Philatelic Friday: Stamps from Space

Whew, this week sure flew by quickly- it's already Philatelic Friday! I thought it might be fun to build a theme around Space. To avoid any confusion, these are not stamps that I own. For your viewing pleasure,I scoured the Internet for stamps with a space-related motif. But first, how about a few fun trivia facts about stamps. Did you know that the first United States stamps were issued in 1847? One was of Benjamin Franklin at five cents and the other of George Washington at ten cents. Those two men have appeared on more stamps than any other Americans.
Someone wrote to me asking if I knew why we we don't allow stamps of living people on our official stamps but other countries do have living people on them. Here in the US, we wait 10 years after a person's death to consider them for a stamp. The US Postal Service's view is that a true assessment of a person can be made only after waiting a decade. The exception is for former Presidents, who are honored with a stamp on the first birthday after their death. OK so here are the rest of the space related stamps for today's post:

above: United States, first man on the moon

above: Australia, with a sci-fi theme

above: United States, the Enterprise ship from Star Trek

above: United States, Yoda from Star Wars

above: United States, anniversary of the first moon landing

above: the former Soviet Union

Well before I wrap up today's edition of Philatelic Friday, I thought I'd leave another bit of trivia.

Before there were stamps, the person receiving a letter had to pay the delivery costs to the postal carrier. In those days it was expensive to deliver mail, so people would simply refuse to accept a letter if it was too expensive for them. The post office couldn't afford the cost to accept, carry, deliver mail, only to have it refused and then return it to the sender again. Then the post office got smart and required postage to be pre-paid. Interesting huh? Well that's what I know. Happy Friday all.

-Rick Rockhill

Contrary to popular belief...

HG and I did not get into a fight and decided to stop working together on I am Fashion and started our own blogs instead. (Even our mutual friends wondered about it!) We still email each other daily about the intricate details of our lives and random thoughts we have, and feel extremely empty when the other is away and has no access to the internet. When I freak out, she is the first person I call and she is still my maid of honor when I fantasize about my wedding. Our reasons for closing down I am Fashion still stands, though I do think that my later rationalization of it in this blog is a better articulation of how we feel.

As for us continuing to blog even more regularly than before, I attribute it to the "newness" of our blogs. Starting a new blog is like starting a relationship. At the beginning everything is new and exciting as you get to know the other person and watch your relationship grow and mature. Every up and every down is a significant moment. Then the honeymoon phase eventually wears off and you reach a happy medium, where your relationship becomes a part of your daily life. With any luck, you will live happily ever after in this state with a few surprises here and there to spice up the norm. If not, your relationship will wane and you grow apart, eventually deciding that you are both better off parting ways.

Clearly I'm in the honeymoon phase. We are starting to explore new things together, trying to figure out what works best for the both of us. Every new post is an adventure. Every comment and email is exciting. I want to spend every moment of everyday with it, checking on its progress i.e. stalking the traffic, the incoming and outgoing links etc. It's an exhilarating feeling that I'd almost forgotten about!

Analogy aside, it is heartwarming to read everyone's encouraging comments and to know that we were able to leave a small footprint on some people's lives. We appreciate your support and remember that we've not left the blogging world for good. Come visit us some time at our new blogs -(Find the links to our new blogs in the post below). We miss you guys!

Fond Memories and a Joke From Joe

I've been missing Koshimi lately and dug up this photo from last August when we drove up to the wine country in Northern California. Here we are amid the vineyards at Ledson Winery in Sonoma. Sheldon was just five months old, and was nearly the same size as Shimi. I remember this day as if it were yesterday. We had so much fun with both dogs. This particular day we went to Ledson to enjoy some wine and for lunch. I'm so happy we stopped for this photo. Sheldon and Shimi had so much fun running through the vineyards and looking at the grapes nearing harvest time. Fond memories indeed.

By the way, I sure had a lot of fun with my "What Movie is This?" posts the past two days. I want to thank to everyone who left a comment or sent me an e-mail with their guesses to the film titles. Either I picked really easy films, or y'all just know your 80's movies! I'll try that again sometime. OK so now here's a little joke that my brother Joe sent to me. I should warn you- if you are very religious or a strict Catholic, skip over this joke.
Hope you have a great Wednesday. Now here's my brother Joe's little joke:

While driving home, a neighborhood priest saw a Nun walking along the road, and decided to offer her a lift.

