Hanging with Rich

The Coolest Times I Had In 2017..... It's the end of the year and the start of another. You will see plenty of columns about the top news stories of the past year. Or something about celebrity deaths. But the news was horrible all year. I choose to write about the good times. There were plenty of things I enjoyed last year. I enjoyed the Cavs playoff run. I enjoyed the Indians historic winning streak. I enjoyed going to the Billy Joel concert with my wife. And of course I enjoyed any day I could spend with my family and friends. But some days stick out. Some times were special. So, not in any particular order, here are some special days I will remember from 2017. My nephew's wedding. Weddings are special because it brings the whole family together. Plus it's a big party. My nephew Patrick and his bride Erin had particularly beautiful wedding. The The bride and groom. rehearsal dinner was at Progressive Field. The wedding ceremony was at the downtown cathedral...

Start A New Christmas Tradition Today!..... Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house, there was happiness. Because families are coming together. The shopping is done. Most of the presents are wrapped. It's about time for the main event. It's time to roll out those family traditions. After all, family traditions are what the holidays are all about. They may make you laugh or moan, but it wouldn't be the holiday season in your family without them. They may have been started years ago by your crazy aunt or uncle, but they seem here to stay. The important thing is that they carry on. This Christmas may be unique in some ways. Some families may have lost a family member this year. Some families may have added a member to their celebration. The traditions tie it together. They give your family a sense of continuity. You can say, "This is the (insert your family name here) family. and this is how we celebrate Christmas!" And look appreciative of...

The Three Stages of Christmas..... I think Christmastime is the most special time of the year. When else do people decorate their houses, inside and out. We have plenty of parties and buy gifts for each other. Radio stations play songs of the season for weeks before. Our Christmas memories come flooding out when we get together. The other day I was thinking about those memories and I came to realize there are 3 distinct types of Christmases. Each are special, but each are different. The first type is when you are a kid. Christmas for kids are spectacular! Imagine a time when the whole world would turn into a fantasyland. The decorations! The presents all wrapped up! The toys! Kids can't wait for Christmas because it's such a huge chunk of their life. One year to a 10 year old is 10%  of their entire life. My special Christmas memories when I was a kid will always be about visiting my Grandma's house on Christmas Eve. My entire extended family would be there. All my...

We Are All Christmas Trees..... Yesterday we went out shopping for this year's official family Christmas tree. It's always an adventure. In my lifetime I have used a few different types of Christmas trees. Our artificial tree. Way, way back in the day my family got an aluminum tree. These were popular back in the early 60's. To assemble it, you had to slide a specific size straight branch into a hole on the pole, or trunk. It was a pain in the neck. But it was shiny and looked nice with ornaments on it. To jazz it up we would put these spotlights with rotating color wheels to give it more color. It was great until the color wheels came loose and would melt on the spotlights. I have also used the popular green "lifelike" artificial trees. We still use one in our family room. It looks great and is very easy to put up. It looks good in a picture, but still lacks a little something. Our official tree is a big "live" one that goes in the fr...

So How Did Cleveland Get So Cool?..... National Geographic Traveler magazine has named Cleveland as a 2018 Best of the World City. You can re-read that if you like, but it's not going to change. Twenty-one cities got this mention, but only three in the United States. We are noted for our culture and our revitalization. The National Geographic editor described Cleveland as "a place you thought you knew, but don't." How did this happen? I was born and raised in Cleveland. It wasn't always an award winning city. Years ago it had been described in different ways, but Best of the World doesn't come to mind. It was a gritty, hard working, city in the rust belt. But over time, a revolution has taken place. The Flats have revitalized the riverfront. People live Downtown in trendy apartments now. We are known as a "foodie" city because of our great variety of fine restaurants. We have hosted a national political convention. We've hosted baseb...

Aging..... Recently I was watching TV and a commercial came on. It showed some fellow who was supposed to be my age, although just a little older. It was a white haired gentleman laying in bed reading a book. He was wearing blue pajamas and looking worried. Good God, I thought. Am I supposed to be like this guy? I don't even wear pajamas. Not a bad looking guy in 2011. Aging is something that everybody shares. You can't avoid it. You can put it off for a while when you are younger, but it will find you eventually. You can eat right and  work out, but it still will catch you. Google bears some responsibility in my concern. Occasionally Google photos will send me pictures of my past. Remember this date back in , whatever year. Recently they sent me a picture of myself on November of 2011. I thought I looked great. I had brown hair and plenty of it. Recent pictures won't show much of those. The AARP magazine tries to make you feel good about aging. Of course, you ...

Friendsgiving Is Here..... Well folks, we've made it through the summer. We've also made it through the enjoyable part of fall. It's November and the weather you forgot about all summer is back. One of the few things I look forward to this time of year are the holidays. The stores have had Christmas decorations up for some time now. Radio stations will soon be playing Christmas songs all day and all night. Some gifts have already been purchased. Black Friday is this week. But intelligent shoppers, like me, will do their shopping online. This week the holidays kick off with Thanksgiving. But my family gets an extra day of celebration - Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving is just like Thanksgiving, but with some special friends. Thursday we will still be going over relatives houses for turkey with all the trimmings. It will be a great time. But this Wednesday, I will be celebrating at my house with my family and some special friends. Therefore - Friendsgiving! The menu for ...

