Ten Years In Ten Days: The Road Continues...

We wrap up this series with the tenth year of our marriage (2012-2013).  This past year has seen a lot of things: hard work, more experience with Grace Descending, Don Ford joining the ranks of The Clubhouse Podcast resulting in more exposure within the community, a normal work schedule for me, a new job for Jenn as the Payroll Supervisor for the corporate headquarters of Dave & Buster's, and more time together.

As I look back, I consider my self incredibly fortunate to have the blessings in my life that I do.  I told myself from a young age that when it came to getting married, I was only doing that one time, and if the road ahead is anything like the road so far... mission accomplished.  I married a woman who gets me on every level, and I like to think I know her pretty well.

Here's to more!

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Road Dims & Brightens

We are up to year nine of the Ervin household all having the same last name (2011-2012), and we would start it with Ken Belcher and myself leaving the church we played together at for a new experience.  We would wind up at New Community Church, at the request of one of his daughters.  We totally dug the place, and we still attend there to this day.  I even work with the Praise & Worship team from time to time.

Another important wrinkle to this story is that by moving churches, Ken and I decided to start our own music ministry.  And thus, Grace Descending was born.  We have been working together for over three years, and Grace D takes up about two thirds of it.  There have been ups and downs, but the ministry itself has been an amazing reward for me.

In December of 2011, I would end my six month unemployment period by getting a job with HMS as the Supervisor of Nesting (Training).  I am still there, with my role expanding and evolving seemingly daily.  I worked 2nd shift until recently, which prohibited me from seeing my wife as often as I would like to, but now I work 1st shift, so come tomorrow, we can celebrate properly without either of us having to take time off to do so.

Things would continue to roll, with the next significant event happening in September of 2012.  Jenn went to a Farmer's Market with her best friend, and there she would see that the local ASPCA had a booth.  She sat at a table near it, and a small black and white cat would peek out of a kennel and run right up to her and sit in her lap, purring like there was no tomorrow.  After some discussion, Jasper Bartholomew Ervin would come to live with us, giving us two cats now.  (And NO, there will not be a third.)  He and Hunter are actually very good for each other, and Hunter has even mellowed out quite a bit.  I guess his little brother tuckers him out. (And YES, I tried to get Jenn to name him Shawn, but she wouldn't get duped twice.)

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Future Dims & Brightens

Our series continues into year eight (2010 - 2011), with me working steadily and things looking up.  Things would take a further upswing in early February when I would get a call from Ken Belcher, who was the guitar player I worked with in Trinity Reign.  His church Praise & Worship team would be playing at a biker service on Easter, and he asked me if I wanted to sing with them.  I agreed, and started working with him again.  Things just felt right, and he asked me to work with them on a weekly basis for his church.  This turned into me going back to church on a regular basis, and a recharged faith that I needed.  Especially given what was to come.

In the spring, I would lose my grandmother.  I flew to Tampa to be with my family, which was bittersweet because I got to see all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins.  I also knew that it would probably be the last time we would all be in the same room.  I hope that last sentence was not the truth, but I have come to grips with it.  It was a great weekend regardless.

About a month after that, I would get laid off from my job.  This one didn't sting as bad as the last one, but it still sucked.  The silver lining here is that my trip to Florida for my 20 year high school reunion got to be a little longer.

The reunion itself was on my birthday, which made it even more fun.  I got to spend some time with some of my favorite people in the world, whom I miss greatly.  I also got to spend some "Rob time," see my best friend and his wife, spend time with my sister, Julie (who lives about an hour from me, yet I still don't get to see as often as I would like), and take one of the greatest road trips EVER as Phil & Shannon Maher and their family would move out here in the same area where Julie live.  I love having them out here, and feel like they are my family.

So, there was a balance there, but things were starting to get to me as unemployment was going on WAY longer than I wanted it to.  It was taking a toll on my well being, and Jenn was doing everything she could to help me stay positive.  The rollercoaster would continue, as you will see in tomorrow's entry.

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Future Expands

Year seven of our marriage (2009 - 2010)  started out as things at my job were getting more chaotic and unpredictable.  In January of 2010, I would be let go from my job as a traveling corporate trainer and was unemployed for the first time in a LONG time, much less unemployed and responsible for bills with another person.  It was the first time in my life that I collected unemployment, and my self esteem took a HUGE blow.  Jenn was amazing during this time, helping me stay positive.  One of my best friends, Chad, lost his job the next day and we did what we could to keep each other motivated.

A couple of weeks after that, I ran into an old friend by the name of Tim Barry.  He had been trying to get me to make music with him and a music ministry he was involved with, but the first time I was working nights and the second time was when I was constantly on the road.  This time, I had no excuse, and the next week I would have my first rehearsal with a band called Trinity Reign.  The bad thing was that the ministry would disband about six months later.  The MAJOR positive thing was that I met a dude named Ken Belcher.  More about him in the next installment of this series.

In late May, I would run into an old boss from Southwest General Services, and I would end up working for him in a different branch of the company in June.  The office was 5 minutes from the house and without freeway driving.  This was an answer to prayer that restored some of my sanity and gave me even more knowledge and skills within the healthcare industry.  And I was making the best money of my life.

