"It might as well be spring...."

If you were checking out my site and looked at my weather guy today, yep that was correct. It was in the low 80's today. Had my window opened so I got to enjoy at least some of the nice weather. Of course, it's supposed to cool off 15 degrees tomorrow just in time for the weekend.

On the heels of a great worship time Sunday night came the not so great time last night. I think only two kids were singing. The rest were the staff. The good news is they were noticing it and talking about talking to the kids. I feel kinda funny doing it myself, but if they'll start taking it on, I'll be very happy. We really do seem to have a good team spirit to the group right now.

Guess I won't be seeing Harry Potter 2 in the theater. I was planning to go one night this week, but it was only playing matinees. So I decided to rearrange my schedule and go tomorrow, but now it's not playing at all. Guess I'll have to rent it. As if I rent movies on a regular basis.

Tomorrow, I'm heading down to City Walk again. Skits is organizing a meet up for blogger in Southern CA. And since she "owns" snark!fest and several rings I'm in, thought I'd go. Actually, sounds like fun and I tried to go to a couple earlier but it didn't work out. Just thought someone should know in case I disappear to never reappear. After all, you never know about those psychos you meet on the internet. :)

Tonight is one of my rare free Friday nights. So, how do I plan to spend it? Doing laundry (if I can get into the laundry room to do it.) and watching TV. And the sad thing? Watching TV just doesn't interest me. I'd much rather pop in a DVD or read more in my book. I already have the next two lined up and would like to get through them as quickly as possible.

This week's Thursday Threesome is brought to us by the past and, as always, The Back Porch.

Echoes: What sound do you hear from time to time that immediately draws up an echo from the past?
For me, it's music. I stick in Susan Ashton's second CD, and I'm back in the summer of '94 working for Windsor Water Works. I listened to that CD so much going back and forth for work. There's a song on Evie's first album (anyone even know who that is?) that my parents and I always associate with Hendy Woods Start Park where we spent a lot of time camping. (And I miss redwoods!) And of course the Christmas music I grew up with brings back memories as well.

Visions: ...and what about something you might see now and again that evokes a scene from days gone by?
Frankly, nothing really comes to mind. I guess that just means I tend not to see what I'm seeing, if that makes sense to anyone.

Memories: "Misty water color memories"? Is there a painting or a picture you like to look back on just to remember a certain time or place?
Well, looking through our convention books certainly brings back memories. And every time I see the picture I got for Mom in Jerusalem, I think of what I went through to get it. Like wandering the Old City by myself at dusk. And waiting for an hour in the wrong place for a bus back to the moshav (sp?) where we were staying. But, I made it back all in one piece and felt safe. Of course, that was 3 years ago.

Didn't get nearly as much read as I'd planned. I finally got home and sat down to read at 9. I'd gotten a page read when Marcus came running through the door. It was time for Smallville. I tried valliently to read for about 7 minutes, then gave up. Stuck in my Goofy DVD set instead and finished up disc 1. Now I just have one more to go.

I did read at lunch time. Just couldn't get out of bed this morning. I was late to work as it was and didn't take time to make a lunch, so I went to home for lunch and took care of the things I should have taken care of yesterday. Like calling the county. They promise that I'll get paid within the next week. I'll believe it when I get the check.

And I read. For a "funny" mystery, this one's a disappointment. I haven't laughted yet. And it's definitely not something I'd normally read. Language mainly. As of now, I think I'll be voting for This Pen for Hire.

Tonight, we get to blow Matt and Jeremiah's minds with the end of season 1 of Babylon 5. Sound be loads of fun. I might even watch their faces instead of the TV set. :)

My gamble paid off. I didn't start any new books last night, and today my next book arrived from Amazon. And they said it wouldn't get here for another week at the earliest. :) So tonight I get to go home and start Buck Fever. It's one of the books up for a Lefty at Left Coast Crime this year. And since I'm going, I thought I'd give it a try before I vote. And since voting is due in a coupld weeks....

Sorta had lunch with Pete today. We got our food, went back to his office to eat (I have no idea why he's decided he doesn't want to eat in the caf any more), and then he got a call from his mom. By the time they were done, it was time for me to get back to work. And, by not going home, I completely messed myself up for tonight. Now I don't have the receipt to pick up Steven Curtis Chapman's new CD. But I don't think I need it. I also didn't call to get an appointment with the allergist for next week or call the LA county payroll office about the fact that I STILL haven't gotten my check from jury duty last July. It's only been 7 months. Granted, it's not a lot, but it's still something and I'd like to get it. Then they wonder why everyone hates jury duty.

Got a wonderful night's sleep last night. Don't know when Marcus came home, I was too far gone.

Tried doing some push-ups last night because I missed the fitness center. After about 40, my stomach got really sore. I had intended to do more, but I couldn't get my body to cooperate. Really pathetic, isn't it?

