Trip Photos

Here are a few miscellaneous photos from my August trips. I have one more week on the road, so be on the look out for more photos and stories.

Frank

A picture of me in front of Rutgers University

One of the quads at Rutgers University

The New York City skyline from the Newark airport

Some of the students from Franklin University  during Freshman Orientation activities.

The students signed my head!

Some of the students from Rutgers University in Newark, NJ

The main chapel at Albright College.

I passed through Indianapolis, Indiana the day the Colts opened up their new football stadium (Lucas Oil Stadium). It may be the largest stadium I have ever seen. The roof and the sides open up on nice days. The Super Bowl will be here in a few years!

Comic/Bookstore in Columbus, Ohio. What item is a little out of place on the sign?

Rodger outside of Edie George's restaurant in Columbus. Really good food!

Downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania before a early morning flight to Chicago. That's a factory smoke stack, not a building burning.

Downtown Philly on my flight back from Chicago.

Promotional Codes

A lot of people shop online. We shop for gifts, clothing, rental cars and airfares. About two years ago, a former student of mine let me know how she got discounts for online shopping. She told me to look up promotional codes online (google or yahoo searches) before I made a purchase. I gave it a try earlier this year and received free shipping on a large gift purchase from Kodak.

I tried the trick again this week. I looked for codes for rental cars and gifts. Once again I found discount codes. I saved 5% on rental car rentals and $5 off a gift delivery charge. The savings aren't as huge as the ones my student received, but I did save money.

The next time you shop on line and you see a box that says "coupon code" or "promotional code." Use a search engine to search for that company's codes online.

First Class

This summer I received a letter from Continental Airlines. Due to all of my travels on their airline as a frequent flyer I was upgraded to the status of Elite Access. This meant I would be able to get on the planes first, use the VIP lounges and get upgraded on flights.

I finally got a chance to use my new “status” today. I received an e-mail from Continental concerning my flight from New York to Chicago. The e-mail said I was being upgraded from coach to FIRST CLASS! Wow, what did I do to earn this? I guess there were seats that weren’t booked, so I got upgraded. I’ve only flown first class once in my life and that was because another airline (Airtran) made me and my friends wait for a flight.

Today was a true first class experience. I got on the plane with the first group. I got a nice wide padded leather seat with a TON of legroom. I got hot soup, a bowl of fruit and a smoked chicken panini. My beverages were served in glass and I was given real silverware to use. After a long week on the road, the Continental First Class treatment was appreciated greatly. I was even offered wine. Thumbs up on the Cream of Mushroom Soup!

In a few days I’ll be back to flying coach. I’ll be back with the “regular Joes.” I’ll still have my memories. My experience lasted less than two hours, but it will be remembered for a long time.

Happy Birthdays!

August has been a busy month and I haven’t had the time to say Happy Birthday to a lot of the people I know.

"Bryan, Reece, Amber, Damon, Jenn, Frank, Maribel and Evelyn; Happy Birthday, I hope all of you had a Happy Birthday or will have a very Happy Birthday!"

Life on the Road

Rodger and I "Working" with the students of Lewis University

Woo Hoo! I'm back to blogging! The last 9 days have been crazy and fun. My schedule has been fly, speak, fly, drive, speak, sleep, fly, drive, speak!

As of today, Monday, August 25th, I have been in Phoenix, AZ; Kansas City, MO; Columbus, OH; Cleveland, OH; St. Pleasant, MI; Detroit, MI; Chicago, IL; Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Reading, PA; Indianapolis, IN; and now I'm in Newark, NJ. That's a crazy 9 days. 11 shows in 19 days. I feel like the Southwest commercial when the guy walks on stage and forgets where he is.

I would like to thank a few people.

I would like to thank the "Goon Squad" aka the Goonies from Park University! You were great and I'll remember that dinner afterwards for years! I will post the pick up lines from the dating show shortly.

