tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43756633491832263212024-03-05T20:16:12.758-05:00Attention Deficit DetoursRickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-86730884688756064042010-09-27T12:19:00.001-04:002010-09-27T12:22:16.524-04:00COLOR TV & POOL!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It’s not every day …</div> ...that you see a Motel that advertises “Color TV”! Just across the street from the Tampa Taco Bus, we discovered this motel that not only has color TV, but offers clean rooms, weekly rates, and a pool!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEH_Vceq3PDvV9WqOPWJQXoiiQfpZnT194ns-qjwUqWmlismlCveEmB7AQ3urDBe42TN1pzVuAJtJeSAbhulOubzTHMF3Hn8qdNBLE7zq_ZNvNVL2Yw8u56nZXEE85jqfvx37jlAnhzis/s640/Motel.jpg" width="425" /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And should you have poor cell reception in your room, notice the pay phone located under the motel's sign for your convenience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQyiZnD7sTS8pl4_gyH0ZREATipsILuNy7LiH1aU0gkHHDjgV96fCd6pOuBRr57Lo4r32pxkhRshGyMODOaU1GbNXP0JJ6Rfnyd84pt7U4BE8u-N23wMDnj0N24PYfUeJdbA4Og6nJEI/s1600/payphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCQyiZnD7sTS8pl4_gyH0ZREATipsILuNy7LiH1aU0gkHHDjgV96fCd6pOuBRr57Lo4r32pxkhRshGyMODOaU1GbNXP0JJ6Rfnyd84pt7U4BE8u-N23wMDnj0N24PYfUeJdbA4Og6nJEI/s400/payphone.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Obviously guest safety is a priority as the safety cover over the swimming pool is one of the sturdiest I have ever seen - it's framed with 2x4s and covered with plywood and rolls of asphalt roofing. Gotta LOVE IT! :)</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJuBMKR0baUeODoSRnu0WRhfEcCQ5ecVGmB9qWnYg456CcWvtcAclttBp2QmGsWvBK-I4W4AVaT5_VkpBwagBmpK9ByONIHFPG35q70IIYK5ytTxUbQ6gpF9-YfdysgT0XiwN00RMdUU/s1600/Pool+Safety+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCJuBMKR0baUeODoSRnu0WRhfEcCQ5ecVGmB9qWnYg456CcWvtcAclttBp2QmGsWvBK-I4W4AVaT5_VkpBwagBmpK9ByONIHFPG35q70IIYK5ytTxUbQ6gpF9-YfdysgT0XiwN00RMdUU/s320/Pool+Safety+Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-39462562576414642332010-08-27T12:22:00.001-04:002010-09-27T15:38:42.118-04:00Outdoor LaundromatIt’s not every day…<br />
…that you see an outdoor laundromat. Who wants to be all cooped up while waiting on their laundry? May as well get a little fresh air. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxl4LW6IsMHfLyUzahRvsIavRU8HxMQGszqJZdgm6VUTlZJ3jRJiOkD-KkxFotArbW_S2oJnEjT5BIlquzIDZDdPeAughlnZEn8LsAl68pLgElzRWV849N2IviavafDB7futSaz4mHcs/s1600/Laundromat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxl4LW6IsMHfLyUzahRvsIavRU8HxMQGszqJZdgm6VUTlZJ3jRJiOkD-KkxFotArbW_S2oJnEjT5BIlquzIDZDdPeAughlnZEn8LsAl68pLgElzRWV849N2IviavafDB7futSaz4mHcs/s400/Laundromat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Though this is an outdoor establishment, this laundromat adheres to building codes and providing customers with an emergency side exit. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z_WJwQtRi-1xysmPHkehg9pd8EmbZRXXiJc5H96o9KwTp5ZKg0gp6r7nz2CUr4khkljk0Xxr-jU2d8lW2Z0SqNfv8SRdWQr6WzPVpNt9blRigONkagaxuB85FhbQGCcLa4EueS4UiUs/s1600/Laundromat+-side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z_WJwQtRi-1xysmPHkehg9pd8EmbZRXXiJc5H96o9KwTp5ZKg0gp6r7nz2CUr4khkljk0Xxr-jU2d8lW2Z0SqNfv8SRdWQr6WzPVpNt9blRigONkagaxuB85FhbQGCcLa4EueS4UiUs/s400/Laundromat+-side.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
In case you get any bright ideas about leaving your two-year-old at the laundromat while you go shopping, take note of the sign on the inside wall that says “We are not responsible for children.”<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSe5yY7Hkq_N6C5eVGDfxRHobx0BUqN0lzcqnJUJn-qE0Kz3sAzhwNntNXFR6my9p5_tIMvNkQ7kRVdlLjB7iD91KIq6McOmrxiDc-S5b_lfAZSiO5CsHYgOJj6ZfFDUNM0LWK5g6ag8/s1600/Children.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSe5yY7Hkq_N6C5eVGDfxRHobx0BUqN0lzcqnJUJn-qE0Kz3sAzhwNntNXFR6my9p5_tIMvNkQ7kRVdlLjB7iD91KIq6McOmrxiDc-S5b_lfAZSiO5CsHYgOJj6ZfFDUNM0LWK5g6ag8/s400/Children.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span id="goog_1845379663"></span><span id="goog_1845379664"></span>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-90226124753010863372010-08-05T08:42:00.045-04:002010-09-16T09:23:56.864-04:00The Tampa Taco Bus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwgcTlv6t5xpMLWukRCXgmSYR2QybkWoFXqf73d2naoesJGNK9Phj4hHHUHFRnPrCXXV_7-hJ6KrFEYW4IjukzrQQBy-Hb69rGE5kryBMXRerzsK0LpYIVoLPZYgjBsbFVGW4cxs13Zw/s1600/TacoBus-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfwgcTlv6t5xpMLWukRCXgmSYR2QybkWoFXqf73d2naoesJGNK9Phj4hHHUHFRnPrCXXV_7-hJ6KrFEYW4IjukzrQQBy-Hb69rGE5kryBMXRerzsK0LpYIVoLPZYgjBsbFVGW4cxs13Zw/s400/TacoBus-2.jpg" width="400" /></a>You probably won’t find it in any of the tourists brochures but the <a href="http://tampatacobus.com/">Tampa Taco Bus</a> in Tampa, FL is a MUST!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG-EnLpUDjZIvvEhceAgAZ-5Ob5o1gTQ9kYHByVAXvwS3L4mSUgVgBeu6rfmT2pT1RCwITvS7X_SaM35u-PG8tEaaugVJeVSGjXDCHU5l5eL3CNcXICg4apKNwM175lGg9dlsNuPuusM/s1600/TacoBus-11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisG-EnLpUDjZIvvEhceAgAZ-5Ob5o1gTQ9kYHByVAXvwS3L4mSUgVgBeu6rfmT2pT1RCwITvS7X_SaM35u-PG8tEaaugVJeVSGjXDCHU5l5eL3CNcXICg4apKNwM175lGg9dlsNuPuusM/s200/TacoBus-11.jpg" width="133" /></a> The Taco Bus is an old school bus converted into a kitchen that prepares incredible, fresh, authentic Mexican cuisine. The food was so good, I dove right in and ate it all before I remembered to take a picture.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">They are open 24/7, and as the sign says, “Broken English Perfectly Spoken.” </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoK_crUyrxvbOl71GudU8m6s1cdv4jwo8BkHDG9enOZIIuyEARLLwkxhyvQ5tgsCm7nSoqpQwL8l5eUADYskS0HfTh9QkuMYDpu6JG5Xd8n6On3_JWGl7JbLt4xIQQadBPUkx8J5oOqtw/s1600/TacoBus-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoK_crUyrxvbOl71GudU8m6s1cdv4jwo8BkHDG9enOZIIuyEARLLwkxhyvQ5tgsCm7nSoqpQwL8l5eUADYskS0HfTh9QkuMYDpu6JG5Xd8n6On3_JWGl7JbLt4xIQQadBPUkx8J5oOqtw/s320/TacoBus-7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Indoor and outdoor dining is available, or you can just step up to the window and place your order to go. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyEfYp4ECHiivDNc9m7xe-gWzxyxCkRVLaepD4tnFux3QT6qi-kyU3tm0Ln9owqvoaKn7Q5pUQ_AyPK8jV557B1T8utcX65NG_RcsYol4qBDoNazslGbJWBwMMQ_w4i4CFqIA1mRt67Y/s1600/TacoBus-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyEfYp4ECHiivDNc9m7xe-gWzxyxCkRVLaepD4tnFux3QT6qi-kyU3tm0Ln9owqvoaKn7Q5pUQ_AyPK8jV557B1T8utcX65NG_RcsYol4qBDoNazslGbJWBwMMQ_w4i4CFqIA1mRt67Y/s400/TacoBus-4.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfgfzVCbrCQEroFM5-P0XF4Tv7G2Zbm8bw_3ubBqv5mdISqhaBHSqu2K4V4_nSYVRsoVu4hBc3RsYSDhEcwQaFjdx2Y0VNJ8NHLnAWtdP0ar1nYBsZ4NjnCuu8VQRKcD_fzgfvcQe67g/s1600/TacoBus-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRfgfzVCbrCQEroFM5-P0XF4Tv7G2Zbm8bw_3ubBqv5mdISqhaBHSqu2K4V4_nSYVRsoVu4hBc3RsYSDhEcwQaFjdx2Y0VNJ8NHLnAWtdP0ar1nYBsZ4NjnCuu8VQRKcD_fzgfvcQe67g/s400/TacoBus-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The only problem is the bus doesn’t actually go anywhere - you have to go to it, but it’s definitely worth a detour. Dining at the Taco Bus is not just great food, it’s an experience.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja5NRvDTNxjt8O-ae4Q3ludIGddhU_S8CW5jM0NrAc6hFmmII5YxCppo2YoHOyujAX9HZi1cngLaGfS0756tpq-f4L-vaark6c90h6lYtLmN-6NTTje0BLlqa9ztnptwtV2n0HSyzTluU/s1600/TacoBus-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOyEfYp4ECHiivDNc9m7xe-gWzxyxCkRVLaepD4tnFux3QT6qi-kyU3tm0Ln9owqvoaKn7Q5pUQ_AyPK8jV557B1T8utcX65NG_RcsYol4qBDoNazslGbJWBwMMQ_w4i4CFqIA1mRt67Y/s1600/TacoBus-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcQ2k-E8gj9_0fq9wo1xRYgnjhqeTNi3GCvLXFMgSQjLyrM_Ub9dksIkM6khV8AeOMIaegvOtTQOVde-ZXNuuluqRS1C_2ExWNPGlAHfRFkf0kT-2IHlgK-h5I4-Sne7qNxcRzPyJCp0I/s1600/TacoBus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLENPMT3mOlO6Ov2MUfGDFVbaPxj62ZEEZF5b_Ac04klmEZZLxgqIt3iiETcl6wuqO3YP8JsUxnO6DldBN0KFesiJsCbQWZ3c8blOcnTrhI7da41PbERZOlJ7x4AeZHkj9vHburr3j5g/s1600/TacoBus-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNLENPMT3mOlO6Ov2MUfGDFVbaPxj62ZEEZF5b_Ac04klmEZZLxgqIt3iiETcl6wuqO3YP8JsUxnO6DldBN0KFesiJsCbQWZ3c8blOcnTrhI7da41PbERZOlJ7x4AeZHkj9vHburr3j5g/s400/TacoBus-8.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s-Ltmi8lwSJDal4rQD4vo1qMd4TXnCt28m1FQqZ6Do0X7gUaj9SkXOcZiDlYLPQ3Q2pSq6eZtPCz8Zke5zRIf_F574hlJqQSb6dr5JuorhMhWTvoMRLlj7UvR4y4hB4U0QhWFw7gT-c/s1600/TacoBus-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s-Ltmi8lwSJDal4rQD4vo1qMd4TXnCt28m1FQqZ6Do0X7gUaj9SkXOcZiDlYLPQ3Q2pSq6eZtPCz8Zke5zRIf_F574hlJqQSb6dr5JuorhMhWTvoMRLlj7UvR4y4hB4U0QhWFw7gT-c/s400/TacoBus-9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-70358620884303506902010-08-01T16:59:00.003-04:002010-09-27T21:42:44.489-04:00Duck Farts & Saddle SoresThere was no shortage of entertainment on the Alaska Twitter trip sponsored by Princess Cruises. After returning from an incredible <a href="http://midliferoadtrip.tv/helicopter-glacier-landing/">helicopter ride and glacier landing</a>, we attended a fun filled dinner theatre. The same wait staff who served our BBQ, were <br />
the cast members in the musical, “The Music of Denali”. <br />
