Paul's Low Carbin' 4 Life Blog

The Doctors are Dangerous

2009-10-24T13:41:00.003-04:00

"The best diet is one that includes 50 percent good carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains; 30 percent protein, such as fish or meat; and 20 percent good fat such as olive oil." - The Doctors web site

Really? We need lots of whole grains to be healthy? Says who? The government?...Since when? Where did our Paleo ancestors find their "whole grains"? However did they survive without them?! "Healthy" whole grains can spike blood sugar levels higher than table sugar does. They also cause HDL (good) cholesterol to drop like a stone, Triglycerides to increase, and small/dense LDL patterns to emerge (which is probably the #1 cause of heart disease in the country).

Unfortunately, many people take what "The Doctors" on TV have to say as gospel. Keep in mind these guys are to medicine what Dr. Phil is to psychology. It's too bad, because there are literally millions of people who look to The Doctors for all they need to know about health...instead of researching it on their own. The Doctors are proclaiming that we need to get 50% of our calories from carbs - basically mirroring the failed nutritional guidelines set forth by the USDA. Interesting note about the USDA: their job is to sell agricultural products...not keep people healthy. So it's no shock that they would recommend that we get a large chunk of our calories from products that they are trying to sell! Unfortunately for all of us...The Doctors are buying.

Tuesday's Menu

2009-07-14T22:21:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I've logged what I'm eating, but I was on vacation all last week, so I'll give myself a pass. I can tell you that I gained a pound or two over the week I was away. I still ate very low carb, but I certainly ate a heckuva lot. It's vacation - so why not overindulge, right? I'm not concerned at all because I know that extra couple of pounds will be gone in a day or two living my normal low-carb life!

Here's today's menu:

B - organic peanut butter

L - cheesesteak (no roll), lettuce, fried onions, mayo, pickles, a few potato chips

D - Italian sausage, broccoli, parmesan cheese

Wednesday's Menu

2009-06-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

I ended up skipping breakfast today - which is a rarity! It ended up being a beefy day - as you can see below:

12:00pm - 2 cheeseburgers (no buns!), ketchup, onions, pickles

7:15pm - ribeye steak, broccoli alfredo (brocolli, heavy cream, parmesan cheese)

I'd like to get back to eating more eggs. I ate them so often while I was losing all the weight that I got tired of them. Eggs could be the closest thing to a perfect food that there is, so I really should work them back into my diet a bit more.

Tuesday's Menu

2009-06-23T21:26:00.002-04:00

I was unprepared and ended up skipping lunch yesterday - so today I made sure to bring something to work. I was pleasantly surprised to see there was still leftover broccoli alfredo in the fridge! Here's my day:

8:30am - organic peanut butter

12:00pm - broccoli alfredo (brocolli, heavy cream, parmesan cheese)

7:30pm - salami, provolone - caesar salad (no croutons!), chicken cheese steak (no bread!), tomato, mayo - 1 meatball

Monday's Menu

2009-06-23T21:22:00.002-04:00

Today was one of those really busy days. I ended up missing lunch partly because I was so busy - and partly because I forgot to bring lunch and was too lazy to go out and get something! Dinner sure was good though!

8:30am - organic peanut butter

6:30pm - roasted red peppers, garlic, olive oil, sharp provolone

7:30pm - t-bone steak, asparagus, feta cheese

Sunday's Menu

2009-06-21T19:29:00.003-04:00

It was Father's Day, and I ended up eating some of my absolute favorites today - like prime rib at lunch - and a couple of Cheddarwursts at dinner. Cheddarwursts are basically kielbasa stuffed with cheese. They're not exactly healthy - but at least they're low-carb. I also made some delicious alredo sauce to put on top of my broccoli at dinner. Heavy cream is your friend when you're low-carbin'!

Take a good look at the food I ate today. Now imagine eating all of those rich, delicious, filling foods and STILL losing weight. Better yet, don't imagine it...DO it! Peanut butter, steak, sausage, bacon and alfredo sauce are all big no-no's on a low-fat diet. Why in the world would we want to deprive ourselves of all that yummy goodness? Here's my Father's Day menu:

8:30am - organic peanut butter

12:00pm - prime rib, 2 eggs, 2 sausage links, 1 strip of bacon, pico de gallo, sour cream

6:00pm - organic peanut butter

7:00pm - 2 Cheddarwursts, broccoli alfredo (heavy cream & parmesan cheese)

