Happy New Year!
Hard to believe it's been a year now since I started on the Herbal One journey.
The great news is after being off the program for several month's now I've successfully maintained my weight!
This coming Saturday January 24th, Herbal One is celebrating their 2nd Anniversary in Peterborough.
Ric Johnson and myself will be at the Herbal One facility on Lansdowne from 10am - 3pm to help celebrate with the staff.
They're going to be having huge in clinic sales, as well as draws for lots of free stuff- including a free program, 2 for 1 specials and more! The best part is they'll be serving refreshments- out of their recipe book for everyone to try, plus they'll be be doing 1/2 hour draws for a variety of different prizes.
We hope to see you for Herbal One customer appreciation day this Saturday from 10am - 3pm! For more info call 748-9999!
About Me
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Friday, November 7, 2008
History in the making...
It's been a busy couple of days so I didn't have a chance to write about the results of the US Presidential Election - but wasn't it awesome!
By contrast, our recent election was a boring disaster that was almost unanimously tuned out by Canadians. The proof is really in the numbers seeing as how most of us didn't even bother casting a vote. Canadians haven't had a chance to rally around a leader since, well...Trudeau. Back then politics was sexy in this country. Today we'd rather be home watching a Seinfeld re-run than casting a vote in an election.
Americans had no trouble making it to the polls this week. In fact some waited as long as 3 hours to cast their ballot. Can you believe that? I hate waiting 3 minutes for microwave popcorn! In the end though it was a day for the history books as finally 8 years of republican rule came crashing down.
I've really got to give credit to our neighbours to the south for having the courage to elect a visible minority to office. Americans are stereotypically the most racist, bible-thumping country on the planet. For them to elect not only a black man - but a guy named "Obama" - shows that perhaps they're finally starting to catch up with the rest of us in being a little more "forward thinking".
Now that's not to say the crazies in America didn't do everything they could to try to stop the inevitable election of Obama. A lot of it was really laughable. I mean seriously, a hockey mom for vice-president? That may fly in Canada (Ken Dryden got in!) but not in the U.S. Plus if you want to be vice-president you should have a idea of what that job means. The Sarah Palin disaster may go down as one of the worst political moves in history. In the end though I think Obama would have been a winner no matter who McCain picked as his running mate.
It's going to be exciting to see what happens next in America. I would much rather see a guy like Obama - with his charisma and ability to rally a crowd with a strong speech - running this country. I'd also like to see us be as excited about a candidate, however the next time that happens it'll likely be for another guy named Trudeau (Justin Trudeau that is).
In the meantime, is anyone else freaked out about CNN's ability to "teleport" their guests in to a studio???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fQ_EsMJMs
Also, here's further proof that some Americans are crazy.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/07/7339821-ap.html
By contrast, our recent election was a boring disaster that was almost unanimously tuned out by Canadians. The proof is really in the numbers seeing as how most of us didn't even bother casting a vote. Canadians haven't had a chance to rally around a leader since, well...Trudeau. Back then politics was sexy in this country. Today we'd rather be home watching a Seinfeld re-run than casting a vote in an election.
Americans had no trouble making it to the polls this week. In fact some waited as long as 3 hours to cast their ballot. Can you believe that? I hate waiting 3 minutes for microwave popcorn! In the end though it was a day for the history books as finally 8 years of republican rule came crashing down.
I've really got to give credit to our neighbours to the south for having the courage to elect a visible minority to office. Americans are stereotypically the most racist, bible-thumping country on the planet. For them to elect not only a black man - but a guy named "Obama" - shows that perhaps they're finally starting to catch up with the rest of us in being a little more "forward thinking".
Now that's not to say the crazies in America didn't do everything they could to try to stop the inevitable election of Obama. A lot of it was really laughable. I mean seriously, a hockey mom for vice-president? That may fly in Canada (Ken Dryden got in!) but not in the U.S. Plus if you want to be vice-president you should have a idea of what that job means. The Sarah Palin disaster may go down as one of the worst political moves in history. In the end though I think Obama would have been a winner no matter who McCain picked as his running mate.
