Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Last night I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince. I am in New York on business this week so I figured it would be a great idea to see a midnight show, since it would only be 9 pm for me (having come from Pacific time). By the time the movie let out, it was 2:30 AM so I caught a cab back to my hotel and hit the pillow. My 6:00 AM wake up call came way too early. I had scheduled an early conference call for 6:30, so needless to say I am a zombie today. But it was worth it! Being a fan of the Harry Potter series I was excited to see this latest installment, one which fans have waited far too long. I wanted to be among the first to see it, in a crowded movie theatre filled with cheering fans. A Manhattan movie house at midnight was just the trick! Loads of enthusiastic muggles, some dressed up as wizards and witches, or Quidditch players. From my perspective the movie delivered, but I am hardly objective on the matter. People seem to be so obsessed with making comparisons to other films within a series. It's normal to say which installment you liked best or least, but I'm of the mind that I like the story and enjoy seeing it be told on screen. So even if this film isn't your favorite, think of it as a chapter in the greater series. It does have a few slow moving points, but overall it has lots of excitement, good storyline development and several interesting sub stories.

I'm not trying to write a review, or explain the plot, but just to say I saw it, I loved it and plan to see it again! What about you, are you planning to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince?

My Fabulous Las Vegas Brief Recap

As I mentioned yesterday I just returned from a few days in Fabulous Las Vegas. It was a business trip to attend the Natural Marketplace Conference, which I've attended for the past four years. I barely had much time for myself, but one evening after a few unlucky hours in the casino I went for a stroll on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Of course I'd been to Vegas a zillion times, and have another business trip planned there in September too. With all the wonderful lights on the strip, for some reason it was the old Flamingo hotel and casino that appealed to me on this particular night. Maybe it was the angle at which I approached it. Maybe it was the sign of Donny and Marie Osmond on the marquee. I don't really know, but I did take this photo for your viewing pleasure.

The Venetian Hotel

above: With a name like Venetian, I suppose you figured out it is supposed to look like Venice, Italy. They have canals in front and inside portions of the mall area as well. Visitors can take gondola rides and enjoy the sights.

above and below: One area within The Venetian has these colorful umbrellas suspended from the ceiling over a beautiful flower garden and waterfall.

above: more umbrellas in the hotel shopping area. I'm not sure what the reference was, I was too busy to stop. You see I was headed to see the Criss Angel "Believe" illusion/magic show at the Luxor hotel, and had no time to stop and ask silly questions. Criss Angel was an interesting act. He has some obsession with white rabbits. They were everywhere. Statues, images, posters and people dressed up in rabbit costumes hopping all over the stage. His magic act was decent, although being the cynic that I am, I question everything. Unless it is real magic I guess I'll never totally be impressed. The part with birds appearing out of his sleeve was laughable, but then again he must have had a dozen birds in his shirt, so I guess that is cool enough. Not to mention that they were all trained to fly off his hand over to a stage tree. The part of his act with the nonsense of his supposed "electric shock" from a silly cage with a lightning globe voltage type zapp was so ridiculous I nearly fell asleep in my chair. My advice is to skip Criss Angel and catch something else. Where is Tom Jones when you need him?

-Rick Rockhill

It's Been a Matter of Priorities...

Golly, I sure have been busy. Scarcely any time to breathe let alone blog. It's quite unusual that I would let an entire week go by without a single blog entry, but it just came down to priorities. I was fighting a cold so the time I'd usually spend blogging I was trying to catch up on sleep. During the past week I've been swamped at work, off site meetings, and a trip to Las Vegas to attend the Natural Marketplace Conference and Trade Show. By coincidence, a fellow blogger Lyn was in Las Vegas the same time I was. I had grand designs to meet her at least for a drink and a photo. However I was so busy attending seminars that I never had the chance to meet up (sorry Lyn). Anyway I'm back. But just for one day. Tuesday I'm off to New York for a business trip. I should be able to squeeze out a few posts this week, as Rick's Roadshow resumes yet again. Have a splendid Monday!
-Rick Rockhill