Saturday's Menu

2009-06-21T15:55:00.002-04:00

Today was another "party" day - as it seemingly is every Saturday. Today we celebrated a high school graduation at a party that featured a great spread of carb-laden food...but plenty of yummy low-carb choices as well. Here's how my Saturday shook out:

8am - organic peanut butter

12pm - bacon double cheeseburger (no bun), lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo

3pm - pepperoni, swiss cheese, provolone, salami

6pm - buffalo chicken tenders, bleu cheese - meatballs

Friday's Menu

2009-06-19T19:39:00.003-04:00

Who says you have to give up hoagies when you go low-carb? I love to go to Primo's in EHT. They've got the best cold cuts around - always fresh - and they'll serve 'em up in a low-carb wrap! Mmmmmmmmm. I feasted on a Sharp Italian low-carb wrap for lunch today!

8:00am - organic peanut butter

1:30pm - Sharp Italian Low-Carb Wrap from Primo Hoagies (Prosciutto, Sharp Provolone, Thumanns Capacola & Natural Casing Genoa Salami, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo)

6:00pm - Chicken Picatta (chicken, capers, tomatoes, artichokes, olive oil)

Thursday's Menu

2009-06-19T15:20:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite things in life is a good cheeseteak. Luckily for me, both cheese and steak are a healthy part of a restricted carbohydrate lifestyle! Hold the bread, and you've got yourself the yummy goodness of protein and animal fat without the nasty insulin spike and the body's fat storage response caused by all the carbs. Onions are a little on the carby side, but there's nothing like fried onions on a cheesesteak. Here's how my Thursday shook out:

8am - organic peanut butter

12pm - Wawa roasted chicken salad (lettuce, tomato, bacon, chicken, parmesan cheese) with Ranch dressing

7:30pm - cheesesteak with fried onions, mayo, pickles

Tuesday's Menu

2009-06-17T19:14:00.002-04:00

You'd never think so - but that delicious looking crabcake isn't from the Crab Trap or the Lobster Loft...It's from Ruby Tuesday. Honestly, the Ruby Tuesday crabcake is DELICIOUS. In fact, I'd put it up against any crabcake in South Jersey. It's that good. And only 3 carbs to boot! After my big lunch @ Ruby Tuesday, I wasn't all that hungry for dinner. That's the beauty of eating low-carb. Protein and fat are FILLING...and without the nasty insulin spike you get from carbohydrates.

8:30am - organic peanut butter

1pm - crabcake - bacon cheeseburger (no bun) with mayo, lettuce & tomato - broccolli with Ranch dressing

6:30pm - 5 Wawa meatballs

Monday's Menu

2009-06-15T19:30:00.008-04:00

TGI Friday's has one of my favotite low-carb meals - Sizzling Chicken & Cheese! Two sauteed chicken breasts served in a skillet with bubbling cheeses, peppers & onions! It normally comes with mashed potatoes, but I always substitute broccolli instead.

8:30am - organic peanut
butter

12pm - Wawa roasted chicken salad (lettuce, tomato, bacon, chicken, parmesan cheese, ranch dressing)

6pm - a few fried green beans - 2 chicken breasts, cheese, green peppers, red peppers, onions, broccolli - ranch dressing

Sunday's Menu

2009-06-14T21:20:00.002-04:00

Another day - another family outing. This time it was down to the Cape May Zoo for a graduation party. A beautiful day wth lots of low-carb food choices to boot!

9am - organic peanut butter - spinach & feta cheese

12pm - leftover steak cooked in butter - creamed spinach

5pm - sausage & red peppers - a couple of small meatballs

Saturday's Menu

2009-06-13T21:21:00.002-04:00

We went to visit my parents today - and you'll notice I ate a lot more than I normally do. That tends to happen when you go to a social gathering. However, I kept all of my choices low-carb...so I'm guilt free!

8am - organic peanut butter

12pm - bacon double cheeseburger, lettuce, tomato, mayo (no bun!)

3pm - pepperoni, cheddar cheese, swiss cheese, cherry tomatoes, green peppers

6pm - grilled pork chop, kielbasa, sauerkraut, mustard - salad with ranch dressing - Dreamfields pasta salad - spinach, feta cheese

7pm - sugar-free jello, whipped cream

Holy Cow! (Mmmmmm cowwwww)

2009-06-12T19:47:00.003-04:00

Holy cow! I can't believe it's been over a year since I've posted to my low-carb blog! As you know, I've had a change of address and I'm now posting at www.lowcarbin4life.blogspot.com. Well, after about 14 months without a post, here's an update:

I'm currently @ 160 pounds. My goal weight when I lost all the weight in 2007 was 158 - and I've fluctuated between 155 and 163 ever since.