Around late spring, Chad and I were kicking around some ideas, and the concept of a podcast came up.  We brainstormed, and the first week in July, The Clubhouse Podcast was born, co-hosted by another friend, Cody Hawkins.  (If you don't know what this is, CLICK HERE.)  The show is still going strong to this day, and we are almost to our 200th episode.  Someday, I will convince my beautiful wife to do the podcast with me, and that could be THE GREATEST EPISODE EVER.  I am not telling my readers to convince her of this, but I am also not telling my readers to convince her of this.  :-)

The next year of our time together would bring more change, and a MAJOR life decision.

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Career Expands (And So Does The Family)

Marriage year six began (2008-2009) as my "road warrior" career really got moving.  I even got to spend a couple of weeks in South Florida on a business trip.  It was really good to get to go home and see a lot of people that I had not in a while.  It's odd to realize how big the world used to be.  Living in Dallas has made my world smaller.  This particular trip was an example, where I was in Jupiter, Florida.  Jupiter is about a 45 minute drive to my hometown, right outside of Fort Lauderdale.  When I landed and got settled in the hotel, I immediately called my best friend, Rico, and set up dinner with him and his wife.  When I was a kid, that drive would have KILLED me, since our area gave you everything that you needed within about a 5 mile radius.  In Dallas, if you don't drive for 20 minutes, you don't really go anywhere.  So, when Rico said "That's like a 45 minute drive, dude," my response was, "And?"  That drive now is SO much easier for me.  It's crazy, I tell you.

In the late spring of 2007, I made a decision that changed everything for us.  Jenn had been telling me that she wanted a cat for some time, and I was hesitant.  We could barely keep up with ourselves, much less another living being in our house.  Right around her birthday in early June, I finally realized that with as much as I was on the road, my beautiful bride needed to have a companion around to keep her company while I was on the road, and a cat seemed like there could be worse things she could ask for.  So, I came home from working one weekend (I had picked up the DJ thing to supplement a cut in pay for this job), there was a small, dark, furball running all over our bedroom.  Jenn had brought home a kitten from her best friend's something-or-other's litter.  He was the only black cat of the litter, and he could not have been cuter if he tried.  This is the conversation that followed:

Jenn: What should we name him?

Me: How about Hunter?

Jenn: That is a GREAT NAME!  He is always running around and looking for stuff!  That is awesome, honey!

Me: So, it's settled then?  His name is Hunter?

Jenn:  YES!

Me: Good.  Because his middle name shall be Hearst.

Jenn: (slowly realizing the trap she has fallen into... slowly turning her head with "that" look):  Did you just name our cat after Triple H?

Me: (with the pride of an 8 year old that did his first science project) Yep.

And thus, Hunter Hearst Ervin became our first "child".  Sure, he's almost twenty pounds, but he's OUR almost twenty pounds.

That summer was especially stressful for me with the job, as things were starting to get weird.  I will not go to deeply into it, but if it were not for some AMAZING friends (and you know who you are) and a wife that kept my head on straight for me, I might have gone loony.  (And yes, the argument could be made that we made it there a LONG time ago.)  I kept pushing forward, determined to keep everything moving properly.

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Career Evolves

Our story continues into our fifth year of marriage (2007-2008), which started with a bit of a curve ball.  When we drove down to San Antonio about six weeks before our anniversary, Jenn's back problems came to a head and finally went over the edge as a disc in her back fragmented, and the fragments choked out a nerve in her leg, causing her immense pain.  We took her to the emergency room to get her treated in enough time to get back home to Dallas, and later that week, she had to have surgery to remove the fragments and stabilize her back.  Her recovery time was seven weeks, and thankfully, she had Short Term Disability at her job that helped with the bills.  (If it is part of your benefits packaage at your job, enroll.  If it isn't, get your employer to do it.  Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.)  Jenn's parents were also a huge help with assisting me in keeping up with the day to day stuff that usually takes both of us to do.

I would also take my first road trip to Vegas at the end of Jenn's rehabilitation period.  Due to the fact that I drove it by myself made the trip even better because I got to have some "Rob time" and I got to drive on my own schedule.  That was also the last trip to Vegas that I have had.  Looking forward to another soon, for sure!

In March of 2008, I took a large leap of faith and left Southwest General Services to try to expand my career into what I was pretty much born to do: corporate training.  I would start with a company called HCFS, where I would become a bit of a "road warrior," traveling all over the country training their new hires in the environments they were hired to work in.  I learned a bit about myself in that time; mainly, I can handle a travel schedule, but it's a bit more complicated when you have another person that is your partner in life.  Again, my wife being the amazingly understanding person that she is, she handled it with grace and strength.  As our fifth year of marriage wrapped up, we were halfway to ten, and more was to come.

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Role Evolves

As our fourth year of marriage got under way (2006-2007), Jenn and I got to take our first trip to Vegas together.  It was a lot of fun, and my mom actually got us tickets to see the new-at-the-time "Beatles Love" show.  It was wonderful, and Jenn especially really enjoyed it. Whenever we get to take a true trip together, we have the best time.  Kinda proves how truly fit for each other we are.

I would take on more trips and trade shows, and even helped land a few accounts for my company at the time.  Things were getting more intense at the job, but my wife was incredibly patient and understood when duty called.  Even when she had ample reason not to.  Jenn's career was really taking off as well.

