Palm Springs Savant- Rick Rockhill

Thought for the Day

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 04:13:00 +0000

With the new year now underway, I found this quote by William James that I thought was worth sharing:

"To change one's life:

1. Start immediately

2. Do it flamboyantly

3. No exceptions."

Dualing Elvis & Priscilla Presley Homes

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 16:08:00 +0000

Palm Springs is famous around the world for many things. Our desert paradise has nearly perfect weather year round, winter temps around 70, Spring and Fall in the 80's, and Summer in the 100's. With activities like golf, tennis, swimming, hiking, and horseback riding, there is plenty to do here. It is a short driving distance from Los Angeles, which during the Golden Age of Hollywood attracted famous singers, movie stars, directors, movie studio moguls and various members of the Hollywood elite. To this day, Palm Springs continues to see its share of Presidents, Royalty, and titans of the business industry vacation here in our lovely desert. It has been said "there are more stars in Palm Springs than stars in the sky" which is ridiculous of course, but it makes the point. Celebrities like Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Elvis and Priscilla Presley to name a few are part of the celebrity lore that people still associate with Palm Springs. There are a few Celebrity tour groups that drive around the desert showing visitors the vacation get-away homes of the stars. Speaking of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, I thought I'd mention that there has been more excitement regarding their residences here in the past few years. There are two homes whose owners now promote as places Elvis and Priscilla spent time in Palm Springs. Both are accurate. It just depends on what type of experience you are seeking. One is the Elvis and Priscilla Presley Honeymoon Hideaway home, where they spent time after they were married. The other is a home Elvis actually owned and lived in, called the Palm Springs Elvis Estate. Neither home is a grand palatial estate. They look nothing like Elvis' Graceland home; but nevertheless they are places where Elvis and Priscilla spent time here in Palm Springs. There are plenty of Elvis fans who want the chance to spend a vacation living in the very place where Elvis walked. Luckily for those folks, these two homes offer that experience. Let's face it, you can't do that at Graceland. So Palm Springs is the next best option if you are a crazy Elvis fan.

The celebrities of today are very low-key when then visit Palm Springs. Some stay at private home of a friend, others stay at a spa resort and enjoy the healing hot mineral waters of our desert. But many rent homes here, seeking a secluded, casual experience of being in a home where they won't be bothered by hotel staff or peering tourists. A new generation of celebrities are coming to the desert more frequently- perhaps some day those homes they rented or stayed in will be promoted as destinations to rent. Perhaps one day people can stay in the place where George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Zac Efron or Matt Damon stayed. You never know.

If you don't happen to care about celebrities and just want to experience the desert life in your own home experience, Palm Springs has a number of homes, condos and apartments available to rent. It's actually a good deal to rent a place for a week, month or longer while visiting. This is not a paid post, but two friends of mine operate businesses that rent homes here in Palm Springs:
Vacation Palm Springs
Beau Monde Villas
Whether you have a desire to sleep in Elvis' home, or just someplace where you can relax as if it were your own home, I hope you do consider visiting Palm Springs. Come and see why it continues to be a destination of choice.

One other note regarding Elvis- he continues to generate all sorts of excitement here. Locals have planned a celebration of what would have been Elvis Presley's 75th birthday. Special tours, guests and performances are expected. If you are interested, check out the details:

Where: Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway, 1350 Ladera Circle, Palm Springs CA

When: Jan. 8

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — tours and cake

4 to 6:30 p.m. — concert featuring Scot Bruce

Jan. 9

9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. — tours and cake

2 to 6 p.m. — tribute artist James King

Cost: $25 tour, $50 concert, $65 combo (for one day), $125 weekend

Information: (760) 322-1192
-Rick Rockhill

My Photos from the Rose Parade

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 16:14:00 +0000

Whew, the past few days were filled with activity. I had a lot of fun attending the Rose Parade. It was a a little bit for fun and a little bit for work, which is why I was busy blogging and tweeting live from the parade. But in the end, I had a great time and it was well worth going. If you ever have the opportunity to plan a visit to the Rose Parade, do it at least once. It is a fun experience. We got to the parade route around 6:00 AM so we could get to our seats. Some people had started camping out as early as noon the prior day to secure a prime space on the sidewalk along the parade route. As I was attending for my company I was fortunate to have tickets to the viewing stands, so I as long as I arrived before they close off streets, I didn't have to get there much earlier. I wore layers of clothes to keep warm- it was only in the mid-forties at that pre-dawn hour. If you ever go, be sure to eat before you head over, and bring a thermos of hot cawfee or a bottle of water. Its virtually impossible to find anything once you are on the parade route. Once the parade began it was magic! There was excitement in the crowd, estimated at a million plus people along the entire route.

