Question for my readers:
If you glance at my sidebar, you'll notice that the next book I'm planning on reading is a big old "To Be Determined." Now, I have two choices, but I'm not sure which one I should choose. Which is where you're help comes in.
I just started Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix this weekend, meaning I still have to read Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince before the final installment is released in July. Now if it takes me longer than I'm expecting to read Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, my book choice is solved for me, I'll just dive right into Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince.
But let's say I finish Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix quicker than I expect, I have The Memory Keeper's Daughter checked out from the library. Anyone heard anything good about this book? Recommendations? Should I read it as soon as possible, don't even bother reading it or read it when I finish up with Harry's adventures at Hogwarts?
Let me know what you think, and keep an eye on my sidebar to find out what I decide to do.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Scrub brushes or bike rides, it's not a tough choice
I really should have spent some time cleaning my bathroom today. It needs it, but I hate cleaning the bathroom.
But instead of heading into the bathroom armed with a scrubbing brush, Windex and bathroom cleaner, I filled up my water bottle and headed out on my bike.
In my defense, it was sunny and in the mid-80s, weather that was much more appropriate for biking riding than bathroom cleaning.
I took a nice 11 mile ride from my apartment to Menominee Park, through some of the park trails and back home. It was a little windy on the way back, but nothing too bad. I'm pretty good at slathering my face with sunscreen before I head out, but I tend to forget other body parts on a regular basis. Today, it was my shoulders, so I have two patches of pink on my shoulder blades. Oh well.
After I got home, I decided to head up to Mom and Dad's house for dinner, because they were pulling out the grill. Even though I have a little grill, it's useless to me since it doesn't work. So I have to take advantage of the grill at my parents' house.
Now I just have to see if I can stay awake another hour or so until my laundry is done. Normally it wouldn't be a difficult task, but considering I went to bed last night, actually this morning, when the birds were waking up at daybreak, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Oh well, at least I know I'll sleep good tonight.
But instead of heading into the bathroom armed with a scrubbing brush, Windex and bathroom cleaner, I filled up my water bottle and headed out on my bike.
In my defense, it was sunny and in the mid-80s, weather that was much more appropriate for biking riding than bathroom cleaning.
I took a nice 11 mile ride from my apartment to Menominee Park, through some of the park trails and back home. It was a little windy on the way back, but nothing too bad. I'm pretty good at slathering my face with sunscreen before I head out, but I tend to forget other body parts on a regular basis. Today, it was my shoulders, so I have two patches of pink on my shoulder blades. Oh well.
After I got home, I decided to head up to Mom and Dad's house for dinner, because they were pulling out the grill. Even though I have a little grill, it's useless to me since it doesn't work. So I have to take advantage of the grill at my parents' house.
Now I just have to see if I can stay awake another hour or so until my laundry is done. Normally it wouldn't be a difficult task, but considering I went to bed last night, actually this morning, when the birds were waking up at daybreak, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Oh well, at least I know I'll sleep good tonight.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
A dayoff report
Since I'm pulling the weekend reporter duty, I had today off to do whatever I pleased.
After sleeping a little later than usual, I crawled out of bed, laced up my sneakers and headed out for a run. With weather forecasts calling for highs in the mid to upper 80s and lots of humidity, I wanted to run while it was still somewhat tolerable out. When I headed out at 9 a.m., the mercury in the thermometers was already passing 76 degrees, you could feel the wetness in the air and it was quite gusty. But it was OK and I'm happy to report that the 3 miles I ran today were easier than the 3 miles I ran last weekend at the Lake Fly 5K. Looks like I'm getting back on track post Great Neck Slicing.
The only problem with today's run, I had to do battle with the construction crew that's decided to repave the road I begin and end my run on. Looks like I'll be heading out to the park or the Wiouwash Trail again in the near future.
Afterwards, I pointed my car north and headed towards my parents' house. My little blue Focus was in need of a 30,000 mile maintenance appointment, otherwise known as the ridiculously expensive maintenance package. But four hours and way too much money later, my car is set and I should only have to worry about oil changes and tire rotations for the next 2 or 3 years. At least that's the plan.
Originally I had planned to head back to The City on the Water after my car was done, but the weathermen were predicting some pretty nasty weather. It was supposed to hit during the late afternoon hours. I admit, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to storms. Maybe it was that whole 3 month period when I lived in Indiana and all it seemed to do was storm so bad with constant lightning that it felt like it was mid-afternoon when it was really 2 a.m. So I get a little nervous when nasty weather approaches, but I can usually handle it without hyperventilating.
