Same Song, Same Place, Different Performances

One of my favorite words ever is "Juxtaposition". The strange relationship between two contrasting people, places, or things based on their proximity to each other just always seems to catch my attention.

Last night, for the 6th time this year I went to a Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center event. This time it was to see a pop music legend in concert. 

I won tickets to see Don McLean from a local radio station. Although the show was in the middle of the week, I knew I had to go just for the experience of seeing him perform "American Pie". 

The song is as much a part of the legacy of American music as (insert your choice for greatest pop song of the last 50 years here). 

Also, McLean's second best known hit, "Vincent" is one of my all-time favorite "non-love song" ballads. It was one of the first 45 records I ever bought with my own money when I was a kid. 

But let's get back to "American Pie" and the juxtaposition I mentioned earlier. 

Of course hearing McLean perform his American standard was a unique experience in and of itself. 

However, it was actually the 2nd time this year that I heard the song's iconic melody played at SkyPac. 

Both of the performances were unique and memorable but artistically polar opposites.  

The first time I heard the tune was during the encore at the conclusion of the July 7 Weird Al Yankovich concert. 

That's when Al, amidst a standing ovation from the sold-out house, returned back to the stage surrounded by a group of costumed Star Wars characters. Dressed as a Jedi warrior, he sat on a wooden stool. Much to the audience's delight he sang "The Saga Begins"; a parody of McLean's "American Pie" that humorously tells Darth Vader's origin story. 

Just like the rest of the show, this finale was an amazing on-stage production. Here's a pic of what the stage looked like.   

Having seen Weird Al in concert twice in the last 5 years, in my opinion he is a genius performer. 

Fast forward to 16 weeks later and another SkyPac audience is gathered to hear McLean, the 70 year old member of the songwriters hall of fame, play and sing his hits. 

Over the course of 90 minutes he sang "And I Love You So", "Crying", the previously mentioned "Vincent" and finally his magnum opus, "American Pie." 

But this time the melody was not witnessed by Vader & company nor was the singer in any kind costume. 

The stage was set up more like a rehearsal hall than anything else. Here's the best shot I could get with my phone's camera. 

Juxtaposed along side Weird Al's elaborate production stage it would seem that last night's concert left a little to be desired. Yet McLean's signature song made Al's tour finale possible.   

Which brings me to yet another one of my favorite words: Irony. 

So there you have my ironic experience of hearing the same song in the same place twice presented in two totally different ways. 

Just one of those things that happens once in a while that continues to make life fun and interesting. 

December Vacation Plans

Last weekend Paula and I decided to do something we've never done before. We're going on vacation in December. 

Now that I have been at my job for close to a year, I can take a week off and Paula has vacation days she needs to use by the end of the year. 

With the week we're going being late autumn and very close to the start of winter; places we'd like to go up north would already be cold. We're going to be driving and don't want to take the chance of having to drive through or getting stranded by snow. 

Therefore we have decided to head south for our getaway; more specifically; we're going back to Central Florida. 

Now anyone who knows me, knows that Central Florida usually means just one thing to me: Walt Disney World. 

Because we have had 2 previous vacations that centered on the "most magical place on earth"; this time we are going to try to enjoy some of the other aspects of the Sunshine State. 

Already included in our plans is the fulfillment of a promise I made to Paula more than 4 years ago. I'm going to take her to spend time at a beach. She's not a swimmer so the fact that the water will be cold doesn't matter. She just wants to walk along the shore or sit in a chair and relax in the sand. Enjoying the sun and the waves. We will be visiting either Clearwater Beach or Cocoa Beach during our stay.

We have rented a house from "All Star Vacations Homes" in Kissimmie that has a screened in private pool.  

The only theme park we plan on going to for an entire day, at this point is Sea World. 

Now that doesn't mean that we won't be visiting Mickey and his friends in Walt Disney World.

Ever since December 2002, when things didn't work out for us to spend our honeymoon there, we have wanted to see how Walt Disney World celebrates, the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas. 

Our plans include exploring the resorts and shopping areas to see the decorations. 

One night we will be at the Magic Kingdom as "guests" at the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.  

So now that the "when" and "where" and some of the "what" of our 2015 vacation has been decided I can now start my gathering information that will help us get the most out of it. 

