DJ John Land

Here are eight more little factoids about your host: I've never done illegal drugs (this includes marijuana). Speaking on a microphone used to be difficult for me; I didn't like the sound of my own voice.  DJing took care of that. I'm very open-minded to most forms of music: Country, Pop, Hard Rock, Oldies, and Classical. I love technology. I needed to be in a cast twice in my life, both arm-related.  The first was from a fall off a bicycle, fracturing my right wrist in the 8th grade.  To make matters worse, my 8th grade English teacher complained to my mother about my handwriting, despite that my writing hand was in the cast.  The second was from slipping on the ice in a bank parking lot. Though I love living at the shore, I'm not one to spend an entire day laying on the beach, nor am I particularly fond of swimming in the ocean.  I'll do the latter in a pinch, but being poolside is much more enjoyable.  And I love the boardwalk. I love roller-coa...

Cross-posted from Facebook: Eight Random Things (requested by Patrick Conner): My middle name is Joseph; I actually like my middle name more than my first name.  I learned how to cook through home economics, following recipes, and watching the Food Network.  My education is fairly diverse; I spent time in Catholic school, non-sectarian private school, and finally public school. I was pretty unfocused the whole time (and was thrown out of the first two). I still marvel over the fact that I managed to earn my Bachelors.  My first car accident happened when I was a senior in high school. I had a '74 Cadillac and I pulled out into traffic without looking and hit a commuter bus. Fortunately, no one hurt and no damage to the bus. Only the fender on my car got dented.  Many of my primary teeth had to be extracted by the dentist.  I love playing pinball.  My original career choice was becoming a middle or high math teacher. Mom persuaded me to choose a ca...

Greetings from NC!  Came down after work Friday for a long weekend and to visit Aunt Pat and my mom and stepfather.  I had hoped that I could get through the visit without doing much, but unfortunately not the case. Aunt Pat wanted to get WiFi; George and Mom wanted to get WiFi.  We went to the Apple Store at the Northlake Mall (in Charlotte, NC) to pick up two Apple Airport Extreme routers.  Mom lost her cell phone at the local Walmart and had to get a replacement.  Today was spent helping everyone with their various technical issues. The setup of Aunt Pat's WiFi did not go smoothly.  After several hours of making several attempts to get it to work (and getting assistance from AT&T and Apple), I was able to get the wireless network up and running.  For some reason, the DSL modem had to be configured such that it's "bridged".  We tested it with the PC connected into one of the ethernet ports, and via WiFi with our various IOS devices, and it's...

There's been recent developments surrounding Exodus International, the largest "gay reparative", "ex-gay", etc. organization.  The latest development as of tonight is the word that they are closing up shop.  Good fucking riddance. This organization was an umbrella organization for many of these so-called "ex-gay" ministries, who have successfully torn families apart, branded gay individuals as "defectives", "child molesters", and driven many gay and lesbian individuals to suicide.  They claim that being gay is a "choice", and that homosexuality can be "cured" through reparation therapy, bible study, and prayer.  Despite the fact that they've been debated by professionals that such therapy is harmful, and that homosexuality can't be "cured", the religious right dismissed those studies as "liberal propaganda" and have continued to work tirelessly to demonize gay individuals and deny...

I've been downloading some full-lengths from iTunes lately, primarily stuff I was listening to back in late 70s and early 80s.  This particular download was prompted by Anthrax. Anthrax...you mean that thrash metal band way back when?? Yep. Y'see, they just released an EP called Anthems , and one of the tracks is a very awesome cover of Journey's " Keep On Runnin '" from their Escape album (that's the one with " Don't Stop Believin '").  Anthrax has always managed to perform cover tunes of other bands quite remarkably, and they did so with every song they covered on this EP.   Incidently, they did a bangin' job with the other tracks (from Boston, Thin Lizzy, Rush, and Cheap Trick). Hearing this track brought me back to 1981, when I bought this live album on vinyl. This album/CD/digital download is Journey at their best, before Escape was released in later in 1981.  Not one bad track on this title, and as far as live albu...

The powers-that-be in Wildwood passed a law this week banning folks from wearing their pants well-below hip level (aka..." slagging ").  There's already outrage, according to the article on nj.com .  They're saying that the new law is "targeting African-Americans".  It's not targeting any group...it's just enforcing some degree of decency on the boardwalk.  Not to be a prude or anything, but I really think it's inappropriate to have one's pants sagging down and exposing their underwear bottoms in public. Just yesterday, I picked up a sub at Mike's and one of their employees had his pants slagging down as he stocked shelves.  Are there no standards of dress even in places of business today?  Not only did I write a negative review on this blog, I also wrote one on Yelp! and wrote the management via their website that I was through giving them my business.  The unfortunate thing, they do make great subs but I am now turned off by the estab...

Today's Flag Day (US)...yay! The weather this week has been sort of funky this week: very cloudy, rainy, and cooler than normal, though we did have a nice looking day on Wednesday.  It is supposed to get a nicer for the weekend, which is good because we have a party for Saturday and Dad's day on Sunday. This week's training went well.  So far, did four workouts and had a great one this morning at 6AM.  The gym is only doing the 7:30am class tomorrow, which won't bode too well since I'm meeting the guys out after their dance social around 11:30-ish tonight at Applebees.  The plan in all likelihood will be to do the class in the morning, shower, and head back to bed for a couple hours.  It will be a strength class tomorrow and I hope I have the energy to push it. In other news, I downloaded the latest Anthrax EP from iTunes this week, called Anthems .  It contains material from Rush, Journey (!), Cheap Trick, Thin Lizzy, and classic AC/DC ("TN...