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Somehow the cast coaxed me up on stage - thankfully for the audience they didn’t ask me to sing anything. I just had to sit there and look good:)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQb7K-PvNcMBvajWHUm9qNmf_3YohC-4Orn9EWUYOOwlxpyF4M9cQevZsgMO9M0WdfmtQTItT9B1y2hCD3d9vmzJgKOLXgBlwqf5lh23Bp1eB53Iy4hecKe1om03MMQxMFTDYhRy-TNk/s1600/Horse-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aPB44x3ygLkZOgFDalz_l7SVxOkz1v-hajE2eIhJ5WB7SqrU4JX4WZ_goftoPA5awvO_Cc-YFK2Nmw59vlD0RuFq2h_Jrl_ih7P3j3wPg4XNnL8vHxHb2lx06x2UKFalQZ8cKzvSzEI/s1600/Horse-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1aPB44x3ygLkZOgFDalz_l7SVxOkz1v-hajE2eIhJ5WB7SqrU4JX4WZ_goftoPA5awvO_Cc-YFK2Nmw59vlD0RuFq2h_Jrl_ih7P3j3wPg4XNnL8vHxHb2lx06x2UKFalQZ8cKzvSzEI/s400/Horse-6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> After the show, the entourage of twitteratti walked across the street and was treated to a round of <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/13717-duck-fart">Duck Farts</a> an Alaskan favorite consisting of Crown Royal, Kalula, and Baileys Irish Creme.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW9JjlODHqEleF-oKlb2QIxyGDsNOnXxBt_2bgQv7MkgojuT_ELqxlMxmp207PW9wbU8CFpVWrx5D1f5krGL1K-524nsiVZxTWXalj6paWqtDtx5b_N-4fAPSxWcRoyO0byP7lrBrPKY/s1600/Horse-2-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyW9JjlODHqEleF-oKlb2QIxyGDsNOnXxBt_2bgQv7MkgojuT_ELqxlMxmp207PW9wbU8CFpVWrx5D1f5krGL1K-524nsiVZxTWXalj6paWqtDtx5b_N-4fAPSxWcRoyO0byP7lrBrPKY/s200/Horse-2-2.jpg" width="136" /></a><br />
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We also learned the international sign for "I saw a moose today"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Cjm55-UxLD_wEaF5j2gpihGVL-0IxwJBteZybKbr3mXNtGsHJxr9QxrqkEmFskSLT8BGwXGR0zCGz-qVUTHj1t9mmUgCstqt9WWbvSzOYKl8FV4vPgPNdgx5_Wq04oaR46i2P4f3Pk/s1600/Horse-3-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn8Cjm55-UxLD_wEaF5j2gpihGVL-0IxwJBteZybKbr3mXNtGsHJxr9QxrqkEmFskSLT8BGwXGR0zCGz-qVUTHj1t9mmUgCstqt9WWbvSzOYKl8FV4vPgPNdgx5_Wq04oaR46i2P4f3Pk/s400/Horse-3-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c_EryR-ndhULQPXKkQPdtGStUddqe0IKkz5v9j1vxYut-wLcvIgYl_Zm7-wNBeLhqdlTrSrr8tlYMvoxz5T780_H0pZKZBOwPlzGGRGmp2bauDaY-KQrKRiU_wWiblbIiVTdTuTCc4A/s1600/Horse-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5c_EryR-ndhULQPXKkQPdtGStUddqe0IKkz5v9j1vxYut-wLcvIgYl_Zm7-wNBeLhqdlTrSrr8tlYMvoxz5T780_H0pZKZBOwPlzGGRGmp2bauDaY-KQrKRiU_wWiblbIiVTdTuTCc4A/s320/Horse-5.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="color: #cccccc;">As<strong><strong> we headed back to our rooms around 2 a.m., I snapped this picture of this signpost to kinda explain why Alaska is known as “the land of the midnight sun.” This was as about as dark as it got.</strong></strong></span><br />
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The next morning we took about a three hour bus from the Denali Princess Lodge to the McKinley Princess Lodge. where we saddled up and road through the trails taking in the beautiful Alaskan landscape. <br />
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<span id="goog_724941250"></span><span id="goog_724941251"></span>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-23941272271323195502010-07-29T12:54:00.000-04:002010-07-29T12:54:56.881-04:00Helicopter Glacier Landing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbvk2IiRjDCFtygceUctoeLiizEZNZ6BADYFL3FnoG952yuF8XH65oDXRnMM39QN6GvXRA7Wm0q4ce2vYbW9OcY2DHOpuodnIE8B7ATQsq2PsLeRGDYE0vM14jTFuEQ1dYRAWEe5hRxY/s1600/IMG_0952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbvk2IiRjDCFtygceUctoeLiizEZNZ6BADYFL3FnoG952yuF8XH65oDXRnMM39QN6GvXRA7Wm0q4ce2vYbW9OcY2DHOpuodnIE8B7ATQsq2PsLeRGDYE0vM14jTFuEQ1dYRAWEe5hRxY/s640/IMG_0952.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>I thoroughly enjoyed every excursion I took on the Twitter trip sponsored by Princess Cruises, but I think that the glacier helicopter landing may have been my favorite. This was only time I EVER got to check two adventures off my Bucket List in the same day! (ride in a helicopter and walk on a glacier).<br />
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</b></div><div style="color: #ffd966;"><b>Hopefully this video will give you a little feel for the awesomeness of this adventure! </b></div><object height="205" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rp5C1YmAvvc&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rp5C1YmAvvc&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="205"></embed></object><br />
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We took off from a helipad located just across the river from the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. The flight was much smoother than I had anticipated. The Beaver plane that we took to the summit of Mt. McKinley flew over the range of mountains. On the helicopter, we got to fly in between the mountains. It was amazing to watch as the landscape below us changed from green hills to snow covered mountains. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-57596483654151910102010-07-14T13:24:00.003-04:002010-07-15T22:51:41.053-04:00Moose, Drugs and Toilets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8Ty92JAlZLus8PwWQkdSem83kY-cOuZU88_vbsop-WwLh2bCHVFjdNGdoKBuePl08A0rOglqGrytwIBV0ec0kqMd7oPzT8LssQ1380w9Jx48sTxO3Jbk-t-z73-AvWjhIKdfMgoO2ZU/s1600/IMG_0801Skydiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8Ty92JAlZLus8PwWQkdSem83kY-cOuZU88_vbsop-WwLh2bCHVFjdNGdoKBuePl08A0rOglqGrytwIBV0ec0kqMd7oPzT8LssQ1380w9Jx48sTxO3Jbk-t-z73-AvWjhIKdfMgoO2ZU/s400/IMG_0801Skydiving.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Our third day in Alaska began with a bus ride deep into the Denali National Forest. Our guides were very informative as they explained the terrain and vegetation growing on the permafrost.<br />
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Before we got off the bus, we were instructed what to do if we encountered dangerous wildlife. In a nutshell, you’re supposed to talk to a bear and run from a moose. It's impossible to out run a bear, so it's best to just try to rationalize with him - just don't look him in the eye. You can't really outrun a moose either, but they have a wide turning radius and if you zig zag around trees and whatnot, you stand a pretty good chance of getting away. <br />
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Our guides seem particularly proud of the park’s SST’s (<a href="http://www.restroomfacilities.com/Waterless.html">Sweet Smelling Toilets</a>) which employ some of the latest and greatest toilet technology on earth to maintain a virtually odor free restroom experience. Naturally, since I was walking around with a video camera, I had to get some footage of this modern marvel in the Alaskan wilderness<br />
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We learned of the many uses for some of the plants growing wild in the park - plants used for salads, tooth paste, dish soap, hallucinogens and laxatives grew in abundance as did plants to make Vallium, and Absinthe. I'm reluctant to identify which plant are used for which purpose, lest some of my frog-licking and mushroom-eating type friends rape the Alaskan landscape of it's vegetation.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">At the turn around point we were treated to stories from an Athabascan guide who interrupted his presentation to chastise me for video taping him. I was actually just gettin’ a shot of the crowd watching him. After his presentation I apologized to him and he explained that someone had once video taped him and put it on youtube and called him an Eskimo. I think Eskimos are cool (literally!), but this guy is rightfully proud of his Athabascan heritage and found it offensive. <img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidtElSjDWKb8akpDazVzKQr2kej4p1ogWp0zvKziXVg9YQbLQmXpqK_f3fETaZBFhXyXqC5eRfgd28bViLxdgSDdSpbkyftjXmTQszW_YSsreM2PMvBCzdI6VoNKHxrRoScWLysmUU25U/s400/IMG_2982.jpg" width="400" /></div><br />
It's a long standing Alaskan tourists tradition that if you saw a moose at some point during the day, you have to take a shot of a drink called a "Duck Fart" and flash the international sign for "I saw a moose today." <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ifp6siY0xta46bWDqk0KN0ZGmb-nlrCia3MuqfPWOE5oTuNhl7J3Nca9lVCS0lY10y9WzRFHGkR-GQJUc_e963DYeohGLBXECU_0UN1Mynu2C-DE-sanfnDByo8a8BSNH4ng2sn68qQ/s1600/IMG_0987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5ifp6siY0xta46bWDqk0KN0ZGmb-nlrCia3MuqfPWOE5oTuNhl7J3Nca9lVCS0lY10y9WzRFHGkR-GQJUc_e963DYeohGLBXECU_0UN1Mynu2C-DE-sanfnDByo8a8BSNH4ng2sn68qQ/s400/IMG_0987.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-87921699278236862992010-07-08T15:17:00.008-04:002010-07-08T21:13:32.791-04:00I Have Been to the Mountaintop!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9FPV4t6xSdPSfnhthAGuTO_kL7tzVYfXd-TiUUyApNUfUHRZeVm7HHSP2JZFMifASZqLTXeCzkhRONp8EJtgKG35ua4kiXWgNLv398hz3gjIyKOJCCtew14GIj4FVXEwcGzem0Ei6NE/s1600/IMG_2925-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj9FPV4t6xSdPSfnhthAGuTO_kL7tzVYfXd-TiUUyApNUfUHRZeVm7HHSP2JZFMifASZqLTXeCzkhRONp8EJtgKG35ua4kiXWgNLv398hz3gjIyKOJCCtew14GIj4FVXEwcGzem0Ei6NE/s400/IMG_2925-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I've always wanted to go to the summit of Mt. Mckinley. Thanks to an invitation by Princess Cruises to participate in a Twitter Press trip to Alaska, I got to check another item off my bucket list! Shortly after we settled into the Denali Princess Lodge, we took a short ride to the airfield where several of the Twitteratti and our escorts from Princess Cruises hopped on a 1966 Beaver Plane and headed towards the summit!<br />
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Here we are pictured with <a href="http://theplanetd.com/">Canada's Adventure Couple</a>, the famous Dave & Deb, along with Karen, Nicole, and Guy (from Princess Cruises) and of course our pilot, Jim Andie (we kinda needed him.) <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94oZrq6dxXV3C9WyqQYXH7uIGBF2_M5gAq7EN5ZBajZyBPjB3dqt3mB7akUf2fuhyphenhyphen7EKM5hE3ZSA3OinldLyKxf9ds3BMjfxCY1UD_K3E60r8vAgUrfU5ItS0tzG-0pybQsOK6TmQCcQ/s1600/IMG_2881-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj94oZrq6dxXV3C9WyqQYXH7uIGBF2_M5gAq7EN5ZBajZyBPjB3dqt3mB7akUf2fuhyphenhyphen7EKM5hE3ZSA3OinldLyKxf9ds3BMjfxCY1UD_K3E60r8vAgUrfU5ItS0tzG-0pybQsOK6TmQCcQ/s400/IMG_2881-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Sure, Mt. Everest is the highest point on earth, but the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_McKinley">Mount McKinley's</a> vertical rise is nearly 6000 feet higher than Mount Everest from base to summit (Everest sits on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Plateau" title="Tibetan Plateau">Tibetan Plateau</a> which is17,000 feet above sea level to begin with)<br />
