The End of the Long Weekend Nov 28 2004

Hello all!

The long weekend is racing to a completion. I hate to see it go. Had a great time over the four days.

Thursday was Thanksgiving Dinner in New Concord KY by my aunt and uncle's. Had a great time and good food. Friday was work day around the house. Both inside and outside. Got the leaves up from the street , put up my bird feeder, cleaned out the garden, picked up the magnolia seed cones from the yard, etc. Then went out and did some shopping in the evening. Stores weren't that crowded... Saturday was lazy bum day. I felt like being a bum and I was! Didn't get dressed until 2 pm. Washed all the laundry that was in (or near) the hamper. Put away clean dishes. Watched football, and football and football.... Poor Notre Dame, they had so much promise in the first quarter...then splat!

Today I woke up and the German program signal wasn't functioning well over the internet. So I popped on the 24/7 Polka Station and listened to it while I had my coffee and English muffins and cream cheese. Read the Morning Sun from Pittsburg KS, Chicago Tribune and glanced at the Tennessean all online. Pittsburg State Gorillas football team won their game against rival Northwest Missouri State in the Division 2 playoffs. They move on to the semi-final game next Saturday. Go Gorillas!!

Went to Mass at 11 am. Then came back in a did some needed genealogy work. Going to Salt Lake City in a few weeks to do research and need to get some of the legwork done before hand so I know which rolls of microfilm to pull when I am there. I need to list what I want and which reels of film I need to have. I can get that off of the Family Search website Card Catalog. That'll save a lot of time! I can do that here and not waste the time at the library. Then I took a nap!!!

Woke up with a headache...how odd! Decided to go to Home Depot to look for bird seed for my new feeder. Stopped for gas $1.83 a gallon at Shell (not bad)! Didn't find bird seed at HD but did some shopping and did pick up some Christmas gifts!!

Talked to mom a few minutes ago--a slow day for them as well.

So, now it's almost 9 pm and I need to load the dishwasher and do a general houseclean to gather up the loose ends and finish things up.

Today is the start of a new year...a Church new year. The church year starts on the 1st Sunday of Advent. The recessional hymn at Mass was one of my favorites. I never really liked it and then one Sunday I refused to sing it and just listened. It struck a note somehow and I have enjoyed it ever since...

WAKE, AWAKE

Wake, awake! The night is dying,
and prophets from of old are crying:
The rising sun will conquer night.
He will overcome our sadness;
the morning dawn will bring us gladness,
and then the blind will see the light.

Rejoice, the Lord is near!
Again, I say rejoice: Alleluia!
The Lord will come to set us free;
Our King will reign eternally.

He is King of every nation,
and he will bring us our salvation;
The Lord of Light will set us free.
Ev'ry nation will adore him,
and all the world will bow before him,
and he will reign eternally.

Rejoice, the Lord is near!
Again, I say rejoice: Alleluia!
The Lord will come to set us free;
Our King will reign eternally.

I will try to be more diligent in keeping up with this blog. It's just that at the end of the day, I am worn out. I tried to do it in the morning, but me mind was still foggy from sleep. So, the end of the day it is!

Wishing you all a Blessed Advent season. May you be awake and ever watchful. Be ready for the wonderful day when Jesus makes His triumphant return!

Love to all---

Mark

November 23rd--Time is flying!

Man, I just cannot keep up anymore! Either I'm having too much fun, or I'm getting old! Don't say it!

Having a wonderful time! Wish you were here! Wish someone was here to help me through the holidays!

Life is abuzz right now with little jobs, big jobs, and the like. My job at work is going good--always busy and the day flies by. Getting a look at state government from a different perspective. Whether I can accept some things is a different story. No one wants to make a decision.

So tonight I sit comtemplating the meetings I had today--two of them; their implications (no one to replace me in my old position and a time managment report project) ; and what the hell my next move is to lessen my load and divvy the work out to those who have the skills to do it.

And also, I need to make a pumpkin pie cake, Lithuanian sauteed mushrooms, spinach dip, a maple pecan pie and halusky (Polish noodles and cabbage) for Thursday. So I'm getting a headstart and doing some easy stuff tonight. Tomorrow will be the push!

I wish I could entertain some political thoughts for the day, but I haven't had a quiet time to think about them. Maybe by the end here, I'll have some shots!