A Palm Springs Fourth of July

I would guess that the Fourth of July probably ranks up there as one of the top holidays for most Americans. I have fond memories of Independence Day, back from my childhood and right up until today. This year we spend most of the day relaxing at home. It was a hot sunny day here in the desert, somewhere around 108 degrees, with about 16% humidity, so fairly dry. In the evening we went to a friend's house for a desert BBQ. I say desert BBQ because there was no way we were all going to sit outside in the 108 degree heat and hang around by the grill. So we grilled outside and ate indoors!

above: Plenty of traditional July 4th fare: cheeseburgers, potato salad, green bean casserole, and a fresh green salad with strawberries and blueberries. Mmmm!

above: check out this cake with the stars on it. One word: WOW.

above: Dessert was plated out- the chocolate cake was amazing, served with vanilla ice cream and a sugar star cookie. I ate way too much but thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

above: Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs was adorned with festive banners. Click on the pictures to biggify them.

The desert evening sky in Palm Springs was ideal for a fireworks show. It turned out to be a great day filled with more fond memories. How was your Independence Day?

-Rick Rockhill

Joan Crawford Video Club Mix

Thought you might get a laugh out of this special video mix of Joan Crawford clips: Enjoy the holiday!

Joan Crawford Club Mix 2006

Thanks for stopping by, Happy 4th of July!

-Rick Rockhill

The Great Mollie Sugden has Passed On

The great British comedic actress Mollie Sugden has passed away at age 86. She was well known for portraying the the hilarious saleswoman Mrs. Slocombe in the popular BBC sitcom, Are You Being Served? that ran from 1972 to 1985. Being a retailer, it was one of my absolute favorite TV programs. When I lived in the Boston area I used to watch reruns of Are You Being Served? on PBS twice per night. Yes, I was a little obsessed with it. I could probably recite every line from every episode. Mrs Slocombe was so much fun. One time she was in Boston for a PBS membership drive and I met her. She was such fun. A naturally funny woman who had everyone in stitches wherever she went. We have not seen much of her in years but I shall remember and honor her wonderful humor.

Below is a naughty compilation of her character from Are You Being Served? when her character famously talked about her cat, in deadpan language....enjoy!

Mollie- Rest In Peace, the world lost a wonderfully talented comic today.

-Rick Rockhill

Joan Crawford in Palm Springs...and others

I came across this fun old video of Joan Crawford where she mentions having just been in Palm Springs a few times. It's kind of fun to watch....enjoy!

Here Joan mentions Palm Springs twice, right in the beginning and again toward the end. Apparently she was so busy working for Pepsi at the time her return trip to Palm Springs was the first vacation she had in two years. OK, since we're showing old Joan Crawford clips, here are two more:


Hope you enjoyed these Joan Crawford videos...

Can You Guess What This Is?

Since it is nearly the big holiday weekend I thought I would have some fun today with a little game for you to play along. All you have to do is venture a guess what you think this is. Just leave a comment. Go ahead, have some fun with this one.

Update 7/3: The Correct answer is a Galileo Dog Chew, made by Nylabone. It is a long lasting chew. As a reminder, this was just a game, not a commercial or paid post.

Thanks to everyone who guessed!

What A Difference A Few Weeks Makes

Back on May 25th I posted a photo one of the agave plants in my yard. It was in that phase of life where it started to flower and sprouted one of those tall thick asparagus-like spears. It seems to grow up in the span of a week or so, So I snapped a photo. Then this week I noted it had grown taller but also sprouted flowers. The photo here at the top left is the most current state, and below is the photo I posted on May 25th. Pretty cool huh? It's just another one of the things I enjoy about living in a desert climate. Things do strange things at times! Well that's all for now. Right now I'm just spoilin' for the holiday weekend!

above: this is the photo I posted on May 25th when I last wrote about this.

