Dave's Raves

What the hell HAPPENED?

2007-09-04T21:38:00.000-04:00

You may well ask, "WHAT the hell HAPPENED to all the blogging I was going to do this summer?" I had two good friends (also, incidentally close family members) tell me I should start writing again. But...truth be told...I haven't been even a little inspired to write. I actually sat down on several occasions specifically to write, but nothing happened. And....I got none of that random inspiration I usually do. So... all I can say is I WILL eventually write something when and if the inspiration comes. Time will tell.

Inspiration and Encouragement

2007-06-20T17:18:00.000-04:00

A cousin with two Master's Degrees and a son with one recently encouraged me to work on some poetry or essays or SOME form or writing, so...blogging will be happening soon. That's a warning. :-)

What's a Blog?

2006-06-06T20:27:00.000-04:00

I have a buddy at work who asked me what a blog is? What's a blog? Where are blogs? How do you blog? Well...here's a blog. It's about writing...about expressing yourself...about venting your spleen? So...whatya think, Skid Johnson?

A Recent Letter to the Times Lacked Logic

2006-03-04T16:02:00.000-05:00

Another recent submission to the Times...

A recent letter to the editor told the story of a young man who screams out the name of God just before his car crashes head-on into a semi truck. The man who wrote the letter gave this as his reason for being against the separation of church and state. I wonder how many people who find themselves about to have a head-on collision would, instead, scream out a vulgar slang term for excrement at the last second. I guess this is an argument against the separation of excrement and state. Oh, I forgot...there IS no separation of excrement and state; that's why the Bush administration was able to get into office.

George Bush...a Laugh Riot

2006-03-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

A recent submission to the Times...

I was very amused by the Griffith resident who made that great joke about Democrats blaming George Bush for the eventual flooding caused by the melting of Greenland's ice caps. I laughed and laughed. It was almost as funny as those darn Democrats who blame George Bush for an unnecessary, immoral war that has already cost 2,500 American lives.

7 Songs I'm Into Now

2006-02-10T01:06:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been tagged by my son at http://www.bergamatt.blogspot.com . And I'm supposed to list seven songs that I'm into now...hence the title. Some of these songs are new; some not so much. At least one is VERY old, but off a recent classic jazz recording on the Verve label. I like much of the newer music that's out, but newer music seldom swings like the old stuff. I'll let you guess which song I'm speaking of. Here they are...my list of seven, in no special order:

1) All the Time in the World - Lowen & Navarro
2) Busting Up a Starbucks - Mike Doughty
3) Soul - Healthy White Baby
4) Asshole - Jim's Big Ego
5) Black Horse and the Cherry Tree - K T Turnstall
6) Deja Vu (All Over Again) - John Fogerty
7) Steppin' Out With My Baby - Fred Astaire

I'm also listening to anything by Jack Johnson, "A Bigger Bang" by the Stones, and a lot of old stuff by Ricky Nelson and Johnny Cash. I kind of like the sound of high-pitched women's voices in songs like "Ooh La La" by the Ditty Bops and "Walking With a Ghost" by Tegan and Sara. I like bluesy performers like Daniellia Cotton and Shemekia Copeland. And I think David Gray has an excellent voice...specifically the song "The One I Love". Let's see...that Hassidic-looking Ska guy, Matisyahu is pretty interesting. And...the Subdudes just released an excellent album that was produced by the very excellent Keb Mo. But...now I've talked about more than 7 songs, haven't I?

Davester

All About Me

2006-01-24T00:22:00.000-05:00

A big "Thank You" to Mike Anonymous who listed this little slice of self-exploration at www.okplusthree.blogspot.com .

Four Jobs I've Had
Busboy/Waiter/Dishwasher/Janitor in an Italian restaurant
(Crappy pay, but excellent home-made pasta and frisky waitresses)
Automobile air conditioning trainee and car transporter
(Porches, Audis, VWs...SWEET!)
Pipline mechanic for gas company
(Repairing gas leaks and shutting people off for non-payment...sucked)
Chemical Technician
(Current)
Worse Job...Loading books into mail sacks at a book factory.