I decided today to take a holiday from Paleoville and satisfy my craving for a sub (or insert-regional-name-here) from Mike's Subs in Belmar.  I order a #6 (Roast Beef), add Swiss, lettuce, onions, very light on the oil and vinegar, and some oregano.  While the sandwich was being made I was looking around and found a couple of things that has me considering (strongly) not to give them anymore business. The first thing I notice was several posters displayed to the right of the deli counter with Republican talking points.  Does the proprietor really wish to alienate a number of customers who might not share his viewpoint?  He's in the business of selling sandwiches, salads, and drinks, not sell his political ideals to the public.  Even if he were a bed-wetting liberal, I'd still find it off-putting having Democratic talking points plastered on the walls of a non-political place of business. The second thing pertains to the lack of fashion judgement by his sta...

A couple of months ago, I made a personal decision to stop DJing completely.  Al was the first to be told, my best friends Rich and Vinnie were the next.  I was somewhat nervous telling Rich, since he hosts the Country dance socials that I'd been doing with him.  He was fine with it, and plans on buying some of my equipment when I completely stop at the end of the year. It's probably not completely fair to say that my separation from Woody's was the catalyst for the decision; it may have played a major role in the decision to stop.  I don't really know.  The whole incident was very upsetting, but it was due to the way Cliff (the other DJ who I alternated with) and the bar management planned and executed their decision to completely cut me out.  I was not notified in person, or even through a phone call...a group email from the management had gone out to me, Cliff, and Michael (an instructor who had done the dance lesson schedule each month).  In a nu...

Ron's surprise birthday party went off without a hitch!  He was completely surprised and the party was a big success.  A nice turnout of his friends and family attended, and there was food, food, and more food.  Ron's partner, Joe, even arranged to have a Mr. Softy ice cream truck park in front of the house and allowed the guests to order whatever they wanted.  Everyone had a great time and we'll all look back on it fondly. Al and I went to the Belmar Seafood Festival on Sunday.  It turned out that Lauren was there also, and we met up with her, had some lunch (crab cake sandwiches) and took a walk to the south end of Belmar.  The crab cakes were delicious and quite filling. Back to the grind today.  The gym is starting a new 8-week cycle today and I'm looking forward to it.  It's conditioning tonight, but if the weather holds up this evening, maybe a run is in order.

None of the stuff I wanted to get done last night got done; I crashed around 8pm and slept through the night.  The cold is still with me again today.  It was very tempting to call out today, but I jumped in a hot shower, took two Tylenol, and headed to the mines.  The day is moving slowly and hope that the afternoon goes quickly, We have a somewhat busy weekend ahead.  There's a fundraiser social tomorrow night in Belmar for the Q-Spot which my friend Susan is involved.  Sunday is Gay Pride is Asbury.  We might go for a bit and check it out before having dinner at Moonstruck to celebrate my 48th birthday. The plan for tonight is the gym, and take on the stuff that should have been done last night.  I'm hoping that the workout will help sweat this cold out.

Had a long day yesterday. Things started at 6AM with a cardio intervals workout.  The workout itself took about 30 minutes which got me home before 7 to get ready for the mines.  A group of us took what I guess was an early lunch to pay our respects to our co-worker, Tammy, whose father passed away from a long illness early Friday morning.  Fortunately, I brought lunch in and worked through which enabled me to get out on time to meet Dad in Union to head out to the Bronx to catch the Yankee game. We made excellent time, despite having gone the wrong way on the Deegan (we wound up going north instead of south like we were supposed to).  We parked ($35) and got inside around 6:15-ish and found that we wound up with seats in the bleachers .  We checked out the museum and each got a dog and a beverage (Dad a beer, me a Diet Pepsi).  The Mets smacked them...hard.  Not a fun game to watch.  Despite that, it was a nice time hanging with one of Dad's ...

He Who Does God's Work ( President Obama ) visited the area today.  He delivered a speech in Asbury in front of Convention Hall on the boardwalk.  I didn't attend since I had to work (besides, I'm not terribly fond of crowds) but I understand he had a nice turnout.  The NJ Obama haters were out in force on the internets shitting all over him.  Let's be honest, it's nothing more than sour grapes; they're throwing tantrums because they didn't get their way in November.  Oh well, they can deal with it.  We've had to deal with that horrible George W. Bush for 8...long...years . The one positive thing that came from the Sandy disaster is that it's possible to put aside politics.  This is the one positive prop I can give our governor.  His ability to work with the President during the ordeal is refreshing.  If he's re-elected this fall, I hope we see more of that.

It felt more like mid-fall this weekend; the weather was unseasonably chilly for most of the weekend.  However, we made the best of it. Did the gym on Saturday morning and then did some chores around the house before Al arrived.  We basically hung around a bit.  I made 4-dozen meatballs later; they came out great!  We later took a walk on the newly-built boardwalk in Belmar, which despite the weather, felt great.  They did a great job on it and it's beautiful.  There are no pavilions or other buildings, but there are concession trailers - they don't look bad.  Got home and later had dinner at the Blue Swan diner (I kept it Paleo - Al had a BLT with egg salad). Sunday's weather was much improved but still on the cool side for this time of year.  I went for a run in the morning and then had breakfast (scrambled eggs with chorizo - my "go to" Paleo breakfast).  We hung around a bit and watched some HGTV (that's an addictive channel) and late...

