tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50044823442529628752024-02-07T22:15:48.949-05:00Jim's Tangled WebMy life as I'm living it...Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-22411606341348615812012-07-11T13:53:00.002-04:002012-07-16T22:26:40.204-04:00The Voices Of Our Past Should Direct Our Future...<i>{Authors note: I started this post many months ago. Normally I would have published long before now, but living life sometimes becomes more important. However, as each month, week and day go by, the events that I'm about to chronical become mroe and more important in my mind. I hope you agree}</i><br />
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My wonderful wife invited me to this years Collie Club of America Specialty Dog Show held just outside Philadelphia, PA. As typical taking such trips, we like to visit special places or drive off the beaten path just to break up the monotony of a long drive. We visited three places that made me reflect on the greatness of our Country, the fragile nature of our Union, and the people who died during the process of struggle.<br />
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During the drive from Cincinnati up I-71 and over I-70 to I-76 (also known as the Pennsylvania Turnpike), we spotted a sign for the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/flni/index.htm">Flight 93 Memorial</a>. So we hopped off at Somerset, PA and drove up the road a bit to this piece of hallowed ground.<br />
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This National Park and Memorial is still under construction, but there is a small visitors center at the end of the drive, and a walkway out to the main memorial. Throughout the entrance to the finished area are various placards showing the path of Flight 93, photos of the hero's of that died tragic day, a picture of a black cloud taken soon after the plane crashed, and other items of note. The long walk out to the 40 large marble slabs with each hero's name engraved into it was quiet and peaceful - the entire place had a "reverence" about it. You could feel the sense of loss, but also a sense of honor that seamed to emanate from the grounds. The walkway had small openings where people could leave mementos, gifts or notes to the fallen. There were many roses there that day, and a small shield from an airport police officer from Kentucky.<br />
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I thought back to that day. There was an incredible amount of coverage of the twin towers and the pentagon, but not so much of this Pennsylvania field rather high up on one of the mountains where 40 people decided they would rather die fighting than become yet another statistic during that barbaric attack on September 11th. They had to know - after finding out that three other hijacked aircraft had flown into buildings killing all aboard - that their fate was sealed if they did nothing. So they heroically chose to do SOMETHING and if nothing else, die trying to live, instead of living just to die.<br />
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The next day we took a trip into Philadelphia, and took a quick car tour of the downtown area around Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed and brave men and women gave birth to the United States. I thought back to what it might have been like to live in those times - how far removed they were from their homeland England, and the struggles they dealt with to form this new way of life based on individual freedom and liberty. To create a nation based on the "laws of nature and natures God", promoting a classless society where "all men are created equal".<br />
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A website promoting (<a href="http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/independence-hall/">Independence Hall</a>) includes the statement:<br />
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<span style="font-style: italic;">"They risked everything — “their lives, their fortune and their sacred honor.” During the blistering summer of 1776, 56 courageous men gathered at the Pennsylvania State House and defied the King of England. Eleven years later, representatives from 12 states gathered to shape the U.S. Constitution, finally creating one unified nation."</span><br />
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Truly humbling to know what the founders of our country had endured, to remove themselves from the authority of the Crown.<br />
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Our next visit was <a href="http://www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm">Valley Forge National Historical Park</a>. We took a tour of the grounds by car, getting out from time to time to see some of the small buildings that were built by the Continental Army, as well as the various encampments, the location of George Washington's tent, and the house he eventually used to plan his war strategy, cannon positions and bunkers. To know that our young nation struggled against and bested the English Crown and their well funded, well trained army, and it all started here. Breath taking.<br />
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These destinations and the stories told through history - both recent and past - reflect a common theme. They all speak to personal sacrifice of ones self for an idea of freedom, equality and the ability to pursue your own path to happiness - whichever path that may be for you.<br />
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In the case of Valley Forge and Independence Square, sacrifice for the birth of a classless society. A country where each State had its own sovereignty, yet united in its dealings to the outside world. Freedom from the tyrannical kings and princes of England, where no "authority" should be held above any state or group of states. Liberty and freedom to risk and reap our own rewards, deal with our own failures, and the chance to live our lives as we desire.<br />
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In the case of Flight 93, personal sacrifice to save a symbol of our nation. The people on that flight may never have known that the likely target of the terrorists who took over that plane was the US Capitol building. But they knew that with decisive action in the face of nearly certain death, they would go down fighting for the love of country and against the terrorists whose goal it was to destroy a part of America.<br />
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During each of these events, the idea of America was under attack. And at each stage, men and women stood up and said "ENOUGH!". And yet, the idea of America is still under attack - from forces outside and inside of our nation. I'm sure some have the best of intentions or fail to see what some of us see, but the attack continues regardless. And I must mention that this is not a Democrat vs Republican thing. It is a failure of each of us to learn and understand the DETAILS of our history - WHY things have occurred, and the results of legislation meant for the "greater good".<br />
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For the last 50+ years since the administration of Woodrow Wilson, liberal progressives have pushed the United States away from the ideas of our founders. Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Lincoln - they would not recognize our country and the size of this bloated Federal Government. In fact, I can hear them calling from history each time a new government program is announced, or the people we have elected to represent us vote for another entitlement package, or a new tax, or a new regulation, or appoint a new bueracrat.<br />
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If you take a hard look at the reasons we declared ourselves independent from England, you can see that we're creating the conditions that forced that declaration. Please consider:<br />
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<i><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bold and Italicized items are from the Declaration of Independence.</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-weight: bold;">He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.</span></i><br />
King Gorge was accused of refusing to allow the colonists to pass their own laws. How similar is that to today's Federal Government overturning various laws of individual States? How about the Federal government taking the State of Arizona to court to protect their own state?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.</i></span><br />
The King was charged with refusing to pass or passing laws without the consent of the governed. One might suggest that organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, or any of the various Czars that have passed regulations on the American people are similar to this.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.</i></span><br />
While this charge had to do with the King of England allowing immigration and the availability of lands to new immigrants, one could argue the Federal Governments refusal to apply and enforce immigration laws as passed by the will of the people to be a similar event.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.</i></span><br />
Our founders saw great important of the separation of powers, especially as it related to the judiciary. But President Obama has verbally threatened the Supreme Court over the review of the Health Care Mandate. Earlier in his tenure, he verbally admonished - falsely I might add - the Supreme Court for a decision in the Citizens United case.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.</i></span><br />
This applied to additional military courts initiated by King George. Did anyone read the new National Defense Authorization Act that allows military arrest and detention of American citizens without trial?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.</i></span><br />
See above...<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:</i></span><br />
Equate this statement to our dealings with the United Nations (Gun Ban Treaty, global warming initiatives), or the insistence in some areas that Sharia Law become a part of our own legal system?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><i>He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.</i></span><br />
Fanning the flames of insurrection - much like Obama's involvement with Sandra Fluke and Trayvon Martin issues, the lying and half truths he spouts as facts perhaps. How about the involvement with the Occupy Wall Street movement?<br />
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Our leaders - and not just Obama, but many of his predecessors over the past 7 decades - have used race, class, safety, and security to strip us of our freedoms and liberty. A little liberty forfeited for a little security year over year over year for the past 60+ years has led us to the edge of a cliff - a cliff which once we traverse, we can never recover. At some point, there were be a point of no return.<br />
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The majority of the American people have been asleep through this whole process. But we are starting to awaken and even more of us are speaking up. Whether we realize it or not, our past is calling to us, begging us to return to a place where liberty and freedom - and the associated responsibility that goes with it - is more important to each of us than the perceived protection and security of an all knowing Federal government....Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-749001321950343862012-06-24T12:15:00.000-04:002012-06-24T12:21:55.472-04:00For Music Gear Heads - Computer + Mainstage = Multi Effects Processor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuX6BMjoztugDkMU5TdfY2vUNKQct7HTDovmqUE7GZ3bauGuyM27rXg5lsA5R3NppCaGElfTBXN8m9PCbvuGiKvfe60ni4Hetmffm9EUgRn1Gzv6cIlZzq9ZFqZ_K7K4ABnOuZEqFQm4/s1600/hero_mainstage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCuX6BMjoztugDkMU5TdfY2vUNKQct7HTDovmqUE7GZ3bauGuyM27rXg5lsA5R3NppCaGElfTBXN8m9PCbvuGiKvfe60ni4Hetmffm9EUgRn1Gzv6cIlZzq9ZFqZ_K7K4ABnOuZEqFQm4/s1600/hero_mainstage.jpg" /></a></div>
OK - for all you musicians and computer gear heads, I thought I'd share this little tidbit of how I was able to use my computer, a firewire interface and Logic / Mainstage to create a very useful and versatile mulit-effects processor.<br />
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First, what I used:<br />
Macbook Pro 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 4 GB Memory.<br />
Presonus Firepod 8 X 8 firewire audio interface.<br />
Apple's Logic software with Mainstage Version 2.1.3<br />
Various cables to connect everything.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSYBQ0poles7Jc8qOcqJT4tOTAbcnZPrcP-OZy37c2usUuHhp_coZrmyJ_16eMgU1MZBZEBI7Kyla1Ij3E_0FIFW1CwRUTAUeG7REbwzxtuzzeqh1oo4ntq6gjM1bX_eKOBRxykRuD08/s1600/Hollywood_pine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHSYBQ0poles7Jc8qOcqJT4tOTAbcnZPrcP-OZy37c2usUuHhp_coZrmyJ_16eMgU1MZBZEBI7Kyla1Ij3E_0FIFW1CwRUTAUeG7REbwzxtuzzeqh1oo4ntq6gjM1bX_eKOBRxykRuD08/s200/Hollywood_pine.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollywood at the Knotty Pine<br />
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<b>The Problem:</b><br />
The band Hollywood has been playing in the greater Cincinnati area for ever, and I've known them all for over 20 years. GREAT group of guys who love to play 80's hair metal and are really great at it. I've been running sound for them off and on as my schedule permits for about 7 years. They called me on Thursday to ask if I would be available Saturday to run sound, with the caveat that the venue, "had a sound system, but no effects." A quick visit to the venue confirmed that they indeed had no effects processors of any kind. They have a fairly nice Allen Heath 32 channel mixer and I could use 4 aux sends for outboard effects. Perfect...<br />
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<b>Devising A Plan:</b><br />
I do have some outboard effects modules around the house, but they are in need of repair - that's out. But then I thought, "Mainstage has a tremendous amount of outboard processors and things I could use or this - I wonder if I couldn't use one of my Firepods as an interface and set up a Mainstage project to handle the effects.<br />
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So in Mainstage, I opened up a new project for handling Vocals or other audio signals. I chose a blank slate so I could put together exactly what I wanted. I created 8 mono audio channels to handle the input, then created 8 aux channels to handle the effects, and I routed the incoming signal from the incoming audio channel to the outgoing effects channel. I then added an EQ to the mono audio channel strip to handle sound shaping, and added an effect to the aux channel strip for the effect I wanted to use.<br />
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Now, you may ask, "why didn't you just add the effect to the mono audio channel strip - you can add as many as you like?" The answer has a bit to do with how I like to run sound, but in short, I wanted to be able to mute and unmute the incoming signal to the effect so the effect will continue to ring after I muted the incoming signal (such as a reverb or delay). This would give me the ultimate in flexibility.<br />
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So after I selected the effects I wanted, I created a control surface in Mainstage. This would give me control over the needed parameters throughout the night. I simply set up a "channel strip consisting of an input meter, numerous control knobs, a fader and output meter, then a mute button. I also created a master meter, fader and mute button, then a tap tempo button for the delay surface. It looks like this:<br />
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<b>Connections:</b><br />
The Presonus Firepods and Fireboxes are most excellent interfaces. Great quality mike preamps and very solid processing make them a great choice for people that have computers with firewire connections. It's sad to see firewire go away in the new Macs, but hopefully I'll be able to preserve these legacy devices because they're simply wonderful.<br />
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To connect my computer to the board, I used board aux's 1-4 and plugged them into channels 1-4 of the firepod I was connected to. Then I used the 8 channel individual outs of the firepod to send the processed signal back to the mixing board. It was the perfect amount of flexibility, although I could have mixed everything right from Mainstage and simply used a stereo return into the board.<br />
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I also purchased a Korg nanoKontrol some time ago for use with Mainstage, and it really came in handy for this project. I routed all of the faders and mutes in the software control surface to the nanoKontrol, as well as routing one very important control to the pot control on the nanoKontrol. For the reverbs, it was the reverb time. For the delay, it was the feedback level. For the chorus and flange, it was the speed control.<br />
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Routing:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Verb - 20 Seconds - BOOM!</td></tr>
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For Hollywood, I really like the flexibility of multiple reverbs. I set up two reverbs for the drum kit - one a simple reverb that I kept between 1 and 3 seconds, then a second that I keep around 5 to 10 seconds for "cannon effects". I assigned aux one on the mixing board to feed those two channels at the same time - I used the mute functions to switch between them.<br />
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For vocals I set up another reverb that I kept between 1-2 seconds to fill out the vocals. I set this up on Aux 2 on the mixing board. I have the delay coming through on Aux 3 for vocals and the odd guitar solo, using tap tempo to keep it synced with the song. Lastly, I used Aux 4 for Chorus and / or Flange - chorus to fatten up the vocals, and flange for special effects on songs like "Electric Eye" (Judas Priest).<br />
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Problems:<br />
You knew there had to be a problem or two, but honestly it was pretty fool proof. After getting the levels set, it was like running any other outboard gear, but with the flexibility of being able to set everything up exactly like I wanted to. One problem I experienced was a bit of latency - about 10ms at an I/O sample size of 64 samples. But as it turned out, it wasn't noticeable in the mix.<br />
