The Mysterious Case of Missing Socks

I have a mystery on my hands that has me stupefied. It's the Mysterious Case of Missing Socks. Its one of the chores I dread most- folding socks. I don't mind sorting and washing them, that's no problem. Its when they come out of the dryer that I hate these knitted foot coverings ever so. I'm wondering if you have the same problem that our household has- an ever-growing pile of single-socks. Yes, socks with no match. I'm at the point that I could probably open a sock shop for one-legged men. I can't figure out our how it is that so many socks just go missing. Before you move on, look at this photo above. It is the pile of clean socks from the dryer (ok so its a few loads, but they are all clean). I start the folding process by sorting them out by color on the bed in one of the guest rooms, so I can see them all. Then I begin to find pairs and fold them...that is until I have to chase a few socks down the hall...

above: of course, having two mischievous sock-bandit poodles in the house doesn't help. Here is Duncan caught red-handed. Ahem, red-mouthed, I guess... escaping with a sock! He practically tip toes over the the side of the bed, carefully pulls off a sock with his front teeth and runs away, trying not to be noticed! But in all honesty, I know the poodles are not all to blame. I eventually find the socks they steal. So where do the rest of them go??

above: Check out the very first photo at the top. Those were ALL the socks that I washed. Now look at this immediate photo above. All the single socks lined up at the foot of the bed have no match. It's a case for Sherlock Holmes. In an effort to keep better track of my socks, once I have them folded, they go into special drawers by type of sock, color or pattern:

above: strictly casual socks, cotton/wool blends from black, green and tan...

above: more casual socks, in cotton, from black to grey to tan...

above: wool dress socks, in green, olive and khaki...

above: wool/cotton dress blue socks

above: wool/nylon/cotton dress black socks
All my colored socks get folded in half like these above. Despite my cataloging system, I somehow lose socks. Where could they all disappear to? Is it the sock monster? The black hole? A cosmic rift? A time-space continuum Perhaps some other mysterious force of nature? At times, I'm tempted to throw out all my socks and just buy one color and call it a day. Or maybe I should hire a sock detective. Hmmmm.
What's the story with socks in your home?
-Rick Rockhill

Dick Van Patten Book Signing in Glendale CA

For those of you who live in Southern California, my friend Dick Van Patten will be appearing at the Mystery & Imagination Bookshop in Glendale, CA on Sunday December 13th. If you live in the area, stop by and say hello to Mr Van Patten and pick up a copy of his book. Hope you can make it!

Let the Madness in the Music Get to You

I recently broke down and downloaded a few Michael Jackson albums from iTunes. The last time I purchased a Michael Jackson album it was cassette tape, and before that a vinyl record. Amid all the hysteria during his untimely passing, I resisted the urge to buy any of his albums. I've always thought he was a musical genius and I actually enjoyed most of his music since I was a kid. It may seem odd, but what motivated me to suddenly buy a Michael Jackson album was two new young fans he acquired posthumously. My 3 and 5 year old nieces have suddenly become MJ fans and love to sing his songs. It hit me- why I am I depriving myself of this collection of music that I enjoyed so much for decades? And so off to iTunes I went, and in a few clicks I was the proud new owner of a slew of Michael Jackson songs (again). As I re-acclimated myself with his library of music, one song in particular clicked with me: Off Wall. Check out these lyrics, and then if you feel so inclined, view the YouTube video that follows. These lyrics are actually pretty inspirational in a pop-music sort of way. So go ahead, let the madness in the music get to you.

When the world is on your shoulder
Gotta straighten up your act and boogie down
If you can't hang with the feeling
Then there ain't no room for you this part of town
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
Groove, let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)

You can shout out all you want to
'Cause there ain't no sin in folks all getting loud
If you take the chance and do it
Then there ain't no one who's gonna put you down
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C'mon and groove, and let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)

Do what you want to do
There ain't no rules it's up to you (ain't no rules it's all up to you)
It's time to come alive
And party on right through the night (all right)

Gotta hide your inhibitions
Gotta let that fool loose deep inside your soul
Want to see an exhibition
Better do it now before you get to old
'Cause we're the party people night and day
Livin' crazy that's the only way

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C'mon and groove (yeah) let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)

So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf
And just enjoy yourself
C'mon and groove (yeah) let the madness in the music get to you
Life ain't so bad at all
If you live it off the wall
Life ain't so bad at all (live life off the wall)
Live your life off the wall (live it off the wall)
songwriter: R. Temperton