above: Watching dawn break at the parade route in Pasadena

above: The Natural Balance Pet Food float- certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Biggest Parade Float in history! It was massive,

above: the Natural Balance float approaches, in the front are Dick Van Patten and his son Jimmy Van Patten.

above: a close up of the Van Patten's. Jimmy is holding the new bulldog puppy, named "Sully" in honor of Captain Chesley Sullenberger who landed that airplane in the Hudson River last year and saved all those peoples lives.

above: Tillman prepares to go down the slope on his snowboard. The top of the ski slope was 16' high.

above: Tillman in action, snowboarding down on the float!

above: Another great shot of Tillman in action as the crowd cheered on. Snowboarding bulldogs were the hit of the parade! In fact there has been so much interest, Natural Balance actually now has Tillman Dog treats, and a plush dog toy of both Tillman and Rose (see below):

above: I bought the toys for my nieces who loved playing with them! Tillman even has a Fan Shop on my company's website. (sorry for sounding commercial there)
Here are the rest of my parade photos. Click on them to BIGGIFY for easier viewing

above: All American Cowgirl Chicks

above: City of Burbank float

above: Cal Poli University float

above: City of Cerritos float

above: I don't know how he did it, but this guy "lassoed" his rope around his horse the entire time.

above: the Kaiser Permanente float had lots of over-sized fruits and veggies

above: this Scissor Wizard float featured an origami dragon

Marching Bands Galore:

above: our Mighty Marines Marching band

above: the Mexico float

above: Rain Bird float featured Jack Hanna

above: the Rose Bowl (football) float

above: the Shanghai China float featured Jackie Chan

I hope you enjoyed my photos. Happy New Year to you. -Rick Rockhill

Video Clip of Tillman & Rose from the Rose Parade

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:25:00 +0000

In case you missed, it here is one of the video clips from today's Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA. In this clip go to the 5:45 minute mark and you can watch Tillman and Rose the amazing skateboarding bulldogs from Natural Balance in action!

Cast Your Vote in the Viewer's Choice Award for the Natural Balance Float

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I hope you were able to watch the Rose Parade today on TV or in person. I'd appreciate it if you would VOTE for the Natural Balance Float as the best float. It was unit# 52 on January 1st, 2010!

The online poll on KTLA's website will open at 10:00 a.m. (PST) and close at 5:00 p.m. (PST)

Vote today. It's quick, its easy just click here.

Thanks!

Happy New Year, f rom Pasadena, CA

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Last night we rang in the New Year at a party in Pasadena, CA. We spent the night here in preparation for the 121's Pasadena Tournament of Rose Parade. We were guests at a party hosted by Natural Balance Pet Foods, who have a float in the parade today. You may have heard about their float from the news or right here on my blog. It will be certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Longest Parade Float, at 114 feet (34 meters or so). Anyway, you'll read more about the float and parade later today. The party was a lot of fun, dinner, music and a magician who performed and earlier walked around doing close-up card tricks and such. It was a fun evening. We're up bright and early this first day of the new year, getting ready to head to the parade route. I'll be tweeting live on Twitter.com/RickRockhill if you care to follow along.

above: the one and only photo I took from NYE dinner. The floral centerpiece at the table. These are real, fresh flowers. In conjunction with the Rose Parade theme, these roses were sprayed with some weird paint, I thought they were artificial when I first saw them. Anyway, I thought my florist followers would be interested in it anyway. Well that's all for now. Stop back again later today, for a few notes from the Rose Parade. Oh and Happy New Year.
-Rick Rockhill

Excitement about Friday's Rose Parade

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:08:00 +0000

Well tomorrow is the big day, the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. I'm looking forward to seeing the Rose Parade and all the beautiful flower-covered floats. But as I mentioned yesterday I'm really excited to see The Natural Balance Pet Food float, featuring Tillman and four other bulldogs snowboarding on the float. It's not just any float, it was just certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the Longest Parade Float in history! I plan to Tweet live from Pasadena, so feel free to follow my coverage commentary on www.twitter.com/RickRockhill Friday morning, starting at 6:30 AM (pacific). I hope you can watch the parade on TV and see this amazing float. One of colleagues wrote an interesting post about it all on the PETCO blog today too. Here is another behind the scenes video that was on the morning news recently:

KTLA 5 Morning News Interviews - Natural Balance Part 2 from Natural Balance on Vimeo.

