An Update On The Voting...

Just a quick update on the list of potential names for our new Poodle puppy that comes home later tonight. Votes have started to come in from you, friends on Facebook, Twitter and a few to my personal e-mail too. As I've mentioned, when we actually meet the new puppy and observe his personality, we'll know which name is right for him. But in the meantime, here is how the voting has stacked up thus far:
Milton: 8 votes
Sidney: 5 votes
Dexter: 4 votes
Duncan: 4 votes
Chester: 4 votes
Cedric: 3 votes
Baxter: 2 votes
Logan: 1 votes
Tanner: 1 votes
Xavier : 0 votes
Now that you can see where the votes are headed, feel free to weigh in again; probably one of the top five names is where we're headed. But a late rally for one of the bottom ranking names could sway us...
Sheldon is coming along to pick up his new brother; it will be a bit of a reunion for him to see his mommy, grandmother and sister who is already a rising star among Poodles. We'll probably see his sister at the upcoming dog shows...but more on that another day. Today is all about Sheldon and his new little brother "__________", whose name will be revealed here on this blog Saturday morning, along with some uber cute pictures of course. Hope you can stop back.
-Rick Rockhill

What Name Shall I Choose...

The long awaited moment has finally come. This Friday evening we welcome a new member of the family to our home. Sheldon's 10 week-old half brother will become a lucky little doggie. I say lucky because he is about to strike the mother load of all parents to adopt. Working in the retail pet specialty industry I give our pets nothing but the very best available. And why not, they give us so much love in return. Anyway, we spent last weekend brainstorming names for the new little brown standard poodle boy. At one point I had 58 names typed up. With a Persian cat named Owen and a Standard Poodle named Sheldon, chances are that our new puppy will get an unusual name to match his two brothers. I thought I'd share the short list of names we have pre-selected so far. Of course, I always wait to meet a pet to actually name them, to see what traces of a personality emerge. We knew Sheldon was a Sheldon from the moment I took him in my arms. It will likely be the same with this new puppy. But it sure would help to narrow down this list further. This is where you come in; I'm interested in your opinion on which name you like best.

1. Xavier
2. Dexter
3. Logan
4. Tanner
5. Milton
6. Cedric
7. Duncan
8. Sidney
9. Baxter
10. Chester

Go ahead, leave a comment with your preference. I'll let you know by Saturday what we selected.

-Rick Rockhill

If its not one thing, its another...

When it comes to pet food nutrition, I consider myself to be quite knowledgeable. After 12 years of working in the pet specialty industry, pet food is something I do know well. However when it comes to people food, I'm not quite as well-versed. There are so many differing opinions, latest research, fads, personal preferences and facts that I can't keep up. As a consumer segment, I'm what marketing folks refer to as a "foodie"- someone who loves good food, fine dining, preparing fresh food from scratch and hosting dinner parties. I subscribe to several cooking magazines, enjoy experimenting with recipes and find that a glass of wine helps it all taste even better. Aside from being a foodie, I am also a major advocate for organic foods, including animals raised free-range, without antibiotics or growth-hormones. All that being said I tend to think I know how to "eat healthy". So why do I think I'm not well versed in human food? For the longest time I have been trying to eat more salmon to increased my intake of Omega 3's, and also consume less beef. I recently found out that farm-raised salmon is not necessarily all that beneficial at all, because they are often fed grain based flakes, which deliver fewer beneficial omega 3's and more omega 6's which are not good in high doses. Apparently the trick is to only have wild caught salmon, which consume krill and other naturally occurring things in the open sea. Problem with that is the darn mercury gets you. Or at least that's the issue with Ahi tuna anyway. Now I hear that grass-fed beef can actually be best for you anyway. I used to think that whole wheat anything is better than white bread. Now I hear than any wheat products can be bad. Apparently carbs/sugars are the source of all evil. Milk and cream are supposed to be better than Soy milk. Butter is better than margarine. Olive oil is apparently dangerous to cook on high heat. Low fat stuff isn't necessarily all that good for you if the sodium levels are too high. So that rules out just about anything processed, pre-made or things that come in a box. The one thing I do still believe in is organic foods. It stands to reason that consuming fewer chemicals and pesticides must be better for long term health. So I guess the lesson of the day is to find organic foods that are low sodium, not processed, free-range, grass-fed or wild caught. If its not one thing that will get you, its another. A psychic once told me I'd live to at least 87. If I only live to 86 because I can't lay off the occasional Klondike bar, so be it. There's no way I'm giving up pasta, pizza or chocolate either. Well that's all for today's rant. I'm going to go have some organic strawberries now.
-Rick Rockhill