Why You Don't Give a Rip About Mass Shootings..... Here is a future headline news item: Today, a normal day in (insert any city or town) was changed when shots rang out at a (insert a church, concert, movie theater, school).  An unknown gunman opened fire in the area for an unknown reason. Authorities say that as of now this massacre includes (pick a number between 4 and 40) known dead. The victims include members of the (pick anybody's name) family. So here is what will happen afterwards. Every news agency will send their reporters to cover the story for two days. People will hashtag "prayforthatcity" on social media. People and politicians will cry out that finally something must be done! But that's about it. Nothing really changes. No new laws are passed. Nothing changes in mental health processes. We move on. We bury the dead and move on. The horror of Las Vegas. People say that's the price for living in a free society. But that's bullshi...

My Adventure to Meteor Crater..... Last September, the wife and I took a vacation to Arizona. It was a replacement for an anniversary cruise that was cancelled due to Hurricane Irma. There were definitely no tropical breezes in Arizona. Phoenix was fun to visit, although it was truly hot as hell. The red rock of Sedona was spectacular. The Grand Canyon was, well, the Grand Canyon. To me it's so hard to comprehend what you're looking at, it almost looks fake. But there was one other place we visited that was very memorable. Meteor Crater - in the middle of nowhere. I knew that if we got a chance, I would want to visit Meteor Crater. Maybe you have never heard of Meteor Crater, but I bet you've seen a picture of it somewhere. It is a huge crater, just like you see pictures of on the moon. It was formed 50,000 years ago by a meteor impact. The result was an explosion that was equivalent to 20 million tons  of TNT. That's not a typo. What you get is a huge hole. ...

The 10 Year Old Manic..... Sometimes something happens in the news that's so shocking, so bizarre, that I have to stop and think how this could possibly happen. I'm not taking about the Las Vegas massacre, or just another murder. There will always be crazy people. I'm taking about the story of a crazy kid. Earlier this week a 10 year old Cleveland boy stole his mother's car. He didn't get far. He was found on the side of the road with 3 flat tires on the car. How that happened I'm not quite sure. But the repair alone would put a crimp in my credit card. But kids will be kids. Right? You could say the youngster was just curious, and made a very bad decision. You would think the kid would be in a heap of trouble. But he was released to his parents. Finally in the ditch. at least nobody got killed. A couple of days later he got the itch again. This time he stole his dad's car. His driving improved dramatically. This time he led state troopers on a 50...

Songs That Get Stuck In Your Head..... Where I work they play background music. All day every day. I guess it's designed to put you in a good mood. The songs are usually lite pop hits. Although lately a number of 70's pop songs, including Motown hits have entered the playlists. Maybe that's because we get plenty of seniors as customers. Maybe because whoever selects the playlist is a fan of the songs. But occasionally, one of those songs gets stuck in your head. Recently, I was working with a buddy of mine and she suddenly blurted out, "I'm comin' out. I want the world to know!" It was the old Dianna Ross song that had gotten into her head. We just looked at each other and laughed. The rest of the day when I saw her she would sing out, "I'm comin' out!" That was it. The song was stuck in her head. (These days the words "I'm coming out" have a whole different meaning.) Why do certain songs get stuck in our heads? C...

News Flash: Hollywood Is A Sleazy Place..... Harvey Weinstein is/was a powerful movie producer. He co-founded Miramax Films and the Weinstein Company. But he is also a very sleazy guy. He was involved in movies like Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, Silver Linings Playbook, and many more. He was also probably involved with some of the women in those movies. Not by their choice. I don't want to put a picture of the sleazy Guy in my blog. But here's some good movies of his. All hell has broken out in Hollywood because it has been revealed that Weinstein has been forcing himself on these women - for years. Every day stories have been coming out of everything from sexual assault to rape. Everyone from Angelina Jolie to Gwyneth Paltrow has stories about him. Weinstein has become such a pariah that he has been fired from his own company. That's hard to do. He has been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. So no more red carpet for him. My qu...

The Korean War - Part II No, you didn't miss Part I of this series. I just think the Korean War is about to resume. On July 27, 1953 the warring parties called a timeout. The armistice called for a demilitarized zone at the 38 parallel splitting the country into 2 parts. The Communists would have the north. Democratic South Korea, and their American allies, would be in the south. Nothing was really settled. Along the Korean DMZ That's the way it stood for over 60 years. So what has happened since this timeout? Well, I, and most of us were born. Presidents have come and gone. A great TV sitcom, MASH, was made  about the Korean War. South Korea has become a great industrialized nation, making Kias and Hyundais. North Korea has become an isolationist Communist nation. It's a pretty secret place without much contact with anyone. There have been 60 years of threats from one side or the other. Soldiers from North Korea and American forces have been giving each other th...