I did find out that one of the Kotzman cousins died back in July. Kenneth King was the son of my great-great-aunt Annie Kotzman King, my great-grandfather's younger sister. They lived in St. Louis for years until moving to the Gulf side of Florida. Aunt Annie died in 1992. Ken was unmarried and the administrator of his estate is looking for Ken's nephew Jeffrey. If any of my Kotzman cousins know where Jeffrey is in Florida, let me know. The man is supposed to follow up with an e-mail or phone call in the future. He did say that Ken was buried in St. Louis in the family plot.

Tennessee politics is getting very interesting! This last election saw the Republicans take control in the State Senate for the 1st time since the Civil War. They have a slight majority at 17-16. Tennessee hierarchy is strange in that the populace does not elect the Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer or Attorney General. The Senate elects their Speaker, who also becomes Lt. Governor. The Supreme Court appoints the Attorney General. And the General Assembly elects the Treasurer and Secretary of State. The current Lt. Governor is John Wilder, naturally a Democrat. Amazing fact is that he has been Senate Speaker/Lt. Governor since 1970! He is 83 years old and won another four-year term a few weeks back. During his tenure, he has appointed both Democrats and Republicans to committee chairmanships and boards. He has been pretty bi-partisan.

So now is the dilemma---with the split at 17-16, it's easy math, a Republican Speaker/Lt. Governor. Nope! At least two Republican State Senators have come out saying they will vote for the Democrat Wilder to remain Speaker. Fuses are short here in the TN GOP. Even US Senator Bill Frist has called up looking to change minds.

I wouldn't mind if the choice is a fair, good choice. But Gov. Wilder has seen his better days. He has really come up with some idiotic ideas and legislation. These Republican senators (in name only I ascertain), need to realize that the people of Tennessee wanted a change. For them to change the system after 140 years of one-party control must mean something. All it boils down to is that these two senbators are committee chairs and know that if Wilder is re-elected, they will retain their chairmanship. With theor turncoat tactics, if the Republican Senator Ramsey wins, they will probably be replaced for their "treason".

So in January, we will see how the game plays out...

Well, time to go and see whats happening in the world.

I will try to put in some thoughts during cooking tomorrow night. Maybe even a recipe or two!

Have a great night and a fantastic 'day before a holiday' tomorrow!

Mark

Thursday November 18

WOW!

What a quick week!

Seems like it was just Monday and it's dawning on Friday almost.

Been a busy week here for your humble correspondant. Tuesday I got a new employee in Audit Support. She is a welcome addition to the staff and I look forward to working with her. Actually, she has a Ph.D. in Statistics, so I am out-thunk big time!!

All day Wednesday and half a day today I was in a Supervisor's Policy class. Very interesting; somewhat dry. A lot of material to digest in a short period of time.

Tonight I went to the library to rekindle the fires of my Midwestern Research Sources class from BYU. I did OK. Was diverted a bit when buddy Dave dropped in for a few minutes. It was good to see him and chat awhile.

So here I sit with clothes in both washer and dryer. Still have my cold. I really am a giving person...anyone want it?? It needs a good home!

Looking forward to the weekend. Supposed to do some bonding with my Lithuanian friend Vaidas over the weekend. Have a parish council meeting after Mass on Sunday--some fireworks are on the horizon.

Next week is a short week with Thanksgiving. We get Friday off too. Looking forward to that--some sleep in late days. Hopefully I'll be over this damn cold!!

Ready to hit the sack. Hope everyone is well and ready to end the week on a great note!

Mark

Yes, I am still alive! Nov 13th

Hello!

Yes, I am still alive! I just have been extremely busy the last week or so and then I've come down with a cold. Just haven't felt like sitting down and saying anything. Right now, it's a cuppa joe and a fried egg and I'm feeling kinda wordy!!

Let's see, I left off election night...I am still relieved Bush won. I know this is the correct direction for the country. I am even more elated that Ashcroft is resigning as Attorney General. I never did like him, even when he was a senator from Missouri. Gonzalez looks to be a good choice. Evans from Commerce and probably Paige from Education are also bowing out. There is always turnover when the second term begins. I hope excellent choices are made and the Senate approves them without too much hoopla. I still believe that is the whole reason behind not getting the best people for the job---the hassle of confirmation and the fights that happen, not over qualifications, but politics.

The new job is going well. It is challenging and has worn me out a few times. The worst part of the whole deal is that I am still handling all the responsibilities of my previous job as well. No one has filled it yet. I am getting a new employee Tuesday, but she will be working in the Electronic Data Unit, not mine for the next month or two. So more work for me, but no one to dish anything off to. It's getting pretty old pretty quick!