My diet is still largely comprised of nutrient dense meats and veggies (along with cheeses, nuts, a little fruit, and the occassional low-card "treat"!). It's a high-fat, moderate protein, low carboydrate diet that's just loaded with rich, tasty, satisfying food. All my health markers have improved since I stopped eating all those processed carbohydrates that the so-called "experts" tell us are so important to our well being.

I created this blog a couple of years ago to log the food I was eating while I was losing weight on my low-carb journey. I dropped 55 lbs and have kept it off for almost 2 years now without much effort thanks to the low-carb way of eating. I hope you'll join me!

Here's what I ate today:

8am - organic peanut butter
1pm - buffalo chicken, mozzarella cheese, hot sauce - green peppers, brocolli
7pm - strip steak - creamed spinach

Quickie Update & Tuesday's Menu

2008-04-30T12:59:00.001-04:00

Here's a quick update on where I am:

I weighed in at 159 lbs this morning. What I'm noticing is that my weight fluctuates between 158 and 161 from day-to-day. I actually had a huge cheat day on Saturday...probably the biggest one I've had since I started eating low-carb...so I thought my weight would spike upwards for a few days afterwards...but for whatever reason, that didn't happen. I'm very happy about that...but I'm certainly not going to use that as an excuse to cheat more often! On average I cheat once every few months. Honestly I don't feel the need to cheat because the food I'm eating every day is so rich and satisfying. For example - here's yesterday's yummy menu:

B - 2 eggs fried in olive oil, 2 sausage patties

L - 6oz. cheese steak, low-carb ketchup, broccoli

D - 2 cheeseburger patties, pickles, mayo, casaer salad

In the interest of total disclosure - Saturday's cheat day involved butterfly fries at Bayfest, cake at my friend Jim's wedding, and chips and dip with my friends while we watched the NFL draft. Hey, if I'm cheating...I'm CHEATING!

A Yummy Sunday

2008-03-16T19:56:00.000-04:00

I haven't logged what I've eaten very often since I hit my goal weight back in August - but here's what I had today:

B - macadamia nuts (not the best breakfast...but I was short on time before church!

L - chicken wings, bleu cheese dressing - Grilled broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, peppers & onions topped with provolone cheese

D - crab cake with lemon juice and spicy mustard - cheeseburger with garlic mayo, broccoli, mashed cauliflower

S - strawberries

We had dinner at Applebee's tonight and if you haven't been to an Applebee's in a while, you should give them another shot. They've definitely improved their cuisine over the last few years - and it seems that a lot of their menu is very low-carb friendly. They are also very liberal allowing substitutions. Broccoli instead of fries? No problem. Mashed Caulifower instead of potatoes? You bet! We'll definitely be back soon.

Do You Know Why Your Body Gets Fat? Does Your Doctor?

2008-02-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

First off - Thanks to everyone who's e-mailed me here at my blog! Quickly, here are answers to some of the more commonly asked questions I get:

-I lost 55 pounds simply by cutting my carbohydrate intake
-It took 8 months
-I hit my weight loss goal back in August and I've been between 155 and 160 pounds since!
-No...I didn't excercise
-I went from a size 42/44 waist to a size 32/34 waist
-I went from a size XXL shirt to a size M shirt
-No...I don't miss bread, sugar, or starches...I'm too busy enjoying eating fat & protein!

The longer I continue to live a low-carb lifestyle, the more I learn about what is and isn't true regarding nutrition. It's remarkable how misguided the dietary advice most of us have received all our lives really is. The most amazing thing to me - and this comes directly from reading Gary Taubes' book Good Calories/Bad Calories - is that most of what we've been told about how to eat is contradictory to what most of the SCIENCE tells us.

For example, if we're having a discussion about why we get fat, don't you think it would make sense to talk about the hormone in our bodies that regulates the storage of fat? For some reason most of us have never been told that INSULIN regulates the storage of fat in the body. Knowing that, wouldn't you want to make sure you're avoiding foods that make your insulin levels go up? Well guess what makes insulin levels go through the roof - CARBOHYDRATES! Simply put...Carbohydrates regulate insulin levels...Insulin levels regulate the storage of body fat. Cut the carbs and you'll cut your body fat! Dietary fat doesn't make us fat. Carbohydrates and sugar make us fat!