Of Cats and Dogs

I am one of those people who sincerely believe that pets make our lives better. In fact I can't imagine not sharing my space with a pet. As many of you recall, we presently have two pets, Owen, our Persian kitty (pictured here at left) and Sheldon, our Standard Poodle. It amazes me how social they both can be. Sheldon usually goes to work with one of us every day, and Owen works at home as guard-kitty. He likes to hide under the glass top table, in the middle of the base pillars that support the glass. I suppose with the chairs around the table base, it protects him from any wildebeests who could come charging in without a moments notice. Owen sure is smart about things like that. When we come home from work, Owen runs to the door to greet us. I swear that cat can tell time. Sometimes, if we are running late he will be waiting by the door, and immediately begins talking at us when we cross the threshold. Of course, Sheldon is so excited to be home again to see his brother that they soon run around and play together for awhile.

above: Sheldon loves to be outside on the patio, relaxing by the pool.

above: ...while Owen waits patiently by the door, inside wishing he could get outside to play. Aside from the heat, I don't want the cat outside, too many hungry hawks with sharp eyes.

above: Sheldon is such a social creature. He follows me around wherever I go in the house, and listens to everything I say. Sometimes I think he actually understands me.

above: Owen has a few other favorite spots in the house. This end table is handy for its proximity to the wild jungle-like plant.

above: Sheldon loves to sprawl out and relax, content with watching me blog away on my laptop.

above: When comfort comes first, Owen heads for his favorite side chair. This one has an especially comfortable spot on top, ideal for meditating and practicing mind control over humans. Funny thing is I think he is pretty good at it. I find myself mumbling "must open can of organic cat food for Owen...must open can or organic cat food for Owen...."

Well that's all for today. Hope you enjoyed this little post of Cats and Dogs.

-Rick Rockhill

This Just In...Billy Mays is Dead

Both Wikipedia and TMZ have confirmed that TV product pitchman Billy Mays was found dead today at home in Tampa, Florida. Billy Mays was just 50 years old (July 20, 1958 - June 28, 2009). His wife found him early this morning and called the ambulance; he was pronounced dead at 7:45 AM. He is known for pitching all kinds of products including OxyClean, Kaboom, Mighty Putty, Sham Wow, Orange Clean and lots more. Check out this annoying video from YouTube:

Sunday Art Review: Lady Gaga An Artist?

For nearly two years, I've written a weekly Sunday Art Review post. For each installment, I select a theme or attempt to represent a different genre or medium of art. Of course art is by its very nature is highly subjective. We all vary in our preferences, and to be sure people disagree on what should be considered art. Surely everyone would agree that paintings and sculpture are considered art; but what about tapestry, photography, dance, fashion, blown glass, acting or music? Dictionary.com defines art as: the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance; any field using the skills or techniques of art. I thought it might be interesting to push the envelope a bit this week and use pop music artist Lady Gaga as an example of a modern day artist. As a newcomer to the commercial music industry, I'm certainly not suggesting she is the most talented music artist; Gaga has a limited body of work still. Yet she distinguished herself among a very crowded playing field of sameness. She has an individualistic style which she expresses in sometimes shocking but an always interesting manner. Like other contemporary music artists, she understands the importance of her look as much as her voice and lyrics. This was the inspiration for this week's Sunday Art Review: Lady Gaga An Artist? Whether you know (or like)her music, take a look at these images and decide if you think she is expressing herself in a more than ordinary manner. She may not have the voice of Sarah Brightman but she has a style all her own. See for yourself:

above: the many faces of Lady Gaga. Her cutting edge fashion helps define her music

above: At an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show, Lady Gaga donned her now famous "orbit hat" that rotated and swiveled as she moved. She certainly made a statement with it.

The Lady Gaga Package

And Now Check Out Her Music from this YouTube clip:

And so, what do you think, could Lady Gaga be considered art? The Sunday Art Review is intended to make you think now and then, so I hope to hear your opinions with a comment.
-Rick Rockhill