Oh- one other thing. I'd appreciate it if on Friday morning, after the Parade, you would log on and vote for the Natural Balance float as your favorite. Just click here

Rose Parade this Friday- Watch and Win!

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:57:00 +0000

OK so I should let you know in advance that the next few days I'm going to be posting a fair amount about the Rose Parade and Tillman the skateboarding bulldog. I'm doing this for a few reasons: First, I'll be attending the Rose Parade Friday morning in Pasadena, CA and will be in the viewing stands along with everyone else. Second, my company is participating in the fun and will be giving away some awesome prizes to people who follow along online or on the parade route. Finally, I'm going to write about it because I'm psyched about seeing the World's Biggest Parade Float (a rendition is above). The float will have a ski slope- with active chair lifts so four different bulldogs can snowboard down the slope during the parade. Tillman, the famous skateboarding bulldog will be joined by Rose, Lyle, Niki and Tank all of whom love to snowboard! It's really quite amazing to watch these dogs in action.

above: they took the float for a test spin last week. Right now they are busy covering it with all the flowers for Friday's Tournament of Roses Parade. Check out this video below:

KTLA 5 Morning News Interviews - Natural Balance Part 1 from Natural Balance on Vimeo.

HERE IS HOW YOU CAN WIN PRIZES ON FRIDAY:

I copied the following information directly from my company blog:

My company is bringing the experience live to all of you through the company blog, twitter, and facebook and giving away over $1000 in prizes. There will be many chances to win BIG—as BIG as Tillman’s fan base, as BIG as the total number of kibbles that Natural Balance makes every year for our pets, as BIG as the float itself! It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for since the announcement, how YOU can win!

Follow these 3 steps for your chance to win:

1) Follow us on Twitter, Fan us on Facebook:

PETCO Facebook: www.facebook.com/petco
Generation Natural Pet Facebook: www.facebook.com/GenNaturalPet
PETCO Twitter www.twitter.com/petco
Generation Natural PetTwitter www.twitter.com/GenNaturalPet

2) Keep a close eye on our social sites during the parade and Tune in to the Rose Parade on your television on New Year’s Day on one of the following networks (Check Your Local Listings for exact air times):

ABC
Hallmark Channel
HGTV
KTLA (Tribune)
NBC
RFD-TV
Travel Channel
Univision

3) We’ll be asking questions and announcing ways where you can win on our social sites. Watch and watch closely. There will be some clues in tomorrow’s and Friday’s blog posts (wink, wink)!

Attending the parade in person? Make a sign that says “Tillman Shops at PETCO” with your twitter username. Hold it high above your head as the Natural Balance float comes by. If we see your sign, we’ll tweet you live from the float and you could win big time!

Now on to the goodies! What can you win? How about a year’s supply of Natural Balance Food New Tillman Tips Treats? Limited Tillman and Rose Plush Toys? Or A PETCO gift card to spoil your pet’s in any way you’d like? (yes, an entire year of food for your pooch or kitty)? The

First Trailer from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows released

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:34:00 +0000

or if you can't view the video above, try this link below:
First Trailer from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows released

Time to re-read book seven...