Cabrini University....wow what a great campus! The students were amazing too! Thank you to the Orientation Leaders who danced on stage with me and made sure I had proper sound and lights.

Lewis University....Loved your campus too! Rodger and I had a great time with the freshman class of 2008...all 500+ of you. We hope to see you again in the future. Thanks for the post show Ice Cream

Central Michigan University -1600 freshman for orientation! Wow!

Franklin College.....The student Mentors are the best. I loved the energy you gave for two hours. Getting the students to chant Reggie, Reggie (Reggie MIller) was crazy. I'll have to show people the picture of my head being signed. That has never happened before during one of my shows. Football players dancing with me....err on me is a new one too!

Thank you all for a great week. I'll post more pictures and stories this week.

For people trying to track me down. I'll be in the New York City area, Chicago and Iowa this week!

Frank.....One man, two bags, three weeks of fun.

Are you Reggie Miller?

It happened again! I was in Dillard's yesterday looking for some shoes and the sales uttered these words......"Do you know who you look like?" "I'm sure you've heard this before." "Reggie Miller!"

I told him that I hear that a lot and told him that I'm going to start an official count on my website. I'm not sure what the official count is for this year, but I'm guessing it's in the 70's...I'm going to say 77. I heard it twice last week when I was in the airport.
I told Kelly about what people say, and she said I should make up a t-shirt that says "I'm not Him!" That's too funny.

Here's a list of places I've heard comments this year.

Got asked for my (his) autograph at a restaurant in Atlanta
Almost got a suite and got front of the line service at a hotel in Vegas
Stopped by airport security in Cleveland
Heard several comments from people in the Houston airport
Had a guy ask me at the gym
Had people ask if I'm related during my speeches
Had some kids and people say, "Look it's Reggie Miller" when I was running in Buffalo
Hear it from my friends all the time

I'm still working on meeting "him" so I can get a picture.

Too stubborn to reach your goals?

I've been typing on and off about the training Kelly and I have been doing for the marathon we will run in January 2009. Some of the training days are really long and boring. There are plenty of mornings when we wake up and say "I don't want to run today!"
Then we have to look at our goals and think about the tough things we have to do to reach our goal.

There are times in our life when we have a goal, but we quit. We quit because we have to do something we don't like to reach our goal. That's when you have to ask, how important is your goal? Are you willing to do anything to reach your goal? Are you to stubborn to reach your goal. We are all stubborn! The question is, will you let that stubbornness get in the way of something that is really important to you.

My stubbornness with running is that I like to run outside. So, for last few weeks, I've been forcing myself to wake up really early to run outside. It's still a little HOT here in Arizona (100-110 degrees). That makes it a little hard to run during the day. 5 AM runs were starting to become normal. Last week I woke up at 4AM. Why because I was too stubborn to go to the gym and run on the treadmill. Then I watched Kelly go into the gym day after day to do her runs on the treadmill. She dislikes treadmills too, but it's also too hot to run for 2-3 hours outside. I figured if she could do it, so can I.

Saturday, I slept in until 7AM and headed to the gym with Kelly. It was me versus the treadmill. 2+ hours of running in the same place. 2+ hours of watching "Headline News" over and over again on the TV at the gym. I didn't let all the negative thoughts hold me back. Watching my girlfriend run next to me helped inspire me. No complaints, just doing what she has to do to meet her goal. 15+ miles later we were done. I actually ran further than I expected/planned. I still hate the treadmill, but I'm happy because I did what was needed to meet my ultimate goal. 57% of the way to my goal!

Special Note- I'm loving the Olympics. Political Issues aside, I'm enjoying watching people having pride in themselves and their country. I love the stories of people chasing a dream/ a goal. The especially enjoyed the story of the South Korean swimmer who won the gold medal today. He was 14 years old and competing in his first olympics in 2004 in Athens. He was one of the favorites to win a medal. He was so nervous he fell into the pool before the race started and was disqualified. He never got a chance to race. He spent the next 4 years training even harder. This morning he won the gold medal in the race. The first ever medal in swimming for South Korea.

