Chronicles Of Mark

Sunday evening has rolled around and the weekend was incredibly short. Had dinner with April after work Friday and then ran and grabbed some stuff I needed from Wal-Mart before coming home to continue my work on the painting. Did only a bit before succumbing to the need for sleep. Saturday, I only did a…

So, the painting of my hall and stairwell continues. I’m going from a mossy green to a stark white, so this is not exactly a one coat thing. I liked the green but just too dark for a windowless area with average height ceilings (that being the hall upstairs). Even incomplete, I am much happier…

Trying to get back into the habit of semi-regular exercise, which in winter is hard for me. I have a treadmill (thanks to my Mom breaking her ankle a few years ago and not being allowed to do weight-bearing exercise anymore), but there’s little I find more boring. I listen to music most of the…

Spent the day doing a little reading and in between prepping my hallway for a repainting. Whee? I also watched a few more eps from my Smallville Season One box set. There are episodes from this season I never watched because during the original run I had no interest. It was only thanks to the…

Long week. Another dentist appointment on Tuesday so I ended up burning a couple of days of vacation rather than trying to drive home from here Monday night and then back here Tuesday – just not worth it. Wednesday was a big meeting with one of our customers – the who is not important but…

So, t’s been a long couple of days. Right before bed last night, I got an e-mail from Chris, my comic connection. It was one I’d expected awhile. First off, I’ve been getting comics from Chris for like 4 years now or darn close to. I stuck with a store in Decatur for nearly a…

I think I fall into the trap of not blogging everytime I come back from a trip. Everyday observations may not be as fun, but every so often, just writing down your thoughts can be cathartic and a little gem of words might crop up. You never know. I spent the earlier part of the…

Last weekend was my first trip home since being in Rome. It wasn’t just a pleasure visit, I had to see my dentist for some ongoing dental work. I had to have some bone removed that’s affecting my bite. A couple more visits before everything is done. I could whine about the soreness or the…

I started feeling kinda poorly the end of last week, scratchy throat, sniffles – the usual. Was hoping allergies. Went home for an early rendition of Dad’s birthday (which is actually this coming Friday). With luck the folks won’t look back on the visit as the coming pestilence. Saturday and Sunday I continued to feel…

So, I’m relaxing in front of the TV trying to read 1776, cats by my feet when I hear… something in the litter box.. huh? Count cats… 1.. 2… that’s it… what’s in the litter box? Leo, my six month old apparently hits the same conclusion seconds before I do. We both race into the…

So, I came home last Sunday and made a quick pit stop in my rarely used downstairs bathroom. It’s pretty strictly for guests as I can’t fathom the reason for me to dirty up more than one bathroom solo. So, I run in, use it and flush, and I feel a splash of water on…

So, I haven’t posted anything new in awhile. But other than the usual internal chaos, nothing new to report anyway. Fighting some allergy or something. If it’s a cold, it’s very atypical as I don’t feel congested, feverish. I’m just sneezing and coughing A LOT. The cough is a dry wheeze and nothing is ever…

This year was very low-key but a welcome change to last year where someone attempted to break into my Blazer and Brian & Kelly were attacked INSIDE of the Hyatt. I was so down on the whole thing that I almost made other plans this year. But Brandy planted the seed of doubt that she…

I must still be getting over last week’s 65 hours at work. It’s all I immediately have to explain tonight. I got home about 6pm. By 7pm, I was just dragging. Close to 8pm, I decided I’d just lay down in the bed and rest and watch TV awhile. Shortly I decided, ‘Just a wee…

Well, it got interrupted by Workfest… I pulled 65 hours this week… I was about ready to cry for awhile. I’m just not that dedicated to my work, but it had to be done to complete a project on time for a customer audit today. The audit, at least, I’m pleased to say went well….