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For most of the flight everyone was quiet, taking in the beauty of the scenery. It was almost a spiritual experience.<br />
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At one point it looked as though we were going to fly right into the mountain. Someone asked the pilot, "shouldn't you like be turning or something about now?" The pilot replied "Naw, we're still about five miles away."<br />
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After we landed, I got to interview Jim Andie, a man who has traveled all over the world and is living his bucket list. When asked where he'd like to go, Jim said, "anywhere I haven't been." Man, I LOVE that!!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-14365578390036268972010-07-05T12:16:00.000-04:002010-07-05T12:16:37.529-04:00Destination Denali<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2HjhC9ZbjA8cAS3Oh27l8Xa0pVYYz-hUZJNpIs8mRKVcJi8317loJt2Q-lqLjaOHUXmJ4lGuTtxyq84kRvZCMpC4KyqfQQF2RKTvLVy9hEzbgLv6-MCqWWAKIfK42-LxiA6CgKGPgMg/s1600/IMG_3070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2HjhC9ZbjA8cAS3Oh27l8Xa0pVYYz-hUZJNpIs8mRKVcJi8317loJt2Q-lqLjaOHUXmJ4lGuTtxyq84kRvZCMpC4KyqfQQF2RKTvLVy9hEzbgLv6-MCqWWAKIfK42-LxiA6CgKGPgMg/s200/IMG_3070.jpg" width="133" /></a><br />
Day two of the Twitter trip sponsored by Princess Cruises began with a train ride from Fairbanks to Denali. After a wonderful breakfast aboard the train, we adjourned upstairs in the glass covered rail car where we took in the breathtaking scenery. The reindeer sausage and salmon breakfast burrito were yummy!<br />
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Our tour guides were incredibly knowledgeable of Alaskan history and geography. They always seemed to know exactly where we were as they give us notice of various photo opportunities in advance. These are just a fraction of the photos I took on the 4 hour trip that didn't nearly seem that long. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2HjhC9ZbjA8cAS3Oh27l8Xa0pVYYz-hUZJNpIs8mRKVcJi8317loJt2Q-lqLjaOHUXmJ4lGuTtxyq84kRvZCMpC4KyqfQQF2RKTvLVy9hEzbgLv6-MCqWWAKIfK42-LxiA6CgKGPgMg/s1600/IMG_3070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JBsKt-EO26jPPM_InjuCxHe9dOUxW-UJK96lTj7ClWssCQk0EApSBnJ9du0NNWrDxiThOK6j-mr4_53Lj5CAMn1A60Cbj-8aUCqNi66Yrm8nYkl_UbFfqRILzyk-Q9S8yLSZHBVBL-Q/s1600/IMG_2862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9JBsKt-EO26jPPM_InjuCxHe9dOUxW-UJK96lTj7ClWssCQk0EApSBnJ9du0NNWrDxiThOK6j-mr4_53Lj5CAMn1A60Cbj-8aUCqNi66Yrm8nYkl_UbFfqRILzyk-Q9S8yLSZHBVBL-Q/s400/IMG_2862.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3mEU97rDtIrwjoNBZhdeBPKdD3fjOwSU5yMapB_1chYu5HgxA8V54KUNoPyph6zttfu1_EPSjipffmItKCCBxngWflhMc26135aKsWlBMuLgmoaOI9R45sZx__ctpytDNyNu8FonEJrM/s1600/IMG_0864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCrnVJTpavna92tfDHxqIKRcVm9MxFoOEFAecYkF-bI9jpBLUf90g8sr-Uzj9MdjRAG91ZRD_2GSaM8nsH0Mm0wBV8SyyL0yiPAPO-339-jLPuTxP94i8oq-9j3bHwLAQmYNLlH56uHE/s200/IMG_0871.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kxZ8B6Og4NGOkTPIOL-XeRVIWC1Edx0Cx2PIv4GT044rq4dEUlxooervrL_3YtF9JIs4OIYimmmmo2mOfl7kr1fhjmPJ-fT1fyDGCVLT4T4sNXXAvEmFOp5bncYMLAb_RyDaJCbB364/s1600/IMG_0872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2kxZ8B6Og4NGOkTPIOL-XeRVIWC1Edx0Cx2PIv4GT044rq4dEUlxooervrL_3YtF9JIs4OIYimmmmo2mOfl7kr1fhjmPJ-fT1fyDGCVLT4T4sNXXAvEmFOp5bncYMLAb_RyDaJCbB364/s200/IMG_0872.jpg" width="150" /></a><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmduuZgBg_frWxcG7n4cWVxZwmUyG4l32K-KaQCsWM17zFCzkv3bn8nKZ9XX2kcBoRDZrvu7D2eOd0eph1dMsUK0Zh6WD6DbxUrnrPwwXw42mqB7yd7kWMsjoGNpXti9d2fVOTnr5CtQ/s400/IMG_0865.jpg" width="400" /> We saw a HUGE beaver dam, lots of cool looking bridges, rafters on the river and of course snow capped mountains as we wound our way across miles of perma-frost tundra, mountains, hills and canyons. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vUDLamzK3fbFJlxF3l7b5-3Q2kisyV9iDyv-NV9a45EybpUzyWpv_KiayORtY7tHepd62YLPsQB-j08UWEKA6ho0seUN-jOmZB-D6ZjIAZX5rxzoBwOfOBPuhz0XR85J9u13xFvBpgk/s1600/IMG_0873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-vUDLamzK3fbFJlxF3l7b5-3Q2kisyV9iDyv-NV9a45EybpUzyWpv_KiayORtY7tHepd62YLPsQB-j08UWEKA6ho0seUN-jOmZB-D6ZjIAZX5rxzoBwOfOBPuhz0XR85J9u13xFvBpgk/s200/IMG_0873.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ2rJZLxKRixaqMh2fIC0_jdXZ6OW6VFi83EnSGNYhomfo17589VYzYtBwSUx70jW89ioE1_P4HZLZ0to5crVqap8Ryr_JLiGmMxdBPEYC6gmdTU-F0QsFniUs90I8woYCp6T64oX0XI/s1600/IMG_0874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZ2rJZLxKRixaqMh2fIC0_jdXZ6OW6VFi83EnSGNYhomfo17589VYzYtBwSUx70jW89ioE1_P4HZLZ0to5crVqap8Ryr_JLiGmMxdBPEYC6gmdTU-F0QsFniUs90I8woYCp6T64oX0XI/s200/IMG_0874.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl-ZQSG80Z-vSbEGYyM2EqSStS3NHk1pOSHInX8nWB6y8EgbuMvDqFQzfc72b_EeFJDdeQpIUoKrqOpYRiZ1Ce7yjMKJC6xaS4ny4Wu_fS7oIqVWDT4WkBwnBoJGUzE_jeL7QI0cmgfU/s1600/IMG_2816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl-ZQSG80Z-vSbEGYyM2EqSStS3NHk1pOSHInX8nWB6y8EgbuMvDqFQzfc72b_EeFJDdeQpIUoKrqOpYRiZ1Ce7yjMKJC6xaS4ny4Wu_fS7oIqVWDT4WkBwnBoJGUzE_jeL7QI0cmgfU/s400/IMG_2816.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>The ever changing scenery, good food, informative guides and clean restrooms made this a terrific way to experience Alaska. I'm now adding a train rides across the USA and Europe to my Bucket List!RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-61053841127612228982010-07-01T11:43:00.003-04:002010-07-01T17:10:03.905-04:00Gold in Them Thar Hills!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSD8lBjVHILR2WOi2PJAJsGNh63vVguKh1q7iElsUJSdrZZUoN4JPbpr6VU9k1iYqdE7yKJEXbqZCbSnmgyC7W-24jViiy-tTZs5eqEvUMCl093moXJP4q1ilnQgefODl3PK432CsvlI/s1600/gold+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSD8lBjVHILR2WOi2PJAJsGNh63vVguKh1q7iElsUJSdrZZUoN4JPbpr6VU9k1iYqdE7yKJEXbqZCbSnmgyC7W-24jViiy-tTZs5eqEvUMCl093moXJP4q1ilnQgefODl3PK432CsvlI/s1600/gold+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSD8lBjVHILR2WOi2PJAJsGNh63vVguKh1q7iElsUJSdrZZUoN4JPbpr6VU9k1iYqdE7yKJEXbqZCbSnmgyC7W-24jViiy-tTZs5eqEvUMCl093moXJP4q1ilnQgefODl3PK432CsvlI/s200/gold+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I heard there was a gold rush in Alaska so I figured while I’m there I might as well join the frenzy. So we took an excursion to the Eldorado Gold mine where everyone is guaranteed to find some gold.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhCzXywPEdXldibx9fGzKMjBi_KsDBzug-Ptte5jMJSz_LxdfZiadtvLauADKRHNVT7PxsBpMKKvyYXKW43bhgCl8vmiFAGkxsmAKMAqhS12aDx8WnnvoBb_NBSax0AJ_uEEc7UB2PDI/s1600/eldorado.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhCzXywPEdXldibx9fGzKMjBi_KsDBzug-Ptte5jMJSz_LxdfZiadtvLauADKRHNVT7PxsBpMKKvyYXKW43bhgCl8vmiFAGkxsmAKMAqhS12aDx8WnnvoBb_NBSax0AJ_uEEc7UB2PDI/s200/eldorado.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Our tour was conducted by a Fiddle playing conductor who entertained us with songs and a wonderful narration of the history of the Alaskan gold rush.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAkSXBKsMTYMVdZj2HoKtQh2Gycb5zlMsdRlQk7I1e5NQqVCQLnisFFRtrQI81m7BbKIFVcClosNsqIoytY3mebgIzVniGaS7ea1shwsJljoo7eiw9vL8T2r5KWsWBTLFmswPlryY_G4/s1600/IMG_2798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAkSXBKsMTYMVdZj2HoKtQh2Gycb5zlMsdRlQk7I1e5NQqVCQLnisFFRtrQI81m7BbKIFVcClosNsqIoytY3mebgIzVniGaS7ea1shwsJljoo7eiw9vL8T2r5KWsWBTLFmswPlryY_G4/s320/IMG_2798.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXIQeCHd-1MpmmmEKt_KYa_QDk6_V9dHPU4nEIGbJeUP1fyGEQc8g5A-mq6roGCRYR_SafESGn7-rP4FefjIsKuylU_qBB4lJQ3Efz7PgBXZWFW5QP-jLgtquaKyPlQwaT2XYWrvSnyw/s1600/IMG_2796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXIQeCHd-1MpmmmEKt_KYa_QDk6_V9dHPU4nEIGbJeUP1fyGEQc8g5A-mq6roGCRYR_SafESGn7-rP4FefjIsKuylU_qBB4lJQ3Efz7PgBXZWFW5QP-jLgtquaKyPlQwaT2XYWrvSnyw/s320/IMG_2796.jpg" width="320" /></div>The Eldorado Gold Mine employs a colorful cast of characters who showed us how to pan for gold. Once you see a few of the shiny nuggets in your pan, it doesn't take long to catch "Gold Fever". <br />
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I'm giving serious thought to becoming a gold miner... <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx50VZ8Isj8HNa9bqbGYrP2pgPtww-2MV8DuKL3hLFDHjA0jOF1e2VO_H4RdqmROP2-XBznwj_vau6-c-Eb1Z8Sq4vV6b6PD_l1NJkOGP0V4HkbZ327s6gHOZ-PPhyphenhyphenQ9WLM0VtvbgrhMc/s1600/IMG_2800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx50VZ8Isj8HNa9bqbGYrP2pgPtww-2MV8DuKL3hLFDHjA0jOF1e2VO_H4RdqmROP2-XBznwj_vau6-c-Eb1Z8Sq4vV6b6PD_l1NJkOGP0V4HkbZ327s6gHOZ-PPhyphenhyphenQ9WLM0VtvbgrhMc/s200/IMG_2800.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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... gold miners get to wear some serious bling!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvztKj1FOVMLgf2vutUw9w9AMWPfF2e8uFISGJi4wC78IqOSfzG4E2fVm57G8uD8vwu0BN_yxWGwl0wvNaio-TEQkKQCRys92p4BrnPFGnaa0yF5c4lGtdT3rGh6v0Cyo5RKMKFZlxWw/s1600/IMG_2799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvztKj1FOVMLgf2vutUw9w9AMWPfF2e8uFISGJi4wC78IqOSfzG4E2fVm57G8uD8vwu0BN_yxWGwl0wvNaio-TEQkKQCRys92p4BrnPFGnaa0yF5c4lGtdT3rGh6v0Cyo5RKMKFZlxWw/s200/IMG_2799.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