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The other was CPU usage. When I first started, I used the large Space Designer reverb. With three instances of that and 6 band fully parametric on each input channel, the CPU would max out causing some harsh noises. When I changed to Platinum Verbs and disabled 3 bands of the EQ, my CPU usage went down to around 50% - totally acceptable.<br />
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Controls:<br />
The really cool thing about Mainstage is you can create your own software control surfaces. Having the EQ on the incoming signal really helped control some nasty frequencies that would leak through. It meant I could get just the right sound going into the effect, so I didn't need much additional processing after the effect.<br />
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As you can see in this picture, the top 6 knobs controlled EQ functionality. High shelf level and frequency, midrange peak (or cut) and frequency, and low shelf level and frequency. This gave me quite a bit of control, and if I needed to adjust the "Q" or add another band, I could do that through the actual software controls. It turns out I didn't need much of anything, which is very nice.<br />
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Next are the actual effect controls. For the reverbs (first 3 channels, I selected a low shelf frequency to cut or boost low end through the reverb, then a wet and dry level control. Lastly, I selected a reverb time control so I could change that on the fly.<br />
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I placed the fader and output level meter next to each other for ease of viewing on the fly. At the bottom is a typical mute button so I could mute the incoming signal without cutting off any residual effect (reverb or delay).<br />
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<b>So, how did it all work:</b><br />
Flawlessly is the best way I could describe it! It allowed me to have all of the effects I wanted or needed in a very nice, neat little package. While I only used 6 effects, I had 2 spare channels ready so I could add something on the fly if necessary. With the EQ, meters, faders and mute buttons already routed, I just needed to add some effects and select whatever controls I wanted to access through the software control surface - would take just a few minutes at most.<br />
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There you have it - I consider it a very cool success story. :)Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-58454905241838398392011-04-24T21:05:00.013-04:002011-08-30T07:35:58.736-04:00What is Freedom?<span><span style="font-family:times;">I have been struggling for quite a while with various topics, and which ones I would like to bring forward to anyone who might care to read my thoughts and ramblings. But these days, the future has been solidly on my mind - in particular the changes that have taken place in our society over the time I've been on this earth, and changes that will certainly effect my step-kids as they finish school and head out into this world of ours. So one of the topics I wish to tackle and publicly wrestle with is the concept of "Freedom" and how the freedom we have come to expect inside the United States is being systematically</span></span><span><span style="font-family:times;"> removed from us right before our eyes.</span></span><div><span><span style="font-family:times;font-size:130%;"><b>
<br /></b></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family:times;font-size:130%;"><b>What is "Freedom"?</b></span></span></div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZx9TJ_n1F6RV4_PVStMAaiW9wlpMnzj-oizzCmDrQH225zcQcAUg74auSa0OlVGpwsHct_kgfcBOSXnHQu9Gp1moSuZ2plFVY3jmtPdqFMTMPOa6zUhQZFSesW5smkeMt-nlNDk-jX_4/s200/US_flag_distress_1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5646475862987458946" /><div><span><span style="font-family:times;font-size:130%;"><b>
<br /></b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">Much of today's society has twisted the true philosophy of freedom. How many people have you seen complain that their "freedom of speech" has been infringed when they write "{insert person, place or thing here} sucks" on a public forum, only to find their statements stricken from the public record by moderators? In fact, they have forgotten the companion element of freedom, which is "responsibility". You have the "Freedom" to say whatever you want, as long as you accept the "Responsibility" of those statements. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">And so it is - in my opinion - that to be free, means to be responsible. It is so evident that so many of us have either forgotten that true freedom requires the component of responsibility, or we have abdicated our freedom because we no longer wish to be responsible.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">Consider the "typical" person who lives on public assistance (not the person who most would argue "truly needs help" of course). How much of their freedom have they given up, and how much responsibility do they abdicate? In the obverse, how much freedom does the person have who qualifies for public assistance, but chooses another (legal of course) way to survive? How much responsibility have they accepted? Who of the two people in these examples is more "free"?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">Another grand example is how people deal with adversity or natural disaster. How many of the people who found themselves trapped in New Orleans after the hurricane were truly "free" when they opted to depend on the Government to help them? In contrast, how many people in Gulfport, MI found themselves in trouble after they opted to take responsibility for their own lives?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">How about the right to bear arms? In so many places, weapons are now illegal - if not impossible - to own or carry, all in the name of freeing ourselves from danger. But at what cost? There is an incredible amount of responsibility that goes with owning and carrying a firearm, but why are we not given the freedom to accept that responsibility?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">I'm sure there are literally thousands of examples, but I believe there is one single truism that you will find in nearly every example. The more responsibility you take, the more free you become. The more responsibility you release, the less free you are. It is this truism that shapes my personal and political views of today.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">How many laws or regulations has our Government has passed over the past 5 or more decades that relieves us of some kind of responsibility? In effect, how much freedom has also been relieved? One huge issue today is healthcare. Prior to the healthcare law passed by Congress in 2010, how much responsibility did one have to have to protect themselves and their families? It is argued that people now no longer had to worry about paying for health care - they were "free" from that burden. But at what cost? According to the law, everyone now must pay for some kind of health insurance or be "taxed" because they chose not to. Freedom taken away. In all cases where a similar system has been tried, it has lead to less access to care, and a lower level of care than we have experienced in the United States. Responsibility removed - along with the freedom to choose or freedom to quality health care.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">To be truly free is to be responsible for ourselves and our loved ones. This leads to true independence. And when you look back to what our Founding Fathers fought for and crafted through our Constitution, isn't that what they had in mind? They knew that true freedom required responsibility of the individual, to themselves and their families, and people who took that responsibility seriously could achieve true independence.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">While this may seam to be a foreign concept to many (and I believe we have been conditioned to forget these simple concepts), I strongly believe this is the roadmap we need to follow to drive our way out of this terrible mess we find our country in today. We don't need the Federal government - or state or local government for that matter - to be the one stop shop and final regulatory say for every individual it serves, and history proves that it's certainly not sustainable. The Government cannot be all things to all people, and was it never designed to be.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">The challenge many of us face now is how to turn back over a half century of "change" that has negatively effected our freedoms. While we would like to blame Democrats or Republicans, the real blame rests with those of us who have remained asleep during these changes, or have accepted the lie that these small changes and erosions of our freedoms are somehow necessary.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">The question becomes - "what will you do now that you know what must be done?"</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:times;font-size:100%;">How you answer could change our world - or allow he slow, painful demise of our once great nation.</span></div>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-8909032036543318342011-03-03T00:22:00.019-05:002011-03-03T16:43:00.694-05:00Changes...<span style="font-style: italic;">"I'm moving through some Changes - I'll never be the same. Something you did touched me - there's no one else to blame..."</span><br />Changes by Yes - 90125<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6R-bo0ac2LD7DIuYmOUI3zagcLpA51wjlqstfAuyK9qJyvAcgERtk_jEILQcwGgGuvUEqmWBS5aBs2Ki_XeXRF9jG6SmpUHoKdFcsC90mNRYJFjU0TR7_u1QEQQJMGnHMCYxoihVwu9E/s1600/puking_90.gif"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 90px; height: 87px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6R-bo0ac2LD7DIuYmOUI3zagcLpA51wjlqstfAuyK9qJyvAcgERtk_jEILQcwGgGuvUEqmWBS5aBs2Ki_XeXRF9jG6SmpUHoKdFcsC90mNRYJFjU0TR7_u1QEQQJMGnHMCYxoihVwu9E/s200/puking_90.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579835728177651554" border="0" /></a>Nothing lasts forever. Whoever said that was a genius, if not obvious. But human nature being what it is, we rarely realize this bit of obviousness until we're in the middle of that change. Today, I find myself at such a crossroads - or, a "Y" as it may be. It is scary, uneasy, and exciting all at once. It also means leaving a part of myself behind as I spread my musical wings into other areas.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaiM26gY_qLZXiGwblzmsLR4DijFwCL1UBhxRzV292ssjuCezMetkmc5qPaH61rbb7BHhOdCNIfUXzP0M6VZ0e-wnijMt42bKacrGbtDivXVhJqWxsWDaiGkVhEqzSzMLyzQWdCStNnQ/s1600/jq5.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 138px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaiM26gY_qLZXiGwblzmsLR4DijFwCL1UBhxRzV292ssjuCezMetkmc5qPaH61rbb7BHhOdCNIfUXzP0M6VZ0e-wnijMt42bKacrGbtDivXVhJqWxsWDaiGkVhEqzSzMLyzQWdCStNnQ/s200/jq5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579836100371252914" border="0" /></a>For anyone who has known me as a musician, you know that I've spent the last 19 years of my life playing keyboards and singing with Cincinnati's Bad Habit Band. Bad Habit has been a part of my life for so long that Jim Oldfield, Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sciutto</span>, Rob <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Nadler</span>, and Brian Lee <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Broomhall</span> have become "Brothers By Another Mother." Because of my association with them, I have experienced so many great times, along with the pain and disappointment that any extended family experiences.<br /><br />It is with a somewhat heavy heart that I announce my departure from the Bad Habit Band after 19 years with this fantastic group of musicians. It was not entirely by my choice, but my choices have led us to part ways. Confused? Don't be. Like so many other creative people, I have found it necessary to expand my horizons into other areas. However, this made booking commitments with Bad Habit difficult to impossible to keep. Jim, Rich, Rob and Brian want - no, NEED - to keep playing - and therefore have found it necessary to replace me with another keyboardist to fulfill those commitments.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-RDv47v1X5dAuCb_O-2jgtpRIrhz37N9preMQ16SzdcS-sTSkammdHkAO9GHErY86v3Wk9OYcAb4wMohM36HEK8QHP5-sXCllKRmUVyzuDhaXq2bdsWaHigvTTQpHtgwQtsgLD4f1js/s1600/dv8.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-RDv47v1X5dAuCb_O-2jgtpRIrhz37N9preMQ16SzdcS-sTSkammdHkAO9GHErY86v3Wk9OYcAb4wMohM36HEK8QHP5-sXCllKRmUVyzuDhaXq2bdsWaHigvTTQpHtgwQtsgLD4f1js/s200/dv8.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579837857095217282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4-RDv47v1X5dAuCb_O-2jgtpRIrhz37N9preMQ16SzdcS-sTSkammdHkAO9GHErY86v3Wk9OYcAb4wMohM36HEK8QHP5-sXCllKRmUVyzuDhaXq2bdsWaHigvTTQpHtgwQtsgLD4f1js/s1600/dv8.png"><span style="font-size:85%;">DV8</span><br /></a><br /></div>As for me, I have joined <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">DV</span>8 as keyboardist, vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and musical director. But the point of this blog post and my subsequent posting to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">facebook</span> pointing here is to not only inform the public as to what is going on, but to somehow put the last 19 years of my musical life into perspective for the multitudes of people who are fans of the Bad Habit Band, and in many cases have became personal friends of mine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiJmDskjeOiA6Mbgg04U3WyTh3811yCt7RAUnfjUwOHGYf1u_w-lyC73NYpsge2lLLvTZSBuQ2S5iv7Wb0kYRLPbBrazDqMvb8bYoAe_a5LwGixs5VIgqb5LSVWyY_Kep8Kr8oJ-5GCQ/s1600/BH_City.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguiJmDskjeOiA6Mbgg04U3WyTh3811yCt7RAUnfjUwOHGYf1u_w-lyC73NYpsge2lLLvTZSBuQ2S5iv7Wb0kYRLPbBrazDqMvb8bYoAe_a5LwGixs5VIgqb5LSVWyY_Kep8Kr8oJ-5GCQ/s200/BH_City.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579839174924774322" border="0" /></a>Bad Habit became a labor of love and a true melding of the talents and emotions of 5 diverse musicians - actually more than that if you include all of the drummers that we've had flow through our project over the last 19 years. Like any other "birth", we struggled and fought, cried and wrestled, but through the pain and efforts we created something that I consider truly exceptional on a musical level. Few bands could ever pull off the songs we've played at the level that we performed them. And while we may have wanted to take the easy way out on occasion, we always found our way to do songs that were exceptional on many levels. I will always be proud of our accomplishments - not because any one of us was "all that," but our combined talents made us so much better than any one of us could have been as individuals.<br /><br />I'd like to take a moment to express my gratitude to my brothers:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzJW59FbQQFGHSSThZtsIKH-g_rJbinBb6GJsS901AfAKC4BAxHkCNhF9fZQpXVfbEjPQwsgWFPL7Gj6mpIJeH99Q5SPSJoa6-16EaO2xWZdRTWeGWjXuAEW4twhDx_6iwNYfNbTKZ_I/s1600/jo5.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzJW59FbQQFGHSSThZtsIKH-g_rJbinBb6GJsS901AfAKC4BAxHkCNhF9fZQpXVfbEjPQwsgWFPL7Gj6mpIJeH99Q5SPSJoa6-16EaO2xWZdRTWeGWjXuAEW4twhDx_6iwNYfNbTKZ_I/s200/jo5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579839656624606146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jim Oldfield:</span><br />Bad Habit wouldn't have been possible without Jim Oldfield, his rehearsal site (down on Seymour Ave at the time, now part of the U-Pull - U-Pay lot), his used U-Haul truck (then his white trailer), and most importantly his PA system. Jim spent an extraordinary amount of money on equipment - both front of house and monitors - to make sure Bad Habit had an edge with our sound. And not only did he spend the money on our sound system, but he set it up and tore it down many times on his own. He replaced blown speakers, damaged or stolen cables, and paid for equipment repairs, yet never charged us for the use of his equipment or the extra demands on his time. How fortunate we were! He even paid for Rich and Rob's in-ear monitors when we decided to go in that direction! He also booked the band, and when the funds were available he had t-shirts made to promote us. Thank you Jim O for all of your hard work and the efforts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLPF_N8BCg2atZbIdvqpOs3i3F-NWDYcrilVLwNn0xoX0xQ0fJzQOKpqCie6DjJ5hUhi7VA5N0LmZoC91dck_MgyVfChAZXdYsu_Agl-ayzzc9j7d6zibdtP4PASbxbhD-SX5ZTxZnSI/s1600/rs01.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLPF_N8BCg2atZbIdvqpOs3i3F-NWDYcrilVLwNn0xoX0xQ0fJzQOKpqCie6DjJ5hUhi7VA5N0LmZoC91dck_MgyVfChAZXdYsu_Agl-ayzzc9j7d6zibdtP4PASbxbhD-SX5ZTxZnSI/s200/rs01.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579840305501254946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richard </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Sciutto</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span><br />True Italian brothers we are - to the point where we would fight like factions from the Godfather, and yet came together in times of trouble like few people could. You may never believe me, but I have a level of respect for you that you'll never realize. The biggest fight we had was at the U-Turn in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Middletown</span> after a slammed Friday night - we were moving our gear from stage 1 to stage 2 when comments about keeping girlfriends led to a most vicious physical altercation. I'm sure everyone working at the bar that night thought we were done, but less than 20 hours later we were at the bar lifting a shot of Jack celebrating our friendship. It's how we rolled. It's how we survived. It kept us human and grounded. I wouldn't have had it any other way. ;)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoo8K_xj0j8QVzVhUIgkqFWxLd1Hm3pkHcrKj1etNa-JiCpVpo__MW4KrLkvyCHclwPa66qSM0nvoEGzeIFbqlqGyDY1TFVK83vTg6rHBxfDR-2FIoZwshWYR0cu5lezTSqKplNltPPA/s1600/rn.