The morning, however, was on the lazy side. We tooled around, eating cereal and holding young Silas until almost noon. Then Jamie and I went out on our own and visited Alligator Adventure. It had been the Spring of 2000 since I had last visited this little tourist trap, but prior to that I had visited it in 1996.

Beat boxing to the little guy

Adam attempts a Silas straddle

We browsed the animals, which were naturally highlighted by an array of alligators and crocodiles, but we also saw the likes of a dromedary camel, Sicilian donkeys, giant tortoises, bobcats, Siberian tigers, bats, and creepy selection of snakes, lizards, frogs, turtles, and other disgusting creatures in the Reptile House. Among the highlights were the two albino alligators, the giant African Rock Python, and Utan, the most incredibly gigantic crocodile I have ever seen. We were lucky to be there on one of his infrequent feeding days. What a pig!

Getting ready to enter Alligator Adventure for my third time

Jamie in the midst of her Alligator Adventure

Outside Utan’s cage, hoping that it is sturdy and escape-proof

The ridiculously huge Utan

Ready to check out the Albino Alligator room

Alligators, devoid of color

Just a trio of white boys, hanging out at Alligator Adventure

Jamie and I also caught the 2pm Juvenile Alligator show (after a 45 minute wait on the bleachers in the intense heat). It was entertaining and at the end we each got to touch one of the baby alligators. Overall, Alligator Adventure still holds its entertainment value, as it has for the last 16 years.

Juvenile alligators. This is what patience and friendship are all about.

Our Juvenile Alligator show host wrangles an irritable tortoise

Touching the disquieting gator skin

Jamie is clearly thrilled by this experience

Jamie is all smiles by the African Rock Python in the Reptile House

Jamie and some giant croc jaws

We got back to the condo at around 3pm. Jamie went outside ahead of me for a swim, but by the time I joined her, the sun had gone down. We ended up just laying buy the pool, reading our OCD books, and then falling asleep for a brief time. My favorite moment was listening to the unceasing giggle of two fat boys on their parents’ shoulders playing Chicken.

Our Windy Shores condo, where many a sweet memory were made

Denise made a great taco dinner that night for all of us, and then Mom & Bob and Jamie & I headed out to walk around at Broadway at the Beach. We browsed the fun 1980′s store, lots of T-shirt shops, the magic shop, and checked out the ‘new’ Pavilion area. This was really nothing more than a few of the smaller rides from the old Pavilion that had closed down in 2006. We also went to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville where we each had a nice refreshing Margarita; I chose the Bama Breeze, comprised of vanilla, mango, orange juice, and coconut.

As cool as this 80′s dance club known as Revolutions looked, it was sadly this busy as we entered Broadway at the Beach, and as we exited

Trying to prove that I can look quite dapper in hats found in t-shirt stores…and failing

Mom with an Isaac menu, the joke here being that she has mistakenly referred to Silas as both Tyler and Isaac

Entering the area known as the Pavilion Nostalgia Park. Unfortunately the ‘nostalgia’ only consisted of some kiddi rides and boardwalk-style games.

Bob and Mom on the bridge to Margaritaville

Jamie and I are ready for some liquid refreshment

Enjoying the frozen concoctions that help us hang on…

Jamie demonstrating how to look good in a hat at Margaritaville…and succeeding

On the way out, we swung by the KISS Coffeehouse once again (although I didn’t go in), and I noted that I again was just missing a personal appearance of KISS members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, who would be appearing a week later for the 5th anniversary of the Coffeehouse.

Outside the KISS Coffeehouse once again. I still say they could have done better.

We got back to the condo at around 11pm and greeted Ashleigh and Silas who were both still up and going strong.

The Myrtle Beach trip will conclude in the next posting…

Also linked forever to Billy J. Kramer’s name was the backup band The Dakotas. The music that they released together was credited to Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas, in order to keep the acts separate. Apparently somewhere over the course of time, Kramer had a falling out with the Dakotas and now refuses to be associated with the act.

On Saturday, October 9, 2010, I was honored to meet this former Merseybeat singer who was part of the British Invasion. But I had to smile with intrigue when he and his handler (who seemed to be a relative) became adamant that he wouldn’t sign The Dakotas along with his name on the photo.