So, tonight, I'm going to pick up that CD and stop by the Disney store to look at DVD's (like I need more or to spend more money), do a little grocery shopping, pay some bills (including my check for Trixie convention), then curl up with my book. Kinda glad that everything's a rerun tonight.

Can I live the last 24 hours over again? Please?

Of course, I'd like to know what I know now. Like what to expect on Alias. And isn't it pathetic that I let a little TV show like that upset me? I'm beginning to regain my legs and think maybe that it will work after all. I'll have to see what the next few weeks bring. But if you want my full thoughts, head over to snarkfest.

Then, of course, there's the Super Bowl. When I got to Tim's, the score was 3-3. Found out everyone else is rooting for the Buc's and I'm the lone person hoping the Raiders win. Of course, I don't follow sports. Mainly I'm rooting for the R's because they're from CA and some of the people in church are die hard fans. So I figured what the heck. Now I know better. Fortunately, they'd finally scored a couple touchdowns before I had to leave for the SNYF or I would have really been hearing about it. As it was, I thought one of the guys was going to keep riding me forever even though he knew my true feelings about sports. And, since my parents called late, I missed the commercials for Matrix 2 and The Hulk. Meanwhile, they had the game on and I got to try to talk with Mike talking in the background to Zoë about how the game worked.

Of course, talking to them was a bright spot. Grandma's mind seems to be clearing up again. And she spent the weekend with my uncle and aunt!

And the SNYF went really well last night. We sang, for the first time in a long time at a SNYF, and they actually seemed to be singing for a change. I opened it up for requests, and they blew me away with some of the songs they were requesting. Ones I thought I was the only one who liked. :)

I probably would have felt better about Alias if I'd gotten a good night's sleep. But Marcus decided to start watching my tapes last night. He started tape 1 at 10 PM and watched all 7 episodes. Which meant that I was awake off and on all night since there's no door between floors. Which means I was very tired today.

So tired, in fact, that I skipped the weight room today. Even after I made myself late to work making my lunch. But going home and reading and finishing The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe certainly made me feel much better.

Which puts a dilemma on my hands. I placed an order at Amazon last week that shipped over the weekend. Part of the order may come tomorrow and may not. Either way, it's the part that has the book I really want to read next in it. What's a guy to do? Do I start a new book tonight or not? Especially since I was planning to read tomorrow at lunch time? Decisions, decisions decisions.

I got to the Just for Fun pretty late Friday night, but was still able to jump into a game of Aggravation. Not that we finished it. Seems the kids just don't have a very long attention span at those things. Then the entire group of us (about 15) played a dice game called 10,000. Don't know if the Duron's made it up or not, but it sure was lots of fun.

Then Saturday morning, we had a jr. high bike ride. We started on the bike trail that runs through town heading north. Once that ended, we struck out for a geo-cache site. Basically, there are lots of places set up that you can find using a global tracking devise. There's a web site devoted to helping people find the co-ordinates for them. We took a picture to post there, and once I know it's up and can find it, I'll link it so you'll know who some of these people I'm always talking about are. We had lunch at In and Out (I think I'm the only person in Southern CA who is smart enough not to like their burgers.) and headed back to church. All told, we rode a total of 5 miles. And I have now covered every inch of the bike trails through town, too. It's quite extensive, going from near my apartment to the other side of town. Really nice.

Last night was Heather's semi-surprise birthday party. She knew there was going to be a party, just didn't know who all would be there and where it would be. Fun and pizza were had by all. Then Donald, Heather, and I went out to go bowling. There were supposed to be more of us, but everyone else decided not to. I really made up for last weekend, beating Donald both games we played. Of course, it really helped that I got a turkey at the end of the last game!!!!! My first. See, bowling more often really does help me. Unfortunately, our pre-paid hour shut off before my final ball counted (must have been while I rolled it down the alley), so my final score on that game didn't come up. Donald and I calculated it to be 154 however, which is near a record for me. Unless I'm not remembering the correct way to score two strikes in the final frame. I was very happy about that.

And now to my standard unimportant topics about me.

Will I be hurt if I complain about warm weather? See, it's supposed to be in the high 60's or low 70's all weekend again with no end in sight. So why does this bother me? Because, we NEED rain in Southern CA. Remember all the fires I talked about this summer? One reason was because everything was so dry from lack of rain. And we're getting no rain again this year. We were promised that El Nino would hit us again this year. Last time that happened (about 5 years ago), the street flooded in front of the college and they had to send us home twice. You know, water such that you can't actually stop your car at the stop sign because of the flow of water behind you. Now that's what I call wet!

Donald is spending the weekend with me. He's down for Heather's birthday. Don't know if I'll really see him, however. They're going out tonight, but then again, so am I (Just for fun.) Then they'll be gone tomorrow and I'll be on yet another youth activity. Then he leaves Sunday to return to work on Monday. And he didn't even come over until 10:30 last night. I really had intended to be in bed by then. But he and I wound up talking for a while, and it was almost midnight before I turned out the light.