Four Movies I Can Watch Again and Again
The Godfather (Parts 1 & 2)
Rain Man
Highlander
Stripes

Four Places I've Lived
Chicago (Roseland)
Calumet City
Hammond, IN
Griffith, IN

Four Fav TV Shows
The Daily Show
Medium
Numbers
The Late Late Show (with Craig Ferguson)

Four Vacation Spots
San Francisco
Smoky Mountains (Tennessee)
Thunder Bay (Ontario)
Mammoth Cave (Kentucky)

Four Web Sites I Visit Daily
www.nwitimes.com
www.usatoday.com
www.wxrt.com
www.amazon.com

Four Foods I Love
Scones
Pizza
Pasta
Waffles

Four Albums I Can't Do Without
Crosby, Stills and Nash - Greatest Hits
The Beatles - 1
They Might Be Giants - Dial A Song
(Ok, ya got me...that's a 2 CD Set...I'll take Disc 1)
Frank Sinatra - Classic Sinatra, His Great Performances 1953-1960

Four Vehicles I've Owned
1972 Mustang Sprint (302 V8, White with red and blue trim)
1977 Buick Regal (350 V8, Firethorn red with white landau top)
1985 Le Baron (Burgundy...it's a pretty hot model with kids nowadays)
1998 Grand Voyager Expresso (I like coffee so much, my mini-van is named after it)

Here's one I added...
Four Favorite Authors
Orson Scott Card
(Ender's Game is truly AWSOME!)
W.E.B. Griffin
(His novels were described to me as "soap operas for men")
Gordon Dickson
(Wolf and Iron...one of the greatest futuristic survival stories ever)
Ray Bradbury
(THE greatest short-story writer)

OK...here's another one I added...
Four Most Amazing Sights
The births of my son and daughter
The Northern Lights while driving across Manitoba
The panorama from one of the tallest peaks in the Rockies
Niagra Falls

And...appearing in TODAY'S Times

2005-11-05T13:48:00.000-05:00

Bush honoring Parks rings false

In response to Kanye West saying, "George Bush doesn't care about black people," Bush decided to make a show of allowing Rosa Parks' body to lie in state at the Capitol Rotunda. While Ms. Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat did spark the civil rights movement, I don't believe this single action, however noble and courageous, deserves such an honor. I believe it was a transparent ploy by Bush to show he does, in fact, care about black people.

And in October...

2005-11-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

A Times submission for October...

Democracy doesn't mean giving in

A number of people have written to say that we should accept Bush because he was duly elected by a majority of voters, that this is the basis of democracy. Using this logic, slavery, which was once legal, should still exist. Women should never have been given the right to vote. And, of course, people who protest abortion should stop because that issue was decided legally more than 30 years ago.

More Times Submissions

2005-11-05T13:40:00.000-05:00

AUGUST

God and Punishment

I used to get angry at such stories. Now I'm amused. A group from a Baptist church in Kansas travels the country, picketing funerals of servicemen because they think Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq are God's punishment for society's acceptance of homosexuality. How delusional is a group to relate two unrelated items to fit an agenda of protest? Maybe God punishes people for not minding their own business. Or, maybe the Iraq war is God's punishment for Americans who were gullible enough to elect a murderer like Bush.

Times Submissions

2005-11-05T13:33:00.000-05:00

I've been a bit remiss in listing my submissions to the local newspaper. Here's one from:

JULY

Bush's Imposition on Iraq

If you believe you have the right to defend yourself and your family against home invasion, then you can begin to understand why some Iraqis feel the need to defend themselves against an invasion from the United States. Bush has no more right to try to impose democracy on Iraq than a terrorist group has to impose its beliefs on others.

Old Poetry brought back to life...

2005-07-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

And now...by special request of Matt...my old poem:

WOODPECKER

He

Hangs around

In trees all day

Making those toy machine-gun sounds
Poppity-popping the succulent ants,

Red and black,

That flee along canyons

In the weathered bark like

Residents of some sci-fi

Town running madly down

Crowded boulevards

Escaping the

Wrath of

Godzilla.

