories. My husband and I are having hamburgers and tator tots. MMMMM.... food.

As my husband and I were sitting down to lunch Tuesday, I turned on the TV. The TV came on but our cable receiver box didn't. I asked my husband to see if he could get it to work. He fiddled with a couple of buttons and got the receiver to turn on. We watched TV for five minutes or less and the screen turned green and then went black. My husband called the cable provider to try to get answers on how to fix it. He pressed some buttons on the remote, the receiver and went into the basement to see if that TV was working. It wasn't. The receiver was dead. We were told that a new receiver had to be shipped to us. Today is the day that the receiver is supposed to be delivered to us. It would be nice to actually watch the Olympics again.

GTA - Adrian, MI

Line - Adrian, MI

I made it back into the dance studio Monday. I was so thrilled to see ballet and jazz again. This photo is one of my early favorites while editing. Still have many more photos to go through.

DCO Photography

My photo business, DCO Photography, has been dormant since April 2009. I decided to resurrect it this weekend. I'm not going back to photographing weddings, but I wanted to continue photographing some dance classes and selling my photos. I want to give it a while and see what becomes of it.

View the DCO Photography blog.
View prints.

More loss

I was hoping to say this when I lost one more pound. But it is very exciting news. I have lost 14 pounds since the second week of January. Fourteen!!

The last three times my husband and I have eaten at restaurants, I have taken home a to-go box. That never happened before. Usually I would finish everything on my plate. Not anymore.

Why did I wait so long to do this?

Valentine's Day early

My husband and I had our Valentine's Day dinner Wednesday evening. We decided to celebrate it early because my husband works on Sunday.

Before going into the restaurant, my husband pulls out two envelopes from under his visor. I said that I thought we were exchanging cards on Sunday. He said I can, but he wanted to give me his Valentine card during dinner.

He handed me the envelopes after ordering dinner. I started with the huge envelope. It was my Valentine's Day card. He wrote a nice note inside the card that made me smile. I then opened the smaller envelope. I couldn't believe what I saw inside. He bought two tickets to see Wicked at the Stranahan Theatre in Toledo, Ohio in April.

I was surprised. I mentioned to him back in December that I wanted to see it again. We saw it together during our 2008 trip to New York City and both liked it. When I asked him about it then, he said that he didn't want to see it again. That disappointed me because I thought he liked it. On the Toledo radio stations, they have been playing commercials for it. I was sad that I wouldn't be hearing "Defying Gravity" live again. My husband feared that I would buy tickets to go see it anyway. I didn't because I didn't want to go by myself. My husband is a sly one. Way to fool me!

Since he got the wonderful tickets to see Wicked, I have to pick up a nice gift for him. Usually we don't buy gifts for Valentine's Day. But I need to repay him for such a wonderful gift. Can't wait to see Wicked on April 3! Yay!

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer

Curently Reading: First Ladies: The Sage of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony
Up Next: Library trip

Hot Chocolate Hustle 5K

I ran in my first winter 5K this past Saturday. I debated all week as to what I would wear to run. A couple of days before the race, I thought of running in a dri-fit long sleeve shirt and shorts. That combination was quickly thrown out the window when I saw how cold it was supposed to be that morning. I wore a dri-fit turtleneck, dri-fit long sleeve shirt, a jacket, tights, shorts, windpants, ear gear and gloves. I think that is the most I have ever wore while running a race.

I think the temperture was right around 20° at the start of the race. My toes and fingers were getting numb waiting for the start. At the beginning of the race, I started running at a comfortable pace. I really didn't care what anyone else was doing. About a half mile in the race, I was behind a guy running in '70s clothes. He was wearing a polyester shirt with butterfly collars and polyester pants. I thought it was really weird. I saw him before the race and thought he came to watch someone run. I was wrong. Another weird sighting was a man running dressed as the Statue of Liberty. I passed him around the mile mark. A volunteer was calling out times at the mile mark. I passed and heard my time. I was pleased with it. It was right where I wanted to be. I continued on trying to hold my pace.

