Hanging with Rich

Stories About My Old Cars..... My wife's car is in the shop - again. Like a lot of the cars I've had, when it was new, I loved it and it ran great. Now, not so much. It's a Mazda CX-7, an SUV. When we first got it, it didn't run like an SUV. It's a fuel injected - premium gas burning number with plenty of pep. But when it breaks down, bring your credit cards. All of them. That got me thinking about some of the cars I've used through the years. Some were fun. Some were not. But there's always a story. Buick Wildcat: the blanket was optional. The first car I drove was a 1965 Buick Wildcat. Midnight blue. I sort of inherited this car from my parents after they were basically done with it. Kids, this car had seat belts, but no shoulder harness. Electronics in cars also had not been invented yet, so it usually ran rough. But one interesting thing about it was that the heater didn't work. But I did keep a scratchy old army blanket handy. I would tell t

The Real Value of Shopping Online..... The blog today is a little shorter. Who's got the time this week? That's sort of what this is about today. Time. Nothing like traffic during the holidays. Earlier this week I had to go shopping at a mall for a couple of specific items. I went when afternoon turned into evening. Big mistake. Traffic was horrendous. There was a traffic jam even to get on the freeway. I decided to take the side roads. A slow approach, but I kept moving most of the time. When I got to the mall I had to find a place to park. More fun. Up one row and down the next. I finally found a spot, but of course it was nowhere near an entrance. Train kept a-rollin' - All night long. Once in the actual mall I was greeted by obstacles in the aisles and shoppers of all types. Now for 11 months of the year, nobody really cares to shop at this mall. It's so empty, there's a train ride for kids that never even has to blow it's whistle. But not that

The Pizza Awards ..... The holidays mean parties, and parties usually means pizza. Most everybody likes pizza, and everybody has an opinion to share on the subject. So I decided I would share my thoughts on this important topic. First though, remember I live in northeast Ohio. Depending on where you're reading this, you may have your own favorites. I am always shocked to find out where this blog is read. Apparently, I'm a popular guy in Russia. Maybe those guys enjoy washing their pizza down with vodka. Me, I'll enjoy a beer with my pie. Or even pop. But definitely not coffee. But let's get to the main event. Here are some special awards for pizzas that I've found memorable. You can't go wrong with a Stancato's sheet. Best Sheet Pizza - Stancato's, Parma, Oh .: I don't often get a regular pizza from Stancato's. It's a good restaurant, and they have a great brunch. But when there's a big party at my house, a Stancato's shee

Why Have Mass-Murders Become So Common?..... Sorry, folks. No Christmas songs or movies this week. Actually I wish I could talk about my favorite Christmas cookies, or presents. Anything but this. But this is on my mind. As we all struggle to consider what just happened in San Bernadino, California. What has changed in our world and our society, that makes these incidents so horrific, yet so common. A few weeks ago, the murders in Paris grabbed our attention. Now this one. Unfortunately, would any of us be surprised if there is another senseless attack before Christmas? Let's take a moment to examine where we, the human race, are right now: 2015, on the cusp of another year. Has something changed in our society, or not? Here are some things to consider: Are handguns too easy to get? This is the first thing that's mentioned when insane incidents happen. From school shootings in Chardon, Ohio, to the crazy guy in the theater in Colorado, easy access to guns and copio