Returning to poetry

2005-07-21T13:43:00.000-05:00

Father died.
Mother died.
Aunts and uncles followed.

As I pursued the dream
of living the good life
a whole generation passed away.
A limitless source
of knowledge and experience
of strength and love
cascaded down the well of time.

My buffer zone is gone.

The only barriers
between me and my mortality
are the whims of fate
and the choices I make.

And chosing becomes
a more somber task
when age's wisdom
displaces youth's possibilites.

Protest is as American as the Flag

2005-05-25T21:31:00.000-05:00

My latest submission to the BackTalk section of the NWI Times:

It's AMAZING to me how many people have decided to attack a Munster man for saying that he will stop flying the American flag to protest Bush. It seems to me that well over 95% of Americans don't fly the flag. At least the man from Munster is not flying the flag for a reason. And that reason is protest...a sacred American tradition older than the flag itself.

Response to "Creationist Nuts" Everywhere

2005-05-20T19:29:00.000-05:00

A recent submission to the Backtalk section of the NWI Times:

In response to the recent comment from the "creationism nut" who's "glad to be a nut" because "nuts fall from trees" and "...sprout and grow and produce much good fruit." Like the Bible, your comment is full of rich metaphors. And like the Bible, your comment was not meant to be taken literally. The Bible was written in an ancient time by a primitive people who were trying to explain the unexplainable. You may say, "But the Bible was inspired by God." Well, who's to say the Koran and the Baghavad Gita and (for that matter) Einstein and Darwin WEREN'T inspired by God? Evolution doesn't deny the existence of God; it just explains God's plan for creation in a less simple manner.

How to save the taxpayers' money...

2005-05-16T00:59:00.000-05:00

A recent letter to the Times:

There's been a great deal of talk recently about the closing of military bases all over the country. The closing of these bases, it is said, will save about 5.5 billion dollars per year. Since the majority of al-Qaeda operatives captured recently were found in Afghanistan and Pakistan (not Iraq), doesn't it make sense to eliminate our presence in Iraq which has already cost the U.S. 170 billion dollars and over 1,500 American lives? Isn't the purpose of the U.S. military presence in the Middle East, after all, to fight terrorism? Or is our mission now to kill everyone who disagrees with us?

Bush is aiding America's enemies

2005-01-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

A recent submission to the "BackTalk" section of the NWI Times:

Bush is aiding America's enemies.
To those readers who believe that people who speak out against Bush are aiding America's enemies, in your own words, get over it. By ordering the invasion of Iraq, Bush has done more to help America's enemies than anyone. He has turned a once sympathetic world against us and, more importantly, has sacrificed American and Iraqi lives carrying on a personal vendetta against the Husseins instead of pursuing Al Quaeda. And now that the Husseins are gone, all Bush is accomplishing in Iraq is death.

Republicans can be SO sensitive!

2005-01-13T21:14:00.000-05:00

On January 5th, an email from me appeared in "BackTalk" section of the local paper. This is what it said:

American resources misguided
A message from Bush: To the thousands of people affected by the Asian tidal waves and to the relatives and friends of the dead, to the injured and homeless and to those who will be enduring food and water shortages and disease in the near future: You have the heartfelt sympathy of the president of the United States. Unfortunately, hearfelt sympathy is all you have because I'm using most of America's resources to kill Iraqis. Sorry. - GRIFFITH

Apparently, my email struck a nerve with one of the readers. Here's his/her reply from today's paper:

Bush is an honest man
To the Griffith resident who said, in his so-called message from President Bush, that America's resources are misguided: Get over it. People like you are helping America's enemies destroy this country, along with the liberal news media, the ACLU and the liberal Democrats in Congress. Mr. Bush is an honest man who says what he means. - DeMOTTE

