Converse

Converse celebrates 100 years in the shoe business this year. Their shoes have been cool for all of my life. Have you owned a pair? Anyone doing anything for 100 years deserves kudos.

Then: In the '70s, The Ramones helped Converse become associated with rock 'n' roll, even though The Beatles and Beach Boys had sported the shoes earlier. Last year, Converse honored the punk pioneers by releasing a line of Ramones-themed Chuck Taylors.

Now: Pop-punk songstress Avril Lavigne is a Converse fan, as is rapper Common, rockers Green Day and Grammy winner Amy Winehouse. Paul McCartney also has been spotted in Chucks; he wore them in a 2007 iTunes commercial.

Television

Then: Punky Brewster was known for her mismatched Chuck Taylors in the '80s, but the sneakers surfaced much earlier on the small screen. Viewers glimpsed Converse in the '50s on "The Donna Reed Show" and "Lassie." "Happy Days," "Northern Exposure" and "Felicity" are a few of the many series that have shown the shoes.

Now: Chuck Bartowski from NBC's "Chuck" wears Chuck Taylors. Other Converse fans: BBC America's "Doctor Who," played by David Tennant; characters on NBC's "Heroes"; and Shane on Showtime's "The L Word."

Movies

Then: Sylvester Stallone trains in black Converse throughout 1976's "Rocky." Peterson cites "Hoosiers" (1986) and "West Side Story "(1961) as significant films featuring Converse. "That was sort of an interesting phenomenon, the fact that they were identifying gangs by their athletic shoes," he says of "West Side Story." "The Sharks wore the black hi-tops and the Jets wore the white (shoes)."

Now: What does the young wizard wear in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix?" You guessed it. The title character in the recent teen flick "Charlie Bartlett" also sports Chuck Taylors. In 2006's "Marie Antoinette," director Sofia Coppola made headlines when she inserted a pair of pink Chucks into her period piece.

Celebrity life

Then: "Gonzo journalist" Hunter S. Thompson was a fan of Converse. His image appears in the company's new "Connectivity" anniversary ad campaign alongside James Dean, the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious, hip-hop artist M.I.A. and others.

Now: Ellen DeGeneres dances in Chuck Taylors on her talk show and on the red carpet. Other stars frequently seen in Converse: Johnny Knoxville, Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood and Ellen Page.



Have a good day.....Ric

February 29th, Orange's Day

A Special Day


February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365.000 days.


It is a tradition that women may propose marriage only on leap years. So, fair warning if you will. In many places, it is believed that getting married in a leap year is bad luck for the couple. Thus, for a while couples avoided setting a marriage date in a leap year. Today, most are not so superstitious.


Some lucky people have the special distinction of being “leaplings,” having Feb. 29th as their birthday. So was the case with my grandfather, who was known as Orange. Orange was born Feb. 29, 1904 and lived until April 21, 1979. Orange was 75 years of age, but I remember him telling me, “today was his 18th birthday.” He only got to celebrate his true birthday once every four years.


Orange was one great granddad. He loved to take me with him everywhere. He would take me to town when he would go have coffee with his friends. He would take me to work with him, he worked as a carpenter, and he would always bring me to the work sites. He liked all his grandkids, but I was the favorite. I secretly always enjoyed that. He would let me drive, when no one else would. He just had a way about him that made me feel so special. I don’t know if anyone else ever made me feel as special as he did.


Orange loved to have fun. He wasn’t like most stuffy adults I knew. He was always looking to make the most of any occasion. If it was a family gathering, he would rather gather the kids and do something fun instead of sitting around talking with the adults. All of my family says I am just like him. Many times I have been called Orange myself, and when it happens, I just swell up with pride. He was a great guy. And he will always be remembered as long as I am around.

It brings me joy to remember this good man, Grand Daddy Orange, or as his work buddies called him, "Lemon.”


Oh, and the coffee cup. That is how he liked his coffee, always drinking it from a cup and saucer. I always thought it was odd, but now a favorite memory of mine.


Wishing you well, Ric

Helping Others

What I love about helping others, is that it relieves your pain and makes someone else smile. A smile is one of the best gifts to an aching heart, a smile can help your heart feel the warmth of unconditional love and the joy of life again. ...Ric

Story:

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said. “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.” The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man’s mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.” They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons , but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The holy man said, “I don’t understand.” “It is simple,” said the Lord. “It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.”