Well the last month has been a whirlwind of work, work, work and all in a good way.      I am looking forward to a bit of a slower week this week as I just finished 5 out of 6 Saturdays through the entire month of January and early February at Cheer competitions.

Gold Medal Mixes new division "Gold Medal Sound" ran the sound for the first time at the WACPC State All/Star Jam event held at SPASH in Stevens Point and boy did we have a ball. What a day on Jan 20th... Aside from smoking a brand new $1200 Mackie Subwoofer (luckily being replaced) 40 minutes into the competition and after a trip to the emergency room (don't ask) I finished the day with a smile on my face and a great time.

The next Saturday Gold Medal Mixes new division "Gold Medal Sound" did the sound and I did the announcing for the WACPC (wacpc.com) High School Southern Regionals for Cheer & Dance at Homestead in Mequon WI.  A huge fieldhouse but the sound was great and everyone seemed to have a great time even though not everyone could advance to the state competition.  And the best part ... no smoking equipment and not trip to the emergency room!  I hope they invite us back next year because I always have a blast at the competitions.  If I was 25 years younger and had the opportunity to go out for the cheer team I would.  The boys that are on those cheer teams are STRONG.  Figure out what it takes to hand press a girl/young woman over your head and have the strength and balance to keep her from falling .. wow it amazes me!  Thanks to Cori and all at WACPC.com for allowing us to help with this years regionals and All Star Jam!

Today I just got back from announcing for the State Cheer Championships ehld in Green Bay!  Congrats to all the teams and you can find out who won on their website at www.wacpc.com if you are curious.  All full day, but again a fun day with a lot of great teams and great young women and men

Til later ..

Boomer

I am proud to announce that a large cheer & dance center that I create cheer mixes for took 4 teams to a cheer competition and all 4 teams received their first, first place trophies ever, in there respective divisions!  Way to go ladies!  Thanks for letting me help you succeed!

Boomer

www.goldmedalmixes.com

I have waited a while to update this so I could let my last rant set in a bit and blow over.   As you may have noticed by my profile, I work in radio and also do custom cheer mixes.  I have been in radio doing everything from Top 40 to Country, Oldies to Rock and have heard thousands of artists and bands.  Not trying to date myself too much, but Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It"  was a current/power song when I started working in radio part time in high school. 

My friends know I don't normally go out on a limb and talk about an artist this much unless that artist has truly moved my soul a little bit.  Now we are not talking about Kylie Minogue or Britney Spears or the "flavor of the month".   I am talking about a grown up.  An artist that moves you with the music and the words.  And after hearing what you would expect as every possible chord progression and verbage used over the years then one artist comes along who says it differently and does it just differently enough that you go "yeah, that is it".  So much so that you want to tell the world. 

Now normally being in radio that is not hard to do as you end up talking about it with coworkers to the point they actually listen to it and playing it to see what I am babbling about.  Well these days I am a production director, stuck in a small studio producing ads all day, so I am using MySpace to tell the world about David Ford.  The British have sent us another gem. 

David Ford is haunting, real, unique, full of humility, original yet familiar.  Grown up music for people who have done just that, had heartache, had joys and have truly lived life and lost themselves and found themselves along the way. 

Mr. Ford's music is not something you will hear on the radio and it is not meant to dance to.  To truly enjoy it I think, you need to find a few minutes to lean back in your chair and stare at the ceiling and turn on "I don't care what you call me".  It changed me.  And the more you listen to it, the more you want to hear it again

David is on MySpace or you can view his site and hear some songs on MySpace through my page.

Boomer

This being my first blog, it may be a bit of a tirade as I have been quite upset about the protests over the changes in immigration in this country.

Being a natural born citizen of the United States of America and proud to be one.   I would hope and pray (yes, to God) that we do not sit on our butts and watch this country be overtaken by aliens of a different sort.  Yes, Roswell was just a smoke screen for the real aliens invading the U.S., but they did go through New Mexico to get here.   

My family came to this country legally over 150 years ago just like most of the citizens did, and that was through New York on a boat and the whole justified process of becoming a citizen.  If we as current citizens of the United State of America, and not the United States of Mexico, do not take a stand and sit back watch this whole thing unfold like Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl we will be speaking Spanish as an official national language very soon. 

Don't get me wrong, I have NO problem with Hispanics, Mexicans, or anyone for that matter.  The problem is the process and how it is going about being done and handled.  The process in being to sneak across the border and hopefully blend in and suck the life out of country that is already footing the bill for half the world.  I admire that they want a better life and greatly appreciate that but I ask, why not make your own country a better country, and it can be done if you spoke as loud in the homeland as everyone did during the protests about living here.  Is it that you could not do that in the homeland? You might be arrested?  They can not arrest everyone if you all spoke up.

Everyone always says that it is pretty and clean in th US. Well that is because we bust our humps to make sure it stays that way.  This letter that a co-worker of mine wrote really says it all.  Of course he only likes to visit but I think it really says how some from outside view how easy it should be to get into this country.  Do you think this letter might have been ever written to the president of Mexico?  How do you think this would fly in Iraq? Iran? Any other country if enough people started moving there and trying to change everything that the "natives" knew.  Someone might get mad wouldn't you think?

OPEN LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT 

El Presidente Jorge Bush:

I am seriously thinking of moving Mrs. Allen and the Allenettes to Mexico.  We have visited there several times, and have found the weather (especially in the "winter") to be very enjoyable.  Before I do, I would sincerely appreciate a few good words put in by you to Presidente Vicente Fox. 

I would like to receive a Mexican driver's license upon my arrival.  This is so that the police do not bother me as I acclimate myself to the different traffic laws of my new country, and so that I may participate in the political system.  I would also like a job, however I do NOT wish to pay Mexican taxes, or otherwise contribute to the Mexican economy.  I am, after all, an American by heritage.  I will be happy to do a job that the residents of Mexico "don't want to do," such as rebuild cities ravaged by the hurricanes last year.

I would also like to fly the American flag over my "casa," just above the Mecican flag.  In fact, while I am on the subject, I want to make sure that I can invite friends over every year on July 4th, for a good old-fashioned "American picnic."  I certainly hope that my hosts would not be hostile towards me and my friends and family.  Certainly there are laws there that protect me from discrimination.  Oh, and I will be able to purchase "American" food and beverages at most stores, right? 

I also demand that whichever school I choose to send the Allenettes to provide a teacher who is fluent in English, so I don't have to mess with learning a foreign language.  In fact, shouldn't the traffic signs and all Mexican government forms be in English alongside the so-called "official" language?  And I would also like access (with no charge, of course) to the Mexican health care system. 

These requirements should be easy to implement, since we already allow similar treatment to the very few Mexicans who think that America is a better place to make a life.  Certainly you discussed reciprocity in your recent meetings with Mr. Fox.

Looking for a better life, but always AMERICAN,

Ricardo Allen