Well...I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to get over, but I'm STILL trying to figure out how I'm helping America's enemies destroy the country. I suppose there MIGHT be groups of America's enemies scattered across the globe who subscribe to the NorthWest Indiana Times and who wait each day to see if I've sent another of my scathing anti-Bush comments in...but I somehow doubt it. As for the liberal news media...they really don't call Bush out a whole lot on his shenanigans anymore. Jon Stewart's really the only one who does that...and admittedly his show is "fake news". The ACLU? What have we heard from them lately? And the "liberal" Democrats in Congress are what keep that whole "two-party system" thing going. What does this guy want? An all-Republican Congress? That would pretty much defeat the purpose of having a representative system of government, wouldn't it? Mr. Bush is an honest man? I really don't know him that well...but somehow, I doubt it. Mr. Bush says what he means? I can hardly understand most of what he says. He's not the most eloquent man, is he? For numerous examples of Bush's eloquence, click on "Republicans can be SO sensitive!" (in green) at the top of this blog.

Drugs in Music and Poetry

2005-01-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

With the possible exception of the perennial favorite...LOVE...drugs may have been THE most popular subject of music and poetry in the 60's and 70's and well into the 80's. Whether it's that "peak experience" feeling or simply pleasant memories shared with friends when high, drug use was with us in song for a long, long time. It has only been with the recent return to the puritanical atmosphere of the 50's brought on by born-again bible thumpers and other right-wing types that the subject of recreational drug use in song has fallen from grace.

So...it is with my usual attitude of political-correctness-be-damned that I delve into some of my favorite lyrics and poetry about drug use.

1966...The Beatles Rubber Soul album. Was Norwegian Wood REALLY about smoking pot? "And when I awoke I was alone. This bird had flown. So, I lit the fire. Isn't it good? Norwegian wood." Hmmmm...and what ABOUT Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds?

1969...Woodstock...Arlo Guthrie, son of folk music giant Woody Guthrie (This Land is Your Land) performs a song that goes "Flying into Los Angeleez...Bringing in a couple of keys. Don't check my bags if you please mister customs man."

Also in 1969 (a great year for drug music), a seminal, low-budget film that was all about drugs and how they figured into pursuing the American dream. Yes, it was Easy Rider. The Holy Modal Rounders brought us: "Don't bogart that joint, my friend...pass it over to me." And a little-known group called Steppenwolf brings us "God damn the pusher-man." and "Born to be wild."

Was it in the late 60's or early 70's that an entire album devoted to pot was made? I guess if you remember for sure, you weren't there. But I DO remember the name of the record. It was called "Have a Marijuana" and was by a bunch of New Yorkers (with questionable musical talent) called David Peel and the Lower East Side. Yes...that's the recording that brought us such memorable hits as: "Mother, Where is my Father?" "I Do my Balling in the Bathroom" AND of course "Up Against the Wall Mother F*cker!" (Was that last title censored sufficiently?)

The Seventies...A scruffy and slightly scary writer of children's poetry, Shel Silverstein pens a poem called "The Great Smoke-Off" for Playboy magazine. The first little bit goes something like this: "In the laid-back California town of sunny San Rafael lives a girl named Pearly Sweetcakes. I think you know her well. She was stoned nineteen of her twenty years and I've heard the story told that she can smoke 'em faster than anyone can roll." A far cry from "Where the Sidewalk Ends", don't you think?

Also the seventies: John Prine sang, "You may see me some time...with an illegal smile. It don't cost very much but it lasts a long while. Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone. No, I'm just trying to have me some fun."

The Eighties...A super-group called the Travelling Wiburies composed of music legends Roy Orbison, Bob Dillon, George Harrison, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne get together and release a couple albums. The first one...by far the most popular of the two features a song about drugs, but not at all glorifying drug use. Perhaps just a hint of what the 90's will bring. Anyway, the song goes something like this: "Tweeter and the monkey-man were hard up for cash. They stayed up all night selling cocaine and hash...To an undercover cop who had a sister named Jan. For reasons unexplained she LOVED that monkey-man." A pretty weird little story in song, huh?

Anyway...that was my foray into the subject of drugs in song and verse. Of course, this blog was for artistic purposes only and in no way constitutes an endorsement of drug use...blah blah blah...yada yada yada.

Later. Peace Out. Word to your Auntie.

What's on the back of YOUR car?

