I Wish We Had Cable

Following Michael Jackson's sudden death MTV played a marathon of his videos. I would have enjoyed seeing that. I did watch several, of very poor quality, on youtube though.

I was 4 when the Thriller album came out, but I remember listening to it over and over at my cousin Tiffany's house. Tiffany also forced me to perform dance routines with her to Michael Jackson and Madonna's music on a pretty regular basis at family gatherings.

I also distinctly remember the Billie Jean video from the early years of MTV. I think they played that video and the Beat It video all the time. And of course, I was completely terrified of the Thriller video. I got to show that video to my 11 year old sister this past weekend. How had she never seen it?

All that to say, his death was sad for me because his music was a big part of my early childhood.

Cousin Tiffany, Cousin Meredith, Me

In the other picture Tiffany and I are at Hanna Barbara Land. I don't know why we were sharing that stuffed animal.

Why Don't People Like Me?

Marcus here.


I like to think that most people like me. I mean, I may not be everyone's favorite, but most people can at least tolerate to be around me. However, there are some people (mostly kids) who just don't like me for some reason. For instance, Amanda's little sister, Julie, used to be scared to death of me.

It's a funny story really. She was only 2 when I first met her, and I had bright red hair and a muppet-esque looking beard. If you've seen amanda's family, you can image that there is no one her family that looks anything like me; so, needless to say, julie would run screaming whenever I would enter the room. One time she was sitting on the floor eating a big bowl of ice cream when I walked in. She was so scared that she abandoned her iced treat and went screaming for daddy.

But suddenly, that simply changed. I don't know what caused it; all I know is that one day I was standing in their hallway when all of a sudden I hear the patting of little feet run up behind me, and I feel a pair of tiny hands slap me on the butt! I turn around and there's Julie's sweet little face grinning up at me. She giggled and ran away. At that point I knew she was ok with me.

Well, Julie turns 11 tomorrow, and I'm very happy that she's let me be a part of her family.

Happy birthday little sister.


-Marcus, SGB

This is why I don't cook

My parents came to Abilene drop off my little brother yesterday. He is going live with us and go to Cisco Jr College this fall to get credits to transfer to SFA in the spring. Last night my dad decided he wanted to make some brownies after dinner. I didn't have any last night, and I thought there were some left tonight, but alas, when I went to get one they were all gone.

I was really craving them, so Marcus ran to the store to get some brownie mix. It has been forever since I cooked anything, including basic baking from a box. As I was putting the last ingredients into the mixing bowl, the eggs, I guess I wasn't really paying attention. The first egg went fine, I cracked it on the edge of the bowl, got the yolk in the bowl, then put the shell in the brownie box. For the secong egg, I cracked it on the side of the bowl and the put the yolk in the brownie box. I didn't realize what I had done until I went to put the shell in the brownie box. I immediately started laughing at myself. Fortunately we still had two eggs left. This is why I don't cook.

Whew...Finally It's Break Time

So today, I spent all day at a seminar...the who/what/when/why/where aren't important, but I did see something slightly funny. When they released us for the first break 2 hours into the seminar, all of us immediatly wandered outside and stood around. It was here that I noticed something that caught my funny bone. There we were, all standing around outside in little groups, and I was waiting for all of us to whip out our cigarettes and lighters and have ourselves a little smoke break. But alas, that didn't happen. Can you guess what happened instead? That's right, out of unseen pockets everywhere, dozens of mobile phones appeared and became glued to ears.

I have to admit, it made me chuckle. None of us could hardly go two hours without communicating with someone who was not currently with us, and of course I was right there with them. As soon as the break started, I got on the phone and called my office to see how things were going, and I called Amanda for no other reason than to just hear her voice.

When did we really become that culture? We can't seem to go any time at all without using one of these mobile communications centers. I remeber just 10 years ago or so when cell phones were only for the elite and prestigous. Of couse, I'm one of the worst. My phone is set to tell me immediately when an email is sent to me, plus the standard text messages, and facebook checks, and ebay checks, and calendar checks. Ironically the thing I use least about the phone is the phone itself. I'll only use it when absolutly necessary.