Up late last night – wheeee! As if it wasn’t enough I went to the Big Creek walking trail and put in nearly five miles, I came home and contined on operation purge. I just feel the need to winnow through my belongings. This is something that stretches back to childhood. With posessions, I must…

Had third installment of photo class today. Our assignment was to bring in photographs illustrating depth of field and motion (not together!). My motion pictures weren’t, to me, the best, but considering the heat and all last Satuday, walking up to the dam onVickery Creek was more than enough. The instructor didn’t have anything bad…

When I moved into my townhouse, darn near 5 years ago, there was a stain in the dining room carpet that would not come out. Not being a huge fan of wall to wall in the dining room, I decided that one day, I’d replace it with hardwood and I put a big area rug…

Just a short one tonight. Second class and increasing camera envy – probably for no good reason. But this is two weeks in a row I’ve come home contemplating that next camera purchase down the road I hope. I definitely feel like my understanding is growing. I have a MUCH more solid feeling for metering,…

I have never been a celebrity stalker, but there are still ones I hold in awe. James Doohan was one. Some of my earliest memories of TV are watching re-runs of the original Star Trek. A few years ago, “Scotty” (as I will always remember him) attended DragonCon. It was his last appearance in Atlanta,…

Had my first photo class this evening. A definite learning experience – I can already tell that it’s going to be well worth the cost. The time leading up to the actual start of the class was a little intimidating. With only a couple of exceptions, the people in the class had cameras far beyond…

Should have left for work already, instead I’ve been watching the news out of London. Unreal… Much as our own 911 terrorist attacks a few years back, I can’t imagine the minds of people who feel something is accomplished by lashing out at the common citizenry of a country. I just don’t believe that anything…

It’s funny, I work in tech – not out of choice but some perverse destiny. I even spent a year plus of college taking programming classes because everyone thought that’s what I should do with my life – before I realized that programming, which I was competent at, bored me. I changed majors, for the…

Have spent the long holiday weekend enjoying time away from the office, but spending the proceeds! Over the course of the weekend, got a TV tuner card, a new 200 gig hard drive, and a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse. The latter two overlap somewhat, as I got a wireless keyboard which includes a…

Last night I had a small and perhaps brief break-through with Leo. My formerly stray kitten is still very timid around me. Around other cats, fine, but around people, shy and scared. I’ve been doing everything I can to not do anything sudden around him as I try to win him over. Last night, he…

Ah, behind on the updates to my life again. I spent the past weekend at home. It was a nice break from the fast pitch that work has become. I didn’t see a lot of my Dad (it was Father’s Day) because he had to work (things where he works have been “interesting” of late,…

Saw the movie tonight. I had read one not so great review, but I’d also heard word of mouth that the movie was really great. It TOTALLY ROCKED! I don’t have any real nits to pick other than I want more! Batman even during the span of my life has been interpreted and re-interpreted again…

As I sit here sleepily shoving breakfast into my face, I realize that I leave tomorrow night!! London, rainy or not, here I come! I’ve been up night after night late getting the house ready to leave. It’s kind of a combination of spring cleaning and being away cleaning. I’ll come back to nothing to…

Been awhile since I posted. My London trip is almost exactly a week away. Looking forward to time off almost as much as I’m looking forward to roaming around London. On top of the usual “traveling alone?” questions, I’m now getting “will you go somewhere different next time?” questions. Sure, eventually. It’s not like I’ve…

Yep, I’m going to the Old City on the Thames once more. I never thought I’d say, “going to London, again.” As if there’s something old hat about it. I just really need some time off from work, and well, feeling financially stupid at the moment, so last night, I booked a good fare to…

Today, I decided on a whim to try out one of Georgia’s Scenic Byways, which I’d recently discovered. The one I took goes up through Helen & Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s highest elevation. Now, the weather here is chilly today. So, I’m lucky I threw a sweater in my bag, because the weather in the mountains…

Had some anxiety surface in a dream last night. Not really sure of the source of it at the moment. But in retrospect, the dream was rather funny. I, apparently, was traveling and arrived at the airport with only my backpack, which contained no clothing. I checked the pack in and then when it was…

Saturday was partially a quiet day. I slept in and then worked awhile on my website (changes pending but not published yet). The look of everything will change, but the most changes will probably be in my online albums. I had to find a better way to deal with them. Making those pages was something…

Had to go to the dermatologist today. Adult acne, oh what fun. I guess I was lucky not to have any severe breakouts as a teen, but it doesn’t get easier as an adult. I really don’t have acne in that sense of the word anyway. Normally nothing breaking out, just sealed up acne bumps…

Found another place to display some of my photography. This site I can still make use of some of my lower resolution photos because they’ll only print images up to the best size for that particular image. Hence, most of my stuff, which I know will print well at 5 by 7 is, in fact,…

I posted a couple of my larger pictures from London last April. I didn’t take many at a very high resolution, but the guy at the site checked these out and felt that size-wise, they could work. He also mentioned possibly making some sort of option where the photographers could select the largest size something…