Here's a recent interview with Gary Taubes from ABC's NightLine

Ask your doctor if he/she can tell you what triggers calories to be stored as fat in the body. If they can't tell you...why would you take dietary advice from them? Find a new doctor! If they DO know that Carbs trigger insulin which triggers the storage of body fat, then ask them why so many docs prescribe a high carb diet for people trying to lose weight! If nothing else, it'll be fun to watch your doctor squirm a little. :-)

Why Is Nobody Asking "Why"?

2008-01-03T20:49:00.000-05:00

It was widely reported today that music legend (and my all-time favorite) Paul McCartney recently underwent a coronary angioplasty after complaining of "not feeling well". In case you don't know, a coronary angioplasty is a surgical procedure that opens up clogged arteries. It's well known that Sir Paul is a staunch vegan and has been vegetarian for many years. This begs the question...why were his arteries clogged? Maybe there's a history of heart disease in his family. Maybe the rock & roll lifestyle he lived in the 60s finally caught up to him. Or maybe the vegetarian way of eating - which is void of animal protein and animal fats - but doesn't limit sugar, processed food, or carbohydrates - actually contributes to heart disease!

More and more research is showing that diets high in carbohydrates (like Sir Paul's may have been) tend to result in low HDL (good cholesterol), small LDL particles (which is very bad) and high triglycerides - all very bad signs that increase the possiblilty for clogged arteries. What's the best way to RAISE your HDL? Eating animal fat! What's the best way to change your LDL particle size from the small dangerous kind to the big fluffy kind? Eating less carbohydrates! What's the best way to lower your triglycerides? Eating less carbohydrates!

Sir Paul is reportedly recovering nicely from his procedure - and even performed live on New Years Eve!

I'll Have A Sharp Italian!

2007-12-17T13:11:00.000-05:00

I've got a brand new favorite place to get a low-carb indulgence! PRIMO HOAGIES is here in South Jersey, and I couldn't be happier about it! Of course I can't eat the bread as part of my low-carb lifestyle, but Primo offers all their sandwiches as low-carb WRAPS as well! This is fantastic news for low-carbers like me who love their hoagies! The actual wrap itself has 24 carbs...but subtract the whopping 14 grams of fiber and it's only got 10 net carbs!

My favorite sub has always been the Italian - and to my taste buds, Primo has the best one! I order the "Sharp Italian" wrap pretty much every time I'm in there. I keep telling myself I'll try some of their other wraps but it's hard to NOT order something that you already know you love! Anyway, the Sharp Italian consists of the finest Thumann's Italian meats - prosciutto, sweet capacola & genoa salami - plus sharp provolone cheese - and lettuce, tomato, and maybe the best onions I've ever tasted! Obviously, eating processed meats all the time wouldn't be healthy for ANYONE regardless of what kind diet they follow - but for a once in a while treat, you can't beat the taste of a Primo wrap! I frequent the Primo Hoagies on Fire Rd. in EHT, but you can see a full list of all their locations RIGHT HERE!

Mmmmmmm......Saturated Fat !

2007-11-16T15:13:00.000-05:00

One of the criticisms I hear the most when I tell people I follow a low-carb diet is, "all that saturated fat is going to kill you"...or some variation on that theme. It's interesting, more and more studies are being released that show that not only is saturated fat NOT bad for your heart health (in tandem with a reduction in carbohydrates), but it's actually GOOD for your heart health. It doesn't seem to make sense though right? How can eating saturated fats IMPROVE your cholesterol numbers? Haven't we been told for the better part of 30 years that saturated fat causes heart disease?

Check the latest research coming out of Harvard University that shows that people who ate the most saturated fat had the LEAST amount of plaque in their arteries. See the latest research from Stanford University that shows that women on the "fatty" Atkins diet had lower cholesterol and blood pressure readings than those following a low-fat, low-calorie diet.

For years now, Americans have been lowering their saturated fat intake (at the recomendation of the American Heart Association)...and obesity rates and heart disease rates continue to climb! It appears that the reality on saturated fat is that it RAISES HDL cholesterol (the good kind). In some cases, with some kinds of saturated fat, it can also raise you LDL cholesterol (the bad kind)...but not as much as it raises your HDL. In other words, eating saturated fat is a net gain for your heart health.

Here's an interest article from Men's Health magazine that goes into much more detail!

Are You Eating A Heart-Healthy Diet ?

