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 monday, april 16
Damn. Joey Ramone died yesterday. He was only 49, which is hard to figure anyway - you just sort of don't think of the Ramones (or certain other rockers) as having an age, per se. Lymphoma. Hm. Wonder if it was the cigarettes. Ah, well...his contributions to music will never be forgotten, and I suspect that his passing will re-launch a Ramones craze and enlighten many people as to the true founders of punk rock music.
posted by david sherman at 3:00 PM
saturday, april 14
I know that I've mentioned the Normal Bates Memorial Soundtrack Show before, but you really must check it out. I'm listening to it right now (on-line); they just played the theme from the tv show "Mannix." Great theme.
posted by david sherman at 12:08 PM
Saturday...whew. Long week, much activity. My brother is actually thinking about joining the Army (!!!); of course, that would mean that he would have to cut his hair, but holy cow...it sure could help get his life in order. And my mother called last night and told me that she is coming to visit us Sunday (as in Tomorrow) instead of in July, as originally scheduled. We love to see her, but since this is such short notice, we won't be able to take time off of school, work, etc. She probably won't mind - she's actually coming to visit so that she can check out the hill country region of Texas - possible "retirement" location. Speaking of school...I have four major projects to complete in this final semester: one paper on medical readiness during Operation Just Cause, another on human resource issues in healthcare, another on the issue of regulation within the healthcare industry, and, finally, a project to write a grant proposal to obtain funding for a health-needs assessment for Bexar County. The first and last items are due in early May, and the other two are due in late May. Procrastination is my enemy, this time around...must make haste in completing these papers!
posted by david sherman at 11:41 AM
saturday, april 7
Wow...what a week. Besides the usual chaos, work, school, and assorted daily activities, I got promoted on Tuesday! So - now I am a Captain. Feels pretty good...and the pay raise is very sweet. And on Thursday, my wife had LASIK surgery - and it is truly incredible. Prior to surgery, she was 20/1200...yes, that's twenty/twelve-hundred...post-surgery, she is 20/20! She can see without corrective lenses - a first in her life since before she was eight years old! Holy cow - technology is awesome.
posted by david sherman at 1:10 AM
sunday, april 1
Ay Carumba. Been thinking a lot lately about my social anxieties; ironically, thinking about the problem seems to exacerbate the condition. Sort of like the old "cure" for not thinking about a wolf: run around the kitchen table without thinking about wolves. On a related note, the St Johnswort that I began taking several weeks ago has helped a bit, but not as much as it did when I initially began taking it. Maybe I need to take the one with ginseng, like before...?
posted by david sherman at 3:30 AM
friday, march 30
Bravo, Ev! The new & improved Blogger appears to be much faster - thanks!
posted by david sherman at 4:08 PM
monday, march 26
Would you believe that there are three "Flashback Lunch" shows on local radio? Well..."local" is relative. San Antonio is so damn lame, it only has one, on KSMG (105.3). It plays some OK stuff, but then they throw in a Lionel Richie tune and ruin it. The other two that I listen to are from (natch) Austin. KAMX (94.7) plays a good lunch, with lots of good oldies, with an emphasis on John Hughes-ish type music, like the Psych Furs "Pretty In Pink" and some Bow Wow Wow and Stray Cats. Finally, we have KROX (101.5), where the flashback is primarily geared towards the harder-edge stuff, or at least somewhat more obscure, like Echo & The Bunnymen, Soft Cell (and not "Tainted Love" thank goodness). On another positive note, KTSW played Republica today - yay!
posted by david sherman at 5:59 PM
thursday, march 22
All this blather on the news lately about how airline travel is so screwed up...complaints about delayed flights, cancelled flights, lost baggage, endless delays...EXCUSE ME - but if I have to fly, I don't give a damn if the plane is late or delayed or if they lose my bag - just get me there alive, dammit.
posted by david sherman at 2:02 AM
monday, march 19
Dammit. My friend Don just told me that the "Homie The Clown" episode was on last week...and I missed it. Truly top-10 material, that one is, and one that initially sparked my interest in the show.
posted by david sherman at 6:07 PM
saturday, march 17
All Your Base Are Belong To Us! Wow - this meme is so great - and endless! Everytime I turn around there's another site, reference, or visual. If only there were some way to use this sub-culture hype to market a product of some sort...
posted by david sherman at 12:47 AM
friday, march 16
Cool...I just called Ev, the CEO (and COE!) of Pyra Labs, the genius behind Blogger.com. Spent about five minutes talking with him, telling him that Blogger is an excellent product, and that it is one of the "killer apps" on the web, and basically told him to not lose faith in his offspring. He seemed somewhat surprised that I called, but I explained to him that instead of fan mail, that this was a fan call. Also, I asked him about what happened with PB, Megnut, and the crew; he hinted that it was more than strictly business and that there were elements of strained relations, but indicated that all involved are still civil, if not friendly. Reassuring. Bottom line: he really sounded somewhat (still) surprised and a bit taken aback by the success of Blogger. Very pleasant, but seemed to be a bit unsure of, and hence concerned about, the future and how Blogger (and he) will evolve in the "new" economic reality. Hey Ev - thanks for the chat, and keep the faith!
