My Finger!!! at 10:09 PM

About two or so months ago, I cut my pinkie finger laying floor tile. It hasn't healed yet to this day and it hurts when I bend it so I went to the doctor today to have them look at it. The doc says I cut it worse than I thought I did and apparently have cut my tendon. She says there's nothing that can be done about it and she's sorry.

So, that's stinky news. Playing guitar, piano, typing and playing games amongst many other things... I will forever have a sore finger. That STINKS big time! Not to mention she thinks I have carpal tunnel developing in that same arm.

Oh well... I'll go as far as I can with what I got in life. I'm a Christian... gotta be optimistic.

Ceramic Tile at 5:57 PM

So the past two days I've been working really hard at tiling my bathroom floors. The hardest part is cutting the tile. Unlike vinyl tile, there is no flexing the tiles with ceramic. It took FOREVER to make all the cuts necessary. Today I was able to finally mix the thinset (mortar) and spread it out. I laid all the tile and its looking pretty good already. Tomorrow (or Sunday if I can't get to it tomorrow) will be grout. I'll update with the final floor pic when its done.

Today, I almost cut off my pinkie. I don't even know what did it. I was laying the tile when I realized there was blood all over my shirt and drips on the floor. I looked at myself until I saw blood dripping from my pinkie. The cut had to be almost to the bone (infact I'm pretty sure I was looking at bone). Right on the knuckle. The skin is very thin. Took about an hour for it to stop bleeding. I didnt' even feel a thing when it happened but now its killing me. But, after some peroxide, neosporin and several bandaids and napkins... I think I'll be alright.

I told Karen that she better LOVE the floors.

Blankman! at 8:24 PM

I havn't seen this movie in a long time. It came on MTV2 and I couldn't help but stop and watch it. I used to be such a fan of Damon Wayans. This movie has got to be his CHEESIEST but sad to say... I'm drawn to these little chessy flicks. They're short, stupid and childish. I LOVE IT!

Ceramic Tiling - Step 1 at 6:24 PM

Well, today Karen and I decided to make a move on our bathroom floors. We had vinyl tile in the these rooms but with the water from the tub and shower over the past two years, they are popping up everywhere. They looked horrible. So, we decided to go with ceramic.

Yesterday we found the best price for black ceramic tile to be at a place called "The Rug Shop" here in Greenville. We chose a desing from the brand "Armstrong" called "Suede" and the color was black. So, this morning I went in and paid for the tile. Its supposed to be here Tuesday.

So, I came back home and went ahead and removed all the show molding, vinyl tiling, as well as the lanolium flooring underneath, all the way to the subflooring (which to my surprise and benefit was backer board). Since there was already backerboard down, I'm good to go for tiling. That's a huge step out of the way.

So, Karen and I then decided to go over to Home Depot where we bought the remaining supplies to lay the tile (luckily we had a $50 gift card). We had to get thinset (the glue for the tile basically - the mud/mortar), grout, tile spacers, trowel, grout float, grout sealer, a couple of buckets to mix in and of course a wet saw. We are "ready for take-off." Just waiting for the tile and we'll have this stuff down in no time.

As of now, while waiting for the tile to come in, we have backer-board floors. Kind of funny looking but sad to say... it looks better than our vinyl tile did popping up all over the place.

Ninja Turtles at 1:59 PM

I just watched Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the first movie back in the early 90's). Call me immature if you want but that movie still ROCKS! You say "immature," I say "classic." Cowabunga!

Sunday at 6:27 PM

Just another Sunday. Got up early, went to practice at church (worship music practice) and played. Next I busted out the camera to get some shots of the service along with other various shots. Next hit BoJangle because... well... lets face it... you just gotta have more of it all the time. Next I headed over to Quentin's to take some pics of Ray and his family. Then from there, took Ray with me over to aunt's house to pray for my cousin. Then back to Quentin's to drop Ray off. Then rode back home and realized I left my car at church (I was riding with Karen). Then I drove back to the church to get my car. Then back home. Straight to uploading and editing photos for the church where I created a site for the church pictures. Now... WHEW! Just relaxing...