A Recipe for Keeping Cool in the Desert

As one would expect, it is quite hot at the moment in the Palm Springs area. If I'm not mistaken, it was around 116 degrees this past weekend. It's just down right HOT! I've grown accustomed to the climate after many long arid summers and don't mind the heat at all. However, being the Palm Springs Savant, people often write to me and ask, "what do people do to keep cool in Palm Springs?" Well, I thought today would be a perfect day to share one example of what some folks do. To be sure, anyone with kids in the family heads over to Knott's Soak City . It is a twenty-one acre water park designed around a 1950s Southern California beach theme. It is a hit with visitors and locals alike; you can buy one time tickets or season passes. Knott's Soak City features 22 water rides and attractions. Popular features include the "Rip Tide Reef", with an amazing 800,000 gallon wave pool, the "Sea Snake", a 50-foot tube slide, "Dare Devil Tower", side-by-side speed slides down a wild seven story drop. In addition to "Pacific Spin", a multi-person raft that drops 75 feet down into a six-story funnel, there is also a lazy river for more relaxed water fun. Even if you have little ones, kiddies can play in the "Gremmie Lagoon" with child sized water slides and their own splash pool. Adults have their own respite, and hang out in the private poolside cabanas with waiter service, so you never have to lift a finger. if you don't mind crowds or a lot of kid, it's really the perfect way to cool off in the middle of the hot dry desert summer months. I borrowed a few more photos from the Internet:

Looks refreshing, doesn't it? And who says the desert is too hot in the summer? So don't be afraid to come visit, there are great hotel rates this time of year too!

-Rick Rockhill

Sunday Art Review: Chefs in Art

Last week the Sunday Art Review was on hiatus due to my rather hectic schedule of late. However, it returns today with a fresh new topic. Last night was a culinary feast at home. We made the most fantastic dinner of wild caught salmon , pan seared prepared with a sauce of basil, cream, scallions and white white. It was served on a bed of sauteed spinach and fresh asparagus, so it was healthy too. This culinary fare served as inspiration for this week's Sunday Art Review: Chefs in Art. I hope you enjoy these pieces. The first one above left is an hommage to the great Julia Child. Marvelous, isn't it?

above: Chef with Wine and Bread

above: Chef with Turkey

above: Chef tossing pizza with dog watching, by Dena Marie

above: Chefs, by Susan Jenkins

above: Chefs at Grill, by Nina

above: Chef in Vineyard, unknown

above: Buitoni Chef, unknown

above: Chef at Work, by Sue Lynn Cotton

I hope you enjoyed this week's Sunday Art Review: Chefs in Art. Which one did you like best?