It Was A Very Merry Christmas

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Another Christmas has come and gone; with a heap of fond memories and a list of things for which I am grateful. I often remind myself in life to savor the good times, appreciate all the little things and live in the moment. I consider myself especially fortunate to have learned some important life lessons earlier than most. Having lost my dad at a young age I learned to appreciate each day and take time to smell the roses. I was reminded of this again yesterday when I saw one of the floral Christmas centerpieces at my friend Amanda's home yesterday. It had roses, orchids, holly and evergreens. Indeed I did smell the roses, they were beautiful. But the roses were a life metaphor and caused me to pause for a moment and reflect on the year. I was at a Christmas day gathering, sitting outside admiring a beautiful vista of the desert floor below. Yet for a few moments I was alone with my thoughts, pondering the past twelve months and placing it all in perspective. I hadn't planned to be so introspective at this particular moment, maybe it was the rush of sugar from the eclairs I had consumed sending me into a blissful zen-like state. I smiled to myself as I realized how fortunate I am at this point in life. So I quietly gave thanks, especially for these deserts below:

above: Check out these incredible deserts. There were loads of others too, but these caught my eye the moment I walked into my friend Amanda and Gordan's home!

above: A few hummingbirds actually flew into the house earlier. One eventually made his way to the feeder hanging just outside the door. I managed to get this photo- they are so quick!

above: During a white elephant gift exchange I received a snuggie in leopard print. I have to say, it is really pretty neat. I love things like this.

above: later we found young Duncan was all snuggled up asleep with his Christmas Penguin toy. It was such a cute photo.
We did a bit of house-hopping, visiting friends on Christmas day, and then returned home for our own holiday dinner with friends. We sat by the fireplace and the Christmas tree, enjoying holiday music as we exchanged presents with our friends. I put out my spread of food so we could enjoy our wine. After dinner we watched Julie & Julia- which I enjoyed thoroughly! When our friends left to go home, and I sat by the fire with John to unwind, I decided it had been a very Merry Christmas.
-Rick Rockhill

Merry Christmas

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:32:00 +0000

Wishing you a very
Merry Christmas!
Rick, Duncan and Sheldon. (and Owen too, although he ran out of the picture)

Queen Elizabeth II Annual Christmas Message

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:24:00 +0000

A Wacky Christmas Eve

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 01:14:00 +0000

There are lots of ways to spend Christmas Eve in Palm Springs. Our friends Ben and Natalie are in the desert for the holidays, so we spent some time together making merry and sharing a few laughs. We always have fun when we get together; some of you may recall the post I wrote from their last visit in March. I've known Ben for ages, back when we worked together in San Diego. His wife Natalie is a super sweet gal too. Anyway, we stopped for lunch at Kaiser Grill on Palm Canyon Drive. It was nice enough to dine on the patio and watch all the action walk past the restaurant. By the looks of it, it seems as though there are a lot of tourists in Palm Springs for Christmas. We love to see tourists. And snow birds too. They spend money and keep the shops happy. Speaking of shops, after lunch we did a bit of shopping. Natalie was on a mission for a few things, and any sensible man knows never to get between woman on a shopping mission and her stores. We stopped into Desert Hatter, a cool store that sells- you guessed it, hats. They sell just about every sort of hat you could want. Even those you never knew you wanted. Or needed. Take, for instance the hats in this photo above. We all picked out crazy Christmas themed hats. I thought it made a fun photo, don't you think? Wishing you a Merry Christmas Eve....
-Rick Rockhill

The Palm Springs Christmas Tree

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:06:00 +0000

Christmas is such a festive time of year. I love to drive around and see all the lights on houses, trees and shrubs. Like most cities and towns around the world, Palm Springs has its own Christmas tree in front of city hall. It is a wonderful sight to see, with loads of tiny white lights from top to bottom, with a lovely lighted star at the very pinnacle. You'll notice in this photo that our tree has wires to brace it against any crazy winds that occasionally blow through the Coachella Valley. I believe the tree is just over 22 feet tall- almost as tall as the flagpole! At the tree lighting ceremony a few weeks ago, Santa Claus made an appearance to join in the fun, along with the Palm Springs high school choir. The lighting ceremony also featured free hot cocoa and cookies and horse drawn carriage rides too. These are the kinds of things that give a city a sense of community spirit and connectedness. For a brief moment in time, folks forgot who was Republican and who was Democrat. Who was white, black, Hispanic, straight, gay, young or old, super rich, wealthy or poor. Our Christmas tree is a unifying symbol in our wonderful community, of which I am quite proud.