Maybe I'll play a little XBOX 360 or watch some TV. That's what I usually do when I'm not laying floor tile, painting, laying carpet, landscaping, managing, doing maintenance, practicing music at the church, helping out with the church, having church, taking pics of folks for work, taking pics of folks for favors, fixing friends' computers, visiting family, cleaning my own house, cutting my grass, or running errands for my pregnant wife (like hittin' the grocery store up for snacks).

Representin' at 9:09 PM

Go ahead folks... marvel at its beauty. The first ever... CrossPointe Fellowship Credit Card! Just ordered it. If you have Capitol One, you can customize your credit cards for free. So I designed this little puppy to REPREZZZENT!! Capitol One has to approve the image first but there is no reason why they wouldn't. Let me know if you want one and I'll send you the picture to upload!

Another Way to Save Online at 12:38 AM

eBay now has an online outlet store!

Go Here!

District 9 at 8:10 PM

I went saw District 9 today. It was pretty cool. Language can be rough. But its a very serious movie and it makes you feel sorry for the aliens. Imagine "Schindler's List" but with Aliens. They torture those poor things. Its very sad and in the end you root for the aliens and hope the human's die (sad to say).

Its pretty cool though... over all. The effects weren't cheesy at all and the aliens are definately believable enough to watch in peace. The cheesiness.

Save Money When Ordering Online at 12:24 PM

Here' s a little small tip for saving money when ordering things online. These are two "must-see" websites that you need to try in the order below.

Step 1: Go to Beat My Price and find the lowest price for your product. Just type in the top box the item you want, don't worry about the rest. Now just click the search button and it begins with the lowest price. Look for actual web sites other than eBay in the link details.

Step 2: Once you've found the site you want to purchase from, go to Retail Me Not and type in the website in the search box (for example: amazon.com). There will be a list of promotion codes to give you additional disounts (like free shipping, etc...).

There you go! You've now found the lowest price and maybe even got a little discount off of that!

If it works out for you (like it usually does me), then send me a "thanks Mark!"

Hope it helps!

MUSHROOMS!! at 6:38 PM

I've been trying to eat better lately and while walking down the aisles at the grocery I've been noticing things like: calories, cholesterol, fat, carbs, etc...

I've always liked eating mushrooms (cooked of course with seasoning). So I looked at a can of mushrooms. To my surprise, mushrooms only have about 60 calories in an entire can (20 calories/serving; 3 servings/can). It has 0 cholesterol, 0 fat, and 0 carbs. They are great for replacing meats if you're a meat lover like I am.

Not only are mushrooms "not" bad for you but they are "good" for you but they are also an excellent source of B vitamins and selenium and contain a powerful antioxidant.

Vitamins
Long known for being low in fat and high in fibre, mushrooms are also a good dietary source of B vitamins, especially niacin, vitamin B6 and riboflavin (vitamin B2). The B vitamins perform a wide variety of functions in your body and are essential for good health. For example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism and is essential for the proper functioning of your red blood cells.

Mineral content
Cultivated mushrooms (as distinct from edible field mushrooms, which vary in their content according to where they grow) are an excellent source of copper and selenium. Copper, along with iron, is needed for your body to make red blood cells. It also helps in keeping the nerves, blood vessels, bones and immune system in good condition. Selenium is an important trace element that may help to prevent certain cancers and is needed as part of certain antioxidant enzymes, which play a role in preventing cell damage.

Here's a great recipe for you.

• Get yourself a can of mushrooms (about 70cents a can).




• Open the can of mushrooms and notice how much juice is in the can.




• Drain the juice (to remove preservatives) and refill with water in its place.




• With a small frying pan on high heat, poor the mushrooms in the pan.




• Simply cook the mushrooms until most of the water is cooked out of it. Stirring occasionally. Once bubbling hot, turn heat down to medium.




• When the water level is low, add seasonings (I use garlice powder which is a MUST for me and Montreal Steak Seasoning... but not much steak seasoning as it will make it very salty... so use lightly).




• Now stir and cook a little longer till water is very low to gone.




• Put on plate and ENJOY!!!

(another tip... dip in some ketchup to make it even better and more like meat)

Another Good Idea:

You can buy different size mushrooms. Some mushrooms are large enough to be used as a patty (like burger meat). Regardless of the size of your mushroom(s), you can always pile it up on a bun with some ketchup (maybe mustard), and cheese and have a mushroom burger. Much healthier and full of flavor! Just a thought.