Today, when they started cancelling things left and right because of the potential nasty weather, I decided if it was in the cards that I was going to die in a severe storm or tornado, I was at least going to do it along with my parents, in their basement.
Well it turns out it was all for nothing, since we didn't get a drop of rain and just a few clouds. Oh well, at least my Dad bought me dinner.
And that's all I have to report for today.
After sleeping a little later than usual, I crawled out of bed, laced up my sneakers and headed out for a run. With weather forecasts calling for highs in the mid to upper 80s and lots of humidity, I wanted to run while it was still somewhat tolerable out. When I headed out at 9 a.m., the mercury in the thermometers was already passing 76 degrees, you could feel the wetness in the air and it was quite gusty. But it was OK and I'm happy to report that the 3 miles I ran today were easier than the 3 miles I ran last weekend at the Lake Fly 5K. Looks like I'm getting back on track post Great Neck Slicing.
The only problem with today's run, I had to do battle with the construction crew that's decided to repave the road I begin and end my run on. Looks like I'll be heading out to the park or the Wiouwash Trail again in the near future.
Afterwards, I pointed my car north and headed towards my parents' house. My little blue Focus was in need of a 30,000 mile maintenance appointment, otherwise known as the ridiculously expensive maintenance package. But four hours and way too much money later, my car is set and I should only have to worry about oil changes and tire rotations for the next 2 or 3 years. At least that's the plan.
Originally I had planned to head back to The City on the Water after my car was done, but the weathermen were predicting some pretty nasty weather. It was supposed to hit during the late afternoon hours. I admit, I'm kind of a wuss when it comes to storms. Maybe it was that whole 3 month period when I lived in Indiana and all it seemed to do was storm so bad with constant lightning that it felt like it was mid-afternoon when it was really 2 a.m. So I get a little nervous when nasty weather approaches, but I can usually handle it without hyperventilating.
Today, when they started cancelling things left and right because of the potential nasty weather, I decided if it was in the cards that I was going to die in a severe storm or tornado, I was at least going to do it along with my parents, in their basement.
Well it turns out it was all for nothing, since we didn't get a drop of rain and just a few clouds. Oh well, at least my Dad bought me dinner.
And that's all I have to report for today.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
I hope I'll be able to hear you now
Remember that new cellphone I got? Well I returned it today.
Turns out I really like having a phone where I can carry on a conversation without repeating, "Can you hear me now?" or "I can't hear you, you're breaking up." Not hearing scratchy background noise is nice as is the ability to complete an entire phone call without you call being lost.
With that so-called great phone that I purchased with my new contract, I got all the bells and whistles on the phone, an MP3 player, a camera and video camera. But I also got a bunch of lost calls, static sounds and lost words.
Not such a good deal when the cellphone is your primary phone and you also use it for work occasionally.
I tried taking it back over the weekend. Instead of helping me out, the friendly folks at Verizon punched a few buttons and made it worse. So after work tonight, I headed back to Verizon intent on walking out of the store with a different phone in hand. Luckily, I got a salesman who was willing to help me out and listen to my problems. So after about 45 minutes, I did get to walk out of the store with a different phone.
It hasn't rung yet and I haven't had to make a phone call yet, but I'm crossing my fingers that I'll no longer have to deal with missing words, static or lost calls.
Turns out I really like having a phone where I can carry on a conversation without repeating, "Can you hear me now?" or "I can't hear you, you're breaking up." Not hearing scratchy background noise is nice as is the ability to complete an entire phone call without you call being lost.
With that so-called great phone that I purchased with my new contract, I got all the bells and whistles on the phone, an MP3 player, a camera and video camera. But I also got a bunch of lost calls, static sounds and lost words.
Not such a good deal when the cellphone is your primary phone and you also use it for work occasionally.
I tried taking it back over the weekend. Instead of helping me out, the friendly folks at Verizon punched a few buttons and made it worse. So after work tonight, I headed back to Verizon intent on walking out of the store with a different phone in hand. Luckily, I got a salesman who was willing to help me out and listen to my problems. So after about 45 minutes, I did get to walk out of the store with a different phone.
It hasn't rung yet and I haven't had to make a phone call yet, but I'm crossing my fingers that I'll no longer have to deal with missing words, static or lost calls.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
You want how much?