Around 1.5 miles, I saw a woman in a blue coat ahead of me walking. She passed me around the half mile running fast. My goal was to catch her. I started to pull her in slowly. When I would get near her, she would start running again. I finally caught her near the 2 mile mark. I pulled ahead of her and again tried to keep my pace. Even with my iPod on I could hear loud footsteps coming up behind me. I looked out of the corner of my eye and it was blue jacket lady. I knew that there was no way she would be able to hold up that fast pace. When she got about 10 yards in front of me, she started walking again. I caught her and passed her again.

Continuing the run, the course lead us through some neighborhoods. Then we turned a corner and there was open spaces, no houses. The houses blocked the wind. Now we were running straight into the wind. And it was awful. I tried so hard to keep my pace up, but I knew the wind and the snowy roads were slowing me down. Less then a half mile to go, I heard the loud footsteps once again. Blue jacket lady passed me again. This time she got about 20-30 yards ahead of me and stopped to walk again. I started to pick up my speed again and caught her a third time. I told myself that this time she wasn't getting me. My turnover got a little faster once I saw the finish line. I saw the clock was at 33 minutes and I really wanted to finish below 34 minutes, but it wasn't to be. I finished in 34:13 and blue jacket lady finished behind me. My time put me fourth out of eleven runners in my age group.

I was pleased with my first 5K of the year. It can only get better from here.

Snow is on its way

The biggest storm of the winter season is heading my way. The whole area is already under a winter storm watch until Wednesday morning.

The National Weather Service in Detroit issued this:

.. WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH... WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH ACROSS SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON TUESDAY AND BECOME HEAVY TUESDAY NIGHT. SNOW SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF AND BECOME SCATTERED BY MIDDAY ON WEDNESDAY.

* TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

* WINDS WILL INCREASE FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH SUSTAINED WINDS OF 15 TO 20 MPH AND GUSTS TO 30 MPH CONTRIBUTING TO BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW.

* ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL MAY LEAD TO POOR ROAD CONDITIONS DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE ON TUESDAY WITH TRAVEL BECOMING DANGEROUS ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY.

Can't wait to shovel! I will be outside a couple of times tomorrow shoveling. I want to keep up with the snow. I know more snow will fall overnight. I'm thinking if I shovel a lot of it Tuesday evening, only a couple more inches will fall on top of that. Meaning, my car won't get stuck in the driveway Wednesday morning when I leave for work at 4:20 a.m.

Random things

One of my headlights on my car went out this morning. I figured after work I could have my husband or an auto store replace it. I drove the half mile or so to work, parked and walked into the building. As soon as I got into my office, a co-worker asks the question: "Do you know you have a headlight out?" I said that I knew. It has only been out for five minutes. And by the way, who doesn't know that they have a headlight out? After work I had my headlight replaced by an nice man at a local auto store. It took him a while to get my headlight out, but it was replaced. YAY!

Michigan has dodged a huge bullet. We are only getting about 1-1.5 inches of snow tonight. Northwest Ohio is getting between 2-4 inches. I can't believe the east coast may get 1-2 feet of snow in some areas. One to two feet! Yikes!

I'm running in a 5K Saturday morning. So I really happy that we are not going to get much snow. I wonder if the 5K would go on if we did get a lot of snow? Still debating on what to wear. I know I plan to wear a hat, dri-fit short and long sleeve shirt. I want to wear shorts, but it may be too cold. It is supposed to be very windy tomorrow morning. I could always wear tights and shorts. I will have to figure it out before leaving the house tomorrow.

Graffiti abstract - Adrian, MI

Miles run in 2010

A co-worker and I were singing "Pants on the Ground" early this morning. I told him that I have lost 10-11 pounds so far and that my pants were really baggy now. I was joking when I said that I could probably pull my pants down without unbuttoning or unzipping them. In the restroom later, I wanted to see if I could do that. So I did. I actually pulled my pants down without unbuttoning or unzipping. That made me feel really good.

Now that I have lost some weight I know my running will improve. I'm hoping my times will improve also. I will be able to test that out Saturday when I run my first 5K in the winter. I'm a little worried because the forecast in the area is calling for 2-4 inches of snow. I hope we don't get that much.