Sometimes I question whether I should continue to rely so heavily on these mobile devices that keep me in touch of what's happening at work. It is beginning to blur the line between my work and my home. When I'm on my couch, my phone will "eep" to signify an email from one of our workers in Belgium or Australia or something. Invariably I'll pick up my phone and see what the email is about. Granted, I rarely respond to it right then, but the thing it...I look at it.

An extension of this is that I can sit here on the couch and connect up to my network at the office, and start doing work (assuming I can get the laptop away from Amanda that is). I'll admit that this is a life saver sometimes...When something goes awry at work at 6 in the morning, I can sit in my pyjamas and fix it from here. But the downside is that I could easily continue working past 5pm, all through the evening...and end up putting in another 40 hours in no-time...all from my couch. That's not necessarily a bad thing, except that fact that I would MUCH rather spend those hours with Amanda doing something other than work. It's just that it's so easy; but again, it blurs that all important distinction between my two lives.

I digress.

All this to say, I don't know if mobile phones are a bad thing or a good thing... but I do find it funny.

What do you think?

Marcus, SGB

Why Do We Like To Make Ourselves Look Funny?

Hi there. Special Guest Blogger Marcus here.

I've come to realize, we have an epidemic. Kids of all ages, at carnivals all over the country, get a kick out of looking at themselves in the Fun House mirrors. I don't know why, but we seem to like to laugh at the absurdity of ourselves being all distorted.

My Macbook has an application on it, called Photobooth, that allows you to sit in front of the little camera and take goofy pictures of yourself. I admit it is a fun little treat and it is somewhat addicting.

Here are a few of the pictures taken by different people when they were playing with my laptop.

I seem to be a little congested.

Donnie the Demon

Julie (my sister-in law), doing her Jay Leno impersonation

Chris, there's something in your eye...

I only had two pizzas.

Ah, Polyphemos

Story Time

Greetings again. It's me, Marcus.

I come from a family of story tellers. My brothers like to tell them (check out my brother's latest blog posting), my dad had some really good ones, and you might have even heard me tell a few...all true of course. But there's a story that my Grandpa would tell that is absolutly great. I had never heard the story until just a few years back, and I probably can't tell it as well as he could, but here's how I remember it.

My great grandfather (Grandpa's dad) and his brother were out one day on the farm, and the brother was chopping wood. My Great-Grandpa came up to him in true brotherly fashion and proceeded to annoy the axe-weilder. by sticking his foot up on the chopping block. Well, the axeman tells him to move his foot or he'll chop it off; and of course Great-Grandpa didn't belive him, and so he left his foot there. As you can imagine, the brother with the axe refuses to be beaten by his sibling, so he takes a swing at Great-Grandpa's foot and manages to whack off a toe. That's right, he chops his toe right off!

Now, that's a fantastic, yet true, story in and of it's own accord. Two brothers out on the farm with an axe and a newly severed toe. You think that's the end of the story; but this is where Grandpa would surprise you. Because lo and behold, after the toe is chopped off, nothing shocks you more than to hear that a rooster runs up, picks up the fallen toe, and eats it!

Like I said, this is how I remember the story. I'd be interested to hear how other members of the family remember it.


Marcus, Special Guest Blogger

Congratulations Blue!!!

Marcus and I are going to Houston this weekend to see my little brother graduate from high school. Since I am so much older than Blue, I remember when he was born, when he first started walking and talking, and his first day of school. He graduated from kindergarten in the same year that I graduated from high school. When I went away to college he wouldn’t talk to me on the phone because he was mad at me for leaving. Now he will be leaving for Stephen F. Austin this July for a couple of summer courses, and then again

 in the fall. I’ll have to tell our 10 year old sister Julie not to talk to him on the phone for a few months!!

I’m really proud of my brother for finishing high school and deciding to go to college, but man does it make me feel old!!

Blue's Kindergarten Picture

Blue in his cap and gown

Blue, Julie, and me