So, what's new with Mark?

Tonight we get two of the best ever episodes of Babylon 5. I can't wait!

Really, the last couple of days have been fairly quiet. The biggest news (the review being posted on the publisher's website) I reported yesterday.

I did pick up Brother Bear and Glorious Appearing at lunch yesterday. I finished High Rhymes and got about 50 pages into Glorious Appearing. So far, I'm fairly happy with it. Especially since they've explained one of my biggest problems with the last book. Still not sure how they're going to keep us entertained for the next 350 pages, but I guess I'll find out soon enough.

You, know, last week, I gave Mary a hard time for not doing a Tuesday Two for a while, then when she did one, I forgot to do it. Silly me.

1. In honor of the above “Off like a dirty shirt”, which expression do you use a lot, and where did it come from?
As I said in Donald and Heather's toast, I have a tendency to drive cliches into the ground. A personally favorite is still "With friends like these, who needs enemies." Seems like it get to use it quite often, too. I also like to give an innocent "Yo?" Then there's "I'm innocent!" "Wasn't me, I didn't do it!" "Just how stupid do you think I am don't answer that." As you can tell most of these I can't tell you were they originated from.

2. What nicknames do you, or have you, had?
About the only nickname I can ever come up with is "The Biz" that one of my supervisors gave me the summer I worked at Windsor Water Works. Other then that, can't think of a one.

And finally, I need to do El's quiz:


You are Blue Bell Knoll. Brilliant, bright,
blissful, and richly textured.


Which Cocteau Twins album are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Sounds good to me. :)

Since it's Tuesday and I have yet to do this week's word association game, thought I'd take a moment to do that.

1. Pitbull:: mean dog
   
2. TD:: Jakes
   
3. Carter:: President
   
4. Japan:: Good Cars and electronics
   
5. 50:: 100
   
6. Streak:: Green (more on this in a minute)
   
7. Rifle:: gun
   
8. Trap:: hunter
   
9. Easter:: He is Risen!!!!!!
   
10. Mitt:: ball
    

I think I've mentioned that I have received my first complimentary book to review at Amazon. Green Streak by uncle/nephew team Daniel J. Hale and Matthew LaBrot. Well, they liked my review so much (which has yet to show up at Amazon!) that they've posted it on the site for the book. I really feel honored now!

Forgive me if I'm a bit distracted today, but I got absolutely wonderful news today. (In a shallow kinda way.)

Wonder Woman is coming to DVD. Now I bet you didn't realise I was a fan boy of WW, but I am. She is my favorite superhero bar none. And I just love the TV series in a cheesy sorta way. I never expected the series to hit DVD and haven't seen it in ages, so you can bet I'm not counting the days until June 29th. So far it's just season 1, and I'm not as big a fan of the WWII stuff on the show, but I'll take it. And, hopefully, this means seasons 2 and 3 will follow. The problem is this will make me want to perfect my Wonder Woman triwl again. Something tells me it would freak my roommates out. :)

Now, if they'll just follow suit with The Greatest American Hero, I'd be walking on air.

I told you it was shallow.

Well, I survived the weekend (just in case you haven't figured it out yet.) I'm sure the kids hate me worse the they used to because I was constantly harping on them to go to sleep Friday night (granted it was after midnight) and then trying to keep them together in a group when we were walking all over town.

Maybe I should back up and explain what we did to you.

Our activity for the month was "24 Hours of Missions." We met at the church Friday night and had some special speakers on missions and specific countries plus a movie (that we spead out over the entire 24 hours.) Then we slept.

We got up early Saturday morning (like 6 AM) to catch the Metrolink (commuter train) to downtown LA. There, we went to Olvera street (Hispanic culture) and Little Tokyo and explored while getting stuff for a scavenger hunt and trying new foods. After lunch, we headed to Pasadena on another commuter train, then took a bus to the Center for World Missions. After a tour there, we had dinner and headed home for our final wrap up.

The kids seemed to get more out of it then I did. Then again, they weren't preoccupided with keeping track of six kids at all times. :)

Yesterday, I headed back to Santa Monica one last time for ultimate on the beach. So far, I'm not even a little sore. I'll let you know if I'm limping like normal tomorrow.

Of course, with all this going on, I didn't get much beyond the half way point of High Rhymes and Misdemeanors. Which is a real shame because I'm loving it. We'll see how far I get tonight.

Is this the only quiz I'm missing right now? I'm sure I'll find more tomorrow. :)

My top spots to live:

1) Hickory, NC
2) Jacksonville, FL
3) Norfolk, VA
4) Tulsa, OK
5) Charleston, SC
6) Ocala, FL
7) Biloxbi, MS
8) Clarksville, TN
9) Gainesville, FL
10) Greenville, SC

And the list goes on like that. Me thinks they are a tad biased toward the East Coast since I said I didn't want to deal with humidity and I wanted to live in the Pacific area, but they still gave me all selections from the deep south.