posted by david sherman at 1:08 PM
thursday, march 15
What a terrible week. More later. By the way...don't you hate taking orders from pinheads?
posted by david sherman at 6:01 PM
saturday, march 10
Hooray! I finally took the plunge and moved off of Geocities and went to a "real" web-hosting service! Now my domain name has it's very own home! I chose Cedant to host my site; before I selected one, I did some surfing around Epinions; couldn't find a single negative post about Cedant. Sure enough, their service has been as billed so far - fast, friendly, efficient. I also figured out that an FTP program would help, since I had so many files to transfer. Inexpensive, too - only $7.95 per month; I can upgrade if I want, or if it turns out that I'm getting way more traffic than anticipated (yeah, right). There's still a few bugs with the files and the links on a few pages, but I'm working them out. Probably need to do some more homework - I've been visiting webmonkey and htmlgoodies quite a bit; maybe I'll splurge and actually purchase a book, too.
One other thing: I am absolutely addicted to MetaFilter. Also, I am fascinated (fascinated, I tell you) with the ongoing romance/relationship/etc of Meg and Jason. I utterly despise the "tabloids" and the papparazzi and the whole damned People/US/EW scene, but within the blogging community, it's nice to have somebody on the "A list", so to speak.
posted by david sherman at 10:22 PM
tuesday, march 6
Neat - we hit Home Depot on Sunday and did our first-ever real "fix it" around the house! We replaced the screen on our front (screen) door, and then Pam and her friend Sue took off and replaced our garage exterior light, including the "switch box." Hooray!
posted by david sherman at 4:24 PM
saturday, march 3
What is the meaning of life? We all ponder that weighty issue, periodically. The definitive answer, according to a trio of small children ranging in age from 8 to 10: "You're not dead." Perfect.
posted by david sherman at 8:03 AM
friday, march 2
I'm a magazine junkie. Time, Newsweek, Brill's Content, PC Magazine, Utne Reader, Wired, Fast Company, and so on. So it was with some sadness that I chanced upon the final edition of George magazine yesterday. I remember purchasing the first issue waaay back in 1995 or so; it was pretty exciting - a magazine combining politics, personality, and current events. While I'm fairly certain that I don't agree with many of the editorial views of the magazine, or many of the advertisers, I think I understand why "John John" (what's up with that nickname?) wanted to create such a magazine. It was a good read, usually. While I was not nearly as affected by JFK Jr's death as so many apparently were, it was rather sad, and seeing the demise of a decent mag like George is also sad. BTW, the final issue is quite good; a fair balance of topical coverage of politics, media, and chatter, with a not-over-the-top nostalgic look back at the history of George. Adieu, George magazine.
posted by david sherman at 12:00 PM
thursday, march 1
THIS is the kind of stuff that I live for! Whimsy? Absolutely! OK, before you click on the link, you want to know what it is, right? Well...have you ever wondered how long all of the Cheerios in one box would stretch, if you linked them together? For that matter, have you ever wondered how MANY Cheerios are in a single box? Wonder no more! Beyond the "How Much Inside" page, I found the rest of the Cockeyed.com site hilarious & fascinating, too. Definitely worth a look.
posted by david sherman at 6:19 PM
Okay. . I've gone about three or four months without taking St Johns Wort, and believe me, there is a difference. When I was taking it (3x/day), I noticed a subtle but definite difference in my mood. It didn't "lift me up" or make me happy; rather, it seemed to provide a net of sorts, preventing me from dropping too low. In other words, it did not produce manic highs or delirious giddiness (thankfully), but it did seem to help me avoid the bleak pessimism that occasionally plagued me. That effect seemed to be particularly noticeable during times of high stress (ie, now, with final exams looming & group projects due). So...bought some today, and hope that it will produce the same effect...because my mood has just been foul lately, and I hate being like this.
posted by david sherman at 5:51 PM
wednesday, february 28
Wanna see my presentation on the Morocco healthcare system? It's just peachy. And if that's not cool enough, check out my presentation on the Greek healthcare system. It's the cat's pajamas.
posted by david sherman at 9:15 AM
saturday, february 24
WOO HOO! We bought a new car! Actually, it's not a car...it's a 1998 Ford Explorer XLT, white with black trim, prairie-tan interior, with all the extras (leather, CD, running boards, etc). Also, it's not "we" got a new car - this one is for Pam. If I'm good, she'll let me drive it once in a while.
posted by david sherman at 8:48 AM
wednesday, february 21
Shopping for a new car today. What fun. Ideally, an Explorer or an Escape, but possibly a Passport.