Did The Great Neck Slicing of 2007 sound like so much fun that you found yourself rushing out to find a doctor who would be willing to remove a golf ball from your neck?
Before you make the appointment to get sliced open, wait a minute.
I'm going to offer you a word of warning, something that I'm coming to realize very quickly as the bills start rolling in...slicing open your neck is quite costly.
I'm talking five figures. Luckily, I have insurance and that will take care of a large portion of it. But still, the chunk I'm responsible for paying will most likely top four figures by the time all is said and done. And that's a lot of George Washingtons (and Abe Lincolns) that I could find so many better ways to spend (or save).
If dollars and cents aren't an issue for you, by all means, find that surgeon who's willing to sharpen his scalpel and make the incision in your neck. Because if pain is what you enjoy, a neck slicing will be right up your alley.
Before you make the appointment to get sliced open, wait a minute.
I'm going to offer you a word of warning, something that I'm coming to realize very quickly as the bills start rolling in...slicing open your neck is quite costly.
I'm talking five figures. Luckily, I have insurance and that will take care of a large portion of it. But still, the chunk I'm responsible for paying will most likely top four figures by the time all is said and done. And that's a lot of George Washingtons (and Abe Lincolns) that I could find so many better ways to spend (or save).
If dollars and cents aren't an issue for you, by all means, find that surgeon who's willing to sharpen his scalpel and make the incision in your neck. Because if pain is what you enjoy, a neck slicing will be right up your alley.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
No lake flies were to be found
The good news is, I wasn't found lying in a crumpled head somewhere around mile 1.9. And I wasn't the last runner to cross the finish line.
I survived the Lake Fly 5K yesterday. That's not to say it was a completely enjoyable run.
The run itself, along the river, wasn't too bad. Even though I had to dodge the piles of goose poop and a few dead fish, I did manage to see a turtle hanging out in the grass along the path. What made the run somewhat miserable was Mother Nature. Even though it was bright and sunny when I left my apartment an hour before the race, by the time the race started, it had conveniently started raining. It wasn't a downpour or anything, but it was a steady rain, that made it feel even more humid than it already was. And it kept raining the entire race, making the metal lift bridge we had to run over a bit treacherous. Of course, it stopped raining as soon as I crossed the finish line.
There wasn't a huge turnout, maybe about 200 people, with a good chunk deciding to walk the course. In terms of the runners, I was near the end. I think there were three girls who finished after me and of course all of the people who chose to walk. Surprisingly, the three miles wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I ended up running the entire course, which I thought was pretty good since I felt like dying earlier this week after 2 miles.
There was no "official" timer thing at the end, and of course my watch didn't work, so I didn't figure out my time until I after I got home and added up the lengths of the songs that shuffled through my MP3 player. And I was surprised. According to the MP3 player, I finished around 30 minutes, 50 seconds, almost a minute and a half faster than my Oshkosh 5K time. That didn't sound right to me, but I did the math a few times and kept coming up with that same answer. So maybe I wasn't running as slow as I thought.
All in all, I got what I wanted out of the Lake Fly 5K. It was a way for me to work my way back into running after the Great Neck Slicing of 2007.
I survived the Lake Fly 5K yesterday. That's not to say it was a completely enjoyable run.
The run itself, along the river, wasn't too bad. Even though I had to dodge the piles of goose poop and a few dead fish, I did manage to see a turtle hanging out in the grass along the path. What made the run somewhat miserable was Mother Nature. Even though it was bright and sunny when I left my apartment an hour before the race, by the time the race started, it had conveniently started raining. It wasn't a downpour or anything, but it was a steady rain, that made it feel even more humid than it already was. And it kept raining the entire race, making the metal lift bridge we had to run over a bit treacherous. Of course, it stopped raining as soon as I crossed the finish line.
There wasn't a huge turnout, maybe about 200 people, with a good chunk deciding to walk the course. In terms of the runners, I was near the end. I think there were three girls who finished after me and of course all of the people who chose to walk. Surprisingly, the three miles wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I ended up running the entire course, which I thought was pretty good since I felt like dying earlier this week after 2 miles.
There was no "official" timer thing at the end, and of course my watch didn't work, so I didn't figure out my time until I after I got home and added up the lengths of the songs that shuffled through my MP3 player. And I was surprised. According to the MP3 player, I finished around 30 minutes, 50 seconds, almost a minute and a half faster than my Oshkosh 5K time. That didn't sound right to me, but I did the math a few times and kept coming up with that same answer. So maybe I wasn't running as slow as I thought.