And I thought I was happy here in Southern CA. :)

Not much new to report. I'm tired and just want to sleep. Not the best thing when you're facing 24 hours with jr. highers. And I still need to get the songs we're doing tonight done in Access for the projector, don't I?

I haven't commented on the assassination of that Hamas guy yet, have I? Anyone care to guess my opinion? Yep, I'm thrilled. And anyone who thinks that America should be fighting a war on terror yet doesn't want Israel to defend itself is a hypocrit of the first order.

Any other questions? :)

While we're on the subject of war on terror stuff, I've been following this Richard Clarke thing very closely. If it were so biasedly reported, it'd be funny. Or sad, depending on how you look at it. This guy can't seem to get his story straight. He's talking out of both sides of his mouth under oath! Either he's lied this time around to promote his book or he's lied in the past to keep his job. Either way, I don't trust him and I'm glad he's no longer terrorism czar. What I want to know is how long will it be before the press calls it like it is.

And if you are missing the other side of the story (the parts the major media don't want you to know about), check out Instapundit and just keep scrolling.

I'm waiting for the story that the news media will collectively be caught with their pants down on. This may be it. It will get very interesting before it is all over.

And, finally, because Mary hasn't done a Tuesday Two in forever, I'm going to steal her Friday Five.

1. If you found a $20 bill on the ground, would you try and find out who it belonged to, or keep it.

It would depend on where it was. In a store? Try to find the owner or at least turn it into lost and found. In an outside place? Probably keep it. Look around to see if anyone was chasing it first, but then just put it in my wallet.

2. If you came upon two people having sex and could watch without being seen, would you watch, or leave?

I'm not completely sure you can even say having sex here.

3. When a song you really love, and that you know all the words to, comes on, would you pretend you're holding a microphone and sing along?

If I'm in a silly enough mood. There are enough songs I know all the words to that if I did that every time it happened, I'd never get anything done.

4. Do you ever pick your nose?

I agree with Mary. They aren't going to leave my nose on their own.

5. Do you like to dance around your house naked?

Fortunately no. If I did, my roommates would all leave in terror, thinking I was stranger then I already am.

Oh, did I forget to post a TMI warning for this quiz? :) Ok, so I was feeling a little silly and not like my normal self. Hope you enjoyed even though it's not something I'd normally talk about.

Guess what! It's time for this week's Thursday Threesome, brought to us this week by Norton and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Computer- What was/is your first computer? A clunky old Commodore or something a touch more modern?
My first computer? Well, if you count my Brother word processor, it would be that. My first real computer was either a 386 or 486 after I was out of college. Frankly, I don’t remember which it was.

Twosome: Anti-Virus- Have you ever had a computer virus? How bad was it? Or are you one of the lucky ones who have managed to avoid them?
I’ve had them isolated by my anti-virus. I believe that’s the closest I’ve come. But it could be it was so painful I’m blocking it out of my memory.

Threesome: Software- What piece of software really made you more productive on your computer. ...or, as in my case, less productive? *g*
Excel gets lots of use at work. However, if I turn on AIM and MSN communicator at home, I will get nothing done. Especially now that I have local friends on my list. Funny thing, they tend to be on the computer same hours I am.

Last night was a major disappointment!

We had tickets to go to a taping of a sit com. Specifically, Reba. Bascially, this is the only sit com I really enjoy anymore. I came into work early and skipped my lunch so we could get down to the studio in time. Since Jeff was running late, we left about 20 minutes later then I wanted to. But we still made it down there on time.

Only to wait. Basically, we were well beyond the crowd they knew they could get in. So we waited. And inched forward. And waited. Fifteen minutes before the taping started, we were told that if the production seats weren't filled, we'd get in. Otherwise, we were out of luck. So we waited some more. About 10 minutes after taping was supposed to start, we got the word. We were out of luck. We did get autographed picutres of Reba and a voucher for a "front of the line" pass at a future taping. But my heart was set on that last night, so I was rather disappointed.

Since it was still rush hour, we decided to drive around Beverly Hills and Hollywood for a while. Jeff claimed he knew where we were going, but he sure did seem to constantly be turned around. Still, we did make it to downtown Hollywood and did the tourestry things like look at stars names on the sidewalk and look for them in the cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. Found Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart amoung others. What surprises me is some of the new ones they have. I mean, eventually they will run out of space, right?

I've now done my tourist duty for another 8 years, right? (That's how long it's been since the last time I was there.)