The Nun got in the car, sat down and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg, causing the priest to nearly have an accident

After regaining control of the car, the priest steadily slid his hand up her leg. The Nun said: "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand.

But changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.
The Nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129"

The priest apologized and said "Sorry Sister, but the flesh is weak"

Arriving at the convent, the Nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the chursh, the priest rushed to his Bible to look up Psalm 129.

It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
-Rick Rockhill

What Movie is This? Part Deux

OK let's try this again. Yesterday I did a "What Movie is This?" contest but disclosed the name of the movie in the image name. Clever bloggers were able to "mouse over" the image and the name was revealed. Today I am much wiser... SO once again, does anyone know what movie this image is from? I'll hold off on posting any comments until Tuesday night, to allow everyone to guess. HERE IS THE TWIST: The first and fifteenth person to guess correctly will win a prize. YES, that's TWO PRIZES for TWO DIFFERENT WINNERS! Where else but right here at the Palm Springs Savant! Good Luck! Oh by the way, Happy St Patrick's Day!
Update: 9:00 PM PDT: The results were a little different today. Twelve or 17 people got it right, not to mention the folks who e-mailed me but didn't post a comment. We had just one winner, Grace who was the first person to respond correctly that it was Mannequin. Unfortunately we didn't have a second winner, because the 15th person guessed wrong. So congratulations Grace, I'll contact you for your prize. Thanks to everyone for playing "What Movie is This?"
-Rick O' Rockhill ;-)

What Movie is This?

Thought I'd have a bit of fun with you today. Does anyone remember what movie this is from? I'll hold off on publishing the comments until Monday evening. The first person who guesses correctly will win a prize...

Update: 7:00 PDT: Everyone answered correctly, it is Sixteen Candles, starring Molly Ringwold. (What a classic movie). Of course I forgot the image was named "Sixteen Candles" and some of you let me know just how easy this was. Oh well, it was fun! Congratulations to Casdok who was the first person to guess correctly!

Sunday Art Review: The Work of Erin

Welcome to The Sunday Art Review. This week I am pleased to feature the work of a North Carolina artist named Erin, of "The Babblings of a Whimsical Brainpan" fame. She is an interesting person with a remarkable story. Despite incredible obstacles and challenges in her life, she creates art for others to enjoy. I featured select works of Erin a year or two ago, but recently decided to show a more extensive view of Erin's work. These works, and others are available in poster and postcard. This first piece above left is titled "Elemental" in watercolor.

above: "Evening Snow", original photograph

above: "Magnolia Blossom", oil painting

above: "Roses", original photograph, altered

above: "Winter Blues", oil painting

above: "Winter Moon", oil painting

above: "Winter's Passing", oil painting

I hope you enjoy this week's Sunday Art Review of Erin's work. If you enjoyed these works, leave a comment here, then swing by her blog to say hello too.

-Rick Rockhill

The Saturday Seven: Visual Metaphors for Being Down

Lately I've been hearing more and more sad stories than usual from people I know. Various friends, acquaintances and former co-workers from years past have contacted me who have hit tough times, either emotionally or financially. Lost pets, lost jobs, closed businesses, divorce, money trouble, or just on the brink of something or other. It's a tough world out there, and it's never easy to deal with bad things in life when they hit. But it is a true test of our character and fortitude how we handle the low points as much as the high points. The only things I know about life is that it is too short and unpredictable. That's why I believe it is so important to cherish every moment, pause to appreciate the blessings we have, and focus on what matters most. That being said, when tough times do befall, it is equally important to allow oneself the process to grieve, express the dark emotions and just let it out. I tend to express myself in visual imagery, and chose this as the topic for another scintillating edition of The Saturday Seven: Visual Metaphors for Being Down. I should reassure you that this post has nothing to do with me, all is well in my life fortunately. I am merely dedicating this post to those folks out there who are struggling in some fashion. I hope these visual metaphors capture the feeling...

#1 Old Worn Out Shoes

#2 Broken Bottle

#3 Broken Egg

#4 Mangled Bicycle

#5 Shattered Window

#6 Decimated Forest

#7 Empty Room

Remember, behind every cloud is that silver lining...and eventually a bright new sunrise.

Tomorrow is a new day...and a new beginning. If you are someone going through a rough time, I hope these images are cathartic for you. If you know someone going through a tough time right now, just be there for them and listen. Let them express their feelings, and then when the time is right, lift them up with all your might.

-Rick Rockhill