-Rick Rockhill

25 Little Known Facts About Me

One of my famous writer friends recently asked me to write a list of 25 Little Known Facts About Me, which I decided to turn into a blog post today. So here goes:
1. My grandmother has had the biggest influence on my life, she has been the one person who knows just about everything about me.
2. I have long considered myself an Anglophile, to the point that I suspect I may have been a Brit in a prior life.
3. My favorite food groups are pasta, pizza and chocolate- in that order.
4. Life is made better with a good bottle of wine, cheese and a loaf of fresh crusty bread.
5. The greatest peace and tranquility I feel is when I am home in Palm Springs admiring our mountains.
6. My natural father’s death at an early age influenced me to live life to the fullest, and cherish everyday
7. I am a huge fan of the writer Paul Theroux.
8. I hate scary movies, mean-spirited people, snakes and beets.
9. Most people have no idea I had a brief career in politics.
10. I am highly suspicious of anyone who doesn’t like dogs.
11. It is true that I am somewhat of an elitist-- at my very core I believe that every person is better than the next. The trouble is other people don’t share the same confidence in themselves.
12. Call me weird but I admire Abraham Lincoln, St Francis of Assisi, Benjamin Franklin, Margaret Thatcher, Thomas Jefferson…and Captain Jean Luc Picard.
13. I consider myself an enlightened Christian, but I have always been fascinated by the occult.
14. I deeply believe in karma- that every action we take causes a reaction that will affect us at least two fold. Selfishly that’s why I try to do good deeds and be nice to people.
15. I’ve met countless psychics, numerologists, spiritual advisers and astrologers who have all revealed the same trait about me that I only ever revealed to one person.
16. In addition to my public namesake blog, I also write another blog under a fictitious name. It’s my outlet for thought-provoking commentary. It is read by a surprisingly large number of people everyday.
17. I have a rare collection of decorative plates from British monarchs.
18. I am a huge fan of Steve Nicks. I’ve seen her solo concerts 16 times and another 5 times with Fleetwood Mac. I find some of her songs have a transcendental effect and I‘ve never questioned it.
19. I have started writing a book about nothing. It is in my destiny to do so, even if no one ever reads it.
20. Fresh flowers are the one personal luxury I wish I had more of in my life.
21. Cruises are my favorite form of vacation, yet I fear the ocean itself. I wonder if that’s why I like living in the desert so much.
22. So far, I’ve had two defining moments in my life that literally affected the course of my entire life even today- both favorably.
23. If I could have a different profession, it would have been a pastry chef.
24. My top 5 favorite movie series are a) James Bond, b) Star Trek: Next Generation, c) Harry Potter, d) Lord of the Rings and e) The Godfather.
25. I believe our Creator will judge us by the number of people whose lives we positively influenced and enriched while here on Earth.
Do you have anything interesting to reveal?
-Rick Rockhill

The Incredible Edible Fresh Fruit Arrangement

We had a very nice surprise at work this week. Someone sent us an arrangement of fresh cut fruit on sticks, some dipped in chocolate, some just natural. First of all, it was huge. And when I say huge I mean HUUUUGE. The fruit was so fresh and delicious. Not to mention the three types of chocolate in which some of the fruit had been dipped: rich dark chocolate, creamy milk chocolate and silky white chocolate. Considering the fact that I didn't have breakfast yesterday, a few spears of fresh strawberries, pineapple, and bananas did the trick to hold me over until lunch. I sent an e-mail to my team inviting them to share in the bouquet of fruit, it was largely devoured in no time at all. I must say these Edible Arrangements folks did an amazing job. (As a reminder, this was written for my own sake, and is NOT a paid post.)
-Rick Rockhill

Meeting Blogger Friend Kathy in La Jolla

Some of you may be familiar with Kathy's Peace, one of the blogs I regularly read and consider part of my top five favorites. I particularly enjoy following the progress of her wonderful garden back in Maryland, which is quite beautiful. Kathy and her husband are in San Diego this week, so I was able to meet Kathy for lunch yesterday. We exchanged a few e-mails and at first it didn't seem like our schedules would align. As luck would have it, my business lunch cancelled at the last minute and I was free to meet Kathy. We went to lunch at La Valencia hotel in scenic La Jolla. We enjoyed lunch with a stunning view overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with a periodic soft breeze that provided relief on a warm summer's afternoon. It is always such fun to meet a fellow blogger; we spent a bit of time chatting about the blogging world, but quickly moved onto our own lives, families and normal things friends discuss over lunch. You can all sleep much better tonight knowing that Kathy and I solved all the world's problems.

above: For lunch I had this delicious Orecchiette pasta with spinach, broccolini, tomatoes and fresh cheese.

above: Kathy had the sauteed petrale sole, with basmati rice and grapefruit slices. It was a fun afternoon; Kathy is a lovely person with whom I hope to remain friends for a long time! If you have a moment, stop on over to Kathy's blog and say hello, you'll be glad you did.