When you finish panning for gold, you can take it into the gift shop where the staff will weigh it and tell you how much is is worth. I wanted to cash in the $38 worth of gold we had panned, but my wife opted to spend another $50 or so in the gift shop to have our gold nuggets encased in a locket (souvenir bling). No wonder the Alaskan gold miners left the women folk back home.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGV1Tqj6LmmNtkgH5u-ACRSku-2GfT-B3VZDACVxqanij2_Pq0g1MHW7CQ3Tnv8BgWvAGFDuAZ55WQ9WAEYGqK1xvc1ID620jXqA6OcUZVoNo11FfAw-K8pFw67rzfKWLhyN3dmw8-cY/s1600/IMG_2809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGV1Tqj6LmmNtkgH5u-ACRSku-2GfT-B3VZDACVxqanij2_Pq0g1MHW7CQ3Tnv8BgWvAGFDuAZ55WQ9WAEYGqK1xvc1ID620jXqA6OcUZVoNo11FfAw-K8pFw67rzfKWLhyN3dmw8-cY/s320/IMG_2809.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUVtoBLBgxX0pGM_mRlADZKwWuH-RzZaiNXkwe8v62Ya_eAFd6cP0uKg95hO3_gxw95PKMFK-4Xjt1L701fe9G4lx7_-fFcllXANzRRUAnbGK9MT_9UNz4r9cuF0vTb7M7vQz0umNsII/s1600/IMG_2801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUVtoBLBgxX0pGM_mRlADZKwWuH-RzZaiNXkwe8v62Ya_eAFd6cP0uKg95hO3_gxw95PKMFK-4Xjt1L701fe9G4lx7_-fFcllXANzRRUAnbGK9MT_9UNz4r9cuF0vTb7M7vQz0umNsII/s320/IMG_2801.jpg" width="212" /></div><br />
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On the way back to the lodge, we saw some of the state’s modern day gold - the 800 mile long Alaska Pipeline! Nearly 500,000 barrels of oil pass through the pipeline each day. We saw the pipeline near it’s halfway point at the 450 mile marker. All in all, this was a very fun and potentially profitable excursion!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoiSyO4MKat4qr-SakBmh519npkiHm_XaqUZ8M7InoRovHGpV-EbFjHfkW4oearWKxrEaOwIf84KVOMd22KQAy1eNZfBYmchwdDskm3bRnzq4q4O646GZxREmgnxE6UY3bzV70IHMFOM/s1600/IMG_0839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAoiSyO4MKat4qr-SakBmh519npkiHm_XaqUZ8M7InoRovHGpV-EbFjHfkW4oearWKxrEaOwIf84KVOMd22KQAy1eNZfBYmchwdDskm3bRnzq4q4O646GZxREmgnxE6UY3bzV70IHMFOM/s320/IMG_0839.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxvMbium0hRLjv8Y6owQkhES0IQiE_DUU6vMj8JFnuBoO4RC25AJPTrxPaoNI2B3bnPhzUvVbYOSIC038b8ae07llXSC5KiTMsikvlgLwZISyRr1X6e200Tz-KfyX4GmYa17N2Xg5xts/s1600/IMG_2784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKxvMbium0hRLjv8Y6owQkhES0IQiE_DUU6vMj8JFnuBoO4RC25AJPTrxPaoNI2B3bnPhzUvVbYOSIC038b8ae07llXSC5KiTMsikvlgLwZISyRr1X6e200Tz-KfyX4GmYa17N2Xg5xts/s320/IMG_2784.jpg" /></a></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-16369203865053895232010-06-23T21:59:00.002-04:002010-07-01T16:26:24.014-04:00Follow Me At Sea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS75PPZunEJEkYCgEylWd0v4K8bb0-HNMr1Jt-x3hm4IokZthbWFlkgH4YIop0fy_vGIfCn2aMap73P9TnUsNb5ps8byShzx_xNjYqGxB5LlClCpoSpS7zc6IbuvwZCFBQr-RljazHt1A/s1600/charliegoldenticket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS75PPZunEJEkYCgEylWd0v4K8bb0-HNMr1Jt-x3hm4IokZthbWFlkgH4YIop0fy_vGIfCn2aMap73P9TnUsNb5ps8byShzx_xNjYqGxB5LlClCpoSpS7zc6IbuvwZCFBQr-RljazHt1A/s200/charliegoldenticket.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>When I learned that I was one of only nine people in the entire Twitterverse invited by Princess Cruises to participate in a Twitter Press trip to Alaska, I felt like the kid in the Willie Wonka movie when he unwrapped his candy bar and discovered the “golden ticket.” <br />
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Over my next few blog entries, I’ll chronicle my adventure, mainly with pictures, because a picture is worth 1000 words and I’m having so much fun, I’ll let the pictures do the talking so I can get back to having more fun.<br />
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I saw my first Polar bear at the Fairbanks airport!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBCGngMfu_oscQ5zujCpO3lUVxtWLRLiAZ70ZpKuiOBO5gsKavspWTZfe2JXTHegmlmvbxwH3n6NO7LvNrLueX1Vu6QTICSc7nrn6Cr72gzjfngNTwH26OL5eCpL5AymJDSbXkKoTtyo/s1600/polarbear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBCGngMfu_oscQ5zujCpO3lUVxtWLRLiAZ70ZpKuiOBO5gsKavspWTZfe2JXTHegmlmvbxwH3n6NO7LvNrLueX1Vu6QTICSc7nrn6Cr72gzjfngNTwH26OL5eCpL5AymJDSbXkKoTtyo/s1600/polarbear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBCGngMfu_oscQ5zujCpO3lUVxtWLRLiAZ70ZpKuiOBO5gsKavspWTZfe2JXTHegmlmvbxwH3n6NO7LvNrLueX1Vu6QTICSc7nrn6Cr72gzjfngNTwH26OL5eCpL5AymJDSbXkKoTtyo/s200/polarbear.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><br />
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Princess Cruises had a bag of swag and a goodie tray waiting for us in our room. (Thank you very much!!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uQYiGFZaNGzMZRy5YSmX8AxGg9udygNyaXBfy3zX3ew1zE0b7u3NGsFamhiqq-PEu1813ddEUjHuI17QTsGZWHC9eYoQg-s5fIiWHUJ0UEKv5TD8xK_00515qZNrQpBSd23HbkZcyPk/s1600/PrincessGoodies.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uQYiGFZaNGzMZRy5YSmX8AxGg9udygNyaXBfy3zX3ew1zE0b7u3NGsFamhiqq-PEu1813ddEUjHuI17QTsGZWHC9eYoQg-s5fIiWHUJ0UEKv5TD8xK_00515qZNrQpBSd23HbkZcyPk/s200/PrincessGoodies.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN9at7WTHPj-bm8-AQ0aRHjN0axlEh6L_5omqYbuAPvXbBKj2Ml5DdWWyQql6LDugjabSmFe2oKotAmcayU1jtxMCsNo8hsoGMNwl3_ViZge89TNUk5ZbF5Dw4C3gGc0dEEQ07_kC7TY/s1600/goodies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdN9at7WTHPj-bm8-AQ0aRHjN0axlEh6L_5omqYbuAPvXbBKj2Ml5DdWWyQql6LDugjabSmFe2oKotAmcayU1jtxMCsNo8hsoGMNwl3_ViZge89TNUk5ZbF5Dw4C3gGc0dEEQ07_kC7TY/s200/goodies.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
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Our first adventure was a riverboat tour of the Chena and Tanana Rivers, where the captain let me pilot the riverboat for about a mile!! Sooo Much fun!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj0pWFK5gqlYp54jLCDVjESDpICKBUseNHD0oe-j_KodhTg2zcbA0ACQ12C3q43NkfAY7GnQ2nbCJSe9OnYuozKgiLWR4_7IO9EmERPavQpnMeip8WNnTA2y-nlCD_LUZajswDQ2pf_8/s1600/CaptainRick.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVj0pWFK5gqlYp54jLCDVjESDpICKBUseNHD0oe-j_KodhTg2zcbA0ACQ12C3q43NkfAY7GnQ2nbCJSe9OnYuozKgiLWR4_7IO9EmERPavQpnMeip8WNnTA2y-nlCD_LUZajswDQ2pf_8/s400/CaptainRick.gif" width="115" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gIxBAVWbPruoIult6-D69sbI3g8oBqzCPguB_DpIfX5JfMFmgpeZqr4Sk9P4CWlBsKiQYZuNAZElFibySKa1C4o1TjuJBPlDxTCrsbw0_9fv04N2Mm-WYFVvu7tZukaNMAl_77_qk_Q/s1600/riverboat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gIxBAVWbPruoIult6-D69sbI3g8oBqzCPguB_DpIfX5JfMFmgpeZqr4Sk9P4CWlBsKiQYZuNAZElFibySKa1C4o1TjuJBPlDxTCrsbw0_9fv04N2Mm-WYFVvu7tZukaNMAl_77_qk_Q/s400/riverboat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
We we saw an Athabascan fish camp and a pretty cool fur fashion show. We even got to take eat some smoked salmon!<br />
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A kennel that trains future Iditarod champions gave us a demonstration as we watched from the boat.<br />
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One out of 58 Alaskans own a plane. It was so cool watching bush planes take off and land on the river.<br />
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I saw my first reindeer. Fortunately, this one wasn't flying so I could snap his picture... or her picture. Interesting fact: both male and female caribou have antlers.<br />
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Some interesting homes can be seen along the river. Some decorate with antlers...<br />
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...others decorate their roofs with tires.<br />
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...others are prepared for floods! Yep, that's a paddle-wheel on the back of that house:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, my favorite! I hope to one day own a house boat like this...I can dream can't I?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_0x1M2VcHdUPZ4TiiS6SSkaGLHNUXN9H_PVhvqA_5IWJmfECdJe_PoxbvDxQHpkKYHMq1BHvopI7rMsWreQipPGl0elqF9pxW1d58HQdU0SNNadAgeeREkccaUZzFIffu4g9lKLGU5o/s1600/riverscenes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_0x1M2VcHdUPZ4TiiS6SSkaGLHNUXN9H_PVhvqA_5IWJmfECdJe_PoxbvDxQHpkKYHMq1BHvopI7rMsWreQipPGl0elqF9pxW1d58HQdU0SNNadAgeeREkccaUZzFIffu4g9lKLGU5o/s320/riverscenes.JPG" /></a> </div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-3077466962282329552010-04-07T21:12:00.001-04:002010-04-29T21:30:03.257-04:00Kansas City Tweet-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WS0w0JDRuxgyoVoUKqJL1dvEtDcsMSR5rdsC1cn1PlY3H0a8l1bSgnJJa4XKhai9Cxe_a14gIZWmFrgV3xAZ17M3yvvM160lLYBZ8M7QmUIbIxlCBh-VJV90gO-PTGykMYUjFBfyg3k/s1600/Waldo+Pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WS0w0JDRuxgyoVoUKqJL1dvEtDcsMSR5rdsC1cn1PlY3H0a8l1bSgnJJa4XKhai9Cxe_a14gIZWmFrgV3xAZ17M3yvvM160lLYBZ8M7QmUIbIxlCBh-VJV90gO-PTGykMYUjFBfyg3k/s200/Waldo+Pizza.jpg" width="184" /></a></div>One of the cool things about my job is that I get to meet some awesome people and ask 'em what's on their bucket list.<br />
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Here are a few awesome new friends I met at a "Tweet-Up" at <a href="http://www.waldopizza.net/welcome/index.html">Waldo Pizza</a> in Kansas City. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What's on your Bucket List? </span><br />
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<object height="212" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lVG5JHha_5E&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lVG5JHha_5E&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="212"></embed></object>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-9118760298642668482010-03-17T20:14:00.007-04:002010-04-12T21:30:59.017-04:00My SXSW Keynote<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdI7ZvM4U4WGVZSQF_fZUZHU7CxZojmn5gi5XSkMAFKT2HDI1bdQTqgtzHKKjRpGTmjWM4d4qRzSUYNQokDNWiRbgZ-dqw9Uiso9XyHJW-ZI045VykKn3DaKlFB6W9KqwmXKPA72q7Nc/s1600/SXSW-2010-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdI7ZvM4U4WGVZSQF_fZUZHU7CxZojmn5gi5XSkMAFKT2HDI1bdQTqgtzHKKjRpGTmjWM4d4qRzSUYNQokDNWiRbgZ-dqw9Uiso9XyHJW-ZI045VykKn3DaKlFB6W9KqwmXKPA72q7Nc/s200/SXSW-2010-logo.jpg" width="100" /></a>The last couple of years I've been hearing a LOT about SXSW (South by SouthWest), the gianormous Music, Film and Interactive festivals that take place each spring in Austin, TX.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk2mDVo4iaLP6SkyoGMFkaWJnHnbDeXuVFy1fQzm4DPmzjw2blciJ9rRGJkCG1ATcEa4PpTg7xLPGHLa6oH69AF-0fNQPu6X0jd4-290IAj1jWDrExcjOiE839xW07trh6p3_WceT1qA/s1600/Austin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvk2mDVo4iaLP6SkyoGMFkaWJnHnbDeXuVFy1fQzm4DPmzjw2blciJ9rRGJkCG1ATcEa4PpTg7xLPGHLa6oH69AF-0fNQPu6X0jd4-290IAj1jWDrExcjOiE839xW07trh6p3_WceT1qA/s200/Austin.jpg" width="75" /></a>The Midlife Road Trip producers said that everybody who was anybody would be at SXSW. So I, along with our hardworking cameraman, Ryan Cavanaugh, a.k.a. "The Dude", ventured into Austin to see what all the hpye was about.<br />
