Another Basketball Game

Last night I went back to the same sports arena where I saw the Harlem Globetrotters on Monday night, the indoor sports arena of Western Kentucky University.

I went to see the college's women's basketball team play Florida Atlantic University. I went with my sister-in-law, Theresa. I had promised I'd go with her to a game this season and last night was the perfect night to do so.

"T" is a Lady Hilltoppers basketball fanatic. She's had season tickets for several years and goes to as many games as she can every season. She really enjoys being at the game. I was impressed with the number of friends she has in the area where she sits. They're like a little family.

I'm not really a basketball fan but I do like watching the game in person. I guess that stems back to the season I was a team equipment manager for my high school basketball team during my freshmen year back in 1975.

It was a great evening. Due to the kindness of some of Theresa's friends I was able to sit next to her without having to buy a ticket. If you look at the picture of E. A. Diddle arena at the top of this post (taken 2 years ago the last time I went to a game) you can see our seats. They were 2 rows to the right of the 30 second clock that's on top of the basket in the foreground. We were right behind the Lady Toppers bench. It was a great place to watch a game.

The Lady Toppers won rather easily leading by 9 points at half time and winning by a score of 76-57.

So although it was the first event I had made plans for this week the basketball game was the 3rd fun event in as many nights. I've gotten to spend some 1-on-1 time with 3 of my Kentucky family members so far this week. As mentioned in my last post, Friday will be my date night with my wife. It should be a lot of fun.

By the way, I've not forgotten about my daughters in law. I've already promised them on Facebook that I'd work at finding something special to take them to as well. I've just asked for the rest of the year to do it.

Blue Comedy Tour Special

The second event of a fun-filled week happened on Tuesday night. My son, Michael and I drove to Nashville to be part of the audience for the taping of the CMT special, Blue Collar Comedy: 10 years of Funny. It featured 3 of the 4 popular stand up comedians from the Blue Collar Comedy films and TV show and CDs: Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, Larry The Cable Guy.

The programs was staged in Studio A of the Grand Ole Opry House just across from the Opry Mills Mall. That's the mall where our family went to the IMax movie on New Year's Day.

I had been in Studio A 9 years ago when I went on the tour of the Grand Ole Opry House with my Pennsylvania family. The show Hee Haw was filmed the last 15 seasons of it's run.

I got the tickets for free from the website of Zanies Comedy Club. I was on the site to purchase tickets to another show (more about that later in the week) when I saw the tickets were being offered for free through email. I snatched a pair up as quickly as I could.

I was really excited knowing I'd not only get to sit and watch 3 of my favorite comedians talk about their success but I would get to see how a TV show is made at the same time.

We stood outside in the cold evening temperatures for a few minutes. The most memorable thing about the wait was seeing a picture on the Opryland electronic billboard that I thought was Rosie O'Donnell but it turned out to be Ronnie Milsap. As Michael the resemblance was uncanny. We had to wait outside while a woman, who was professional audience specialist, was inside seating everyone in the arrangement most compatible with the production standards.

We ended up sitting in the back row of the sections of seats to the right hand side of the stage. Not the best seats in the house in fact they were some of the worst. The metal folding chairs were rather small, flimsy and uncomfortable. Also, they fastened together so you couldn't move them to get more elbow room. I guess you get what you pay for.

As she was finishing seating the audience the woman expert asked everyone with open chairs in their rows to spread out so that it looked full. She suggested we take up 2 seats if we had to. I told Michael that I had spent $3000 and worked for 6 months so that I wouldn't have to take up two seats I was just fine sitting on one.

I knew from the email that taping was scheduled to last for 2 hours from 7-9. I was looking forward being entertained by stories, jokes, and personal recollections by this trio of redneck funny men. But the best thing about the night came as a complete surprise.

Just before the taping started I found out that one of the stars of my current favorite sitcom, My Name Is Earl, was going to be hosting the show. I was going to be in the same room for 2 hours with Jaime Presley. She's the actress that plays Earl's ex-wife, Joy, in the show. Although she had cut her long blond hair really short getting to see her in person was icing on the cake for me.

Once the show started there were lights, cameras, and teleprompters everywhere. The comics were terrific.They were very friendly and funny as they talked about 10 years of working with each other and being friends both on and off stage.

I'm not sure if Michael and I got on camera but we had a great time. I don't know when the show will be on CMT. I'll have to let you know when I find out.

Even if we didn't make on the show I just want to document the fact that we were there. So that when it airs and I tell people about it I can prove it by the fact that I wrote this post long before it came on TV.