posted by david sherman at 3:58 PM
monday, february 19
This is only a test. More testing over here. Thanks to Kyleigh for the font-sizing assist!
posted by david sherman at 5:53 PM
Woo Hoo! Found what I think could be a cool site: I NEED COFFEE! (Mmmmmm......coffee....) My day-to-day coffee is still Papanicholas "Italian Espresso" beans...dark, oily, rich. The local grocer can't seem to keep it in stock, so I may have to begin ordering direct from Papa via the web site. Say - remember the "Coffee Achievers" commercials back in the mid-(or late) 80s?
posted by david sherman at 9:15 AM
sunday, february 18
THIS is groovy: National Public Radio (NPR) has been running a series documenting the 100 greatest/best/most influential musical recordings of the 20th century. Included are gems such as "Singin' In The Rain" and "Mack The Knife," but there are plenty of less-obvious references, too, such as the Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight." Quite a diverse selection! The website gives a very brief text about each piece, and then you can listen to a 5-15 minute clip from the show featuring that week's selection, including conversations with the performers, writers, co-authors, or engineers. Very groovy indeed.
posted by david sherman at 3:04 PM
Does anybody remember a top-40 song from 1986, 1987, or perhaps even 1988 that featured the word "Holiday" in the chorus and possibly even the title? I believe it was a Euro band, either Brit or German, with a female lead singer. Very catchy, bouncy, upbeat, lots of bass. It's driving me nuts - I've tried searching Napster, Google, Amazon, Billboard, you name it. Do you know what it is? .
UPDATE: FEB 18 @ 7:15 pm: It is called "Holiday" (alt: "Another Holiday") by a band called The Other Ones, and it was a charter in 1987.
posted by david sherman at 2:53 PM
thursday, february 15
Cold front supposed to come through tonight...with big storms. I have my doubts. "Big storms" for this lousy town have a way of fizzling out long before they reach city limits. The bastards. Well, at least the humidity will drop after the "storm" passes through.
One note of interest today: the promotion list to Lieutenant Colonel was released today.
posted by david sherman at 4:15 PM
We had a field trip in class yesterday - joy. They piled most of the class on a bus and shipped them off to the Mothership (Baylor main campus - Waco, TX); a small few, including me, wisely chose to drive our own vehicles. Wouldn't you know it - the bus broke down in Austin...and thanks to the miracle of modern technology, I was called by the class leader and directed to stop at the McDonald's that they were stuck at; four classmates were then loaded into my car, and we continued on our merry way. Upon arrival at Baylor, we proceeded to give our research project presentations...to a room of EIGHT total attendees: six undergrads, two grad students. They were clothed in standard student garb: jeans, sandals, three-days worth of stubble (well, the guys anyway). Saw a few ROTC kids, too. (BTW - the audience size increased somewhat, peaking at about 25 total) Meanwhile, here comes the military - decked out in our full-service dress - quite a contrast. So, after our less-than-inspiring performance, and the subsequent arrival of the now-fixed bus contingent, we were shepherded into a ballroom of sorts, where we were treated to lettuce mixed with tomatoes and itty-bitty chicken parts. Tea, water, store-bought rolls, and a healthy serving of desert cakes were also tendered. Our guest speaker, a professor at UT Austin, lectured us on the evils of credit-card debt, and the supposed "fragility" of the middle-class in America. Following lunch...a quick stop at the Baylor Kwik-E-Mart (read: bookstore) so students could gorge on the green-n-white bonanza of merchandising...and then hasta la vista, baby. My and four of the Navy guys high-tailed it back to SA. Tiring, but not nearly as dreadful as I had expected. A very nice campus - great facilities, pleasant & polite students & faculty, well-maintained grounds. Too bad it's religion-based, but as Homer says, "Yeah, but what are ya gonna do?"
posted by david sherman at 4:14 PM
monday, february 12
Gamera is full of meat...Gamera is good to eat. Been too long since I've seen a good Godzilla/Gamera movie.
posted by david sherman at 2:22 PM
Some favorite (non-animated) television shows: Northern Exposure, Night Court, Cheers, Family Ties, E.R., and The Practice. All hit a critical juncture during their run. Somehow, someway, they lost their footing and Jumped The Shark. What? You don't know what "Jump The Shark" means?!?! By the way, I have found Excite's tv listings to be excellent.
posted by david sherman at 9:00 AM
sunday, february 11
Pam & I have started a new blog. It will chronicle all of our good (and wacky) ideas. My favorite: putting those damned Olympic gymnasts to good use by dressing them up in super-hero costumes and then turning them loose in urban areas. Then they could actually USE those super-human abilities to fight crime!
posted by david sherman at 3:55 PM
New media alert: Plastic.com has gone "on the air." It is a website that contains content from other cultural & news sites, including Modern Humorist (a favorite!), Slate, Feed, and Suck. Loads of threaded discussions, which still baffle me to some degree, but plenty of headlines and current media news. Go to www.plastic.com now and take a look.