I am in full trip planning mode. Over the next 6 weeks I will be gathering information on some of the "non-Disney" things we might want to do.   

Of course the Florida weather is tricky at this time of the year. The average high temperature is in the lower 70s but I have seen it be much colder than that. This only means that packing the right clothes could be a challenge. One good thing is that, on average, Florida gets its least amount of rain in December than any other month of the year. 

I am looking forward to our trip. It will be our first long road trip in our new Kia. The next six weeks will be full of excitement and anticipation. 

Of course, once we get back I will be sharing all we do on my blog. 

Have you ever been to Florida in December? What did you do there? How was the weather? Any hints or suggestions to help us have a good time? Let me know.    






   

On The Aisle

As we reach the halfway point in the month of October, we are smack dab in the middle of the fall movie season. 

I have seen just a few of the fall movies so far but I do have some opinions and recommendations about them. 

Everest:  If you are interested in this "based on a true story" movie I'd recommend you see the 3D version. 

The cinematography and special effects are the best things it. Overall, it looks great. 
There were only a couple of scenes where it looks obvious that it was filmed on a movie set.  

The story is very slow and doesn't have a lot of action or suspense at all. The characters are very stereotypical. 

If you're looking for an entertaining visual experience, go to the theater to see this film. Otherwise, I would wait for the home video.

Scorch Trials: This sequel to "The Maze Runner" wasn't bad for the 2nd film of a series. There's nothing original about this story set in a post  apocalyptic  world. At one point in the middle of it the movie turns in to a nearly totally different type of film. I won't provide any spoilers but I'm glad it went back to the main story rather quickly. 

If you liked "The Maze Runner" and interested in what happens to the characters you'll enjoy this film. 

Crimson Peak: We saw this one on it's opening weekend. Paula was anxious to see it because the trailer made it look so good. Plus Tom Hiddleston (Loki from the Marvel movies) was in it and he's a very good actor. 
We saw it at the Imax theater in Nashville. But even the enormous  screen couldn't save this one. 

The plot is very predictable, procedural and holds almost no surprises. There are ghosts that look great but do almost nothing. 

The characters are, at times, interesting, but fade into dullness and never get back. 

I still can't figure out how they can live in that house in the condition it's in, especially in the middle of winter. 

It was very disappointing. I'd skip it in favor of some other horror film that comes out this Halloween season.   

The Martian: Men going to Mars has been the subject of at least a dozen movies in the past. However, this one is perhaps the best of them all. 

Matt Damon puts in a performance  reminiscent of Tom Hanks, but with his distinctive personality and very amusing ironic and situational humor.   

Again, I'm not going to give away any spoilers. Let me just say that at various times,"The Martian" reminded me of "Alien", Apollo 13", "Castaway", "Gravity" and "Star Trek 4". But it is in no way a copy of any of them. 

I went by myself to see this movie but I am going to make sure I take my wife to see it. Experiencing it a second time will be well worth it.

So there you have my take on the 4 fall movies I've seen. If you want to get the most for your movie dollar, by all means, go see "The Martian".  

Large Lego Catch Up

Thanks for coming back to the the RH Factors blog. It's been too long since my last post. (if I had a $1 for every time I've written that) 


Since it's been such a slow year for blogging I was looking for something worthy of the first post of the last quarter of 2015. Last week, the answer was literally delivered to my doorstep. I received the latest set in the Lego Ideas brand. 

I am really excited about putting this set together in the near future. 

After I posted this picture on my Facebook page I realized that I haven't shared many Lego pics on social media at all this year. 

Since I've assembled more than 2 dozen kits so far this year I'm not going to put the pictures up on this post. 

I have put them in an photo album on my Facebook page. You can see them there. 
The "Back To The Future" set, dragon, and parrot models are my favorites so far. 

Not pictured is a Technics helicopter that I've been working on for about 6 months because it's very detailed. The kit has over 1000 pieces and three instruction books; each with over 100 steps. Some of the assembly components have lots of little parts so I only work on it a little bit at a time. Thus the reason it's taking me so long to complete it. I will post pics of the chopper when it's done. 

But for now, go to my Facebook page and look at my 2015 Lego album. I'm sure you'll enjoy some of the models. 2015 Lego Album

Introduced to "The Boss"

I heard on TV that today is the 40th anniversary of the release of Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" album. 