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 188px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcoo8K_xj0j8QVzVhUIgkqFWxLd1Hm3pkHcrKj1etNa-JiCpVpo__MW4KrLkvyCHclwPa66qSM0nvoEGzeIFbqlqGyDY1TFVK83vTg6rHBxfDR-2FIoZwshWYR0cu5lezTSqKplNltPPA/s200/rn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579840785482871618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rob </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Nadler</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span><br />Mr. Golden Voice and the owner best guitar sound I've EVER heard short of Jay <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Aronoff's</span> "Mount AmpMore", much less had the pleasure of working with. I think you have one of the best sounding studio's in the Greater Cincinnati area, in part because you have an awesome ear, and you've learned over time how to use the equipment you have to your advantage. I'll never forget the work you did when we felt it necessary to play as a 4-piece group - you continued to improve, even up to and including the last time we played together. And I expect that you'll continue to improve as long as you continue to play and stretch your abilities<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidje0QHUFwbdTIbS_LkUrL0_6CnG7xywUfBeqKWeCGTWEP0gp5c7LFX4MdhHL9xKaQEAjf8gQOV0nF0xa975Cy29H79Mp6V4LzQkfM94Wri8Yj29UmXotvISwJhcT1pNGdAgI49MSWD2s/s1600/bl07.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidje0QHUFwbdTIbS_LkUrL0_6CnG7xywUfBeqKWeCGTWEP0gp5c7LFX4MdhHL9xKaQEAjf8gQOV0nF0xa975Cy29H79Mp6V4LzQkfM94Wri8Yj29UmXotvISwJhcT1pNGdAgI49MSWD2s/s200/bl07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579841129997127090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brian Lee </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Broomhall</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span><br />In my opinion, your the best rock drummer in Cincinnati who's never signed a professional contract with a national act. Playing with the fury of a hurricane, the explosive nature of a volcano, and the dynamic range of a symphony - in my opinion, you should be on tour with someone. Rock solid yet flashy, and nearly always in the pocket - how incredible. And what few people know is that you play guitar and bass as good or better than you play drums. I truly hope that one day you are granted the opportunity - and the freedom - to follow that musical dream to its fullest extent. Your talent really does deserve that opportunity.<br /><br />To Bad Habit's other drummers - Jim Sullivan, Todd <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Farler</span>, Rick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Lonza</span>, Stephen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Schwarz</span>, and Shawn Wells - all great in their own right - thank you for rising to the opportunity and making Bad Habit a part of your resume!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To Bad Habit's fans and my friends:</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8mGWkxAcYMB5Y6ZDhT2WH96M0bJ0cm16M4DPfxupzw7Mod9QEY5swMlr7eY3EhlaL4eH7Bb7EI1I-8p_URdnQSZW8vHW7JuFG6pmymzUQiXelCnzmDuldlsEdAYsij6jBBTZkXAkuug/s1600/packed_pine.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 325px; height: 325px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8mGWkxAcYMB5Y6ZDhT2WH96M0bJ0cm16M4DPfxupzw7Mod9QEY5swMlr7eY3EhlaL4eH7Bb7EI1I-8p_URdnQSZW8vHW7JuFG6pmymzUQiXelCnzmDuldlsEdAYsij6jBBTZkXAkuug/s200/packed_pine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579841626333986210" border="0" /></a><br />I want to also thank the multitude of fans that have followed Bad Habit for the last 19 years. Many of you have become my friends - THANK YOU! I hope to see you out at some of the other places that I play of course, but PLEASE keep supporting Bad Habit through this transition, and please keep supporting the bands who play great live music as well as the clubs who put their capital at risk to pay their bands a good wage. One stand out is Gary and Cole at the Knotty Pine - please continue to support these clubs and the bands that play there.<br /><br />I don't know who will be replacing me on keyboards and for my purposes here it really doesn't matter, but I'm sure it is someone with the chops and skills to rise to the level that Jim O, Rich, Rob and Brian have attained after all of these years. I would bet there will be an announcement very soon, so keep your eyes posted to <a href="http://www.badhabitband.com/">www.badhabitband.com</a> or the Bad Habit Band facebook page where I'm sure that info will be released.<br /><br />My brothers, I wish you all continued success and I expect that things will only be better for you all moving forward. Keep playing great music and continue being the model musicians band in Cincinnati.<br /><br />Never settle - ever. :)<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Jim <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Questa</span>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-38277388084756050972011-01-28T17:14:00.014-05:002011-01-30T19:33:24.286-05:00Fitting 20 lbs in a 5 lb bag…<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Last Sunday (January 23rd) was the day for the broadcast of the Eukanuba National Championship and the Eukanuba World Challenge. I was wondering how they were going to cram so much of this two day event into a 2 hour TV show, so I'll use this blog post to break it down for you.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2Yij3VoYban8DC3dsbrFKlzbSudWqLTCxuJnfx71Gghc9ogu99b1zfdlD_hIQ9FLwVXxZWp29ClfnUrQwhLHSKItwyZ7L53vFjttl_2PrlKedasmH_TtVfkYBfkdpNxmoXFnJ_KkS1s/s1600/places_please.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 289px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF2Yij3VoYban8DC3dsbrFKlzbSudWqLTCxuJnfx71Gghc9ogu99b1zfdlD_hIQ9FLwVXxZWp29ClfnUrQwhLHSKItwyZ7L53vFjttl_2PrlKedasmH_TtVfkYBfkdpNxmoXFnJ_KkS1s/s200/places_please.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567364108143924962" border="0" /></a></span><p></p><span style="font-size:100%;">I<span style="font-family:arial;">f you've been following my blog or Jennifer's blog over the past couple of months, you'll know that the event was two evenings long. And it was interesting how they made subtle changes to the ring and the surrounding areas (such as the bloggers table, the signage, etc) between the two nights. But only now did I realize why they did it that way. During the show, they're making it appear that there are two separate rings - very nice way to do it. The ring with the Rhodamine (that's the official Eukanuba Pink color) runway is described as the "Eukanuba Ring", while the full blue arena is the "AKC Ring"</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Of course, any show that is recorded can be edited for content, and at this particular event there were a couple of handlers that fell either bringing their dogs into the ring (the winner of the Breeders Stakes with her Doberman actually hurt herself and had to be replaced for the balance of the World Challenge) or after they won their breed (the handler of the whippet jumped up on the winners circle after she won, only to loose her footing and taking a dive - luckily only hurting her pride). But in this case it also allowed for the broadcast of more detail into what the judges are looking for, and some great candid shots of how loved these dogs are.</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNw5bBTUxtWpRJWRRJMA1ZHiH4zVw8-3dVg_E3ZEBK8quJIMS9OhvK9d1U_rDVJ6pzQwUXDReZMPLkZ_NoBrfzZJ2b1tJo_kYGUyVcToY4f7bBQrZBByOUv2SaFumDLP1zR4ASb33LiQ/s1600/Todd+Grisham.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNw5bBTUxtWpRJWRRJMA1ZHiH4zVw8-3dVg_E3ZEBK8quJIMS9OhvK9d1U_rDVJ6pzQwUXDReZMPLkZ_NoBrfzZJ2b1tJo_kYGUyVcToY4f7bBQrZBByOUv2SaFumDLP1zR4ASb33LiQ/s200/Todd+Grisham.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567366238439105682" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vKGTgeTHSfkgfPWh-G3U2RMBxXuJUvbljkV_c61w5eubNBSErpwGpDI0jPvO0VxSdDd0lU2KAQ6y2yUXw4ASdwgKOlCx1GMnX4pM7aucYL_MlBaiqDbpcnyAzJ8fDKaFuiPloPxDgrU/s1600/Gina_DiNardo.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 184px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vKGTgeTHSfkgfPWh-G3U2RMBxXuJUvbljkV_c61w5eubNBSErpwGpDI0jPvO0VxSdDd0lU2KAQ6y2yUXw4ASdwgKOlCx1GMnX4pM7aucYL_MlBaiqDbpcnyAzJ8fDKaFuiPloPxDgrU/s200/Gina_DiNardo.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567366370547500626" border="0" /></a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I enjoyed the mix between Todd Grisham and Gina DiNardo. If I had any complains, I would say that some of the conversations felt "forced" or "read." But one of the benefits of having someone who knows and understands dogs and confirmation the way Gina does is giving credibility to the information she's presenting. It was great the way dogs were displayed with descriptions of what the judges look for. For the typical person who loves dogs but knows nothing about dog shows, that was a huge help.</span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhabEuHWN1_fj8ztfffoAb5ssRpOeCfVTlSo03NXl19rQIEeAGg965LNTJS-wgHrfe2A9xSWIdWvG5JiaBkFd81y9uIAo-r2HY67Xh4u0THZr68sbERdDs-uS-u8lyM14SNSVFneuPD0/s1600/bloggers_at_work.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDhabEuHWN1_fj8ztfffoAb5ssRpOeCfVTlSo03NXl19rQIEeAGg965LNTJS-wgHrfe2A9xSWIdWvG5JiaBkFd81y9uIAo-r2HY67Xh4u0THZr68sbERdDs-uS-u8lyM14SNSVFneuPD0/s200/bloggers_at_work.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567372364808835378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I was glad to see the special segments such as the ACE awards - a group of very special dogs working as service or therapy dogs, the junior handlers, "Meet The Breeds" segment, and "Best Bread By Exhibitor to name just a few. And they took some time to show the dogs and handlers having fun or relaxing - a very nice touch. And it was also nice that they showed some of the "qualifying" competition held in the convention center earlier in the day. I wish they would have shown the obedience winner - there were a few seconds of that segment shown, but the entire demonstration was REALLY cool.</span></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA0ZRKah8Qj96IT5ozGhDBT2TvQ0S9VraAb1D0VkJPhpCHkP976Vjd3YNYQ7Mxh93AmIaIQfsgiaqZtTAHtmDTjBZoHM09yDa9lknM0F4FaNlaO8n2FWua7OAvoR9lKvSKtlyvpXjJFU/s1600/AKC_Euk.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimA0ZRKah8Qj96IT5ozGhDBT2TvQ0S9VraAb1D0VkJPhpCHkP976Vjd3YNYQ7Mxh93AmIaIQfsgiaqZtTAHtmDTjBZoHM09yDa9lknM0F4FaNlaO8n2FWua7OAvoR9lKvSKtlyvpXjJFU/s200/AKC_Euk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5567371686661445778" border="0" /></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"> </p><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">After the show, facebook lit up with terrible reviews, but you could tell these people were more in tune with the dog show world. From someone who has studied media and the "short attention spans" of a typical audience, I understand why the show was split up the way it was. It's so hard to balance the desires of a small segment of the audience (dog show people) with the general public. But the constant shifting between "rings" kept everything moving - that's what you need to keep the average Jane or Joe watching.</span><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" face="arial"><span style="font-size:100%;">So at the end of the day, I was impressed with the way the National Championship was put together for TV. Well done AKC and Eukanuba! Hopefully next year, Jen and I can be a little closer to the action with either Hank, Ivy or Izy. :)<br /></span></p></span>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-79268160066885591612010-12-26T09:23:00.017-05:002010-12-26T11:54:20.983-05:00The Eukanuba World Challenge<span style="font-family:arial;">Hi everyone - Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and here's hoping for a great 2011 for everyone. Thanks to the holidays I've been a bit absent on my blogging, but I need to get the World Challenge information up so you have a chance to digest it before the 23rd of January, when it will be broadcast on ABC.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf5AfpVyZT5OH1lH7jxpFkMbjj10vvYRqkHQROW1Ekn3j8K7FUZe3Ex-QR3UXFj59XxsCbdtmZ2h7KI7GbKRlJX5IKb8BToTxVZBC7TMF6EuczKDbHUu5Azs7PX78bEP_hu0qSjtxuYM/s1600/world_challenge_globe.png"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 88px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEf5AfpVyZT5OH1lH7jxpFkMbjj10vvYRqkHQROW1Ekn3j8K7FUZe3Ex-QR3UXFj59XxsCbdtmZ2h7KI7GbKRlJX5IKb8BToTxVZBC7TMF6EuczKDbHUu5Azs7PX78bEP_hu0qSjtxuYM/s200/world_challenge_globe.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555035213471320786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">If the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Eukanuba</span></span> National Championship is like the Stanley Cup of dog shows, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Eukanuba</span></span> World Challenge is like the Olympics of dog shows. And to prove that point, the procession of the worlds dogs into the arena for the first judging was just as opulent. Every dog, who is a champion and selected by their country to represent the best of their best, was escorted into the ring by a handler, sometimes an owner, and by someone carrying their nations flag.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rnb_JExsZVSyO5Spsnyj1BSd5BfPK_IbwzOBiLkeI4C6F4bEd2hj1XiezNPYD64u0drQcw0vTKzBhbt4X0nArPAEfXi702maRt3obtuStG70Ib_RdWYeC-IU9rLbgXkOCnSx_Jcc9ZU/s1600/Doberman_Argentina.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 405px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Rnb_JExsZVSyO5Spsnyj1BSd5BfPK_IbwzOBiLkeI4C6F4bEd2hj1XiezNPYD64u0drQcw0vTKzBhbt4X0nArPAEfXi702maRt3obtuStG70Ib_RdWYeC-IU9rLbgXkOCnSx_Jcc9ZU/s320/Doberman_Argentina.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555001331766011698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Entering the ring during the opening <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">ceremonies</span>, the eventual winner of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Eukanuba</span></span> World Challenge</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"> "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">AKC</span></span> Ch, Grand Ch Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay, Mexican, Peru Int. Latino American Ch Alex <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">de</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Akido</span></span> San"</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />First, a little background.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The World Challenge is an event sponsored by the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.akc.org/">American Kennel Club</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.fci.be/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Fédération</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Cynologique</span></span> Internationale</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> (also known as the World Canine Organisation) and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Eukanuba</span></span>. Champion dogs from 50 countries were invited to the event for the chance to win the World Challenge trophy and $10,000.00.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Judging is done a bit differently than the National Championship. The dogs invited were selected by their countries or international regions (in the case of some smaller European countries) as the best of the best. Those winners were divided into four groups (not Hound groups or Working groups as in the National Championship, but 4 groups of dogs without regard to region or breed of dog). Each group was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">adjudicated</span></span> by judges considered to be the best in the world, and each judge will select 3 out of each group to participate in the finals. In the finals, one of the 12 will be selected to be the World Challenge winner.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The experience was particularly electrifying, watching these dogs and owners from all over the world walking into the ring. Each hoping to represent their countries as the best of the best - very much like the Olympics.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdMXLyDP5ChyzpCXcyQPO50GWli87myVo5L7XmCPdAO8yEDlNogXa6hz8DyGG_z-6wgmppGM-p83MyMUMD_2LOUfgpiNbI31ks424L0GKHlUFWeBpfa3DMTI6Nnh7bX2zLa-TWovV7TY/s1600/World_challeng_opening_ceremonies.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 502px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdMXLyDP5ChyzpCXcyQPO50GWli87myVo5L7XmCPdAO8yEDlNogXa6hz8DyGG_z-6wgmppGM-p83MyMUMD_2LOUfgpiNbI31ks424L0GKHlUFWeBpfa3DMTI6Nnh7bX2zLa-TWovV7TY/s400/World_challeng_opening_ceremonies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555021890278042130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Eukanuba</span></span> World Challenge Opening Ceremonies.</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYMrd8mPhLzlTSdJ6KDO5emgRef3Up_hN5yyHXTv4EKeG-nfJryROyF4uxJvxiLRXA1GODXo7m_2MVObvBNu-1Pnyel_719q3jXclS1GlUywEdBrV2hpoKX97MT474P-ODklb9uhJVGI/s1600/stbernard_wc_candids.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 427px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRYMrd8mPhLzlTSdJ6KDO5emgRef3Up_hN5yyHXTv4EKeG-nfJryROyF4uxJvxiLRXA1GODXo7m_2MVObvBNu-1Pnyel_719q3jXclS1GlUywEdBrV2hpoKX97MT474P-ODklb9uhJVGI/s400/stbernard_wc_candids.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555023585350198850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">A happy St. Bernard participating in the World Challenge</span></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKv5OmZFIjbq6kuxJfboeXttqhYmqjqGoSFkaVfeDNfV5V6i6xBMGKDgwieA-PqDOSSC3NsXNSuYG9WDKd0zWtvbMSXYY8V3EnKmZ_PCEqyhybk1G05pCHbZHbap2mhSTQYpCGoIswFA/s1600/SiberianHusky_wc.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 484px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKv5OmZFIjbq6kuxJfboeXttqhYmqjqGoSFkaVfeDNfV5V6i6xBMGKDgwieA-PqDOSSC3NsXNSuYG9WDKd0zWtvbMSXYY8V3EnKmZ_PCEqyhybk1G05pCHbZHbap2mhSTQYpCGoIswFA/s400/SiberianHusky_wc.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555025136319614770" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >An awesome Siberian Husky</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Pre</span></span>-judging actually took place earlier in the day, with the judge responsible for each group secretly selecting 3 winners from their individual group. Only after each group is gathered into the main arena do the judges publicly select the top 3. One judge actually mentioned that he hadn't completely made up his mind until he saw the dogs re-stacked (displayed) that evening, which says something about how spectacular each animal really is.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFijBuIbPQdsQhRAyiFO5l_1zr20k8I3sTLqT1SgZfPjNNcSKw1I-8ppwxnrxwIrO26Mpp_UjT6NPSQ7j4Nt8Y7bY_khnOSGRXy4sdnu1LtuiA1mJooHXXA1n6Ri-f562n9qeq8s0Gz8/s1600/wc_selection2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 500px; height: 376px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFijBuIbPQdsQhRAyiFO5l_1zr20k8I3sTLqT1SgZfPjNNcSKw1I-8ppwxnrxwIrO26Mpp_UjT6NPSQ7j4Nt8Y7bY_khnOSGRXy4sdnu1LtuiA1mJooHXXA1n6Ri-f562n9qeq8s0Gz8/s400/wc_selection2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555027379477067666" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Three winners selected to move on to the finals<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:arial;">On day two the 12 finalists were brought into the ring again. One - the Doberman from Argentina - would be selected and chosen the best of the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Next up - Best In Show.