2005-01-05T23:13:00.000-05:00

OK! NO MORE MAGNETIC RIBBONS!

Let's look at things realistically. Who do those magnetic ribbons REALLY support? You know, the ones that say "Support Our Troops" and "Proud to Be an American".

Those magnetic ribbons support:

1. The slimy leach bastards who are capitalizing on the deaths of American men and women who are made to participate in an illegal and immoral war.
2. The owners of auto-body shops who repair the scratches on the beemers and benz's left by magnetic strips of crap.
3. The redneck jerkoffs who think that people who are against unnecessary war are unamerican.
4. The 51% of Americans who think it's a sin to kill innocent fetus's but commendable to kill innocent non-christians.

You know who REALLY supports our troops? Voluntarily or otherwise, the people who REALLY support our troops are people like me who've been paying income taxes for over thirty years. Unfortunately, MY tax contributions must be going to pay for Bush's inaugural gala because the troops over there STILL aren't getting the body armor and vehicle armor they need. And...if I had my way, MY tax contributions would go to support social programs in the U.S. and relief efforts in areas affected by recent natural disasters. But...regular folks have little say concerning where their tax money goes...even less since the Patriot Act went into effect. Anyone complaining about how his tax money is used THESE days is in danger of disappearing. (I think Orwell called it "becoming a non-person".)

Oh...and ANOTHER thing about things people are putting on the rear ends of their vehicles: I don't give a FUCK whether little Johnny is an honor student at Joseph McCarthy middle school. I don't give a SHIT whether Jesus Saves or Jesus is Lord (whatever THAT means) and I don't give a good DAMN whether Jesus Loves You. What kind of insecure asshole cares what some stranger driving behind him thinks or believes anyway?

The only bumper sticker I've approved of recently was one that said "Jesus Loves You. Everyone else thinks you're an asshole." At least THAT one made me chuckle.

What Bush Was Really Saying...

2004-12-28T17:19:00.000-05:00

To the thousands of people affected by the tidal waves in the Indian Ocean: to the relatives and friends of the dead, to the injured and homeless and to those who will be enduring food and water shortages and disease in the near future...you have the heartfelt condolences of the President of the United States. Unfortunately, heartfelt condolences is ALL you have because I'm using most of America's resources to kill Iraqis. Uh...sorry.

A Vote for Bush is NOT a Vote for Morality

2004-10-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

There are many forms of prejudice. There's racial prejudice, of course. There's gender bias and the prejudice concerning sexual preference. Then there's religious prejudice. How many times lately have we heard or read, "I'm voting for Bush because he's a Christian?" Of course, the fact that Kerry is a Catholic and ALSO a Christian is irrelevant. Voting for a political candidate based solely on his religious affiliation is just as much a form of prejudice as voting for a candidate based on his color or gender.

What about voting based on moral issues? Bush is responsible for a ban on partial birth abortions. This ban outlaws a rarely used abortion procedure which makes up only a small percentage of abortions performed each year. During the last four years, while Bush has been in the White House and Republicans have controlled Congress, this ban has been the ONLY legislation passed concerning abortion. I believe the ban amounts to a ploy by the Republican administration to garner the anti-abortion vote while doing very little to actually stop abortion.

Bush has severely limited stem-cell research, which has shown great promise in the treatment of conditions ranging from Alzheimer's disease to spinal cord injuries. Why? To satisfy anti-abortion proponents who don't understand or don't care that stem-cell research employs discarded embryos from fertility clinics and NOT aborted fetus's.

Bush has decided not to extend the assault weapons ban in effort to appeal to the huge NRA lobby, even though assault weapons serve no purpose in hunting or target shooting, only in killing many people quickly. A moral decision? Hardly!

Finally, Bush has decided to wage an unnecessary war that has killed over 1000 Americans and thousands of Iraqi non-combatants. This is, perhaps, his most immoral decision of all.

A vote for Bush isn't a vote for morality; it's a vote for death, deception and four more years of backward thinking.