August 25, 1975 was about 2 weeks before I started my sophomore year of high school, in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. 

I had never heard of Bruce Springsteen or his music prior to 1975. But by the time the school year was over I would. Here's how I was introduced to "The Boss." 

By the time Thanksgiving break came around in the fall of 75, I had decided that my 2nd year high school wasn't all that different from the first. There wasn't much school had to offer that interested me. 

But then, one morning in homeroom, it was announced that one of the teachers was forming a "radio club." The detail in the announcement that got my attention was "anyone interested in becoming a DJ report to the meeting after school."

At that point in my life my goal was to become the next Casey Kasem. I was interested like they wouldn't believe.  

I went to the meeting and became part of the group of a dozen or so students who would go on to help create the very small radio studio in a converted storage closet in the vestibule of the school auditorium. 

There was a small soundboard and a pair of turntables (vinyl records was still the popular music format in those days. Yes, I'm old) which connected to an amplifier hooked up to the school's PA system. So in reality it was more of an "intercom" station and not "real" radio.  

When it came time for station to go "on the air," the club's faculty adviser, Mr. Tomaino (an English teacher and the boys tennis team coach) made a decision I wasn't all that thrilled with. It was the Seniors that would get to be the DJs and the underclassmen would be their assistants. 

So in January 1976, I became the studio assistant to a Senior DJ. Essentially what that meant is that 3 of my study hall periods each week were spent pulling albums from the station's collection and then putting them away after they were played. 

Like the faculty adviser, I don't remember the DJ's name but I there were a couple of significant things I do remember about him. He started each of his "radio shows" with "Hello It's Me" by Todd Rudgren as his theme song. He was also a very very big fan of Bruce Springsteen. He played at least 2 songs from the "Born To Run" album every time he was "on the air." 

Initially I wasn't a fan of Springsteen's music; but I grew to like it. My favorite BTR cut was "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out." and it still is. 

The school "radio station" only lasted for a few months. I don't remember exactly why but my best guess was that as the school year progressed, the seniors got interested in things more "important" than being a study hall DJ. I also think it got some opposition from the school administration as well.  
It's hard to believe that been so long since those afternoons in WPHS studios. But its thanks to that Senior DJ I worked with, and the longevity of the career of Bruce Springsteen, I have a musical reminder about some of my favorite times in the hallowed halls of Phillipsburg High School. 
Ahh memories. 

"Free Groceries" Time

This past Thursday when I opened my mail I found something that makes me happy 4 times a year. It's not a surprise but makes me smile nonetheless. 

We get these checks every 3 months for using our Kroger Visa card. 

They are the results of the rewards program. The other significant benefit is getting a discount "per gallon" at Kroger gas stations. 

This time we got a total of $120 in reward checks. They can be used just like cash at any area Kroger store. So basically it's a week's worth of free groceries. 

The way the program works is that you get a "point" for each dollar you charge to the card. You get 2 points for each dollar you spend at Kroger and 3 for every dollar you spend on Kroger brand products. 

We take advantage of the program by charging all our fixed bills and a lot of other things on the card. 

Gas, groceries, household utilities, car repairs, and just about anything else we can charge, we do. The result is a rather significant accumulation of points during each rewards period. 

But here's the key to making the whole program benefit work. I pay off the balance each month; no "ifs, ands or buts" about it. 

This requires some single-minded determination. We don't want to get back into credit card debt. As anyone who has a credit card knows, it's easy to fall into the " I'll just pay the minimum payment" trap. Especially when you have several rather large expenses during a particular month.

But if you can do it and keep yourself accountable, you will really benefit from the rewards program. 

I have a "Toys R Us" credit card I maintain the same way. That helps me keep my monthly spending on Legos in check (I don't buy any more than I can afford to pay off in that month) and gets me some "free money" to spend at the store every once in a while.  

However, only you know yourself and your spending habits well enough to decide if you have the discipline to make this work for you. Some people can't or don't feel right doing it

Now I know not everyone who reads this blog lives in an area with Kroger stores. But I'm sure you can find something similar at a grocery store in your area. Everyone knows how costly it is to feed a family. Every little bit helps. 

So there you have one of our little money saving secrets. It is really fun when you can fill your grocery card with stuff you need and then pay "nothing". 