New Phone at 11:14 PM

I just got a new phone (for free). Its a "LG UX260." Its one of those slide cell phones built for text messaging faster. Of course I've got the unlimited texting.

G.I.Joe at 10:30 PM

Finally went to go see G.I.Joe. It was pretty good. It had a Marvel-like movie feel while it was not made by them. Special effects and high-packed action. It was pretty cool.

AC/HEATING Unit at 2:27 PM

Just ordered my AC/Heating unit for my upstairs. Should be in tomorrow. Gonna go get it and install it hopefully all tomorrow. However, it doesn't come with the duct work. It comes with:

• Air Handler
• Heater Element
• Thermostat
• Heat Pump
• Pad
• Lineset
• Stabalizer

So, once I get this in place (hopefully tomorrow), I'll plan out where I want ducts ran and go order the duct work. Then hopefully within a couple of days from that, be able to install those and be officially up and running with my AC/Heating Unit.

The ball is finally rollin'.....

Brett Daniels: Masters of Magic at 10:43 PM

This show was pretty cool. We were sitting right near the front (Row B) which is right up on the stage just about. This show was very amusing (its fun to try and catch the magician in his illusions). For a kid... this would be AMAZING. For an adult, its still very entertaining. We had a blast. This show actually sold out moreso than the Le Grande Cirque did.

I'll probably bring Hayden to this show in the future (if it still exists).

Myrtle Beach Day at 7:47 PM

Today went got up late (slept in). Then got ready and headed of to McDonalds for a quick bite. Then we kept on trucking to our 2:00 show at the Palace Theater to see Le Grande Cirque. This show was really cool. Its mainly a bunch of asians that are extremely experienced in gymnastics. A lot of theater is involved with lighting tricks and loud music. These people are amazing. They do very dangerous stunts and tricks (like a spiced up circus but more professional/serious). We got front row tickets! Tomorrow we're going back to see Brett Daniels (Illusionist/Magician). Can't wait.

Movie Notice! at 8:11 PM

Another movie I want to see is coming out (if it isn't already).

As a kid, I played with G.I. Joe toys which are little army men toys. I had tons of these things and these were the only toys (just about) that I would play with all through child hood.

Now there's a movie!!!??? I have to go see this. This is crazy. Here's the trailer to it:

Insteresting Movie Coming Out at 10:50 PM

At first, I thought this was a trailer for the movie Halo (after the video game). I got so excited and couldn't take it. Next it said it was directed by Peter Jackson (the dude who directed Lord of the Rings... whom was supposed to be directing Halo... believe it or not... last I heard). So I was so sure it was Halo the movie.

Well, the movie is not Halo (shoot!). Its called "District 9." It looks like its going to be the next "Independence Day" of our time. Sci-fi, special effects, advanced effects in our era... looks and sounds like a HIT.

Can't wait. Comes out August 14th.

http://www.district9movie.com/

Wait! Just checked it out... there's still going to be a Halo movie (2012). Look at this list of movies coming up that Peter Jackson is working on (Halo included). More Lord of the Rings stuff... (The Hobbit and The Hobbit 2... prequels I believe to LOTR).

Mail Call! at 4:25 PM

Just got in my new Xbox 360 game... "Wanted:Weapons of Fate." To check out my 360 stuff... click my Xbox link to the right (on the home page).

New Watch! at 5:31 PM

Well, today I got me a new watch from Target. I looked online, Walmart and Target. Believe it or not, Target had the best watch designs. I ended up getting the Men's Armitron Diamond Dial Dress Watch - Silver (4"). It costed $41.99.

At first, I didn't want to spend too much money on a watch (42 bucks is a lot to me). However, I then figured that as long as I took care of it, it would last me several years. So, I got it.

I think it looks simple and sleek. I love it!

ShamWow! at 12:29 PM

First off, I got one of those ShamWow! rags. I've had these things for a while now. A while back, I spilled my drink on the carpet. First thing that popped in my mind was "ShamWow!" I tried it out and it didn't work any better than a towel or napkin.