2004: 34.3

2005: 42

2006: 40

2007: 40

2008: 90

2009: 96

2010: 161.3

Books read in 2010

I had someone ask me what I was reading. I answered, "A book about Lee Harvey Oswald." The person who asked gasped. Weird.

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey

Currently Reading: Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer
Up Next: First Ladies: The Sage of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1789-1961, Carl Sferrazza Anthony

Caressa Cameron

When Miss Michigan Nicole Blaszczyk didn't get picked as a semifinalist Saturday at Miss America 2010, I went with someone else who I thought would make a great Miss America.

I picked two girls during the swimsuit competition. I picked District of Columbia Jen Corey and Virginia Caressa Cameron. I thought Jen and Caressa looked great in their swimsuits. Where I thought one competitor separated herself from the other was in with her evening gown. Caressa wore a beautiful yellow gown. It looked wonderful with her skin tone. In the talent portion of the show, Caressa blew away the competition with her singing "Listen" from the movie Dreamgirls. Jen also sang and I thought it was good, but sadly the judges disagreed with me. Jen didn't move on into the Top 7.

The on-stage question was asked by people on the Las Vegas strip. Caressa's question was about how to fight childhood obesity. Caressa said, "We need to get our kids back outside, playing with sticks in the street like I did when I was little. Expand your mind, go outside and get to see what this world is like." Which I agree with. When I was a kid, I was always outside playing. I rarely watched TV.

Caressa was crowned Miss America 2010.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Miss America

I've been watching this for as long as I can remember: Miss America. I remember sitting in front of the TV with my sisters watching the competition. As I got a little older, I would write down the scores from swimsuit, talent, evening gown and on-stage question to figure out the winner. I don't know if I ever picked the correct winner.

Saturday night TLC will be showing the 2010 Miss America Pageant live from Las Vegas at 8 p.m./EST. I will be watching. Last July, I was photographing the Miss River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant for work and Miss Michigan 2009 Nicole Blaszczyk helped host the pageant. Nicole performed her talent of a lyrical dance for the crowd. It was wonderful. She is a beautiful dancer. Last night, Nicole won a preliminary award for talent on the last night of competition for the 2010 Miss America Pageant. I'm hoping she will will make the top ten and have a chance for Miss America 2010.

Photo: Nicole Blaszczyk on stage at the 2009 River Raisin Festival Scholarship Pageant.

Oakwood Cemetery statue - Adrian, MI

Random things

I was putting dishes away yesterday and a plate fell from the dish rack. I didn't want it to break the plate so I put my left foot in its path. My foot did the job I wanted it to. It stopped the dish. In the process, the side of the plate landed on the top of my foot. It hit where my toes crease near my big toe. It instantly hurt and left a mark.

It still hurts and I was actually limping this morning. I was thinking will I be able to run today? It took a while, but the limping went away. I will be running later today. If I didn't let plantar fasciitis stop me from running, do you think I would let a plate falling on my foot stop me? The answer is no.

Besides losing weight, I'm trying to improve something else as well. Its time. I'm working on my posture. My posture is horrible. Most mornings you'll find me slouched down in my chair at work or I'll slouch sitting at my desk at home. I'm trying to be aware how awful it is. If I catch myself doing it, I will sit up straight. I noticed that when standing, I still slouch. I'm learning to keep my shoulders back.

I think this is the year I will try improve everything about me.

One step at a time

People say every new year that they want to lose weight. I've probably said that since 1998. I'm finally doing something about it in 2010.

What really motivated me to finally lose weight was a photo. It was a family photo that my brother-in-law took of me on Christmas. I couldn't believe how big I looked. It was then that I knew I wanted to do something about it.

I already had one key element of losing weight down: exercise. I run six days a week and sprinkle in some push ups and crunches. The other element that I needed was to look at what and how much I ate. I thought that since I ran so much I could eat a little bit more. Wrong. It wasn't helping me. I was just maintaining my weight.

Since the beginning of January, I have been watching what I eat. My husband and I are trying to lose weight together and now we eat smaller portions of food. We had dinner out last Friday as a reward. It was the first time all week I ate out. I ordered a steak, sweet potato fries and coleslaw for dinner. I usually finish everything on my plate but this time I didn't. I had to get a to-go box. And that made me happy.