posted by david sherman at 3:30 PM
saturday, february 10
I continue to be amazed by the ever-growing scope of Amazon.com's services and technologies. Circle of Friends, Geographic Purchase Circles, Wish Lists, the new Honor System...the list goes on. Bill Gates? A piker. Jeff Bezos is even more of a visionary...despite all the recent sturm-und-drang of recent headlines announcing the death of the dotcom, Bezos & his offspring will one day rule us all. Benevolently, of course.
posted by david sherman at 9:20 AM
Visit Tim Yang's site. He's very interesting, and his site is chock-full of neat links, questions & answers, and humor. And speaking of humor, don't forget to check in with Modern Humorist every now and then.
posted by david sherman at 9:12 AM
friday, february 9
Another web treat (love the free stuff!) -- a quirky little place called imood.com. Once you sign up, you can choose your mood at the present time (sad, happy, curious, blah, surprised, tired, etc) and link it (and an emoticon) to your website. Let's see if it works.
Also - don't forget to check out kottke.org - I continue to be entertained by this simple yet elegant page.
posted by david sherman at 2:01 PM
"Ginger!" "It!" It's amazing! It's stupendous! It's...IT...beyond that, who the hell knows? It sure did flame through the media a few weeks ago; since then, interest (or at least publicity) has waned, but thanks to the internet, you can stay fully informed about Dean Kamen's incredible invention, complete with conjecture, speculation, theory, and plain ole' guesswork. Why the hell should we have to wait until January 2002 to find out, though? Kamen claims that this is to "protect" his invention...hey, with all his $$$, he should be able to hire at least one lawyer who could fend off copycats and the like, just so we can find out what the miracle invention actually is. I'm dyin' to know, already. I hope it's a jetpack that you just strap on your back! Then we could all zip around in the sky, and make cool costumes, and adopt names cool super-hero names, and...aw, nuts with it...it's probabl just some lame hi-power scooter.
posted by david sherman at 1:27 PM
thursday, february 8
It's really weird to go back to a place that you haven't been to for a long time. Example, in 1996 I traveled to Spokane, WA, for a business trip (TDY). I had lived in Spokane for one year - from July 82 to July 83 - and during that year (junior in high school), I did not have a job, nor did I drive a car; you can understand that my tenure there was rather limited, in the sense that I was confined to my neighborhood, my school, and the occasional bus ride downtown. So it really surprised me that, upon arriving in Spokane in October 1996, fully 13 years after leaving, I was able to steer my rental car directly to the house that I lived in - no missed turns, no wavering doubts about whether I was on the right road...nope, I drove straight to my old house. And pulled over to the curb. And stared at the house. And then drove on. The point? Dunno...except that it was neat, seeing the house, and comparing the view to the mental picture that has been in my brain for over a decade, and has somewhat frayed around the edges. Wow.
posted by david sherman at 2:39 PM
wednesday, february 7
You have GOT to see the Ghetto Scooter! This is THE funniest site that I have seen in months! Don't just read about it - click on and view the four or five videos on the site too - they are a laff-riot!!! This site is EXACTLY what the internet is all about, people - creativity, invention, sharing ideas, and satirical, spoofing humor. 'Nuff said.
posted by david sherman at 8:17 PM
tuesday, february 6
Happy 90th Birthday, President Reagan! An American hero. Hmmm...heard talk lately that Arnold Schwarzenegger is musing about taking a run at the California State House...could it be Ronnie Redux?
posted by david sherman at 8:56 AM
saturday, february 3
Wow...just found a pretty groovy site for early/mid-80s music...the site owner picks one song each week to feature, and he provides information about the artist, the song, the lyrics, etc. Pretty neat - saw songs & artists that I had forgotten about, like China Crisis.
Also - have you checked out kottke.org yet? Very intelligent site; no hype, just interesting observations, links, and attitude.
posted by david sherman at 11:09 PM
Happy February! Well, the little gopher saw his shadow yesterday; six more weeks of winter, eh? Not bloody likely down here in hell. I doubt we'll even get below freezing for the rest of the season. Buy hey - at least it's February now, and we finally got rid of January. OK - anyone out there know alot about the healthcare system in Greece? I have to whip up a 9-12 pages worth of stuff about that topic...and give a presentation on Tuesday. By the way - after yesterday's "ACHE/HFMA Conference," it looks like I have finally made my decision to NOT join a professional healthcare organization...talk about useless. There was virtually NOTHING presented at that meeting that couldn't have been posted to a website, sent out in a newsletter, or communicated in some other fashion. The sole purpose for these ridiculous conferences is so people can "network." Gag. On the other hand...it is a "board certifying" organization, and those credentials can carry a certain cachet, if you take my meaning...hmmm...
posted by david sherman at 11:15 AM
friday, january 26
OK...after visiting Kottke.org, here is my attempt (with variation) on what Jason did: a very brief biography of my life simply by listing the most significant event of any given year. In this case, it will be a record of my moves. Bear in mind that within these inter-city moves there was often intra-city moves. Here goes:
2000: Almost moved to Italy, but got "diverted" to Baylor University instead...and still stuck living in San Antonio...damn.