above: The Palm Springs city hall Christmas tree went "green" this year, because it was decorated with LED (Light Emitting Diode) energy efficient lights. These lights use up to 90 percent less energy, so they are better than a normal city hall Christmas tree. I read somewhere that in California, there is some law going into effect in a year or two that will ban the sale of non-LED Christmas lights, to help the state consume less energy and go green. So Palm Springs is ahead of the trend. Does your city or town have green Christmas tree? If not, write to the Mayor and make the suggestion for next year! Oh- by the way, its getting close to Christmas, are you all ready?
-Rick Rockhill

A Little Christmas Video Ditty

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:09:00 +0000

Santa Comes to Palm Springs

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:04:00 +0000

Santa Claus made a special visit to Palm Springs yesterday. Our local newspaper The Desert Sun reported on the event and took these photos. It was the fifth year in a row that Santa made the trip to our desert to hand out gifts to kids at the Palm Springs Air Museum. With the dramatic backdrop of our beautiful San Jacinto mountains, Santa's helicopter touched down amid excitement and buzz of the locals. His presence has gotten everyone in the Christmas spirit here in the desert, especially the kids!

above: another photo from The Desert Sun, showing Santa greeting a little boy during his visit. Its great when the magic of Christmas affects people so positively. Of course the religious aspect of Christmas is most important, but for little kids, this sure brings it all to life.
Happy Holidays!
-Rick Rockhill

When Friends Do Stupid Things...

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:08:00 +0000

Ever had a friend do something so stupid you just wince or cringe? Something so heinous that there is no excuse for their behavior? Well I have a friend who did just that. This is about someone I've known for a number of years who did something really awful to someone close to them. Just to be clear, it isn't me. I have nothing to do with it. However, word came to me that my friend was involved in something really stupid, idiotic and just plain bad. I wouldn't dream of making excuses for this friend, nor would I try to defend their behavior. However I do believe this friend has some demons to deal with. What's tough is the recipient of my friend's awful actions is a genuinely good person, who has reached the end of their rope. In other words- this was the last time the other person would put up with my friend's behavior. When I first heard of this matter, at first I was angry with my friend. This person should know better...an external influence took over and resulted in actions that have now changed another person's life. It is a really tough situation for all involved, with some potentially messy implications. Oh its a mess alright. Selfishly, I have nothing to do with it, and technically am not involved. Yet I hurt inside, feeling incredibly bad for both individuals involved. I feel incredibly bad for the "victim" in this situation, it is someone I really respect a great deal. As I mentioned, this person's life is now changed forever. I'm sure this person will bounce back over time, but it is going to linger for some time. I feel helpless in that I cannot help either person. I want to yell at my friend and tell them what a jerk they are. It is going to be a rough patch for these two individuals-and others involved. When I think about what happened I actually wince in discomfort. There is no excuse for my friend's behavior and I intend to really come down hard about it. At the same time I also recognize there is a person inside who needs help. I'm struggling how to handle my anger, disappointment and frustration. It's really a mess on many levels. I apologize I can't be more specific but it's best I keep this vague. So this is nothing more than me venting. Thanks for reading and "listening"
-Rick Rockhill

A Sofa for The Poodles...

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Our back patio sitting area has some super comfy outdoor furniture. Especially in the "cooler" months we love to sit outside with the fireplace going enjoying a nice glass of wine under the dark desert sky. The other night was particularly beautiful, so I headed to the patio to enjoy the view of the stars. Sheldon and Duncan, however beat me to the comfy love seat sofa and jumped right on up together. I had to smoosh them together so there would be enough room for me. I looked at the other pieces of furniture on the patio. One is a glider love seat, no comfy cushions. The other is one of those bobbing spring chairs-no comfy cushion either. The Poodles sure are smart. They picked the most comfortable sofa for themselves to share and enjoy the great outdoors too. Fortunately for me, they love company and have no problem sharing. So there I sat, on the Poodle Sofa and realized how lucky I was to have been adopted by these two wonderful creatures that are so much more than just pets. They are truly part of the family.
-Rick Rockhill