It's Spring...officially... Another winter behind us officially.  Unofficially, we're still in the trenches, although there was a hint of spring weather yesterday.  Easter is less than two weeks away, and naturally, I'm looking forward to the weather being more spring-like.  The nice thing now is that it's getting dark out later, and it won't be long before we're doing our workouts outside again.  Really looking forward to that! Bender Reunion... I had a wonderful time at the Bender reunion last Saturday night.  It was held at Molly Macguire's Pub in Clark.  The place was packed (it was St. Patrick's eve).  There were about 10 or 12 of us, and the classmate who organized it (Denise) recognized me in the crowd.  She was very enthusiastic about us all getting together and though it's been many years, you can see the resemblance to how we looked as young children.  We had a great time talking and sharing stories and catching up in our liv...

Had a good (and productive) week.  Workouts this week went very well, and the prepared Paleo meals (3 lunches, 3 dinners) from the Caveman Culinarian kept me on track with the eating plan, were quite tasty, and very convenient.  The other bonus is that they came in handy this week because I spent a lot of time working in the porch. This week I'll be doing the cooking on my own; need to save a few bucks. I painted the wall in the porch over the last couple of days to a slate gray.  The book cases and shelving, to be painted white, still need to be done.  They should be completed by the afternoon.  The color darkens the room a bit, but I tend to think that once the white stuff is done, and the artwork is put back up, it should tone the gray down a bit.  Al will be coming here on Sunday and we'll get the furniture back in place, and steam clean the carpeting in there. Al and I met up for dinner with some friends of his from the Acme.  We had a great...

Anyway, started Week 9 of Le Paleo Challenge .  Wow...it feels like we just started this the other day.  How time flies!  All is good so far and this week should be easy-breezy; I decided to try the prepared Paleo meals from the Caveman Culinarian.  Had one of them for dinner tonight - the Srirachi-grilled chicken with the Thai cucumber noodle salad (pretty tasty...great job Anti-Mike!).  It will be nice to have this week off from cooking, since I'm working on a painting project here at home...but I digress. Two days into the workouts this week and energy levels were good...yay! I've been watching some Food Network shows in the last week and getting some inspiration on trying a "Paleo-ized" chicken fried (cauliflower) rice.  My idea for this actually stems from watching this week's Worst Cooks in America , where they had the recruits make shrimp-fried rice.  Of course, theirs was not Paleo, but I think it can be done within Paleo parameters, using...

Today was filled with Paleo challenges, although it was a scheduled skip day from the gym.  Tonight was a planned cheat meal in Philly before heading over to Woody's - pizza!!  I haven't had it in months , and let me tell you...it may not have been the greatest pizza (nothing's as good as pizza here in Jersey) but it tasted sublime.  Definitely overdue and satisfied my craving for it. The other thing (which I made mention of on Facebook), was that there was a birthday at the office, and there was a lot of leftover cake in the break room, directly opposite my cubicle.  You want to talk willpower??  It took every last ounce of it to not cave in.  Be that as it may, I managed to succeed and feel all the better about that. We're in the latter end of Week 8 now.  The week's meals were good, and didn't have major cravings for non-Paleo stuff.  I got around to making the Thai Curry chicken recipe I wrote up a few posts back, and loved it.  Th...

My first elementary school is having a reunion in a couple of weeks.  They managed to track me down, and I responded to the organizer that I would attend.  I haven't been to any reunions before (probably due to weight issues...who knows) and though I'm a little nervous about attending, I'm looking forward to it.  It's been almost forty years since I've seen these folks, and my memory of some of my classmates is sketchy.  When I talked to the woman (a former classmate) organizing it the other night to RSVP, she remembered who I was (was I that memorable??).  Unfortunately, I don't seem to have a recollection of her. My Bender years are sketchy in some regard, while crystal clear in others.  I remember each of my teachers (sans the gym teacher), so at least there will be something to talk about.  My career at Bender was fairly short-lived; it was only three years (1st - 3rd grade), and was brought to a screeching halt at the conclusion of that year....

I finally gave this recipe a whirl and made it last night.  Sampled it immediately after making it and had it for lunch today.  This is one of those dishes that's even better tasting the next day. It's pretty spicy! This recipe can also be found at the Clear Lake Crossfit website.  Mise En Place: Sauce and Chicken: 1 lb of boneless/skinless organic chicken breast 1 can unsweetened Coconut Milk  2 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed ginger 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom  1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon sea salt Fresh cilantro and red onions for garnish  Cucumber Curry Rice: 1 med head cauliflower - 20 oz  1/2 teaspoon ground curry 1 green onion - finely chopped  Dash of cayenne pepper, sea salt, ground black pepper  1 Tablespoon olive oil Instructions: Start by...

Week #7 went pretty well.  Stuck to the Paleo protocol quite well most of the week, and had a few cheats (1 meal each on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday).  Had a cheat breakfast (Bing's - roll 'n butter) on Friday morning, a cheat lunch on Saturday (also at Bing's - chicken salad with pretzels) and one on Sunday.  Sunday was the ultimate cheat - McDonald's.  Haven't been to one in months.  The meal in question: #1 (Big Mac with fries) with a Shamrock shake (yay...got my Shamrock shake for the year!).  Tasted good, but it's out of my system and dinner tonight will be a Paleo-friendly salad at the diner. The workouts this week went pretty well.  I'm now working with a 24kg bell for the shoulder exercises.  It's pretty much a "base weight" for me; the other exercises normally see heavier weights.  There's definitely a spike in strength, and I'm seeing some definition in the mirror - something I have never experienced.  All in all, it's ...

The Ring of Fire... The Ring of Fire. Oh...this is supposed to be a Paleo/Workout post... The last two weeks didn't seem to drain me as much; this week is a far different story.  Energy levels are quite low this week, no clue as to why.  Every workout this week so far has thoroughly beaten me up (figuratively speaking, of course).  I'm hoping to see a spike in energy when I get back to the gym on Friday.  Tomorrow is a night off.  Friday should be another conditioning-type workout and hope that my recovery day will be beneficial for that and Saturday's strength workout. Diet-wise: staying on the path.  My bathroom scale needs a battery so I can't report on any numbers, but I'm liking what I'm seeing in the mirror.  Progress continues moving favorably...yay! I'm tasting a Shamrock shake...maybe this weekend...