As we wrapped up Year Four, more changes were headed our way, including surgery, road trips from a driving standpoint, and a road trip change metaphorically.

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Role Changes

As we started our third year of marriage (2005-2006), my job got much more involved with helping out with the executive team as a friend, confidante, and other roles as needed.  This would also result in my first two trade shows, which were about two weeks apart: one in Austin, Texas and the other in Las Vegas, Nevada.  This was my first trip to Vegas, and I truly enjoyed myself.  I don't know if I can say it was more or less than I expected; it was a little bit of both.  I think I was the only one that manned our booth for the entire time we were at the shows (and I think that record stayed intact for my entire career when I did trade shows), but that was OK by me.  I still got to spend some leisure time as well.  Just walking around and looking at stuff was most of the fun for me.

Most of that year was spent handling work business, but still making time to spend with TL&TME.  No matter what has come around, she has always been supportive of what I am doing with an understanding that is unmatched.  But, we will save all of the sappy stuff for next Friday.

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Adventure Changes

During our second year of marriage (2004-2005), one of the biggest changes in our lives together would happen when I would leave Sports City Cafe and retire from the DJ/Karaoke business (for the first time).  In March of 2005, I started on a career in the healthcare industry, which I continue on in to this day.  That first weekend where I didn't have to work felt a little strange (I didn't have weekends completely off in about seven years), but it was nice to be able to see my wife when the sun was still up, and more than just a couple of times a week.  She also started a new step in her career, as she would take a promotion to the Major Accounts department at her work.

Shortly after I would start with this job, Jenn would go on a cruise that was also a fundraiser for her cousin's children.  (Yep.  That happened.)  I could not go with her, so her friend Tamy joined her for this week-long excursion through Central America.  It was the longest we had been apart to that point, and I remember her calling me in the middle of the day from a port of call, and just getting very emotional when we started talking.  She did have a great time, and I am still looking forward to my first cruise experience.  I also took a turn-and-burn trip to San Francisco during that week that I didn't know about until after that call, so by the time she got home, I had been to the West Coast and back.  I was not there very long, but really enjoyed my time on the West Coast.

That summer, we would also bring SummerBamm to the house, as we had about 60 people over to celebrate me turning one year older.  Had a GREAT time at that party, and the couple that would follow in the years that would follow.

As we celebrated our second anniversary, life was really in a good place.

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Adventure Begins

The first year of marriage for myself and TL&TME was very interesting.  It started with us going to the Mariott by the airport, which was provided for us by my mom.  Apparently, she told them that it was our wedding night and she wanted something special for us.  Sure, we were only going to be there for about six hours (we had an early morning flight to Orlando), but she still wanted it to be special.  I valeted our car so we could leave it there for our trip, and Jenn went to check us in.

When I met her at the counter, the nice gentleman there asked if we needed a wake-up call, and I said yes.  He then looked at the other guy and said, "... wake up call for room....".  As he said that, the other guy looked at him with a bit of a surprised expression.  I ignored it and we got our keys so that we could head up to our room.

As we got on the elevator, a concierge got on and had to use his cardkey to get to the room BELOW ours, which I thought was odd, but just continued on.  When the elevator opened, it was obvious that we were on the floor with the suites, as each door had a name for the room on it.  As we turned the corner, we saw a section of the wall that was all very nicely stained wood with a door that had beautifully crafted glass on it, and a doorbell.  As I looked at our cardkey, I could have sworn that the number next to this beautiful display matched the number on our envelope.  We were both very puzzled at this point.  Then, my wife in the wisdom that only she has, snapped me out of it with:

"Try it and see if it works!"

I did, and it did.  What we then learned (and not even my mom knew) is that they booked us in the Presidential Suite.  I have lived in apartments smaller than this thing that had it's own conference room, 1 1/2 baths, a full living room area, tiled fourier, and a whole lot more.  (We have a video tour of it.  It was THAT cool.)

We got up the next morning and headed to a week of the best honeymoon EVER at Walt Disney World.  Jenn tells people that I spent more time planning our honeymoon than she spent planning the wedding, and I wear that like a badge of courage.  We had a plan, and we executed it almost flawlessly.  That is another story for another time.

We returned and we went right back to work.  Over the next year, Sports City would go under its remodel, and I would spend that month working 18 hours every day going back and forth to The Colony (which then was about an hour each way), prepping that store and mine for the new computer system that would handle our DJ and karaoke functions.  We also saw Nickelback that summer, and it rained like crazy.  We bought T-shirts and sealed the bag so we at least had something dry to wear after the show.

In September of 2004, we would move out of the house we were in, and move into our current home.  That move could have been a lot worse, with us working opposite shifts and all, but we have some amazing friends that even showed up first thing in the morning on a Saturday and in a FLEET of trucks, got all of our big stuff moved in one trip.  I will always be thankful for the amazing people in our lives.

Since our first anniversary was on a Monday (leap year), and it was football season, I could not take the day off, but we still found time to have some anniversary time.  We even were able to eat our cake topper as is tradition.  I warn those of you that will go this: get it the first time.  It will not stay good after a few hours when you thaw it out.  Trust me.  There IS a time clock when you take it out of the freezer.  :-)

BB

Ten Years In Ten Days: The Countdown Begins

Next Friday, a milestone is reached.  So, as we count down to that day, I will do my best to do a blog post each day to tell you how the events went that lead up to that day.