1998: Moved from Enid, Oklahoma to San Antonio, Texas...ugh.
1997: Moved from Mountain View, California (sniff, tear) to Enid, Oklahoma (s'allright).
1994: Moved from San Antonio, Texas to Mountain View, California - hooray!
1986: Moved from Choctaw, Oklahoma to San Antonio, Texas...yuck.
1983: Moved from Spokane, Washington to Choctaw, Oklahoma.
1982: Moved from Edwards (Mojave Desert), California to Spokane, Washington.
1979: Moved from Bentwaters, England to Edwards, California
1976: Moved from Columbus, Ohio to Bentwaters, England
1974: Moved from Eglin, Florida to Columbus, Ohio
1972: Moved from Phoenix, Arizona to Eglin, Florida
1966: Born in Phoenix, Arizona. Lived there for nearly six years, but I don't remember much.
posted by david sherman at 3:04 PM
FINALLY...I weaned myself off of talk/news radio and began listening to music this week. Ever since the election, I was mesmerized by talk radio...couldn't bring myself to listen to anything except news & information about the election and the subsequent legal wrangling. How bizarre...since one of my absolute favorite things to do has always been to listen to music while driving, punching the buttons wildly in search of great tunes. Well, after the election was finally settled I kept listening to talk/news radio, and found myself growing increasingly less upbeat. I mentioned it to my wife, and she said, simply, "Turn the station! Listen to music!" Well...it took a few days, but I have successfully reverted to my old self, turning to the talk & news stations only to catch news updates and occasional interviews on NPR. Music is back in my life!
posted by david sherman at 2:15 PM
saturday, january 20
Wow...Inauguration Day. I watched, of course, transfixed by this amazing ritual begun by our Founding Fathers and done to perfection throughout our 225 or so years. I actually had a few tears, and many goosebumps, as I watched our new President take the oath of office. Mind you, I voted Libertarian, and GW Bush was/is not my first choice for President, but I honestly believe that he will be a decent and rather effective leader, and he will restore some of the lustre and dignity that the office has...uh...suffered at the hands of the 42nd President. The tears & goosebumps were mostly for the process...the benevolent spirit manifested by the appearance of both the victor, the incumbent, and the vanquished, together, for all Americans (and others) to see. As Bob Dole reminded us in '96, the two (main) people vying for the office (Bush & Gore) were opponents, not enemies, and when it came time to present a civilized, democratic appearance, all involved parties did so with grace and civility. What we witnessed today is nothing less than the most noble, uplifting, and inspiring demonstration of the principles that our truly great nation was founded upon. Wow.
posted by david sherman at 11:55 PM
sunday, january 14
Only six more days until President Clinton hands over the reigns of government to George W. Bush. Our democracy, our republic, our heritage...ain't America great?! If I believed in god, I would say "God Bless America." I don't, of course, so I will merely express gratitude to our Founding Fathers.
posted by david sherman at 7:45 PM
saturday, january 13
Sheer hilarity: that is my verdict for "TV Funhouse" on Comedy Central. Not meant to be viewed by people who are easily offended or those with weak stomachs/hearts. I'll explain later...suffice to say that "TV Funhouse" makes "South Park" look like good, clean fun. Of course, most of the "offensive" stuff on "TV Funhouse" is said or performed by fake (stuffed or plastic) animals, so of course it is not meant to be taken seriously. You know the acronym: ROTFLMAO.
posted by david sherman at 12:43 AM
friday, january 5
The new year/millennium starts with both good and bad news. The good news: we took the plunge and got Time-Warner Road-Runner cable-modem access! I can't overstate the difference - it is amazing. The "blazing speed" that is referenced in the commercials? True! The "always-on" convenience? True! And as if the service wasn't enough, wouldja believe that the installation tech actually showed up early? More disbelief: I installed the LAN card all by myself! If you're considering upgrading from pokey-slow 56k dial-up, take my advice: get Road-Runner now!
More good news: with the new year, our cable company finally added the Game Show Network! Here's the funny part: I am so totally hooked on "The Match Game" that it's almost an addiction. I loved watching it way back in the 70s, but now it's even better because we get to see the hair, fashions, and other 70s touches that make our mouths drop open. Rest In Peace, Gene Rayburn. Also worth watching: classic "Family Feud" with Richard Dawson.
And the bad news? My back - ouch! I'm suffering from a serious muscle spasm in my lower back. I feel like a damn invalid, walking stooped over, taking five minutes to get up from the couch. Mercifully, the doctor that I saw today gave me some good meds that should relax my back and decrease the pain.
One more bit of bad news: after enjoying nineteen days of no work & no school (and no shaving), I at last had to remove the modest goatee and moustache that I had grown to love. Ah, well...such is the life of the modern military man.
