Hanging with Rich

My Adventure Into Country Music..... I was born, and have lived most of my life in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. It's the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I grew up mostly listening to rock and pop music. But in truth, I like most music as long as I consider it good music. However, I have never been a fan of "country" music culture. The boots, the hats, the twang, the pickup trucks. I have even been known to poke some fun at the fine folks from West Virginia. Had I grown up in Nashville, or on a farm, I might have a totally different attitude. The name of this blog might be Hangin' With That Good Old Boy Rich . But it's not. This picture is a country song waiting to happen. But as I said, I enjoy all good music, and that includes country music. Country music is usually all about a story, and if there's anybody that enjoys a good story - it's me. Lyrics to country songs also seem to use plenty of brand names. Something like -  I'm sittin...

The Three Question Test..... One advantage of getting older is that there is a tremendous amount of "stuff" stored in your head. Important things, history, and interesting tidbits. But also ridiculous pieces of information and useless trivia are stored as well. I mean, is it really important to know what actor played Thurston Howell III on the old TV sitcom Gilligan's Island? (You don't have to Google that. It was Jim Backus. But the point is for me, that isn't even a stretch.) Thurston Howell III, and his wife Lovie. One disadvantage of getting older is that there isn't much opportunity to share all that crap you know. Most people I deal with are much younger than me.  I am one of the oldest employees where I work. Some days I get a feeling of isolation. I have very little in common with most of them. Yet, I do enjoy interacting with kids when I can. I can learn from them too. (Did you know Drake is known as @champagnepapi on social media?) On rare oc...

The 5 Most Important American Summer Olympic Heros..... I really enjoy watching the Olympics on tv. It's such an amazing spectacle. Everything from the opening ceremony to all the competitions seem just fascinating. These are mostly sports that I don't have much knowledge of, but I can appreciate the training and athleticism that is required. The stories of the athletes are fascinating as well. They are all very young. Many are from underprivileged backgrounds and have overcome obstacles. But sometimes they can succeed. They can have one shining moment when their nation and the world acknowledges their achievement. A very rare group can achieve something that is beyond the competition. They can have an effect on the sport overall, be an inspiration to others, and even effect society. I decided to try to make a list of the most important American summer Olympians. People that I think did something extraordinary that changed things. The Winter Olympics? Well, we stink at mo...

Is It Time for a New City Landmark?..... I have to admit, my town has never looked better. Cleveland has a fresh look these days. Many projects were done to prepare for the Republican National Convention. There's a new public square downtown. New restaurants, new bridges, a revitalized flats area, and a more beautiful lakefront have all been projects that when looked at collectively have provided a stunning transformation. Probably the change that has the most impact is the increase in downtown, or urban living. It has become cool to live downtown. That would have been unheard of only a few years ago. 1 of 3 new Cleveland signs. But the only one without a long waiting line for pictures. The Cleveland of my youth was not the shining city on the lake that it is today. It was full of dirty and decaying buildings. There was far more news of things closing down instead of opening up. It was a place for beggars and lowlifes. I can remember East 4th Street as a mostly empty and da...

My Niagara Falls Zipline Adventure..... I've always been fascinated by Niagara Falls. It's just so damn cool to look at up close. It's an unbelievable amount of water. Every drop of the Great Lakes goes over the falls. And it runs 24/7. Our take off point. I loved visiting it as a kid, as an adult, and even showing it to my kids when they were younger. When my daughter Kristina was doing the college search thing, I determined Niagara University would be worth a look. She liked it too, and wound up getting a degree there. She now lives and works in Buffalo, so we visit her, and the area regularly. Last summer, we even rode our bikes around Goat Island between the Canadian and American Falls. I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't need a big excuse to visit the Falls. A couple of weeks ago I'm reading the Buffalo News online and come across this tidbit: Zipline Ride at the Falls Readies to Open. A Zipline? At the Falls? Hell, yeah! I had never been ...

Vietnam Replica Memorial Stirs Emotions..... This past week there were plenty of visitors to my town. Most of them made a lot of noise. They made speeches and either supported or protested one thing or another. But there was one visitor to town that did bring a quiet dignity. A half size replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall was erected and on display last week in Middleburg Heights, where I grew up. The replica Vietnam Memorial Wall. This is known as The Moving Wall exhibit. It was made by veterans, and travels the country. It stays on display for about a week wherever it goes. I have never seen the real thing in Washington, D.C., so I was anxious to visit. I am not a Vietnam Veteran. It's one of the few things in life that I was actually too young for. When I started college in Bowling Green, Ohio I was still seventeen. On my eighteenth birthday I remember taking a lonely walk down Wooster St. to register for the Selective Service system. During those years, there was a...

Thurmond's Passing Seems On Cue..... Yesterday I got home from work a little tired. My work doesn't get me tired everyday, but I was happy to get home yesterday and change into some comfortable clothes. I flopped on to my couch and grabbed my trusty tablet to check in with any news happenings. Then I saw it; Former Cavalier Nate Thurmond passes away at 74. Unless you're my age, you never saw him play. Hell, even I never saw him play live very much. He played most of his career in the 70's on the west coast. Following the NBA in the 70's was part story telling and part detective research. There was no cable TV, and no internet. This was the era of the magazine. Names like Sports Illustrated and Sport Magazine ran features. My favorite was a newspaper style weekly called The Sporting News. It would have the statistics from every game.  Big men, like Chamberlain, were common in Thurmond's era. Nate Thurmond grew up in Akron. (Sound familiar?) He gradu...