OK, so I am a fat boy.
If you knew me at any point of my younger years you would think it was amazing that I am fat. But, I really am just that.
In my defense, I am a tad over six foot five. But, I stepped on the scales at the gym recently and I was stunned to see 273 pounds as my weight.
I do have a mirror and could see things were out of control. But, a number that high was still shocking.
After a couple of weeks, I have dropped to 267.
My goal is 230 pounds, and I must do this by my birthday, September 1st.
So, knock off the desserts and hit the gym like never before.
Update:
June 23, 2012
I am now down to 250 pounds.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
The Lizard Hunter
Everyone has heard of the Crocodile Hunter who was tragically killed a few years ago. But, I am now the Lizard Hunter.
I need to write my book called Memoirs of a Landlord Gone Mad which I have actually already started. I get all kinds of strange requests and run across all kinds of things.
The latest is a woman that is phobic like afraid of lizards and has one in her apartment. We occasionally have a squirrel in an attic or a mouse running around. We get the apartments sprayed for bugs monthly, but still get a call about bugs from time to time.
First lizard scare in twenty plus years I have gotten and other than taking my Dirty Harry gun into the apartment, I have no idea how to get rid of lizards.
Look at me everyone. I am the great Lizard Hunter.
I need to write my book called Memoirs of a Landlord Gone Mad which I have actually already started. I get all kinds of strange requests and run across all kinds of things.
The latest is a woman that is phobic like afraid of lizards and has one in her apartment. We occasionally have a squirrel in an attic or a mouse running around. We get the apartments sprayed for bugs monthly, but still get a call about bugs from time to time.
First lizard scare in twenty plus years I have gotten and other than taking my Dirty Harry gun into the apartment, I have no idea how to get rid of lizards.
Look at me everyone. I am the great Lizard Hunter.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Favorite Songs in Order (6-10)
6. Creep-Radiohead
Many people think I am a creep so I guess this song fits me. To me, this is Radiohead's only good song but this one is so very good that it makes up for all the others.
If you heard or read 10 people translate their meaning for this song you would probably get 10 different replies. I am not sure what the guy that wrote this song intended but I do know what it means to me.
For me, this song is about being accepted and loved but never being able to achieve that because I am less than perfect in my own eyes which makes me withdraw and never actually giving others a chance to accept or love.
Whatever it means in your opinion, this song is one of my all time favorites.
7. Come Undone-Duran Duran
This song has a very special meaning to me. This song, as well as the next two songs, are not about the tune or the instruments, or anything else, but they deal with the words and they deal with my dark side and my recent past.
You see, I actually did come undone. I fell apart at the seams and may pick up the pieces the rest of my life. How does one reacquire things that it took a life time to build up? How does that confidence come back after such a huge failure?
Not sure.
Here's a link to listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmhKnOoXvyY&feature=related
8. Overkill- Men at Work
Sometimes you listen to a song and it just hits you. This song is about dealing with the ghosts that come to you in the night time. The ghosts aren't the traditional ghosts, but the things in life that make you stressed out and keep you awake at night. Your ghost might be a bill that is due, or a school paper that is due. The ghost might be a former girlfriend or it might be losing everything you own in a business deal.
Why is that you think of those things when you try to go to sleep? In my case, I often think of those things in the middle of the night when I have been sleeping for a couple of hours.
Here's a link to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcu7OCIqlqE
9. Viva La Vida- Coldplay
This one is a giant to me. I do know it's Coldplay and that does not make me gay (not that there's anything wrong with that)
Supposedly, Coldplay stole this song from Joe Satriani. I don't know about that because I have never heard the Joe Satriani song.
Regardless, or irregardless, this song is huge to me. The first time I heard this I nearly broke down and cried because this was my song.
Sure, I never ruled the world but that's not what this is about so much, but it's about being at a certain level and being crushed.
Try driving around in a luxury automobile and then the next thing you know you are plunging toilets.
That's my life and that's why this song hits me so very hard.
But, hey, listen for yourself, freak show. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L70Nca5MvM8
10. Europa- Carlos Santana
No deep meanings to this song, just a great guitar song that always makes me feel mellow. Santana has never really gotten the love and respect that he deserves, in my opinion.
These are my top 10 songs and they can vary slightly but not really all that much.
Many people think I am a creep so I guess this song fits me. To me, this is Radiohead's only good song but this one is so very good that it makes up for all the others.
If you heard or read 10 people translate their meaning for this song you would probably get 10 different replies. I am not sure what the guy that wrote this song intended but I do know what it means to me.
For me, this song is about being accepted and loved but never being able to achieve that because I am less than perfect in my own eyes which makes me withdraw and never actually giving others a chance to accept or love.
Whatever it means in your opinion, this song is one of my all time favorites.
7. Come Undone-Duran Duran
This song has a very special meaning to me. This song, as well as the next two songs, are not about the tune or the instruments, or anything else, but they deal with the words and they deal with my dark side and my recent past.