-Rick Rockhill

The Adventures of Sheldon: Swimming Lessons

Being a Standard Poodle, Sheldon Gryffindor Rockhill is supposed to enjoy water. Or so I thought. In truth he is less than thrilled to be in the pool, but I like to take him for a swim every so often, and more importantly to let him learn where the steps are and how to get himself out of the pool on his own. He is rarely outside alone very long, but I'd still rather he know what do do, should he ever fall in while we're not looking. Since I'd been traveling so much lately I made sure to spend a lot of time with Sheldon this weekend, playing, talking to him and generally keeping him company. Even though John was home while I've been away on business, he gets out of sorts when one of us is not around. He senses the imbalance in the family and gets a bit skittish. So a dip in the pool seemed like a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon together. After all, it was 110 degrees and HOT!

above: As we waded into the shallow end of the pool together I held Sheldon. He was enjoying the cooler water temperature after having been sitting in the hot sun for awhile watching me swim.

above: I set him in the right direction to swim and gave him a few words of encouragement...

above: ...And away he went....doing the "Poodle Paddle" as I call it.

above: Upon completing his swim lessons, Sheldon pauses poolside, laughing from all the fun. He was a big wet skinny doggie and very pleased with himself. He knew he needed to dry off before going back into the house so he ran the length of the house back and forth for a half hour, watching me continue to swim my laps in the pool. I called out to him a few times, inviting him back into the pool. He was tempted, but thought better of it and decided he was done with his swimming adventure for the day.

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Favorite Traditions at Major League Baseball Games

After several days in NY on business I returned to Southern California by way of San Diego. I couldn’t go straight home to Palm Springs as I was previously committed to attend a San Diego Padres game for work. A few months back, my company’s charitable foundation held a fundraiser auction which included a few packages to attend a baseball game with various officers of the company. I was happy to make myself available, particularly when 100% of the auction money paid by the winning bid went to help animals (shelters, rescue organizations, spay/neuter programs, etc). So when our company foundation asked me to be one of the “prize packages” I was all to happy to participate. The timing of this game was just unfortunate in that it was last night, the same day I had flown back from a week in New York. So as soon as I collected my luggage from baggage claim I retrieved my car and drove directly to the ball park downtown. Despite being tired from a long flight, I was excited to be at the game. I’d stop short of declaring myself a major baseball fan, but I truly enjoy the sport. It goes back to my childhood, when my Italian great-grandfather Luigi would watch Boston Red Sox games all summer long. He hated the New York Yankees with a passion, and would shout at the TV set whenever the Red Sox played poorly or God forbid- those Yankees scored. To this day I have that same bias, all because of him. When I lived in Chicago I became a big Cubs fan, which is what cemented my love of baseball as an adult. Chicago is such a great sports town that it was hard to resist the tidal wave of passion for our Cubbies.

Despite having lived in Southern California now for over ten years I still have a soft spot in my heart for my Cubs. So whenever I attend a Padres game, it isn’t genuine love of the team, but rather a love of the sport and its traditions. This brings me to another scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Favorite Traditions of Major League Baseball Games

#1 Hot Dogs....mmmm you can't just have one.

#2 Seventh Inning Stretch- “Take Me Out To The Ball Game”

#3 National Anthem

#4 Catching a baseball from the stands

#5 Cold beer

#6 Peanuts in the Shell- messy but worth the work!

#7 Loveable Mascots and Pep Rallies
Bonus Feature: Fireworks After Last Night's Game

Every Friday night after a Padres game, they have a fireworks show, right there in the ballpark. I took a short video of it. Enjoy!