Iraq: Enough Reason to Vote Against Bush

2004-10-17T16:32:00.000-05:00

On September 11, 2001 followers of Osama Bin Ladin attacked the United States, resulting in the deaths of almost 3000 people. Most people would agree the attack was wrong even though the United States has possessed weapons of mass destruction since 1945.

George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of well over 1000 Americans and thousands of innocent Iraqi non-combatants. Bush's main reason for ordering the invasion was his belief that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction even though there was no proof that the WMDs existed. Of course, none were ever found.

George Bush has tried to justify his Invasion of Iraq by linking Saddam Hussein with the September 11th attacks and with Osama Bin Ladin. According to "The 9/11 Commission Report", Bush received a memo as early as September 18, 2001 stating that there was "...no compelling case that Iraq had either planned or perpetrated the attacks." The report also states: "...Bin Ladin had in fact been sponsoring anti-Saddam Islamists in Iraqi Kurdistan" and "Bin Ladin resented the secularism of Saddam Hussein's regime."

Bush started operations in Afghanistan to track down the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks but decided to shift the attention of the American military to Iraq. Many people are quick to point out alleged inconsistencies in John Kerry's behavior, but Bush's insistence on "being firm in his resolve" and "staying the course" in Iraq has cost thousands of lives and over 200 billion dollars of taxpayer money.

Saddam has been captured. His sons have been killed. Even so, America is still embroiled in a war in Iraq with no end in sight. Bush recently said, "Our goal is to defeat terror by staying on the offensive." "Staying on the offensive", of course, requires troops. And whether he admits it or not, when Bush exhausts our regular military and reserves, he will have no other choice but to reinstate the draft.

I believe voters, especially men of draft age and their parents, need to consider Bush's serious errors in judgment when casting their votes in November

Weird happenings in California...

2004-09-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

Something recently pointed out on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Governator Arnold recently pushed a law through that makes necrophilia a crime. It seems that they found a guy at a morgue passed out on top of a dead woman. On checking the books, they found out there was no law in California against having sex with a dead person. As a result, all they could charge the guy with was "breaking and entering". DOHHHH!

At the same time, prostitution has been legalized in Berkley. So (to paraphrase Jon Stewart), it's ok to have sex with a prostitute in Berkley, but if she dies during the act you MUST stop!

On Flip-Flopping...

2004-09-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

Senator Kerry has been accused time and again of "flip-flopping" on a number of campaign issues. In fact, "flip-flopping" is probably the Republican party's favorite catch-phrase (other than "we've turned the corner"). Anyway...what is flip-flopping, really, other than a derogatory term for "changing your mind"? Is changing your mind such a bad thing? If the powers that were would have changed their minds a little sooner about Viet Nam maybe some of the 58,000 Americans that died would be alive today, making valid contributions to society. If the powers that be would change THEIR minds, maybe we'd get the hell out of Iraq and stop getting Americans killed today. Flip-flopping...it's only a negative to bull-headed Texans and VPs getting dual incomes...from the federal government AND Halliburton.

The Bush Bunch: Masters of Misdirection

2004-08-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

Weapons of Mass Deception
For months, we've been hearing the phrase "Weapons of Mass Destruction" repeated over and over again as a main reason for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In reality, even if we HAD found WMDs (which we didn't), it wouldn't have warranted our unprovoked invasion of another sovreign nation any more than OUR possession of WMDs (since about 1945) gives other nations the right to attack us. But the Bush Bunch loves to play on the fears of the American public to achieve its ends. Misdirection at its finest.

Prisoner Abuse
Prisoner abuse, while wrong (according to established rules of war), is a subject the Bush Bunch would MUCH prefer brought to public attention than hundreds of dead American servicemen and countless dead innocent Iraqui citizens. That's probably why the abuse happened and why the Republican-led Armed Services Committee is focussing so much attention on the investigation. More misdirection.

Heavy Medals
I have to give the Bush Bunch points for outrageous audacity for their covert but obvious backing of the so-called "Swift-Boat Veterans for Truth". It takes HUGE chutspa for a man with no medals at all who blew off a good portion of his military service (Bush) to question the awarding of medals for bravery and service to a REAL veteran (Kerry) by the very government that the medal-free pseudo-veteran (Bush) is supposed to represent. Ultimate misdirection.

