Mark Richards

I've been living in Atlanta now for 5 and a half years and haven't seen too many stars out and about which to me seems strange considering how many well know people live or have homes here. And it's not like Atlanta is the size of New York City, Chicago, or anything like that. The city is really rather small comparatively.

Up until now, I think the only famous person I've seen is Andre 3000 of Outkast. He was at my office doing voice-overs for his show on Cartoon Network. As far as famous Atliens go, Andre is pretty high on the list. But last Wednesday I surpassed him and essentially hit the ATL jackpot when I saw Usher at the Apple Store at Lenox Mall.

I was at the Apple Store to have my MacBook Pro looked at (the CD drive isn't working and the stupid this keeps overheating). As I'm waiting for my appointment at the Genius Bar, I starting walking around the store aimlessly. All of a sudden I turn around and there he is: Usher.

I didn't see anybody flocking to him yet, so I started to wonder if it really was him. A couple of high school kids looked over and confirmed that I wasn't crazy and it was him. I didn't go up and act like a little girl and ask for an autograph, but I call Sarah very discretely and told her the exciting news.

Usher was in the store for about 30 minutes and purchased a MacBook for one of the girls he was with (and no, there was no entourage...only he, a guy, and 2 girls). I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the Apple employees and the customers in the store. The employees acted with great professionalism (which is good considering they're a bunch of kids/young adults) and nobody went up to him and pestered him. Of course, a few kids asked for an autograph which was cool, but nobody was inappropriate.

And then it was over. Usher left and life went on as usual. I know that's not a very exciting story, but seeing as I don't see many stars here in Atlanta, I found it to be pretty cool.

Marital Bliss

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 30 May 2007 02:27:00 +0000

Today is my 2 year wedding anniversary. Sarah and I have been married for 730 days and have yet to kill each other. Go us! Also taking the plunge this past weekend were my good friends Greg and Rachel. Like Sarah and myself they've known each other since high school and now share the same anniversary weekend with us. I find that to be exciting (which makes me old) since we can now celebrate together.

Photos to follow.

Circus Pimpin'

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:36:00 +0000

One word one could use to describe my peeps is "ballers". Last weekend a small crew of us rolled up into Philips Arena and enjoyed ourselves in our semi-private club-level suite for a show. Like true pimps we ignored the private catering menu ($90 for 30 shrimp) and went downstairs for ice cream sundaes and a much cheaper lunch at the mobile version of Buckhead Diner. Eating back in our suite was great since we were away from the crowds and watching the Daytona 500 on our very own TV passed the time quickly. It's hard to not enjoy yourself when you are in the lap of luxury.

We sure know how to throw down for the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus!

Stomp the Yard

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 21:13:00 +0000

I'd like to a second to send out mad props to my hip-hop instructor at Crunch, , which opened at #1 this past weekend. His role (Mu Gamma Stepper #4), while not a lead role, was an integral part of the movie. Sarah and I were excited to see him on screen a bunch of times as a member of one of the two main fraternities. The step scenes he was a part of were absolutely awesome. I wish my body could do half of the things that he and the rest of the dancers can do.

To be honest, had Mike not been in the movie, I'm not sure I would have gone to see it. But I am extremely happy that I did. Not only was the dancing excellent, but the story put black culture, education, and family in an extremely positive light. There aren't many movies that portray that message, but it was a perfect way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King.

If any of these topics interest you, I highly recommend the movie.

Super Deluxe Goes Live

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 20:58:00 +0000

After months of pain and anguish,

I spent some time tooling around the site this morning and it seems pretty cool from a thematic perspective. From a technical perspective, I think Robert's team did an excellent job with the numerous features found on the site: very web 2.0...simple, clean, and seamless. Very well done.

Congrats guys!

The Perfect Holiday Gift

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 16:08:00 +0000

Justin Timberlake has come up with the

UPDATE: The video has been removed from YouTube.com, but NBC was nice enough to make it
These people were the reason I went to the class. Sarah would get frustrated with me as I would plan my entire schedule around going to Aquamarine. I used to tell her that she didn't understand and that if she came, she would. I finally convinced her to come with me and she enjoyed the everybody immediately including our instructor, David. They're a good bunch of people. Then she understood.

The group of us had a lot of laughs (amidst the running of suicides) for a few months until slowly but surely, the people I had become friends with stopped coming to the class as frequently. I still see these other people working out or in other classes at the gym. Just not at Aquamarine as much. Nate and myself kept on truckin' though. And for many classes over the past two months, it was just he and I left from our little click. That was fine though as he and I always had a good time together.

I don't know much about Nate, but what I do know is that he was a kind and funny guy. I couldn't tell you his last name, but I could tell you when and where he got his last tattoo. I couldn't tell you exactly what his job was, but I could tell you what his favorite restaurant was and what he liked to get there. I could tell you how much weight he's lost and what he did on his trips to California. I had built a relationship with the guy and spent many hours talking to him before, during, and after class.

Anybody that knows me knows that the gym is a huge part of my life. It's always a great escape for me from the rest of the world. I just didn't realize how much the people I came into contact with meant to me until I heard about Nate. I guess it's not a surprise though considering how much time and energy I spend there. It's just really sad that a good guy like Nate passed away at such a young age as he was trying to be healthy so he could live a longer, happier life. Life sucks like that sometimes.

Nate was a good guy and I will miss him. My trips to the gym just won't be the same.

I own a PS3....for now

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:26:00 +0000

Last week I walked into Best Buy with the flu and walked out with a PS3.

About a week ago, I came down with the flu and it put me out of commission for a few days. Although I didn't go into work, I had some things to take care of from home. I had recently tried installing an wirelessly. Begrudgingly I got off the couch and went to Best Buy in search of a new wireless router. I found what I was looking for within a matter of minutes and hopped in the checkout line so that I could get home as quickly as possible. I start talking to the checkout guy and I hear a small commotion behind me. I turn around people are all excited as they are paying for their newly acquired PlayStation 3's. I asked if there are any left and they said that there was only one (they were delivered 8 units a few minutes earlier), so I grabbed it and took it home with me for the low, low price of $650.

Now that I own a PS3, I am trying to decide what to do with it: keep it or sell it. In previous months, I did say that I would like to get a PS3, but I didn't realize that it would cost so much. Not only did it cost a small fortune, but it came with no games and only 1 controller. Seeing as funds are tight around the holidays, I am leaning towards selling it, but only if I can make a small profit through craigslist.

We'll see what happens.

I lack wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Mark) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 19:18:00 +0000

After many years of pain and suffering, I had my final 2 wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. This procedure went much better than the first two times I had to go through it. The teeth slid out cleanly, which meant that I didn't have to endure the additional phases of a difficult extraction. Oddly enough, the cavities that I had filled were worse than the wisdom teeth pulling. Go figure.

On a side note, I would like to thank the Tooth Fairy for still stopping by despite me being 27 years old. From what I heard, the Tooth Fairy only had large bills and no change so she had to leave a coupon for a free massage. How thoughtful of her!