-Rick Rockhill

Travel Tales

I've been meaning to write a post about this but keep forgetting to do so. With all the air travel I've had lately, one tends to see a lot of bizarre behavior at airports and in flight. I've long been a student of public behavior, or "people watching" as it is more commonly called. All I can say is people do the darnedest things. Before proceeding any further, I should disclose a few things up front: 1) I am somewhat of a germ-o-phobe, 2) I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to manners and conducting oneself as a gentleman or lady, and 3) I have a tendency to be a little judgemental. That being said, I feel compelled to share these Travel Tales here with you. The first is the Tale of the Dirty Sandwich. Our flight had taken off and we had reached cruising altitude. I'm settled in, wearing my neck pillow and prepared for the journey. My eyes were closed in an attempt to block out the surrounding distractions, and maybe even catch a wink or two. All of a sudden I hear a rustling of plastic and start to smell food. Out of curiosity, I open my eyes and glance over to the seat across the aisle. There is a woman unpacking the contents of a plastic grocery store bag and laying it all out on her tray table. I watched, fascinated by what she had brought onto the plane. Truth be told, I have no issue with the fact she brought her own food, as airline food is nearly inedible if you are even lucky to get any at all. Anyhow, she starts an assembly line, which I now realize is to feed herself and two others seated nearby. But then she does something that really grosses me out: she lays out all the food components DIRECTLY ONTO THE TRAY TABLE, with no napkin or plastic. Picture this: a stack of sliced deli cheese, sliced cold cuts, sliced bread, PICKLES, all sitting there touching the tray table. She whips out a jar of mustard and begins making sandwiches. Apparently she must have the one completely sanitary tray table in the universe. Or perhaps she and her guests were already riddled with deadly bacteria and didn't mind a bit more from the tray table. They all happily consumed their lunch. When she was finished- she found a glob of mustard on the tray table. And yes, you guessed it, she swabbed it with her index finger of the tray table and licked her finger! I nearly vomited right there and then.
Next story: The Tale of the Dirty Diaper
I'm sitting in an airport, waiting at the gate to board the flight. We had easily 30 minutes to go before boarding started. Plenty of time for anyone to use the restroom which was 30 feet away. A mother and father stood nearby with their young toddler who was running around terrorizing everyone. The mother decided it was time to change the boy's diaper, so she calls him over, puts him on the floor, right at the gate, removes his pants and dirty diaper, and begins the usual process of changing a poopy diaper, right there in front of everyone- ON THE FLOOR AT THE GATE. Everyone watched in horror, especially me. What is it with people, couldn't she walk to the restroom to do this? Then once finished, she helped herself to a bag of potato chips, never having washed her hands.
My final story is the Tale of the Silly Songstress. Just my luck, I sit next to the future American Idol contestant who thinks she is better than she is. I was in my seat, feeling a bit grumpy so I kept to myself and didn't chat with anyone as I sat down and organized myself. I began reading my newspaper when the person sitting next to me begins singing, just loud enough that I could hear it. I stopped for a moment, and tried to figure out what was going on. I kept my face buried in the paper, not wanting to encourage her further. She wasn't wearing headphones and unknowingly "singing along", she was just sitting there singing. After two minutes I put down my paper, turned to her and said, "Would you mind not singing aloud, I find it rather distracting." She started to giggle and said "Aw you are sweet, let me try a different song for you." To my horror she continued to sing on and on. I finally had to break out my sony noise cancelling headphones and play my iPod. She actually had the nerve to ask why I needed to listen to my own music when I had her sitting there. I let her have it. She finally shut up and didn't say a word to me for the rest of the flight. Sometimes the direct approach is best.
Anyway those are my Travel Tales for today. Do you have any to share?
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow: New York, NY in July

Last night I had the opportunity to see the Broadway play “The Norman Conquests”, a British comedy written by Alan Ayckbourn and directed by Matthew Warchus. The play stars actors Amelia Bullmore, Jessica Hynes, Stephen Mangan, Ben Miles, Paul Ritter and Amanda Root, none of whom I'd previously had the opportunity to see perform on stage. The Norman Conquests is generally about the title character Norman and his somewhat chaotic attempts to seek love and happiness with a variety of women in his immediate life: his own wife, his sister-in-law, brother-in-law's wife. Throughout the play, the six actors represent a family who are together over the course of two days and spend loads of time arguing, living eating talking and generally misunderstanding each other. The play is performed in the round, which provides the audience with a very intimate feeling, almost drawn into the story. Theatres in the round can be very exciting, because the audience reactions are somewhat part of the event. In this case, the audience was laughing wildly throughout the play, no doubt portions of the play resonated with people's own families in some manner. I was quite tired from having had little to no sleep the prior night (From that Harry Potter midnight showing). I'm glad I was able to catch a show while in NY and enjoy another exciting evening in the city so nice, they named it twice: New York, New York! The photo inset above is from Rockefeller Center, the entrance to the GE Building where NBS studios are housed. In the distance you can see Radio City Music Hall.
Just a few other random photos:

above: of course NY has loads of fabulous architecture. While walking through Rockefeller Center I snapped this photo of one of the buildings. I love the art detail and the clock on the side of the building. Click it to see the detail.

above: I just liked the angel of this photo, showing the gold statue in Rockefeller Center Plaza. In the winter this is the famous skating rink.
Well that's all I'm afraid. Remember, this is a business trip so not much time for photos. Hope you enjoyed today's installment of Rick's Roadshow.
-Rick Rockhill

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