Later, I saw a dude selling these things at an outlet in a booth. I went up to him and told him that I got some of those and they didn't work very good at all and that I was disappointed in them. He told me that the biggest mistake most people make in using them is that most folks don't wet it first. He says you have to wet it, wring it out, then use it damp. I was confused but thought I'd try it.

Later on, the opportunity came up to use it again (yes, I've got terrible butterfingers). So, I dampen the ShamWow and guess what....? It worked GREAT! For real. I dampened it and rolled it across the carpet with a slight pressure and sure enough... I wrung it out in the sink... there's my drink. Alot of it. Much better than a towel or napkin now!

Oh yeah... while looking for a picture for this blog... I came across some interesting facts about the ShamWow guy. He has been arrested for beating up a prostitute. How crazy is that. Pics below!

AV iPod Converter at 12:02 PM

The headphone jack on my iPod stopped working meaning I couldn't hear any of my music. I called to see how much it would cost to have it fixed by Apple. They said it would cost $150 plus $20 shipping to have it repaired. JUST FOR THE HEADPHONE JACK!!

So I didn't do that obviously, I decided to search for a device that would allow me to plug into the iPod usb port and on the other end... a headphone cable (1/8" cable). I didn't find that cable. However, what I did find was this device pictured above. It connects to the iPod usb port and gives another usb port and headphone jack. So, I now can hear my music from my iPod and it cost $10.99.

Saved a lot of MULLAH!!

No Way!! at 11:31 PM

To see more of my Xbox 360 stuff/interests... check out my Xbox blog over in the right hand area.

NEW Xbox 360 Blog at 2:33 AM

I have a new blog now... look under my blog links on the right. It's everything about my 360 stuff and xbox stuff that interests me!

It lists what games I currently have, what additional things I have for the system, what I'm interested in getting and so forth.

Smithfield Pottery Shopping at 5:00 PM

Today was a long and hot day. It was nice to get out and go do something different for a change. We stopped just before we got to the shopping outlet to get Karen a salad with cajun chicken on it from BoJangles. Then we moved on to the outlet (there's a reason I told you that).

We walk around for a while in the very thick humid air/heat constantly stopping at random stores just for the sake of cooling off. Then out of nowhere a small storm rolls up with thunder, lightening and rain. Kind of cooled things down but made it more humid. Finally after shopping all day (and spending way more than we should have), we go back to our car where the ranch dressing from Karen's salad has cooked and filled the car with its aroma. Very gross.

On the bright side of the day... there were hardly any other people here. Felt like we kind of had the place to ourselves. Much better than black friday's trip.

Then off we go to head home and then we stuck in traffic, pretty much sitting in place for about 20 minutes (no joke) which felt more like an hour. There ended up being a wreck blocking up both lanes on the freeway.

Finally we got home though. It was a fun trip. I'd do it again. I got some clothes and shoes at some really great prices... so, yeah... it was a success.

Just thought I'd fill you in on my trip today (as if you cared).

Oh, and today was my brother's birth day (29 years old).

Happy Birthday Corey!!

Michael Jackson Dies at 6:35 PM

Michael Jackson. Died at 50 years old.

Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and paramedics were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back.

A source says Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived. A cardiologist at UCLA says Jackson died of cardiac arrest.Once at the hospital, the staff tried to resuscitate him but he was completely unresponsive.We're told one of the staff members at Jackson's home called 911. La Toya ran in the hospital sobbing after Jackson was pronounced dead.Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince "Blanket" Michael Jackson II.Story developing...

Reference Link

Text Twist at 5:58 PM

Just played Text Twist and got my highest score ever. 70,200 points!! On top of everything else I went out on the word "tyrant." I so should've got that!

The way you play is... you have 2 minutes and some jumbled letters. On the left you'll notice how many words are left that are possible to find. You will go to the next round "only" if you find at least one six letter word. The other words are just for points!

Want to beat my score (for real... no cheating by photoshopping numbers...), here's where you play:

Text Twist

comment and let me know if you beat it...

Peppermints at 3:05 PM

Okay. So I've been told that peppermints help pregnant women with their nausea. This is interesting because if you think about it, most restaurants have a big basket of mints on the way out the door. I used to think this was for fresh breath. However, maybe its because you just got through eating and the peppermints will help settle the stomach.

