Saturday, July 02, 2005
ANOTHER BUBBLE BURST
Yes friends, the image on the right is the sad look of a man who has had his bubble burst, whose fantasy has run smack dab into reality. Someone who suddenly realizes his ordinariness. A bitter pill indeed!I have always thought my name to be unique. Growing up, I knew every one of the small number of Spurriers in the state of Michigan. In fact, to this day, I've never met another Spurrier I didn't know. So, I've always believed myself to be unique in the world. THE Mark Spurrier. Then I made the mistake of googling myself. Turns out that there are at least 8 other Mark Spurriers. Even worse, they are all more accomplished than me! I suddenly feel I've let the other Marks down.
There is Mark, the computer geek in Oklahoma. Mark, the MD in Missouri. Mark, the Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement at NOAA. Mark, the state park naturalist in Maryland. Mark, the college Track and Field coach. Mark, the electrical engineer in VA. Mark, the Rugby player in Australia. Mark, the poet in Baltimore. To this I want to add Mark, the truck driver in Indiana?
I did learn some interesting things about my ancestors during my time websurfing this morning. It turns out that Spurrier is a Huguenot (French Protestant) surname. My first ancestor born in this country was Michael Spurrier, born around 1640, to parents who undoubtedly fled France in fear of persecution or burning at the stake (the time frame coincides with the fall of the last Protestant Free City in France).
His son and grandson operated an Inn at the toll station on the National road in Ann Arendal county, Maryland. Spurrier's Tavern is mentioned over thirty times in George Washington's diary. My favorite entry. "Spent night at Tom Spurrier's tavern. Sick horse died."
During the revolution, Spurrier's Tavern served as an important supply depot for the Colonial Army, and for two weeks served 4,000 Colonial and French soldiers bivouacked there on their way to the battle of Yorktown. All of which makes me eligible to become a member of the Sons Of The American Revolution!
Yeah, I'm sure the other Mark Spurriers are there too ('cept maybe the Aussie rugby player). Damn!
p.s. The photo is actually of a guy who has had too much hard cider!