Week #7 of the challenge is underway.  The past weekend saw a few cheat meals, and I'm back into the Paleo-swing-of-things.  Monday and Tuesday this week went well.  I don't foresee anything this week that can throw a wrench into the works.  Overall, staying the course. The workouts this week are going okay.  Monday saw a conditioning challenge and I was able to complete it in 21 minutes, 30 seconds.  Last night's strength/conditioning was more of an ass-kicker than I thought it would be, and throughout the entire workout I wanted to go down in weight from the 24 kg bell I was using, but hung in there.   My body is still feeling it today, which I suppose is a good thing.  My shoulders are the achin'! Looking forward to "springing ahead" on March 10th.  Now if the temperatures and weather would follow...

It was a sense of the familiar with a side of strangeness.  Nearly four months after Hurricane Sandy had done her cooch dance around these parts, we finally were able to walk along Ocean Avenue in Belmar this afternoon.  The town advertised specific businesses that were open along the thoroughfare.  I had driven to Ocean Avenue the other day, but the barricades were up prohibiting pedestrian and vehicle traffic.  Al wanted to check things out. We walked down 8th Avenue toward the beach, and saw folks walking and jogging along Ocean Avenue. We assumed it was okay to walk along the beachfront, and proceeded to walk south. A police van was constantly patrolling the area, basically making sure that everyone stayed on the western side of the street and on the sidewalk.  We walked down to the south end and back.  In a nutshell, there was a lot of cosmetic damage to many of the homes and businesses.  One home had some major structural damage, and an overh...

Well, the end of Week 6 of this challenge is drawing near.  It's funny how quickly the time is passing.  It continues to go well overall; I haven't had any serious cravings and I've been staying pretty close to the Paleo path. Seafood was incorporated into the diet this week, between tilapia and shrimp, with either a side of Asian veggies or peas.  I haven't been overly creative with dinner-time meals; the stuff I'm making is pretty basic and can be quickly thrown together in at most 30 minutes. I registered for a Paleo cooking demo in April that one of the guys from the gym is hosting.  Looking forward to that. The workouts this week had some peaks and valleys.  Though I felt a bit tired on Tuesday, I got through that workout like gangbusters with great energy.  Yesterday, though I did okay, I still felt somewhat sluggish through the entire workout.  This morning's strength workout went better. Today at work saw a tremendous challenge: a co-wo...

We now head into Week #6 of the challenge!  Doing good so far and now down a waist size!  Size 36 now (I haven't seen this since late 2001).  Enjoyed a couple of cheat meals - one on Valentine's Day (did you really think I'd go Paleo for dinner at the Franklinville Inn ??), and I had a hankering for Italian yesterday.  Didn't overdo and feel good today. I'm looking forward to tonight's training at The Training Room .  They're starting a new 4-week block of training and new challenges abound. I'm taking a slightly different approach this week on the diet: meal planning.  With gas prices what they are (thanks big oil business interests), heading out for lunch as often as I was is going to be more curtailed now.  Trenton doesn't have all that many places around the office...and frankly, I don't feel safe walking along State St. these days. I picked up some frozen tilapia at ShopRite on Saturday and I'll be doing that, along with veggies,...

Good morning, and Happy Valentine's Day!   Now that that's out of the way, onto yesterday's Paleo and Conditioning festivities... Diet continues to go well.  Breakfast was scrambled eggs (w. sauteed red onions and shredded carrots).  Brown-bagged lunch yesterday (did stir-fried-in-EVOO asian veggies with jumbo shrimp), and dinner was the Paleo version of the Bali Bowl at Fins . (Congrats to Fins on their 10th Anniversary...Mazel Tov!!) Workout last night went well...the conditioning "Adipose". Got up this morning and did the early morning strength workout: "Wo/Man-Maker" Complexes.  That went very well.  Surprisingly, I did well considering not having the best night's sleep, and then doing a 6AM class.  Did the following weights: Set 1 : 18kb / 5 reps Set 2 : 20kb / 5 reps Set 3 : 22kb / 5 reps Set 4 : 24kb / 5 reps Set 5 : 26kb / 5 reps KB Swing/cardio finisher at the end. (Did 20kb for Swings, did skier for the cardio) Nice way to...

Absolutely delicious!  Here's the "Michigan Madman" seated next to Occupy-supporting and gay founder of the Pink Martini at the State of the Union address last night.  How poetic. Looks like "Cat Scratch Fever" has set in... (Ganked from JoeMyGod )

Thirty days into the challenge now.  Pretty much adapted to eating this way.  Feeling pretty good also, and the workouts continue to improve. I'm not sure if my bathroom scale is awry, but I saw an uptick in the weight this morning.  Not sure what that's about, but I'll weigh myself again on Thursday morning.  Not back to where I was by any means but need to stay on course. Meal breakdown today: Breakfast : 2 HB eggs and coffee Lunch : Salad from ShopRite, with basically the same stuff as yesterday, except did grilled chicken instead of turkey Snack : Grapes, almonds, cashews Dinner : Broiled chicken with veggies Tonight's workout went very well.  Doing better with pull-ups...yay! Grade for day: A

There was some good news in the goings-on about the Avon Pavilion and the business owners who rented the space: the town is renewing their lease for the next 10 years.  The town had originally voided their lease in January once the structures were demolished from the damage from Sandy.  The tenants had an agreement and threatened to file a lawsuit against the Borough if they didn't reconsider.  Well, the town blinked, and the previous tenants have their lease renewed. It didn't make any sense that the town would withdraw their lease in the first place.  They are good tenants, and by the far, the best ones who ever occupied the space (that I'm aware of).  They converted the place into a nice restaurant, and kept it well-maintained, clean, and made it very successful.  If you have a good tenant, why not try to hold onto them? And now the big question:  Why the requirement for an additional 200 square feet of bathroom space?? Here's the article fr...

