Packing On The Pounds

Dude--I'm fat.

I've had bouts with chubbiness most of my life; certainly when I was a boy and teenager, followed by a skinny phase in college, then back to pleasingly plump when marriage and kids came along. Back in 2011, I joined Weight Watchers and stayed in the program for 2 and half years. My starting weight was 203 (my height is about 5' 8"), then I dropped some off, with my lowest weight at 182; then it started creeping back up. It was in the mid-190s when I dropped out over a year ago, and now I find myself at 206. Yeesh!

I enjoyed being in the program, but increased work responsibilities made it more difficult to attend regular meetings, which is why I stopped going altogether. I don't see me returning to Weight Watchers anytime soon for the same reasons, but I have to do something. I just turned 40 back in September, and it's only going to get more difficult to lose the weight as I age, so the time is right. But how?

The first thing I want to do is get back to exercising. I have a Nintendo Wii Fit in my basement, which I've always enjoyed using, so that's a good place to start. There is a set of 3 lb hand weights in our house, so it wouldn't hurt me to use those as well. Plus, there are some free workout videos available on demand on our cable system, as well as DVDs available from the public library. Finally, I should take my dog for more frequent walks, since her vet said she needs to lose weight as well, so the walks will be good for both of us. Based on the above, I certainly have the tools at my disposal.

Then there's the other side of the equation, eating. I loves me some fast food. Especially meat. Boy, do I love meat. And french fries. French fries. And cheese. Delicious, artery-clogging cheese. Tomatoes? Pshaw! Beans? No thanks. Do you see my problem now?

I know this post is atypical of the usual fare you'll find here, but I had to get this out of my system. Thanks for letting me vent. I'll let you know if I manage to take some positive steps toward a leaner, meaner blogger. In the meantime, I'm going to find something to eat. I'm hungry.

Thanks!

List O' Links: Christmas Prep 2014 Edition

I know what you're thinking: "Oh no, you haven't succumbed to Christmas Creep too, have you?" Nope! I'm very much in a November state of mind. However, it is a good idea to at least plan ahead for the holidays now. Planning and celebrating are two different things! The more planning you do now, the more time you'll have for celebrating later. Isn't that how you'd rather spend the season?

These links we'll help you get your holiday house in order, from buying gifts to preparing meals, and even for finding out what the coolest new holiday music is. Surf away!

If you plan on visiting the Philadelphia area this Christmas, we in the City of Brotherly Love have amazing holiday events. Check out this link for 15 of the best!

A great one-stop shop for preparing for the holidays is Organized Christmas. They have several plans you can use to budget for gifts, clean your home, entertain guests, and prepare food for the season. There are great ideas here!

A great Christmas site that I've been following for years is Xmas Fun. They have recipes, crafts, video channels, music, clip art, and fun games and programs to download (including an awesome Christmas Lights program for your desktop that I've been using for over a decade now). One of my all-time favorite Christmas sites!

If you're a subscriber to SiriusXM satellite radio, as I am, you may be happy to know that they start airing two of their holiday channels, Holly and Holiday Traditions, next Tuesday, November 11th! More holiday stations will be added next month. Click here for the details!

For all things Christmas, but especially news and streaming of the latest holiday music releases, you must follow Santa's Working Overtime. If it's holiday-related, and it's new, this blog will mention it. It also has cool links to other great sites--sometimes, it even mentions my blog!

For the passionate Christmas music lover, look no further than the awesomely named Mistletunes. This site does a great job of highlighting the latest and greatest releases, especially some obscure ones. I never celebrate Christmas without it!

OK, you can look further, because I also must mention Stubby's House of Christmas. Everything I said above applies here too. Stubby doesn't miss a thing when it comes to great new Christmas music. I can't praise it enough!

Lastly, I suggest you bookmark Amazon's Holiday Digital Music Store. It always has good deals on Christmas music, and they change frequently, so check back often so you don't miss anything. I especially enjoy their 25 Days of Christmas event, in which they offer one Christmas song a day for free from December 1st to the 25th. It's a great way to freshen up your holiday music playlist!

Of course, I'll have other great Christmas links when the season is in session, but until then, I thought it a good idea to bring these sites to your attention now so that, when the time is right, you can hit the ground running. Happy Holi--I mean, have a great weekend!

Tuesday's Overlooked: Blog Reruns

I've been wracking my brain for a new selection for this week's Tuesday's Overlooked feature, but I'm afraid I've come up empty. However, I still wanted to post something today, so I thought I bring to your attention some selections from weeks past in case you missed them or are new to the blog--reruns, if you will. Here are some of my favorites!