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-63964098265725519022010-12-09T15:16:00.019-05:002010-12-10T18:30:44.810-05:00SHOWTIME!!!This is a continuation of my photo-blog of the AKC/Eukanuba National Championships<br /><br />After learning that we will be blogging in full view of an international television audience (especially during the Eukanuba World Challenge), it was time for me to find a suit coat. I brought shirts and ties, but only a casual jacket - really not proper attire for the cameras. So it was off to the Casual Male XL for a proper jacket, then back to the hotel to rest up for a bit before heading back to the Hyatt for a pre-show cocktail party, then off to Long Beach Arena for the first night of the show.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhFSE45D1zjyy07MAfvQ981V9va4OKmHUmmX3WUDsGyeqIeaiohGa2isjwyWiRUaKnJxxBlr2YU6Sq6L3CQRWbwVvdRWjjbN6teYvS_vwpGfml93LWsIl5YqVqA5qb8K2mQxEjxfxaCQ/s1600/cocktail_party_1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKhFSE45D1zjyy07MAfvQ981V9va4OKmHUmmX3WUDsGyeqIeaiohGa2isjwyWiRUaKnJxxBlr2YU6Sq6L3CQRWbwVvdRWjjbN6teYvS_vwpGfml93LWsIl5YqVqA5qb8K2mQxEjxfxaCQ/s320/cocktail_party_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548784910839498322" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Fronted by beauty - Left to right, Jenifer, Jennifer, Me, Dr. V and Bev holding "Flat Tyler".<br /><br />Pink was the color of the night of course, and they had a wide selection of appetizers and wine spritzers. Definitely helped calm the nerves before heading out to the arena under the lights. Well, it calmed Jen's nerves - I'm used to being under the spotlight since I've played music on TV and on stage for over 40 years.<br /><br />For those of you not familiar with dog shows, here's a quick primer on how dogs work their way through the event. First, each breed or variety must win their class. The class judging was held in the convention center earlier in the day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDjZZbF2yJXYhRpmyFE5Qim2WcHSTdrUuGLLkyi5Dfboy8jKuGlVpVgMpiMzqPuvNRNhhMJP7pPayI64zE1wF3FyxMIHryoTHVFOg627XrItKVA_mTqMSBwMl2k8wGIKhkgdm-dO92MU/s1600/best_of_variety_judging.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 485px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDjZZbF2yJXYhRpmyFE5Qim2WcHSTdrUuGLLkyi5Dfboy8jKuGlVpVgMpiMzqPuvNRNhhMJP7pPayI64zE1wF3FyxMIHryoTHVFOg627XrItKVA_mTqMSBwMl2k8wGIKhkgdm-dO92MU/s320/best_of_variety_judging.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548793367544194274" border="0" /></a><br />Hank and Lorie being judged in the Smooth Collie event. The eventual winner is just to her right - a beautiful smooth collie named <a href="http://www.akc.org/nationalchampionship/show/detail.cfm?layoutType=pop&section=detail&ri=DN10990802&rt=AKCREG&rc=2010277101&text_event_number=2010277101&rComp=AB&cdeRegion=region&descCountry=country">GCH CH Bit O Heavens Sorceress</a>.<br /><br />The winner of the Best Of Breed or Variety makes their way to their "Group". There are 7 groups:<br /><br />* Sporting (examples - Pointers, Retrievers, Setters, Spaniels)<br />* Hound (examples - Afghans, Beagles, Greyhounds, Whippets)<br />* Working (examples - Akitgas, Shepherds, Mastiffs, Huskies)<br />* Terrier (examples - Bulls, Foxes, Scottish, Welsh)<br />* Toy (examples - Chihuahuas, Italian Greyhounds, Pekingese, Pugs)<br />* Non-Sporting (examples - Bichon Frise, Dalmatian, Poodle, Tibetan Spaniel)<br />* Herding (examples - Australian Shepherd, Belgian Sheepdog, Collie, German Shepherd Dog)<br /><br />One representative from each group will be chosen to move to "Best Of Show", and one lucky dog (no pun intended) will win the show.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDnDaFZJ0YXLS48_CtXHNwfrUk3uIXSTFZ3zX7GlWwOozBQTMffSJglrZT2oFKv_n0jGBqXTuRIn6Y3mEg3ZyEPLmX7aV4xG-m2PEu-JoTSaN0eWkcUA0FbsI0sxrBxWAqp_lWmHeWhE/s1600/group_judging_1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 485px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqDnDaFZJ0YXLS48_CtXHNwfrUk3uIXSTFZ3zX7GlWwOozBQTMffSJglrZT2oFKv_n0jGBqXTuRIn6Y3mEg3ZyEPLmX7aV4xG-m2PEu-JoTSaN0eWkcUA0FbsI0sxrBxWAqp_lWmHeWhE/s320/group_judging_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548805964932522962" border="0" /></a><br />For each group the dogs and handlers are issued into the ring, then around to the back where they wait their turn to be judged. Another person is permitted just outside the back of the ring with combs, grooming supplies and other items so the dogs can be prepared for their turn with the judge.<br /><br />When the next dog is called forward, a line of light appears on the carpet where the dog is to be lined up (staging for TV), and the judging begins. For smaller dogs, a table is available so the judge can stand while examining the animal.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwBF7DcwqdibQenQrSy2wnSWW6aEHdP0a9TgdBXa3gnZq7Qol5EP1VIZ9Xb_I0ON4N6xWGcIhjCZpb8y_BwhGZe1aJgbxORA0uLA8SQtqYLuAzVRkK4JiXbblRn0clcnUprGM5ANIunY/s1600/group_judging_2.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 485px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQwBF7DcwqdibQenQrSy2wnSWW6aEHdP0a9TgdBXa3gnZq7Qol5EP1VIZ9Xb_I0ON4N6xWGcIhjCZpb8y_BwhGZe1aJgbxORA0uLA8SQtqYLuAzVRkK4JiXbblRn0clcnUprGM5ANIunY/s320/group_judging_2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548809258220092354" border="0" /></a><br />GCH CH Bit O Heavens Sorceress preparing to be judged in group as the judge watches the prior dogs gate around the ring.<br /><br /><br />The judge will inspect the dog to see if it meets the breed standard.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvX-P391nNPThnG65IFUMFqXHhH6cPrGhe-eDHh_CH6-maXJrIDuJTam11LEHgiotSxI8KMwLQ8VqRjc0dL1vg46xWypbxcFoVZb58VRzHsFjVTAIdSZvXw4le5oUh6pUfBkugCZv8hw/s1600/group_judging_3.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 485px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvX-P391nNPThnG65IFUMFqXHhH6cPrGhe-eDHh_CH6-maXJrIDuJTam11LEHgiotSxI8KMwLQ8VqRjc0dL1vg46xWypbxcFoVZb58VRzHsFjVTAIdSZvXw4le5oUh6pUfBkugCZv8hw/s320/group_judging_3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548811159310725138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The judge then sends the dog down the arena and back to watch how the dog moves.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQZ3lvgcAjN9rj0ocZjvQLGwt67Ux16erxQJEncQ2UzfKzlrfxbEAw-m_0zulrKJ2T6XuqUie2x_lK0N8o5-WzOFawZAZiFYGL4Ssvkw4Z69Pdw0CtTKJHdiRdSi9S5pLaLcF2UZM8Hg/s1600/group_judging_4.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 485px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQZ3lvgcAjN9rj0ocZjvQLGwt67Ux16erxQJEncQ2UzfKzlrfxbEAw-m_0zulrKJ2T6XuqUie2x_lK0N8o5-WzOFawZAZiFYGL4Ssvkw4Z69Pdw0CtTKJHdiRdSi9S5pLaLcF2UZM8Hg/s320/group_judging_4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548813021527784754" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Upon returning to the judge, the animal is to "free stack" correctly so the judge can render a final evaluation before sending the dog around the arena.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLLrkQbUIM3uJC4CXRS3v9HwkFBpFO0DF84ZK_goz3m9TNEaiw8vZjP6w3KaN-qc2_8z1lnr178ckyVeoPJErHdorXYKwFRZ62mKdIjB_0ct1HgVCOqwxCwUqWZcOkG606NrCs1SXerA/s1600/group_judging_5.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 460px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLLrkQbUIM3uJC4CXRS3v9HwkFBpFO0DF84ZK_goz3m9TNEaiw8vZjP6w3KaN-qc2_8z1lnr178ckyVeoPJErHdorXYKwFRZ62mKdIjB_0ct1HgVCOqwxCwUqWZcOkG606NrCs1SXerA/s320/group_judging_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548814708838704946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After all of the dogs are judged, they are then stacked again so the judge can make a final decision on 1st through 4th.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1Qr4mCDkPa_404RxG9Yexq3CPejrmT700MISVQBe5nUo_O_yz1eUy0wY39aQqS_te2E3hutYtn48ZAkM3RWd6P6yCdyTIbS_8-Q9xaq5sukTbE9KrpnyAxhlBYufK89e-t7zBHQhBq8/s1600/group_judging_6.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 486px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia1Qr4mCDkPa_404RxG9Yexq3CPejrmT700MISVQBe5nUo_O_yz1eUy0wY39aQqS_te2E3hutYtn48ZAkM3RWd6P6yCdyTIbS_8-Q9xaq5sukTbE9KrpnyAxhlBYufK89e-t7zBHQhBq8/s320/group_judging_6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548816148200978834" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Next up - The Eukanuba World ChallengeJim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-78599818519682102952010-12-07T19:30:00.013-05:002010-12-07T21:51:10.059-05:00A Picture-Blog Of Our Eukanuba ExperienceNow that Jen and I have had a chance to get home and debrief ourselves, perhaps I can give you a better view of the incredible and awesome experience we had at the <a href="http://www.akc.org/invitational/2010/index.cfm?text_event_number=2010277101">AKC / Eukanuba National Championship</a> in Long Beach, California on December 4th and 5th. It will also give me a chance to publicly thank our hosts for the wonderful access we enjoyed while there.<br /><br />For those of you who are new to the "dog show hobby world" (to borrow a phrase from a lawsuit to get back two of Jen's dogs taken from the kennel in 2009), you need to know what the AKC / Eukanuba National Championship is. According to my research, the AKC / Eukanuba National Championship is THE American Kennel Club's major show. It is not sponsored by a local kennel club - unlike the "<a href="http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/33929567/">National Dog Show</a>" (hosted by the Philadelphia Kennel Club and Purina) or the "<a href="http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/">Westminster</a>" (hosted by the Westminster Kennel Club in New York). While the National Dog Show and Westminster are indeed very prestigious shows and many champions and grand champion dogs attend these events, a dog must be invited to the Eukanuba, making it - in my opinion - the "Stanley Cup Finals" of dog shows.<br /><br />(If this information is not correct, I would appreciate a redirect and I will post the correction)<br /><br />In other words, the AKC / Eukanuba is a BIG DEAL! :)<br /><br />So what follows is a rather long picture-blog of our adventure at the 2010 AKC / Eukanuba National Championship and the Eukanuba World Challenge:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0KSUvZSYkDBlIdeWJ-OEvv96TQTwOLBcDd-GJHb16B-PwCMM7w7cQLxMdZev1vBM4TifMKL1jWC6HLvMYqWtMjRqnK7ttHfhrUSaC-_LcpiNGmiYuzIKFT5nV3PkZ9fKaDN9Sr3z3mQ/s1600/big_show_entrance.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 202px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0KSUvZSYkDBlIdeWJ-OEvv96TQTwOLBcDd-GJHb16B-PwCMM7w7cQLxMdZev1vBM4TifMKL1jWC6HLvMYqWtMjRqnK7ttHfhrUSaC-_LcpiNGmiYuzIKFT5nV3PkZ9fKaDN9Sr3z3mQ/s320/big_show_entrance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548111665684000866" /></a><br />Entrance to the Long Beach Arena<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_aDZynxnbLu2k5Dwd2dxxcIeX2LMgojip_mCRAFelVcXpSdBMvOFxKpHqZGYJvsypN3Va8FBFlij-1XBWshFuAKiHrCvO3aWwmH9FDpbiAbvMCQKPvQo81FcwD6KMKzSsD64jH930-o/s1600/Blogers_Roundtable.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_aDZynxnbLu2k5Dwd2dxxcIeX2LMgojip_mCRAFelVcXpSdBMvOFxKpHqZGYJvsypN3Va8FBFlij-1XBWshFuAKiHrCvO3aWwmH9FDpbiAbvMCQKPvQo81FcwD6KMKzSsD64jH930-o/s320/Blogers_Roundtable.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548122111276999666" /></a><br />Blogger round table discussion with our incredible hosts Jason, Jenifer, and AKC Assistant Vice-President Gina DiNardo, who will also be a commentator during the broadcast of the event (scheduled for January 23rd on ABC).<br /><br />Not pictured (as my pics were terrible) was the round table discussion with high level members of the AKC, P&G Pet Products / Eukanuba, and two distinguished members of the <a href="http://www.fci.be/Default.aspx">Fédération Cynologique Internationale</a>. Most of this discussion centered around the Eukanuba World Challenge, which was also held at this event.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolmgteyB5PJbEcOh-xt_TJsCvQ1nkj4bszW56zd7G3EMEf0hrQ61eAyrUVu3EBiLkcaqyRZYU7JpfJF3tVIeYohGlCcAAGEgDPw-YlPijAw4j6nDZK_IGMGxeiIWB5abvJHqIVajI2kg/s1600/arena_entrance.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolmgteyB5PJbEcOh-xt_TJsCvQ1nkj4bszW56zd7G3EMEf0hrQ61eAyrUVu3EBiLkcaqyRZYU7JpfJF3tVIeYohGlCcAAGEgDPw-YlPijAw4j6nDZK_IGMGxeiIWB5abvJHqIVajI2kg/s320/arena_entrance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548125832807290402" /></a><br />We were then escorted into the Arena where the televised event was to take place. Judging of Best Of Breed or Variety (the winners of Best Of Breed or Variety would represent that breed or variety in their "Group", such as the Hound group, Toy group, Working group, etc.) took place in the convention center earlier in the day. This picture is where group winners would have their picture taken.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zai0k0PPDBWVw9aT6uE1URKzZuUUus-Zs6aH15F3AAQrg0jZROnZ2xtD2ffoNS0D8L91AKt1bJa53VbIsKGKzZqApeM1sMuB_1AG0McGJi-_4p3rp_r9lhJ_W72cWnj1BTM8Nl1VSlM/s1600/jen_enterance.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zai0k0PPDBWVw9aT6uE1URKzZuUUus-Zs6aH15F3AAQrg0jZROnZ2xtD2ffoNS0D8L91AKt1bJa53VbIsKGKzZqApeM1sMuB_1AG0McGJi-_4p3rp_r9lhJ_W72cWnj1BTM8Nl1VSlM/s320/jen_enterance.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548128178963361602" /></a><br />This is the entrance to the ring, where all of the dogs, handlers and judges would enter and exit.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE3PXdaIAY60PDkq2RVCrbhLeixqiirHJ5TfggLXh8nSejgLPLxgsnEbysAGxsCJ-Zkih6etAejEbFmvR0sxmP1N3JebnFjs68-IQg3vBODsLsbHEkyovZew5Rk7MxxZH3hQY0rlsatw/s1600/places_please.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE3PXdaIAY60PDkq2RVCrbhLeixqiirHJ5TfggLXh8nSejgLPLxgsnEbysAGxsCJ-Zkih6etAejEbFmvR0sxmP1N3JebnFjs68-IQg3vBODsLsbHEkyovZew5Rk7MxxZH3hQY0rlsatw/s320/places_please.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548129104215194642" /></a><br />While looking over the winners circle and the 2nd through 4th areas, we were shown our seats - in front of the large AKC logo, on risers, 10 feet from the edge of the ring. Incredible!!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7f5c7pBQWDfxQacVT5eKt8Kb8loih-2qccvd5RHiyP6ZLa-AXxF7UBHv-heAI9amfYenZfJzDUcO6YjwB_nW3GTOUA8pOHBIc1fJ-Stg4JH9yZlaa68C6tSKqRNd_RxTsbwazBPJT2c/s1600/tour_group.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7f5c7pBQWDfxQacVT5eKt8Kb8loih-2qccvd5RHiyP6ZLa-AXxF7UBHv-heAI9amfYenZfJzDUcO6YjwB_nW3GTOUA8pOHBIc1fJ-Stg4JH9yZlaa68C6tSKqRNd_RxTsbwazBPJT2c/s320/tour_group.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548131443728451826" /></a><br />The blogger tour group. Left to right: Jason from P&G/Eukanuba, Jenifer from P&G/Eukanuba, the blogger known as "Knobnotes", blogger Dr. V, Bev from P&G/Eukanuba, and Jennifer.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2i5hFk6g8_NvxqNvlCUNepVLmTpb9LzGdHKVaQq-4KaBCzdn6xVbEi58W02yzjDAQtvgnPRq2rHwn8_NOe4UrL_ztLcW_FC1fISqRWByrH0Hh2rPRDxmipFv-paBGhf-UfrlfE1o1xf0/s1600/ringside_dec4_2010.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2i5hFk6g8_NvxqNvlCUNepVLmTpb9LzGdHKVaQq-4KaBCzdn6xVbEi58W02yzjDAQtvgnPRq2rHwn8_NOe4UrL_ztLcW_FC1fISqRWByrH0Hh2rPRDxmipFv-paBGhf-UfrlfE1o1xf0/s320/ringside_dec4_2010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548132935659483890" /></a><br />This is the view from our seats the night of the show - how AWESOME!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJIvtlnJlKFj8uqsVHth0Fy5gS8_nsh1VFs56LOF5v9qaKA_DDG4W1eV6djWOOibZY28UPLwDqdu48AvI6LVH67jv2jvrYaQYYLmxxRci0_E2Ak8CezXUGtBHQcJhkOc2zatM2bduH8k/s1600/bloggers_at_work.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuJIvtlnJlKFj8uqsVHth0Fy5gS8_nsh1VFs56LOF5v9qaKA_DDG4W1eV6djWOOibZY28UPLwDqdu48AvI6LVH67jv2jvrYaQYYLmxxRci0_E2Ak8CezXUGtBHQcJhkOc2zatM2bduH8k/s320/bloggers_at_work.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548136509020504034" /></a><br />Bloggers at work.<br /><br />This was an incredible opportunity afforded to us from the folks at Eukanuba, and I want to publicly thank Jason, Jenifer and Bev, as well as all of the other wonderful people who were responsible for this. Your hospitality was warm and welcoming. When Jennifer was invited to blog for this event, we never dreamed it would be like this. Thank you so very much for everything. :)<br /><br />Next up - SHOWTIME!!!Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-4077272020686412622010-12-05T21:54:00.009-05:002010-12-06T09:20:51.218-05:00Rock Star Treatment In The Dog World - Part 2Sunday was Hank's day, and the real reason why Jen and I came to Long Beach - to take Mildred Corner's dream as far as we could, just as Mildred would have done herself if she would have been here with us. As many of you know, Mildred's life was cut tragically short by small cell lung cancer. It was Jen's and Lorie Barns (Mildred's close friend and handler of many of her championship Collies) desire to continue her work, especially with the two puppies she wanted to keep and show from the first litter of her own breeding stock. Lorie worked very hard over the last year and a half with both Hank (AKC registered as "GrCH, CH 5 C's Dreams Come True"), and Ivy (AKC registered as "CH 5'C's Precious Memories").<br /><br />Lorie and her family showed up with Hank a bit before 8 and her and Jen worked to get Hank ready for the Best Of Variety show - the first contest to pick the best of this breeds variety - in his case, the Smooth Collie. There will be pictures posted later on Jen's facebook page, as well as the Mid Michigan Collies facebook page. There wasn't much to do - just some simple combing, a fluff of the hair around the neck area, and out to ring 9 we all went.<br /><br />Hank - rated as number 17 in the nation at the end of qualifying - went up against 7 other smooth Collies (there were supposed to be a total of 10 - two contestants were no-shows), including a stunning Blue Merle female who was taking Best Of Variety in the two shows prior to Eukanuba. Hank and Lorie did very well, but it was very evident that the female was the better animal today, and she advanced to the Best Of Group contest. Hank, Lorie and Jen took some photos, including a couple while Jen held a picture of Mildred - at no time did ay of us lose focus as to why we were here, and while it would have been nice to win or even be noticed, the mission that started so many months ago was now complete. And as we have been reminded, Hank is a very young dog. He will continue to grow and fill out, and there is always the opportunity that he will obtain enough points to return next year. We are all proud of Hank, Lorie and everyone who helped them get to this wondrous event, and I would personally like to thank Lorie for her hard work and sacrifice.