Does Dwyane Wade Fit On the Cavaliers?..... It seems odd to ask if Dwyane Wade fits on the Cavaliers. The dude is a 3-time NBA Champion. A Finals MVP, a former NBA scoring champ, and a 12 time NBA All Star team member. Most DWade - welcome to The Land. importantly, he's probably Lebron James best friend. So what's not to like? The problem is, in addition to being 35 years old, the game may have passed him by. He still has skills, and is in fantastic shape. But the NBA game in the last few years has evolved into a 3-point shooting contest. The long distance shot has taken on a prime focus for most clubs. The Cavaliers even won their championship with a 3-point shot. But Wade is not a good 3-point shooter at all. In fact, statistically he got worse at it last season. Myrna Loy - trouble with "the talkies." Dwyane Wade may become the Myrna Loy of the NBA. Myrna Loy was a beautiful, young actress in the 1920's. She was a star of silent movies. Yet,...

Steph Curry - You're Invited To My House..... To be honest, I've never been  a fan of Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors. I always thought he was a rather snarky fellow. Whining all the time. Always chewing that mouthguard. Nevertheless, He Steph Curry - uninvited. and his teammates are the NBA Champions. That usually means a trip to the White House and a visit with the President. Not this year. Apparently this all started with the protest by some NFL players not to stand for the National Anthem. President Trump said these players should be fired. To be clear, I personally believe this type of protest is wrong. People have the right to protest almost any way they want. But on your own time. However, when you are representing your employer, and wearing that uniform, I think you should act as your employer recommends. President Trump tweeted out a blast at those players and called them out by name. It must have been a slow day in the Korean crisis. Meanwhile, at...

My Plan B Anniversary Vacation..... It was to be a cruise to the tropics. Filled with the ocean, white sand beaches, and tropical breezes.My wife and I had never been on a cruise and decided our 40th anniversary might be the right time. But then came the reports of Hurricane Irma. It seemed to be headed for Miami, where we would be departing from. The week before I followed the Weather Channel like never before. It seemed like a death watch. Finally, the Wednesday before, the cruise was officially cancelled. We were disappointed, but I became determined. I refused to let the hurricane wreck our plans. We both had vacation from work, so I was determined to come up with a Plan B. But where? We've had great times at Myrtle Beach and New Orleans. But I didn't want anywhere that could have a hurricane or hurricane remnants. How about beautiful Arizona? No hurricanes there. Hell, they barely have water. (It tastes terrible btw.) Mist keeps the customers cool. I had been to...

My Annual Cleveland Browns Prediction..... Every year I write my season prediction for the Cleveland Browns. Every season I give an overly optimistic prediction of how they will do. Maybe I'm just an optimistic guy. It's hard to just say your team will stink before they even play a game. The Browns will even play a game in London, England this season. We don't want to embarrass our town in front of the queen! I could just give a flat prediction and say the Browns won't win the Super Bowl. But neither will 31 other teams. The Browns are normally on the other end of the spectrum. Last season the Browns were the worst team in the NFL, winning only one game. This season? I'll bravely say the Browns may be turning the corner. My reason for optimism is based on two people. One is a player, the other a coach. Kizer can learn from Head Coach Hue Jackson. Rookie DeShone Kizer has been named the starting quarterback of the Browns. In addition to being the younges...

Patriotism - The Right Way..... These days you hear plenty on the news about groups expressing their American rights. But you don't hear much about patriotism in general. You hear about Nazi groups and their right to have a public display. You hear about their opponents if it leads to violence. You even hear about players in the National Football League that refuse to stand for the National Anthem. They are protesting something in America. But nobody knows specifically what it is. It is their American right to protest. Ohio flags of honor displayed this weekend in Walton Hills, Ohio. You don't hear much about patriotism. Maybe it's not news-worthy. You don't hear much about the Ohio Flags of Honor. The Ohio Flags of Honor is a traveling display that honors Ohio's fallen in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the global war on terrorism. A full size flag is displayed for each of them. I was proud to have played a small part of it this weekend. There are now about 300...

Racism In America Goes In Cycles..... Am I really going to write about racism in America? These days it's hard to avoid it. Racism has always been part of American culture, and unfortunately, probably always will. Watching hate groups on the news is both shocking and disgusting Ohio plates on this car make me sick. Here we are in the 21st century. We are a well established society. But things like Charlottesville still happen. Some say the President has made racism cool. During the campaign he talked like a racist. Unfortunately, now that he is the POTUS, he still acts and talks like a racist. Some groups seem to be encouraged by that. I care little about his politics. Whatever happens to Obamacare happens. Tax laws will be changed, and changed again. The same with immigration law. I just want to live in a peaceful and fair America. I don't think that's asking for too much. Today we have terrorism. Extreme prejudice against ethnic groups, and politicians with ...