Apparently at some point, he thought that “They were bad to me. So I’ll be on my way.” But do you want to know a secret? He kept me satisfied just by being there. I left happily with my signed photo, I called his name, and then I exited from a window.

Celebrities of the Fall 2010 Hollywood Show will continue…

I started school after an uneventful Spring Break in March. My classes were as follows: Accounting Concepts and Principles II (I got a B), Chemistry Energy and Environment (I got an A), Intro into Economics (I got a B), Great Books: The Bible (I got a C), and Intro into Statistics (I got an A).

I did fairly well this quarter, although I can only really recall two of these classes. Sadly, I was no longer in any classes with Amy Caro, with whom I had shared my last two Chemistry classes. Of all of these, I think I enjoyed Statistics the most. I recall my animated teacher (who resembled a grown Steve Urkel from Family Matters) saying that he both envied us and pitied us for being introduced to the world of Statistics. I had thought that the Bible class would be right up my alley, but it was a very hard class that concentrated mostly on the history going on during Biblical times. I loved Bible study, but this was hard to get through.

I was still hanging out with fellow Kroger friends like Larry, James, Jon, Tim, and Matt White. I recall Matt White coming over several times for beers and my new-found obsession Seinfeld. I had begun taping the episodes on March 4 with the debut of the episode The Good Samaritan. Based on that episode, I had a short-lived name tag at work displaying my name as Eduardo Corrochio. We spent quite a bit of time quoting this episode as I introduced it to my friends, while often smoking in the living room. (Mom couldn’t smell, but Bob could - and often tried to convince her that I was doing this).

My other obsession during this time period was Robert De Niro. After seeing him in the film Goodfellas and Once Upon a Time in America during a visit to George’s apartment, I became enamored with this amazing actor and sought to get all of his movies on Laserdisc – which of course, Keith began buying for me. We also had lively discussions about De Niro during many breakfast buffets and Frisch’s after class, or at McDonalds during my lunch hour at work. He copied all of the reviews of De Niro’s films from Billboard and brought them to me. How supportive of him. Wacko.

I went to see Cape Fear at the cheap-o Kettering cinemas, and I recall watching Laserdics of Stanley & Iris, Jacknife, The Godfather Trilogy, The King of Comedy, Awakenings, Midnight Run, Angel Heart, Backdraft, Guilty By Suspicion, The Last Tycoon, and over ravioli and Ritz crackers, Taxi Driver. It seemed this De Niro cat was here to stay.

Keith had now gotten into the act of taking me to concerts as well. Some I enjoyed and some were bands that I liked but didn’t have a lot of interest in seeing in concert. For example, we went and saw Tesla at the Cincinnati Gardens on April 10. I liked the band, but sitting through any concert when I wasn’t up front became tedious.

Ashleigh around Easter time, the holiday of which fell on April 19

Sometime around May, I had the chance for my first celebrity encounter in a great while. Barry Williams, who had portrayed Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch, was making a personal appearance at Books & Co. to sign copies of his book Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg. I had hoped to go to the signing with fellow Brady buff Amy Caro, but she was unable to go.

Christi came along with me and brought Ashleigh along to have her first celebrity encounter. I must have had school that day, because apparently I didn’t arrive until the time he was scheduled to appear, by which time the bookstore had already given out tons and tons of line numbers for the incredible amount of people who had shown up. It’s like people in Dayton had never seen a celebrity before. I may have had to leave early as well to get to work, but the short version of the story is that I didn’t get to meet him that day. However, someone that I knew or met there took my book through and got it signed.

Although I didn’t meet him, I was a bit star-struck to see my first Brady and took a number of photos of him – even trying to get Ashleigh in one of them. Another fail. I’d get another chance at Barry Williams  – seventeen years later, when I finally added him to my official Brady encounters in Burbank, California.