And now...on with the new year!
posted by david sherman at 8:00 PM
saturday, december 23
One more comment about the holidays in 20th century America (not 21st until next week!): Thank goodness for the internet! It has made shopping for gifts this year so blissfully stress-free, it's almost cool! Just click around, find the gift, buy it, and "they" box it, ship it, and deliver it to whoever you want! We found the pair of skates on-line that our daughter wanted; we clicked to buy them yesterday (Friday) at 11:22 am, and they were delivered to our house this morning (Saturday) at 11:00 am - less than 24 hours from "click" to "delivery!" Very cool.
posted by david sherman at 12:31 PM
Bah, humbug! The holidays are so strange...good will towards all, mountains of pressure to buy gifts for everyone you know, rushing to put up decorations and trees, watching crappy holiday TV specials, blah, blah, blah. And yet...it's still possible to maintain a good humor about the ordeal, because the end result (happy children playing with toys that they like) is very sweet. And the lights that decorate the house (inside & out) really are quite beautiful. Seeing those goddamned manger & baby jesus scenes outside some houses, though...aaarrrrrggghhh...but at least some of them have fluffy sheep in the manger, which is very cute! It makes me so angry that people try to use christmas & the entire holiday season to proclaim that "jesus is the reason for the season" and other such garbage. Face it: in modern America, jesus is NOT the reason for the season. The real reasons include: a time to relax, spend time with family, kick off from work, buy presents, engage in traditions and rituals, eat out a lot, have office parties and such, and so on. Jesus has so little to do with the holidays anymore that it's really very pointless and inane to insist that it is a "christian" holiday. In America, christmas is celebrated by most people (non-christians too!) as a secular holiday of good cheer and gifts. About the closest thing to a "real" christian holiday in America is easter, which has virtually no meaning or rituals among non-christians (except for the egg thing).
posted by david sherman at 12:28 PM
saturday, december 16
Well, here it is December 16th and we've barely begun shopping for holiday gifts...but we'll make it up for this week, instead of waiting until December 23. On a more positive note, I finished my 2nd semester! Final exams were held all last week and it looks like we all survived. From previous students, it appears that the worst is behind us - they claim that 3rd and 4th semester are much easier and less stressful. Hmmm...
posted by david sherman at 11:18 AM
tuesday, december 5
To all those who think that there is a liberal "bias" in the media...there isn't. Or, more accurately, there isn't enough of one to make a difference, and whatever bias there is usually is not intentional. Believe me. The MOST biased media outlet of all is AM talk radio - and it is nearly 100% biased towards the RIGHT, not the left. This is not necessarily a bad thing; I'm just sick of all the right-wingers (who are PART OF the media) complaining about the perpetual and overpowering LEFT-WING BIAS of that same media! Sheesh.
posted by david sherman at 3:43 PM
wednesday, november 29
Don't have anything to say, but felt that I should pay a visit to Blogger after nearly a week of neglect. Boy, this was a wasted blog, eh?
posted by david sherman at 12:20 AM
wednesday, november 22
OK, let's try this one more time...here is the damn link that I tried to include in yesterday's post: Dave's Whimsy Page
posted by david sherman at 9:21 AM
tuesday, november 21
Howdy! It's been a few days since I wrote, so you would think that I have saved up all sorts of witty thoughts, right? Hah! The latest news: I got a 104 on my latest mid-term exam - amazing! I actually got a 94, but also earned 10 extra-credit points. Now...if I can just force myself to sit down over this long (five-day, for me) holiday weekend and crank out a 20-page paper on Managed Care in the Military Health System...(sigh)...I know, it sounds thrilling, doesn't it? Hmmm...well, if I can get 14 pages, I'll be happy. :-) Other news: if you haven't already, be sure to check out my Whimsy page - there's some really cute pix and links on there. Enjoy!
posted by david sherman at 5:59 PM
thursday, november 16
Some thoughts on the election chaos: 1. America works! In many other countries, similar election results would have resulted in chaos, militias, bloodshed, rioting, even civil war. Our system works, and most people know it. 2. We are NOT in the midst of a Constitutional Crisis. In fact, our Constitutional system is working exactly as it was intended. 3. Both the Gore & the Bush camps are guilty of overdoing the hyperbole and spin. Both sides need to get a grip. If each party was in the other's shoes, they would be spinning the exact same things. 4. Ain't the media wonderful? I mean it - we are so fortunate to have so many media options...again, in many others countries, people might not have even known about any election results. In America, everybody gets to see what is going on, gets to call in/write in/etc, and gets to voice his/her opinion. All without bloodshed...and the upshot is, within a few days (weeks?), we will have a new President-elect, and he will assume office on January 20th, and everything will be OK. Sure, there will still be some lingering mistrust, and some harsh words, and things will definitely change for the next round of federal elections, as far as voting procedures, but the country will press on just fine. Just watch. Our Founding Fathers really set us up for success!