All in all, I got what I wanted out of the Lake Fly 5K. It was a way for me to work my way back into running after the Great Neck Slicing of 2007.
Friday, June 1, 2007
The wheels kept turning
My bike, the one my dad made all spiffy back in April, has been feeling a bit neglected.
It's been sitting there, parked underneath the shelf in my garage. Everyday I go to get in my car to leave for work it just looks at me. If bikes had eyes, this one would have those pleading, puppy dog eyes that just scream, "Take me for a bike ride!"
So today, I did.
Granted, it wasn't the most beautiful day, although it was a bit cooler, it was still pretty humid. By the time I left work it was starting to get cloudy. But my bike still called. So I took it out for a 6-mile spin. I could have gone farther, and wanted to keep pedaling, but by the time I started heading back for my apartment, the wind had picked up and the fluffy white clouds that were in the sky when I left work had turned kind of nasty looking. Since I really didn't want to get stuck in a storm on my bike, I headed home. I made it with just enough to read for about 20 minutes before taking a shower. Then the thunder started rumbling, the lightning started flashing and the downpour began.
The bike ride was good though. Now let's just hope tomorrow's Lake Fly 5K goes OK.
It's been sitting there, parked underneath the shelf in my garage. Everyday I go to get in my car to leave for work it just looks at me. If bikes had eyes, this one would have those pleading, puppy dog eyes that just scream, "Take me for a bike ride!"
So today, I did.
Granted, it wasn't the most beautiful day, although it was a bit cooler, it was still pretty humid. By the time I left work it was starting to get cloudy. But my bike still called. So I took it out for a 6-mile spin. I could have gone farther, and wanted to keep pedaling, but by the time I started heading back for my apartment, the wind had picked up and the fluffy white clouds that were in the sky when I left work had turned kind of nasty looking. Since I really didn't want to get stuck in a storm on my bike, I headed home. I made it with just enough to read for about 20 minutes before taking a shower. Then the thunder started rumbling, the lightning started flashing and the downpour began.
The bike ride was good though. Now let's just hope tomorrow's Lake Fly 5K goes OK.
The pages didn't get turned very often last month
I have to admit, not many pages got read during May. Yes I finished four books for a total of 1,327 pages, but you have to put it in perspective. One of those books I started reading back in FEBRUARY. Yes, the second month of the year, when we got hammered with snow. And it would have only been three books, but I cracked down and made myself finish the book I was reading last night, when I would have rather been doing something else.
But the four books I read during May brings my 2007 total to 25 books and 8,465 pages. Not too bad.
So here's what I worked my way through this month:
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
The 25 Greatest Moments in Camp Randall History by Mike Lucas
Off Main Street: Barnstormer's, Prophets & Gatemouth's Gator by Michael Perry
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
And speaking of Jodi Picoult, I've decided to take a hiatus from reading anything she's written. No more Jodi until at least 2008. It's mostly because I was so totally able to predict the twist in Nineteen Minutes a full 200 pages before the twist was revealed! I think that's partly due to the fact that I've read four of her books since Jan. 1. So Jodi, it was nice knowing you, but I'll see you again in 2008.
After a short break, I've decided to return to my task of rereading the Harry Potter books in anticipation of the seventh installment's release in July. I've only got three more, but of course they all check in at more than 700 pages. I've made a very tiny dent, as in maybe 50 pages, in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire since I started it last night.
But the four books I read during May brings my 2007 total to 25 books and 8,465 pages. Not too bad.
So here's what I worked my way through this month:
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
The 25 Greatest Moments in Camp Randall History by Mike Lucas
Off Main Street: Barnstormer's, Prophets & Gatemouth's Gator by Michael Perry
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
And speaking of Jodi Picoult, I've decided to take a hiatus from reading anything she's written. No more Jodi until at least 2008. It's mostly because I was so totally able to predict the twist in Nineteen Minutes a full 200 pages before the twist was revealed! I think that's partly due to the fact that I've read four of her books since Jan. 1. So Jodi, it was nice knowing you, but I'll see you again in 2008.
After a short break, I've decided to return to my task of rereading the Harry Potter books in anticipation of the seventh installment's release in July. I've only got three more, but of course they all check in at more than 700 pages. I've made a very tiny dent, as in maybe 50 pages, in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire since I started it last night.
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