<br /><br />So after a few tears and many hugs, it was time to decompress from the "show" portion of our trip. It was now our chance to enjoy the rest of the events there. There was a "Dock Dogs" demonstration event (where dogs jump off of a dock into a pool of water), where both amateur and professional dogs and handlers showed off this very fun sport. We also visited the agility rings, where dogs of all sizes competed in what I think is a very cool sport - running, jumping, climbing, tunneling, all very much like a steeplechase but with the dogs handler simply pointing the way towards the next obstacle. We also visited the obedience ring, and watched a young lady and her black lab perform a stunning display of obedience work.<br /><br />One very cool section of this event was a "Meet The Breeds" section, where over 100 breeds of dogs are displayed and available to people to pet and ask questions of owners and officianados alike. We got to touch - and be kissed by - many different breeds of dogs. Jen and I were attracted to the bigger breeds though, as we simply like bigger animals.<br /><br />After a while though, we were exhausted. The stress of the weekend and the awesome opportunity to blog just feet away from the contestants was a bit draining, so while we had the chance we took a couple hours to rest back at our hotel before heading to the main arena for the balance of the group contests, the winner of the Eukanuba World Challenge, and finally the Best In Show - the top dog of the entire event.<br /><br />There is so much more to tell, and both Jen and I will tonight and into the coming week.<br /><br />Stay tuned. :)Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-78835384196557293282010-12-04T21:49:00.004-05:002010-12-05T00:29:51.879-05:00Rock Star Treatment In The Dog WorldWhen Jennifer asked Lorie Barns to take Hank and Ivy and "finish" them (AKA get their championship titles), none of us had ever dreamed we would be competing in a national championship dog show. Yet here we are, sitting 10 feet away from the ring, full press passes and being entertained by the sponsor, Eukanuba.<br /><br />While traveling from our hotel to a cocktail party held at the Hyatt (which is next to Long Beach Arena), Jen commented, "I never in my life expected this..."<br /><br />So what is "this" you ask? Nothing less than full press access to the entire Eukanuba National Championship as well as the Eukanuba World Challenge, an event where over 50 nations top dogs compete for a world championship title.<br /><br />So how did we get here? That my friends is a long story, and I will do my best to condense yet still bring forth the breadth of the enormity of what is occurring.<br /><br />Those of you who know Jen and myself know that Jennifer lost her mother to complications from small cell lung cancer about a year and a half ago. Her mother - Mildred Corner - was a breeder of Championship Rough and Smooth Coat Collies, and at the time of her passing had whelped her first litter of puppies from her own breeding stock. When Mildred passed, Jennifer became the owner of these dogs, and the responsibility of who to keep and who to sell off as pets rested on her shoulders. Luckily, she did get some guidance from her mother before the end came, and chose to keep both a male and female smooth - both of them Blue Merles. Ivy's official AKC name became "5 C's Precious Memories", and Hank's official name became "5 C's Dreams Come True."<br /><br />Long time friend of Mildred - Lorie Barnes - was asked if she would be willing to "finish" Hank and Ivy. "Finishing" means to show them at various specialty and all breed shows and acquire the necessary points and victories to be considered "Champions". In the case of Hank, he championed by June of this year. And yet while all of this was going on, Hank was acquiring something called "Grand Champion" points - points given by winning a "Best Of Variety", "Best In Show", or at the judges discretion. Hank acquired enough Grand Champion points by September to qualify for the Eukanuba National Championship, and at the end of the qualification period, became 17th in the nation.<br /><br />Jen received Hank's invitation in the mail, and immediately we began to figure out how we could possibly get Hank to this show. It would be the ultimate way to remember Mildred and all that she had done for her dogs. So with the help of some generous sponsors, Jen and Lorie accepted the invitation.<br /><br />All of this alone can only be described as amazing, astonishing, a true miracle and a wondrous tribute to Mildred. But then Jennifer - while blogging about Hank's success and our intention to attend the Eukanuba National Championship - received a message through her blog from a representative of Eukanuba in Cincinnati (Eukanuba is a brand owned by Proctor and Gamble, located in Mason, Ohio). She saw Jen's mention of Hank's success and our intention to attend Eukanuba, and asked if Jen would like to also blog about the event while she was here.<br /><br />Well, this has turned out to be an outstanding opportunity for both of us. Not only did we have dinner Friday night with representatives of Eukanuba and other 2 other bloggers, but we were given press passes to the two day event, attendance of a round table discussion with representatives from the Eukanuba World Challenge (the true "Olympics" of the dog world), then a sit down with a high level AKC representative who will also be a commentator on the national broadcast (to be shown on ABC in late January). Then we were given a behind the scenes tour of the arena where the show is to be televised. We were able to walk the floor where the dogs will be judged, were given inside information on some of the special things to be done during the shows (few of which I can mention here, but soon), and then we were shown our seats. Not just any seats, but a small stage to the right of the arena with a perfect view of the ring.<br /><br />Jen and I cannot believe our good fortune, but we have not lost sight of the reason we are here. Sunday morning at 8:30 AM, Hank shows in his Class - he is one of 10 smooth Collies competing in this show. Over the year, Hank has beaten all of them at one come or another, and based on the fact that many Blue Merles are being picked as best of variety, we think he has a good chance of moving on to the group show in the main ring.<br /><br />What a wonderful experience for us. Please say a prayer that Hank does well. :)Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-520260284663138432010-12-04T00:39:00.005-05:002010-12-04T10:09:27.868-05:00Going To The DogsSo Hank (officially known as "GCh, CH, 5 C's Dreams Come True"), my wife's smooth coat collie, has been entered in and is competing in the Eukanuba National Championship Dog Show in Long Beach, California this weekend. It's a culmination of a dream come true for Jen's late mother, Mildred Corner, and a journey that Jen wished to complete in her mother's memory. Being the loving and supportive spouse I would like to think I am, I wanted to help in any way possible. And while there's nothing that I can really do here other than just "be here", perhaps the moral and tactical support I'm offering will be well received.<br /><br />Thursday December 2nd we boarded an Airbus A320 at Greater Cincinnati International and headed west 1900 miles to Los Angeles, then via a "shared van" to the Holiday Inn Long Beach Downtown hotel. The flight was wonderfully smooth (it was nice for someone who doesn't mind flying, but HATES not being at the controls), and we actually arrived slightly ahead of schedule.<br /><br />This is my third trip to California. The first was in 1974 when I was a "Showtime" guest on the New Mickey Mouse Club. My mother (God rest her soul) flew with my sick father (having suffered 1 heart attack and 1 stroke of the 3 each that would end up taking his life) and myself, played travel agent and business manager, and we even toured Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm while we were here. I also remember traveling to San Diego to see an old schoolmate of hers while we were in the area.<br /><br />Trip number 2 to LA for me was 1994, just 1 week after the infamous Northridge Earthquake. I flew out here by myself to investigate what it would take for me to make music with some people who wanted to "hit it big." I flew back to Cincinnati a week later understanding that this life simply wasn't for me. LA and Hollywood has a way of chewing people up and spitting out their raw carcass into the trash, and after some revisiting in my mind I've come to understand that I made the right decision.<br /><br />Every day a person is offered learning opportunities, and this one was no exception for me. I have learned that life is full of choices, not compromises. At the end of the day, you choose your path and you live your life experiencing the joys and sorrows that come along. Many people lament about not having done "X" or "Y" while not realizing that choosing the other option would have meant not experiencing many things that they have already enjoyed. That's not a compromise - everything you do is an expression of your life choices, and will direct your path on your life. It's like being at the controls of that airplane. ;)<br /><br />My choices have lead me here, with my wonderful wife, experiencing the Eukanuba National Championship Dog Show not as a simple spectator or having stumbled upon the show on TV while channel surfing like I used to many years ago. Instead, this is a true behind the scenes experience of everything - the preparation, the hard work, the emotional impact that something like this can have on a person's life, especially for my wife who has picked up the flag and completing the dream of her mother (to learn more about this, please see my wife's blog post at http://supersizemycob.blogspot.com/2010/11/hanks-story.html).<br /><br />So while I think back upon my life thus far, recollecting upon my past and the choices I made to get me here today, I have realized that I have chosen wisely. I can't imagine not having done the things I have done and experiencing the things I have experienced. It is part of the human condition to struggle and work through problems, but I'm not focused on the hardships. Today I get to bask in the glow of what my life has become, and the wonderful people with whom I have the blessing to share it, and to assist my wonderful wife as she lives out a dream - a special dream that could have only come about by the choices we have all made thus far.<br /><br />Lastly, a quick "best wishes and good luck" to Hank, his handler and co-owner Lorie Barnes, and my wife Jennifer as they enjoy the experience of this big time show.Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-87514349181075921762010-08-08T20:48:00.008-04:002010-08-08T22:51:53.724-04:00A trip to normalcyThe passing of my mother (detailed on these pages) has had a strange effect on me - learning how to live life now without any living ties to my immediate family is a different world for me. But plans were made some time ago to travel the SR-127 corridor and experience the "Worlds Longest Garage Sale" deep into Kentucky and Tennessee. So my wife and I took all of the seats out of the mini-van and we took off South on I-75, then West down I-71 to the SR-127 exit. We turned South and away we went.<br /><br />We passed the cities of Glencoe and Long Ridge before taking a right turn in Owenton, stopping at various sales that were set up along the route. The one in Owenton had quite a few sellers, including a saddle that Jen looked at, but we passed on it and kept looking. She ended up buying a pair of $60.00 saddle pads for $8.00. Then back on the road through Monterey, Swallowfield, then the capital city of Frankfort where the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet seams to have more square footage than the Governmental offices (but I'm sure that's not the case). Further South through Alton, Lawernceburg, Bondville, Salvisa, McAfee and into Harrodsburg before hitting the very pretty college town of Danville. Still moving South through Junction City and the apply named Moreland, Hurstonville, Liberty, Phil, Dunnville, Webbs Cross Roads, Russell Springs, Jamestown, Sewellton, Freedom, Rowena, along the banks of Lake Cumberland and across the dam on our way to Aaron and Snow before turning Right to Albany. By then it was 6:00 PM and we needed to find a place to stay.<br /><br />Lodging... We'll, we didn't know how far we would make each day, but our goal was to do a state a day. We didn't quite make it, and after calling 5 or 6 lodging locations, we had to backtrack to Somerset. To get there, we had to pass through Monticello which is in Wayne County Kentucky - known as the house boat capital of the world, and for good reason. Many of the most well known houseboat manufacturers have manufacturing plants there, and some of the units they had outside ready for shipment were bigger than our HOUSE...<br /><br />Funny story #1 - we stopped at a Sonny's Bar-B-Q for takeout. When I placed our order of a "Super Combo", the order taker asked me if I wanted Corn Bread or Garlic Bread. I asked for both (as the wife and I were going to share it). She said "you have to choose." I said, "Can't I get one of each - I understand there would be a charge." She said, "No hon..." Really? I can't order a piece of garlic bread??? Whatever...<br /><br />Saturday morning, off we went back down SR 90 back to 127. We went back through Albany and through Static, crossing over the border into Tennessee, then down to Chanute and around to Forbus and to a place called Pall Mall where we found a VERY cool signed black and white picture of Nicklas Lidstrom (defenseman and current captain of the Detroit Redwings).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84wAzrNbxJ5MCVDwoxm8U8YgOC_xYRHIWLPzjIMIeyPvskqivms8DgHVkN76Z91RRzN2CizSIIyNRygLEGmeLEcphpti-OMiMzVGgBYm_UNvBqm8GKDoYZ19uZCKxm087CdU49IBp7N4/s1600/Nick_Lidstrom.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84wAzrNbxJ5MCVDwoxm8U8YgOC_xYRHIWLPzjIMIeyPvskqivms8DgHVkN76Z91RRzN2CizSIIyNRygLEGmeLEcphpti-OMiMzVGgBYm_UNvBqm8GKDoYZ19uZCKxm087CdU49IBp7N4/s320/Nick_Lidstrom.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503226254283875746" /></a><br /><br />Back on the road South to Grimsley and into Jamestown (the reported home base of the SR127 sale, but all we saw was a speed trap and an unlucky tourist getting pulled over), then through Clarkrange, over I-40 to Crossville, Big Lick, Melvine, Cold Spring, and Pikeville, Lees Station, Lusk, Pailo, Mount Airy, Dunlap, Loan Oak, Fairmount, Walden and Signal Mountain, then down the hill to Chattanooga. That was were we lost SR-127 (sign actually said "END 127", but this garage sale is supposed to go all the way down to Gadston, Alabama - I'll have to investigate the rest of the route for next year...). We picked up I-24 over to I-75, found a Cracker Barrel for dinner, and picked Athens Tennessee for a place to stay.<br /><br />On Sunday the plan was to drive back, but shortly after we crossed over into Kentucky Jen got tired of interstate driving. We stopped for a quick bite at the Renfro Valley exit, picked up SR-150 North West back to Danville and SR-127 north. At a place just north of Salvisa, Jen said, "hey look - a piano." "Digital piano?" I queried? "I think so," came the reply. I turned around and stopped on the street to see a light colored wood grain digital piano. I turned in and got an up close inspection. It's a Yamaha Clavinova CLP-220 Digital Piano. 88 real feel weighted keys, 64 note polyphony, and was the first Clavinova to have a re-sampled grand piano. It has NEVER been played - it still had the plastic coverings over the three foot peddles. They plugged it in and I played about 30 seconds of arpeggio's to make sure it could handle a real performance and I was sold. Price tag - $300.00! A STEEL!!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A8UEiziAj9o89VlfltTHiSGuY7xfZqmyak9JPXzI1zG6akizzRy4t-yJ4EdHssbadRP_dlkAn7bRZmo_ez5FySr_WIS1qZkJkh0206P6vmGxkg5wAjFe5I5dmkqrwgRDYOkbkkNLxe4/s1600/CLP-220.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2A8UEiziAj9o89VlfltTHiSGuY7xfZqmyak9JPXzI1zG6akizzRy4t-yJ4EdHssbadRP_dlkAn7bRZmo_ez5FySr_WIS1qZkJkh0206P6vmGxkg5wAjFe5I5dmkqrwgRDYOkbkkNLxe4/s320/CLP-220.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503234261808690226" /></a><br /><br />We ended up getting home around 5:00 PM, exhausted but very satisfied with our travels. We saw some really cool things, and while I couldn't take a picture of everything, I did take a pic or two of some items of note:<br /><br />You can never have too many amo boxes...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXvG5vSA-xvLkmTo2qAwuBXr0M53WfK4K_RJmxNmGdxxq9wQoiPuR2X7gnW_IQ0iH7zYNn0La8miiVpjLZ0Ei0blg7S2C8czQpAkBK_zew3wMX3FZhrNYH02UgMA9mkcJFcmYllHRQVU/s1600/Amo_Boxes.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXvG5vSA-xvLkmTo2qAwuBXr0M53WfK4K_RJmxNmGdxxq9wQoiPuR2X7gnW_IQ0iH7zYNn0La8miiVpjLZ0Ei0blg7S2C8czQpAkBK_zew3wMX3FZhrNYH02UgMA9mkcJFcmYllHRQVU/s320/Amo_Boxes.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503234759857646706" /></a><br /><br />If you have amo, you might need a bigger gun...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7vszikzfrfbI06hkoo5RoBiJnWUpkbWsVyUYb1t7XJXlu_1_bTYOpR2N40UkHOL945X5KlciF99lknTCl_EFDhuxXjs12ATQ6MuAEaIy2Qbps4QTm2ES6uLomSvsjt8l1ojIZ_7ykMw/s1600/Big_Guns.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ7vszikzfrfbI06hkoo5RoBiJnWUpkbWsVyUYb1t7XJXlu_1_bTYOpR2N40UkHOL945X5KlciF99lknTCl_EFDhuxXjs12ATQ6MuAEaIy2Qbps4QTm2ES6uLomSvsjt8l1ojIZ_7ykMw/s320/Big_Guns.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503235156659282354" /></a><br /><br />There were vehicles for sale - some for little kids...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uBAvnF4lAokc-YDc6cgBXLptEOXd5LNN13r6BzsAupQwe30WpxtGdtIWYtADWMjnXmqdpNAsETP4qxJbqhwd9PRV9ChfVMaEbyRNaMUu0-QFv22se-5UXMeK11p3FZHqF2FD8dtlq0k/s1600/Soapbox_Racer.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-uBAvnF4lAokc-YDc6cgBXLptEOXd5LNN13r6BzsAupQwe30WpxtGdtIWYtADWMjnXmqdpNAsETP4qxJbqhwd9PRV9ChfVMaEbyRNaMUu0-QFv22se-5UXMeK11p3FZHqF2FD8dtlq0k/s320/Soapbox_Racer.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503235559296982914" /></a><br /><br />or not so little kids...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjI3cvoYJHpBS11MK2teocgAwg2W6DmLtK9EP8vLwkeEAhsziJ9QMs0C7SINqqqdGh2d-HMc9BtXhJCo3JHotBUYXXNs7jGhRYMxR9cCmSQ_4va20SRJxzweAluC3sExm5GMcUqF1DEY/s1600/Hi_Rider.