October 11, 2003.  Four years after Jennifer Ralph decided she wanted to be known as my girlfriend.  We had met a couple of weeks earlier, and once we got together for the first time without either one of us working, we were pretty much inseparable.  Two years before the date that started this paragraph, we would attend a Dallas Stars game, where I would say to her as they came out for pre-game warmups, "So, we've been together for two years now... What's to say we wait two more and get married?"  Her reply was, "What just happened here?"  My reply was "I am waiting for you to tell me..."  Obviously, she said yes, and plans began.  A venue was found (The Dallas Women's Forum), deposits were laid down on services, personnel, and a honeymoon in the happiest place on earth, Walt Disney World.  Plans were in motion, and about a year out, I got a call from my buddy, Cody Hawkins:

"Um, dude... have you checked a calendar?"

"Why?"

"You may want to."

It was at that moment that I realized that the day that Jenn and I had picked for our wedding day was OU/Texas day.  For those of you that don't live here, this is one of the BIGGEST rivalry games in college football.  It is so intense that it has to be played at a neutral location, which is in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl.  Let me also remind you that I worked at the time as a DJ and karaoke host in a sports bar, so a HUGE chunk of our guests are sports fans and the game is in the middle of the day.  Sure, it would be over in time for our 7 PM wedding, but in some cases, I knew the damage would be done, so I pleaded with our guests to try to stay sober long enough to get through the ceremony.  For the most part, our guests did well.  Did I also mention that this would be a standing ceremony?

That day, I would wake up to our photographer, Ricky Futrell, trying to take a picture of me in that "I just woke up thing".  He did, and I didn't really worry about it.  We had a number of the guys crash at our house, while Jenn and the girls would be at the home of Shawn and Gidget Pritchard (which would end up being the house we currently live in).  Donuts were bought, tuxes were placed on bodies, Sonic was retrieved, and we were off to the wedding.  The girls did stuff to get ready, too.  :-)

The pictures were running a bit behind, and the guys were running a bit ahead, so what happens?  I get left in the car by myself while everybody went inside to see how beautiful my wife-to-be looked.  It was OK; I had Sonic food to keep me company.

We finally got inside, got the groomsman pictures taken, and then we were quarantined to the ballroom upstairs where the reception would take place until it was time for the ceremony.  When the time came, we walked down the stairs one by one until we were all in our places on the staircase.  My heart was in my throat as I waited for the music to hit.  One by one, the bridesmaids made their way up the stairs.  The one I remember the most was Gidget, who made it to her place and turned to smile at me like, "See?  I didn't trip or nothin'!"

And then, my wife rounded the corner.  And all of the nerves calmed themselves.  And all was right in the universe.

The ceremony went flawlessly.  Sure, we probably picked a unity candle song that was a bit longer than it should have ("Longer" by Dan Fogelberg... no pun intended), but it all went well. Nobody objected, which was nice... :-) ... and we went upstairs to the reception.  Could not have had a better time with our friends and family.  Then, it was to change clothes and head to the hotel before we would head to the airport.

And Year One began.

More later...

BB

In Defense Of Tim Tebow

So, I read an article on Yahoo! Sports today about Tim Tebow's days possibly being numbered with the New England Patriots, and if they got rid of him, he may not get picked up by another team.  This annoys me greatly.

Now, before we go any further, I would like to put this right out there on Front Street: I am unapologetically a fan of the Florida Gators, and have been since I was 11 years old.  I wanted to go there desperately, but when I didn't get in, it did not waive my fandom.  So I didn't have the grades; I'm not going to hate on them because I am not as smart as I should be.  (This is no knock on the University of South Florida, where I would end up for my freshman year.  They are an amazing institution that gave me a chance, and I am forever grateful to them.)  But this is SO much more than just being a fan of a Gator alumnus.  Understand that this entry is not titled "IN Defense of Aaron Hernandez".  We will deal with that briefly in a moment.

Now that we have established THAT: I do not understand the lack of perceived logic in NFL franchises.  I will be the first to admit that when Denver drafted the two time National Champion and Heisman Trophy winner in the first round, I was a bit shocked.  I was one of those that wondered if his style of play would translate to the NFL (Vince Young, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Gino Toretta).  I admired the moxy and faith in the Mile High City's choice, and I looked forward to seeing him play.

We live in a time where we clamor for "quality guys" to be role models for our children (sorry, Mr. Barkley... your commercial in the '90s about "I am not a role model" didn't hold water then, and it still holds no water... if you are in the spotlight, it comes with the territory and you have no choice), and then here comes a guy who is not only a quality kid (he spent his final year in college's Spring Break with his missionary parents in a third world country helping out), but he understands the spotlight and takes time with every charity that he can.

He helped get the Broncos to the playoffs, and even won a playoff game.  And then, the downward spiral hit Mach Speed.

He would get traded to the New York Jets, where he got LIMITED playing time behind Mark "Mr. Butt Fumble" Sanchez (look it up, people).  They cut him loose after last season, when he would be picked up six weeks later by the Patriots.  In the third Pre-Season Game, where they got WAXED by Detroit 40-9, Tebow didn't see a down.  I am not saying that he should play more than backup Ryan Mallett, but I am asking to give him a shot.