Robert DeNiro and Charles Grodin in the action comedy Midnight Run

Bill Murray and Gena Davis in the New York comedy Quick Change

Gene Wilder and Bob Newhart in the hilarious Thursday's Game

The briefly aired post-World War II TV drama Homefront

The well-respected music documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown

The 1980s "rock 'n' roll fable" Streets of Fire

The charming Maurice Sendak animated TV special Really Rosie

Not an official Tuesday's Overlooked entry, but it still fits--my article defending the quality of the horror sequel Jaws 2

For more of my Tuesday's Overlooked/Forgotten features of the past, simply click on the "Tuesday's Forgotten" label along the right of the blog. If you see any broken links or missing videos along the way, please leave a comment on the article in question and I will update them when I can.

Thanks! For more current Overlooked gems, check out friend Todd Mason's blog Sweet Freedom.

Thanks for a Great Halloween 2014!

Hi all! As I type this, I'm sitting in my basement listening to the Halloween music playing on Music Choice on my cable TV system, with a bag of Thanksgiving decorations at my feet waiting to take the place of the Halloween decorations that came down Saturday. In about a half hour, I'll be catching the latest episode of The Walking Dead, which will be my official capping off of the Halloween season.

This Halloween, I wore two different "costumes" to work--a Ghostbusters t-shirt which looked like the suits the boys wore in the movies, as well as a hooded zip-up sweatshirt which looked like Batman's costume--complete with a hood that resembled his cowl! When I got home, I ushered my kids into their bedrooms to get into their costumes, and off we went for an almost two hour haunt (with a half hour break in the middle) throughout our 'hood in search of the ambrosia of Halloween--candy! Our neighborhood was very light on trick-or-treaters, but unfortunately, there aren't as many younger kids in our immediate area than there used to be. The upside--we get to keep all the candy we didn't give out. It's the good stuff, too: Reese's cups, Kit-Kats, and mini Hershey bars. Let the calorie retention begin!

My daughter was a zombie bride (completely her idea), and my son was Darth Vader. I tweeted this picture of them, and it was retweeted by the official verified account of David Prowse, the original Darth Vader. My son for the win!

Thank you one last time to everyone for celebrating Halloween with me all month long. It is, without exaggeration, one of the highlights of my year every year!

But fear not, because although one holiday is over, another great one is right around the corner...



Let's have a great November!

Happy Halloween 2014!

We made it! As quickly as it arrived, the 2014 Countdown to Halloween comes to a close. I want to thank everyone who stopped by my blog this month, and I hope you enjoyed everything I shared. But if you didn't, please let me know! The only way to improve the blog is for you to let me know what you like and don't like. Please leave comments whenever possible, or shoot me an email at phillyradiogeek@gmail.com. 

I've also loved what you guys have shared. Your hard work and dedication to your blogs is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

You may feel sad to see the season go, but don't be! You can celebrate Halloween any day of the year you choose! And before you know it, that October wind will blow by and bring all the thrills and chills you love all over again. Besides, with Halloween a Friday night this year, I'm sure the celebration will last through the weekend as well. With All Saints Day being tomorrow, and Dios de Los Muertos on Sunday, it's entirely appropriate!

Before Mr. Manilow sings our love song to October to bring the Countdown to a close once again, I leave you with my usual ending treats as I've done in years past.

Stay safe, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

October's Underappreciated Music: Halloween Songs

Since I've been doing the Countdown back in 2009, I've sharply increased my time spent listening to Halloween music. Of course, there's not much music out there specifically written about and for Halloween itself, but there certainly is if you expand the definition of the term to mean any music that is spooky, horror-themed, or monster-themed. Once you do that, you can have yourself a full-on Halloween hootenany! Here are some of a few of my favorites, not including the usual suspects such as "Monster Mash" and "Ghostbusters."

Bert Convy, "The Monster Hop"

I loved this song the first time I heard it. The music is fun and makes you move, but still has a touch of thrill and urgency to it. The late Bert Convy, most famous for his hosting duties on various game shows such as Win, Lose, or Draw, takes this novelty song and adds real drama to it, selling the sizzle. What a fun record!

Dave Gardner, "Mad Witch"

Before he became better known as Southern comedian Brother Dave Gardner, Gardner recorded a couple of obscure vocal records, one of which is this unusual song, describing a victim's experience at the hands of "the Devil's wife." It's a rhythmic, bass-driven song that grabs your attention right away and never lets go.



Kip Tyler, "She's My Witch"

A slow, sultry rockabilly tune. Any strip club not using this song in their October performances is doing it wrong.



The Ran-Dells, "The Martian Hop"

This is a fun, all-ages novelty tune perfect for any grade schooler's Halloween party.



Speak Low, "Thriller"

Finally, here is an awesome cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" by Spanish funk band Speak Low. It has a funky retro-70s feel to it that adds a whole new dimension to the familiar song. Put on your leisure suit and medallion before dancing to this one!



Well, tomorrow's the big day! Get ready!

Halloween Images and Gifs

One of the joys of surfing the Web during Halloween season is coming across some awesome artwork, images, and animated gif files. I've amassed a nice collection over the years, and I add to it all the time. Here is just a small sample of what I have!

Many of these can be found at my (relatively) new Tumblr site, Me and You Too.  Give it a try. Thanks!