Week 5 of the challenge already!  Things diet-wise and workout-wise went great today! Got back on track from yesterday's cheat.  Started the day with a partial breakfast-on-the-go... hard-boiled eggs and some fresh fruit from the Wawa (Magnolia, NJ).  Ate the eggs in the Dashboard Diner, and had the fruit once I got to the office.  So far, so good. Needed to run over to the ShopRite in Hamilton to pick up Olive Oil and made up a nice salad with the following:  fresh roasted turkey breast, greens, carrots, red onion, broccoli, peppers, and a scoop o'balsamic (in a to-go cup).  I think I'm going to become something of a regular there...their salad bar has lots of good (and good-for-you) stuff and costs less than Saladworks .  My "big-assed-salad" from Saladworks costs in the neighborhood of $12 USD, whereas a loaded ShopRite one runs about $8 or $9 depending how much meat I put in. I've been tasting Chipolte lately, and I may do it some time th...

The Paleo gods are officially putting me to the real test: the Shamrock shakes are back . And guess who won't be partaking (much). On the way back from Al's brother's last night, we passed by a McD's and saw they had them. We didn't stop (we were on our way back from Al's brother's birthday celebration), but all I kept thinking was not being able to "partake in the shake". Maybe on a cheat meal... The sacrifice is worth it... The sacrifice is worth it... The sacrifice is worth it... (Rinse and repeat...) Anyway, did okay yesterday. Gym was closed but we took a nice walk down to the beach in Avon, to the north end of Bradley, then up to Main St., and then back home. Ate well for the meals too. Breakfast was a couple of scrambled eggs and some grapes. Dinner was a chicken dish (gluten free) at Ruby Tuesday with spaghetti squash and a lot of salad. Didn't do as well at Al's brother's, but since I had planned for it as a ch...

Today saw a day off from Paleoville.  Need to get back on track on Monday.  I'll stick to the plan for breakfast and lunch tomorrow, but I think we're going to check out Porta in Asbury Park for dinner tomorrow evening. Did the challenge workout this morning.  I wasn't overly thrilled by my completion time, but the important thing was finishing the workout.  It went like this: 10 sets, descending ladder starting with 10 reps and working down to 1 rep for the last set.  The exercises were: KB Swings Squat Thrusts KB Cleans KB Thrusters (squat with overhead press) KB Snatch 1/2 Burpees Dinner was the filet mignons I bought a couple weeks ago; they were teh awesome! Grade for day: C- Update : Didn't make it to Porta

This morning I cheated a bit for breakfast.  I was running a little behind schedule and I didn't feel like eggs, so it was a stop in Bing's for a roll with butter and coffee.  The one thing that's interesting is that although I enjoyed it (shoot, it's been a few weeks since I've had this for breakfast), it seems as if my body has adapted to the Paleo Way.  By the time I got to work, my stomach felt a "little heavy", and really, it wasn't a substantial breakfast by a long shot. Went back to the Paleo Way for lunch - had a bowl of chicken chili.  Kept me full throughout the afternoon. Tonight's workout went very well.  There seems to be some increased strength.  We did descending strength ladders tonight.  And without further ado: Exercise Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5 KB Deadlifts 24 kg. / 10 reps 28 kg. / 8 reps 32 kg. / 6 reps 36 kg. / 4 reps 40 kg. / 6 reps Double KB Shoulder Press 20 kg. / 5 reps 22 kg. / 4 reps 24 kg...

  Well, looks like there's some pointless snow heading our way. Yes, it's nice to look at, but only for a day. It's more a nuisance more than anything else. To top it off, we're supposed to get strong wind gusts in our area. Looks like this may put a crimp in our plans this weekend. If the gym doesn't open, no biggie; I have a 22 kg. kettlebell at home.  Maybe the "two-minute torture" workout for tomorrow morning!

Another day in Paleoville... Continuing to stick to the plan, but I have to admit that there are times when it gets old.  We're 25 days and within a few days of completing Week 4.  33% of the way through the challenge.  Down 6 lbs. since starting the challenge.  All in all, things are going well this week.  For some reason though, I'm craving anti-Paleo Italian.  It's been months since I've had pizza... Anyway, the day's eating went well, although I skipped breakfast.  I just didn't feel very hungry this morning.  Lunch was strange too.  I wound up having a hamburger patty and scrambled eggs at the Princetonian Diner with an unsweetened ice tea.  Dinner was some spiced-up, broiled chicken (thanks Rich for introducing me to the Peruvian Chile Lime Seasoning from the Savory Spice Shop !)  Ate some pistachios and an entire bunch of green grapes... Tonight's conditioning workout offered a couple of options, but I chose to keep t...

Skip day from the gym tonight.  Good to recover a bit and rest up for the next three days of workout fun. I decided to attempt the Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta dish on my own.  Picked up all the stuff from the Foodtown in Belmar - they had most of the stuff needed.  They didn't have unsalted pistachios nor any pre-shelled ones.  I just bought a bag of the shelled ones.  While de-shelling them, I concluded that heading over to the Costco or Wegmans (where they would most likely had the pre-shelled ones) would have been a far better option after all.  It took awhile to do that task, and it wasn't the most stimulating experience of my life. The other thing I was nervous about was cutting the squash.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not the greatest with sharp objects.  Since I'm typing this, I completed that task with all my fingers intact and without any lacerations.  Yay! How'd it come out?   Pretty good for the first attempt!...