The argument has also been put forth about him being put out at fullback or tight end, but I ask the question: Has anybody approached this with HIM that is not in the press?  I think betting against him being open to it would be losing money, although I am also sure that if he had his preference, he would rather be throwing the ball.  He just seems like the type of kid, as he put it would "go wherever they tell to".

I also wonder if the Patriots had foresight just a little too late by bringing him in.  My first thought when it was announced that he was now reunited with one of his favorite teammates from his days at the University of Florida, Aaron Hernandez.  With Hernandez's behavior starting to teeter on unstable, my thought was that they brought Tebow in to play babysitter.  Maybe had they been on the closer side of that six weeks, Tim could have spent some more time with Aaron.  (By the same token... Tebow's college roommate?  Riley Cooper.)

My hope is that someone (even if it is ESPN's College Gameday) will get a hold of him and keep him on our televisions for years to come in some capacity.  We NEED quality kids like him for our children to look up to.  Whether you agree with his convictions of faith or not, THIS is what professionalism is.  So stop tearing him down.

Rob

Everything You Need To Know About The Alamo Drafthouse

OK, so I am a little bit late on getting this blog entry done (I have a job and stuff, people), but Chad and I were invited to the press event for the soon-to-open Alamo Drafthouse that is in Richardson, Texas last weekend, and I thought I would share some of our findings with you all:

- This is a theater chain that handles first-run, retro, and independent films.

- It has a built-in pub called the Glass Half Full Pub, which can seat up to 100 people.  Outside, it has a neon that fills up a mug of beer, old school style.

- There will be seven auditoriums, seating anywhere from 45 to 247 (the largest auditorium in the 15 locations they have opened so far, which also has a 60-foot wall-to-wall screen).  Each auditorium features 4K digital projectors, and one of the auditoriums has 35mm capability as well, so if you are an old school film nut, this is the joint for you... ON MULTIPLE LEVELS!!!!!

- Each auditorium has leather seats with retractable arms.  The location also features a 3,000 square foot kitchen with a full-service menu, where everything is made by hand from scratch every day.  There is also a bar within the kitchen that mirrors the one in the Glass Half Full Pub, so the bartender outside will not have to handle the drinks for the theaters.  This makes things more efficient all around.

- The servers are trained basically to be ninjas.  The goal of the Alamo is an "unobtrusive movie watching experience".  The way this is achieved is with ample space between the table and where the server moves, so as not to block the view of the moviegoer.  There is also no light you turn on for service or flashlight to see what is going on.  You simply write what you need on a  piece of paper and clip it to the table.  The server will come and grab it from you and handle business from there.

- Do you like to run your yap or let everybody that is not there know where you are via your phone?  Then take it up the street, Jack.  The Alamo has a STRICT no talking/no texting policy.  You get one warning, and after that it's, "Hit the bricks, Junior!"  Also, any child under the age of 18 MUST be accompanied by an adult, and if you have a baby, you can only see films on the designated Baby Day, which is for shows before 2 PM on Tuesday.

- Hate that half-hour of advertisements you have to sit through before the trailers?  They have that covered as well.  There is a 30-minute pre-show that is custom made to work with the film you are seeing.  Trust me: from what I have been told by some pretty well-versed people in the Alamo Drafthouse culture, you WANT to get there early.

- Seating is 100% reserved, so you don't have to fight with someone's Aunt Brunhilde for a particular seat.  It's already there.

Now, if that wasn't cool enough, it's about to get REAL.

- Each Alamo has its own theme.  The theme for the Richardson location will be technology gone wrong via robots.  To go along with this theme, for the Alamo's soft opening (August 6th - 8th), there will be the following films shown for an admission price of $2.00 and half-price food:

     - Robocop

     - The Iron Giant

     - Weird Science

     - The Transformers Movie (1986... where "You Got The Touch" CAME FROM)

     - Short Circuit

     - *batteries not included

     - Jimmy Neutron

- The Grand Opening will be August 9th.

- From time to time, there will be special events like:

    - Sing-A-Longs: where there is a music theme and everyone sings along.  Think of it as a cross between karaoke and group therapy.

     - Quote-A-Longs: where the movie plays with its famous quotes for you to work with.  It's one of the only times you CAN talk during the film.

  - Afternoon Tea: have you ever thought, "This Ivory-Merchant film could use some atmosphere?"  Watch a movie, have tea and crumpets (seriously... that's a thing) during these screenings

     - Sports Events?  Chad and I got to spend some time with the COO Bill DiGaetano, who told us that yes, they do major sports events.  For instance, during the last World Cup, they were open 24 HOURS A DAY to get all of the games.  Chad's wife, Jules (who is of British descent) was VERY interested.

So, what happens before then?  So glad you asked:

     - In the Saturday nights leading up to the opening, you can watch a movie in their parking lot.  Last Saturday night, they screened "Dazed And Confused," with a muscle car show, pinball arcade, and DJ playing '70s tunes.  This week, it's "The Lost Boys," and next Saturday night, it is the greatness of "The Goonies"!

     - And mark your calendar for July 25th, because after they have their advance screening of "At World's End" WITH SIMON PEGG, EDGAR WRIGHT, AND NICK FROST, they will show the other two parts of the "Blood & Ice Cream Trilogy" in the parking lot, consisting of "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz".