Book Release Party for Uncharted Waters, by Anthony Zolezzi

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 08:03:00 +0000

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a release party for "Uncharted Waters" a new book by one of my famous author friends, Anthony Zolezzi. Anthony is a respected entrepreneur who specializes in sustainable, eco-friendly and organic business endeavors. I've known Anthony for several years and never cease to be impressed by his creativity and commitment to the planet. He is a true innovator, whose personal life choices and business dealings continue to make contributions to the planet's health. Zolezzi has co-authored five books, and has been interviewed by major news networks over the years. A former Chairman for The Organic Center for Education and Promotion Anthony has truly helped shape the organic human products industry here in the US. Aside from his impressive career accomplishments, he is a really fun guy who I'm proud to consider a friend. The book release party was held at the beautiful La Valencia Hotel in scenic La Jolla, overlooking the grand Pacific Ocean. It was an appropriate spot for the party on several levels. Anthony grew up in San Diego, son of a fishing family. His book Uncharted Waters is about lessons he has learned from being a kid working on his father's boats, right on through his adult career working in boardrooms in both corporate and non-profit organizations. It is an inspirational read, with very real stories to which virtually anyone can relate. The book is packed with "fisherman's philosophies", great advice and messages to people who seek to chart their own course in business, whether in a large corporation or on your own. Chapters titled "Know that you're going to catch fish" and "The Albatross, a blessing in disguise" are aptly named. Uncharted Waters reads like the author is speaking to you personally, and is very credible. The official release isn't until March 2010, but you can see a preview on Amazon or at his website, AnthonyZolezzi.com

above: Anthony signs a copy of his book for me, while the fabulous Melissa McGinnis, of Greenoplis.com fame stands by.

above: the terrace was beautifully decorated...

above: The nautical/fisherman theme was carried throughout, this anchor ice sculpture was surrounded by a bed of lobster, crab and shrimp in the buffet. It was a fun evening filled with friends, family and food. I'm grateful to call Anthony a friend from whom I will continue to learn and grow. I'll follow the advice in his chapter entitled "Do something to change your luck" and do just that. Thanks, Anthony for giving us another great read.
-Rick Rockhill

A Night with Rita Rudner and Jennifer Hudson

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:49:00 +0000

This past Tuesday, our local arts venue, the McCallum Theatre held their annual fund raising Gala event. Its an important event for our theatre to generate support and funding to kick off its season each year. Tickets included dinner at one of several local restaurants followed by a performance by comedienne Rita Rudner and Oscar-winning singer-actress Jennifer Hudson. Rita Rudner is a friend of our theatre; before she started her show in Las Vegas, Rita lived in the Palm Springs area, and was a former spokesperson for us. Rita was quite funny, she performed for over 45 minutes, and kept the crowd laughing heartily. She weaved in several local references, holiday stories along with some really funny jokes from her Vegas act. She is a class act, appropriate for any audience and a lot of fun, I'd recommend seeing her if you ever get to Las Vegas.
This was Miss Hudson's first public performance in our desert, although I had the privilege of hearing her perform at a private house party in Palm Springs a few years ago. Jennifer Hudson is still quite young, having gained initial notoriety from competing on American Idol a few years ago. She is hard at work building her career, recording several albums, and performing in films such as Dreamgirls and Sex in the City. Listening to Jennifer Hudson perform and hearing her speak its clear she is a very sweet young woman. Very personable and appreciative of her audience. After her first song, One Night Only, she greeted us by saying "I'm so happy to be here signing for y'all tonight". It was very genuine and down to earth.

Miss Hudson is still early in her career, developing a stage act of her own and finding her comfort zone. Yet she can clearly sing. She showed tremendous range and emotional depth with songs like “Invisible,” “I Love U I Do” and a commanding version of “And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going.” Despite a tough economy, the evening was a success, raising over $900,000 that evening. In addition to running the theatre, the McCallum's Education department has now worked with 40,000 students to teach music programs and fostering an interest in the arts.

There have been countless studies about the positive impact music and the arts has on kids. We're lucky to have a generous community that supports our theatre and the education programs to ensure our children have a place to learn and appreciate the arts for generations to come.
-Rick Rockhill

Five Guys Really Know How to Make a Burger!

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:03:00 +0000

When I was in Miami last week I stumbled on a "Five Guys" restaurant location on Washington Street. I'd heard of Five Guys from the news media coverage when the president makes his jaunts to a local Five Guys joint close to the White House, but I had never even seen one before. So when I saw the sign I decided I had to check it out and decide for myself if they are worth the hype. Living in Southern California, our local favorite for fast food burgers is a family-owned chain called In-N-Out Burger. They are legendary here, and really delicious too. So in I went to see what it was all about.

