Season finale already

One of my favorite shows has its season finale Sunday. Breaking Bad on AMC is about a high school chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. To provide for his family after he is gone, he produces meth with a former student.

Preview for Sunday's Season 2 finale.

One of my other favorite AMC shows, Mad Men is set to return in August. That is too long of a wait for a great show like that.

Something I didn't except to hear

As I woke up from my nap this afternoon, my husband was walking toward me. He informed me that our two week trip to Japan had been canceled. The Japanese are afraid of the H1N1 virus.

I'm a little sad about the trip being canceled. It would have been my first trip overseas and on an airplane. The good news is that I get a full refund. Yea money!

Busy, Busy

I have been busy so far this week and its only Wednesday. Besides working in the morning on Tuesday, I worked most of the evening as well. Tuesday was our paper's county track invitational. My job was to photograph the boys track athletes. I always enjoy the meet. What I don't enjoy is all of the work after the meet is over.

I left the track at 8:30 p.m. I drove home and edited the photos on my computer. I finished editing around 9:20 p.m. and then had to print out the contact sheets. All 12 of them. When those were printed, I had to identify the kids in all 107 of my photos. Before leaving to go to the office, I burned a CD of the images. I left my house, drove to the office and loaded my photos onto my computer. I left work around 10 p.m. Finally when I got home, I ate dinner with my husband. I think I finally went to sleep after 11 p.m. I swear it was a short time later when the alarm clock went off. It went off at 4:05 a.m. to be exact.

I already worked my morning shift but I have to photograph two district soccer games back to back later today. I was looking forward to having this afternoon off because of the long day Tuesday. Since I don't have the rest of the day off, I had to rearrange my schedule. Instead of running 4 miles later, I ran them when I got home. After my shower, I need to start lunch. I hope to catch a quick nap, then it is back to my car to drive to the soccer games in the next county over. It is very humid today, so I can't wait to stand outside this afternoon.

Books read in 2009

I have been thankful for the long holiday weekend. I've been able to sit down and read for a long period of time. I haven't been able to do that since the winter sports season. I finished The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart by Mary S. Lovell Sunday evening. I started reading Eisenhower by Geoffrey Perret right after dinner. I continued reading until 11 p.m. and ended at page 70. Not bad for a couple of hours.

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

Currently Reading: Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret
Up Next: Library trip

The Tudors

I watched the Season three finale of The Tudors earlier this week with OnDemand. If you don't want to know what happens, stop reading now. I was sad to see Thomas Cromwell executed. The actor who played Cromwell, James Frain, was excellent. He did a wonderful job for the three seasons he was on the show.

His execution was awful. Sir Francis Bryan and Edward Seymour got the executioner drunk the night before. The day of the execution, he was hung over. Instead of beheading Cromwell with one swing, he had to do multiple swings. After three swings and the job still not done, the executioner was pushed out of the way and a guard finished the job. How awful. Especially for his son, who was in the crowd watching.

YouTube didn't have a link to the Cromwell execution yet. But I did find video of executions from the first two seasons. Don't worry, it is not gory.

Books read in 2009

I finished reading Last Flight by Amelia Earhart. She wrote the book along the way of her last flight before her disappearance. On her last stop before Howland Island, she wrote how excited she was that she was almost home. Too bad, she never made it that far.

A short video from National Geographic about Amelia:


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

Currently Reading: The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell
Up Next: Eisenhower, Geoffrey Perret

She never got the boy

I recently watched movies featuring the actress Rachel Ward. The movies were The Thorn Birds and Against All Odds.

In both movies, she is alone at the end and doesn't get the man she wants. In The Thorn Birds, her character Meggie can't be with Ralph because he was a priest and he also died. In Against All Odds, her character Jessie made a deal with Ben. If he doesn't kill her love Terry, she will do anything that he wants. What Ben wants is Jessie and Terry to stay apart.

The final scene of Against All Odds with one of the best songs ever, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" by Phil Collins:


The ending to The Thorn Birds:

For the fallen - Adrian, MI

Last Friday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day. I attended the ceremony that was held where I live. Roses were placed on an memorial wreath for the police officers that died in the line of duty in the county.

Books read in 2009

I finished the book Who Killed Bobby? by Shane O' Sullivan over the weekend. It was a good read. Who doesn't love conspiracy theories? Was the FBI or CIA involved? Was Sirhan Sirhan a "Manchurian Candidate"? Was there a second or possibly third shooter in the kitchen on that night? Who was the girl in the polka dotted dress? These answers will probably never been known. But it is always good to think about the possibilities.

