Philatelic Friday: Stamps of Easter

Since today is Good Friday, this week's theme for Philatelic Friday is Stamps of Easter. There aren't a great number of official government issued stamps with an Easter motif, but I was able to dig up a few on the Internet. Without question, Easter is my favorite holiday. For spiritual reasons, it is a time of rebirth, a time to reflect on oneself. Seasonally, Easter is synonymous with Spring, flowers blooming, and chocolate eggs. Speaking of flowers blooming, my favorite Easter flowers are white lilies, hyacinths and tulips, what about you? Well let's take a look at these Easter postage stamps, now shall we? Above left is from Slovensko, 2004.

above: Hungary eggs

above: Romania, Easter Bunny

above: Slovensko Egg, 2009

That's all for this week's edition of Philatelic Friday. Thanks for stopping by today.

-Rick Rockhill

Do You Have Light In Your Life?

.

Look for light

even in the midst of darkness,

for we know that darkness

shall not overcome it.

Paula Abdul, Martha Stewart and Lady Gaga in Palm Springs

I'm smiling in this photo for good reason. We had just wrapped up filming a new video and photo shoot with the talented and beautiful Paula Abdul. I was delighted that the shoot went off without a hitch, and the the rushes looked good. Being The Palm Springs Savant, I'm no stranger to working and socializing with celebrities and other famous people. Paula was an absolute pleasure to work with and was lots of fun too. Since I'm doing some celebrity name-dropping, I might as well mention that this past weekend Marta Stewart was visiting Palm Springs as well. I've always liked Martha, not to mention her chocolate chip cookies. Martha flew into Palm Springs on her private jet on Friday night; my friend Don was charmed by her and told me how much he enjoyed meeting her. Maybe next time she is in town I'll ask her to cook dinner! Oh, I almost forgot to mention, pop singer Lady Gaga was also in Palm Springs last weekend. Born in New York as Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, at just 23 years old, Lady Gaga has quickly become a sensation on the pop and dance charts. (In fact she was a guest on American Idol last week.) Lady Gaga was in Palm Springs performing as part of the Dinah Shore Weekend festivities. Lady Gaga must love Palm Springs, because she is coming back again this weekend. Well that's the celebrity wrap-up for today. Thanks for stopping by.
-Rick Rockhill

Hanging Out With Paula Abdul

This past weekend I had an exceptionally busy schedule. It was a blend of business and pleasure, interwoven very closely but even the work aspect was enjoyable. Regular readers of this blog know that I avoid discussing my professional life because this is a personal blog. That being said, there are aspects of the weekend that were personal/social and therefore I can write about them here on my own blog. I am fiercely protective and respectful of certain friendships I have with high profile people. I tend to only share photos and stories that occur in public; you will notice that I rarely share photos of private dinners, etc. John happened to take these photos of me and Paula Abdul yesterday while at a graduation ceremony at The Guide Dogs of the Desert in Palm Springs. In this first photo, Paula is holding her adorable Chihuahua, "Bessie Moo".

Paula is such a sweet and intelligent person, very genuine and warm too.

above: we stopped for a quick photo and shared a few laughs.

above: After the event was finished, crowds of fans surrounded Paula as she slowly made her way out of the building. She graciously posed for photos and signed autographs for quite awhile. Outside, a security guard directs Paula's limo, clearing the way from a crowd of people (not visible in this photo). It was an enjoyable day with Paula. She'll always be Forever My Girl.