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One of the great things about social media is meeting so many awesome people from all parts of the world. We met and became friends with Andi on Twitter. She was so incredibly helpful in hooking us up with all the cool things to do and great places to eat in the Phoenix area, and she was a blast to hang out with. She and I raced to the top (You'll have to watch the video below to see who won). She also turned us on to <a href="http://www.bryansbarbecue.com/">Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue</a> in Cave Creek, AZ - some of the best BBQ west of the Mississippi!<br />
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If you ever plan to do much traveling I strongly encourage you to get involved with Facebook and Twitter and make some friends who can show you their neck of the world better than guide book or travelogue.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="192" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wkmVglnROfE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wkmVglnROfE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object></div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTf5BjSG7K_lALhgKjJ33eQ7aL28ZmPfKjZbf7YkELApGNqvzdgoNpBiHvzXf7aZnmRiWpy-MjzeiHSl2Db7Ie3_-iUlOlDbXJj2SX2VndgKF1QquXR87pRK0IH6Y9uMNfdRPkbHDR2g/s1600/BryansBBQ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTf5BjSG7K_lALhgKjJ33eQ7aL28ZmPfKjZbf7YkELApGNqvzdgoNpBiHvzXf7aZnmRiWpy-MjzeiHSl2Db7Ie3_-iUlOlDbXJj2SX2VndgKF1QquXR87pRK0IH6Y9uMNfdRPkbHDR2g/s200/BryansBBQ.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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Who'd-a thunk that fried eggs on BBQ could be so good?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkvQJ9e_Td05z7JPxhd6UiEUaQf62bfyKTfeFW66v-oKBQStkDKupziTIflN1E89FCYdnUlpVMFeDjc5JgHIF3yorL7V6R4Egx6AN-GJbSu880xXMRYVpoLrMltL1Kw3CiwPdDETwzJY/s1600/Co-hosts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkvQJ9e_Td05z7JPxhd6UiEUaQf62bfyKTfeFW66v-oKBQStkDKupziTIflN1E89FCYdnUlpVMFeDjc5JgHIF3yorL7V6R4Egx6AN-GJbSu880xXMRYVpoLrMltL1Kw3CiwPdDETwzJY/s200/Co-hosts.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Midlife Road Trip stars, Sandi McKenna and Sher Bailey with our Phoenix Ambassador, Andi Barness.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteN9fp6awZRGb4P80agLU6mmC3L9HKAIbCm8On3VpcCJFMizOUMjVNzaJyWgOIOVX_3ZiZlFPIZvQvfhnguPSK5aH7ncSD-o9hwJslH-EklQB6yojIbzfm3Qr_iGb86M42xYI4gaF1qM/s1600/Bryan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiteN9fp6awZRGb4P80agLU6mmC3L9HKAIbCm8On3VpcCJFMizOUMjVNzaJyWgOIOVX_3ZiZlFPIZvQvfhnguPSK5aH7ncSD-o9hwJslH-EklQB6yojIbzfm3Qr_iGb86M42xYI4gaF1qM/s200/Bryan.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Me and Bryan, himself!RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-74771263003497123702010-03-08T15:47:00.001-05:002010-04-11T15:59:22.113-04:00Interview with Jeffrey HattrickHere is the video of our interview with Jeffrey Hattrick, the Tea Sommelier at the Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="192" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2yJFcxh4oE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/R2yJFcxh4oE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="192"></embed></object></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-50698150737944229232010-02-25T07:36:00.008-05:002010-02-25T22:16:03.118-05:00Puttin' on the Ritz<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC80ij9pZw-vcjpNLPGUe5bJMulSJIJ8HKLpzDEX8aCilxfmTk-byEehH_K1HC6KS77Bn8mqRGPhdXRQDLRf_Qc4tLNNPOlaL2MhitvYnqsU4uUS7ZS-T8eeOyMGTRrnoNapHU7Jxx9Ig/s1600-h/Balloon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC80ij9pZw-vcjpNLPGUe5bJMulSJIJ8HKLpzDEX8aCilxfmTk-byEehH_K1HC6KS77Bn8mqRGPhdXRQDLRf_Qc4tLNNPOlaL2MhitvYnqsU4uUS7ZS-T8eeOyMGTRrnoNapHU7Jxx9Ig/s200/Balloon.jpg" width="150" /></a> <img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtLE1R2SuaQb4LBOQLjqHMy-0mPNCAsWGvpVotXPr4tGfsnu1qFft_qsF4ZDqJfoEab8pnUeO5hHCPM4R4KzVATPWnW8VxLkYFn3njvF0EWuuRqSWEOPxwxqU5BN1nSvQkVSIR7mvfvKQ/s200/tomcar.jpg" width="165" /><br />
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So we headed out to Phoenix to shoot another episode of <a href="http://www.midliferoadtripshow.com/">Midlife Road Trip</a>. I was especially excited as the agenda called for hot air ballooning, tom-car riding, rock climbing and machine gun shooting. Most experts agree that these activities are best done outdoors.<br />
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Prior to our arrival, it hadn’t rained inPhoenix for like 3 months. Wouldn’t ya know it, it rained for three of the four days we were there and everything but the rock climbing at <a href="http://azontherocks.com/">AZ on the Rocks</a>, was cancelled.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ordinarily I would have been totally bummed, missing out on so much fun, BUT we were fortunate enough to be staying at the <a href="http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Phoenix/Default.htm">Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix</a>. Believe me, there are worse places to be stuck in the rain. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIohS5iPDueowLOvyXFUWg-iqz3RAT_XehKCbD48qEdM76tZpPjqTlwBgnKSAwuUgcbf9778_RXPxlKiqUa0_ZofClTBSAz1tMfoYwxh3Gh98bpSnxfzo9-k2r6Fw0DIueA38uaAI3t88/s1600-h/Ritz.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIohS5iPDueowLOvyXFUWg-iqz3RAT_XehKCbD48qEdM76tZpPjqTlwBgnKSAwuUgcbf9778_RXPxlKiqUa0_ZofClTBSAz1tMfoYwxh3Gh98bpSnxfzo9-k2r6Fw0DIueA38uaAI3t88/s320/Ritz.jpg" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFCfs_ExBkF4rQrF428wJIuArclWx5P7rIlGHKTBmlLmmsXXhhzItI9R4WOo-r02bO0IsZnkIV4tU9hfArLSxWA9o0Rm7vhZQaQq9lD_KFZ-ZsK2UX_rs6TNPAJWQORsbEaigTNRHf7c/s1600-h/RitzRobe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFCfs_ExBkF4rQrF428wJIuArclWx5P7rIlGHKTBmlLmmsXXhhzItI9R4WOo-r02bO0IsZnkIV4tU9hfArLSxWA9o0Rm7vhZQaQq9lD_KFZ-ZsK2UX_rs6TNPAJWQORsbEaigTNRHf7c/s200/RitzRobe.jpg" width="147" /></a><br />
I got to see the touring cast from Boradway’s Mary Poppins Musical perform and entertain guests at an afternoon tea. I got to interview <a href="http://www.jeffreystea.com/index2.php">Jeffrey Hattrick</a>, the world’s foremost tea sommelier, (I didn’t even know there was such a thing) and I got to experience the legendary Ritz-Carlton service. The Ritz Carleton in Phoenix definitely earns the Midlife Road Trip Seal of Excellence. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisp0l4vpsMYmihjccTZshhuhjd-IKnlsexrLvORTsdWf5YR4EM65R-9r4J9oxpOoZd-KK_rnPuG4JrYk-nT9VsGfJV3FXGkgjopum26ii2RhVw9bieHUZnQ5TneuESNV0WL8V6t2pymPs/s1600-h/Seal.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisp0l4vpsMYmihjccTZshhuhjd-IKnlsexrLvORTsdWf5YR4EM65R-9r4J9oxpOoZd-KK_rnPuG4JrYk-nT9VsGfJV3FXGkgjopum26ii2RhVw9bieHUZnQ5TneuESNV0WL8V6t2pymPs/s200/Seal.gif" style="cursor: move;" width="171" /></a>I would check “puttin on the Ritz” off my bucket list, but after this experience, I'm amending my list to to say "Stay at at Every Ritz-Carlton hotel in the world." That's not unreasonable, is it?<br />
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...and NO, I didn’t steal the robe…I just borrowed it for the picture:)RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-57003657868866604542010-02-14T18:02:00.004-05:002010-02-15T00:46:52.809-05:00Vegas is ADD ParadiseI just got back from a quick weekend jaunt to Vegas. I took my wife as sort of a valentines gift. My job was to win money and her job was to spend money. She was a lot better at her job than I was at mine. <br />
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Though I’m not much for shopping or gambling, I still dig Vegas - it’s ADD paradise.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Check out what we were able to see, </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">all within 100 yards of our hotel!</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYE08OVCiGlUbftRrTlJ6DVGuZG8Wc3TGpkhMBQUx4tw4MBfG-fbxpEAWFmH0hMKpeLFuJlCyKinHigTcBAJulIMm6bGKTCdHquSwfh_gQtjbWfJ4TU90GIJnZ4N1Bf_ir8Vi225W6ozQ/s1600-h/mime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYE08OVCiGlUbftRrTlJ6DVGuZG8Wc3TGpkhMBQUx4tw4MBfG-fbxpEAWFmH0hMKpeLFuJlCyKinHigTcBAJulIMm6bGKTCdHquSwfh_gQtjbWfJ4TU90GIJnZ4N1Bf_ir8Vi225W6ozQ/s400/mime.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Dead Celebrities, pictured with my lovely wife, Denise, and Austin Powers</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDrQx1S6k8i7db_cHqbcZSk21FtlLO56W4JvmgLYFfnr3xKDoztngR1r4_gVlfOZy_fzgGfWjpHOUDOHScHLx5TI9LywfJ3xieDsw0fa-N7yRsvUBKJ-5ArgyDbdO4izPrPJ7HL1Jk7c/s1600-h/WhyLie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDrQx1S6k8i7db_cHqbcZSk21FtlLO56W4JvmgLYFfnr3xKDoztngR1r4_gVlfOZy_fzgGfWjpHOUDOHScHLx5TI9LywfJ3xieDsw0fa-N7yRsvUBKJ-5ArgyDbdO4izPrPJ7HL1Jk7c/s400/WhyLie.jpg" width="400" /></a></b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b> Honesty and integrity are important in any business. I liked this guy so I became a customer.