It's going to be exciting to see what happens next in America. I would much rather see a guy like Obama - with his charisma and ability to rally a crowd with a strong speech - running this country. I'd also like to see us be as excited about a candidate, however the next time that happens it'll likely be for another guy named Trudeau (Justin Trudeau that is).
In the meantime, is anyone else freaked out about CNN's ability to "teleport" their guests in to a studio???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7fQ_EsMJMs
Also, here's further proof that some Americans are crazy.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2008/11/07/7339821-ap.html
Monday, October 27, 2008
Finally....a hockey blog.
A few people I know have been bugging me to start a blog about the Peterborough Petes. They seem to think that being a colour-commentator with TVCogeco somehow makes me an "expert".
I don't claim to be an expert but I can certainly offer an opinion on what I've seen so far this season.
The Petes are now 15 games in to the 2008-2009 OHL campaign, which means they're nearly a quarter of the way through of the season. Let's take a look at some of the key areas of the team and see how they've been graded so far this season.
Coaching: C-
You can never under-estimate the difference good coaching will make when you have a young team. Ken McCrae and Ryan Barnes are rookies behind the bench in the OHL. While McCrae has a decent resume, coaching men in Texas and coaching kids in Ontario are vastly different. Barnes' resume is surprisingly light and both were puzzling hires. I'm not saying they were bad choices....at least not yet. While the coaches have done a good job running the practices and have been much more vocal than their predecessors, they've been unable to get the most from their veteran players and that raises concerns. Yes, it's still quite early but it's also inevitable that when and if the finger pointing begins the coaching staff will be a target of criticism.
Goaltending: C+
The season started off with three goaltenders and no clear-cut starter. After 15 games, two goalies remain and there's still no clear-cut starter. Let's start with Trevor Cann. Cann has proven on a couple of occasions this season that he can be the type of goaltender that can steal a win when it's desperately needed. However, he's also followed brilliant games with a brutal efforts. That lack of consistency has dogged him through the last two seasons and has caused his value to fall dramatically. Meanwhile Jason Missiaen's stock has risen immensely from last season and could be ready to take over the reins as starter. Before that happens he'll need to win and steal games on a consistent basis.
Right now, both netminders have VERY similar numbers
Cann - 8 appearances (3 wins, 5 losses), 3.24 GAA, 267 saves, 0.921 SV%
Missiaen - 8 appearances (3 wins, 4 losses), 3.15 GAA, 255, 0.911 SV%
Defence: B-
I'm being generous with this grade...and for good reason. Coming in to the season, 6 of the Petes 7 blueliners had one year or less of OHL experience. This is a young group that's had to learn to adapt very quickly to life in the OHL. Losing Jake LaPlante to injury has taken a major toll on the the blueline however young kids like Adam Sedlak, Jeff Braithwaite and Chris Buonomo have done a great job to step up and try to shut down some of the OHL's bigger stars on a nightly basis. The Pete's desperately need to add some veteran players to their blueline. It's already obvious that Zach Bogosion will not be returning from Atlanta and once it becomes official I believe a deal will be made to acquire some help.
Forwards: D-
To be fair, there have been some bright lights this season. Ryan Spooner has shown he will be the future of the team. Tony Romano has surpassed expectations to lead the team in scoring. Justin Larson was picked up off waivers and provided a spark in addition to a few points. The real concern however is on the veteran players. Pat Daley, Zach Harnden, Zach Kassian and Brett Theberge are all counted on to score goals. So far the four players have combined for only 9 goals. It's clear that these players are not playing at the level they are capable and that could be for a variety of reasons. It could be a slump, it could be an injury, it could be lack of good coaching, it could be all of the above. Whatever the case, it's quite clear the Petes are not getting the production they should be from their best players.
Overall: C-
Two words best describe the effort of the Petes' so far this season. Inconsistent - because they have the ability to play as a solid, tight-checking team one night and then be mistake-prone and sloppy the next.
The other word is "Underachiever". They are clearly much more capable than they've led on to be. Underachievers sink to the bottom and stay in a rut without ever getting out. Overachievers win championships and league titles because every member of the team buys into a coach's philosophy to "play to win".
With 51 games left on the OHL schedule, the Petes' still have time to decide who they want to be.