This dish was brought to a recent potluck and was an absolute hit! Pistachio Pesto Chicken Pasta Enjoy!

Though the morning started a little rough, I'm feeling better and a little more energized by the time I get to the gym in the late afternoon.  I'm back in the swing of things in Paleoville, but there's this tendency of not being particularly hungry in the mornings, to feeling moderately hungry at lunch, where a nice salad does the trick to get me through the afternoon.  By the time the workout is done and dinner arrives, the appetite is borderline ravenous and I feel like I overdid it slightly.  Not feeling like a stuffed turkey or anything, but feeling quite full, but all the while keeping it Paleo. Tonight's workout was tough, but I got through it fine, without the feeling like I got a beat-down...yay! Breakfast (in the ole Dashboard Diner...of course): 2 hard boiled eggs, coffee Lunch : Large salad with a smattering of balsamic ( greens, grilled chicken, carrots, yellow & red peppers, broccoli, red onion) Dinner :  Shrimp with sauteed veggies, and some...

I've had a few folks from the gym and the potluck I attended on Saturday night ask about the Chicken Chili recipe.  The credit for this chili goes to Ina Garten .  This is the first chili I ever made.  My brother and I went to the Giants / Eagles game the end of December and brought it as part of our tailgate.  It was a hit not only with him, but also with some folks we hung with in the parking lot.  It's Paleo-friendly too! Mise En Place (I love this term and practice it when I cook!) : Olive Oil 2 red bell peppers, large dice 2 yellow bell peppers, large dice 2 cups yellow onions, diced (about 3 onions) 2 tsp. garlic, minced 4 chicken breasts, bone-in, skin on 1/4 cup basil, rough chop 2 28-oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes, pulsed about 7 times in a food processor or crushed by hand (you may need to do this in two batches) 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 tsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. fresh...

No doubt about it, I ate so horribly yesterday that I need a detox.  Though the food was yummy...really really yummy, last night's sleep only amounted to four hours, and getting out of bed was a lengthy and painful chore this morning. So what was on tap for the Super Bowl shin-dig?  Let's see: deviled eggs , shrimp cocktail , roast beef sub , chicken chili , nachos , pretzels , chicken wings , cheesecake , brownies , chocolate chunk cookies , and um, some vegetable sticks .  Is your mouth watering??  Mine is from merely writing this! There were plenty of leftovers - the non-paleo friendly stuff went to the office.  The cheesecake was consumed by fellow coworkers within a couple of hours; the cookies were gone in mere minutes. Who knew folks would eat this stuff first thing in the morning?? Today, I skipped breakfast (was in NO mood to eat) and had a "toned-down" salad at Saladworks.  A toned-down salad = a standard 5-ingredient salad as opposed to my ...

(Original FB Post Date: February 3, 2013) Here's the down-low for the weekend: Had a nice time at the Primal Potluck. Sampled lots of good food, and experienced spaghetti squash...loved it!! Did okay with the eats, and enjoyed hanging with the folks outside the gym. Grade for Saturday: B Sunday: best forgotten. Monday will require a lunchtime cardio workout in addition to the normal workout at the TR. Grade for Sunday: H

(Original FB Post Date: February 1, 2013) The energy levels weren't great this week. Though the workouts went okay (meaning I got through them), I wouldn't say I got through them like gangbusters. Tonight's conditioning was tough to get through, and I don't recall feeling as beat up when we did the same workout 4 weeks ago. I'm not sure what it is exactly, and I hope to see an improvement next week. Despite the energy issue, progress here in PaleoLand has been positive. Since the start, I'm down about 5 lbs. (hopefully my bathroom scale isn't f'ing with me) and that's encouraging! I haven't really been craving anything too badly, except for pizza. Maybe when Week 12 is completed...hmm... Did pretty good today diet-wise but skipped breakfast. Did a big-assed-salad today at "The Works", and had pork chops with peppers and onions for dinner. Snacked on some nuts - almonds and cashews. Superbowl Sunday is shaping up to be very non-p...

(Original FB Post Date: February 1, 2013) Forgot to write my daily status last. But, better late than never. Did okay yesterday, but still had the hunger issues last night. Had scallops and peas last night for dinner. Then snacked on cashews. Went to bed feeling kind of full. This morning though, I weighed in. The scale read me as 221, meaning a 3 lb drop this week. Not sure whether its accurate, but my pants feel more loose. Hmm. I did pretty well for last nights workout. Did windmills and double-snatches for the first time. Tough...the double snatches are challenging, but kinda fun. As far as the windmills, I thought I'd be feeling it more than I am right now, but I'm not feeling any discomfort or pain. Did I do them right?? Grade for day: B

(Original FB Post Date: January 30, 2013) Did much better today with the diet. Woke up very tired this morning however, and did not feel well. I suppose that was my penance from last night's fall from grace. As the day wore on I felt better. Had a hunk-o-fritatta for breakfast. A kind of Mexican chicken stew-ish thing (this recipe was posted in the gym's FB group) for lunch. Dinner  was salad with non-marinated grilled chicken at an Irish pub. For snackage - had apple slices, cashews, and some grape tomatoes. Today was a skip day from the gym. Probably for the best since I was quite tired today. I normally skip one day during the week and on Sunday, so no harm, no foul. I'm thinking haddock for dinner tomorrow. Grade for day: A

(Original FB Post Date: January 29, 2013) Things started okay today and ate well for breakfast and lunch. I got very hungry tonight, and did not stick to the program, thus resulting in an unplanned cheat. I'm disappointed in myself and I feel a bit crappy physically. Maybe this was bound to happen at some point in the game, but it's important for me to shake this off, and take corrective measures to avoid  another situation like this. I wasn't going to make the daily entry tonight, but that also would have been a mistake. Documenting this experience, no matter a triumph or a tribulation, is keeping things honest, and hopefully a learning experience when seeing the entry on my FB wall at a later time. Maybe I'm not eating enough during the day. I throw in a small snack of nuts mid-morning but sometimes wind up not eating from the time lunch is done until after 6:30 - when I get home from the gym. That's kind of a stretch, and might explain the level of ...