It made for an ok evening, but not what I would have done had I known. A local theater company was holding auditions for "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" last night. I would have auditioned had I known. I've always said (to myself) that if I found out about auditions, I would. I know I never would have gotten the part, but I'd like to at least say I tried. O well, next time, right?

In other news, I finished a Buried Lie Monday night after buying The Mystery off Glen Road. I've started my reread of that to review. Warning to all you Trixie fans, it will be negative. I really dislike this book!

I found my way back to the message board I quit six weeks ago today looking for some specific information. Found out my fiend left 20 days after I did, but rather publicly. He was upset because the moderator asked him to reign in his out of control rehtoric a bit and when he didn't, she installed a limit on how often he could post in a day. You don't play by the rules, you face the consequences. Will I be going back? No, because there are others there just as arrogant as he was, only less outwardly hostile. Plus I can't stand the moderator anymore because of how she thought he did nothing wrong. The only reason she stepped in like she did was because of lots of e-mails. Frankly, I'd like to know who because it wasn't from me or any of the others who I would have guessed they'd be from on the board. I've lost respect for many of the people there I didn't agree with because they refused to take my side on the personal attacks (and they were, no matter what anyone tells you) until I left. Then they ask me to come back. Why be surprised when I don't. :)

That went much longer then I meant it to go.

I know I'm behind on quizzes, so here's a new one no one else has done yet. :)



And now for some that are making the rounds:



Glad I have that cleared up. :)


The Completely Pointless Personality Quiz

I'm hoping that's a random thing and not a sign of things to come. :)

Maybe I'd better stop before it gets worse.

It's Tuesday, so that must mean it's time for the word association game this week. Or past time. Or something.

1. Wife:: Husband
   
2. Criminal:: Intent (And I don't even watch Law and Order)
   
3. Campaign:: Election
   
4. Infection:: Anti-biotic
   
5. Portland:: Oregon
   
6. NASCAR:: car race
   
7. IMAX:: Beauty and the Beast (even though it wasn't really an IMAX movie)
   
8. Martian:: Alien
   
9. Nike:: Shoes
   
10. Trial:: Court
    

No, really, I am back in town.

Actually, I got back about midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. I intended to blog yesterday, but didn't get around to it. Too many message boards and too many new posts while I was gone.

Let's start at the beginning....

Thursday, Pete and I left after work and headed up to Donald's parent's house, where we proceded to stay up until 1:30 AM playing Dr. Mario. Not the best start to weekend sleep wise.

Friday, we slept in and left about noon to go the rest of the way to the wedding site. Got there late afternoon and met up with Donald. The men got our tuxes and then we went to the church for the rehersal. What followed was the rehersal dinner and the wedding eve party.

What am I leaving out of that brief description? Friday morning, I wrote draft three of my best man toast. And between the tuxes and rehersal, we stopped at a used bookstore so I could buy out their supply of Trixie paperbacks. (Most have already found a home, too.)

I've teased about the wedding eve party before, but it seems like it was a huge success. Basically, we play "Carnium: The Heather Edition." I'd asked Donald's fiancee a bunch of questions and mixed them in with movie titles for charades, song titles for him to whistle, and pictionary. The catch was, all of these had something to do with a wedding, or, in the case of the song titles, romance. I owe a big thanks to Mary and Eric for helping me brainstorm these ideas in IM one night.

We didn't get started until about 10:30 PM, so the night was much later then I had intended it to be.

Saturday, we got up and going in spurts and starts. I hadn't communicated my intentions when it came to decorating the car to the other groomsmen adiquately, so everyone else was very slow getting going in the morning. But that was ok because it gave me time to write draft #4 of the toast. Who says I'm not obsessive about stuff! Of course, part of that was because, after I saw what Donald had written in the wedding program about me, I had to change it again. :) Make it funnier, if you can believe that.

Anyway, we finally did get to the church and get all dressed. We were supposed to try to do pictures before the ceremony, but the groomsmen weren't needed for a little while, so we headed out and did the car then. Just a few balloons and streamers plus some car window chalk that washes off right away. Heck, we even gave them Windex to clean their windows with. :) Then came pictures and the wedding itself. And more pictures, since you never allow enough time for that.

Then was the reception. Being best man, I was made master of ceremonies. That kept me hoping trying to figure out the proper order and timing of things. Fortunately, I had major help in that reguard from Heather's sister, the maid of honor. I honestly would have fallen flat on my face without her. My toast, by this point we're on version 4.5, was a huge success. I'm judging by the fact that Heather and Donald loved it. We got them out the door later then originally planned. I haven't heard yet, but I'm assuming they made their plane for their honeymoon ok. Once we'd changed and cleaned up, Pete and I headed for home. It's a five hour drive, hence the reason we got in so late.