In summation, it's simple kids: CINEPHILES, YOUR BOAT HAS COME IN!!!!  We will be definitely making repeat trips there for movies and more!

Podcasting: Another Reason I Love Living In This Age

I know.  I have missed two weeks on "The Soundtrack of My Life".  We will get back on track soon, I promise.  Something else has kind of taken my focus tonight, and I thought this would be a good place to get it out there creatively.

For those of you that have known me, even for a little while, what I am about to say will not shock you: I have been deeply rooted in music and audio broadcasting since I was VERY young.  Some would argue that I am borderline obsessed with it.  (Not arguing with that.)  Even when I wasn't old enough to grasp what doing radio was, I was doing voices for friends.  Being smaller than everybody else (seriously, I was... I know for those of you that know me in this phase of my life, this is hard to believe), I had to find something that would make up for my utter lack of athletic prowess or knowledge of handyman-type things.  I found that this was my niche, and I kind of kept up with it as time went on.  I was always fascinated by radio, and thought being a DJ on the radio would be the greatest thing EVER.

When I was a junior in high school, and had amassed quite a collection of tapes, I would make mix tapes for friends (and maybe for a lady or two...), and kind of became known on certain class trips as the guy to bring the music.  It really gave me kind of a rush to find that place where you could entertain people and liven up a bus trip simply with the music you played instead of trying to get everyone to agree on a radio station that would play three songs and then do ten minutes of commercials.  (Some of those memories have fueled the project I am doing here this year.  I can hear certain songs that take me to SPECIFIC PLACES AND TIMES, and even smells in some cases.  Like The Fresh Prince said, "... how a smell from a girl can strike up nostalgia...".)

I got my one and only shot at radio when I was in college, when in my Freshman Spring Semester, I got a three hour shift on Friday mornings on the USF Campus "Radio Station" WBUL.  I put that in quotes because for all intents and purposes, we could claim to be a radio station.  However, to hear us, you had to tune your TELEVISION to Channel 30, where you would be treated to some "hi-res" graphics that I think came from a Commodore 64 or something of its ilk, with our audio.  (Editor's Note: I was supposed to play alternative music.  I played whatever I was feeling at that time.  Even then, I wasn't going to let The Man dictate my playlist.  :-) )  My next door neighbor in the dorm, Matt Landeed (who is still a friend to this day) was my co-host, and it was AMAZING to do.  Sure, nobody listened, but the point was: WE WERE ON THE AIR.  I taped every show to cassette (which I foolishly got rid of before I left Florida), and I was incredibly proud of it.

As a result of that, I kept on making mix tapes and playing music at parties for friends, and the occasional wedding.  Before I knew it, I actually had another DJ job for a place some of you might remember....

Incredible Universe.

For the uninformed, imagine an electronics store that was infused with a roller rink.  Each department had it's own mall store type area, there was a full-blown karaoke studio that recorded audio AND video (so for those of you that don't know, now you know how THAT started in 1994), and an awesome multimedia open-aired DJ mini-studio where I could control every television and speaker in the building.  It was truly me in my element.  I was even able to transfer to a store in Dallas when I moved from South Florida, and even changed the game up a bit here.  My first day, the first song that I played was "Thank You" by Boyz II Men.  I will never forget that because my phone started ringing off the hook.  What I didn't know was that the head cheese of that store would not let any other DJ play anything but '50s and '60s music.  The REALLY odd thing was that in the about a year and a half that I was there, he never told ME that.  I guess he just trusted me.  What a great feeling THAT was.  

It was about that time when my mobile DJ career really started to take off, doing weddings, birthday parties, Halloween stores (did that, and had a lot of fun), and other things of its ilk.  This would end up leading to the karaoke career that would come next, and the DJ career that would take me up until 2010. All of this is leading to this...

About four years ago, everything changed.

I was sitting around talking to one of my closest friends, Chad Womack, and he introduced me to this thing called a "podcast".  I already was on my third mp3 player (my first was an old lunky 40GB Creative, then an 80GB iPod, and my current 160GB), and didn't really have an interest in talk radio on my iPod.  I was more interested in having my entire collection in something the size of a credit card and the thickness of a pocket Bible.  He kept on me and met quite a bit of resistance.  And then, he invoked the two words that got my attention:

Kevin Smith.

At this point, he was just getting the original Smodcast off of the ground (even before the Smodcastle), so I thought, "I will try this, and if I don't like it, I can bail."  After one episode, I was hooked and listened every week.  At one point, I was listening and subscribing to more podcasts than I could make time to listen to, and still could not get enough.  Sure, I have over 33,000 tracks I could listen to, but why, when I could listen to people talk about stuff that I cared about, like pop culture and geek stuff?

And then, in the immortal quote from "Despicable Me,"... Light Bulb.

I already had the equipment sans a RCA to USB converter to record on my computer, so I used what I had to form a makeshift studio in my office at the house, just to see if I could actually do this.  Chad had been putting a bug in my brain for months to try it, and I was really gunshy.  Who would listen?  Why would they care what I think?  What could I talk about that we don't all talk about sitting around hanging out?

His answer?  "Just do it.  Stop thinking about it."