1 year in Arizona!

I was looking at the blog today and remembering what Kelly has told me the other day.....I've been in Arizona for one year! Wow, time flies when you're having fun! I'm loving it out here in the Valley of the Sun. Guest are always welcome!

Disposable Society

Recently I was listening to the radio and heard a great comment.

"Appreciate what you have and Elevate what you've got!"

The broadcaster who made the comment was talking about how we (Americans) really don't appreciate what we have. We're always looking for something better. We crave and desire things other people have. We don't think about what it will cost mentally, physically or fiscally. We use things up and discard it for something new and shinier.

We get out of a loving relationship, for the possibility of something better (or younger in most cases). Why don't we take the time to talk and work on the relationship we're in. We know what we have and the person loves us. But, there are people who end up cheating and when your partner finds out, the costs are un-imaginable.

People have a nice house, but they want something way too big for them or is super fancy like the super stars have on TV. Why not fix-up or remodel your house. It will cost less than buying something new.

Finally, a lot of people try to compare themselves to other people. We always talk about what we can't do or what we don't have. Why don't we think about the things we have or what we're good at. We can always improve ourselves or learn to improve areas that we're not super strong. We have to be the "best us" not try to be someone else. Maya Angelou says we are all born with potential. I like to believe that means we are all born with the potential to do amazing things. Our amazing may be different than someone else's amazing. So, appreciate your amazing and maximize it. Don't stress about other people. And remember, if you envy someone else's amazing abilities, just learn from them and maximize/improve on that area you wish could be better. All we ned to do is work with what you have!

There are things that will need to be replaced. It's ok to want nice things. We just need to appreciate those things when we get them. We need to live within our means and learn to enjoy what we have. Are we trying to make ourselves happy or trying to impress someone else?

Canisius College

I was in Buffalo, New York on Monday and Tuesday to kick-off the 2008-2009 speaking season. I was at Canisius College with Rodger to give several presentations to the students pursuing a graduate degree and careers in Student Life/Leadership. It was great for Rodger and I to share our experiences and knowledge from our time as Student Life professionals.

I was able to get out and run through downtown Buffalo. Running is definitely a good way to see a city. I didn't bring the camera with me though, sorry! I'll have to work hard the next few weeks to stay on my running schedule.

This was the first presentation of the Frank world tour. I'll be living out of my suitcase the next 4 weeks. I'll be sure to add pictures and stories as often as possible.

A new date just got added to the calendar. Rodger and I will be in the Chicago area at Lewis University on Friday, August 22nd.

For information on Canisius, please click HERE.

T-shirts

People are always asking do I have any merchandise to sell after my shows. I've been running several ideas through my head and I've decided to try one out over the next couple of weeks. Yes, I have Frank Kitchen T-shirts. I'll be setting up a new store on my website this fall. Be on the lookout for an updated/new FrankKitchen.com in September.

Below are the t-shirts I'll be handing out at all of my solo shows/dating speeches this fall. During my speeches, I talk about good and bad pick-up lines. My initials make the best or worst pick-up line at a bar, depending on who you talk to. I always tell my audiences about my full name and my initials. My full name is Frank Cornelius Kitchen. That means my initials are "FCK." I have a few things monogramed with my initials and it has caused a few looks and laughs over the years. People are always saying, "All you need is a U."

So, I've decided to put my initials on a t-shirt. Some shirts will read "Fun, Caring and Kind" on the back and some will read "All I need is U!" I gave out a couple in Buffalo this week and people loved them. I'm planning on selling the shirts for $10 and throwing out a couple of free ones at the end of the shows.

I have mens t-shirts and ladies spaghetti strap tees. If you would like one, please leave a comment or e-mail me at Frank@badbadapples.com

More colors and options will be available this fall.

1/3 of the way to the finish line.