</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYICNkn9Y5FCZCngJl2xbqxXQ9E-WveeTZ0t6N5J7nQqb_R_YNY2kprvZIkanD4shfp_0S6JLJIKzrIw3WexMtclQVHadZRGI5pDW3BLEmmcNGedlwcf2nQAzaYBhDF04kQAGzB7szCE/s1600-h/two-tone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYICNkn9Y5FCZCngJl2xbqxXQ9E-WveeTZ0t6N5J7nQqb_R_YNY2kprvZIkanD4shfp_0S6JLJIKzrIw3WexMtclQVHadZRGI5pDW3BLEmmcNGedlwcf2nQAzaYBhDF04kQAGzB7szCE/s400/two-tone.jpg" width="300" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Not just anybody can make two-tone shoes, a white polyester suite with a blue silk shirt, and a comb-over, look cool and classy in an old school mafia kind of way. </b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW6_X0R5-h9jwyVOIA-vcKk0V7nYsZoubQ5DZMAQTDHZ2K7gQTNZLX8_HlZWhyiyFQNplhHKS3IlkKCcboBaVuBt4qlpbKoLq-YHqzmwQmye6IjyJk3pSlaVeQ1AIVvWVmsn21K4VllM/s1600-h/2010-02-12+18.43.45.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZW6_X0R5-h9jwyVOIA-vcKk0V7nYsZoubQ5DZMAQTDHZ2K7gQTNZLX8_HlZWhyiyFQNplhHKS3IlkKCcboBaVuBt4qlpbKoLq-YHqzmwQmye6IjyJk3pSlaVeQ1AIVvWVmsn21K4VllM/s400/2010-02-12+18.43.45.jpg" width="400" /></a> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b> A giant shiny horse. You know how ADD people are about shiny things.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLDIyMJg-zFSIkdFPqXSc3khc8reGWTUXk7VKUZIZsidyrBJSyXza9vc-6wh4c6XMo7-MBDRECqKKvcKKZRvZEqrFdrZWsiUXC4OHqtdfkac_kCAfP0KzECZZER9eEn4kARYRq-b3Cv8/s1600-h/2010-02-12+11.02.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNLDIyMJg-zFSIkdFPqXSc3khc8reGWTUXk7VKUZIZsidyrBJSyXza9vc-6wh4c6XMo7-MBDRECqKKvcKKZRvZEqrFdrZWsiUXC4OHqtdfkac_kCAfP0KzECZZER9eEn4kARYRq-b3Cv8/s400/2010-02-12+11.02.06.jpg" width="298" /></a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Fake, wonderful, wonder of the world.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd2WEopDEBbmIDQwm2sorNkWVxTLraPxOBFZjin04SymNhsIphImrrGDDZULb9PPE29cMn0XWBpmgU8xxnlapXmQvCtQKrxgnlDtDhn2X7FzeQVW3dtxg1ncs90oSbplrUAwVglZQ_Ic/s1600-h/hot_babes_billboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyd2WEopDEBbmIDQwm2sorNkWVxTLraPxOBFZjin04SymNhsIphImrrGDDZULb9PPE29cMn0XWBpmgU8xxnlapXmQvCtQKrxgnlDtDhn2X7FzeQVW3dtxg1ncs90oSbplrUAwVglZQ_Ic/s400/hot_babes_billboard.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b></b> </div><b>Oh, and trucks that deliver Hot Babes direct to you? I wonder how many girls they carry in one of those trucks…..hmmmmm. I bet they wouldn’t be so hot if they cut some air vents in the truck.<br />
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</div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-10406095720216189812010-02-01T18:58:00.000-05:002010-02-01T18:58:21.594-05:00Bathroom Mirror<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Al902WKj0AIQv_Ch2LKiImcgFvyrcP0vVwp5Dx5_TY_MDJ2JA6DYEiA5q3Z6QAVd1EBPUYtGDgm9oBHyGvDvXoCLtRAJ6H9tm_sCXVqaXzwY0kaEK-xRk3I0N55dvWBwaPNQgWe3drE/s1600-h/2010-02-01+09.36.53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Al902WKj0AIQv_Ch2LKiImcgFvyrcP0vVwp5Dx5_TY_MDJ2JA6DYEiA5q3Z6QAVd1EBPUYtGDgm9oBHyGvDvXoCLtRAJ6H9tm_sCXVqaXzwY0kaEK-xRk3I0N55dvWBwaPNQgWe3drE/s200/2010-02-01+09.36.53.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8XCwicCMmbSIVnL3CPTx416eu0qkkrrOds106gY08P3LB35-auVAKppz9tVV_nwIULjyLRaGiMUmfiWITn1ZUFJqvBv_30VgLAWKY8o5bCXOA95XAyBJkNiiKW-rKtaG7ZcprpocVDY/s1600-h/2010-02-01+09.37.19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY8XCwicCMmbSIVnL3CPTx416eu0qkkrrOds106gY08P3LB35-auVAKppz9tVV_nwIULjyLRaGiMUmfiWITn1ZUFJqvBv_30VgLAWKY8o5bCXOA95XAyBJkNiiKW-rKtaG7ZcprpocVDY/s200/2010-02-01+09.37.19.jpg" width="149" /></a> OK, so I go out of town to film an episode of Midlife Road Trip. I return to learn that my wife “saved” the family $90 by purchasing a $140 mirror that was marked down to $50 - some kind of weird female math that they teach in home economics classes in public schools.<br />
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She proudly hung it in the master bathroom. And though I am $50 poorer, I have to admit that it is a nice looking mirror. The only problem is that in placing the mirror, she failed to consider that I don’t always sit down when using the bathroom. So what I see in the mirror is not only bad for my self-esteem on cold mornings, it’s causing me to want to sit down every time I have to go. All those years of perfecting my aim, wasted.RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-49342773444056142852010-01-29T23:01:00.011-05:002010-01-30T09:40:11.853-05:00Expiration Dates<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy4Z3YBebAZsd6E4WGuVXbQnKFj95J5ladtMmJ7rBuN86e2dw-4EuiXgpJmskI7RuDAP3Dzx0-z_SQuTfzeKe5u30r3ximnTvUvfTQTMQgWe-ehLxlLdCoACCnymbIJ0vMPYBBkko_Y4/s1600-h/SourCream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsy4Z3YBebAZsd6E4WGuVXbQnKFj95J5ladtMmJ7rBuN86e2dw-4EuiXgpJmskI7RuDAP3Dzx0-z_SQuTfzeKe5u30r3ximnTvUvfTQTMQgWe-ehLxlLdCoACCnymbIJ0vMPYBBkko_Y4/s200/SourCream.jpg" width="200" /></a> There it was, way in the back of the refrigerator, an unopened container of sour cream. Exactly what I needed to top my spinach and mushroom quesadilla - yummy!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3CcPRCxwUNf6nRI2t_sx2Yxh57hMLiercgsfUoZe1CyoFfYep5s0HMk69F8vGTxM9GyLnRq3ERi_UBHfJwFpaT5ntoO_kB8jSal30gCSxNsx0LA0ExS3xNDhw3eyIGuuhdBSYMZmiI8/s1600-h/expiration-date1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3CcPRCxwUNf6nRI2t_sx2Yxh57hMLiercgsfUoZe1CyoFfYep5s0HMk69F8vGTxM9GyLnRq3ERi_UBHfJwFpaT5ntoO_kB8jSal30gCSxNsx0LA0ExS3xNDhw3eyIGuuhdBSYMZmiI8/s200/expiration-date1.gif" width="133" /></a><br />
But DANG IT!!! The expiration date was like 8 months ago. I opened it anyway. It’s sour cream for goodness sake. It’s already sour. Surely if it had never been opened it’d still be good - right? WRONG. I’ll spare you the details. Sadly I had to toss a full container of sour cream in the garbage.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8Tf_rrYd9W6SbCTp-gXNHyDaCknGCVIlnzTPDUOlTSFJOKMzTUqR9b7o_qjVW4Hmk91F4sWOiFRd9H9zWTZv5WZOUaEwSOmXiQnaouB61ho8fmfDzcXIUq8XqY0bEHw3tsMkEfFx59Y/s1600-h/SD2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz8Tf_rrYd9W6SbCTp-gXNHyDaCknGCVIlnzTPDUOlTSFJOKMzTUqR9b7o_qjVW4Hmk91F4sWOiFRd9H9zWTZv5WZOUaEwSOmXiQnaouB61ho8fmfDzcXIUq8XqY0bEHw3tsMkEfFx59Y/s200/SD2.gif" width="200" /></a></div> That happened about three days before I was scheduled to jump out of an airplane for an episode of MidlifeRoad Trip. It got me to thinking about expiration dates.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PJo6-cugfg7Ji-L5WcUa50SQY7Ewp9l1_23C0EZniErXvVgYyD7czS_PpKKeYiLJIHkoMe1tt6fZkl3pesG_QpsKDyb7SrqWumC0RkrB1jpjOvoE2ZkbuvHkAlKalexXhOEoEDYiXqk/s1600-h/Skydive2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PJo6-cugfg7Ji-L5WcUa50SQY7Ewp9l1_23C0EZniErXvVgYyD7czS_PpKKeYiLJIHkoMe1tt6fZkl3pesG_QpsKDyb7SrqWumC0RkrB1jpjOvoE2ZkbuvHkAlKalexXhOEoEDYiXqk/s200/Skydive2.gif" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhny1SFO_uITzYhGbQeOVpf5Jldtbh9aeOQN8OMvg2NTQHvxDfw2H_AX37vvolNR2a4QBg4FCaqJtj8FHnrMxaRcpZkrDDQHjpLOyXKK71xpMhaKXrYBELE1_S46KawXxshkbjT6OHhxXE/s1600-h/SD3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhny1SFO_uITzYhGbQeOVpf5Jldtbh9aeOQN8OMvg2NTQHvxDfw2H_AX37vvolNR2a4QBg4FCaqJtj8FHnrMxaRcpZkrDDQHjpLOyXKK71xpMhaKXrYBELE1_S46KawXxshkbjT6OHhxXE/s200/SD3.gif" width="200" /></a><br />
Like it or not, all of us have an expiration date. But unlike sour cream, we don’t know when it is. Any doubts I had about skydiving vanished as I thought of what a waste it was to throw away an unopened container of sour cream. <br />
<br />
When ever my expiration date rolls around, I don’t want any unexplored opportunities, unfulfilled experiences or unchased dreams left in my container. I want my container empty with the insides licked clean.<br />
<br />
There’s something about Midlife when your hair starts graying, your bones start aching and your… you know … starts you knowing, that makes you start thinking about your own mortaility. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hbH3rKLAGE29ya5Ps2oYYY4wU1OwuCoYIlMRbVLyFPyJ2hEVAM9DUD4L11QiI0CWG3W1nSKZBj3-LavMiNZltkDxs4s3TQ5ikeOvJOUm3e1zpks7bKvrZcHBrPLyu8VrDC1pEq68zfg/s1600-h/SD4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1hbH3rKLAGE29ya5Ps2oYYY4wU1OwuCoYIlMRbVLyFPyJ2hEVAM9DUD4L11QiI0CWG3W1nSKZBj3-LavMiNZltkDxs4s3TQ5ikeOvJOUm3e1zpks7bKvrZcHBrPLyu8VrDC1pEq68zfg/s200/SD4.gif" width="200" /></a></div>This is one of my favorite poems of all time. I think it puts expiration dates in their proper perspective. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #fff2cc;"><i>The Dash Poem</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc;"><i>by Linda Ellis</i></div></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i><br />
<i>I read of a man who stood to speak
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>At the funeral of a friend.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>He referred to the dates on her tombstone</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>From the beginning to the end.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i> </i><br />
<i>He noted that first came the date of her birth</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And spoke of the following date with tears,
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>But he said what mattered most of all</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Was the dash between those years.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>For that dash represents all the time</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>That she spent alive on earth
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And now only those who loved her</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Know what that little line is worth.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>For it matters not, how much we own,
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>The cars, the house, the cash,
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>What matters is how we live and love
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And how we spend our dash.
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>So think about this long and hard;
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Are there things you'd like to change?