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

Currently Reading: Last Flight, Amelia Earhart
Up Next: The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart, Mary S. Lovell

The Thorn Birds

I finished watching The Thorn Birds this morning. I have to say that I loved it. It was a great miniseries. Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward did a fantastic job with their characters. After everything Ralph and Meggie been through, they still weren't together at the end. I guess life doesn't always have a happy ending, or a movie ending.

This movie reminded me of something a friend said to me. He said that after seeing Phantom of the Opera (the play) five times, he always hoped Christine would end up with the Phantom. I felt the same way after seeing the play three times. I felt the same way about The Thorn Birds. I wanted Ralph to give up the church to be with his true love Meggie. He didn't because he loved God more. At the end, there was a chance for them to finally be together. WARNING SPOILER. But he died. I couldn't image a life with that much heartbreak.

I found a video that shows the lifelong relationship between Father Ralph and Meggie. The song is "Original Sin" by Elton John.

Random things

My first run after my doctor ordered a decrease in mileage wasn't good. My legs were really tired. If my doctor gave me the OK to run as much as I wanted, I don't think I could have even made it past 3 miles. I hope my run this afternoon will be better.

I was supposed to photograph a college regional baseball game Wednesday afternoon. The whole tournament was postponed a day due to rain. The tournament started back up at 10 a.m. this morning. The rain has cleared out and it is sunny. At game time the temperature is supposed to be 69 degrees and sunny. Should be some good baseball weather.

Since my game was postponed Tuesday, I watched the Disc One of The Thorn Birds. I mentioned before that I really liked the book. Add another one to the "like" column. I'm really enjoying the miniseries as well. The book and the miniseries are different. In the miniseries some parts are skipped over and have been changed. I really don't mind the changes. The storyline between Father Ralph and Meggie is great. Forbidden love always makes a good story. I will have to go without The Thorn Birds today. Disc Two should arrive in the mail by Saturday. I can't wait for it. I highly recommend both the book and the miniseries.

I watched the Cycle 12 finale of America's Next Top Model last night. I was disappointed by the results. Teyona was named the winner against Allison. I don't think she deserved it. The judges have been praising her the entire cycle, but I didn't think all of her photos were that spectacular. Allison had come from the bottom to be a contender. She improved her photos and her runway walk. Her CoverGirl commercial went well. She got her dialog down in a couple of takes and she walked great in the runway show. Teyona's CoverGirl commercial was horrible. She couldn't do the dialog without messing up. Her walk on the runway was OK. The judges even called her a robot, but let's give her the win. It doesn't hurt to be Tyra's favorite. I think Allison will do fine in the modeling world without winning. She will probably have more work then the winner Teyona.

I mentioned earlier that it rained yesterday. This morning a thunderstorm rolled through the area. Thunder woke me up this morning around 2:45 a.m. It was then that I heard the dogs trying to escape from the kitchen. To help ensure the dogs wouldn't escape, I had two chairs and the kitchen table in front of the gate. It did stop their escape attempt. I got out of bed, moved the table and chairs to let them out. I grabbed a blanket and laid down on the couch. The dogs were still scared. Instead of sitting on the floor by me, they decided to climb up on the couch on lay on me. There is nothing like two German Shepherd's laying on you. Kelly thought my head and back was comfortable and Blitzkrieg laid on my legs. I tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. The dogs couldn't keep still and kept moving around. Needless to say, I didn't get back to sleep. I finally got up at 3:55 a.m. to get ready for work. I was at work at 4:15 a.m.

Decrease again

I visited the foot doctor today. He told me that my heel is still inflamed. Which I think I knew. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory pill for me. I haven't been on those since I first got plantar fasciitis.

I told him about the pain I had in my leg last week and when I finish running I end up limping until the next day. He asked if I stretched, iced and wear my orthotics. I said I do. He told me to cut down my mileage again. He said no more then 3 miles a day. I asked him for how long. He said until the next time I come back, which is in two weeks. If the medication doesn't help my inflamed heel, the doctor said the next step is a shot in the foot. I'm really hoping the medication works. I think that I will probably have to end up getting the shots. I'm really not looking forward to those.

Miles run in 2009

I visit the foot doctor tomorrow. I hope he will tell me that my plantar fasciitis is getting better with the use of my orthotics. My heel felt good during my 4 mile run Sunday. Right after finishing running, I started to limp. I stretched and iced and the limping continued.

The pain I had in my lower left leg last week, has gone away. I went to Google and Web MD to find out what it was. I don't know if I'm right or not, but I think I had posterior shin splints.

2004: 112.9
2005: 151.0
2006: 187.6
2007: 181.3
2008: 370.5
2009: 355.4

More pain

Near the end of my 7 mile run Wednesday, a muscle on the inside of my leg was hurting. I kept going and I finished limping. I stretched, iced and hoped it would get better.