Here's some quick facts about peppermints that I've looked into (yes, I'm that bored right now):

Peppermint has been used in Eastern and Western traditional medicine as an aromatic, antispasmodic, and antiseptic in treating indigestion, nausea, sore throat, colds, toothaches, cramps, and cancers.

Because peppermint improves appetite and digestion and relieves intestinal gas, it is used in the treatment of disturbed digestion, flatulence, colic (severe abdominal pain), cholera, and diarrhea.

I'll stop here before I bore you to death... but just as an FYI of the day... now you know why you should eat a peppermint at a restaurant and why they even offer them instead of other candies, flavors or gums?

Permitted to Build! at 2:57 PM

Today I went and picked up my permit (or my "go flag") to begin working on my upstairs at my house. We will begin pretty much ASAP! I'm planning on going up there tonight and preparing. First step is contacting a place to purchase my AC/Heating unit. I have a place in mind.

I went to pick it up and they gave me a DVD (even the lady behind the glass told us how boring its going to be). The DVD is supposed to help us out with regulations and stuff. Here it is:

Upstairs!!! Here we come!

Graceway at 10:36 PM

Today was awkward. First off, today was my first day ever singing with the worship team at Graceway. Ironically, it was the last day the worship team would be there as they are all leaving. Second, after showing up early for stage setup and practice... I realized at 10:15am that I had Karen's (my wife) keys to her car in my pocket. Therefore, she couldn't come to church to hear me sing. Church starts at 10:37am. So, I had to rush back home and pick her up and head back and pretty much jump on stage (after prayer).

I think things went well but I (for some reason) was a bit more nervous than expected (probably due to the fact that I didn't know the lyrics to anything). Karen says that I stared at the lyric prompt the whole time like a statue (the exact opposite that I wanted to appear to be doing). She said I looked nervous... oh well. That's that. I'm sure that in time I'll loosen up more and more as I get the chance to do this type of thing. I guess its just been a while since I've sang in front of folks. Also, we were in a completely new environment than usual (new room) where a circuit had already blown during practice in the middle of a song, shutting everything down. Just another factor to the nervousness. In the end, it was all good though. It was fun and I couldn't think of a better group of people to be doing it all with.

Farewell Graceway.

Too Hot!! at 4:32 PM

Today I shot a wedding in a place called Creswell (Lake Phelps). The lake was beautiful and the water (believe it or not) was clear like Caribbean water. The sand was even white. Weird. Didn't know we had that around here. The wedding was out on a peer with a gazebo. We did have to travel about 2 hours to get to it but we're finally back and exhausted (traveling itself exhausts you). On top of everything... the heat was terrible. The sun was shining bright (which was great for the wedding) and man was it hot out there. Everyone was sweating away. Even the bride was pouring sweat.

So now, I'm back home getting ready to go to practice for my (most likely) last Sunday at Graceway. Tired and sticky (from sweat), I guess I'm about ready to keep truckin'.

Airbags! at 4:28 PM

You can tell from the picture I made what I'm about to question here. Isn't it strange that the horn is in the same place that the airbag comes flying out. We press horns when we are trying to scare a deer out of the road, or trying to stop someone from driving out infront of us (or when we are ill). But what if honking the horn didn't work and while honking it, you hit something. Wouldn't the airbag fly out either spranging really badly your wrist of more likely, breaking it?

Scary huh?

Just a random thought.

New Laptop!!! at 3:50 PM

I finally have my own personal laptop to do what I please with. Mine, MINE, MINE!!!

Got it for $450 (plus tax of course)

Here's the specs:

Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor

(not quite as good as the Dual Core 2 processor but still a good processor. For a GREAT process, the Quad Core Processor would be good to get... however, that boosts the price of the laptop into the thousands). 2.16 GHz speed.

3GB of RAM (memory)

This is pretty good. I'm trying to determine if I want to max it out and add another GB of RAM. DDR2 type of memory which is better than DDR (without the 2).

15.6" Monitor

Its big enough for me. It appears to be a widescreen more so than a typical screen.

160GB Hard Drive

(I can never have enough space which is why I will probably use all of this up easily and still along with my 200GB external and 500GB external hard drive.

Vista obviously comes on the machine.

The rest (and probably what you have read thus far) is just boring stuff to most. Here's some more pics.