So, can you blaim me for moving slowly yesterday? I misset my alarm clock and overslept, completely missing church. I'm a little surprised I haven't been tired all day. After yesterday, I figured I'd be dragging like you wouldn't believe. But here I am well rested.

I had a great time, in case you couldn't tell. It was truly an honor to serve my friends in that way. I just hope they had as good a time as I did.

I almost forgot this week's Thursday Threesome. Can you believe it? Me, neither! (Brought to us by The Back Porch.)

Onesome: Blog: -- How long have you been a member of the blogosphere? ...and from a different angle: how long have you been on the Net?
I’ve been blogging for just over two years now. But I’ve been on the net at various sites for 8 years.

Twosome: Design-- Do you do your own design work for your site? ...and if not, where are you finding templates you like?
I just use the standard templates Blogger offers. I know nothing about HTML. But, speaking of which, it’s about time I change this blog around.

Threesome: Exchange-- ...and while we're on the Net, have you ever participated in any of the Net "exchanges" such as recipes, Christmas ornaments, site exchanges, guest blogging or related things?
I’ve guest blogged on a couple different sites, and I’m a member of a group blog. Two actually, not that I’ve been anywhere near it since I sign up.

Speaking of guilty, I missed wishing you both a Happy St. Patrick's Day and to watch out on the Ides of March. Not only that, but I didn't mention that last Tuesday (the 9th) would have been Grandma Baker's 82 birthday if we hadn't lost her in December.

Jeremiah, one of "the convention" for the last two years, is back in town for Spring break. Man, I've missed that guy! He joined us last night for Babylon 5. He was a little lost, but seemed to really enjoy it.

I'm leaving right after work for Donald wedding and won't be able to check in until later this weekend, so have a good one!

Hay, remember me? I'm the guy who used to blog here regularly. Before I got lazy.

Actually, I've just had to put my productive energies into something more constructive, like my best man duties for Donald's wedding. I have a toast written, but I'm just not sure if it's any good or not. And this was the one part I wanted to be sure to do myself. But I may have to ask some advice on it. I've really never close attention to toasts before, so I feel like I'm making it up from scratch without knowing what works and what does work.

Fortunately, the wedding eve party is coming together nicely. Just need to get the final organization done since I'm leaving Thursday right after work. (Still can't tell you any more then that. Donald might see.)

So, what else have I been up to? Slacking off, doing nothing productive on Saturday. Went down and played ultimate again on Sunday. I thought that day my legs were doing better, but they've been just as sore as last time, but in a good way.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't nearly as nice Sunday as it was the week before. Beautiful day here in Santa Clarita, but foggy and almost cold in Santa Monica. If you sat out very many points, you were guarenteed to get cold. And, it seems I had a hard time getting in for the first hour and a half I was there. But as people started dropping out, it became easier to get in and stay warm. Still glad I went, though I went no where near the water.

Last night was when I got the most done toward the party Friday night. Even got the answered I needed from Donald's fiancee. Finally. We really should not have a lazy person like me in charge of stuff like that. At least it's nothing super important.

So, finally, the pie quiz:


find your inner PIE @ stvlive.com

Did you think I wouldn't check in over the weekend? Of course not. I've got to do the word association game. And, yeah, I still have 20 minutes before Alias even starts. :)

1. Old Navy:: Annoying Commercials
   
2. Out:: In
   
3. Indecent:: Exposure
   
4. UPN:: Enterprise
   
5. Pupil:: teacher
   
6. Toothpaste:: toothbrush
   
7. 1999:: Last year of the last millinium. (I don't care what anyone says, that's the truth!)
   
8. Passion:: of the Christ
   
9. Social security:: What I will never see a dime of (and yes, I'm mad about it, why do you ask?)
   
10. Cliff:: hanger
    

Well, now I feel like a heal. For the last couple of days, Phil and Jason have been trying to get the statement of cash flow account to balance. I found the problem in about 5 minutes this afternoon, and it was a journal entry I had entered wrong. I never even thought the accounts in question could have been part of the problem since they are never out of balance except maybe once every two years. And I made a stupid mistake on the journal entry, too. Oops.

Those whose eyes glazed over by my talking about accounting can now focus again. I'm moving on.

Speaking of oops, I realized half way to work this morning that I didn't shave all of my face today. Shave the right side and the neck, but completely forgot the left side. Don't really know if anyone noticed, but it feels funny.

I think gas prices have finally stablized. Two weeks ago, they were going up 4 or 5 cents a day. This week, they've actually gone down 2 cents. Of course, when the cheap stuff is $2.11 a gallon, still, it's not worth celebrating over too much.

And some things to reply to.