So far on my weight loss journey, I have lost 8 pounds. Besides stepping on the scale, I can tell that I have lost weight. All of my pants are loose now. I love that feeling. I know it will take a long time to lose all of the weight that I want to. I know once I get to my goal weight, I want to stay there for a long time.

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann

Currently Reading: John F. Kennedy, President, Hugh Sidey
Up Next: Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery, Norman Mailer

Pray - Tecumseh, MI

Chipped - Adrian, MI

Miles run in 2010

I'm so excited that my running is going so well this year. One reason that my running in going well is that I'm injury free so far. Last year's plantar fasciitis held me back. Another reason I think my running is going well is I've lost some weight. I want to lose more and I hope with my weight loss that my race times will go down. But I will take one step at a time and I will keep running.

2004: 22.2
2005: 29
2006: 27
2007: 30
2008: 52
2009: 64
2010: 103.1

Faded sign - Adrian, MI

Random things

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to lose a few pounds. I have been sticking with my resolution and lost some weight. I have lost 6 pounds so far. I have really been watching what I eat and I have been running, as usual. It feels good to step on the scale and see lower numbers then I have seen in years. I know this is something I can do and I hope to continue losing more weight.

I've been wanted to do this for a couple of years. I finally sat at my computer and wrote the email earlier this week. I emailed the local director of a national organization to volunteer my services. I received a reply back from the director within the hour. She asked if I would be willing to help out at an event. I said yes and she said she would add my name to the list. I won't reveal the organization until I know more about the event and the date it will take place.

I think 2010 is starting out to be a great year.

Berlin Wall graffiti - Boston, MA

A section of the Berlin Wall at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Mausoleum door detail - Adrian, MI

Frost - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti

Currently Reading: A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann
Up Next: Library trip

Help Krista

My blogger pal Krista needs your help. She signed up for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. Once again she is raising funds to help blood cancer patients by running the Rock 'N' Roll San Diego Marathon on June 6, 2010. Krista's fundraising goal is $4000. She currently has 15% of her goal. Please help her out by making a donation to this worthy cause. Click here to read Krista's Team in Training web page.

Railcar wheels - Adrian, MI

G around the corner - Adrian, MI

Hot Chocolate Hustle

I will be running in the Hot Chocolate Hustle 5K on February 6. This is the first winter race I will have ever run. The good news is the race will be run on city streets. The bad part about the race is the streets could be snowy. Who knows what the weather will be on that Saturday morning.

There is another February winter race in town, but I will never do that one. It is a five mile trail run. I will never do that race because I'm afraid of running on snowy trails and twisting my ankles. Also, I'm a huge nerd and I'm not a fan of getting my shoes and socks wet.

See you outside on February 6.

Stairs & door - Adrian, MI

Miles run in 2010

This is the fastest I have ever gotten to 50 miles. For the last two years it took me most of January to reach it. Beyond that it took until February. I'm really proud of what I have accomplished with my running. The last couple of years, I was happy to run around 20 miles a week. Now I try to get above 30 miles a week, running six days a week. Maybe in the future, I will try to reach 40 miles a week.

2004: 10
2005: 17
2006: 15
2007: 14
2008: 31
2009: 35
2010: 57

Retro light- Adrian, MI

Machine Shop entrance - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald
American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann

Currently Reading: 'Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti
Up Next: A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, C. David Heymann

Change of plans

My husband pointed out some decaying apartments to me over the weekend. I have driven by them plenty of times but never really gave them a second look. When I saw them over the weekend, I liked how nasty they looked. I'm the people that live around them don't think that. But I do.

My plan was to photograph them right after work this morning. I didn't go. It was snowing. It is not a hard snow, but I didn't want snowflakes in my photos. I will try again Tuesday after work when the forecast will be on my side. Mostly cloudy through mid-morning then becoming party sunny.

I'm including a photo of a dumpster near the apartment buildings I plan on photographing tomorrow. Until then.