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjI3cvoYJHpBS11MK2teocgAwg2W6DmLtK9EP8vLwkeEAhsziJ9QMs0C7SINqqqdGh2d-HMc9BtXhJCo3JHotBUYXXNs7jGhRYMxR9cCmSQ_4va20SRJxzweAluC3sExm5GMcUqF1DEY/s320/Hi_Rider.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503235927768699090" /></a><br /><br />All in all - it was a great time, and we zeroed in on some great values. I'm learning how to play a piano for the first time since I attended the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music back when I was 8 years old, and I hope to give lessons very soon. Most of all, it was three wonderful days with my beautiful wife, away from home, kids, and the general trappings of life - all great things. :)Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-86512502362215047512010-07-24T07:27:00.004-04:002010-07-24T08:45:04.667-04:00Not goodbye - see you again....Today is Mom's memorial service. It will be held at Little Sisters, where Mom lived for the past 5 years. It will be a Catholic service, and I have been asked to play. Thank God for Melissa Singer-Reed, who will sing Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) for me. I would have never made it through the first line...<br /><br />I want to take a minute to tell you about my Mom. It will not be a complete history of her life, just who Mom was in my eyes. I hope that I can give you a glimpse as to who she was, and why I am who I am.<br /><br />Mom was born in St. Bernard, in a Red farm house on Church Street a block from St. Clement church. The house still stands today. She lived there with her sister Marge and her brother Robert, her mother and her grand parents. Mom never talked about her father much, and while I don't know the whole story it was my impression that he was either an alcoholic, abusive to her mother, or both.<br /><br />I bring this up only to point out that even in the early 1920's there were broken homes and difficulties. One is not required to become bitter or a "victim of society" because you come from a broken home. My Mom is proof that you make your own way, despite the conditions of your childhood or whatever obstacles you may find in your way. My wife is another example of that - I respect them both for the way they have made their own way in life and have become good, honorable and wonderful people regardless of the circumstances that once effected their lives.<br /><br />Mom met Dad while she worked at Willis Music downtown. Dad, a 3rd generation Italian (yes, Questa with a "Q" is Italian), married my mother and they - after they could afford to - bought a house in St. Bernard in the "Old Subdivision" (dubbed after a new subdivision was constructed in the 70's). Mom worked various clerical office jobs - dad landed employment at Proctor and Gamble's Ivorydale Plant (now called the St. Bernard Soap Company - ironically the location where a workman's error whipped air into the soap causing it to float in water, thereby making it one of the most popular consumer products of the time).<br /><br />They held off to start a family until much later in life. Mom was 39 when she gave birth to Dona Marie Questa. Tragically, my older sister died only 5 days after birth, falling victim to a staff infection she contracted in the hospital. I can't imagine how devastating this time was, and those who have told me bits and pieces told me that my mother was very strong during this time, even though she was obviously distraught about the apparently senseless death of a baby. I can only assume it was because of her faith.<br /><br />2 years later in 1964 I was born (God help us all). I must have been a holy terror as I experienced colic and was a constant bother to my parents as a baby. There were two things that would calm and sooth me - a ride in the car, and listening to music. In fact, in order to get me to sleep my parents put my crib under a speaker and they would play music to get me to sleep. I am convinced this is also why I am musically inclined, as I listened to music from the time I was born.<br /><br />Vault ahead to 1974. I was 10 years old. I remember that my parents friend and neighbor picked me up from school that day, and as inquisitive as I was at the time I'm sure I drove everyone nuts trying to find out why there was something different. Dad had a heart attack, and was in the hospital. Mom did everything she could to make life "normal" for me, while I'm sure things were everything but normal with the love of her life in the hospital.<br /><br />Dad came home a few days later, but it didn't last long. Just a few weeks later, I heard Dad yell for Mom while he was in the shower, and then a crash. Mom went running, then yelled to me to go get Tom (our next door neighbor and paramedic for St. Bernard). I peered in to see mom holding dad as he shivered, the look on her face very worried. I went and got Tom, and within a matter of a few minutes dad was on his way back to the hospital. He suffered a stroke.<br /><br />For those of you who don't know, strokes can and often do adversely effect the personality of the victim. Dad changed from a loving husband and father into a very bitter and angry man. It was obvious to me - and Mom - that he was frustrated that he couldn't do the things he used to do. He was considered permanently disabled, so he could no longer work at P&G, could no longer serve in his position in city government (member of the City of St. Bernard board of health, then elected to City Council, member of the St. Bernard Kawanis, just to name a few things he did).<br /><br />I can't tell you how many times things exploded in our household. Dad once pulled a knife and chased me through the house (although I don't think he would have ever used it). He also threw door knobs (solid glass and metal objects that would certainly have killed me if I was to be hit in the head) and broke items in fits of rage. But through all of this, Mom took to heart the vows she made when they were married so many years ago. It was "recommended" many times that Dad be institutionalized, but Mom always refused. "For better or worse, in sickness and in health" meant everything to Mom.<br /><br />Through all of this, Mom did everything in her power to maintain my standard of living. Even though our income was drastically reduced, she still put me through Catholic grade and high school. She continued to nurture my musical talents, driving me all over the Midwest so I could continue to perform at trade fairs, Disabled American Veteran conventions, TV shows, shopping malls - even sat for hours at the "Hot Shoppes Cafeteria" in the Tri County mall twice a week while I played the organ and made some cash for myself, all they while taking Dad wherever we went.<br /><br />It is these things - the way she made my life as normal as possible, teaching me right from wrong, driving home the importance of being responsible, ethical, and moral, the importance of family, and all the while leading by example that when you vow to love someone unconditionally, you must honor your vow. I am who I am because of my Mother. I would admit that I am not nearly as good at these things and dealing with adversity as my Mother was, but I continue to try everyday to live up to her example. It's a very high bar, and I hope one day I'll be able to reach it.<br /><br />Mom and I didn't always see eye to eye of course. She really hated my long hair, but she got the last word on that one, didn't she? I was genuinely upset at her for a long time because we lost the only bit of financial security I was to have when we were forced to sell the family home. But I loved her dearly. I will miss her. I hope I did the right thing by her, especially over the last two weeks of her life when I did what I thought she would have wanted me to do for her - to honor her wishes.<br /><br />I am who I am today because of my Mother. My musical ability, my work ethic, my attitudes, and beliefs - everything I am, I am because of my Mother. If I have done anything to positively effect your life, it is because of who She was and how She raised me. Feel free to thank her. :)<br /><br />I love you Mom. When you talk to God, please tell him that I'm worth helping while I'm on Earth, and worth keeping when I leave this existence. Enjoy your rest in Heaven - you certainly deserve it.<br /><br />With much love,<br /><br />Your sonJim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-45172643133518959912010-07-21T19:34:00.005-04:002010-07-21T20:31:34.069-04:00The Preparations Continue...It was strange to see Mom's obituary in the newspaper today. I'm not sure why - I helped write it - I guess that I'm starting to let myself feel now, which is part of the healing process. And consistent with the digital age, it's also on line:<br /><br /><a href="http://dunes.cincinnati.com/classifieds/obits/obitDisplay.aspx?d=7/21/2010&st=1&id=990311">http://dunes.cincinnati.com/classifieds/obits/obitDisplay.aspx?d=7/21/2010&st=1&id=990311</a><br /><br />Amazing how information can be distributed so quickly, yet there is so little understanding these days.<br /><br />I picked up a guest register book for the memorial service this Saturday. I also asked Melissa Singer-Reed to sing Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) while I play the piano. I would have liked to try and sing it myself, but I'd never get through it in good voice. Hopefully Mom won't mind me just playing the piano part...<br /><br />I decided to make Mom's prayer cards too. Digging deep into my self taught graphic design background, I was able to come up with something that I think she would have liked, and something that the people at Little Sisters would appreciate as well.<br /><br />The front has a picture of the cross on a hill at sunset, the inscription "In loving memory of Loretta Questa Devoted wife and mother December 14th 1923 July 17th 2010. Then from John 14:6 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one cometh unto the Father except through me"<br /><br />The back has an incredible picture of Christ as the Shepherd, standing and watching over his sheep. Of course, I used Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want..."<br /><br />Thank you Big Will Mueller (awesome drummer) for the copy of that Bible. It came in good use, again. :)<br /><br />I put them on 4" x 5-1/2" cards so I could make the print big enough for older eyes to see. Normal prayer cards are so small, and the print so small that it's hard for us 40-something people to read, much less eyes that have seen 70+ years.<br /><br />Here's what they look like:<br /><br />Front<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmct4T0WRrb6o8NyKFt7ZHSkMwFAxeHUkcjc_AgEDE1NL-94rZW-wZ1wrQb7zh5RbirfkmzaAfju6QW3DS8Rai0QOjB0Lv29uV9aeARU6nJbVvQOVCdd_uG9-Md_S6nPaRd4PC43rq3Q/s1600/mom+funeral+card+small+front.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJmct4T0WRrb6o8NyKFt7ZHSkMwFAxeHUkcjc_AgEDE1NL-94rZW-wZ1wrQb7zh5RbirfkmzaAfju6QW3DS8Rai0QOjB0Lv29uV9aeARU6nJbVvQOVCdd_uG9-Md_S6nPaRd4PC43rq3Q/s320/mom+funeral+card+small+front.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496512632466787602" /></a><br />Back<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBIsL5ufBg8Qu3cbcHY4kyYVoTs1Ij1V6cWVNNCjLG4Dm_U2N-ttt-mnNCOvEHSxvHTwwS-VN4oDEAC3U6vq2rvFkVsW90XrCRZVd4OBx8xtP8LPAd0fzXGNLy9tdrRpDqBiVWKnVXnc/s1600/mom+funeral+card+small+back.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMBIsL5ufBg8Qu3cbcHY4kyYVoTs1Ij1V6cWVNNCjLG4Dm_U2N-ttt-mnNCOvEHSxvHTwwS-VN4oDEAC3U6vq2rvFkVsW90XrCRZVd4OBx8xtP8LPAd0fzXGNLy9tdrRpDqBiVWKnVXnc/s320/mom+funeral+card+small+back.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496512997836340434" /></a><br /><br />So as the cards are printing on the "ultra quality" setting - 4 minutes per page - I'm listening to the original versions of some of the music I played at Wellspring Community Church. It's doing a good job of quenching the fires I feel in my soul, but I fear it's only temporary. I've found it much harder to maintain my state of sanity (scary prospect for those of you who really know me on a personal level). I just need to get through the weekend, and then I have to put on my business face and find some employment.<br /><br />Anyone need a really good Purchasing / Supply Chain Manager? I have a long list of successes and 19 years of experience...<br /><br />Anyone have an contact at a dueling piano bar? I know a minimum of 500 songs, and I can sing some too...<br /><br />Maybe Mom will intercede for me - she's always been there for me before. "Mom, I'm far from perfect and I could have done better by you over the years, but I'd appreciate you putting in a good word with the Man Upstairs." I'll take all the help I can get...Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-7243176087970527052010-07-18T17:36:00.012-04:002010-07-19T09:44:34.321-04:00Mom is heading home...<p>The call came at 7:00 PM...</p><p><i>"Jim? This is sister Rose Marie. Your mother just died."</i></p><p>I was down at Manhattan Harbor - a large riverside complex of boats and party barges, and a large bar / restaurant / nightclub right on the river. I had just finished setting up and wiring my keyboards for the show I was playing with DV8. My brain when into work mode: Who do I need to call? Did anyone find mom's bequeathal form? What are the next steps???</p><p>I was able to get in contact with the funeral home, and they were to take care of everything at this point. Sister Rose Marie found the body donation form - my mother's wish was to donate her body to the University of Cincinnati School of medicine, and the nursing home was given a copy - so that part was taken care of. Hodapp took care of transporting the body. All was in motion the way it should be. </p><p>Next my brain when into survival mode. I've come to learn that everyone handles death and grieving differently, and the way you deal with it has a direct relationship to your past experiences. As I had mentioned a few posts ago, my father died when I was 21 (that's 25 years ago) after suffering for 11 years with 3 heart attacks and 3 strokes. I always viewed his death as a blessing because he truly became a shell of his former self. My wife's mother on the other hand died at age 57 from complications due to Lung Cancer. Hers was a life cut way too short, and she left my wife without her mother and my wifes kids without their grandmother at a very young age - there was something so wrong about that in my mind. My mother on the other hand was 86 - she lived an incredible life and, as you will read in an upcoming blog entry, she did so many great things during her lifetime. </p><p>Mom's death was to me - like dad's before - a release of pain and suffering and a restoration of dignity. Perhaps I look at their passing this way because of my faith in God and my belief that there is a place for us after our life on this Earth. I never cried about my fathers death, and today I don't cry about my mother's passing - I believe they have been reunited as husband and wife, now together forever in the after-life. It's everything mom wanted since dad died in 1985 and when we talked about it, it was the one thing she was looking forward to when the time came. </p><p>The other bonus for me is this - despite the fact that I was my parents only child, and now both of my parents are gone, I don't feel alone. This is because of the wondrous woman I have found in Jennifer, my wife. <i><b>Ephesians 5:31 states, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."</b></i> Jennifer is my life, and because of her I am not alone in this world. Of course I have my friends - many great friends, some with whom I play music, and others that I've known from my prior employment, playing ice hockey, or other things I've done around Cincinnati - but my wife and three wonderful step kids have become my life and my focus. As long as Jennifer is here, I am not alone. I thank God for her, and I thank my mother for supporting and guiding me when I found Jennnifer.</p><p>So with the news of my mother's passing coursing through my body, I had to make a decision. 30 minutes until DV8 (great friends and a great band, with whom I was filling in for their current keyboardist who was on vacation at the time) took the stage, I had to decide to leave or stay. There was some sadness in my heart. There was much relief in my heart. So I thought to myself, "Who was my mother and what was her focus for me when she raised me to be the man I am today?"</p><p>I can't begin to chronicle the amount of time my father and mother spent with me regarding my musical pursuits. My father - until he had his first stroke when I was 10 - would sit with me in the dinning room and force me to practice. After father took ill, my mother still found ways to get me to performances, became my booking agent, secured bus tickets and airline tickets, hotel reservations (Good Lord, that trip to Disney Land and my performance on the New Mickey Mouse Club when I was 12 had to be the most difficult thing she ever did, considering she was also caring for my stricken father) - she did everything in her power to make sure I could nurture and improve my talents. In many ways, to pack up and sit at home doing nothing would have been a slap in the face for all she had done for me while I was growing up.</p><p>So I decided to stay and play the show. </p><p>I certainly wasn't the life of the party by any means. I was singularly focused on my playing - playing for her (and for my own personal sanity) - giving whatever my fingers and voice would allow me to do, understanding all the while that it was because of her (and my God-given talents) that I was even able to play music at all, and something that I love to do. </p><p>Many musicians that I spoke with that night, including Melissa Singer-Reed (one incredible vocalist and an even better human being), and Mike Oakley (hands down the most gifted guitarist I've ever had the pleasure of working with and a blessing to me both spiritually and as a friend) - they all understood my motivation for wanting to play. Besides honoring mom's memory and her sacrifice, music is my therapy. Instead of Zoloft or Prozac, playing music allows me to comb through my minds confusion and make sense of this crazy world and the twists and turns that are a part of life on Earth.</p><p>So in the span of mere moments, I felt sadness, loss, relief, joy, comfort - and in the end - peace. Mom is in a wonderful place with dad. They have been reunited and can now spend eternity making up for the 25 years that sickness and death kept them apart. They so much loved each other, and it was so evident in the way mom cared for dad for the decade he was ill.