You see, I actually did come undone. I fell apart at the seams and may pick up the pieces the rest of my life. How does one reacquire things that it took a life time to build up? How does that confidence come back after such a huge failure?
Not sure.
Here's a link to listen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmhKnOoXvyY&feature=related
8. Overkill- Men at Work
Sometimes you listen to a song and it just hits you. This song is about dealing with the ghosts that come to you in the night time. The ghosts aren't the traditional ghosts, but the things in life that make you stressed out and keep you awake at night. Your ghost might be a bill that is due, or a school paper that is due. The ghost might be a former girlfriend or it might be losing everything you own in a business deal.
Why is that you think of those things when you try to go to sleep? In my case, I often think of those things in the middle of the night when I have been sleeping for a couple of hours.
Here's a link to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcu7OCIqlqE
9. Viva La Vida- Coldplay
This one is a giant to me. I do know it's Coldplay and that does not make me gay (not that there's anything wrong with that)
Supposedly, Coldplay stole this song from Joe Satriani. I don't know about that because I have never heard the Joe Satriani song.
Regardless, or irregardless, this song is huge to me. The first time I heard this I nearly broke down and cried because this was my song.
Sure, I never ruled the world but that's not what this is about so much, but it's about being at a certain level and being crushed.
Try driving around in a luxury automobile and then the next thing you know you are plunging toilets.
That's my life and that's why this song hits me so very hard.
But, hey, listen for yourself, freak show. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L70Nca5MvM8
10. Europa- Carlos Santana
No deep meanings to this song, just a great guitar song that always makes me feel mellow. Santana has never really gotten the love and respect that he deserves, in my opinion.
These are my top 10 songs and they can vary slightly but not really all that much.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Favorite Songs in Order (top 5)
This list will always be changing.
1. Fortunate Son-Creedence Clearwater Revival.
I've loved this song as long as I can remember and I suppose I always will. It's a toss up between this one and my number 2 for the ultimate Vietnam song. No band represents my growing up years more than CCR.
2. All Along the Watchtower-Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi died more than 40 years ago, but for guys like me he will live forever. Greatest guitarist to ever live and I am not sure it's even close for the guy that is second best.
All Along the Watchtower is actually a cover song by Hendrix and I love cover songs if they are done well and this song was done well. So well, in fact, that everyone thinks this is a Hendrix song. It was first written and performed by Bob Dylan and even Dylan admits that Hendrix ruled with this song.
Nearly every Vietnam movie plays this song. So much so that a lot of people think of this song as THE Vietnam Song.
Fogerty may be my favorite all time vocalist, but Hendrix is my all time favorite guitarist. Well, he's my favorite guitarist after my son.
All Along the Watchtower has been covered many times and many of the covers are very good, but not of them come close to Jimi Hendrix.
3. Free Bird-Lynyrd Skynard. Nothing quite says the 70s like Free Bird. I promise that I am not totally living in the past but my first 3 songs were huge, huge, huge.
This song while being one of the greatest guitar songs ever, gives you a sense of freedom like no other music unless you are a fan of rap music and then there's really no hope for you.
4. Moon River-Any number of artists.
Some songs just give me the warm fuzzies and this one is maybe the best. Not sure I have a favorite version but if I did it might be by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck two legendary guitar players.
5. Somewhere Over the Rainbow-like Moon River I don't care who sings it.
I suppose Judy Garland may have been the first, but there have been a number of good versions of this classic. I might even like the Eric Clapton/Jeff Beck version the best.
1. Fortunate Son-Creedence Clearwater Revival.
I've loved this song as long as I can remember and I suppose I always will. It's a toss up between this one and my number 2 for the ultimate Vietnam song. No band represents my growing up years more than CCR.
2. All Along the Watchtower-Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi died more than 40 years ago, but for guys like me he will live forever. Greatest guitarist to ever live and I am not sure it's even close for the guy that is second best.
All Along the Watchtower is actually a cover song by Hendrix and I love cover songs if they are done well and this song was done well. So well, in fact, that everyone thinks this is a Hendrix song. It was first written and performed by Bob Dylan and even Dylan admits that Hendrix ruled with this song.
Nearly every Vietnam movie plays this song. So much so that a lot of people think of this song as THE Vietnam Song.
Fogerty may be my favorite all time vocalist, but Hendrix is my all time favorite guitarist. Well, he's my favorite guitarist after my son.
All Along the Watchtower has been covered many times and many of the covers are very good, but not of them come close to Jimi Hendrix.
3. Free Bird-Lynyrd Skynard. Nothing quite says the 70s like Free Bird. I promise that I am not totally living in the past but my first 3 songs were huge, huge, huge.
This song while being one of the greatest guitar songs ever, gives you a sense of freedom like no other music unless you are a fan of rap music and then there's really no hope for you.