2007-10-23T12:46:00.000-04:00

Many of us think we eat a heart-healthy diet - but upon further examination, much of what Americans have been taught about what is supposedly heart healthy is based on sloppy science (at best). Here are some pearls of wisdom from cardiologist Dr. William Davis.

--If it requires a label or nutritional analysis, reject it. The wondrous green pepper, or bottle of olive oil, for instance, require no such qualifications. Some exceptions: milk, yogurt, cottage cheese (unless, of course, you purchase straight from a local producer). I am always impressed with the contortions and frustrations people experience trying to decipher labels. Ironically, the healthiest foods don’t even require labels.

--If it is ingested in a rush, it’s likely to add to poor health. True food is meant to be consumed at leisure, not in haste to satisfy some irrational, unthinking impulse.

--Search for natural, whole foods. Natural, whole foods require no marketing. You pay a premium for a company to adorn a product with glitz, glamour, and appeal. Repackage Cocoa Puffs as chocolate flavored, round overly-processed wheat flour, sans marketing spin, and what is left? Processed foods areintentionallyaddictive. They are added to, modified, high-fructose corn syruped, etc. to increase desirability, but also create addiction. Eliminate them just as a smoker eliminates cigarettes.

--A corollary to the above issue: purchase foods that appear as if you had grown it or raised it yourself. If you were to grow corn in your backyard garden, you would eat it on the cob or some similar way. You would not grind it, pulverize, process it, nor serve it as cornstarch and add to a pile of chemicals to make breakfast cereal. Eat foods in their natural state, not the highly processed food-product that requires a colorful package and advertising to sell.

--Don’t keep bags of chips, boxes of breakfast cereal and crackers, frozen dinners, all “just in case.” Don’t allow yourself that opportunity because you will more than likely seize it. An alcoholic who keeps a secret bottle of gin hidden in the cabinet is well aware that it’s there and will eventually give in to impulse.

--When you eat meat, try to find free-range, organic products. Even better, purchase from a local producer who you trust.

--For anyone with patterns like low HDL, small LDL, high triglycerides, and blood sugar >100 mg/dl, following a diet that is as free of wheat products as possible will yield enormous benefits. Wheat is a part of all breads, virtually all breakfast cereals, pretzels, crackers, bagels, cookies, cupcakes, pancakes, waffles, etc. Going wheat-free is also a surprisingly effective weight loss strategy.

Dr. Davis believes in restricting carbohydrates not only for weight loss, but as a means to better heart health. His blog is always a great read for anyone interested in keeping their heart healthy! (http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/)

THIS Is What Peanut Butter Should Be !

2007-09-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

First - a quick update on my weight. I hit my goal weight of 158 lbs about a month ago, and since then I've bounced around between 155 and 158 lbs - so it's so far so good on the low-carb maintanance plan!

I've got to tell you about an AMAZING product that I've quite frankly become addicted to in the last couple of weeks. If you're a peanut butter lover, you're going to LOVE Naturally More Peanut Butter! Most peanut butters have about 5 or 6 net carbs...Naturally More has just 4 net carbs per serving - plus it's got 4 grams of fiber, 10 grams of protein, no trans fats or cholesterol...and what really sets apart Naturally More from other peanut butters is that it's fortified with Flaxseed and Flaxseed oil! So it's got less carbs, less calories, less fat, better QUALITY fat, more protein, and more fiber than most other peanut butters. What's not to love? And oh, by the way, it's the BEST TASTING peanut butter I've ever tried! My wife will second me on that - she loves it too.

It can be tricky to find in the supermarket, though. For example, in the English Creek Shop Rite you won't find it near the other peanut butters. They keep it in their "natural foods" section. Your best bet is to just ask someone at the store. You can also find out more or even order Naturally More right here!

I first found out about this great new product from Jimmy Moore's blog - which, by the way, is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to learn more about, as he puts it, "Livin' La Vida Low Carb"!

Goal!!!!!!!!!!

2007-08-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

I'm proud to say my goal weight of 158 pounds has been reached! I've dropped a total of 52 pounds in 8 1/2 months and I feel better than ever! Thanks to Jimmy Moore, Dr. Michael Eades, and of course the late Dr. Atkins for the inspiration, information, and for being the catalyst for my transformation! It's amazing - even though I've hit my goal, I'm still learning more and more all the time about the low-carb nutritional approach. And the more I learn, the more I'm loving it!