Have you ever gone into a place that had a reputation of having a particular type of menu that only the locals know how to order from? That's how In N Out is here in So Cal. There is a semi-secret menu of ways you can order a burger that is part of the lore of eating at In N Out. I suspect the same is true for Five Guys. I stared at the menu wondering what the trick was to ordering here. To keep things simple I just asked for a cheeseburger. She shouted back to the grill guys something about a double. Before I knew it I had ordered my cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onions ketchup and mustard. "AND MUSTARD?" She asked? Yes, I want both ketchup and mustard I confirmed. She peddled fries on me as well. I sat and waited while they cooked to order. The folks in the kitchen called out to each other all sorts of commands and secret kitchen talk. Soon my order was called and I excitedly collected my order. The fries were huge, sitting in a Styrofoam cup within a brown paper bag. They were really greasy. I hated the idea of a Styrofoam cup- it seemed so bad for the environment these days. What IS Styrofoam anyway? The burger, however was quite delicious. I savored every bite and decided Five Guys burgers were every bit as good as In N Out. Their fries however were not nearly as good, so in the end I shall remain a fiercely loyal West Coast In N Out boy. It was still fun to experience something new and share my fast food cuisine with you here. So for those of you who imagine (incorrectly) that I only eat grass fed organic beef filet in fancy restaurants, well that's only partly true. I love a good fast food burger from time to time. At least now I know where to get one when I am back on the East Coast.
-Rick Rockhill

Guide Dogs of the Desert Hero's Brunch

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:04:00 +0000

On Saturday I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd Annual Guide Dogs Heroes Brunch. Thanks to the generosity of several major donors, the cost of brunch was completely underwritten so all proceeds help to continue to the mission of the organization. I am personally interested in what the Guide Dogs group does, but also from a business standpoint, my company helps raise and donate money for them as well. Guide Dogs of the Desert's website explains that their mission is to "improve the lives of the blind by creating opportunities for life-changing independence, and by conducting community outreach and education programs." I've had the privilege of being involved with this group for several years now and find it so inspiring. This year they chose to honor my company and our foundation, along with Natural Balance dog food for our joint partnership in support of Guide Dog schools across the country. So I attended in an official capacity representing my company to accept their award. I was humbled by their appreciation and felt so pleased to be affiliated with this great organization.

above: the invitation to the Guide Dogs Heroes brunch

above: A fun moment on stage when two guide dogs have a social moment together. Later in the presentation we heard from a visually impaired person who received a guide dog. He described how he had late onset of an eye disorder where he had full vision until his forties-and then lost his sight. Imagine how that would affect you? With a guide dog, he us now able to continue to work, travel for his job and not only continue to support himself but contribute to society as well. It is difficult to imagine until you hear from someone who shares their story with you. This Heroes Brunch did exactly that, elevated the status of these wonderful dogs who become heroes for people everyday.

above: This guide dog-in-training, "Bailey" was all tuckered out, and took a moment to relax during the presentation.

above: this is the beautiful award from the Guide Dogs of the Desert. I accepted it on behalf of my company and was humbled by their appreciation. If you ever have an opportunity to attend a graduation ceremony at a guide dog school near where you live, do yourself the favor and attend. They are free to attend and open to the public- it will really move and inspire you in many ways. If you want to help Guide Dogs of the Desert in some way, click here.
-Rick Rockhill

It's a Swingin' Christmas Season in Palm Springs

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:46:00 +0000

The holiday season is well underway here, with all sorts of festivities happening. Last night we attended a great party at the new offices of Integrated Wealth Management, owned by a close friend of ours who throws this party for his clients. I didn't take a lot of photos, as a courtesy to the other guests; some of whom are high profile individuals who prefer their privacy. (Being The Palm Springs Savant, I exercise the utmost discretion at such occasions). The entire office is super modern, mostly glass with a black and white decor. The Christmas tree was white, with black and silver decorations, which worked well with the office style. I was particularly excited to find Candy Cane Martinis being served at the bar. In addition to a mini candy cane hanging on the rim of the glass, it also had a chuck of dry ice to make the martini bubble, smoke and smoulder. It seemed appropriate to stop for a fresh photo in my signature martini pose, what do you think?. The camera didn't quite capture the smoke rising from the glass, but you get the idea.