Speaking of youth, Jon told me last night he appreciate what I was doing music wise. That makes me feel better. I was nervous since I was getting no feedback at all.

And if you're watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, stay tuned for an episode of Alias afterwards. Especially if I miss it due to our SNYF. Alias is supposed to be on at 7:30 out here, and we'll just be getting warmed up. I'll set my VCR, but you never know. If the game goes long or something, I may be out of luck.

I've actually continued working out in the fitness center this week. Of course, I also stopped running, but that's another story. (Lazy.) Tuesday and Wednesday my arms were very sore from Monday's workout. So Wednesday, I scaled things back a little. Guess what! I was hardly sore by that night and felt nothing all day yesterday. So today I hit the machines hard again. We'll see how I'm doing tomorrow.

I know there was something else I wanted to post, but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. So maybe I'll post this and head off on for my weekend. Might be back before Monday, might not. You never can tell with Marks.

As promised, I'm back to link another couple articles from Breakpoint I thought might be of interest to those wanting to understand SusanSuth and my opinions They are written in a "preaching to the choir" style, but they are still good reads. And they are here and here. Combined with the two from yesterday, they give a very sobering viewpoint.

Frankly, it's so nice to see calm, reasoned posts on this or any controversial subject right now. On a different message board, a couple of conservative jerks have taken over recently and are posting all kinds of comments that do nothing but get everyone else riled up. Frankly, they're driving me crazy with what they say as well. Of course, some of the people telling them to be quiet and their behavior is innappropriate are the same people that have treated me in a similar but less harsh manner in the past, which really drives me crazy. Anyway, calm thoughts that actually say something instead of name calling are always appreciated.

Good morning, and welcome to today's Thursday Threesome. This week, it's brought to us by your local artist's co-op and The Back Porch.

Onesome: Still- Can't hold still? What type of music gets you going? I mean to where your just have to crank it up and start moving to the beat!
Well, this last weekend, it was VeggieTales with Donald and Heather. I'm really not sure how to answer this one. Up beat songs get me going, but usually only when I'm in the mood. I will say I have a hard time standing still when it comes to Chris DeBurg's "Lady in Red," the best nightclub two-step song ever written.

Twosome: Life- Life in the fast lane? What would it take to slow you down a bit and let you relax this weekend? Hmmm? ...or are you going to turn That Game on? (...and who's going to win?)
Relax this weekend? Maybe if I didn't have any plans. I will be watching part of the game at Barber Tim's apartment, but I've got a SNYF that night, which will definitely interfer with Alias. Which may be a good thing. Anyway, I'll only get to watch part of it. And I'm not even 100% sure who's in it. I believe I heard the Raiders made it, and since they're a semi-local team (both here and Santa Rosa), guess I'll root them on.

Threesome: In watercolor- Hey! How about wall art? What do you like to have hanging around the place for decoration? Kid pics? Knick-knacks? ...the Monet or two?
You're supposed to put stuff on the wall? All I have, in my apartment and my office, are calendars.

I didn't post yesterday, because there wasn't really much to say. I'm posting today, but there still isn't really much to say. Which might lead to a rant to two so I can fill the pages. You've been warned.

I have decided on a career I would never want. I will not go into sales. Why? Because I could never be as aggressive as they are since I hate it when they're that aggressive to me. Last night, I was walking through the grocery store, with my arms full of stuff. They didn't have any baskets and I didn't want to push a cart around for the few things I was going to be buying. Anyway, I'm walking along in front of the check out stands, and there's someone set up at a table trying to sell something. I acknowledged him, and he starts asking me to stop. I said no and kept walking, but I'm thinking to myself, "Do I look like I really want to stop and hold a half dozen items while I listen to your spiel?

Of course, there was the one person who stopped me in my tracks. I was in the local K-Mart, and someone asked me to stop like that. I said no, and she said, "Wait a minute, Mark." That stopped me in my tracks. Wasn't wearing a name tag, either. Turns out she'd been in my class through 3rd grade. Hadn't seen her since then either. Just saw her that once, but it was quite funny.

And of course, I'm still getting telemarketer calls like you wouldn't believe. None as outrageous as the one I posted a few months back. And let's not even get into the spam I get in my e-mail. I'm even getting a little here at work these days.

In the political realm for a minute, I found this link interesting. And I completely agree with it, too.

Today is the 30th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. It's sad that women think they have more control over their bodies today, when in reality they have less. After all, if we didn't have abortion, women might actually say no to their boyfriends for a reason. The abortions for rape, incest, etc. are far less then the majority done. And it is murder, no matter what anyone else says.

And it's my blog and I will post what I feel like here. You are always free to disagree politely or not read what I said.

Finally, two very scary articles I meant to post last week. Go here and here and be worried.

Guess I didn't do too badly today after all. :)