Christi and Ashleigh at the signing

I loved these overhead shots of Ashleigh, this one taken while we waited

Barry Williams signs…

…and signs

I finally catch his eye

As close as we got to Ashleigh’s first celebrity encounter

In addition to the Barry Williams debacle, there was yet another failed celebrity encounter shortly after this. One concert Keith did not go to with me was to see former KISS drummer Peter Criss at McGuffy’s on Monday, May 25 (at the ridiculously low cost of $8.00). Words cannot tell you how excited I was to see Peter play live in this small venue. I had read in Strange Ways magazine about one of his earlier shows here where he actually came and sat with some fans and signed autographs. I was hoping for a similar experience. My friend Larry agreed to go with me, although he had no interest in Peter at all. However, he did have an interest in beer. Also meeting up with us there was Christi and her new boyfriend Billy, who was amiable to me, although at this point didn’t like me much.

Larry warms up for the concert with a Busch Light, our drink of choice

Larry enthusiastically shows off the materials I was bringing with me

Mom is clearly just as enthusiastic

Christi at the show

Goofiness with Christi and Billy

Larry enjoys the show. I’m sure by this time he forgot who was actually on stage.

I brought along the photo that I had signed by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (which I later sold), a copy of Peter’s solo album Let Me Rock You, my KISS View Master Slides and the 12″ single for 2000 Man/Dirty Livin’, the latter two having been signed by Ace Frehley when I met him in 1987. Peter was performing in a band going by the name Criss that featured Mike Stone on vocals and guitar, Mark Montague on bass, and Mike McLaughlin on guitar.

Mike Stone on vocals

Mark Montague on bass

Peter Criss on drums

I was back in the restroom when Peter came in though the back door and when I yelled his name, security locked us in the bathroom until he had take the stage. So ridiculous. It was a great show and Peter played drums for about half of it, coming out to sing for the other half. We sat at tables right up front and I was able to take lots of good pictures. A drunk girl sitting across from us kept screaming for him to sing I Can’t Stop the Rain, but he never did. Naturally, the biggest moment was his rendition of Beth. I bought a Criss t-shirt and an 8×10 photo of the band. After the show, I grabbed Larry and we went around behind the building only to see Peter escorted to his car and not sign a single thing. Disappointment.

Peter comes out for some Hard Luck Woman

Crooning from Peter Criss

The sunglasses come off for Beth

Two days later, I went to a Kiss-a-Thon at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus with Keith. Local acts took turns performing KISS songs and then for the headliner, Peter Criss came out and did a few numbers. After the show, I saw a fan send some items back with a roadie and Peter signed them. I had brought along a KISS postcard and tried to do the same, but the roadie wouldn’t take it back since I didn’t have a pen. Then I asked him to give him the card, have him sign it, and drop it in the mail. But he said “no stamp?” I asked him to try anyway, but needless to say, I never got it back. It seemed by efforts to meet Peter Criss up close and personal were jinxed – but again, I finally was able to meet him some seventeen years later in 2009 (three months to the day before meeting  Barry Williams).

The one thing notably absent from this posting was any mention of the Laurel and Hardy world during this time period. Although the Towed in a Hole Tent in Springfield had become inactive some time earlier, this was a convention year – so not long after school ended and the summer came, I’d be getting back in the L&H frame of mind – this time putting the wheels in motion to start a tent of my own.

1992 will continue…

However, I would never have recognized him on the street or anywhere else for that matter – for the only role that meant even a smidgen to me was that of the Grim Reaper in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. And even that film meant little to me. However, one of my standard Big Seven bands KISS had released an exclusive single on the soundtrack to that album – a little ditty named God Gave Rock and Roll To You II – and William Sadler was on the cover of this KISS CD single.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the single – and finally determined that I may have sold it. But I did have the full CD itself, which I only had as part of my KISS collection due to the inclusion of one song.

So because William Sadler was the third cousin once removed of the Big Seven, I went ahead and made the take-it-or-leave-it offer to him to sign my CD cover and allow a photo with him for $20. Mr. Sadler repeated his advertised prices to me, so I reiterated my offer. Finally the light went off and he understood: I was wheeling and dealing with him. I was, in fact, striking a deal with the Grim Reaper. But I preferred to think of him as “this guy –>”

Death rarely smiles

Celebrities at the Fall 2010 Chiller Theatre show will continue..