Fast forward to 2013.  The Clubhouse Podcast has almost completed it's third full season (and we don't take a hiatus of more than one week at a time, kids).  Sure, we don't have Kevin Smith numbers, but we do have a lot of fun.  The Fox & Hound live shows have grown to a level that none of us knew were possible.  We are on iTunes, which is just kinda cool to be able to say, and some friends of the show have been kind enough to give us some great reviews.  And the total genius of it is that anyone can be a "radio star" now, so the true variety instead of flooding the marketplace, makes it that much more awesome.  There is a show for anything that you can think of (and even some stuff that you haven't).  Now granted, the "quality" can vary whether you speak of production or content, but the true students of the form use all forms to help make their specific craft even better.

Would I like it if you would indulge me and listen in and/or subscribe to the show on iTunes?  Of course.  Check us out at least once live each Sunday night at 7PM Eastern/4PM Pacific or subscribe and check it out wherever you go.  But, just knowing that I live in the age where I can feed a dream that doesn't require having millions of dollars and massive numbers of employees to just put on at all is enough for me.  The show has evolved.  It will continue to evolve.  Each and every listener, host (Cody started co-hosting with me which I am thankful for... and Chad has stepped in and stepped up), guest host (there are WAY too many of you to list... you know who you are), contributing member (Big Don from RaceTalk 39X was HUGE here getting it started), and those of you that have helped this word-of-mouth campaign stay alive (The Empire itself), makes this thing more and more fun with each episode.

Chad: I can't thank you enough for pushing me to this.  It has affected me more than you will ever realize on multiple levels.  You have been 100% committed to this thing from the get-go, unwavering when I waffled, understanding when I have been enigmatic. No matter where this thing goes, all of us can say that we did it our way, in every incarnation of the show, even when the only way to hear it was to go to the Library of Congress website.  And trust me, the dream is JUST.  GETTING.  STARTED.  The dream is bigger than anyone realizes.  I got plans, kids.  It's just a means of how we're going to get there.  And all of you play a part in it.  Other facets of my life play a part in it.  The Empire one day will be exactly that.

And for those of you toying with doing your own?  Just do it.  Stop thinking about it.

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 10: The World Changes

In 1982, my fourth grade year began.  My teacher's name was Mr. Fraebel, and his wife was from France. The cool part about that was that he took it upon himself to teach his classes each year a bit of French, and we would begin and end each day in brief French conversation.  He was also a very innovative soul, and kept us involved in the school as a whole.  He actually had us do our own class choir, and we performed a couple of times during the school lunch period.  We called ourselves "Fame" and I even made the flyer for it by tracing the logo off of the soundtrack record that I had.  (I didn't understand copyright infringement back then.  Cut me some slack.  :-) )  The reason that I picked the video I picked for this is two-fold:  1 - This album was released and absolutely took the world by STORM, and 2 - During a "Fame" performance, we played this song, and at one point, Mr. Fraebel stuck the mic clear up in my grill, and I was singing to the entire lunch room.  So, I guess you could say that this was truly my first performance in front of my peers.

We'll do it all again Monday!

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 9: Evolution Continues...

So, we reach the third grade in the fall of 1981, and my second grade teacher would also become my third grade teacher.  I was really starting to understand at this point what "clicks" were, as there were certain students that were in my class that were separating themselves from me, as they felt that their athletic prowess or "popularity" were different from others of us.  Sure, it stung a little bit, but I continued on with my development within reading comprehension and wanting to help out.  The song for this particular entry is not only a favorite of mine from those days, but I also had another version of this song on an album called "Chipmunk Rock".  That's right, I have this ON VINYL done by Alvin, Simon, and Theodore.  Be jealous.

See you Friday!

Rob

This Is A Life?: Chapter 8: The New Decade Dawns

As the '80s started, so did my 2nd grade year of elementary school.  This was the point where the geek in me really started to manifest, as I was made "A/V Guy" of the class.  That pretty much meant that I was responsible for wheeling the projector in from the library on Movie Day, making sure that the Listening Station was always working, threading film strips (kids, ask your parents about those) and synching them up with the tape playing as they went, etc.  My second grade teacher, Mrs. Griffin, took me under her wing and helped me feel more comfortable in my self by fostering the talents that were starting to come to the surface.  She was an IMMENSE influence on me, and probably the first non-family to be a true mentor to me.  My guidance counselor, Mr. Boyle, was the same way.

This time in my life was also when Mom would share with me the GREATNESS of James Bond.  This film came out that same year, and it would be the first time that I would publicly screw up a lyric, as I thought "Maybe I'm an open book" was "Maybe I'm a lonely goat".  Don't ask; I was 7.  Cut me some slack here.  Trivia: this was also the first, and only to this day, theme played over the opening credits of a James Bond film that had it's artist in said opening credits "performing" the song.

Have a great weekend, friends!  We will do this all again Monday!

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 7: First Grade

I entered the first grade in the fall of 1979.  As the world was about to be turned on its head with what could be considered one of the most progressive decades in the history of the United States, I was starting to become aware more and more of my surroundings and that maybe I was a bit of a smart cookie.  My reading level was three years ahead of my classmates, and I was starting to come to the awareness of my geekiness.  My first grade teacher was Ms. Heiney (and yes, it is pronounced EXACTLY how you think it is), and she was very good at her job.  I remember her constantly keeping our attention with her lesson plans and fostering our creativity.  Kickball was THE thing to do at this point, and my love for basketball was starting here as well.  When I think of those days, this song always comes to mind:

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  See you Friday!