When Clinton Lied, Nobody Died
So...what is another word for misdirection? LIES! Bill Clinton was impeached for his lie about a sexual indiscretion. The Bush Bunch hopes to stay in power through lies that lead to the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen. I hope to God the American public doesn't let that happen.

My Pet Peeve

2004-08-06T01:18:00.000-05:00

My pet peeve certainly covers a lot of territory, and here it is: totally self-absorbed people.

Here are some examples:

People who think it's stupid to volunteer. The American Cancer Society? Make a Wish Foundation? A soup kitchen? What...are you nuts? I could use that time making money! Or spending money on myself!

People who screw off at work all day and leave the work for the next shift. (If everyone just pitched in a little, most jobs would be a cake-walk.)

People who drive a car as of they're the only ones on the street. People who are all over the road...or make a left turn right in front of you without using a turn signal...or cut you off...or make a u-turn in front of oncoming traffic...etc, etc.

And one of my favorites: Those mentally handicapped peckerwoods who think it's ok to spit chewing gum out on the sidewalk or in a parking lot because it's JUST SO DAMN DIFFICULT to dispose of it properly. Those drooling trogalodytes should have a ten-pack of BlackJack gum massaged into they're scalps and then removed with machetes and Bic lighters.

You think that there's too much violence in blogs these days?

What's up with dating?

2004-08-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

Today I heard about a dating web site that is the first (I know of) that does background checks on perspective mates. At http://www.true.com/ , the site checks member wanabes to verify that they are single and criminal-record-free. Hmmmm...what sort of change is THAT from the dating process of just a few short years ago?

OK...this is where I do a prediction. Within the next twenty (or so) years, a person will be able to send an artificially intelligent avatar to a cyber cocktail party to mingle with possible mates. The initial awkwardness, the interaction with numerous creeps just to find one nice person, the unintentional binge drinking (oops...maybe that was just me) ...are a thing of the past. Just sit back watching the Letterman-of-the-future and let your avatar do the walking...and talking. While we're at it, let's allow those artificially intellingent avatars to engage in the SEX as well. Hey...we can eliminate STD's in OUR lifetime. Just in case someone actually makes any part of my prediction a reality, I can have the satisfaction of saying, "I called it!" Do you suppose that gives me any type of legal claim to a part of the profits from the technology? Nahhhhhhh. No more than I have a legal claim to the money made from Dairy Queen on their Blizzards (even though I was grinding candy bars into milk-shakes way back in the early 70's!)

A Typical Saturday

2004-07-31T15:44:00.000-05:00

A typical sort of Saturday today. Breakfast at the Pancake House, shopping at Dollar Deals (a dollar store that has stuff you'd really LIKE to buy). We stopped at a bookstore called the Remarkable Bookstore (catchy, huh?). Strangely enough I found a few books by Orson Scott Card and Gordon Dickson that I've never read before. (I thought I'd read them all). Of course, I'm in the middle of two OTHER books, Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley and Stupid White Men by Michael Moore, so it'll be a while before I get to the new ones. After the bookstore (which was maybe the highlight of the day, other than my banana pancakes), I came home and worked at cleaning out the bathroom tub drain (always a thrill) and mowed the front lawn. Hmmm...I recall that there was once a book written called "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"...how about "Zen and the Art of Lawn Mowing"? No? No...

I heard the other day that a huge number of people get most of their knowledge of the presidential election from The Daily Show with Jon Steward and from Saturday Night Live. At first I thought that's a little odd...getting your info on such an important subject from comedy shows. But after a little thought I figured that most people have already made up their minds about the presidential election. If you have to get election updates, they might as well be entertaining...right?

And when I awoke, I was alone. This bird had flown.

2004-07-31T00:24:00.000-05:00

Alright, the original Beatles' tune Norwegian Wood was about a woman...or maybe about smoking weed, depending on who you talk to. But the title of this blog seems to apply today. I saw my son for what might be the last time in quite a while. He stopped by just long enough to load up some of his stuff in a trailer and have some Chinese food with us. After a couple hugs, he was off to his and Jen's place in Chicago. Tomorrow they're leaving for California to start the next leg of that great adventure called life.

