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Inside joke for current and former SARS folks. I see it has been 3 weeks since I posted here. I have fallen out of the writing mood lately, been working more than I'd like to, and April is the anniversary of my mother, my brother-in-law and my brother's transition from time to timelessness. In that order. 2006, 2007 and 2008. They all owned pieces of my life as well as larger pieces of my future had they lived. My belief is that they now are where they proposed to be at this stage in their lives. I will one day know.

I am coming up on my 8th straight day of full time shifts at work. Then I have 2 days off. Work two more days, have another two days off, work 4 days and take 4 off. Weird I know. Such is the life of retail. Well, the 4 days off isn't really retail but vacation from retail. It is time for our annual men's retreat at Ocracoke Island. Sounds to many like fun times on the beach. For me, the beach is OK, but I won't spend much time there. I get enough of the beach and ocean in a couple of hours. It is a time of spiritual relaxation and renewal for me. Three of us are going together and taking bikes. My guess is there will be about 100 guys this year from our church and others. Ocracoke is at sea level around it's perimeter of course, and rises to probably 6 or 8 inches at it's highest elevation, except for the dunes, which may be 2 feet or so. And biking is great fun on the flat.

I am still trying to read, only now I am in the middle of 4 books instead of 1. Again. I found a book on the Internet titled The Engineer in the Garden by Colin Tudge. It is a book about creation and genetics. It is subtitled "Genes and Genetics From the Idea of Heredity to the Creation of Life."

My dear friend Arnold loaned me a book titled Why Men Don't Go To Church" which I am finding interesting as well, but less compelling to my central scope of quest. But I believe it may help me as I interact with men and stand for my position as a Christian man.

I am still in the middle of How to Read the Bible but I am working my way through the very academic and scholarly elucidation of the books attributed to Old Testament prophets and judges. Right now I am in Ezekiel. What I am finding out mostly is that I did not know these books as well as I should have. A lot of history that seems to get lost in my brain with all of the people and places with unpronounceable names.

I will most likely post more about these three books on my other blog.

I have also been remiss in my camera activity. I had wanted a smaller camera so I could always have it with me, and now after being so very kindly gifted with it, find I don't carry it with me. I am basically afraid I will lose it. I don't want it in my locker at work, and while I can effectively hide it in the console of my truck, I worry about the heat, or coming heat.

Most of my time at home has been taken up with trying to recharge my physical batteries and working on the rec room. We are close to being done there. I have very high expectations of being done this coming weekend. I have Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and Monday off. The last two semi major parts is putting down the baseboard and cleaning and painting the baseboard heaters.

The second phase which needs a quick follow up is the sealing, sanding and painting of the stairs and stairway, then putting down the hooked rug treads.

Then we are going to have some of you over.

Cheers. Bruce