Covered - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2010

Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, C. David Heymann
Fletch, Too, Gregory Mcdonald

Currently Reading: American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, C. David Heymann
Up Next: 'Tis Herself: An Autobiography, Maureen O'Hara and John Nicoletti

Cherub - Adrian, MI

Inspiration & motivation

I have been looking at photos on istockphoto. It is a stock photography website with royalty free images and photos. I only learned of the site late last year from a co-worker.

I really enjoy looking at other people's photos of things I like to photograph. I like to see how they photographed it and the angles they used. Looking at these photos always give me ideas for when I go out to shoot. The photos that I have been looking: graffiti, abandoned buildings, decaying structures, cemetery statues, mausoleums, railroad cars, door handles, locks and vintage signs. Many of the photos that I looked at had me saying, "I wish that was mine." I said that this morning about this photo by Duncan Walker. It is just beautiful.

I know if I keep looking at the gallery of the stock photos, they will inspire and motivate me. They will help me get out the door and start shooting more.

Railroad car graffiti - Adrian, MI

Personal photos

One of my resolutions for the last three to four years is taking more personal photos. I work as a sports photographer and shoot games three times a week. I always take plenty of photos. As much as I like certain sports there are times I would rather be shooting something I really like.

My photo loves are cemeteries, cemetery statues, decaying structures/industry, abandoned buildings and graffiti. So far I have done really well with my New Year's resolution. I grabbed my camera on January 1 and drove a couple of blocks down the street. I photographed a graffitied railroad car, graffiti on a building and a decaying structure. As I was taking a photo of a industrial garage door covered with graffiti a man in a car passed me. He slowed his car down to stare at me. I guess he never seen anyone take a photo before.

To help me keep on my resolution, I Googled cemeteries to visit. I was really happy with the three addresses that I found for Toledo, Ohio cemeteries. I have seen photos of these cemeteries online and they have exactly what I'm looking for: statues and mausoleums. I also have an address to an Monroe County cemetery. These will make interesting day trips when the weather isn't so terrible.

If the weather is nasty, I'll just have to stay close to home. There is plenty to photograph near my house: cemeteries, railroad cars, graffiti, decaying instrustries. My hope is to photograph something personal twice a month. It seems like something I'm capable of accomplishing.

Broken - Adrian, MI

Books read in 2009 - Final Count

Final Count: 56

Favorite Books of the Year: Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott by David Sheward, The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough, The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat by Bob Woodward

Least Favorite Book of the Year: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

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)
The Final Days, Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, J. Randy Taraborrelli
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
New Moon, Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyer
I Was Amelia Earhart, Jane Mendelsohn
Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
Amelia Earhart: The Final Story, Vincent V. Loomis
The Day Kennedy Was Shot, Jim Bishop
Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved, Elgen M. Long & Marie K. Long
High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly, Donald Spoto
84 Charing Cross Road, Helene Hanff
East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Susan Butler
The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
Fletch, Gregory McDonald
Confess, Fletch, Gregory McDonald
Fletch's Fortune, Gregory McDonald
Fletch Won, Gregory McDonald
Assassination: Robert F. Kennedy, 1925-1968, editors of United Press International and Cowles

Miles run in 2009 - Final Count

I'm so proud of the mileage that I ran this year. Even with a horrible case of plantar fasciitis, I continued to run through the pain.

The first week my foot doctor told me to cut my mileage, I didn't. When I realized my foot wasn't going to get better, I started to listen to him. I cut my mileage down to 15 miles a week for quite a while. That really got to me being stuck at such a low number. I wanted to do more. I picked up my training. In July I started running six days a week and over 30 miles a week. I know that is what really helped me increase my mileage compared to last year.

This year I plan to continue running six days and over 30 miles a week. If I do that I will definitely top 2009's mileage.

Total miles run for the year:
2004: 318.6
2005: 350.8
2006: 470
2007: 573.7
2008: 960.2
2009: 1257.9

New Year goals

1. Run over 1300 miles - I am reluctant to write down 1500 miles. It is something I want to accomplish, but I have worries about injuries. Who knows if the awful plantar fasciitis will come back? I will continue to run six days and over 30 miles a week. Let's see where that takes me.

2. Shoot photos more - This has been a resolution for three years in a row. I want to get back to shooting my favorite things on a regular basis: cemeteries, cemetery statues, decaying structures/industry and graffiti. I would like to upload all of the photos I shoot this year to a photography site for everyone to see.