This morning, it was feeling a little better. I Googled leg muscles and found a illustration. I don't know which muscle it is exactly that is in pain. But I now know what the lower leg muscles are called. I'm unsure if this muscle pain is related to my orthotics, so I called my foot doctor to find out. The receptionist/office worker didn't know if the pain was due to my orthotics. I was supposed to go to the foot doctor next Friday. This appointment is a follow up for my orthotics. Now I will go in Tuesday. I hope that whatever is going on with this muscle is related to my orthotics. If it isn't and the pain doesn't go away, I will have to go see my regular doctor.

Attached is an illustration of leg muscles. My pain is from the Peronus longus muscle down to the Peroneus brevis muscle. It could be any of those. I don't know which one it is exactly.

Books read in 2009

I've said it before. I rarely read fiction. If I do, it has to be one that I've heard of. For a while I have been wanting to read The Thorn Birds due to mentions on Sex and the City and VH1's I Love the 80s. I really enjoyed the book and found it hard to stop reading. Now that I'm finished with the book, I'm waiting for the DVDs of the TV mini-series to be sent to my house from Netflix. I've read on many message boards that Richard Chamberlain is fantastic as Ralph de Bricassart. The tagline for the TV mini-series is Desire. Passion. Scandal. Can't wait to see it.

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

Currently Reading:
Up Next: Library trip

There's something about Amelia

Amelia Earhart has quickly become one of my favorite people to read about. Her story is very interesting. She was so close to finishing her trip around the globe with navigator Fred Noonan when they disappeared over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. There have been many theories about their disappearance. They crashed and sunk. They were spies for Franklin Roosevelt. They were captured by the Japanese and also they assumed another identity. It would be great to know one day what really happened to them, but it will probably remained unsolved.

One thing I did learn about Amelia is that she smiled with her mouth closed. She did that to hide a gap-toothed smile. Her wax figure at Madame Tussauds captured her smile well.

Queen of Terror

I decided to look this up on YouTube Sunday out of the blue. I didn't find it there, but through Google. When I watched it I could recite all of the dialog from memory. This sketch first appeared back in when I was in high school. I don't know what made me look it up after all of these years.


AGD - 02 - Queen of Terror

Disturbia - Onsted, MI

The Senior Elite Jazz Team from Encore Dance Studio was performing to the song "Disturbia" by Rihanna during rehearsals for the Onsted All Star Review on April 18, 2009.

Random things

It seems that every year when the weather is nice and my bedroom windows are open, it happens. The neighbors across the street in the rented apartments sit on their porch and talk, laugh, yell very loudly at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. It was a comfortable night so I wanted to let some air into the bedroom. Instead of air and the precious sleep, I hear four people yakking and laughing after 9 p.m. I know after 9 p.m. isn't late for most people, but most people don't get up for work at 4 a.m. I laid in bed for about five minutes hoping that they would be quiet or go inside. Nope. They didn't. I hopped out of bed and closed the windows. I laid back down and heard them still, only muffled. Ten or fifteen minutes later I finally fell asleep thanks to Tylenol PM. Before going to sleep I thought how would they like it if I sat on my porch very early in the morning and did exactly the same thing? I'm sure that they wouldn't like it.

I had two assignments to do later this afternoon so I rearranged my schedule. When I got home from work at 10:30 a.m., I changed my clothes and got on the treadmill for four miles. After the treadmill, I showered and woke my husband up for lunch. He didn't get out of bed for another 15 minutes, so that pushed lunch back farther. My hope was to eat lunch and take a quick nap before leaving. By the time lunch was over, there wasn't enough time to catch a nap. It had been raining in the county all day, I called the school I was supposed to photograph a track meet at to see if it was still going to be held. I was told that the track meet was canceled for today.

With one assignment out of the way, I got in my car and drove to the other assignment-spring team photos. I parked in the lot by the school and noticed that the portrait photographer's van wasn't anywhere in sight. I waited in my car hoping the photographer was on his way. Ten minutes before the photos were to be taken, I called my husband. I asked him to check my email. The coach emailed me a couple of weeks ago to tell me when spring photo day was. He looked in my email and couldn't find it. I guess I deleted it. I called the school to find out if the pictures were still going to be held. I was told that they were rescheduled. Rescheduled? I called the school back to talk to the athletic director. He told me that the photos were rescheduled for May. I'm glad that I drove all the way out to the school for nothing! GRRRR!

Both of my assignments for the day didn't pan out. I rearranged my schedule for nothing. One good thing about today, I sat on the couch and read my book.

Wikked Lil' Grrrls - Onsted, MI

The Junior Elite Jazz Team from Encore Dance Studio was performing to the song "Wikked Lil' Grrrls" by Esthero during rehearsals for the Onsted All Star Review on April 18, 2009.