Do you have anything you do that helps make ends meet? Are you part of any rewards program with a credit card? Do you clip coupons? I'd be interested in hearing about your financial secrets. Send me a message on Facebook or Twitter. I look forward to reading them.     

Aria Adventures

Time to update y'all on what my favorite 3 year old is up to these days. 

Over the last couple of months Paula and I have become a big part of Aria's world. She is asking to come to our house to visit more and more often. When she can't come to us, she asks us to come see her at her house. Of course we do our best to honor her request. 

By spending more time with her, we get to see how much she is growing and learning. I have a whole lot of new memories just from the last several weeks. I just want to share a few of them with you. 

Let me start with something that happened during one of her visits back in July. 

Paula's exercise tension bands were sitting out in our living room and Aria discovered them. Once she found out what they were she had to use them. 

She was counting her "reps" and Paula was recording it on her I-phone. I started to count along with her but Aria wanted me to do something a little more "important". She was definitely ready for her "close up." Check out this video. Listen carefully, the audio is very important, but not the best.  

My fascination and interest in Lego has become a common interest for Aria and me. 

A necessary part of every visit to our house is our investigation of the shelves of the bookcase in the corner of our living room. They are populated with my latest Lego creations and displays. This includes the cars, animals, and other models. But her favorite things are the mini-figures.

She must take each of them out of the display case, repeat their name, and place them on a table next to her, in an order of her choosing. 

Our time together in that corner is mostly about Lego but sometimes ends with a quick game of "this little piggy". 

 On her July 19 afternoon visit I decided it was time that we take the next step in our Lego time together. 

While she does enjoy playing with her Little Mermaid Duplo block set...

   

I felt it was time she be allowed to play with her Papa's Lego brick collection. 

As you can see she really likes them. We had a great time playing with them together for the first time. 

A couple of weeks later, on August 5, this cool looking Lego table came into my life. 

Now this is probably not too exciting to you. But it's really special to me. It allowed me to be Aria's hero; at least for a little while.  

You see, the table was given to Brandi. But there was no place for it at their house. When Aria found out that she was not going to be able to keep it, she became rather upset. 

When it comes to Lego she knows that I am her "go to" guy. So I was the one she thought of in her quest to possess  the table. 

She grabbed at one last straw with a final plea. "Call My Papa", she appealed to her mom.

To make a long story short, the three of them (Brandi, Aria, & the table) came to my house that night. After a big hug and a heart-felt appeal to me by my grand daughter, the table is now residing at my house. 

On Tuesday, July 28, on a warm and humid evening at the Southern Kentucky Fair Aria put on a beautiful dress, and with curled hair...

...she made her first appearance ever in, what I'll call, a "cutie" pageant. She was part of the 3-4 year old division. She didn't make it past the initial judging but, in my humble yet accurate opinion, she was the cutest. 

Here's a video of her debut. I am telling her "not to smile" because when I do, she usually does the opposite.  

In the 2nd week of August Aria experienced a couple of more "firsts" and met someone she's been waiting see for quite a while. 

On August 9th she spent the night away from her mommy & daddy for the first time ever. The next night, she stayed at our house for the first time as well.  

Paula & Aria shared our bed and I slept on the couch. A small price to pay for the joy of having Aria around for a few extra hours.  

We spent a lot of the time playing with Legos on our new table in the living room. 

The reason she spent the night with us was because Brandi was at the hospital waiting for her cousin, Jackie, to give birth. 

Aria & Jackie have a close relationship and Aria has been excited about the new baby since the day she found out she was on her way. 

On August 11, Miss Elliette Peyton Pullium was born. She is Aria's 2nd cousin. My grand daughter met her for the first time the day she was born and really adores her. She loves helping "Jack" (as Aria calls her) with baby Ellie. 

As I sit here finishing up this post on August 22, Paula & I have just spent another day with Aria.

We started off by going to breakfast with her, Brandi, and James at Theresa's Restaurant. It was the first time we'd ever been there. 

Aria came with us afterwards and we went to the local farmer's market. That's where she found her first pumpkin of the year. 

The remainder of our day was spent at our house playing together. Tonight she is, once again, spending the night. This time it was her choice. Yet another chapter in our further adventures with Aria.