2008......already????

I have been wanting to post something on here for months, but just never had anything really good to say.

I was traveling for work between the middle of September and the beginning of December. Then Christmas hit, and now just existing in the afterglow of the holidays.

So here I sit on January 21st. We have the day off for the holiday. I have a Predators game tonight at 5 pm vs. St. Louis. I made a pot of stew for lunch and it turned out pretty good. Actually, I am an unconventional cook. I use what I have. I made hot dog stew! Always have liked franks since I was little and mom had a recipe for it when I was growing up. Well, why do you need a recipe for stew?? I started with tomatoes and beans and hot dogs and added this and that and came up with a rather good combination.

Yesterday, January 20th, was a wonderful and amazing day for me!! Off the bat, it was the feast day of one of my patron saints, St. Sebastian. He was a Roman Army officer and declared his Christianity in spite of threats from the emperor. He was condemned to a firing squad of archers and was pierced through by arrows. I'm sure you have seen various artist renderings of this. He was thrown into a sewer to die. A fellow Christian named Irene found him and nursed him back to health. He confronted the emperor, who was aghast at seeing this deadman. He chastised the emperor and was promptly again sentenced to death. Beheading brought Sebastian's life to an end. He left a wonderful witness of faith and perseverance. I am glad he is one of my patrons!

Secondly, football was great, especially the Packers/Giants game. I was pulling for the Pack, but the Giants battled and pulled it out in OT. So Super Bowl XLII will be between the New England Patroits and New York Giants. And I have no favorite of those two and will watch the game from an entirely sporting point of view!! Maybe even just to see the commercials!

Since Assumption has started an 8:30 am Sunday Mass in addition to 11 am, I have been going to it. Fr. Abraham and Fr, Bernard switch weeks and yesterday was Fr . Abraham's turn. His homily started out with the story of St. Henry!! Another one of my patrons, as Henry is my baptismal name! It was so comforting to hear the story I have read so many times, but never have heard spoken before. Henry II was the Holy Roman Emperor in the 990's and early 1000's. He wanted to give up the throne to go to the monastery, but the prior said it would be hard for him to be obedient to someone else. Henry said it wouldn't. SO the prior told him to be obedient and go back to his throne and rule the empire in a Christian way. Henry was obedient to the end and is now listed among the saints. He is buried with his wife St. Cunegundes in Bamberg Bavaria, oddly enough not far from were my Schramm and Schwammlein ancestors are from.

I was craving some comfort food last night. Things have been kind of emotional for me the past month or so. My Auntie Katie is not doing well, Dad was sick over Christmas, I have been struggling with a persistent cold and sinus crud, one of my frat brothers and great friends mother died here in Nashville, been looking for a house to buy, matters of the heart and soul seem to overwhelm me (well, I am a worrier and highly emotional guy!!). I just needed to get some "feel-good" food last night. So I went to Noshville, Nashville's NY Jewish deli. I had a big bowl of chicken noodle soup with a big matzo ball and potato pancakes with sour cream (bah apple sauce!) and some great strong coffee! It did wonders!

But the most awesome event of January 20, 2008 was in the genealogy department. I FINALLY FOUND THE BAPTISMAL ENTRIES FOR MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDPARENTS!!!! I found out on Saturday that the Family History Library in Salt Lake City have developed a new website that contains documents scans, not transcriptions. I looked at the records and one of them was the Diocese of Durham Bishop Transcripts 1700-1900. The Bishop Transcripts were copies of the baptisms, marriages and burials each Anglican parish had to send to their bishop every year. County Durham and Northumberland were the counties of my ancestors so I was in heaven. I didn't know where to look first. They are not indexed, so it is a search and find exercise. My great-great-grandfather, George Bell, was supposedly born in Eglingham in Northumberland. Eglingham didn't make the records list. Edlingham did, and I remembered one census listed Edlingham rather than Eglingham. So I pulled them up and started going through them. BINGO!!--Year 1836 on February 7 George son of Thomas and Susan Bell of Edlingham. Thomas was a husbandman and baptism was performed by James Manisty, Vicar. I didn't have Jane Jobson Bell's, my great-great-grandmother, baptismal entry either. She lived in North Sunderland Northumberland, a few miles down the coast from Bamburgh. I looked in Bamburgh and nothing. North Sunderland started too late, as she was born about 1831. I looked in the next locale which was Beadnell, which had a chapelry. Aha!! Found it!! Year 1831 on August 7 Jane daughter of Michael and Jane Jobson of North Sunderland. Michael was a pitman and baptism was performed by John Ayton Woods, Curate.

So two more pieces of the family puzzle have been found. I still haven't found a marriage listed for them. It has to be in 1860 or 1861 as my great-grandfather Thomas and his twin Susannah were born in July 1861.

So yesterday was quite a day!

Forward I look to the end of January and the rest of the Presidential 2008 Primary Election season. On the Republican side, looks like Fred Thompson is finished. And Rudy Giuliani has put all his hopes on Florida. John McCain looks like he will do well in Florida and streamroll to February 5th, the Super Duper Primary day. For the Democrats, it's still a toss-up between Hillary and Obama. That's Barak Hussein Obama...I wonder if he really is a Muslim??? No Democrat has enthused me, and only two Republicans have peeked my interest. This is truly a tough decision. I still haven't made up my mind.

Well, on with today. Tomorrow back to work...yuck! Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from you all soon!

Mark