</p><p>In then end, I take the following facts with me now: My parents took the musical gift that God gave me and nurtured it into something that will sustain me for a lifetime - maybe not financially, but certainly psychologically. In turn, God has also sent me the gift of a wonderful, understanding wife in Jennifer and her three awesome kids who I've grown to love as my very own flesh and blood. And lastly, God has graced me with a pool of friends that cannot be measured, so many that I could never list them all - people that I've touched through my music, and they in turn have touched me with their smiles and laughter and well wishes. My friends and musical cohorts from Wellspring Community Church, the Bad Habit Band, and DV8 just to name a few - there are so many more musicians and friends, it feels to me like the first time you look into a moonless night sky way out in the country and you realize how many stars there are above you - every star a friend that has wished me well. </p><p>So thank you all for your support during this difficult two weeks. You have prayed for me, and I believe God has answered those prayers. My heart is full because of his grace, and the incredible friendship you all have offered. I believe and truly pray that your gift is returned to you and amplified so many more times.</p><p>May God bless you all. :)</p><p>- Jim -</p>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-59268710160709216112010-07-17T15:30:00.003-04:002010-07-17T15:42:40.224-04:00Some Comedy In The Face Of SadnessThis morning, mom wasn't doing so well (as if anything that's happening right now could be considered "well"). But while Jen and I waited for the staff to finish her morning bath, one of the residents came up in her walker to talk with us.<br /><br />"How is Loretta doing?" she asked.<br />"Not well" I answered.<br /><br />Then she said, "You know, I really miss your mother. We would sit together during dinner or events and talk. It was really nice - Most everyone else on this floor is either deaf or in la la land."<br /><br />Then she turned and walked away.<br /><br />Jen and I looked at each other and chuckled at the bit of comedy that had been tossed our way. I also smiled because I knew my mom touched lives wherever she went. She sometimes wondered why she was left on this Earth for so long after dad died in 1985. Now we know why - her job on here on Earth wasn't done yet.<br /><br />I hope her job is done soon. Mom didn't recognize me or Jen when we went into her room today. It might be hard to explain but when I look into her eyes, I don't see her anymore. It's almost like she is already gone - only the body remains holding on to some kind of life. Perhaps this is the "purgatory" that I heard some much about in Catholic school - not heaven, not hell, but a state in between before going to one direction or the other. I don't know - maybe it's just my mind trying to make sense out of something that I personally see as nonsensical...<br /><br />On top of this, we come home to find a mess of water in the basement. It seams one of our drain pipes has fractured. As Jen and I were heading to the hardware store for some kind of temporary solution until we can scrape up the cash for a professional repair, I just had to say, "I can handle this - God never gives you more than you can handle, right?"Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-30880783051790997392010-07-16T18:53:00.002-04:002010-07-16T19:17:58.863-04:00Back to her home, before her trip home....Mom's wish was granted - she wanted to return to Little Sisters for her Hospice. The doctor processed the release paperwork at 10 AM, and she was in the ambulance at 1:00. When I got there around 4, Sister Rose Marie was giving her a bath. Her room was completely clean and organized - everything in it's place. I bought a CD player with a speaker, and a CD of music and rain sounds - something she was enjoying in the hospital. She was tired - Jen and I stayed for a bit over and hour then decided to leave her sleep.<br /><br />Yesterday She was a bit more awake - she even managed to tell me she loved me. It was nice to here of course, but hard all at the same time.<br /><br />Today I couldn't make it until the afternoon. Sister called and said mom was having a good day and I made it over there around 3:30. I was there for about 90 minutes, and she was pretty out of it. A nurse came in and gave her some pain medication (which I didn't know she was getting), so I'm guessing the time must be getting pretty close.<br /><br />One of the priests came in again today - I think he comes in every day to bless mom. "May Marry the mother of God be there in your hour of death," he says in part. Words that hit me strangely - I'm not sure how to take it. It's my hope that dad will be there to greet her on the other side, and maybe her greyhound Lady too...<br /><br />It's so hard to watch mom go through this. I do understand that this is the natural course of the end of life, but it's so difficult to watch mom lie there and just "exist." I can only continue to pray for peace and comfort and hope that this time pases quickly. I hope you all as well - and pray for my sanity during all of this.Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-10868893445928270992010-07-14T11:05:00.002-04:002010-07-14T11:26:18.177-04:00And so it goes...After much discussion with the people at Little Sisters (which is where mom has been staying for the last 5 years), people from Hospice of Cincinnati, and her doctor, we (Mom and myself) have decided to let mom go back to her room at Little Sisters. They are able to administer nutrients and pain medication if needed, and both Mom and myself think this would be the best thing to do.<br /><br />According to the doctor, not only does she have a massive infection running through her blood, she now has a fungus in her blood. This is typical of how things can move out of control in older people, so it's time.<br /><br />The sisters at Little Sisters have been wonderfully supportive. And after all of the conversations I've had with them, her doctor, and mom (a very productive conversation in fact), I am finely at peace with the decisions have been made. It's hard to explain, but it feels good to finely turn over the process to God (as if he didn't have control anyway, right?) and let him take care of things.<br /><br />Please continue to pray for Mom so she can pass from this world into the next with dignity, respect, peace and comfort.<br /><br />- Jim -Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-73683350089308113092010-07-13T21:57:00.002-04:002010-07-13T22:05:36.388-04:00Now I have some answers...My next blog postings are going to be about my mother and her battle with infections at the age of 86. This is a follow up to my "facebook" posts, and the update is so lengthy I thought I'd post it here for easy reading.<br /><br />Now...<br /><br />First, about the biopsy. As I've stated previously, mom isn't producing white blood cells naturally to help fight the infection (in four places) that is running through her body. Without an adequate white blood cell count, it will not be possible for mom to recover, and the infection will eventually take over...<br /><br />A bone marrow biopsy is used to determine if Leukemia or Bone Cancer is present preventing the production of white blood cells (mom has a .6 right now when it should be 4, 5, or 6.0). The problem is that if she does have Bone Cancer or Leukemia, there's nothing they can do about it. However if she doesn't, they are already treating her with all of the knows types of medication to improve the production of white cells.<br /><br />With that being the case, it doesn't make any sense to do the bone marrow procedure - a painful one - because at the end of the day the results don't matter. White cells are not being produced under any circumstance.<br /><br />So mom is being treated with all kinds of anti-biotics used to fight the infection. Unfortunately, the infection is so wide spread, and without the ability of her body to produce white cells to help the anti-biotics do their job, the only thing they are doing is keeping the infection at bay. After a week, the infection continues to exist, and mom faces the risk of C-Diff:<br /><br />http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736<br /><br />At the end of the day, Mom is very sick and weak, and all we are really doing at this point is prolonging the inevitable. Without the production of white cells, and with a weeks worth of massive dosages of anti-biotics, her body has had about all it can take from medication. The decision now needs to be made on how to allow mom to deal with this final battle on her own, now that all of the medical options have been exhausted.<br /><br />When I talked to the doctor today, he strongly suggested Hospice. Mom will never recover to the point where she can enjoy sitting in the sun on the patio, or watch a Reds game, or play bingo down in the hall, so the "quality of life" decision needs to be made. Luckily, mom and I have discussed this at length prior to this sickness. She strongly wanted every chance to recover, but if it ever got to the point where she wasn't going to be able to do the things she loved to do, then it was time. I intend to honor those wishes.<br /><br />Mom was "out" pretty much the last 2 days, but while Jen and I were eating dinner we got a call from the hospital. Mom wanted to talk to me on the phone! What?!?! Sure enough, mom woke up enough for me to talk to her. We choked down our dinner and headed back to the hospital.<br /><br />I was able to talk to mom and explain everything that I was told by the doctor and nursing staff. It was hard for her to hear, but she totally understood everything, and even decided where she wanted to go when the time was right. At this point it's up to me to gather the balance of the information and make the call...<br /><br />Please continue to pray for mom - for peace and comfort. Please pray for me - for guidance and strength. I have learned through this process that the payment for 18 years of love and heartache a parent experiences when raising a child is that child making the final decisions for the parent who raised you. It's very difficult, but mom deserves all of the love and support I can give her now in this her final hours.<br /><br />I love my mom, and this is how I must show her - by honoring her wishes and making sure things are done right.<br /><br />Thank you everyone for your continued support. :)<br /><br />- Jim -Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-80740666625592314632010-07-13T12:20:00.002-04:002010-07-13T13:59:06.128-04:00The Circle Of Life<p>There is nothing quite so beautiful - and nothing quite so devestating - as the circle of life. When we are born into this world - at least for the vast majority of people - it's a beautiful, happy time. As we live our lives, choices are made for us in the beginning, and eventually we make our own choices and our own way. But one day, we will die. Most of the time, we won't know how it will happen, or what the conditions may be, but it will happen. It is part of the natural order, and nothing will stop it.</p><p>This all comes to mind now as I sit in a hospital room next to my mother. She is 86, and gravely ill. She knows I'm here, but she can't communicate other than to look my way at times. Her doctor contacted me today and told me there's nothing more that they can do for her other than what they've already been doing, and she isn't improving. So my choices are to continue treatment, or send her to Hospice.</p><p>My mother - Loretta Moeller - was born in the City of St. Bernard, a suburb of Cincinnati 6 miles north of Downtown Cincinnati on I-75. December 14th, 1923 to be exact. She lived in a large red house on Church Street, a block from St. Clement's Church, with her Sister Margie and her Brother Robert, her mother and grand parents. She told me once she never knew her father - that he was an alcoholic and had left early in her childhood.</p><p>She met my father - Earl F Questa of Latonia, KY - while she worked at the Willis Music Company in downtown Cincinnati. They were married at St. Clement's church, and purchased a house in the South East corner of St. Bernard, which is where they - and I - lived for most of our lives.</p><p>Mom gave birth to a little girl - Donna Marie - who died a couple of months after birth from a staff infection. Two years later, she gave birth to me. Both of my parents sacrificed to send me to private schools and always nurtured my musical talents.</p><p>When I was 10, my father had a heart attack, and a few month later, had a stroke. It was at this point that my mother demonstrated her incredible love for my father - and for me. My dad was an incredibly active and accomplished member of the community - member of the health department, then member of St. Bernard city council for a few years - all the while working for Proctor & Gamble. But this stoke meant he could no longer work. My mother was instructed to put dad into a home, she took the vows of "for better or worse, in sickness and in health" very much to heart. For the next 11 years, she would care for my father like a nurse (even though she never had any nurse training), and continued to care for him until his health diminished after his 3rd stroke. He died at the hospital 9 days after being admitted, and she was then on her own.</p><p>During this time, she found a way to put me through catholic high school, got me to band performances, paid for drum lessons as well as music lessons (as I continued to play the organ and piano through school). She worked odd jobs, delivered phone books and laundry detergent samples to earn extra money. Through all of this time she took care of dad as well - and yet I never wanted for anything. She was truly a stunning example of a wife and mother.</p><p>She was always proud of me in whatever I did. She didn't agree with everything I did as an adult (could never understand why I wanted to play that loud rock and roll), but she never stopped loving and supporting me. Everyone should be lucky enough to have that kind of parent.</p><p>So now I sit in a hospital room, preparing to talk to someone from Hospice, and try to determine the best course of action. I hope that the decisions I make now honor the decisions she made for me while I was growing up. I love you mom - I hope you know how much...</p>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-46180629049617159522010-05-12T11:55:00.004-04:002010-05-12T14:25:17.299-04:00Elections have consiquences...<p>The United States is a Republic (not a Democracy as many are taught in our school systems today). This means we elect people to represent us in the political process. Are you being represented properly? I'm not, and it's starting to upset me...</p><p>The people we have elected - for the most part - have used class envy, lies, diversions, and flat out deception to divide this country and play on the fears of the most uninformed of Americans. It doesn't matter whether they are Democrats or Republicans - members of both parties have taken us down this road. And while we can certainly blame those who have cast the votes for the massive increases in entitlements over the last few decades, one look at the percentage of eligible voters to actual voters tells most of the story as to why we find ourselves were we are today. The other issue is the percentage of people who go to the polls uninformed.</p><p>For example, most informed voters know that a primary election is substantially different than a general election, as in a primary election you choose a political party and select the candidate that you want to run in the general election, or you can choose an "issues only" ballot and vote only on the issues. If it's your first time voting, I would expect there to be a very small group of people who need to be instructed about the primary election process, but not people who have been voting for years.</p><p>During the May 2010 primary elections, I followed an older couple - probably in their 60's - into the polling place. The lady showed her ID and signed the booklet, then was asked if she wanted a Democratic or Republican ballot, or an issues ballot. She was absolutely dumbstruck. "I don't vote for a political party - I vote for the best person for the job." Well, based on the fact that she didn't understand the process of a primary election, how could she know with any certainty which candidate would be the "best person for the job?" Her husband - who initially forgot to sign the voting record log - was equally incensed stating he didn't understand why he had to choose. The poll workers weren't having much luck trying to help these "informed" voters either, as every explanation met with more questions.</p><p>I finally spoke up:</p><p>Me: "Sir - this is not a general election - this is primary election."</p><p>Him: "yeah?"</p><p>Me: "In a primary election, the person you vote for in will not be elected into any position. They are running - sometimes unopposed - to win the approval of the people in their party to run in the general election. That is why you are asked if you want a Democrat or Republican ballot. Whoever wins their party vote in this election will be on the ballot in November for the General election, where everyone will then choose who will represent us in that position."</p><p>Him: "Well, I don't agree with this type of system..."</p><p>At that point, I certainly couldn't help him - I mean, we've had this type of system for generations. You mean to tell me him and his wife have been voting like this all of their lives and they didn't even know how the system works? I thought they were informed voters? How is it that we have raised generations of people who know next to nothing about how our electoral system works???</p><p>This just tells me those of us who ARE informed have to work harder and pay closer attention than ever. Additionally, we as American's can no longer take our country for granted - we need to register and vote. And when we vote, we need to be prepared. Know the candidates you want to vote for, and know what the issues say and how they will impact everyone - rich and poor, employer and employee - educated and ignorant. Investigate and take a sample ballot with you so you can fill out the actual ballot correctly.</p><p>In future entries I will get into my personal voting philosophy, but I want to stress to anyone who decides to read my blog that we must be more vigilant than ever. The future of our country is in very perilous shape. We need to take the proper steps now - to quote Abraham Lincoln - to assure that our "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."<br /></p><p>May God help us all if we fail...</p>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-28249559929964975432009-09-25T14:04:00.006-04:002009-09-25T14:41:22.612-04:00A horse is a horse, of course, of course...<div>...And no one can talk to a horse of course<br /><div>That is, of course, unless the horse<br />is the famous Mr. Ed.