For those dying of curiosity, the cake my co-worker made for my birthday was a yellow cake with chocolate frosting. And I did buy ice cream on the way home, Monday. Breyer's Duelce de Lece, or however it's spelled. Basically, caramel with caramel swirls in it. I couldn't find my first choice, Breyer's French Vanilla. That stuff is wonderful. (Happy now, Jan?)

My wonderful typos struck again, Mary. I meant ping! Ping.

And, El, I clicked the yes, and I see a field of a title in my new post screen. I just need to figure out how to edit my template to allow that in. Haven't looked that closely at the instructions yet. :) Will probably do that some year.

And, time to finish off the work week with some quizzes.

Your Superhero Identity For Today Is:

Name: Green Panther
Secret Identity: Mark Baker
Special Power: Twisting Finger
Transportation: Electric Scooter
Weapon: Ice Rifle
Costume: Lead Gauntlets
Sidekick: Ginger
Nemesis: Marvin the Younger
Tragic Flaw: Addicted to love
Favorite Food: French Fries

Which is great since I love green!

Fan fic writing quiz results. Maybe, since I don't write that much, I'm not crazy after all. :)


You write because it's that or invest in a padded
cell - story ideas just come to you, and demand
to be written. You see the scenes in your
head; the characters are all hanging out
between your ears having very interesting
conversations. Maybe you're crazy - or maybe
you just have a gift.


What Sort of Fanfic Author are You? (BtVS-themed pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

And the Muppet quiz:


You are Kermit the Frog.
You are reliable, responsible and caring. And you
have a habit of waving your arms about
maniacally.

FAVORITE EXPRESSIONS:
"Hi ho!" "Yaaay!" and
"Sheesh!"
FAVORITE MOVIE:
"How Green Was My Mother"

LAST BOOK READ:
"Surfin' the Webfoot: A Frog's Guide to the
Internet"

HOBBIES:
Sitting in the swamp playing banjo.

QUOTE:
"Hmm, my banjo is wet."


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

No surprises there as I looked at the answers to the questions.

But I couldn't resist doing it again. If you pick all "Please don't hurt me," you get:


You are Beaker.
You are very tense, stressed and paranoid. You hate
furthering the cause of science, as it tends to
get you blown up.

SPECIAL TALENTS:
Scientific assistant, Victim
LAST BOOK READ:
"1001 Meeps to a Bigger Vocabulary"

FAVORITE MOVIE:
"Run Silent, Run Meep"

QUOTE:
"Meep! Meep! Meep!"

NEVER LEAVES HOME WITHOUT:
Medical Coverage


What Muppet are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Just too funny.

Why look. It's time for the Thursday Threesome as always via The Back Porch.

“A good film is when the price of the dinner, the theatre admission and the babysitter were worth it."
~ Alfred Hitchcock


Onesome- The dinner: What's your favorite meal? Is it something you get out or can you get it at home?
These days, it seems to be Quizno’s sub. That’s what I made sure I got for my birthday. I also love pizza. And way back in the recesses of my mind, I remember liking a dish my mom used to make called enchilada stacks.

Twosome- the theatre Admission: What's your favourite movie and/or play and why?
Favorite Disney animated movie is Beauty and the Beast. I just love the story and the characters. Plus the animation is perfect to capture what the characters are feeling. I think it is the high point of traditional animation so far. (And I think someone will bring it back at some point.)
Plays, I’m going to have to go with Neil Simon’s Rumors. If you ever get a chance, see it. It’s hysterical.

Threesome- and the babysitter: We've all been left with a babysitter at one point or another. Did you have a favorite childhood babysitter? What made that person special?
I can’t remember that many babysitters I had as a kid. I can remember my brother’s but not mine. Therefore, no one really leaps to mind.

Yesterday may have been my birthday, but today was my day for getting things.

First off, I got my birthday present from my family today. They had ordered stuff from Christian Book Distributors. 4 CD's and a book! I feel like I hit the jackpot! I've listened to all the CD's, and I love them.

Not only that, but I got a used CD I'd ordered last week. In the early 90's, there was a popular Christian group called Acappella. Unfortunately, when I decided to get the three projects I really liked on CD, only two of them were available. I finally found someone selling the third CD for a reasonable price last week, so naturally, I snatched it up in a heartbeat. It was wonderful to listen to it again this afternoon. I'm thrilled to have it again.

Then, when I got home from work, I had Green Streak waiting for me. When I read Red Card last year and reviewed it, one of the authors got in contact with me. A few months ago, he asked if I wanted a free copy of the this second book to review. Free book of something I intended to buy anyway? You bet!

BTW, if anyone is looking for a great combo of mystery and sports story for kids to read, this series is it. Heck, the first book won the Agatha award last year for young adult mystery. Can't wait to read the sequel. This uncle/nephew writing team is great!