4. Moon River-Any number of artists.
Some songs just give me the warm fuzzies and this one is maybe the best. Not sure I have a favorite version but if I did it might be by Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck two legendary guitar players.
5. Somewhere Over the Rainbow-like Moon River I don't care who sings it.
I suppose Judy Garland may have been the first, but there have been a number of good versions of this classic. I might even like the Eric Clapton/Jeff Beck version the best.
Harper's Woods
I am proud to say that I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s. I realize that this does make me somewhat old but I am very proud of my era. I am a product of the 60s, I suppose.
Hollywood somehow managed to come up with a television show that reminded me so much of my youth. The Wonder Years was a classic and ran from 1988 to 1993.
The Wonder Years covered the early life of Kevin Arnold played by Fred Savage. In reality, I am nothing like Kevin Arnold but his life reminded me so much of my own. The setting was the late 60s and early 70s covering Kevin in elementary school, middle school and high school.
I often record reruns of The Wonder Years on any given night and start my day each morning by watching the shows. I've seen them all, but nearly every show has a special meaning for me.
The episode I am writing about in this blog was about Harper's Woods.
Harper's Woods was a small wooded area near where Kevin Arnold and his friends grew up. It had special meaning for them because they played there so much as children.
One day they discovered bulldozers were on their way to tear down Harper's Woods to build a shopping area.
That's progress. But, progress often has a price and for these kids it was bulldozing a very special place for them.
They decided to fight the construction project and did all they could to stop the development.
Needless to say they failed and the shopping center was built. Tragically, Harper's Woods was no more.
Small sections of wooded land disappearing in this world is a problem but that is a problem for another blog to solve. A lot of us have had our Harper's Woods. A place we went as children and had a lot of fun in our youth. I certainly had my own.
But, the disappearance of Harper's Woods was not even the point of this episode.
People are born on this planet every second of any given day. People also die at nearly the same rate. People come and people go. With the exception of a George Washington, or a Cesar Chavez, or a Martin Luther King a vast, vast majority come and go and hardly a trace of their existence even remains. We are born, we die, and we are quickly forgotten.
That is we are forgotten if anyone ever knows we are even alive in the first place.
I have driven by the local cemetery and personally witnessed a grave side funeral with all of three people in attendance. I felt saddened by somebody passing and nobody at all even caring.
I am afraid my own life will be the same.
At the end of this Wonder Years episode, Kevin had gotten in trouble at school. His junior high principle sat him down and told Kevin that he thought of himself as 'special'. The Principle had been at his job for 20 years and showed Kevin pictures on the wall of others that also thought they were 'special' and nobody even remembered who they were after a little time had passed.
Nobody remembers Harper's Woods and nobody remembers us.
That's just the way it is.
Hollywood somehow managed to come up with a television show that reminded me so much of my youth. The Wonder Years was a classic and ran from 1988 to 1993.
The Wonder Years covered the early life of Kevin Arnold played by Fred Savage. In reality, I am nothing like Kevin Arnold but his life reminded me so much of my own. The setting was the late 60s and early 70s covering Kevin in elementary school, middle school and high school.
I often record reruns of The Wonder Years on any given night and start my day each morning by watching the shows. I've seen them all, but nearly every show has a special meaning for me.
The episode I am writing about in this blog was about Harper's Woods.
Harper's Woods was a small wooded area near where Kevin Arnold and his friends grew up. It had special meaning for them because they played there so much as children.
One day they discovered bulldozers were on their way to tear down Harper's Woods to build a shopping area.
That's progress. But, progress often has a price and for these kids it was bulldozing a very special place for them.
They decided to fight the construction project and did all they could to stop the development.
Needless to say they failed and the shopping center was built. Tragically, Harper's Woods was no more.
Small sections of wooded land disappearing in this world is a problem but that is a problem for another blog to solve. A lot of us have had our Harper's Woods. A place we went as children and had a lot of fun in our youth. I certainly had my own.
But, the disappearance of Harper's Woods was not even the point of this episode.
People are born on this planet every second of any given day. People also die at nearly the same rate. People come and people go. With the exception of a George Washington, or a Cesar Chavez, or a Martin Luther King a vast, vast majority come and go and hardly a trace of their existence even remains. We are born, we die, and we are quickly forgotten.
That is we are forgotten if anyone ever knows we are even alive in the first place.
I have driven by the local cemetery and personally witnessed a grave side funeral with all of three people in attendance. I felt saddened by somebody passing and nobody at all even caring.
I am afraid my own life will be the same.
At the end of this Wonder Years episode, Kevin had gotten in trouble at school. His junior high principle sat him down and told Kevin that he thought of himself as 'special'. The Principle had been at his job for 20 years and showed Kevin pictures on the wall of others that also thought they were 'special' and nobody even remembered who they were after a little time had passed.
Nobody remembers Harper's Woods and nobody remembers us.
That's just the way it is.
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