So what have I been up to amidst the general exhaustion, laziness, and moping? Mostly TV, trying desperately to catch up on this website, with a little bit of laying out in the sun thrown in. After I returned from Florida, I had come up with a new ‘program’ of films to watch. Hoping to find an orderly and somewhat random way of catching up on some of the classics I’ve always wanted to see. I decided to randomly pick years and view all of the films nominated for Best Picture Oscars, and the films of the winners of the actors, actresses, and director. Since the first part of July, I’ve done this for 1980, 1928-29, 1958, and 1955. In addition, I began watching the Laurel and Hardy films after the convention. I also started watching the Harold Lloyd, Harry Langdon, and Tom & Jerry shorts chronologically at the beginning of August. All this in addition to finishing up Weeds and starting Two and a Half Men at the beginning of August as well. Quite a mind melt.

So here is a breakdown of anything that might laughingly qualify as excitement during these so-called dog days:

The week  following the July 17 reunion was Employee Appreciation week at work. We had a couple of casual days, with an indoor carnival on Wednesday. On Friday the 23rd, we said goodbye to one of our coordinators Dan Coletta who is moving on to General Office. We had a nice pizza party to celebrate his time with us.

I didn’t do much that weekend, but Christi came over on Sunday, July 25, to stay with Ashleigh and take her to Ohio State the next day. Ashleigh is planning on enrolling there this Fall – so we got the ball rolling with her student loans over the next month for that. Christi and I started to watch Whip It, but she was more interested in going outside with Ashleigh and Stephen so I just went to bed.

We opened a new store in Mariemont that week on Thursday, July 29. That night Stephen’s dad came over and took away his car. On Friday, July 30, I went over to Mom’s house to eat some LaRosa’s flesh-covered pizza. Denise and the kids were over there, getting ready to set up for a big garage sale. Megan just keeps getting cuter every day. We played a bit of Farkle and I was doing amazing, until Denise decided to do even more amazing and win the game. The weekend saw more movies, moping, and mowing of the lawn. I had put on a few pounds from all of the eating on vacations and gave a half-hearted attempt at a new diet regimen. Over the next month, I lost about five or six pounds.

Sorry Megan, but this doesn’t really qualify as ‘helping’ to get ready for the garage sale

This qualifies even less

As the weather got to the hottest temperature I can remember, approaching 99 degrees the following week, most of the excitement during the heat wave came in the form of food. We had a pizza party / baby shower on Wednesday, August 4,  for our co-worker Shane, who was about to become a pop for the first time.

On Thursday the 5th, Heidi and I met up at Sake in Kettering to share a huge batch of sushi. They have half price sushi rolls during the weekday, so we ordered an array of  rolls: Birthday, Sunshine, Dragon, Lobster, Dynamite, Jaguar, Philadelphia. I hadn’t actually hung out with Heidi in exactly three months, with the exception of the time that she drove me to the airport in July, so this was a lot of fun. Now it’s time to be her relationship tutor as she makes a go at being someone’s girlfriend.

Getting ready to devour a large platter of sushi

I spent that weekend either in front of the TV or laying out in the sun – kicking around on a piece of ground in my hometown. It was hot and the ants liked to bother me as I laid on my towel, but otherwise, this is what the dog days of summer are for. And of course, more food as I went out to eat with work vendors to TGI Friday’s and the Macaroni Grille, on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.

It was back over to Mom’s on Wednesday, August 11, as she was getting ready to open the big garage sale the next day. I did some pre-shopping and came away with one of Bev’s History Channel DVDs. Ashleigh and Stephen came over as well and we all had pizza. Diana & Tom and Debby stopped also. Debby and her husband Mike are expecting their first child together and I hadn’t seen her since the announcement was made.

Sunday,  August 22, was my Dad’s 63rd birthday. We celebrated by having lunch at Applebees on Miller Lane. I had some sort of spicy burger. Vicki and Bill & Dottie came along for lunch as well. I gave him a gift card to Olive Garden. Speaking of birthdays, Erin’s daughter Chloe’s was coming up on the 26th, so I spent part of the weekend putting together a photo album of pictures of her from our Disney World trip to mail to her.

Bill, Dottie, Vicki, Dad, and me – out for Dad’s birthday at Applebees

On Wednesday, August 25, I met a friend and co-worker named Misty at the Silver Spring House in Loveland, where she introduced me to the delicious and intoxicating world of blueberry lemonades. This was the first time that we got to hang out outside of work and I had a swell time. Silver Spring House gives you free popcorn, incidentally.