So far 2010 has been pretty good year year for special event with my family members. Going to the movies on New Year's Day with the whole family, seeing the Globetrotters with James, and Michael and me being part of the Blue Collar Comedy anniversary special audience is a relatively good start for the year. I hope the trend continues. I know it will. Later this week Paula and I are going to Zanies in Nashville a comedy show. I'll tell you more about that on Saturday.

Comedy & Basketball

Last night my son, James, and I enjoyed an evening of classic American family fun. We went to WKU's sports arena and saw the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters.

The show is a combination of hoops and smile as everyone gets into the act. Even a sportscaster from our local station, WBKO, who played in the game.

There were dunks, slams, jokes and audience participation. The Trotters star player, Special K, was a the center of most of the routines, jokes, and laughs. In this picture, Special K searches for some comic relief on the internet with a laptop computer provided by Globie, the team mascot.

It was the first of three nights of family and fun for me this week. Come back tomorrow for the details on the next one.

Moving Forward with "All In"Ventriloquism

In the game of poker when a player is sure he can win the game he pushes all his chips to the center of the table and goes "all in". He's committing all he has at stake. He's either victorious or he's broke. There's no two ways about it. He's putting all his faith in the cards he's been dealt.

Over the past couple of days I've watched DVDs featuring 2 of my favorite ventriloquists: Taylor Mason and Terry Fator. As much as I love both music and ventriloquism, I believe my niche on stage falls very close to Terry Fator's style.Taylor Mason is a very unique entertainer as well. His approach to his act is "off the beaten path" from main stream ventriloquism.

Watching them both and the success of their acts compels me to work harder and get better at performing. I really need to be fully committed to my ventriloquism.

Now I know I've been "singing this same song" on this blog for a while but it only means that my desires are true and I am struggling with doing it. It's very similar to how I used to be with losing weight and exercising.

So today while the year is still relatively new I'm going to put my life focus on ventriloquism. I'm going "all in". It's not going to be just one of my hobbies it's going to be my passion.

In the past I've diligently pursued and accomplished projects that took effort, focus, and commitment. Converting my Rewind programs to CD, creating yearbooks for 4 years of my life, planning a trip to Disney World and then documenting it, are just a couple.

It is with that passion and focus I now push all my chips to the center of the table. I have faith that the hand that God has dealt me will be enough to be successful in the way He wants me to be. He has given me the skills to have a successful ventriloquist ministry now all I have to do is the work to take advantage of the talents and opportunities He's given me.

So with the publication of this post I'm publicly putting myself on the line. I'm going to be a better ventriloquist. I know when it comes down to being one or not being one I already am; but I'm going to be better. I'm going to hone my craft. I don't want to be just known as Ron the guy who happens to be a ventriloquist. I want to be known as Ron the ventriloquist. There's a difference and I'm going to do my part to make it happen.

I'm committing to God and myself. In the poker game of ventriloquism I'm "All In".

186 Days Later

Today marks 6 months since my weight loss surgery. In that time I have lost 111 pounds; a total of 126 since March 20 of last year.

Over the past 1/2 year I've written a lot about how losing weight has changed my life. There's not a whole lot more to write today that I haven't already. I do want to say that I am thankful that God has been with me through this entire journey. Without the motivation of knowing that what I am doing is an obedience to Him and His will for my life I would have started struggling with my food and exercise issues a long time ago.

He also has given me the blessing of having Paula as my partner in this life changing effort. She has helped me get through everything from my actual surgery to learning what and how to eat correctly. She is truly a gift from God.

Until now the duration of my most successful weight loss effort (78 pounds on the LA Weight Loss diet back in 2006) only lasted about 4 months. That took extraordinary effort. That makes this 6 month mark the longest sustained weight loss effort of my life. But because of the surgery it's going to be for the rest of my life.

I still have a significant amount of weight to lose. I know that my continuing efforts will be rewarded. I thought about doing something "special" for my 6 month anniversary today but couldn't think of anything in particular. But God took care of that for me.

While I was at work today about several people gave me compliments about my weight loss. I heard phrases like " You've lost a lot of weight haven't you?" and "It's good to see that you're able to get around without your cane now."

At lunch today a co-worker and fellow weight loss surgery patient asked me if I attended a support group. She confided in me that she's having some trouble and shared other concerns related to gaining and losing weight.

I told her the support group's meeting schedule and gave her some advice about her problems. I told her if there was anything I could do to help her I would be more than happy to do so. It was an honor to know that she trusted me enough confide in me.

So now it's on down the road to my 1 year anniversary and a new calendar year. My prayer is that in the next 6 months I can strive to continue to be obedient to God and just as successful in my weight loss effort as I was the last half of 2009.

The Cane Mutiniy

As 2010 begins I've made a decision. It's not a big decision. It only effects me but it's a decision nonetheless. It has to do with the simple task of walking.