(Original FB Post Date: January 28, 2013) Week #3 now underway. Enjoyed the two cheat meals this weekend, but now it's back to the Paleo spirit. It'll be Sunday before I do another cheat meal, but well be worth the wait. Had scrambled eggs and grapes this morning...yum! Did a salad from the Shop Rite for lunch. Their salad bar is pretty good. And more reasonable than Saladworks! Tonight's wor kout was a cardio blast. We had to pick two apparatuses to do...mine was the rower...and the AirDyne bike. The AirDyne bike is pretty...damn...tough. The legs are really feeling it. Took the brother out for his birthday...Applebees. I kept it Paleo-friendly (of course)...and did the Bourbon chicken/shrimp...omitting any butter-related sauces and subbing onions and shrooms for the potato products. All in all a good day.

(Original FB Post Date: January 27, 2013) Well, just wrapped up cheat meal número dos per la settimana. And it's back to business immediamente! Feel kinda full now, but enjoyed the grub and should be ready to take on the 7-day-stretch before The Superbowl Cheat Day. All in all did good this week. Performance at the gym could have been a tad better a c ouple days, but I'm looking forward to rocking it out tomorrow afternoon. I'll be well-rested by then and should do okay. We did take a nice walk today, and I stuck to The Paleo Way for breakfast and lunch. Tonight's cheat was good ole home cookin' with friends...pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, and biscuits...and amaretto cheesecake. Again, didn't overindulge but enjoyed myself.  Ready now to take on Week #3 of the adventure. Cheers!

(Original FB Post Date: January 27, 2013) Just a quick update today. Had coffee and took the 9am yesterday...the challenge. Did okay, but wish my endurance was better than it is. Used 20kb bell. Then came home and shoveled walk. Breakfast: scrambled eggs and bacon, with a Tbsp. of homemade applesauce. Since it was late breakfast, skipped lunch. I know...shouldn't skip meals. Dinner...cheat meal time...yay! PF Changs. Enjoyed myself and did not overindulge. Had a dessert too...those little thing to get a nice taste. Good meal and very nice time.. Down a couple lbs. weighed in at 236 at the start; now at 224. I'm good with that at this point. Grade for day: B- (for skipping lunch)

(Original FB Post Date: January 25, 2013) Can't believe I'm just a couple days shy of completing two full weeks of the challenge. Started the day off with the strength workout this morning at 6am - I was correct about it being the Bear. I felt tired when I did the workout and used the 18kb through the whole thing. Looking back now, I probably could have ramped up the weight a bit...at least doing  20 or 22. It was a good workout nonetheless, and Mike had given us a battling rope finisher with some different styles of performing them. After the workout, I came home and went back to bed for two more hours. Then had the last fritatta for breakfast and then headed up to Elizabeth for the dentist. Did lunch at Applebees in Woodbridge Center. Wound up having a Paleo-friendly version of Bourbon Chicken with shrimp, omitting anything having to do with butter or cream stuff, and doubled the veggies instead of potato. I need to give props to this franchise: they went abov...

(Original FB Post Date: January 24, 2013) Day off from the gym. Needed to recuperate and get a couple of odds and ends done...like getting a very-much needed haircut tonight. Have a late-morning appointment with the dentist, so a 6-in-the-morning workout will be the start of tomorrow's festivities. Important to get a good night's rest because a strength workout is on tap. I believe it to  be the "Bear Complex", but I won't know for sure until after midnight. It may be best to go on that assumption since it *is* an ass-kicker... Diet-wise a little better than yesterday, though I tend to be hungry in the early evening. I'm eating Paleo-friendly stuff (like almonds, cashews, cherry tomatoes, etc.), but I think I need to see what I can munch on to tie me over until dinner is done. Breakfast and lunch were the same...fritatta (breakfast) and a new big-assed-saladworks-salad v3.0 for lunch. v3.0 is simply swapping brocoli with avocado. It was okay,...

(Original FB Post Date: January 23, 2013) We're now 10 days in! Yee-haw! No more single digits...this is big time folks! Breakfast was a hunk o'fritatta and some green grapes. Lunch - had salad, but did the salad bar at the Giant. I'm probably better off making a salad at home, along with my own dressing. Had some cashews to snack on...though I think I ate too many. Need to control that. Workout - today was a strength ladder in groups of five. Started with legs (ugh) and a 32 kb bell. Did I mention that every part of my upper legs (esp. where the sun don't shine) are KILLING me (and not softly)? Worked up a good sweat though, and got through it Gangnam style :) Dinner - 2 broiled pork chops and veggies (and more cashews and grapes). I'm not sure why my appetite is back up, especially at night. Did a weigh-in this morning however and was down a couple lbs. Will follow up again on Friday morning. And yes folks, it was National Pie Day today. Totally abst...