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Provocative Magazine Ads That Will Turn Your Head

Let's face it. Sex sells. Right or wrong, the media knows it. Big Corporations know it. TV networks know it. Ad Agencies know it. And I know it too. So in a shameless move to boost blog traffic, I found inspiration for this week's truly scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Provocative Magazine Ads That Will Turn Your Head. I've written 98 editions of my weekly Saturday Seven feature. This has been one of the more interesting to compile. This image above left is an ad for a fitness center- clever juxtaposition of imagery, isn't it? If you are uncomfortable with suggestive images that show a bit of skin, then this would be a good time to move on and come back tomorrow instead. I like to think of this as a "G-rated" (okay maybe "PG) blog, it's almost always safe for all viewers, well nearly all anyway. Today's post is nothing you can't find in a normal magazine or billboard. So without further ado, I present: Provocative Magazine Ads That Will Turn Your Head:

above: #1 Armani Exchange Vixen- this ad combines a little bit of everything. Look closely, what do you see first?

above: #2 Abercrombie and Fitch Wrestlers- innocent but designed to appeal to a target audience for sure.

above #3 Armani Exchange Chests- a woman longingly gazes into the eyes of a hunk with her hands suggestively positioned...

above: #4 Calvin Klein Jeans- designed to intentionally confuse the eye with so much going on. It cleverly associates passion with wearing their jeans.

above: #5 "Gossip Girl Ads"- The guy's chest is the focal point for the teenie-bopper girls who follow this tv show.

above: #6 Abercrombie and Fitch Swimsuit Chase-the ever-so-slight "butt-crack" is the focal point of this playful ad.

above: #7 Diesel Jeans- The position of the woman, the jeans riding low on the guy's waist and the glimpse of her bikini top are just half the fun here. Look closely at the coastline in the background. It is subtle but plays with your mind.

Bonus Feature Today:

And If That Weren't Enough...

Madonna continues to show that sex sells, even at 50:

above: Madonna ad for W, showing her great legs

above: Here, Madonna is a cross between Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, in my humble opinion.

above: Madonna having fun with this setting of a well dressed lady spying a half naked hunk, barely covering himself in time.

above: More classic Madonna, at her best.

above: Madonna did a series of ads for Luis Vuitton- geared toward a high-end consumer. Interesting to think that her original fan base is now all grown up and can afford luxury purses. So regardless of income bracket, age or socio-economic status, I submit dear readers, that yes, sex does indeed sell.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's semi-controversial post...leave a comment and weigh in!

-Rick Rockhill

Philatelic Friday: Stamps with Flower Power!

Welcome back to another edition of my Philatelic Friday series. Since Spring is in the air, this week's theme is Stamps with Flower Power! On Wednesday I wrote a post about a recent trip to a nearby nursery and greenhouse. The mental image of those orchids and flowers has been burned into my mind's eye all week. It was the inspiration for today's flower theme for Philatelic Friday, so I hope you enjoy the visual of these stamps from around the world. As it turns out, flowers are one of the more popular subjects for government-issued postage stamps, and by looking at them, you can easily see why. The USA for instance has run over a hundred different stamps with flowers featured in some fashion. Enjoy the viewing...

above: Birds of Paradise and Gloriosa Lily, USA

above: Daisy, Germany

above: Amarillis, USA

above: Purple Loosetrife, Aland Islands

above: hibiscus, Korea

above, orchid, Canada

above: mystery flower, Romania

above: orchids, Thailand

Who knew that government run organizations could be responsible for such beauty! I hope you enjoyed this week's edition of Philatelic Friday. Have a great weekend, straight up!

-Rick Rockhill

Greenhouse Glee

Not too far from home, there is a greenhouse and nursery with the most wonderful collection of flowers, orchids and colorful plants available for purchase. We stopped by in search of some new cactus plants for the garden, but I couldn't resist a stroll through the greenhouses. This huge white orchid caught my eye from the moment I walked in- it mesmerized me! Had I not been in a greenhouse I would have been tempted to touch it to see if it were real. There is something about being in a greenhouse that I find completely peaceful. Come with me on this ever-so-brief journey of what I call "Greenhouse Glee". Enjoy these photos...

above: Beautiful Bromiliards

above: more Orchids...

above: No idea what these are, maybe someone can leave a comment and tell me...

above: more colorful Bromiliards

above: Soon it was time to head out, but only with pleasant memories of the Greenhouse Glee.

-Rick Rockhill