So, can anyone tell me why I get different screens when I log into blogger from work and home? There, I get a screen with and open window at the top and the last few posts underneath in case I want to edit. Here, I have to go to a different page to "manage posts" and I have to preview my posts before I can publish them. I don't have to do that at work. It is because I'm using an ancient edition of Internet Explorer? That's about the only thing I can think of, but even that makes no sense to me.

Of course, by searching to find a way to fix this, I did find out I can have blogger automatically bing for me when I publish. It's nice not to have to do it manually. Wonder how long I've been missing that. I also discovered I can now title my posts. Just need to figure out how to get that to work right.

I have got to call about my dryer. Just took two cycles to dry my clothes, and I'm just starting a second load. So much for going to bed early tonight.

Got up and ran this morning. My legs were killing me all day, but they're feeling better tonight. Of course, I had Del Taco (fast food) and ice cream tonight. I'm not going to loose and weight that way. And I really do want to loose some weight by this summer.

But right now, I have some clothes to hang up.

Happy birthday to me!!!

Today's been a good day. I've had lots of people wish me a happy birthday. My co-workers actually remembered, and I've got the left over cake to go home tonight for a little extra desert. Think I'll buy some ice cream on the way home. :) I've also gotten lots of birthday greetings at Zap's and Jix, plus a few e-mail birthday cards. And Jeff called from Idaho to wish me a happy birthday. Donald e-mailed, too. Tonight, I'll be talking to my family. And then probably doing my taxes. You see, that's to make up for what I didn't do yesterday.

Instead of doing something productive, I headed down to Santa Monica and played ultimate on the beach again. I almost didn't go because it's been windy here the last few days. But it was positively wonderful down there. Probably high 70's or low 80's. The faintest hint of a breeze. Absolutely perfect. I stayed until sun set and then came back home. I was tired when I got back, so I didn't do anything too critical.

This is probably the most I've run at one time in weeks. And it was over the sand. Can we say sore today? But it was so completely worth it. I'd do it again in a heart beat if I could. Which I might. With Sunday evening service starting when we normally would start practice, I may play hooky from church the rest of the Sunday evenings this month and do it again. It's just too much fun and I really hardly ever have this chance.

Beside, one of my goals this year is to actually be tan, not just a farmer's tan. This seems like a great way to do just that. My other goal is to loose the extra weight I carry around so I'll look great while being tan. That doesn't seem to be happening, and it doesn't help that the fitness center is closed all week. :( Stupid spring break!


I saw this on a couple different web sites today and thought I'd have a go at it. Not that surprised at my ultimate outcome. I wonder if they have any outcomes where the man lives or the woman isn't widowed?


You are a Schoolmaster!
- A Snapshot of your life as it might have been in 1905

Education
You go to the local school in the village and then to Durham University. You're the first person in your family to go to university.

Career Prospects
Through a mixture of hard work and intelligence you do well in your work as a schoolmaster. You receive a pension but don't live to enjoy it as you're killed in the First World War.

Leisure Time
You enjoy inviting neighbours in for tea but you have your main meal (meat and vegetables) in the evening. You go to church regularly and are on the parochial Church Council, as well as being an active supporter of the local Conservative club. You go to theatre and musical concerts in the local market town when there is something worth seeing and you always buy the best seats.

Living Conditions
You live in a village and employ three domestic servants who live with you: a cook, a maid and a scullery maid. You believe that your wife has better things to do than household chores.

Marital Relations
You marry your wife when you're 25 – she is a friend of your family and goes to the local church.

World War One
At the outbreak of World War One you feel it's your duty to join the army as a non-commissioned officer. You rise quickly to the rank of company sergeant major. You're killed in the trenches at Ypres in 1917.

Word Association Time

Just a fly by post with this week's word association.

1. Dogma:: "Look, it's a dog, ma." (Did I claim I was in a serious mode?)
   
2. Spirit:: move you
   
3. Voodoo:: doll
   
4. Demon:: Angel
   
5. Digital:: camera
   
6. Ceremony:: graduation
   
7. Research:: center
   
8. Career:: job
   
9. Film:: movie
   

Why yes, I did leave one out. It had no business being on a PG rated blog, and since I try to keep it G rated, it's not showing up here.

Now there's something you don't see every day. I just got an e-mail attachment with a virus in it on my yahoo e-mail account. And the return address? My completely different hotmail account. What was I sending myself? And how did this amazing coincidence happen since I usually don't send e-mail back and forth between the two? Between my Master's account and one or the other, sure, but not between those two.

Weird. Definitely weird.