After Matt left, I cracked open a fortune cookie and read, "You will be free of the heavy burden your have been carrying." Yeah, "your have been carrying." Obviously written by some Chinese cat that doesn't have a great command of the Queen's English, but a fine dash of irony none-the-less. I've known men who feel that an offspring IS a burden, something to get rid of ASAP, someone to give the heave-ho at his eighteenth birthday.

I could never have thought of Matt that way. I suppose my main problem (if it WAS a problem) was remembering to treat Matt like my son instead of my friend because I've always enjoyed his company SO much. Looking back, I can't help thinking I would have liked to play with him a little more when he was little. Even though I've never been a big fan of overtime, I can't help thinking I could have worked a little less and been with him a little more. But...going on the premise I've always believed that guilt is a useless emotion, I'll just say I've been lucky to be able to spend a lot of quality time with Matt.

Matt...He's led such a fascinating life so far, it's hard for a parent NOT to live vicariously through his son just a little. Always trying something new, fearless, grabbing life by the coglioni and just going for it. Working as a counselor at a summer camp in upstate New York, touring with a rock band, studying exactly what he wanted to study in college. And now, moving across the country with his ladyfriend to start a new adventure on the West Coast. Of course, I'm concerned for Matt's well-being, as any parent WOULD be, but somehow I know Matt will always do well. I believe Matt has that whole "getting back the positive energy he sends out" thing down pretty well. Positive energy seems to have served ME pretty well over the years too.

I was driving home from the grocery store late this evening and I popped in the CD "Tapestry Revisited" which is a tribute CD to Carole King's "Tapestry" album. When Rod Stewart started singing "So Far Away", I have to admit, I started feeling a little sad about my son moving "so far away" from me. But I couldn't help feeling at the same time how proud I am of Matt doing so well at school and how proud I am of Matt for having such a love for life and...for having such courage to head West looking to live his dream.

Matt...if you read this. Good luck as you move on to the next part of your life. I know you and Jen will do very well together. I don't know Jen as well as I'd like to, but she must be very special to inspire you both to pursue your dreams in a faraway place. Take care and keep in touch.

Dave's First Rave

2004-07-29T16:10:00.000-05:00

First of all, thanks to my son Matt for turning me on to this site. He'll be leaving home (Indiana) for a new life adventure in California very shortly, so this "blog" stuff might just be a great way to stay in each other's thoughts.

Also...I've always thought that writing is a great way to vent my spleen a little. Much more cathartic (and less painful) than punching holes in a wall. If such a simple act as writing down one's thoughts can make a person feel better, WHY NOT?

What do I currently feel a need to rant about? How about BUSH? It seems it all comes down to that guy...BUSH! Who...with the help of family and associates managed to steal an election and corrupt a system that's worked pretty well for over two hunded years. BUSH! Who's directly responsible for the deaths of over 800 Americans and countless Iraqui civilians. BUSH! Who promoted the first proposed Constitutional amendment to advocate discrimination. BUSH! Who's cutbacks of funding to state and local governments is directly responsible for my having to pay a county income tax (which I never did before) and an increase in property tax that has jacked up my house payment by fifty percent. My son Matt and I BOTH ask the question, "Why would ANYONE vote for this guy?" Is it his implied message of inclusion to "Nascar Dads" everywhere? Is it the implied (but never stated) message of anti-abortion to the religious right? Is it the the implied message of "assault rifles for everyone" to the anti-gun-control guys? I REALLY don't know. What I DO know is: Bush's policy of inclusion includes noone but the very rich. Bush's thoughts about killing only applies to fetus's...not to American servicemen nor Texas felons. And those folks who vote for Bush solely for his supposed gun control stance are going to NEED those guns when they lose their jobs and they have to survive by sticking up convenience stores.

Ahhhhh...I DO feel better now! The therapeutic rant. All the calming power of drugs with no nasty side effects.