Hi, I'm Marc Schenker. The name Schenker has both German and Russian lineage. In fact, if you looked it up in the Munich phone directory, the name would be as common as say, Smith and Jones. There I'm common. Here, I'm kind of unique. At least in surname. In other ways, too. Good and bad to be honest.

I've started this blog to document my life -- or parts of if -- plus get things off of my chest and occasionally talk about more specific things. For example, I have never been more astounded in my life by what happened in the recent election. I never thought that so many people were that scared of things and so gullible about others. I must tell you that I wonder where we went wrong, though I'm sure money, and the lack there of so many, had everything in the world to do with it. But I'm still astounded by the fact -- and it is indeed a fact -- that so many Americans would vote so definitely against their interests. And it has driven me away from caring, to be sure. Politicians have always specialized in duping people. Those on both sides are experts at it.

They did a hell of a job this time around, one from which I'm not sure we'll recover.

I'll add to this when I can, which is basically what Blogs are all about, right? I promise to never use the word, "musings." God.

I was born in Baltimore on January 20, 1947 at Mercy Hospital to Stanley & Florence. My mother apparently had a rough pregnancy. Both parents smoked throughout, nobody knew any better at that time. Of course, second-hand smoke was my constant companion growing up and by the age of 15, I was following suite. Just thought I'd mention it before I move on, since I won't be moving on for very much longer due to the above. I was also born with both feet facing opposite legs at a 45 degree angle and I was in casts for the first 6 weeds of my life. It gave me two things: a heel-first walk and blazing speed as a youth. I probably ran the 60 in under 4.4 and the hundred in less than 9 seconds. I played football and baseball constantly with formal teams and pickup. I truly loved it and I truly loved watching it until recently. Football today has a violence moniker branded on every player who takes the field. The object of injuring someone is the point never admitted, of course. So I'll take the Orioles every day. I'm off pro football and back on baseball.

I lived most of my life in Atlanta and for the first 20 years it was pretty good. Following the Olympics in '96, it got pretty bad, crowded and faster and less caring and more politically intolerant and...I should have stayed there and worked a little harder and drank and drugged a little less or I wouldn't find myself in The Worst Place in America, here. South Florida. Home of Dead Enders. After failing the Sow/Reap formula, I imagine I'll die here. I had a chance to go home to Atlanta and blew it.

We'll get around to optimism and energy and a shoeshine in a bit.