Had a good day Thursday, Nov 11th, Veterans Day. Mom and Dad came in and Mom and I went to the Veterans Day parade downtown. It was little rainy and overcast, but the parade is always a great event.

Yasser Arafat finally has met his Maker...and I'm sure his Maker was very terse. How can the Palestinians look up to him as a great leader when so much innocent blood is on his hands, and so much of the Palestinians money was in his pockets??? True, he brought notice to the independence cause, but he did nothing to find a settlement to it. He knew that as long as it was not settled, he would have the attention and money from other Arab nations. Hopefully the new leaders will be able to hammer out a treaty with Israel and finally give the Palestinians the deserved homeland that the United Nations ripped away from them years ago. The UN made a mess of Iraq, Palestine, Yugoslavia, Korea and Somalia. When is the rest of the world going to wisen up and see that the UN is not an organization looking for peace, but one who is looking for existence?? We need to boot the UN out of New York and drop out of membership.

Well, the Chicago Bears are in town this weekend to play the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. I am not trying to go to the game--a lot warmer and less crowded here in my media room!! Plus the concessions are cheaper at home. GO BEARS!!!

Been dabbling in genealogy again. No breakthroughs yet---still on the search for information on great-great-great-grandfather Thomas Bell.

Went and saw Steff Mahan at 3rd and Lindsley Tuesday night. She was great as always! Small crowd however. No one from the neighborhood other than Andy and I. We need to bolster that number big time whenever she plays!

To my friend Chris--coffee is wonderful! So glad you found that you like the stuff! Come over someday and we'll have a "brewfest"!

To my California cousins--hello out there! I'm going to contact you shortly about our genealogy. I need to get some of these lines finished up and then publish!!

To my buddy Dave--hope you are doing well. I know you've been snowed under lately and this weekend is the culmination. Let's do dinner or something when you get a good break.

To Mary and Ed--the Blue Moon closed and now Bobby's Idle Hour has bit the dust...are they trying to tell us something?? We need to find a new place--maybe need to check the lease before we start drinking there to make sure it is long-term!!

To Robin, Molly, Sandra, Lindsay--my English cousins--hope you are all well. I hear you may be having an election too in the late spring. I love an election... I'm still working on trying to figure a good trip over sometime in 2005. I will keep you posted on it.

And to cousin Melissa in Vienna Austria--don't be mad at me that Bush won. We will do well!

OK, time to refill this coffee and get to moving on this day. I can't believe it is almost the middle of November already. Pretty soon it'll be lights and trees and carols and Santa! I love the holidays, but dread the shopping and crowds. This year I've already gotten a lot of shopping done. Even got my cards already---so unlike me! Am I getting old and responsible???

I'm going to close on a story and a prayer. Today is November 13, the feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. She is the patron of immigrants...what better patron for an old mutt like me?? She was born in Sant'Angelo Italy in 1850. She became a nun in 1877. She always wanted to be a missionary in China. However, at the request of Pope Leo XIII, she sailed to America in 1889. She worked among the Italian immigrants in New York City. She became a shrewd businesswoman as well as catechist and soon opened convents and hospitals across North and South America. She became an American citizen in 1910. She founded 67 houses of her order, Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, in 38 years. She spent a lot of time in Chicago, and died at Columbus Hospital in December 1917. She was canonized in 1946, the first American citizen to be canonized, and her relics are contained in a crystal coffin beneath the main altar of Mother Cabrini High School in New York City. Mother Cabrini is well known in Chicago and with her being a recent saint, many of the places she lived and work in are still there today.

Loving Father, through the work of St. Frances Cabrini You brought comfort and love to the immigrants and those in need. May her example and work be continued in the lives of those dedicated to You. May You watch over and guide all immigrants today and have mercy on all our immigrant ancestors. We ask this in the name of Jesus, Your son. Amen.

Now have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Mark

BUSH WINS?!!!??!!!???

It's 2:25 AM Wednesday morning November 3rd. Polls closed hours ago, but there are still some states too close to call. As it sits now, the President has 269 out of the needed 270 electoral votes. He is leading in New Mexico, Nevada, Iowa and losing in Wisconsin. I think he will most likely win the election.

Am I happy? Not really, but I am relieved. I think the President is a better choice than Senator Kerry. While I am not enthused with the President's spending policies, all in all he is doing a good job. Hopefully he'll unite the country and forge ahead on all fronts.

Well, I think I'm going to bed. See you all in the morning.

Mark