In other news, today I went to a book signing for Fudge Cupcake Murder, the newest Hannah Swenson murder by Joanne Fluke. had a wonderful time, even if I couldn't taste her cookies since they were a pecan cookie this time around. :( Still, I can't wait to start the book, which I will as soon as I finish the Zits collection I started reading last night.

You know, I haven't commented yet on the mess going on at Disney right now. And, as a shareholder, I do have a stake in this. That's right, I own exactly one share. :) And, I voted for the rest of the board except for Eisner. Yep, the guy who used to sing his praises voted to oust him. Or at least restrict him. Whatever the vote was actually for. (Board of director votes are weird, let me tell you.)

Yes, when Eisner first took over the company, he turned it around. And for that I will always be grateful. He did it by trying new things. He's now afraid to try new things. Heck, they're shutting down their traditional animation units because they think it doesn't sell any more. I've got a news flash for them. Their latest movies haven't been the blockbusters they were having 10 years ago because the films haven't been as good. They've certainly been entertaining (I've loved them), but they just aren't as good as they once were. And, when movie ticket prices skyrocket, parents are going to need a good movie to fork out the bucks to take their kids to. You bring in some new writers and you've got yourself a movie again.

Sadly, they will learn this after their first few computer animated movies have also failed. Letting Pixar go was a huge mistake because those guys tell a great story in style. And style is only part of the equastion.

So yeah, I want to see Eisner gone or at least fostering creative ideas to bring back what Disney should stand for. That's the way to turn the company around again.

Spring break starts at the college tomorrow. Can't believe the semester is already half over.

I got great news from the convention Wednesday night. Jeremiah, who graduated in May, is going to be back in town the week after during his Spring break. It'll be wonderful to see him again.

We finished up season 3 of Babylon 5 Wednesday night. Coupled with the ending of Enterprise, it was quite a cliffhanger night.

I am so ready to be home, it's not even funny. My mine is long gone, it case you hadn't noticed. :)

Worship went OK last night. The new to us songs we were trying to do were what tripped us up. If it weren't for those, we would have done much better.

I only have about 30 pages left in my book. For the most part, I've enjoyed A Farewell to Legs. It's been as funny as the first Aaron Tucker mystery was, For Whom the Minivan Rolls. I just love Aaron's sarcasim. I do have a couple complaints about it, however.

The murder victim is a conservative lobbiest in Washington. Nothing wrong with that. Except we are treated to horrible conservative characters. We aren't all that evil!!!!! Heck, I'd like to say that some of us aren't even evil. :) Of course, the liberal characters are fine, and the main characters narration makes it even worse. I've pretty much been able to ignor this and brush it aside, but it does bug me.

My much more series complaint is that the timeline is horrid. I thought the events took place over a couple weeks, but suddenly we find out it's been over a month! I can't see how I lost two weeks in there at all. And that's not to mention the little things, like the kids in school on Saturday and Sunday. The four day weekend that suddenly became a three day weekend. Not to mention his plans to interview some suspects on Saturday that suddenly turned into Sunday with no explanation. You can just ask Jennie, this is a huge pet peeve of mine. And it's simple to fix, a good edit is all it would have taken.

Still, I've enjoyed it and I can't wait to see how it ends tonight. Hopefully before the Just for Fun at the Duron's.

Morning. Time for this week's Thursday Threesome, brought to us by the night life and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Night: -- Nights can be difficult if you need something from somewhere: what time do the stores shut down where you are? I mean, if you needed something more than a loaf of bread, is there any hope late at night?
Stores shut down about 9 or 10 around here with the exception of Sunday, when it seems to be six. Even the grocery stores were shutting down at the time. Hopefully now that the employees are back at work they’ll stay opened longer.

Twosome: on the-- River? Hey, are there any rivers near you? ...or are you located out in the wilderness somewhere?
Is the desert close enough to wilderness? The closest river is the Kern, where we take the youth rafting every summer. Takes a couple hours to get there, too. Of course, the ocean is only about 45 minutes away, so that's much better.

Threesome: Town!-- If you could have any "Night on the Town" you wanted, what would you like to do? ...and would you like some company or would you go it alone?
Definitely love some company, but I’m pretty boring. Some bowling would suffice to make me happy. Although it would be fun to hit the tourist spots in Hollywood at some point. Probably do that during the day, however.

And, just in case you were wondering, I'm 41% snob. If you want to find out how snobby you are, go here.

Today seems like a good day for a random events in Mark's world post.

Today was Grpop's birthday. Still miss him.

Remember when I first talked about the grocery worker's going on strike? They finally went back to work yesterday. A mere five months later. I don't know what the final settlement was, but I know the grocery workers aren't completely happy cause they're talking about "Being glad to be earning money again." What's really interesting about this is that for the last few weeks, no one's been in front of the Albertson's I've been visiting. It's like they forgot to show up with their signs or something. But frankly, I'm just glad it's over.