</div><br /><div></div><div>Go right to the source and ask the horse</div><div>He'll give you the answer that you'll endorse.</div><div>He's always on a steady course.</div><div>Talk to Mr. Ed.<br /></div><br /><div>People yakkity yak a streak and waste your time of day</div><div>But Mister Ed will never speak unless he has something to say.<br /></div><br /><div>A horse is a horse, of course, of course</div><div>And this one'll talk 'til his voice is hoarse.</div><div>You never heard of a talking horse?</div><div>Well listen to this.<br /></div><br /><div>I am Mister Ed."<br /></div><br /><div>Aaaaahhhh - Horses. Such beautiful, graceful animals. Such power and might. Horses are my wife's first true love (next to her kids of course, and I fall somewhere in there - I think right after the horses - and that's ok). And while my fiancially concervitive mind shuttered at the thought owning such majestic creatures might cost us, there are things that you just let your spouse "do". After all, Jen allows me the freedom to play music and ice hockey and golf. Besides, a relationship becomes smothering if all of your time is consumed with each other.<br /></div><br /><div>Not long after we were married, Jen started to get the "horse itch." Jen grew up on a farm, and had ridden, cared for, and competed with horses for most of her young life. And just before she was to leave home, the horse that she had cared for and grown up with was sold out from under her. So it was no supprise that Jen jumped at the change when the opportunity for horse ownership presented itself.<br /></div><br /><div>Welcome Bonnie.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJ1HJNDcCDGfZwVR1cPM2NrlU1DbG0CEECi2lgvcjOw_dnSqV0EFzPP6ctletfdEoyfV_bZRH2ATEhJoiYQ_dXhXgWA-4IDrBJ57xNyOoq8hXJYPmm8Oie5fQTutEQeM6yuASI0CU-Yg/s1600-h/sami_bonnie_fall_ride.jpg"></a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJGtRtqkYNQ8BVsTMUjznVNT6FhwJzafgbfsO4Cyn8BG7ep5B4CXyI4pfqbmqNv6F1d5iAfq6mpGrFHduz4-xLXnXyj1_B8nsV7vxqwB_KtrIhTM8JzpdQ3nUL3U2YP9i4NwpJz8QDV0/s1600-h/sami_bonnie_fall_ride.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385476506156427602" style="WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 165px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJGtRtqkYNQ8BVsTMUjznVNT6FhwJzafgbfsO4Cyn8BG7ep5B4CXyI4pfqbmqNv6F1d5iAfq6mpGrFHduz4-xLXnXyj1_B8nsV7vxqwB_KtrIhTM8JzpdQ3nUL3U2YP9i4NwpJz8QDV0/s320/sami_bonnie_fall_ride.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Bonnie was one of a pair of equines - Bonnie and (of course) Clyde. Bonnie is a head strong but very loving (much like her owner) quarter horse, which probably explains why the two of them get along so very well - at times. :P Jen has worked with Bonnie for quite a while, but over time the question was asked of me, "Would you be interested in riding at all?" To which I stated, "well, sure it would be fun I think - but we'd have to find a horse big enough to carry me."<br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;">WARNING:</span> Men and Women do not speak the same language. I mean, it SOUNDS like english, but the meaning of words take on a completely different meaning depending on whether those words are spoken to a man or a woman.<br /></div><br /><div>For example, when a women says, "Do I look fat in this dress," she is not asking for an opinion on how the dress looks. It instead means you should say something nice about her appearnace. When a woman says, "We need to talk," it means, "you need to listen, but don't fix my problem." Therefore, when I said to Jen, "I think riding with you would be fun, but we'd need a large horse," she heard, "Sure hon - we need to get another horse, but make it big enough for me to ride."<br /></div><br /><div>Aaaahhhh - communication is wonderful, isn't it?<br /></div><br /><div>Enter Rosie, or "Whole Lotta Rosie" as I have named her.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY6bRJAH1OoslI6e-5N7RXndkn5TdtszQ0nhTAIndQhNfwsmvfYFgQ5pma6HqeUQUiKTmxMefzsV7MYK6zgnep2SS6wCSY0RmB25TLscXPzEY2uINF1gExxhXXaCBfL5C9AwKgVrneK8/s1600-h/2_Jim_Rosie_9_17_09.jpg"></a><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcFfba8jDTnNs7Opf9_gRi8BGm096u_akXxdrsw-u3pJ-uX4sclDojwRGOBtfn_md2i-ALD_6t6sxHPrAuboPGbGMVZRfRLa6y82NXqJ-BNmLkERAPo85x3TCNbNWu1zO1Ivf5KjABVc/s1600-h/2_Jim_Rosie_9_17_09.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385476718060900690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcFfba8jDTnNs7Opf9_gRi8BGm096u_akXxdrsw-u3pJ-uX4sclDojwRGOBtfn_md2i-ALD_6t6sxHPrAuboPGbGMVZRfRLa6y82NXqJ-BNmLkERAPo85x3TCNbNWu1zO1Ivf5KjABVc/s320/2_Jim_Rosie_9_17_09.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Rosie is a Percheron/Belgium cross mare. She is 5 years old, 16.4 hands tall and nearly one ton. You can see me walking with her in the picture above - keep in mind I"m 6'2", and if you'll notice Rosie's hoof is about the size of my head. Plenty of size and mass to hual my fat @$$ around, if I can get the confidence to stay on her back while she deals with me.<br /></div><br /><div>I've been on Rosie's back once - once... ("My mother hung me on a hook once - once...") It was a frightening event for me, and probably one for the horse as well. My wife was very understanding and did a good job of instructing me during my first 5 minutes of "horsing around". I plan on getting back on her time and again until I can go on some trail rides with my lovely wife.<br /></div><br /><div>Stay tuned - It's likely I have much more time to blog if the horse throws me and I bust my butt. ;)</div></div>Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-66617788050378668692009-09-22T15:48:00.003-04:002009-09-22T16:15:31.203-04:00The Puck Stops Here - Pt 2The Puck Stops Here - Pt 2<br /><br />OK - so I can stand up on 2 blades - move forwards, turn (with some difficulty) and stop (snowplow style). But there so much more to ice hockey than putting on a pair of skates.<br /><br />Back to Play It Again Sports - Shin Guards, hockey socks, hockey shorts, hockey jock with protective cup (manditory), chest protector, elbow pads, gloves, helmet (extra large - oh man this hair has got to go...) and a bag to carry it all in. Gota have a hockey stick too... Now what?<br /><br />Lessons maybe?<br /><br />Northen Kentucky Ice Center was giving all adult lessons - Northland and Sports Plus combined their adult lessons with kids, so this seamed to be a better option for me. I hate to be upstaged by a kid. ;) So 8 lessons were paid for, and I showed up for each one of them dressed in full hockey gear (the only person mind you). It actually worked to my benefit because it doesn't hurt so bad when you fall in hockey gear. The other adults wern't so lucky. After 8 lessons, I could get around the ice pretty well - even started to learn the hockey stop. Not bad...<br /><br />So what now - adult hockey lessons?<br /><br />My friend said I should contact this guy named Don Biggs. Don is a hockey star of note. I won't get into his career here, but I will refer you to his stats page at hockeydb.com: <a href="http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=385">http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=385</a> One thing that is not addressed in his stats was the fact that he was a scrappy player who wasn't affraid to drop the gloves. And when he did, holy cow watch out!<br /><br />My first meeting with Don went something like this:<br /><br />DB "Hi there - Don Biggs."<br />Me "Hi - Jim Questa"<br />Don looks at my jersey - game worn Kansis City Blades (IHL) jersey.<br />DB "Ah - Claudio Scremin - want to be a defensmen do you?"<br />Me "I just want to be able to skate up and down the ice and not hurt myself."<br />DB "Claudio and I had some tumbles in our time."<br />Me "Great - just don't have any flashbacks..."<br /><br />Don was a hell of a nice guy, and someone who I would get to know on a somewhat personal level as well. I took Don's adult hockey classes for 5 years - even after I was able to get on a team. His drills and instruction really gave each player an edge and helped elevate their game after each 90 minute workout.<br /><br />The first team I managed to connect with was Lemen's Lemons. We played at Cincinnati Gardens in their "C" league. I knew next to nothing about the sport, and even less about playing (except what I could pick up at Don's clinics), so having someone who would understand this and work with me during the games was very important. The Lemen brothers were great people, and helped guide me to making good plays, yet having a good time. I scored my first goals with them, scored a playoff goal during the finals, and we even won the C-league championship that first season. It was VERY cool - I still have the trophy. ;)<br /><br />Next was team Biohazard. Played with them for a couple of seasons until - all of a sudden - they never called me back. Hummm... So I was nominated to start my own team - team "No". Why team No? Well, the guy running the league asked if he wanted to name the team, and he said "No". It stuck, at least for 2 seasons. We would later become the Wolves, complete with jersey's, socks and helmet stickers! Even a website that we still use - <a href="http://www.cincinnatiwolves.com/">www.cincinnatiwolves.com</a><br /><br />And I continue to play today. Not very well mind you, but much better than when I started. I've earned a few hat tricks, played nearly every position except goalie, and I continue to have a blast with my friends every time we hit the ice. Weve won a few championships, and we've lost our share of hearbreakers. But all in all, it's a GREAT time playing the coolest sport on ice. :)Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-62670160303272761472009-09-10T16:08:00.000-04:002009-09-10T16:09:01.627-04:00The Puck Stops Here - Pt 1Let's travel back in time to 1974. I was 10 years old. I've been playing the organ on television, shopping malls, Junior Achievement conventions - you name it - for nearly 5 years. Obviously, opportunities for organists were few and far between. But one place were the organ was a historical staple was the ice hockey arena. So when my parents saw a newspaper ad for an organist for the Cincinnati Stingers, they jumped on it (on my behalf of course).<br /><br />The Cincinnati Stingers of the World Hockey Association were playing at Cincinnati Coliseum in downtown Cincinnati. Mark Messier - who would go on to win the Stanley Cup with the New York Rangers - played for the Stingers, and would play against Wayne Gretzky and the Indianapolis Ice (also in the WHA at the time). The WHA was a competitor of the National Hockey League, outbidding the NHL for top talent like Gretzky and Messier, but with much lesser known (and lesser skilled) players who would rather rough it up than play the skilled game we know of today.<br /><br />I auditioned and was granted a 1 game appearance - the Singers against the Quebec Nordiques. This was my first exposure to the awesome sport of ice hockey.<br /><br />Cut-scene to 1990, when the Cincinnati Cyclones of the East Cost Hockey League appeared at Cincinnati Gardens. I was in Florida at the time, playing music professionally with Danny Morgan, and when I came back from the road people were talking about this "cool hockey experience" over at the Gardens. I attended a few games - thought it was great fun - but I didn't really get hooked.<br /><br />Fast Forward ten years to 2000. Cincinnati was now a two hockey team city - the Cyclones (now in the International Hockey League - a AA minor league and a step up from the ECHL) downtown, and the Mighty Ducks (of the American Hockey League - also AA minors) at the Gardens. Local Cincinnati radio personality Wildman Walker was not only a loudmouth on the radio (and at the clubs where he would see Bad Habit play), but he was also the on-ice announcer of the Cyclones. Since we were "friends" as such, he would forward some free tickets to me as often as I wanted to go. THAT was when I was hooked.<br /><br />I finely "understood" hockey. The precise grace of ice skating with the power of football and the non-stop action of auto racing - all wrapped up into a package that was interesting and exciting. Additionally, the spectators were "encouraged" to participate by chanting and otherwise taunting the opposing players. You can't do that in Baseball. No one can hear you in a Football stadium or on the race track. This was FUN!!!!!<br /><br />So I was hooked on the sport, but it became so much more one evening during an exchange with a friend I met at the Cyclones games.<br /><br />Rick: "Well - I better get going"<br />Me: "What do you mean - it's nearly the middle of the 2nd period?"<br />Rick: "Yeah - but I've got a hockey game to get to..."<br />Me: "But your AT a hockey game..."<br />Rick: "No - I have to go PLAY a hockey game..."<br /><br />What??? "PLAY" a hockey game - as in, put on skates, pads, helmet, stick? Go out on the ice and actually PLAY the game???? Yeah - that's what he meant.<br /><br />So one evening I head out to Sports Plus in Evendale and watch my friend play a game. It looked like so much FUN!!! This was something I HAD to do. Let's see - 300 lbs, out of shape, 36 years old, haven't had ice skates on for 26 years - Yeah, I can do this!<br />So off to "Play It Again Sports" I go. I pick up a pair of used skates, try them on, they feel OK - what do I know??? Then off to the book store for a book on hockey skating. Laura Stams "Power Skating" filled will all of the basics and advanced techniques for ice hockey skating. Then it was off to Sports Plus again for open skate.<br />Skates laced, walking to the door to the rink - confident (or am I defiant?) - "Power Skating" book in hand. I step out on the ice... Holy $#^!!! This is HARD!!! It speaks volumes as the 5 year olds skate backwards circles around your 36 year old fat butt. But alas, success. At the end of 90 minutes, I was able to skate forward and snowplow stop rather well if I do say so myself.<br /><br />Next: The Puck Stops Here - Pt 2Jim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5004482344252962875.post-22587370592076339112009-07-22T16:27:00.000-04:002009-07-22T16:30:42.248-04:00Music Music Music... Rock & Roll Part IIBack in Cincinnati. Back to a day job. Back to working for a living instead of living the life of a professional musician (which now after playing professionally for 18 months, it certainly was WORK). Less than 10 days passed by before I received a call from one Richard Sciutto. Rich told me that he and Jim Oldfield from the Bell Jar days were starting a band and they needed an upgrade in the keyboard department. It was strange, because Rob Nadler (formally from The Take and Straight Up) had his “audition” the same night I did. This meeting in October of 1991 spearheaded the birth of the Bad Habit Band you all know and love today.<br /><br />The history section of the Bad Habit Band Website has the following story:<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">The year was 1990. Picture if you will Jim Oldfield walking across Seymour Avenue checking on some properties that he managed. At the same time a hurried copier repairman - Richard Sciutto - was driving down that same road, smoking a cigarette, and talking on his cell phone. Jim wasn't injured during the altercation, but the two musical acquaintances and this chance "meeting" lead to the formation of one of Cincinnati's most talented live music groups - Bad Habit.<br /><br />Jim Oldfield (a founding member of Cincinnati's 70's rocker "Bell Jar") and Richard Sciutto (Freedom Suite) - wanted to "get back out into the clubs and play some great music". They added 3 other musicians - another guitarist, keyboard player and drummer - to get things kicking. They also played one show with Dangerous Jim and the Slims lead man Jim Miller before going it alone as a 5-piece group. In October of 1991, Guitarist Rob Nadler (The Take) and Keyboardist Jim Questa (Mara) were called into action to form the strong nucleus of the band you see today. Drummer / vocalist Jim Sullivan was the 5th member who powered Bad Habit through their first 2 years on the Cincinnati live music scene.<br /><br />In 1993, Jim Sullivan's work schedule made it impossible to keep up with the ever-increasing schedule of Bad Habit shows. Jim Questa called his friend Brian Lee who was fresh off the road with The Take, starting a series of drummer changes that has only been exceed by the legendary band Spinal Tap. Other Drummers who have played with Bad Habit include Todd Farler (Mara), Stephen Schwarz (Prizoner), Rick Lanza (The Relics), and Shawn Wells (Twisted Fate). Brian joined Bad Habit for the third time in 2006, and never looked back.<br /><br />Today, Bad Habit is known as the "who's who" of the Cincinnati live music scene. Rarely have musicians come together in a way that actually enhances their musical differences in a positive way, much less stay together for any length of time. But this group of polished professionals feeds off of each other’s strengths to form a truly unique mixture of styles, sounds and personalities. The result is a musical group that can truly play nearly anything and make it sound like their own creation.<br /><br />October of 2009 will mark the 18th year of the Bad Habit Band. This amazing run would not have been possible without the support of our families, our partnerships with Greater Cincinnati's finest live music establishments, and the best fans any music group could ever wish for. The Bad Habit Band would like to raise a glass to all of you - many thanks for your support, and here's to many more years of good times and great music.<br /></span></em><br />Just over the last few weeks, Bad Habit has been reborn into a 4 piece musical group. But studio rehearsals have given the band new life and a cleaner, clearer sound that the public hasn’t heard out of BH for years. I am really excited about the possibilities moving forward.<br /><br />However, Bad Habit isn’t the only group that I’m working with. DV8 called me into service when their keyboardist gave his notice in mid June. This is another talented group of musicians who really love to do their thing. It’s more pop oriented with a bit of a classic rock edge, but the combination of two awesome vocalists (one male, one female) and a solid group of musicians make this a fun group with which to work.<br /><br />Over the last month we’ve played some outdoor shows and some small rooms around Cincinnati. We will also be opening up for John Waite (the Baby’s, Bad English) on Friday, July 24th. It’s cool to see new clubs and new (and old as it turns out) faces, especially people who say, “Hey – didn’t you play with Bad Habit?” My answer remains, “I still do.” :)<br /><br />Next Up – Hockey, The Coolest Sport On IceJim Questahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537123310286232169noreply@blogger.com0