Legal Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions of this blog are my own and do not reflect those of TVCogeco, CTVglobemedia, Energy 99.7 or The Peterborough Petes. There...now I can't get sued!
I don't claim to be an expert but I can certainly offer an opinion on what I've seen so far this season.
The Petes are now 15 games in to the 2008-2009 OHL campaign, which means they're nearly a quarter of the way through of the season. Let's take a look at some of the key areas of the team and see how they've been graded so far this season.
Coaching: C-
You can never under-estimate the difference good coaching will make when you have a young team. Ken McCrae and Ryan Barnes are rookies behind the bench in the OHL. While McCrae has a decent resume, coaching men in Texas and coaching kids in Ontario are vastly different. Barnes' resume is surprisingly light and both were puzzling hires. I'm not saying they were bad choices....at least not yet. While the coaches have done a good job running the practices and have been much more vocal than their predecessors, they've been unable to get the most from their veteran players and that raises concerns. Yes, it's still quite early but it's also inevitable that when and if the finger pointing begins the coaching staff will be a target of criticism.
Goaltending: C+
The season started off with three goaltenders and no clear-cut starter. After 15 games, two goalies remain and there's still no clear-cut starter. Let's start with Trevor Cann. Cann has proven on a couple of occasions this season that he can be the type of goaltender that can steal a win when it's desperately needed. However, he's also followed brilliant games with a brutal efforts. That lack of consistency has dogged him through the last two seasons and has caused his value to fall dramatically. Meanwhile Jason Missiaen's stock has risen immensely from last season and could be ready to take over the reins as starter. Before that happens he'll need to win and steal games on a consistent basis.
Right now, both netminders have VERY similar numbers
Cann - 8 appearances (3 wins, 5 losses), 3.24 GAA, 267 saves, 0.921 SV%
Missiaen - 8 appearances (3 wins, 4 losses), 3.15 GAA, 255, 0.911 SV%
Defence: B-
I'm being generous with this grade...and for good reason. Coming in to the season, 6 of the Petes 7 blueliners had one year or less of OHL experience. This is a young group that's had to learn to adapt very quickly to life in the OHL. Losing Jake LaPlante to injury has taken a major toll on the the blueline however young kids like Adam Sedlak, Jeff Braithwaite and Chris Buonomo have done a great job to step up and try to shut down some of the OHL's bigger stars on a nightly basis. The Pete's desperately need to add some veteran players to their blueline. It's already obvious that Zach Bogosion will not be returning from Atlanta and once it becomes official I believe a deal will be made to acquire some help.
Forwards: D-
To be fair, there have been some bright lights this season. Ryan Spooner has shown he will be the future of the team. Tony Romano has surpassed expectations to lead the team in scoring. Justin Larson was picked up off waivers and provided a spark in addition to a few points. The real concern however is on the veteran players. Pat Daley, Zach Harnden, Zach Kassian and Brett Theberge are all counted on to score goals. So far the four players have combined for only 9 goals. It's clear that these players are not playing at the level they are capable and that could be for a variety of reasons. It could be a slump, it could be an injury, it could be lack of good coaching, it could be all of the above. Whatever the case, it's quite clear the Petes are not getting the production they should be from their best players.
Overall: C-
Two words best describe the effort of the Petes' so far this season. Inconsistent - because they have the ability to play as a solid, tight-checking team one night and then be mistake-prone and sloppy the next.
The other word is "Underachiever". They are clearly much more capable than they've led on to be. Underachievers sink to the bottom and stay in a rut without ever getting out. Overachievers win championships and league titles because every member of the team buys into a coach's philosophy to "play to win".
With 51 games left on the OHL schedule, the Petes' still have time to decide who they want to be.
Legal Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions of this blog are my own and do not reflect those of TVCogeco, CTVglobemedia, Energy 99.7 or The Peterborough Petes. There...now I can't get sued!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
"What the hell happened to you?"
I've titled this blog with the question I've been asked over and over and over and over again this past week.....
"What the hell happened to you?"
Last Tuesday marked the beginning of a new hockey season for me. I play 3 nights a week with 3 different groups of guys. All 3 groups were STUNNED by my appearance, thanks to Herbal One.