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>For you never know how much time is left</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>That can still be rearranged.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>If we could just slow down enough
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>To consider what's true and real</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And always try to understand
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>The way other people feel.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And be less quick to anger</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And show appreciation more
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And love the people in our lives
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Like we've never loved before.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>If we treat each other with respect</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>And more often wear a smile,
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Remembering that this special dash
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Might only last a little while.</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>So when your eulogy is being read</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>With your life's actions to rehash
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>Would you be proud of the things they say
</i></div><div style="color: #fff2cc; text-align: center;"><i>About how you spent your dash?</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">© 1996 Linda Ellis</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.lindaellis.net/">www.lindaellis.net</a></div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-5729117387966691672010-01-25T20:09:00.000-05:002010-01-25T20:09:13.109-05:00Contemplating Murder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPRvT19RY1Wk3vBtMEK4eKAexkyt7friM0mKKMOVXDSOQ0P-EO8mNH7QnUfNEVPUguZf0Ec_78VYqJ7jFSYrK3QGwtAJEpBp95B0p6xw7ctdIhjr_TCVEN0ESJougHMyJMjY-RBMzlH4/s1600-h/nudelaptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a><br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtCgtYxXQN8o3O7LtqWnjjjqrYHJx9ASVXbcvPITUgYlmmufvaMRR4QbGqvykNpjeZ980YHKazsl48Hb_lqcgZvU_rCnICei2Iv2b9r_i8ZNQpiYxYKUZ02Vp2PfTbNS6hkd9hiQzAAA/s1600-h/handcuffs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtCgtYxXQN8o3O7LtqWnjjjqrYHJx9ASVXbcvPITUgYlmmufvaMRR4QbGqvykNpjeZ980YHKazsl48Hb_lqcgZvU_rCnICei2Iv2b9r_i8ZNQpiYxYKUZ02Vp2PfTbNS6hkd9hiQzAAA/s200/handcuffs.jpg" width="200" /></a>I’m in really nice resort / conference center in Tampa, FLorida. I never intended to write a real-time blog but it’s 3:10 a.m. and I can’t sleep.<br />
I can’t sleep because I have a roommate.<br />
My roommate is snoring.<br />
My roommate is snoring, loudly.<br />
My roommate is J.D. Lindman. J.D is the executive producer of the Midlife Road Trip show. We have a busy production schedule later in the morning - much later. When on the road, we often room together in order to share expenses. J.D. has become one of my best friends in the world.<br />
Friendship aside, J.D.’s snoring is unbelievably annoying. I am contemplating using the pillow that is no longer of use to me, to shut J.D. up - permanently.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVchPhjaXRvQQba4ZQD_RCbv4idnXyRLB1bJOMtFlwY8E0DxLEGW3bKwi_4JwAxiZxwbuUoz2FSHRvnj-_5MwxuDJD13gZYKmWvAfQ2pYryrMi6x137iv8_Kopu1WzBe2nN1aR5qOiYg4/s1600-h/smother.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVchPhjaXRvQQba4ZQD_RCbv4idnXyRLB1bJOMtFlwY8E0DxLEGW3bKwi_4JwAxiZxwbuUoz2FSHRvnj-_5MwxuDJD13gZYKmWvAfQ2pYryrMi6x137iv8_Kopu1WzBe2nN1aR5qOiYg4/s200/smother.png" width="200" /></a><br />
</div> I’ll be right back.<br />
...<br />
...<br />
Didn’t go through with it. I couldn’t live with the guilt of snuffing out a friend. Besides, I’d have to pay for the whole room myself. I think I’ll get a shower. <br />
Be back soon.<br />
...<br />
...<br />
I remembered to wash behind my ears. Even in the shower, with the water running, I could hear J.D. snoring. He hasn’t always been this bad. That can’t be healthy. He needs to get something checked. I think I’ll wake him up. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPRvT19RY1Wk3vBtMEK4eKAexkyt7friM0mKKMOVXDSOQ0P-EO8mNH7QnUfNEVPUguZf0Ec_78VYqJ7jFSYrK3QGwtAJEpBp95B0p6xw7ctdIhjr_TCVEN0ESJougHMyJMjY-RBMzlH4/s1600-h/nudelaptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixPRvT19RY1Wk3vBtMEK4eKAexkyt7friM0mKKMOVXDSOQ0P-EO8mNH7QnUfNEVPUguZf0Ec_78VYqJ7jFSYrK3QGwtAJEpBp95B0p6xw7ctdIhjr_TCVEN0ESJougHMyJMjY-RBMzlH4/s400/nudelaptop.jpg" width="265" /></a> Back in a few...<br />
...<br />
I guess I’d better put some clothes on first. If a naked man woke me up at 3:40 a.m., Im not sure what I’d think. I certainly wouldn’t room with him again. I’d better get dressed first. <br />
Where are my socks?<br />
This is the first time I have ever written anything naked. I’m actually feeling very creative; I’ll have to remember to try this next time I get a case of writer’s block, unless it’s one of those times when I’m writing in a hotel lobby. <br />
Should probably get dressed.<br />
Don’t look.<br />
...<br />
...<br />
O.K. I’m dressed now, but I’m not sure how I’m going to wake J.D. I have an idea, but it’s risky. I’ll let you know how it goes.<br />
Pray it works.<br />
....<br />
<br />
It didn’t work like it did in camp. I filled the ice bucket with warm water and tried putting J.D.’s hand in it. He spilled the bucket all over the bed. He didn’t think it was funny, but at least he’s awake now. In fact, he’s taking a shower. He thinks it’s somewhere around 6:30 a.m. He wants to go to breakfast as soon as he gets dressed. <br />
I’m going sleep, y’all. RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-90169049697297535672010-01-19T20:22:00.000-05:002010-01-19T20:22:46.382-05:00Writing for Leno<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAq64LuXXlvCODQFqsS3yZ_MIrLK59w0eqW0IddwQB6O8ErD-zobNVKJL2VC-4bGk8LLf7oxqR5LSvRWJpYpWOwe3wkCgEZt7yiJewSBzW9y3ue4NHYrcXZS_bbqT4QWOiprLLCNGQOM/s1600-h/Leno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTAq64LuXXlvCODQFqsS3yZ_MIrLK59w0eqW0IddwQB6O8ErD-zobNVKJL2VC-4bGk8LLf7oxqR5LSvRWJpYpWOwe3wkCgEZt7yiJewSBzW9y3ue4NHYrcXZS_bbqT4QWOiprLLCNGQOM/s200/Leno.jpg" /></a> Being raised in the Bible belt, I was a taught that it is a sin to brag. I have always felt that whatever level of success I attain as a writer should be attributed to what I have written, not for whom I have written. I want my writing to stand on its own merits.<br />
That said, one of the Midlife Road Trip producers insisted that I should at least mention I had written material for Jay Leno, of Tonight Show fame. She said that it would not be bragging if I mentioned how I now look back on those years with a great sense of humility - which in all sincerity, I do.<br />
Right now, my life’s work is guiding others through their midlife journeys; showing them how to live their lives to the fullest, without regrets; encouraging them to take chances and fulfill their dreams. How can I be an encouragement to others without sharing a personal experience of a time when I threw caution to the wind in pursuit of my dream to make the world laugh?<br />
So I guess it's not bragging if my intent is to encourage others, right? I think this letter received from Mr. Leno, shortly before I decided to pursue other endeavors, conveys the nature of our professional relationship. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXAR_ff4y4IgYrEDrwFrDYNJ74mbicc9XN7-NgwKmY8IMiGRGIzFP_okfaD5NPYwBE572CKZL6dB346-gjdmvnRei15xBelQb2kiCxXXB0dhk4SYPYZTzvya7EAwUL1mXd2KwGmT_K_s/s1600-h/LenoLetter+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnXAR_ff4y4IgYrEDrwFrDYNJ74mbicc9XN7-NgwKmY8IMiGRGIzFP_okfaD5NPYwBE572CKZL6dB346-gjdmvnRei15xBelQb2kiCxXXB0dhk4SYPYZTzvya7EAwUL1mXd2KwGmT_K_s/s320/LenoLetter+copy.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-7944450412491948572010-01-13T13:29:00.009-05:002010-01-15T10:35:02.691-05:00Please Don't Kill Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXe_j7hm1ozOWiBho2Hl8Ms68Q_JkcV_K8I2YYYDjpu2UaDfrbWiLdhiHd_k3Qj1TbHI2xb3sYAoOSysOfGoNw5eatWJtX6I9Gr3deM07keiUJEmqgUz54cBLDR7qVvgfbcwFlDg70Tg/s1600-h/ADD.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXe_j7hm1ozOWiBho2Hl8Ms68Q_JkcV_K8I2YYYDjpu2UaDfrbWiLdhiHd_k3Qj1TbHI2xb3sYAoOSysOfGoNw5eatWJtX6I9Gr3deM07keiUJEmqgUz54cBLDR7qVvgfbcwFlDg70Tg/s200/ADD.gif" /></a>I have always been a little off, a little twisted. My momma says I was a handful growing up. If somebody says you’re a “handful”, it’s just a polite, Southern way of saying you are a pain in the butt. <br />
</div><br />
I debated whether it is O.K. to say “butt” because I’m not sure if it is a cuss word or not. But then I remembered what the King James Bible calls a donkey, and I figured it was all right. <br />
<br />
My momma is a very intelligent woman; she has her Master’s Degree in early childhood education. While I was growing up, she tried everything she knew to get me under control, but I was still a handful. Eventually she decided to have me evaluated. She arranged for some “professionals” with legal pads to visit my school and observe me throughout the day.<br />
<br />
These experts told Momma that I had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD, which is just a big, fancy, clinical way of saying I was a “handful”. Momma already knew that, but I guess we had good insurance and she wanted to have it confirmed.<br />
<br />
I still remember the first time Momma ever talked to me about ADHD; she was so kind and loving. She sat me down, took my little hands in hers and looked into my eyes. Then she pinched my cheeks real hard so I’d look into her eyes. <br />
<br />
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">“Honey, you have a condition known as Attention Deficit….Look at me….Attention Deficit Hyper…LOOK AT ME!… Hyperactivity Dis…. Just take this little pill RIGHT NOW!”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74mu6y7m8tjM5ZEKHCubZHUjadsb9JwJlHhzqmocnRZYzTWxhpcn2MF4v8pSrp-zuzBA1-kaV85XskCoeqG5g0PyjxSzlcDCpg_j2lg_qryfgjjGryY41N3usfWSLYTOZRke4lJ8fsv0/s1600-h/HandfulPills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74mu6y7m8tjM5ZEKHCubZHUjadsb9JwJlHhzqmocnRZYzTWxhpcn2MF4v8pSrp-zuzBA1-kaV85XskCoeqG5g0PyjxSzlcDCpg_j2lg_qryfgjjGryY41N3usfWSLYTOZRke4lJ8fsv0/s200/HandfulPills.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
“What’s it do?” I asked.<br />
<br />
She knew I was too young to understand the chemistry behind it so she said, “It will help you to grow up to be big and strong and live a long life!”<br />
<br />
Frightened, I asked, “Will I die if I don’t take it?”<br />
<br />
She said, “No, honey, no. You won’t die... But somebody might kill you.”<br />
<br />
After all these years, I am taking myself off my ADD meds. Midlife is the time you give your self permission to be yourself. I’m not sure that I am myself when I’m on the meds. <br />
<br />
As I transition back to my natural ADD glory, I’m not sure what I’ll say or what I’ll do, but it will be me who says is and does it. Just please know that it is never, ever, ever my intent to offend anyone – except maybe the Amish – but that’s only because I know they don’t read my blog.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjgbNdHuqVnW9XqLtojsx0Gnl-dlqDNuXmgcsUsEyWbcLQYROVmANBu3tAU1snzcjd2DLhy-R1rGNLHP2bBIecEMzX7vRq_k_f-bNPIwAf_P3TrZwsyUKku5FipXwYZD3jQNqSFiU1ew/s1600-h/Amish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjgbNdHuqVnW9XqLtojsx0Gnl-dlqDNuXmgcsUsEyWbcLQYROVmANBu3tAU1snzcjd2DLhy-R1rGNLHP2bBIecEMzX7vRq_k_f-bNPIwAf_P3TrZwsyUKku5FipXwYZD3jQNqSFiU1ew/s320/Amish.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-63095781869516539902010-01-06T21:00:00.059-05:002010-01-06T23:34:16.061-05:00CRAPPY New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So here’s what happened. After church, a group of us headed into Atlanta for some Thai food. I voted for Mexican because I knew that this particular Thai restaurant didn’t have wi-fi to support my Twitter addiction. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjFbp1wrT5oC7fhUOiARUVO5Ba8aKuW8kIry53EAAuQD7U-h_T7AvNsaFZTZ2-IAnL9dFjy8Eb9QuGya-61BDp9gZ1RSuMrp4XxChgsofQ5rIPLNRyrx2EfJRhVGtOmvyqdoN-hztgmk/s1600-h/stolenlaptop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjFbp1wrT5oC7fhUOiARUVO5Ba8aKuW8kIry53EAAuQD7U-h_T7AvNsaFZTZ2-IAnL9dFjy8Eb9QuGya-61BDp9gZ1RSuMrp4XxChgsofQ5rIPLNRyrx2EfJRhVGtOmvyqdoN-hztgmk/s200/stolenlaptop.jpg" /></a>Since I couldn’t tweet and eat, I left my 3-month-old, 17”Macbook Pro in the car. Even though we were in a “safe” part of town, I wisely hid my laptop on the floor of the rear passenger seat. And then to be extra safe, I covered it with my leather jacket.<br />