(Original FB Post Date: January 22, 2013) Breakfast was one portion of the frittata I made last night. Out of the fridge, nuked in the microwave (about a minute and change I think), and enjoyed. Was pretty good. The chili from the other night mixed in gave it a nice edge. The next time I make this, if medium or hot salsa is Paleo (I'll double-check), I may incorporate that into the next one, along with some grass-fed ground beef and some veggies, and maybe throw some taco seasoning in it. Could be interesting...hmm... Lunch was the usual: BAS v2. I so need to break out of this rut, especially that Saladworks ain't cheap. Tomorrow will most likely be a salad from the Giant's salad bar. And speaking of not cheap: fillet of haddock...tonight's dinner du jour. I picked up a 1/2-lb at Kleins...for $8.00 (they get $17.99/lb apparently). Is this the norm?? I'm not a big fish eater and I am trying to incorporate it into the diet at least 1x/week. If I had made this fo...

(Original FB Post Date: January 21, 2013) Survived the first week of Paleo pretty well. I figure my overall grade a "B". It's going better than I thought it would. The two-cheat-meals-a-week allotment should carry me through the challenge, and not have me feeling resentful during this adventure. All in all, the energy levels are okay, with a couple of drops her e and there. Planning the meals out (and having a suitable back-up plan) should help managing the diet. I'm feeling optimistic about the second week. I had cheat meal #2 this morning at IHOP. The breakfast was pancakes, 3 eggs (scrambled), and 4 turkey sausage links. And two cups of coffee without paleo-friendly creamer. I won't see another cheat meal until Saturday night (PF Chang's)...but it's all good. I was off today (yay!) and slept in. We did breakfast kind of late-morning, which carried us to an early dinner of left-over chili that I'd made last night. Got ...

(Original FB Post Date: January 20, 2013) Off day from the gym. Slept in and sorta kinda skipped breakfast. Just had a coffee with the "so delicious" coconut creamer. Pretty good I must say. Had an early-ish lunch at Saladworks at Monmouth Mall before the 1pm movie (we saw "Silver Lining Playbook"). Came home and made a brisket chili (keeping it Paleo real...meaning bean-l ess). It took a few hours to cook, so dinner (for me) was chicken and veggies. Al had a sub from Mike's. We did sample the chili...I ate two bowls. Was kinda hungry again. The chili is very spicy, but it works for me (although I'd cut down on the cayenne next time around) All in all I think I did pretty well this week. It's not bad really, and with the two cheat meal allotment, it's actually very doable. The plan this week is to get in some variety, and incorporate some seafood. I'm not a big fish person, but I enjoy haddock and may do that a meal...

(Original FB Post Date: January 20, 2013) Sometimes paying down a debt (like a car) feels good. Other times (like the morning after a cheat night), it can be a beat-down. Saturday's 300-rep challenge workout was just such an experience. I had just woken up a mere 30 minutes earlier and headed to teh Training Room. Going through the warm-up was a HUGE indicator that it was not going to be simply a wal k in the park. Though I got through the workout in something like 22 minutes, I felt dogged tired and wound up napping once I got home and showered. Breakfast/Lunch was bacon and egg scramble, with leftover chicken chili...how's that for an combo! Wound up being quite good! About 4 hours later, dinner was seared chicken cutlets (un-breaded of course...that wouldn't be Paleo) and sautéed veggies. Did my DJ gig at the dance social. Lotsa dessert there (Al...you would have LOVED that), but I didn't partake in any (yay...go me). Post gig, had chi...

(Original FB Post Date: January 19, 2013) Started the day with a fun-filled conditioning workout at 6:00...in the morning. We had an option of the apparatus...I chose to do the skier this time around. (Note to self: it's much harder than the rower for longer distances) Ran (figuratively) home to get ready for work and realized, once I got to the office, that I forgot my breakfast at home . Since "Hungry John" = "Irritated John", it was suggested that I run (again, figuratively) to Neil's Place and get scrambled eggs (again). I had hoped to avoid eggs this time 'round, but again, one must do what's necessary. Guess what lunch was...big-assed Salad version 2. Color me predictable... Since Al and I had plans for the black tie car show in Phila (THE way to do the car show, btw)...I set that as the one of the two "cheat" meals of the week. All I'll say about that was that it wasn't Paleo friendly...and I *did* ha...

(Original FB Post Date: January 17, 2013) Started today out behind the 8-ball...groan. Kept pressing teh snooze button on the iPhone starting at 5:15am...finally got out of bed at 6:30. This rendered me in a major rush as I ran out without having breakfast. So, today it was Dunkin's turkey sausage with egg sandwich, sans the muffin...so I forked it...ha ha ha... Lunch was the same thing as the other night with the guys...9 oz. sirloin with double-veggies. Tonight's workout was an ass-kicker: "Man-Maker" Complexes along with a 40/20 cardio/ab finisher. 5x5 with the following: Sets 1, 2, 3: 20 kb Set 4: 22 kb. Set 5: 24 kb. Had dinner at Fins A TropiCali Grill. I had the "Jacko Salad" (Paleo friendly version: whatever was not paleo-friendly was appropriately omitted). Thank you to the couple who was there from the gym (but unfortunately don't recall your names...I'm horrible with names) who recommended it. It was quite good...

(Original FB Post Date: January 16, 2013) Overslept today, but managed to have a Paleo-friendly breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs (3) with chorizo, and homemade applesauce. Lunch - "Big-Assed Salad Version 2" from Saladworks (again). What can I say…it's Paleo and I love it! Skip day from the gym. Looking forward to a good strength training tomorrow. Brady Bunch-inspired Di nner - Pork Chops, homemade applesauce, and sautéed veggies (asian mix). Findings - I'm thinking I need to get a little more adventurous with the cooking. I'd LOVE to get into some Thai dishes…since (I think) makes use of coconut and spices. I love, Love, LOVE Thai Curry Chicken! Is it Paleo?? Grade for day: Maybe an "A"...