When the season ended back in March, I had only been on the program a couple months and was around the 250lbs mark. When I saw the guys last week for the first time since, I was around the 190lbs mark....the difference was quite substantial apparently.
I've had no shortage of questions about the program this last week. Yes, it does work...Yes, I'm keeping it off....and believe it or not, Yes, I'm STILL losing a little bit of weight here and there.
It's funny, I never used my weight as an excuse to not do something. I played hockey last season despite the fact I weighed nearly 100lbs more than I do now. Right now I can't believe how much easier it is to play being so much lighter. I'm quicker, I have more energy and I can do way more now than I ever could. Maybe if I had bothered to lose this much weight as a kid I could have made the NHL!....ok, not likely, but a kid can dream!
Time now once again for a BEFORE AND AFTER SHOT!
Here's me, during this past Holiday weekend, zip lining at Camp Fortune in Gatineau, QC.
I'm really glad I've been hitting the gym, since I needed some muscle to complete all the obstacles on the zip lining course....it wasn't easy, but it was lots of fun!
Now let's compare that recent shot with one that my good friend Allie sent me from 4 years ago.
Now I know why people ask me, "What the hell happened to you?"
People also ask me, "does it really work?"....well there's the evidence for you that yes, Herbal One DOES work.
Call them at 748-9999 to get signed up.
Monday, September 22, 2008
WEEK.....Ummmm.....
Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated this.
To those of you who check this site on a regular basis, my apologies. The last few weeks have been CRAZY!
Just to give you a quick update of what's going on in my little world....
-Beat The Bank is BACK!....
I'm sure you've heard it on the air already. We've been having a lot of fun with this contest and it's even better when you get a chance to play. Remember the guaranteed times to play are weekdays at 7:40am, 11:40am and at 4:40pm during my show. This is my second year doing Beat The Bank and I have yet to see the vaults go up to $10,000 on my show...I think that means I'm due!!! Good luck!
-The Petes are BACK!....
This season I'm covering all Petes' home games on TVCogeco (cable 10). I encourage you to actually go to the games but if you can't make it to the rink just remember we've got the games covered on TV. This season I'm working as the host and colour analyst. I'm very excited to be working with TVCogeco thanks to a partnership with Energy 99.7. I've always wanted to work both radio and TV so I'm really living out a dream right now.
-I bought my first car!
Hard to believe I waited until the age of 25 to finally buy a car but it was worth it! Thanks to Paul Russelle and the fantastic staff at Russelle Toyota I'm now cruising the streets of Peterborough in a 2009 Corolla Sport!
I friggin' love this car!
- Herbal One CONTINUES!....
I've now moved on to the stabilization and maintenance portions of the program. After the lengthy weight-loss part of the program, I'm now working on staying at my goal weight. Once again I should have a number of updates for you in this area. You can always get more details by calling Herbal One at 748-9999.
So that's what's been going on the last four weeks. In the coming weeks I hope to keep this blog updated on a variety of topics, including the continued Herbal One updates and also some blogs on the Peterborough Petes.
In the meantime I have to get ready to help someone win some money with Beat The Bank!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Week 33
Well I guess I missed my update last week...my apologies, it's been a crazy last few weeks.
Looks like I may have fallen off the proverbial wagon somewhat as I seem to have plateaued these last few weeks. I'm still hovering around 80-total pounds lost since January 7th.
To make up for it I've begun running a few extra times per week and I've increased my distance from 5km to as much as 10km per run. I'm very proud of myself and it's defiantly helping me get back on track.
Also, beginning tonight I'm hitting the gym. I'm going to check out the YMCA and see what that's all about. I'm moving in to phase 2 of my plan - getting a 6-pack....I'm talking the abs not the beer. Although if I could have both I'd be a happy camper.
I'm a little disappointed in myself that I'm going to miss my Labour Day goal of 185 but I'm confident I can still hit that mark in the next few weeks.
Herbal One will soon be offering some new fall specials that I'll be writing about here and talking about on-air. In the meantime you can call them and get signed up early at 748-9999
Looks like I may have fallen off the proverbial wagon somewhat as I seem to have plateaued these last few weeks. I'm still hovering around 80-total pounds lost since January 7th.
