Why Reagan Was The Greatest President In My Time

In practical terms, "Reaganomics" has to be considered one of the reasons that Reagan has come to be thought of as a great president. Reaganomics created an unmatched period of economic prosperity. It was only the Democratic-controlled congress' insistence on continuing to raise wasteful government spending beyond the means that even this economic boom would support that cut sort the prosperity that Reaganomics brought.

It was also Reagan who rebuilt our military, after his predecessor had practically destroyed it through neglect.

It was Reagan's policies that so weakened our greatest enemy of that time, the Soviet Union, to the point where it fell apart not long thereafter.

It was Reagan's policies that stopped the spread of Communism in Latin America before it became a direct threat to us. To understand how important this is, consider the problems we now have with illegal immigrants from Mexico, and then try to imagine how it would be if these illegal immigrants were Communists intent on bringing Communism with them into our country.

It was Reagan who made America strong again, after the previous administration saw America weakened and humiliated.

Not to mention the Berlin Wall being torn down!

Aside from his practical accomplishments, Reagan's personality almost certainly had a great deal to do with his perceived greatness. He was "The Great Communicator". His speeches rang with optimism and comfort and patriotism. After the humiliating Carter years, Reagan made us again feel proud to be Americans, and confident in our nation's future.

Birthday Road Trip 2010

The day began with cooking up some waffles on the brand new griddle. They were quite tasty. We were all packed and ready to go. Denielle said she would do the driving. Our first quest was to find a man made out of plastic barrels. That was so challenging that we gave up trying to find him. Oh well, on to the next stop we went. The John Dillinger Museum was pretty interesting with interactive displays and original artifacts from the Depression Era and his life. Together we learned gangster vocabulary words, I wore a bulletproof vest, spent a little time in jail right after getting fingerprinted. There were even life-sized wax figures of famous gangsters during that era. Overall, this was a neat experience. Next to the museum was an art display called “From Trash to Treasure.” This was also a fun little display of household items found in junkyards and transformed into works of art. So much for visiting Hammond, Indiana, we were on to our next stop.
Live Gospel Music McDonalds? Not this time. We came, we saw, we had a light snack. The performances are on 3 different days in the evening. There were some glass decorations like you would see in a church and a collection of Gospel singer awards were on display. I did hear gospel music playing on the speakers when I went to the restroom. Maybe another time. A little further down the road, we looked for an obsessed sign builder. This simply didn’t exist and I certainly had no obsession to try to find it anymore. Let’s head to Michigan now!
Trucking along to some fine tunes in the car, I did most of the driving now. We were looking for Exit 34. Coloma, Michigan was the place. This was a worthwhile stop for sure. Wine, chocolate and Cider! First stop was Contessa Wine Cellars. This had an old world charm to it as well as modern amenities. There was quite an array of wines to taste. We bought a bottle and looked around outside. Spectacular orchard vistas could be seen from the terrace overlooking the rich, green valley below. Just ¼ mile away was The Chocolate Garden. The truffles here are the most delicious ones on the face of the earth, I am convinced! This place was featured on the Food Network and Fine Living TV. We each had a cyan pepper truffle. Creamy gooey chocolate with a BITE! Yummy. We washed it down with cider from Grandpa’s Cider Mill. We sat at the bar, had an open mind and tried different cider shots. Some of the blends were rum, peanut butter, mango, horchata , and pumpkin. We got a pint of horchata. It was delicious!
We drove for another half hour over to Bangor, Michigan were we found a giant Muffler Man (turned into a Viking) at a high school football field. 5 minutes of pictures and ooohs and aaaawwws. Ok….let’s go. We drove another hour and arrived at perhaps the highlight of the day. Crane’s Pie Pantry Restaurant located in Fennville, Michigan. It was more than a meal….it was an experience. It was like dining in a country kitchen/antique store. Nick knacks all around made for a lot of eye candy and photographs. They had awesome pies, chili, and apple butter bread. Lot’s of history here, including a stuffed dog from the 1930’s that sits on a sleigh! This place has been here since 1916 and I would gladly stop here again and again.
After getting all tossed around in Holland on our quest for the Dutch-Themed town….we gave up. U-Turn city is what they should call it.. Route 31 is soooo bizarre and ass-backwards. Let’s head to Rockford and have dinner at Rosie’s Diner (The most famous diner in the world!). This spot is a real treat! 3 different silver boxcars make up the experience. We sat at a booth and felt at peace. BBQ pork sandwich and chips for me. Denny had pork chops and mashed potatoes, I think. There’s even a mini golf course behind the diner that opens this weekend. It looked fun with all the giant food items.. Finally we made it to pop’s place and relaxed for the evening. An exhausting but real exciting birthday journey to the “Coasts of Gowen.”
The End

Long time gone

So I diappeared from the world of blogging for about 10 months now! I still write and I will continue to still write! I am getting married in a few months and I am suppose to have brain surgery soon! I have bizzare seizure sensations that occur a couple of times daily due to a lesion in my temporal lobe. I have a bum leg that I need to train harder with. I am suppose to participate in a bike ride tomorrow for MS victims but the weather is suppose to be extreme. I will get back on track with the writing. Here is a recent review I did on The Drowsy Chaperone:

If you want to see a tribute to old 1920’s musicals, this is the show for you! While it was light on plot, it was also quite heavy on the comedy. The Drowsy Chaperone was full of captivating rhythms and tons of up-tempo dance numbers. You will be humming several of the tunes at home for many days. This was a musical-inside-a comedy. What a spectacular performance that paid tribute to period pieces in the guise of a fake musical. The director kept everything moving well, with a phenomenal set design and energetic lighting too. The show was alive! It truly felt like a full-blown musical! What do I mean by this you might ask? Well let me tell you.
There’s this lonely guy, “the man in chair,” who is a shut-in basically. James Harms is hilarious and fascinating as the nameless narrator of the story. Essentially he hates theatre but loves musicals. He detests sitting in the dark and waiting for people to turn off their cell phones. Instead, the nameless man in the chair listens to his shows at home on his ancient record player. He is a true fan of musicals. The props above the stage have miniature musical posters and collectibles that reveal his passion. Overall, he is withdrawn and fantasizes when he gets out his vinyl records in order to escape the “blues” of his daily life. As spectators, we spend time in his apartment sympathizing with him and his infatuation. His favorite show, the fictional “Drowsy Chaperone,” is what he plays for the evening. He takes us through the entire double album from 1928. It literally comes to life in his apartment. Sometimes he stops the show to talk about the actors playing the parts or he’ll point out strange lyrics and absurd plot twists. Even the needle getting stuck in the groove of the old 78rpm is a witty moment as the whole cast get stuck in a five second loop.
Marriott’s in-the-round stage unquestionably enhances the intimacy and magic of this harmonious production. It is perhaps the finest show I have ever watched at the Marriott. There are big dance numbers that introduce all of the characters in their outrageous costumes. Speaking of dancing, there was a couple of amazing tap dancing routines that reminded me of Gene Kelly’s performance in Singin in the Rain. A show stealer, I felt, was a wacky Latin lover-type character named Aldolpho, played by Adam Pelty. He had great stage presence falling over, getting lost in his cape, messing up his hair and dropping his cane several times. Some of the other actors were actually spitting water at each other. It was a wild and thrilling ride. The spectators were completely drawn into this dreamy world created by a record player. The Jazz era and Vaudeville styles were nicely done. The Drowsy Chaperone is fresh and original but cleverly done in that 1920’s flashback style. I thought this was well written, ridiculous, remarkable and even affectionate. It was a true ode to musical theatre.