posted by david sherman at 5:55 PM
tuesday, november 14
On a more positive note than the previous post -- the movie "X-Men" will be released next week (?) on video - woohoo!!! I loved that movie! Pure, outright, fun! It was smart, well-executed, and visually stunning. When will the sequel be out??? On a related note - a sequel to 1999's "The Mummy" is apparently in post-production right now...very cool. That was such a good-natured movie! Brendan Fraser struck just the right tone of drama, parody, and fun.
posted by david sherman at 6:12 AM
monday, november 13
Warning: Do NOT see the movie "American Beauty." This is a repulsive, disgusting piece of filth that would have you believe that your next-door neighbors (or family members) are adulterers, homicidal, pedophiles, drug dealing (or using), etc. There was not one redeeming or sympathetic character in this movie; no stretch for any kind of joy, or pride, or any other good feeling. Acting? Sure...acting was fine. But the theme, tone, and message of this movie is clear: People are bad. I'd much rather watch something with even a TRACE of positive feeling or emotion, such as...hell, even "Robocop" would be better than this garbage. My two cents.
posted by david sherman at 6:42 PM
Re: Election mess...I know that it is probably (certainly?) illegal, but I propose that we throw out EVERYTHING about the election - including the candidates! Basically, we should start over, with new nominees (for ALL parties). Al & George obviously split the nation a little TOO narrowly, resulting in the mess we are in now. The reason: both of them failed (miserably) to ignite a spark in the minds of voters. So - new candidates, new election...hey, we could do worse!
posted by david sherman at 12:59 PM
friday, november 10
OK, continue to work on my HTML skills - let's try this: if I did it right, you should see a picture here:
It should be a picture of a bunny and a chick bouncing up and down. Well...it looks like a bunny, with the floppy ears, and the chick is sort of obvious, with a little beak. Isn't it cute?
posted by david sherman at 3:00 PM
thursday, november 9
Eventually, either GWB or Al Gore will have to concede...until then, the news channels and websites are the place to be...can't stop watching! I've been impressed, overall, with both the amount and the quality of the coverage. CBS, of course, continues to be the worst of the lot...Dan Rather is so damn bizarre, in style and mannerism. ABC has done well, and I'm a bit surprised that MSNBC has been so engaging. Fox News and CNN have been my mainstays..although I'm a bit disappointed with Fox News...a little more dry in the early hours than I would have expected.
posted by david sherman at 6:40 PM
wednesday, november 8
The excitement! The drama! Who knew that the election would be this close, or this exciting? For news junkies like me, this is like crack cocaine - nothing but quick, powerful hits that keep you in a state of "current events" frenzy!
posted by david sherman at 9:42 PM
Final tally in Bexar County puts Harry Browne at 1,399 votes...which is less than half the number of students at my daughter's high school. Kinda puts things in perspective...ouch. On the positive side, Browne at least outpolled Buchanan. Oh, yeah...and we still don't know who will be our next president. Political junkies rejoice!
posted by david sherman at 5:11 AM
tuesday, november 7
ARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!! Of course, it's inevitable that either Bush or Gore will become our next president...but it still hurts to see such terrible returns for all of the other candidates, particularly Harry Browne (Libertarian Party). The night is still young, but when you see Bush/Gore with a total of over 100,000 votes in this county alone (as of 7:45 pm), and Harry Browne with only 651 votes...it sure is disheartening. Come on, people! Even voting for Nader (ugh) will help establish alternatives to the DemoPublican party! We need more than TWO viable candidates in 2004!!! Hey - it happened in Minnesota (Jesse Ventura) - we can do it, too!
posted by david sherman at 8:01 PM
sunday, november 5
"Charlie's Angels" surprised everyone at the box office this weekend...taking in just over $40 million dollars. I suspected that it would do much better than the critics stated...my guess was $30 million. My wife & daughters saw it on Saturday, and they came back raving about it. My teen immediately went back out and saw it again later that evening...and that's the kind of "advertising" the critics didn't predict. As my girls would say, "Girlpower!"
posted by david sherman at 2:46 PM
Election Day is almost here - have you voted yet? Are you going to? If you choose not to vote - don't worry - I am NOT one of those who maintain that it is a "duty" to vote, or that those who don't vote have no right to complain...of COURSE you have a right to complain, whether you vote or not! Usually, someone who doesn't vote is actually expressing his or her preference by the act of NOT casting a ballot - literally for "none of the above!" So don't tell me that everyone has a "duty" to vote...this is America, isn't it???
posted by david sherman at 2:44 PM
saturday, november 4
Ashley will be sixteen tomorrow - holy cow! Hard to believe...she can't wait to get a job and start earning some $$$, and she's just chomping at the bit to start driving. The deal: If she keeps all of her grades above "sea level," then she can get a part-time job - weekends only. If grades suffer, the the job is gone. As far as driving...again, assuming her grades stay in the A/B range, then she can take driver's ed class late spring/early summer...and we'll see how that goes.