To make up for it I've begun running a few extra times per week and I've increased my distance from 5km to as much as 10km per run. I'm very proud of myself and it's defiantly helping me get back on track.
Also, beginning tonight I'm hitting the gym. I'm going to check out the YMCA and see what that's all about. I'm moving in to phase 2 of my plan - getting a 6-pack....I'm talking the abs not the beer. Although if I could have both I'd be a happy camper.
I'm a little disappointed in myself that I'm going to miss my Labour Day goal of 185 but I'm confident I can still hit that mark in the next few weeks.
Herbal One will soon be offering some new fall specials that I'll be writing about here and talking about on-air. In the meantime you can call them and get signed up early at 748-9999
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
WEEK 31.....Zombies and podiums....
Ok, no results yet.
I have a good excuse though!
This week I'm filling in on the Energy morning show which means my body and I are not getting along anymore. Going from the "Afternoon Show" lifestyle to the "Morning Show" lifestyle is a huge shock to the system. At this point I'm averaging about 3.5 hours of sleep a night. At this rate by Friday morning I should look like this....
I have a good excuse though!
This week I'm filling in on the Energy morning show which means my body and I are not getting along anymore. Going from the "Afternoon Show" lifestyle to the "Morning Show" lifestyle is a huge shock to the system. At this point I'm averaging about 3.5 hours of sleep a night. At this rate by Friday morning I should look like this....
Hey, looking like Michael Jackson is never a good thing!
I kind of feel bad that I don't have much of an update this week....but I do have a rant....let's talk about the Olympics shall we....
At the writing of this blog, six days of competition are now complete at the Beijing Games...and after six days Canada has yet to make a single trip to the podium.
Ok, we all know that the summer games are not our strong point. When it comes to the Winter Games we kick ass. Since we're hosting the next Winter Games I wouldn't be surprised if we set a new mark for medals-won.
This year, we may set a mark for medals not-won. Last night I stayed up to watch a couple of swimming events. I learned two things...first, American swimmer Michael Phelps is a freak of nature (more on him later) and second, the new motto of the so-called "Own The Podium" program must be "Hey, at least you tried, eh!".
If they handed out medals for missed opportunities, we'd surely be golden. Instead when I woke up this morning and looked at the medal standings I find Canada in 49th place with no medals behind countries who have won - like Togo, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. You can be guaranteed those countries didn't send the small army of athletes we did to the games but at least they have something to show for it.
I don't mean to sound negative. I know we will win a few medals.....eventually.
To me, a nation as great as ours with such passion for sport shouldn't be doing so poorly. I think a lot of questions will be asked about the Olympic program...do we send too many athletes?....do we send the right ones? I think the real question is - "do we support our athletes enough?"
Funding has always been an issue for sport in this country and without it the closest a Canadian athlete will get to the podium is if they trip over it. Either we need to step up the funding for the "Own The Podium" program or we need to scrap it and find a new way to instill national pride in our people. Losing poorly on a global stage doesn't make anyone feel patriotic.
Moving on....
The Beijing Games will be talked about for years about a number of different things. Among them - China's human rights record, the opening ceremonies controversy, the doping scandals...etc.
The one thing I'll remember most is Michael Phelps. So far, in only six-days, Phelps has managed to win 5 gold medals and set 5 world records. He won 6 golds in Athens and he's hoping to win 8 in Beijing.
Phelps doesn't win narrowly....he wins HUGE. The best in the world are not even close to this guy. One of two things needs to happen. Either he needs to be drug-tested or he needs to be sent back to his home planet. If he's not pumping steroids than he must be E.T.'s athletic cousin from Mars.
Seriously....we should offer this guy citizenship. Here's what I, as a taxpayer, would be willing to pony up to get Michael Phelps competing for Canada - A mansion in the Canadian city of his choosing, his own pool and training facility, a few million in cash (tax-free) per year and all the maple syrup he can handle.
It's a hell of an offer...but on second thought if we just treated our own athletes this well we would probably have some home-grown Michael Phelps' winning medals while wearing the maple leaf.
Now if you'll excuse me I have to go listen to the CBC Sports announcer use the word "disappointment" for the millionth time.
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