A Tip from The Palm Springs Savant: Daily $50 Gift Card Giveaway

The following is NOT a paid or commercial post. I chose to share this with my blogger friends.
The holiday season is here and there is a really cool daily giveaway going on at www.petco.com. You can enter once every day for a chance to win the daily giveaway of a $50 gift card. Everyone knows someone who has a pet. There is no purchase required, and it is easy to enter. So what are you waiting for, click here and enter to win:

-Rick Rockhill

Dogs Make Work Better

From time to time I'm asked to represent my company to speak about pet nutrition. It ranges from being a guest on a radio or TV show, contribute to an article, or address a conference. The folks at work who manage these things wanted a few fresh photos to accompany the bio about me they provide to external groups. Apparently all my usual personal photos with a martini glass in hand are a bit over the top if I'm supposed to speak about pet nutrition (I guess I can understand that). Hence the new photo you see here. Its one of a series of photos with me and Sheldon. Duncan was being squirmy that day so he didn't make it in as many shots.

One of the benefits of working at our company is we can bring our pets to work with us. Let me tell you what a HUGE benefit that is, too. Having one of my dogs with me curled up at my feet all day brings such comfort and joy. It helps release stress if the day gets a little crazy too. Sometimes if I'm in meetings for an hour or two and return to my office, I'm greeted by my dog with such enthusiasm that it makes me smile and all the stress just drains away. So for me, having my dog at work makes me enjoy being at work even more. It's also not a problem when I need to work late, I just take Sheldon or Duncan out for a walk and go right back to work. Of course, the floor in my office has dog toys and chews scattered everywhere, but I don't mind a bit. So yes, it is true, dogs do make work better. Anyway so back to the new photos. Aside from the ones taken with Sheldon, a few were taken of just me, but I much prefer the ones with my canine co-workers.

above: This one was taken at my desk, and looks rather official, don't you think? The books make me look like a professor.

above: here is one with both Sheldon and Duncan. This was taken a few weeks ago, when Duncan was still a bit smaller. Today's he's nearly Sheldon's size. So the question is, which photo do you think is best to be used with my bio when I am representing my company? I'm looking for your honest opinion...so go ahead, leave a comment with the brutal truth.
-Rick Rockhill

Happy Black Friday...Go Spend Some Money!

Yesterday was a very relaxing day at home. I woke up early to enjoy sunrise so I sat outside on the patio with a freshly brewed pot of organic cawfee and some toast. It was a beautiful morning, although I needed a sweatshirt because it was still a bit chilly. I'm not exactly sure why, but for some reason we decided not to host Thanksgiving dinner, so we made reservations for Melvyn's restaurant at the Ingleside Inn. I usually dress up a bit for Melvyn's, in respect to the rich history of the establishment. I selected one of my new ascots to wear and as luck would have it, it perfectly matched a sports jacket I have. Before I got completely dressed, I decided it was a perfect opportunity for a new photo with the kids. So we sat on the porch for this photo. You can see how big Duncan is next to his brother Sheldon. Don't they look cute together? I love my two poodles...Happy Black Friday. Now go out and stimulate the economy!
-Rick Rockhill

A Time to Be Thankful...

There is plenty for which to be thankful. Fortunately I am blessed to be able to say there are more reasons than I have time to type up here today, and for that I am grateful. I am quite aware that today there are many people who feel as though they have nothing to celebrate and give thanks. So for that reason I decided to give thanks in solitude today, to my Creator, in the early hours of Thanksgiving day.

So for the rest of the day, here on this blog I'd like permission to be flip. Here's another reason to be thankful. Brad Pitt. Not only is he dashing and fit, he is also generous, down to earth and a genuinely nice guy too. So I'll give thanks here for Brad Pitt today. Let's hope he comes back to Palm Springs again soon, it would be nice to see him again. Happy Thanksgiving all.

Now how about you? Finish this sentence: I'm thankful for...

Sneak Peek at the Palm Springs Film Festival Awards in January

Things are starting to heat up in preparation for the Palm Springs International Film Festival, now in its 21st year which will run from January 5-18. Our film fest is recognized as one of the largest in the world; it features 400 screenings of more than 200 films from some 60 countries. It has built a strong reputation for support of independent films, and provides a platform for international film makers whose own home nations barely support their film industry. Each year, the film festival committee tirelessly reviews a huge number of films to present a broad range of quality pictures. Since its inception, the film festival also brings a heavy dose of Hollywood glamor, with the Awards Gala, a star-studded red carpet event that attracts throngs of fans, international news media and paparazzi to cover the event. I have a few hot tips to share about the upcoming Awards night. I have learned that Morgan Freeman will receive the Career Achievement Award for Acting. Also, the lovely Anna Kendrick will be honored with the Rising Star Award for her performance in Up in the Air. And here's a surprise: Mariah Carey will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award, in recognition for her performance in “Precious,” about a social worker based on the novel "Push" written by Sapphire. If you have not heard of it yet, Precious opens nationwide this Friday and already has tremendous buzz. As we get closer to the film festival, there will be plenty of other big names announced as award recipients, so stay tuned for more. The host of the Film Fest Awards Gala once again will be Palm Springs' very own Mary Hart of TV's "Entertainment Tonight". So start planning your trip to our desert so you can catch the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Here is what you need to know:

• Dates: January 5-18, 2010
• Films will be seen on 15 screens throughout Palm Springs.
• Tickets: Passes, awards gala, opening and closing night tickets and packages are available now.
• Individual ticket sales begin Dec. 24 for Palm Springs International Film Society Members, Dec. 26 for the general public.
• Information: (760) 322-2930 or psfilmfest.org

I've covered the Palm Springs Film Fest for several years. If you want to refresh your memory, here are a few prior posts I've written right here on this humble little blog:

• Retrospective of Past Winners
• 2009 Palm Springs Film Fest
• 2008 Palm Springs Film Fest
• Sonny Bono's Vision of the Palm Springs Film Fest

Thanks for stopping by!
-Rick Rockhill

Exploring Wines: Part 6, Learning Grape Varieties

It has been awhile since my last "Exploring Wines" post here, and with the holidays coming up I thought it might be helpful to resume this series again with some handy tips. (I recycled this photo from a post in November 2007 because I like it so well). As with all my Exploring Wines posts, I wish to remind you that I do not profess to be a wine expert. I happen to collect wines and enjoy what I consume, and I am definitely not a wine snob either! My motto is: drink what you like. It is handy to have a basic understanding of types of wines and the grapes so when you peruse a wine list you'll have an idea of what they will be like. So much of wine tasting is subjective. But the manner in which grapes are grown (including weather and geography), harvested, aged and blended make a huge difference. The type of grape, or variety usually indicate the typical flavor of a wine. However, there are literally hundreds of hybrids and blends that wine maker use, so nothing is absolute. In addition, winemakers often blend multiple grapes to achieve a particular flavor. The label will usually indicate the type of wine, list the percentages of varieties blended to give an indication of flavor. For today's post, I'll just focus on sharing some information on the grapes. There are some grapes that can be grown anywhere in the world, and others that are more common to a specific region or country. So I've broken these into two groups: International Grapes and Regional Grapes.
International Grapes
The following are varieties of grapes that can be grown in various parts of the world:
Pinot Noir: (red) Cherry, raspberry, violets, game, mid-ruby hue Riesling: (white) Aromatic, delicate, racy, expressive, rarely oaked Syrah/Shiraz: (red) Black pepper, dark chocolate, notable color, tanins Cabernet Sauvignon: (red) Black currant, cedar, high tanins Chardonnay: (white) Broad innoffensive, unless left in oak too long Merlot: (red) plump, soft and plummy flavors Sauvignon Blanc: (white) Grass, green fruits, razor-sharp flavor, not usually oaked Gewurztraminer: (white) Lychee, roses, heady, high alcohol, deep color, full body Semillon: (white) Figs, citrus, lanolin, full body & rich
Muscat Blanc: (white) Grapey, simple, sweet, floral. Regional Grapes
Here are varieties of grapes that typically are more regional. The regions I have called out are either the origin or where they are typically known for being grown. Genache Noir: (red) Pale,can be sweet & spicy, ripe (Mediterranean) Sangiovese: (red) Savory, lively, fruity (Central Italy) Cabernet Franc: (red) refreshing, aromatic, not too heavy (Southwest France/Bordeaux) Tempranillo: (red) berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and herb. (Spain) Mourvedre: (red) Blackberries, wild, gamey or earthy flavor, with soft red fruit (Provence, France) Nebbiolo: (red) violets, tar, herbs, cherries, raspberries, truffles and prunes. (Italy- Piedmont) Zinfandel: (red) warm berry flavors, or blackberry, anise & pepper, depending on climate (Northern California)
Malbec: (red) Very dark and robust, spicy and rich, sometimes gamey (Southwest France/Bordeaux)
Touriga Nacional: (red) Tannic, black fruits, usually good as a port (Portugal)
Carmenere: (red) Deep red color, spices, berries, medium body (Bordeaux)
Pinot Gris: (white) flavor varies greatly on origin. Medium to full body, fruity and floral, pungent (Burgundy, France)
Chenin Blanc: (white) Honey, damp straw scent, very versatile, good for food pairings (Loire, France and S. Africa)
Viognier: (white) Heady, full-body, hawthorn blossom, apricot, floral and fruity. (France- Rhone)
Pinot Blanc: (white) Lively, light, similar to Chardonnay. Fruity- apple and melon flavors (Alsace, France)
Marsanne: (white) Almond, marzipan aroma, full-body, also honey, quince, spice & pear (Rhone, France)
Use this information as a guide, depending on a variety of factors, or blends each wine could have a different taste.
A few examples of actual wines:
* Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Labeled as a Cabernet, but the bottle indicates that it is a Bordeaux blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. These subtleties give it a complexity in flavor. * Penfolds Grange 2004, Shiraz Primarily a Shiraz/Syrah but also includes 4% Cabernet
* Chateau Cheval Blanc Saint Emilion Bordeau Red 2003 The label indicates that its actually Half Cabernet Franc, half Merlot
* Duckhorn Estate Grown Merlot 2006
It's 86% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc. The estate grown means that all the grapes used in this wine were from Duckhorn vineyards, and did not buy any grapes from other vineyards. Below is a different Duckhorn label, but you get the idea:

For your convenience, here are links to prior posts on Exploring Wines:
Part 1: Exploring Wines
Part 2: Tasting & Enjoying
Part 3: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot & Zinfandels
Part 4: Pairing Suggestions with Turkey
Part 5: Key Attributes of Wine
Thanks for stopping by today!
-Rick Rockhill

Miss California USA Pageant

This weekend, the Miss California USA Pageant is here once again in our desert. Hundreds of ambitious, beautiful young women come to Palm Springs to compete in this annual pageant with the dream of being crowned Miss California USA. The winner of Miss California USA will go on to compete in the Miss USA Pageant, which is the precursor to the coveted Miss Universe title. I'm not one to objectify women, and I know there are people who think these pageants are demeaning to women. Personally I could care less about it all, but as The Palm Springs Savant I like to report on the happenings here in our fair city. The girls (sorry Gloria Steinem) are all staying at the beautiful Riviera Resort & Spa hotel here in Palm Springs. I've written about it many times here on this blog. It's a hip, swank property that attracts well-heeled and trendy younger guests who enjoy sipping martinis poolside. In fact I was at the Riviera last night, we dined outside in the moonlight, with just enough light from the glow of the pool and flickering fire pits nearby. The Pageant brings a fair amount of excitement to "The Riv" so the place was buzzing especially later in the evening. Anyway, back to the Miss California USA Pageant. The event will be televised this evening, so of course I don't know who will win the crown yet, but I thought it would be appropriate to at least feature our very own Miss Palm Springs, Katie Polos. I borrowed this photo from The Desert Sun website. She is a lovely young lady, wouldn't you agree?


Above: I'm pleased to report that Chris Jacobs, of TV's The Insider is here to host of this year's pageant.

above: The girls primp and prep for the swimsuit competition (again these photos are from the Desert Sun)

above: and here is our Miss Palm Springs, Katie Polos strutting her stuff and making us locals proud. For those of you who love fashion, the girls who make it to the top 10 in the finale today will be wearing gowns created by Tony Bowls, a top fashion designer know for his extraordinary designs worldwide. So keep an eye out for that if you watch the event on TV. The Miss California USA Pageant will air live today, November 22nd from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Let's hope Miss Palm Springs makes it!
-Rick Rockhill

Nothing Like A Fresh Coat of Paint.....

We finally did it. We painted the wall in the back yard. I've been staring at it for a long time, complaining that it needed a fresh coat of paint. It was the same light whitish-eggshell color that the contractors used when the house was first built. It was peeling in places. I hated it. Finally, I just pulled the trigger and organized to have the wall power-washed for a good cleaning, scraped a bit, and given a few fresh coats of paint. I wanted a color that would provide more of a desert feel, to blend in with the San Jacinto mountains that are just beyond our home. So off to Lowe's to peruse the plentiful paint chips. Dark brown seemed a bit heavy. A milk chocolate color looked nice but didn't match anything else in the yard or the house exterior. We finally settled on this color above, it's called "Iced Tea" from the Olympic paint brand. I hate choosing paint colors, it always looks different once it is up. We were already familiar with this Iced Tea color because we have it on the door trim on the exterior of the house. Once the painting was complete I was thrilled. It is just the effect I was looking for. It blends in beautifully with the mountains beyond, and provides a nice backdrop for the cactus and other foliage in behind the pool. What do you think? To refresh your memory, here is what it looked like before:

above: the old whitish wall color, seems so blah now

above: So I had Sheldon and Duncan pose for a fresh photo in front of their newly painted wall. As long as the poodles like it, that's all that matters I guess. What do you think about the new wall color?
-Rick Rockhill