On Saturday, August 28, I got my first Big Seven concert fix since the Morrissey show I attended back in 2007. Cheap Trick was playing a joint headliner show with Blondie at the Fraze Pavillion in Kettering and Heidi and I attended. Before we went to show, we went for a nice dinner at Red Lobster for some salmon and coconut shrimp. We got to the show just as Blondie was taking the stage. Although it took a while to find a parking spot across the street at the high school, the Fraze is a great concert location – with free parking. I had just found out earlier that day that my Aunt Darlene is working at the Fraze and she was the one how ‘wrist-banded’ me for alchohol consumption. I only had two beers though.

The shrimp delights of Red Lobster

We had lawn seats and by the time we arrived, the lawn was mostly full. We found some spaces on the far right side, but much to our chagrin, found the lawn completely soaked. We hadn’t brough blankets and it wouldn’t really have mattered as evidenced by the many wet butts we saw when other folks stood up. We mostly either stood or sat on the cement blocks below the fence railing.

It was great to see Blondie, who opened the show. Back in 1979, I adored several of her songs, particularly Heart of Glass. I can distinctly remember a guy named Roland Rhodehamel prodding me to name a favorite band and at that point I had none (this was between the KISS and Beatles obsession), so I gave Blondie the kudos. I didn’t recognize most of the songs she performed at first, but enjoyed them nonetheless. Debbie Harry sounded great and didn’t look to shabby for being 65 (at least from what we could tell from our distance), although she could no longer quite hit the high notes that she once did. By the end of the show, she got around to her standards like Call Me, Heart of Glass, The Tide Is High, Rapture, and One Way or Another.

Heidi liked Blondie infinitely more than Cheap Trick

These days, Blondie’s entire face is white, not just her hair

Seeing Cheap Trick take the stage brought back a lot of memories of the many times I had seen the band live – the most notable being the show at McGuffey’s in 1992 at which time I was able to meet them. They had gotten through a good portion of the show before they introduced the members and oddly enough, it wasn’t until then that I realized that their drummer Bun E. Carlos was not with them. From where we were standing, I couldn’t see the drummer so just assumed that Bun E. was there. The current drummer is actually guitarist Rick Nielsen’s son Daxx. Lead singer Robin Zander, as always, was in fine form and Tom Petersson quietly laid down his signature 12-string bass.

I must say that their line-up of songs was a bit offbeat. As a longtime fan, I enjoyed hearing some unusual choices for them to perform live, but I felt a sense of the crowd getting a bit restless. Even though they only played three tracks from their latest album – appropriately titled The Latest – the so-called classics that they played were not some of their best-known.

Hardly qualifies as a celebrity encounter, but that’s Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen in the background

The following was their set list: The Way of the World, Hello There, Elo Kiddies, I Want You To Want Me, These Days, Lookin’ Out For Number One, The House Is Rockin’ (With Domestic Problems), If You Want My Love, World’s Greatest Lover, Magical Mystery Tour, The Ballad of TV Violence (I’m Not the Only Boy), Baby Loves To Rock, Sick Man of Europe, Closer – The Ballad of Burt and Linda, and Surrender. For the encore, they performed Dream Police and Goodnight Now.

It was obvious from this line-up that they were only performing for fun and their own amusement. It was all good stuff, but to leave out The Flame, their only #1 hit, it was clear that they weren’t trying to win over any new fans – and it certainly didn’t help to win over Heidi. All in all, it was great to see Cheap Trick again and it was fun to be out with Heidi.

Cheap Trick performs their encore

On Tuesday, August 31, I met up with Kristy and Sly, whom I hadn’t seen since Sly’s birthday in March. We met at their house and went over to Elsa’s restaurant for dinner and some Bad Juans. I had a great seafood chimichangas and two of those pain-numbing beverages. You can feel those things hit you after two sips. We went back to their house afterward for an additional beer and I checked out their two new dogs and the giant fence that Sly had built in their backyard.

The blistering hot weather only lasted a couple of days into September. Once it broke, it signalled the end of the dog days of summer. Fall was on its way in, and with it, a bit more excitement than the last six weeks of summer had held.

2010 will continue…