Kelly and I are getting ready for the PF Chang's Rock and Roll Marathon in January. Kelly is ahead of me in the training process. I'm playing catch-up. We have six months to the marathon and a lot of training and practice runs to put in. Kelly is already up to 13 miles and I just ran 10 miles for the first time last Saturday. I also had a 8 1/2 mile run last week. While running, my mind started thinking about a lot of things. Practicing speeches, putting together to do lists, and getting caught singing out loud. The one thought that came through my head was..." Wow I just ran 8 miles!" "Then I thought I'm only 1/3 of the way to running a full marathon (26.2 miles)."

We still have 6 months to so, plenty of time to build up the milage. We are both feel a lot better than we did last year when we were training for the 1/2 marathon. The next month will be my tough time because of all the time I'll spend out of town. Seeing the miles Kelly puts in motivates me, so I'll have to work hard to keep up with her. Be on the look out for the 1/2 way there and 3/4 way there blogs!

Cross your fingers for both of us. Especially my "old knees."

I'm hitting the road

My summer break is almost over. It's time to shake off the rust and get ready to smiles on peoples faces. I'm about to hit the road for several performances, speeches and workshops. Here is a list of all the places you'll find me over the next two months. If I'm your neck of the woods, please stop by to see me, or shoot me an e-mail. I'll be sure to post stories and pictures on the blog when I get internet access.

August 5 - Canisius College - Buffalo, NY

August 16 - Park University-Parkville, Missouri

August 20 - Central Michigan University-Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

August 23 - Albright College-Reading, Pennsylvania

August 24 - Franklin, College - Franklin, Indiana

August 26 - Rutgers University - Newark, New Jersey

August 28 - Blackhawk Technical College -Janesville, Wisconsin

August 31 - Graceland University-Lamoni, Iowa

September 3 - Tri-State University - Angola, IN

September 27 - TBA (San Antonio, Texas)

October 7 - Franklin College - Franklin, IN

Planes, Planes and more Planes

The President of the United States.......ummm no!

Jim inspecting the B-52's landing gear

A-10 Thunderbolt. One of my favorite planes

SR-71 Blackbird

My brother is a HUGE airplane fan. He actually knows how to fly. He flew a plane when he was in is teens. I asked him what was the one thing he wanted to do and he told me he wanted to visit the famous Airplane "Boneyard" outside of Tucson, Arizona. 

The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base is home of the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group. The base is the home of over 4,500 military aircraft. The aircraft are broken into three groups. Planes that are in storage for future use if the military needs them, planes used for spare parts, and retired planes that are used for scrap or museums.  The site of that many planes is amazing.

We first went to the PIMA Air and Space Museum. They offer a tour of the boneyard and also have a museum with over 230 aircraft. It's the largest airplane museum not run by the government.  Click below for more info

PIMA Air and Space Museum 

Next we got onto a bus and went onto the air base to see all the planes being stored for various future uses. If the United States ever needs the planes again, many can be put back into service within 3 months. Other planes are just stored for spare parts like a junk yard. A lot of the planes used by the US Military are no longer in production, so when a plan need a part or repairs they contact AMRAG. Our tour guide told us an interesting fact. For every $1 spent storing the planes $18 is made/saved by the government when the planes are used for parts or scrap. Can you believe the government is actually doing something to save money! Wow

AMRAG

Camelback

When a friend or family member comes to town I will always take them to Camelback Mountain. The mountain is the tallest mountain in the Phoenix city limits. It is a big tourist attraction. Before my brother left town, I had to take him to the top of "the valley." I got him a camera for his birthday and he took a lot of great photos while visiting. Here are his photos from Camelback.

Jim's  Feet...Living on the Edge 2700+ feet up

King of the mountain

Sedona

My brother is my first family member to come out and see me since I moved to Arizona. I wanted to show off the state to him. Kelly and I took him up to Northern Arizona last Monday to show off Sedona and Flagstaff.

Here are some photos of a very amazing part of the state.