A quiet Sunday afternoon

It's 1:52 pm and 79 degrees. A nice breeze blowing...nice day for a ballgame. The Nashville Sounds are back home for their final homestand. You have until next Sunday to catch a game in the 2004 season. Tonight the game is at 6 pm and I will be in attendance. I usually sit in the right field side bleachers, right were the main entrance gate is. Sounds not having a great season this year. Hopefully they will get their new stadium down by the riverfront off Broadway. It's a perfect place and has more potential than the other schemes. Mayor Purcell, do something constructive for downtown and for the baseball fans in Middle Tennessee. Don't lose this opportunity to add another shining jewel to the downtown crown!

Last night was a wonderful night for Steff Mahan at 3rd and Lindsley. She put on a great show and everyone was up and singing at the end. Steff's new CD "42.50" is great--the songs convey Steff's great insight into the human soul. It was great also to see so many Germantown neighbors there supporting Steff!! Her website with additional playdates is www.steffmahan.com. Congrats Steff! Much success!

I went to Steff's show with one of my neighbors, Andy. Afterward we went to The Gold Rush, out on Elliston Place. WOW! New ownership has definitely brought the place some pizzazz and class. Still have the great bean rolls, but the atmosphere is completely different. Some place I definitely look forward to going to again!

OK, some people wanted to know something about me. So here goes some background information.

I am Mark Henry Anthony Bell, born October 12 1961 in Chicago Illinois. Lived in Midlothian Illinois until age 2, moved to the Lawn Manor neighborhood on Chicago's South Side. Moved back to Midlothian in 1966. Attended eight years of grade school at St. Christopher's with the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family from Dubuque Iowa, and the Franciscan Fathers from St. Louis. Left wonderful Chicagoland in September 1977 while attending Bremen High School in Midlothian and moved to Springfield Tennessee where I graduated from Springfield High School in June 1979. Went to the University of Tennessee at Martin from September 1979 until graduation in June 1983. Was employed by the Tennessee Department of Revenue in October 1983; now, 21 years later, still there as a Tax Auditor IV in the Audit Support Unit of the Audit Division. Moved to Nashville in 1984 from Mom and Dad's in Springfield.

Now I live in the Germantown neighborhood in Nashville, right next to Farmer's Market and the Bicentennial Mall. It's Nashville's first suburb dating from the 1840's. I attend the Church of the Assumption, Nashville's second oldest Catholic church. We just celebrated our 145th anniversary on August 14th.

I have many hobbies and interests. At the top of the list are genealogy and stamp collecting. I also have my old baseball cards, Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars and, believe it or not, holy cards--all kinds of cards of the saints and religious themes. I also love music and have my keyboard and guitar within arm's reach, but rarely play anymore. I am a baseball and hockey fanatic! Chicago White Sox baseball, Chicago Blackhawks hockey and Chicago Bears football rate A+ in my book! Alas, I have been suffering without too many championships the many seasons, but it is the enjoyment that really counts...well, at least for the fans!

My nationality background is simple. I am 100% American!! My ancestors came from Lithuania, Northumberland County England, Co. Limerick Ireland, Oberfranken Bavaria Germany and Styria Slovenia, known then as Steiermark Austria-Hungary. My family names in my direct line I am researching are Bell, Jobson, James, Booth, O'Malley, Short, Clancy, Kotzman, Majdic, Slapar, Druskovic, Schramm, Schwammlein, Kohles, Prediger, Kriauciunas (changed to Taylor), Vorbutas, Vasiliauskas (changed to Waleski), Dailide, Vozgirdas (changed to Wozgard), Nasvytas, Butkevicius and Valaitis. US states were family settled are Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Pennsylvania and Iowa.

My politics try to be more common sense. I am anti-John Kerry, but not necessarily pro-George Bush. I have been a staunch Republican for years, but the party has seemed to drift more to the right on some issues than I can accept. Still, I will vote for Bush's continued leadership for another four years. John Kerry's positions will definitely make the US backtrack in military, economic, foreign policy and world standing. A more sensitive war???? What does he think war should be...a group-hug? It's war--blood, fighting, killing. So as it boils down, I am a fiscal ultra-conservative, a social moderate and a strong believer that we should take care of US interests first. I am an advocate of a flat tax at both the federal and state levels. I am in favor of eliminating all exemptions for individuals, corporations, partnerships, etc.--if you have money coming in, you need to pay some tax to the government. If we remove all these exemptions, the rate would be low enough to not hurt. And then, of course...CUT GOVERNMENT SPENDING!

I have memberships in various organizations. Of course a genealogy organization is a must for the researcher. I belong to the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society (www.ndfhs.org.uk) out of of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in Northeast England. Also belong as a lifetime member of the Knights of Lithuania (www.knightsoflithuania.com). In conjunction with the K of L, I am a board member of the St. Casimir Guild (www.knightsoflithuania.com/StCasimirGuildInc.html), which supports by fundraising for the Lithuanian Pontifical College in Rome. I am a member of Church of the Assumption Parish Council and also the Chairman of their Financial Board (http://www.dioceseofnashville.com/parishes-alphalist.htm#1). I am also treasurer for the Keith Searcy Memorial Thanksgiving Dinner project which feeds over 1000 Thanksgiving dinners to the poor and elderly in Nashville. I am on the Germantown Oktoberfest Steering Committee and function as secretary. I also belong to the Historic Germantown Neighborhood Association (www.historicgermantown.org/). With my stamp collecting hobby, I belong to the Lithuanian Philatelic Society out of Chicago (www.filatelija.lt/lps/).

Most evenings can find me in the yard pulling weeds, in the garden chasing out birds or on the porch enjoying a cool breeze and an adult beverage. I love to work in the yard and get my hands in the earth. Something healing the soul about that feeling of the warm earth.

I am also working on a double genealogy certification from Brigham Young University in Utah. The classes are by correspondence. Currently I am working on Midwestern US research techniques. Most Thursday evenings I'll be found at the Nashville Public Library or the Latter-Day Saints Family History Library in Madison Tennessee. Learning a lot about all the available resources in the public domain.

WOW--see, the people who asked for background didn't know what they were in for! Almost an hour worth of typing!! I hope Blogger lets a post this long go on!

I'll close for now. Keep in touch and let me know how I am doing. You can add comments to the blogs by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of the blog. Say what you want, but be civil.

Have a great rest of Sunday and a great week ahead!

A quote that may describe my writings...The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people who can write know anything. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877)

Mark