3. Continue reading - I finished 2009 with 56 books read. My plan is to finish reading over 40 books again. I say 40 because some of the books I read were small and took a day to finish.

4. Lose a few pounds - I maintained my weight throughout 2009. I know I will keep my running up, I want to try to eat better.

Movies watched in 2009 - final count

Final Count: 91

Favorite Movies: 84 Charing Cross Road (1987), Amelia (2009), The Hospital (1971), The Hustler (1961), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), The Reader (2008), The Thorn Birds (1983),

Favorite Documentary: Amelia Earhart (2005)

Least Favorite Movie: Romance & Cigarettes (2005)

So bad that it was laughable: Any of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies. Mike's, Tom Servo's and Crow's riffs made these movies so fun to watch and laugh at.

Movie I watched for famous quote: Gone With The Wind (1939)

• 84 Charing Cross Road (1987)
• Against All Odds (1984)
• Amelia (2009)
• Amelia Earhart (2005) TV
• Anastasia (1956)
• Autumn Leaves (1956)
• Bombshell (1933)
• Bullfighter and the Lady (1951)
• Clerks (1994)
• Dinner at Eight (1933)
• Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
• Easy Money (1983)
• Elmer Gantry (1960)
• Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (1992)
• Family Plot (1976)
• Frenzy (1972)
• Frost/Nixon (2008)
• Gone With The Wind (1939)
• Gran Torino (2008)
• Hitler: The Rise of Evil (2003) TV
• Hold Your Man (1933)
• Humoresque (1946)
• JFK: Special Edition (1991)
• Lincoln (2005) TV
• Mildred Pierce (1945)
• Mogambo (1953)
• MST3K: A Touch of Satan (1998) TV
• MST3K: Boggy Creek II (1999) TV
• MST3K: Eegah (1993) TV
• MST3K: Gunslinger (1993) TV
• MST3K: Hamlet (1999) TV
• MST3K: Hercules Against the Moon Men (1992) TV
• MST3K: Hobgoblins (1997) TV
• MST3K: Horrors of Spider Island (1988) TV
• MST3K: I Accuse My Parents (1993) TV
• MST3K: Laserblast (1999) TV
• MST3K: Manos: The Hands of Fate (1993) TV
• MST3K: Mitchell (1993) TV
• MST3K: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (1997) TV
• MST3K: Prince of Space (1997) TV
• MST3K: Red Zone Cuba (1994) TV
• MST3K: Teen-Age Strangler (1993) TV
• MST3K: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1993) TV
• MST3K: The Crawling Hand (1989) TV
• MST3K: The Dead Talk Back (1994) TV
• MST3K: The Giant Spider Invasion (1975) TV
• MST3K: The Girl in Gold Boots (1999) TV
• MST3K: The Indestructible Man (1988) TV
• MST3K: Tormented (1988) TV
• MST3K: Werewolf (1999) TV
• MST3K; Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders (1999) TV
• Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
• Network (1976)
• New Moon (2009)
• Outrageous Fortune (1987)
• Plantinum Blonde (1931)
• Pure Country (1992)
• Red Dust (1932)
• Red-Headed Woman (1932)
• Revolutionary Road (2008)
• RFK: His Life and Legacy (2009) TV
• RFK: His Many Sides (2005)
• Romance & Cigarettes (2005)
• Run Fatboy Run (2007)
• Shaun of the Dead (2004)
• Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)
• Still Waiting (2009)
• Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
• Taps (1981)
• The Amityville Horror (1979)
• The Great Gatsby (1974)
• The Hindenburg (1975)
• The Hoax (2006)
• The Hospital (1971)
• The Hustler (1961)
• The Last Days of Patton (1986)
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
• The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
• The Philadelphia Story (1940)
• The Reader (2008)
• The Searchers (1956)
• The Thorn Birds (1983) TV miniseries
• The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947)
• The Wackness (2008)
• The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl (1993)
• There's No Business Like Show Business (1954)
• They Might Be Giants (1971)
• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
• Uncommon Valor (1983)
• Valley of the Dolls (1967)