Stan's Recent Reviews

Experience is the best teacher.  I have relearned that lesson myself over the last couple of months as the radio station has changed to a different type of software in my department.  I watched over 20 different online presentations of how the software works, but until I actually got my hands on it and made it work in the real world, I was clueless as to its function.  No matter what kind of job you have, listening to lectures will only give you the bare minimum you need to perform your task.  If you’re a med student, you need to cut up a cadaver to see how things

Sometimes fate deals you a particularly cruel hand.  For instance, my father could create plans in his head and construct a building without blueprints.  He could pull the engine from a car, repair it, re-install it and have it running like new pretty much by himself.  This man who could plumb and wire a house with no formal training, the smartest, most capable man I have ever known, developed Alzheimer’s disease and, by the end of his life, couldn’t figure out how to operate a doorknob.  To me, that seems especially cruel.  The hero of this week’s

Is there a moment in your childhood that you believe had a big impact on your life?  I believe one occurred for me when I was in the third grade.  I was nominated to be on my school’s safety patrol which was both a big honor and a big responsibility.  It also meant going on the annual safety patrol trip to Washington DC during my sixth grade year.  In my mind, that trip was magical.  I’d never been anywhere like it before and I dreamed of seeing the Smithsonian Institute’s Air and Space Museum.  I was certain my parents would sign the required

Imagination is an escape for some people.  There are stories of prisoners of war who would envision building a lakeside cabin while they were being tortured by their captors to maintain their sanity.  Victims of abuse often create fantasy worlds to escape the pain.  This week’s movie, “Sucker Punch,” tells the story of a woman who not only fantasizes about a better life, but her fantasy self also fantasizes.  It’s layer upon layer of fantasy that could use a healthy dose of reality.