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 6: The Journey Heads South in 1978

So, right around my fifth birthday, Mom packed us up and moved us to South Florida.  I spent a very short time with my grandparents in Tampa, but we wound up in the Fort Lauderdale area in a suburb named Lauderhill.  Looking back, those years were incredibly important in shaping whom I am now, especially from a "learning tolerance before I could learn intolerance" standpoint.  We weren't rich by any stretch of the imagination, and my mom worked very hard as a woman in the computer industry.  So, many could consider where we lived in those days to be "the hood".  That didn't really matter to me.  I had friends that I played outside with and rode bikes with, and that was all that really mattered.  Not the color of their skin or the place they came from.  They were my friends, plain and simple.

Before we settled in the area where my elementary school would be (Royal Palm Elementary, represent!), we spent some time living in a hotel called the Oakland Park hotel.  I went to a day care close to there for a while, and every time I hear this song, it makes me think of those times.  Seemed like it played every day when I ate breakfast.

See you Monday!

Rob

This Is A Life? Chpater 5: May 25th, 1977

If you want to truly pick the first day that shaped who I would be to this day, this would be it.  For the uninitiated, this was the day that "Star Wars" was released.  (For those of you too young, this is the original, even though it is listed as "Episode IV: A New Hope"... don't try to figure it out; your brain will explode.)  I remember the theater my mom took me to in Iowa to see it.

You see, there was a time when theaters only showed one movie because there was only one auditorium in the building.  There was only one concession stand, which was located in the lobby.  The auditorium itself was very plush and even had a balcony.  I remember the lobby of the theater being adorned with what are known as "lobby cards," which were letter-sized pieces of card stock which featured stills from the film that was being featured on that particular day.

The time that followed when the lights went down would activate and never let go an overactive imagination that carries me to this day.  If you know ANYTHING about me, you know how much of a "Star Wars" fan that I am.  I have them on just about every format (VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray).  Goodness, I even have the LaserDisc trilogy THX copies, which is the ONLY way you can get the original versions of the films digitally.  Yeah, I'm that geeky.  Not scared of it.

I have probably seen the films over fifty times each.  (The prequel trilogy is different; probably ten times a piece there.  Less time to do it.

More coming Friday!

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 4: Songs From The Madre, Part 4

The final part of this particular era of my life comes this song, which is probably the one that I most associate with my early life in Iowa.  Mom could play a heck of a guitar, and I often wonder what stopped her from playing.

I promise, the stories will get more interesting from here.

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 3: Songs From The Madre, Part 2

We are still in my early childhood here while still in Iowa in this series.  I actually remember quite a bit of those years, including doing the requisite bath in the sink (I even remember "Hee-Haw" being on the small black & white TV that we had in the place back then.

One year for Christmas, my mom even made me a denim jumpsuit and gave me a little Mickey Mouse guitar that had a wind up music box type thing inside of it.  (It was the '70s; leave me alone.)

Some of my best memories of the little apartment we had were those times of singing with Mom while she played acoustic guitar.  This is another one of those that I distinctly put in that time frame, and if you don't know Croce, you'd better get educated.  Dude was AWESOME.

I promise these will get more in-depth as time goes on.  No pun intended.

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 2: Songs From The Madre, Part 1

The next couple of entries in this journey are a couple of songs that are distinctly attached to my early childhood.  My mom was a music major for a bit in college (go figure, right?), and she could play the heck out of a guitar.  There was a repertoire of songs that she would sing to me, but a couple of them really stood out.  This entry's selection is one of them:

To this day, when I hear this song, I think of the guitar my mom used to play that she stripped and stained herself.  At one point, she also had a 12-string that she played, and I still love the sound of a well-played 12-string guitar.  For a bit, this song was even her ring tone on my phone when she would call.

The other part of this chapter comes Monday, so check back!

Rob

This Is A Life? Chapter 1: July 2nd, 1973

This is where we start the new series that should take us through the year of 2013.  I turn 40 this year, and I thought it might be fun to take a couple of entries a week and use the vast knowledge of both a career in the DJ arena and also the vast knowledge of my own life and combine them and tell the story of my life via music.  Kind of a "Soundtrack Of My Life" thing.

Where else to begin but the beginning?

I was born on July 2nd, 1973 in Greenfield, Iowa.  I am told that it was around 8:00 in the evening to Connie Ervin and Bob Ervin.  I can't personally tell you much more than that.  I mean, sure I was there, but I don't remember much.  From what I have gathered, I got out of the hospital before Mom did, and at a certain point, a makeshift bed was made for me out of a drawer in the dresser of the hotel my extended family was staying in.  I am named after both of my grandfathers (maternal and paternal, respectively), so no real exotic story there.

For the song that will go with this entry, I have decided to go with what was the #1 song in the country on that day.  I give you: Billy Preston's "Will It Go 'Round In Circles".

We will do this each and every Monday and Friday for the remainder of this year.  I can't wait to share some of the stories of my existence with all of you, so make sure you keep reading!  (It's good for my self esteem.  :-) )

Rob