Ever since the summer of 2007 when I fell and hurt my right knee I've been using a metal walking cane to help me get around. Eventually my knee got better but the weight I had gained in the interim combined with my drop foot condition in my left food made my balance very unstable. It seemed as though, to keep from tripping and falling, the cane was going to be a permanent part of my life.

With my weight loss, my balance has gotten a bit better but I've still been using the cane while walking the dogs and when going through the warehouse to the call center where I work. Other than those 2 occasions I've stopped using it.

With the start of the new year I've decided to give up using the cane all together. Well that is except when I walk the dogs. The uneven pavement throughout my walking route makes using the cane a matter of safety in that situation.

Otherwise I've given my cane it's "walking papers." For the most part I am now "cane free". It's just another in my list of many NSVs (Non-Scale Victories).

New Year's Day In Nashville

The first day of 2010 was the kind of day I really like. It involved 3 things I really enjoy: time with my family, seeing a movie, and going out to eat. With the Christmas gift we received from our family in Pennsylvania ( a generous check) thel 7 members of my family who live in Kentucky (Paula, my sister in law, my sons, their wives, and me) decided to go to Nashville for the day. We went to the Imax theater in the Opry Mills Mall to see the movie "Avitar" then went to a restaurant for an early afternoon dinner.

We left home at 10:30 in the morning for a 12:20PM show. It only takes an hour to get there but we knew it would be crowded. Turns out we were right. The show was sold out. It was a good thing I ordered the ticket online and printed them out at home. Five of us went to the Imax movie. My 2 daughters in law went to see the new Meril Streep movie.

It was another "non-scale victory" for me as I sat in the Imax theater seat. The last time I was there I couldn't fit. I was extremely uncomfortatble. This time I had no problems getting comfortable even with the movable arms down at my side.

All my family members liked the 2 1/2 hour movie. I thought the story and the digital film making were unique but I didn't like the fact that it ended with a big battle scene. Why do all adventure/ fantasy movies have to end up being about war? The concept of the world of "Avitar" was new and interesting. It was like watching a computer game but once again the war aspect of the ending I didn't like.

After the movie we all went to the Rain Forest Cafe at the opposite end of the mall for dinner. It to was crowded so we had to wait an hour for a table. We all did some browsing in the nearby stores while we waited. I took the opportunity to do something I've been wanting to do for a while.

In the mall,near the food court, there is a Karaoke recording booth. For about $20 you can go into a recording studio and sing as on to musical accompaniment and have it recorded on CD. Knowing that we were going to the mall I took with me a copy of the lyrics to the "Roux En Y" song. It's a parody I wrote about my weight loss surgery written to the tune of the Beatles song "Yesterday".

I walked from the Rain Forrest Cafe to the Karaoke booth, paid my $20, sang my song, and walked away with the CD. I now have the Roux En Y Song recorded.

After an hour of waiting we were seated in the Rain Forrest Cafe dining room area. I had never been there before. It's decorated and themed to resemble an actual rain forest. There's a canopy of "trees" above you, a waterfall, and animatronic animals all around you. These include gorillas and monkeys. There's also fake animals who don't move. There was a zebra from the neck up mounted above the table where we were seated. Next to our table was a set of 3 animatronic gorillas and there was a baby gorilla swinging from a tree above our heads about 5 feet from where we sat.

Every 10 minutes the anamatronic animals would move and make noise as though they were alive and you are actually in a rain forest. It's a nice effect but it actually scared a lot of the little kids who were in the restaurant. Every 30 minutes there's thunder and lightening accompanied by the sound of a rainstorm.

This is the most entertaining aspect of the experience but it's also a built in timing device for patrons to gauge how long they've been waiting for their food. For instance the rainstorm happened as the waitress was taking our order. The animals came to "life" a couple of times while we were waiting. They didn't bring our meals until the next rainstorm came up. That tells me it took 30 minutes to get our food. The effects are essential to the restaurant's atmosphere and theme but I'll bet the wait staff has to deal with the time awareness a lot. It probably effects their tips too.

When the food was finally served everyone seemed to enjoy it. Theresa got a steak. Michael and James got burgers with some kind of fancy toppings. I got roasted chicken. Paula got half a turkey wrap and some tomato soup. Brandi got chicken fingers and fries, as usual. I don't remember exactly what Heather got but she had some awesome onion rings with it. By the time we finished eating we were so full no one even considered getting dessert.

After dinner we said our "good bye"s and headed for Kentucky. It was a very nice day and a good start to 2010.

On the way home I called my sister's in Pennsylvania and thanked them for allowing us to have such a good family day together.