above: The table was beautifully decorated with white orchids in huge martini glasses as center-pieces. There was a fabulous spread of party munchies; fresh fruits, cheeses, delicious local dates, finger sandwiches and nibbly-things on sticks too. All sorts of delicious hot hors d'ouevres were passed on trays all night, one of my favorites were some mini puff pastry cups with goats cheese with caramelized onions. Mmmm!

above: The host asked guests to bring an unwrapped toy, which will donated to Olive Crest, an organization here in the Coachella Valley that helps abused, neglected or at-risk kids and their families. As a side note, Olive Crest shared a stat that every 10 seconds in America, a child experiences some type of abuse, including rape, physical and psychological abuse. It's great that there are non-profit organizations like Olive Crest who are there to help these kids. It was really nice to see the toys all piled up; hopefully these will make some families a little brighter. In the photo above, check out woman standing near the tree. She is a friend of mine, but I took the photo from an angle that would not reveal her identity...but some of you might recognize her. At any rate she was dressed like a true fashion diva in shiny black patent leather.

above: Take a closer look at these black patent leather boots she had on, aren't they fun? I imagine these high boots sure kept her legs warm. Our chilly winter nights don't stand in the way of ladies still being the height of fashion in Palm Springs.

above: these were the little gift boxed given to guests as they left. Cute boxes with delicious decorated sugar cookes! It sure made the ride home fun!
-Rick Rockhill

Rick's Roadshow: Photos From Miami Beach

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:02:00 +0000

It's been awhile since I've had an installment of Rick's Roadshow, so during my recent business trip to Miami I managed to squeeze in a few photos in between my work obligations. I've always been an early riser, so in order to maximize my time in Miami Beach I went out for early morning walks on the beach. I brought my camera on the way to Starbucks so I could snap the odd photo here or there. So Voila! I present Rick's Roadshow: Photos from Miami Beach for my loyal blogger friends!
Many years ago, when I lived in Chicago, Miami was the place I would go in the winter months to escape the cold. Some close friends had a condo there, and they were kind enough to invite me quite regularly. I also brought my grandmother to Miami on vacation a few times and she loved South Beach as much as I did. So its a place that has lots of happy memories for me. In case you didn't know, Miami Beach is known for its fabulous Art Deco style buildings (see the first photo above left). Here are a few more photos that depict the style further:

above: don't you just love the curve of this building, and the round port-hole windows?

above: a corner on Espanola Way

above: the beginning of Lincoln Road pedestrian mall. If you look closely you'll see the vertical waterfall of glass to the left of the rectangular water pool.

above: On Lincoln Road, there are these fun water fountains with mid-century modern style designs.

above: Lincoln Road has more restaurants that you could possibly imagine. I love dining al fresco!
The View from My Hotel

above: Isn't this a killer view? I've always loved being in Miami Beach!

above: the pool at the hotel. Just beyond it, a few steps away is the beach and the Atlantic Ocean

above: the pool has these great private cabana tents...

above: the hotel has two towers. This is the one I stayed in, with a spa on the ground level. We had lunch on this grassy lawn one day.

above: The view from the beach, looking back in-land toward the hotel. The big tower on the right is the main structure of the Loew's, and the smaller one to its left is the same one in the photo above this one (with the grassy lawn).
It was great to be back in Miami Beach, I only wish I hadn't been there alone!
-Rick Rockhill

Can You Guess?

rickrockhill@msn.com (Palm Springs Savant) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:03:00 +0000

Earlier this week I was in Miami on business. I took a bunch of photos at various points headed to and from meetings. I'll post the fun photos tomorrow, but for today I thought it might be fun to test your powers of observation with these two photos. All you need to do it try to guess what time it was (approximately) in each of these two photos. The only clues I will give you are:
Both photos were taken this week, in Miami Beach, Florida. Leave your comments with your guess on time of day for each photo as indicated:

above: Photo #1

above: Photo #2
Good Luck!
Update: The correct times of each photo are: #1 5:01 AM and #2 11:14 AM. A lot of you were close, good judge of the sun's position!
-Rick Rockhill