Category: Personal

(red), originally uploaded by shaycam.

I’ve never been to San Francisco before. Well, that was true until this weekend. My wife and I had the opportunity to see some friends up in the bay area that are starting a church. Those friends were kind of enough to take us down to “the city” (as they call it). San Francisco is an interesting place. Someone used the word majestic to describe it this weekend and I might agree. It just has a chill vibe. It’s got it all: big city style, water, big bridges, random parks, old buildings, sweet architecture, and even the random crazy person. We enjoyed our time just driving around the streets and seeing the sights. You can’t see all of SF in one day, it’s too big. But the part I did see, I loved. And that stinkin’ Golden Gate bridge is amazing.

We had the blessing of coming on a clear day, which made for a great day to the bridges and the skyline. If you’ve never been, I strongly recommend taking a drive there or flying in if you have the means. I took some pictures there, but apparently I was having a really bad day with photography. Needless to say my pictures weren’t so good. I’ll try to go through some and post a few later. Anyways, here’s one for the road…

Lacey was a good dog, originally uploaded by shaycam.

The end of the year marked something a bit sad for me and my family. You see, my dog died. She was a dog of my youth. There have been 2 dalmatian dogs in my life since I was a baby. The first one was Sparky and he lived until I was about 10. Then next came Lacey (pictured left), and she was from about age 10 to 22. Dalmatians are not long living dogs, but their lives are full. Lacey’s life was full of running, jumping, and attacking other dogs if they got near my family. She wasn’t a mean dog, in fact she was a the nicest dog I know, but she was very protective of us. I was able to see her before she died. When Bethany and I visited my parents over Christmas we got to see Lacey. My mom told us to say goodbye to her because it would probably be the last time we see her…. and it was. I’m a little sad as you can tell, but it’s OK. That’s a part of life. Dog’s die. They feel like a part of the family for a while, but they die like people do. I don’t mean to sound cold, I am just stating the facts. But that wouldn’t change the fact that Lacey was a good dog.

Though Lacey’s death marked the end of 2006 for me, it doesn’t mean the year was all that bad. In fact the year was great. I got married at the end of 2005, I graduated from college in 2006, I saw Coldplay live, I saw Dave Matthews live, and I even touched the ground of 5 different states. I traveled much this year (especially at the end). Oh, and let’s not forget that my one year wedding anniversary was in 2006. Good times, lovin’ it.

It really was an enjoyable year… here’s to looking forward to another great year.

I have started this blog about five times before typing this. Everything I want to say sounds boring to me, and everything I don’t want to say is coming to mind at a rapid rate. The truth is I’m probably tired.

The holidays have been quite enjoyable. Starting all the way back at Thanksgiving and moving through Christmas, my wife and I have had a fun filled time. Now I’m probably just a little tired from everything we have done. In fact, the picture to the left is me sitting on the sidewalk at LAX waiting for a bus to pick us up at about 1:15AM. Trust me, the only time LAX looks this relaxing is if it’s one in the morning or we have had a terrorist attack.

I think things are finally settling down for me though. I’m back at my computer, I’m reading emails, blogs, news, job descriptions, etc. and I’m ready to start another year. For some reason 2007 just doesn’t excite me. I think I have a problem with the way it looks: 2007. The 7 just kinda sticks out there. I don’t know, who cares, it’s not that big of a deal and I really don’t think there’s anything I can do to stop it’s arrival. Oh well, onward!

Someone asked me for some poetry and here’s what I came up with.

“The Homeless Man”

There’s a homeless man who plays guitar
I hear his songs when I fill up my car

He makes his home in a little green tent
It’s over the wall, outside my apartment

Sometimes I wonder if it’s just me
But is anyone jealous that he is rent free?

People feel bad and give him their cash
He has no need to dig in the trash

He talks all the time, though he doesn’t talk much
Yelling at cars or at his own lunch

He’s got new wagon to carry his stuff
No really, it’s true, I’m not making it up

Long brown hair and a beard to match
Maybe there was a day when he was a great catch

Smoking is something he does with ease
But being kind to others just won’t please

He’s got a Bible that he reads real loud
But what it means I don’t think he’s found

What has happened to this poor soul
That he lost his home and he’s out in the cold?

Maybe things will change and just get better
But until then we’ll pray for good weather.

My wife and I sat down to watch the holiday classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” last night when my wife pointed something out to me. I look like Shermy from the Peanuts gang! Much can be read about Shermy (click here), but the main point from the article I was reading is, and I quote, “..Shermy’s major physical characteristic was his short, dark hair, which he usually wore in a crew cut.” Shermy must’ve grown up in Southern California with hair like that. What a guy!

Best part about all this that many Shaycam readers probably never knew. My name is Sherman! That’s right folks. Just when you thought you knew the real Shaycam, BAM!, we came at you with a whole new twist.

C’mon, what’s it supposed to feel like to look like a Peanuts character, and for that matter, have the same name? Personally, I think it feels great. Furthermore, I think Shermy’s job as a shepherd may have more meaning for my future life, but only the Lord knows that.