<br />
When we returned to the car, we found a shattered window. But we didn’t find my laptop or my leather jacket - which obviously fled the scene in shame for not fulfilling its leather jackety duties of protecting my laptop. <br />
<br />
I then uttered my first cuss word(s) of the new year, which is OK because I didn’t make a resolution not to cuss. Besides, screaming "Happy FAMOUS New Year to me! DARN it! shucks, Shucks, SHUCKS!" doesn't have the same therapeutic effect. <br />
<br />
We called 911, but since no one was bleeding, we were given a low priority. After waiting for two and a half hours in 26 degree weather, I called 911 AGAIN to report hypothermia and frost bite, thinking it might move us up in priority. <br />
<br />
While I was on the phone, an officer finally arrived. He told us that particular parking lot was hit 6-8 times per week. He said that the thief was probably a crack-head who traded my $2,800 computer to his junkie for a hit of crack.<br />
<br />
Had the officer told me that the thief had traded my laptop for a hit of crack AND a hooker, I’d have felt much better knowing that I wasn’t the only one who got screwed. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAwmBCu2-Si-qtB-o_NRc6_R5O31DbtS_mSj8FR4vWYfNu5bEctHIIaRjOY5rKYagIJUICFSicQXj1G-fc0946z4LPB_g56jxQzOjo5v7U5_InI-HDyKwtbN7SwY9KFlTZVtBaJ-9DX0/s1600-h/CowboyRick-NYC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXAwmBCu2-Si-qtB-o_NRc6_R5O31DbtS_mSj8FR4vWYfNu5bEctHIIaRjOY5rKYagIJUICFSicQXj1G-fc0946z4LPB_g56jxQzOjo5v7U5_InI-HDyKwtbN7SwY9KFlTZVtBaJ-9DX0/s200/CowboyRick-NYC.jpg" /></a><br />
On the off chance that whoever took my computer is reading my blog, please know that I will buy you a whole week’s supply of crack and hookers for it’s safe return - maybe even a month's supply! I don’t really know the current market price for either. <br />
<br />
NOTE to everyone else reading this blog: Please be advised that my missing laptop had a current version of Photoshop and many personal pictures. So any unflattering or compromising pictures of me that EVER appear in the internet, are probably just the work of a creative druggie.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvb5881Q6lsmvlkbWzhxg-9Ex_hnf8kgtUfYgmIe6wTsPr7XOvGVK4TVGuG9EkZaw6kOqirwF2r9G6D7e1Q7RNrA4qfiDvzjO83ZIsBiVTwRZUeMEDUIn3UiO5L9c90EoIG_F6Om1ezs/s1600-h/bald+rick.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvb5881Q6lsmvlkbWzhxg-9Ex_hnf8kgtUfYgmIe6wTsPr7XOvGVK4TVGuG9EkZaw6kOqirwF2r9G6D7e1Q7RNrA4qfiDvzjO83ZIsBiVTwRZUeMEDUIn3UiO5L9c90EoIG_F6Om1ezs/s200/bald+rick.png" width="158" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWhgMmSFAzivgV5ZQH2lYXm6hWPcuWBVL8sYCScSr6bvxpKnRYrXNusjQJ-f_jKYUci5VXqRBYKIcU6CdXDF1XWfeyCYGK1FDwG0URyaRmyrAo4VMi7QcHL8eAEvT8vB3J_WSjGYp4Ao/s1600-h/Screen+shot+2010-01-05+at+4.00.49+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipWhgMmSFAzivgV5ZQH2lYXm6hWPcuWBVL8sYCScSr6bvxpKnRYrXNusjQJ-f_jKYUci5VXqRBYKIcU6CdXDF1XWfeyCYGK1FDwG0URyaRmyrAo4VMi7QcHL8eAEvT8vB3J_WSjGYp4Ao/s200/Screen+shot+2010-01-05+at+4.00.49+PM.png" width="158" /></a><br />
</div>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-5051909454706816022009-12-29T23:11:00.005-05:002009-12-29T23:31:36.058-05:00Gettin' Sauced<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPrfASAJF4L5feIPj5ntCX0ZmHK7s5ii9wuuZQAbiGOCWZWFjT6D3WL_PlPlWFR3K8Ly120594ByUT4nLXg4NcniVlFGzw4tkKbEK4_oA1_ZTJ2dwYxfO6S_4LPOcY9owg7ShLI50O68/s1600-h/Seal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKPrfASAJF4L5feIPj5ntCX0ZmHK7s5ii9wuuZQAbiGOCWZWFjT6D3WL_PlPlWFR3K8Ly120594ByUT4nLXg4NcniVlFGzw4tkKbEK4_oA1_ZTJ2dwYxfO6S_4LPOcY9owg7ShLI50O68/s320/Seal.png" width="65" /></a>People who follow me on Twitter know that I am a self-proclaimed foodie. They know that I love to cook and that I love to eat. They know that when I bite into certain foods, I WANT the food to bite me back - “forkplay", if you will. Yes, I’m one of those who likes it HOT & SPICEY!<br />
<br />
On a recent trip to Tampa, the cast was having breakfast with our producer, Sandi, AKA @McMedia. She made us a wonderful breakfast in her fancy, right out of Southern Living Magazine kitchen.<br />
<br />
I asked for some Tabasco sauce for my eggs - ‘cause that’s how I eat my eggs. She said that she didn’t have any Tabasco sauce. <i>Dang it! But j</i>ust as I was deciding that she must be a communist, she said “I have something bettah” - that’s yankee for “better.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://intensityacademy.com/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB_8ZjabatBJq3bJZSkTgvIXYZUj1ASkArZECCJJNzfajwIzU1VfYJ27RHz-EwCuqFiU6nyoRorQS4PpOgNU6OCfSMZRom9GHkWaeZ4-gJq-mkeGIC106ZN3A_m1aRTpFhyphenhyphene2Y7xOf_4g/s200/Intensity.gif" width="245" /></a>She handed me a small bottle of a habanero, carrot based hot sauce by <a href="http://intensityacademy.com/">Intensity Academy</a>. Carrot based? What the heck? Habaneros? Waaay too hot to enjoy. I was sure that I wouldn’t like it.<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i> I will not like it, I will not</i><br />
<i> Habaneros, much too hot</i><br />
<i> Carrot based? I do not care</i><br />
<i> I will not like this stuff, I swear!</i><br />
<br />
But since I kinda made a big deal about having to have hot sauce on my eggs, I figured I’d better give it a try. And you know what? It was the BEST STUFF I’d ever put in my mouth. The sweetness of the carrots enhanced the flavor of the habaneros while taming their heat yet maintaining their kick. I finished my eggs and later caught my self taking shots of the stuff straight from the bottle - which Sandi said I could keep after catching me.<br />
<br />
I said,”Sandi, we should ask Intensity Academy to be the ‘Official Hot Sauce’ of the Midlife Road Trip.” God bless her, Sandi made a few phone calls and landed Intensity Academy as a sponsor! As a product that we fell in love with and sought out as a sponsor, I am hereby awarding Intensity Academy the Midlife Road Trip Seal of Satisfaction.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">Over the holidays I got to meet the founder of Intensity Academy, Michele Northrup and her husband, Tom. They brought me what has been my favorite gift this year - a WHOLE GALLON of their hottest, hot sauce, H-3 and a sampler pack of their Scovie Award winning sauces and marinades! Here’s a picture of me getting sauced. That's Michele, me, Tom & Denise (my wife).<br />
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzujXFGqFtuxCZbOOnHAf_6wyR1KnQkETbf0P7v3iASKyu6lujtZCJDySU5pcsRJ_A4K6goVyTN3QFZA1_KhsMQg9ZSJIwTGpRqx9jNtW77L3pcBjVAN0FOyXdDjmPVvLN5rgOpLm6Gk/s1600-h/GettingSauced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdzujXFGqFtuxCZbOOnHAf_6wyR1KnQkETbf0P7v3iASKyu6lujtZCJDySU5pcsRJ_A4K6goVyTN3QFZA1_KhsMQg9ZSJIwTGpRqx9jNtW77L3pcBjVAN0FOyXdDjmPVvLN5rgOpLm6Gk/s320/GettingSauced.jpg" width="413" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> </i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>DISCLAIMER: </i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Though we shamelessly attempt to get free products, services, accommodations and whatnot along our midlife journey, cast members only award the MLRT Seal of Satisfaction if we believe in it and LOVE it. We’ll be glad to try anything you send us, just be advised that if we don’t like it, we won’t mention it, and if it doesn’t ROCK OUR WORLD, it won’t get our Seal of Satisfaction. Our fans know that our endorsements mean something.</i></span>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-83654127765262510532009-12-28T20:47:00.002-05:002009-12-28T20:50:46.495-05:00Midlife and Resolutions<div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div>So it’s the time of year when bloggers everywhere begin making suggestions for resolutions guaranteed to make my life better in the new year. Here are the top recurring themes I’m seeing in the blogs.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQ4TI_a2vzRK-S_9ZRq5Sknw1Nq4pdl_sAlo2u5uUr_lxy_WJ7vBRUtq00y2j-M-9dy-mfcEyuJt9MNiiDEubOVGBBG5Ju1JAOAaQ69o2MKoG46vlGocfrPEbmtBRvlKwPwhXvEuAWI8/s1600-h/Happy_New_Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQ4TI_a2vzRK-S_9ZRq5Sknw1Nq4pdl_sAlo2u5uUr_lxy_WJ7vBRUtq00y2j-M-9dy-mfcEyuJt9MNiiDEubOVGBBG5Ju1JAOAaQ69o2MKoG46vlGocfrPEbmtBRvlKwPwhXvEuAWI8/s320/Happy_New_Year.jpg" width="174" /></a>1. diet and exercise<br />
2. quit drinking and smoking <br />
3. spend more time with family<br />
4. get out of debt<br />
5. get organized<br />
<br />
Screw all of that. I’m in the middle of my midlife crisis. I don’t wanna diet. I don’t wanna exercise. I don’t wanna quit drinking - especially if I have to spend more time with family. I’d have to start smoking in order to quit smoking. I would feel totally un-American if I were out of debt. And dang it, I have A.D.D. so getting organized is a medical impossibility.<br />
<br />
The ultimate purpose of resolutions is to make your life better, right? BUT, statistics show that most resolutions are broken sometimes between Superbowl Sunday and Fat Tuesday. A broken resolution is tantamount to personal failure.<br />
<br />
Personal failure leads to low-self-esteem WHICH erodes productivity and diminishes the quality of life, THUS having the EXACT OPPOSITE effect of what what the resolutions were intended to do in the first place. All of that to say… I ain’t gonna make no resolutions this year.* <br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
<i>*Note to my northern friends who got their thongs in a thistle over my use of the words “ain’t” and “no” in the same sentence constituting a “double negative"... blah... blah... blah. Please be advised that I type in fluent Southern where the first negative adds emphasis to the second negative rather than negating it. </i>RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4375663349183226321.post-70390825075246443312009-12-26T13:18:00.000-05:002009-12-26T16:13:35.680-05:00Making the BedThis morning I tweeted that I was waiting on my wife to finish cleaning the hotel room so we could head back to Atlanta. I really didn’t intend to say any more about my wife’s OCD cleanliness, but based on some of the twitter responses, there was no way a 140 character explanation would suffice, thus this unintended blog entry.<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MdJCKX7jqHVeJVRid1xlHPGGN_5TuogveZoe0SHX5Oj-ogWp21eupSrhnr8nT5LDsyuf6M4vrLNno5iwwMRyG2H7EqcZ88ro_g5ianM5gWhriXkzyLXpYMOu-6XES7TcUpLXVKfoEEQ/s1600-h/Bed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 177px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7MdJCKX7jqHVeJVRid1xlHPGGN_5TuogveZoe0SHX5Oj-ogWp21eupSrhnr8nT5LDsyuf6M4vrLNno5iwwMRyG2H7EqcZ88ro_g5ianM5gWhriXkzyLXpYMOu-6XES7TcUpLXVKfoEEQ/s320/Bed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419611243412686562" border="0" /></a> My wife is a wonderful housekeeper. She likes things to be kept clean and neat - always. I love her anyway.<br />It’s not that I’m a slob. I’m not. I just believe in functionality over vanity. For example, she likes to make the bed before we leave the house. I, on the other hand, figure, why make the bed when we’re going to sleep in it again tonight anyway?<br /><br /> She has taught me that if I don’t help make the bed, I don’t get to sleep in it. So now I make the bed.<br /><br /> She even makes the bed when we stay in a hotel room.<br />“...but the hotel staff get paid to do that!” I argue.<br />“The hotel staff will flush the toilet too. Are you going to wait for them to do that as well?” She replies.<br />“That’s different.” I pout, dutifully making my side of the bed.<br /><br /> After all these years, I’m still not sure why she finds it necessary to make the bed in a hotel room. She says, it’s because she likes to come back to a clean room. But dang it, she cleans the room the day we’re checking out!<br /><br /> I think making the beds in a hotel room is a bad idea. Suppose the cleaning staff comes in after we leave, decides that the room looks good enough and doesn’t change the sheets? We owe it to those staying in the room after us to leave our beds messed up! Surely I’m not alone in this.RickGriffinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15711520272812471093noreply@blogger.com0