Last semester, the billboard where I turn to go to work was an advertisement for "The Adult Zone," an adult book/gift store here in town. Naturally, all the students at this Christian college thought that was hillarious. But I just love the irony of this semester's billboard. Someone has paid to post a simple gospel message, including scripture references on the exact same billboard. Much more appropriate, but I find the change highly amuzing.

Anyone else scared by Kerry's promise to steal more of my money again? We dont' need to raise taxes, trust me. I have yet to see a "tax increase on the rich only," so I know I'll be it hard if they raise taxes at all. I like being able to spend my own money, thank you very much. Don't think it's the government's business to take it from. I don't work for them, I work for me.

Thanks in large part to Eric and Mary, I have more then enough questions for Donald's party. Did I do anything about getting in touch with Heather to get them answered? Of course not. But I feel so much better then I did last night at this time.

I got Avalon's new CD today. I'm really enjoying it.

Meanwhile, I've been waiting all day for my vote total at Amazon to turn over to 1900. I've missed 1700 and 1800 because I wasn't at the computer. Looks like I'll miss 1900, too. Hopefully, I can see 2000! You'll certainly hear about it when I pass that milestone in helpful votes.

Today's quiz, thanks, as always, to Aleta. (If it weren't for her, who would I have to steal quizzes from?)


Non curo. Si metrum non habet, non est poema.
"I don't care. If it doesn't rhyme, it isn't
a poem."
You are a type A personality. You like bright
things, you don't call in sick to work, and you
have devastating opinions about art.


Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Scarily enough, I think this almost fits me. And the answers were rather random, too. :)

I'm so bad. I had little to do last night, so I was going to work on the ideas for Donald's "wedding eve party." And all I did was sit at my computer and play around. Heck, if I was going to be that unproductive, then I could have read or something.

But I did come up with a great idea that will work. And I talked it over with Stephen when he stopped by my office to drop some things off, and it went over well. What is it?

Now that would be telling, wouldn't it? Donald hasn't checked in for a while, but as soon as I post that, he'll look and all will be ruined. Which is why I haven't asked for any brainstorms here. Donald helping plan this or knowing what he's gotten himself into would kinda ruin most of what I want to do.

The wedding is only two and a half weeks away. Hard to believe it's coming so soon.

My brother asked me to be a grommsman in his wedding this weekend, so I'll be in two weddings this year.

I am running behind on quizzes, so I think I need to do one before I leave for the day. via Aleta:

p>


You're The Hobbit!

by J.R.R. Tolkien

All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man
came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you're
all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this
crazy person into the wild. While you're very short and a little furry, you seem to be
surrounded by an even greater quantity of short folks lately. Try not to lose your ring,
but keep its value in perspective!


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Which is funny considering I've read that one twice and couldn't get through the trilogy once. And I even chose concise. :)

It's been a long time since I posted something that wasn't just a new quiz here, hasn't it? Makes me feel like I should have something major and exciting to report. But I don't think I do.

After I tried to make a fool out of my self responding to LI Lisa on my own blog, does anyone beside me think I'm still a tad touchy after dealing with my message board fiend for so long. I'm guessing you'll now all help me stay as far from there as possible.

Even though it's so tempting to hop in and see how foamy he gets over stuff. But I know it would make my blood boil and I'd have to respond. And since half the regulars know I left and why I left, I guess I have no choice but to never return to avoid loosing face.

Who says pride is all bad? :)

I finally have tickets to see Reba filmed, but not going until the 23rd. I hope it's not the season finale, but I bet it is. Possibly series if Reba decides not to come back. I'll be majorly bummed since it's about the only sit-com I truly like on TV anymore.

It's still burning me up that the mayor of San Francisco is getting away with breaking the law and no one is saying a thing about it. I understand the reasons for civil disobedience, but when you are a public figure, you loose some of your privledges. Since you must uphold the law, you can't go around breaking any you don't like. That should be an automatically impeachable offense. As should lying under oath, but that's a different matter.

Saturday and Sunday were, once again, just lazy days around the condo. I have a list of stuff I need to get to, including taxes and Donald's wedding eve party planning, but I didn't get that far. Did get several other important things done, however.

Speaking of weddings, Jeff told me he plans to get married this summer. We'll see when he moves out in relation to when OtherSeth's timetable, however. I hope they match up.

Mom's started subtly campaigning to get me to come up for Easter. Dad knows I'm not, so hopefully I won't have to tell her no again to her face. If I weren't already going up 5 times this year with no promises of trips down here at all, I'd consider it. But this seems like enough trips to me, don't you think?

Well, if it comes down to complaining about my family, maybe I'll sign off.