posted by david sherman at 8:32 PM
friday, november 3
If you'd like a really nifty screensaver, check out www.mycorkboard.com - the free screensaver doubles as a multi-use corkboard. You can put to-do lists, clocks, calendars, pictures (yours or pre-loaded), etc. When it activates after a specified period of time, just like any screensaver, it will cover the screen with your to-do list, the pictures that you specify, a handy calendar, and a time display - all of which you can customize to a degree (analog clock vs. digital clock, for example). You can also add cute pictures that come with the program, just like you would put cute little picture or magnets on a regular corkboard or refrigerator. Throw away all of your Post-It notes! Very cool.
posted by david sherman at 4:10 PM
I figured out why the "cowmoon" wasn't showing up before...for some reason I accidentally typed it as a ".jpt" instead of a ".jpg" - stupid mistake! Let's try it again!
posted by david sherman at 3:05 PM
thursday, november 2
If I did it correctly, you should see a picture of a cow jumping over a moon somewhere on this page...hey - this is weird...the sky and air just turned sort of burnt orange-y color...maybe we'll get a decent storm!
posted by david sherman at 5:41 PM
If you live in San Antonio, or ever visit this town (but why on earth would you?), you must visit a restaurant called Biff Buzby's. They have the most incredible burgers! They have some sort of sweet bun that transforms the burger into some sort of culinary masterpiece. Delicious!
posted by david sherman at 5:05 PM
I voted yesterday! Very simple...much easier than I thought. I voted Libertarian Party in almost every race...unless there was no Libertarian candidate, in which case I usually went for the Republican. But the biggie vote, for Prez, was for LP candidate Harry Browne...of course I don't agree with all positions taken by the LP (such as their drug policy), but it certainly would be a refreshing change from the "major" party candidates. That doesn't mean that I hate/fear/despise/etc all of the other candidates...I think GWB will be an OK president, but he doesn't bring anything new to the table, so to speak. Maybe he'll surprise us. But if Gore gets elected...I don't think that would be good for America in the long run. He is definitely a throwback to the old "Big Spender" Democrats that want to assume responsibility for an ever-increasing portion of American life...for "our own good," of course...yeah, right. Say - wouldn't it be great if Browne & the LP really wowed the pols, and got more votes than wacky Pat or nutty Nader? Hey, I can dream...
posted by david sherman at 8:45 AM
sunday, october 29
Woo-Hoo!! Set the clocks back! Now it will get dark earlier, and it will FINALLY start to feel like summer is over! Any day now, the temperature will actually stay BELOW 80 degrees, and a strong front will blow in, and it will at last feel truly like autumn! BONUS: I get to drive to work in actual sunlight for the first time in over a month. Want to know more about WHY we change our clocks twice every year? Check out this informative link: http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving
By the way - didja notice that I changed the style of my main (index) page, and my pix page?
Let me know if you like the new look!
posted by david sherman at 1:40 AM
wednesday, october 25
...heard Republica on KTSW (89.9) yesterday a.m. - very cool...Rio & Reyes are back on the air in San Antonio - on 106.7 "Jamz"...101.9 continues trending towards "hard" pop...
posted by david sherman at 9:41 AM
monday, october 23
Howdy...enjoyed the rain/thunder/lightning today here in Texas! Temps didn't go down, and it's still muggy as hell, but at least we got some variety in the weather for a change. Here's the part that angers me: the 5 & 6:00 local news were wall-to-wall about "local flooding" and morons who got swept away in their cars during this "flooding." Then each station showed several clips of different regions of the county that were flooding...and each locale was indistinguishable from the rest...they could have just been showing different angles of the same damn scene, for all we know. I don't know which is worse - the jerks who try to drive through the low-water crossings, or the local news shows that spotlight them. All for now - ciao!
posted by david sherman at 9:54 PM
saturday, october 21
Woo-Hoo! Halloween is almost here! I've already got my costume - your basic, standard-issue, black-n-white cow suit! This is the full-body model, complete with udders! I wore it about 3 weeks ago and went to the grocery store with my daughter and two of her friends...I roamed the aisles, telling curious passerby simply "Moo!" And, of course, I asked several cashiers where the dairy section was, as I needed some milk, and needed it in a hurry. I think my daughter was a bit embarrassed...but she kept a brave face.
posted by david sherman at 3:23 PM
friday, october 6
Oct 6: The COLD FRONT is nearly here - FALL HAS ARRIVED!!!
posted by david sherman at 9:13 AM
thursday, october 5
October 5, 2000: My first Blog! Very cool...hope it works.
OK - tomorrow is the day that "summer" should be OVER (finally)! A strong cold front is due to arrive tomorrow sometime around noon or shortly thereafter. Temps this weekend shouldn't exceed 70 degrees. We'll see...
posted by david sherman at 12:16 PM
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