Speaking of loving it - I was lucky enough to find myself eating dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse the other night. Not the one here in Atlantic City (which is also GREAT), but the one at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I had the most delicious bone-in ribeye steak I've had in a LONG time! If you've never eaten at Ruth's Chris, you are truly missing out on one of the best meals you'll ever eat! That Ruth's Chris trademark "sizzle" you hear about in the commercials on WAYV is the sound of your steak sizzling in butter! I ate WAY too much - but check out this amazing lineup of scrumptious low-carb foods I feasted on:

-Tomato and onion salad topped with crumbled bleu cheese

-Ribeye steak sizzling in butter

-Creamed spinach

-Broccoli au gratin

It's been three days and I'm still thinking about that meal!

I'll have to post my list of favorite steakhouses soon. What's yours?

Weight Update !

2007-08-14T19:41:00.000-04:00

I've been a bit lax in publishing my daily menus the last few days - but here's an update on how it's going. I'm now down to 160 lbs...just two teensy-weensy pounds away from my goal weight of 158 lbs! I chose 158 for my target, because that's the most I can weigh without our federal government considering me fat - but frankly I'm happy...very happy with anything in the 160s. Considering I've spent the better part of the last 15 years above 200 lbs (I peaked at 236 lbs in 1996), being where I am now is truly a blessing. And the best part is that I've been able to do it eating rich, satisfying, so-called "fattening" foods! Do you have any idea how great it is to be on a "diet" that allows me to have bacon and eggs for breakfast? Or a big chicken caesar salad for lunch? Or a nice juicy steak for dinner? These are all things that would be distant memories for me if I was on a low-fat diet!

Friday's Menu

2007-08-11T13:19:00.000-04:00

B - 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties

L - Wawa roasted chicken salad w/ tomato, bacon, and cheese, Ranch dressing

S - turkey meatball, provolone cheese, peanuts

D - bunless cheeseburger

64 0z of water!

Thursday's Menu

2007-08-10T12:34:00.000-04:00

First - I've been getting some very encouraging e-mails from readers & listeners...so thank you! I'd like to address some of the comments I've been getting...

*For those of you worried about potential negative effects of a low-carb diet on your heart health, check out the overwhelming evidence from the research community that's demonstrating in study after study that a low-carb diet consistently raises HDL (good) cholesterol, lowers triglycerides, and increases LDL(lousy) particle size (which is a good thing!). A great site to research this stuff is ControlCarb.com.

*Yes - exercise is absolutely recommended for EVERYONE, regardless of what kind of diet they're eating! Although it's true that you can lose A LOT of weight on low-carb without exercise, it's fully recommended by Dr. Atkins himself...so do it! (That goes for me too!)

*I'm now 4 little pounds away from my goal weight of 158 pounds. I've lost 48 pounds since the first of the year - and I'm STILL LOVING the foods I'm eating!

Here's Thursday's menu:

B - 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties, low-carb ketchup

L - chicken cheesesteak, peppers, onions

D - ribeye steak, broccoli w/ grated cheese

60 oz of water

Wednesday's Menu

2007-08-09T16:20:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins bar

L - Wawa roasted chicken salad w/ bacon, tomato, & cheese / Ranch dressing

D - blackened chicken, Ranch dipping sauce, broccoli w/ grated cheese

S - peanuts

Only 45 oz of water today.

Back From Vacation!

2007-08-08T12:43:00.000-04:00

I haven't been blogging for the last week or so because I was on a family vacation in Disney World! We had an absolute blast - and we'll definitely be back soon! If you have small children like I do, you know what a big deal Disney World is. They say it's the happiest place on earth...and I can't argue with that!

So the question is...Did I keep it low-carb while on my trip? The answer is "YES"! In fact, I'm down another pound after Disney to take my scale number to 163 lbs. It's always harder to eat the way you'd like to when you're traveling or on vacation. It's the equivalent of dining out for every meal - not exactly the recipe for healthy eating! But there are always things you can eat that are low-carb...even inside a theme park. Skip the fried food & pizzas and enjoy a bunless cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Skip the ice cream and opt for a filling chicken caesar salad. Instead of a bag of chips, go for a handful of nutrient-dense nuts. And of course, stay away from all those sugary sodas! Drink water instead!

Now that I'm back at home, I'll have a lot more control over what food is available to me. But it's nice to know that even in a theme park situation, you can always find something low-carb to eat to keep you on track...so at the very least you won't GAIN weight!

Tuesday's Menu

2007-07-31T21:27:00.000-04:00

B - 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties, peppers & onions, low-carb ketchup

L - cheesesteak, salad w/ tomatoes and bleu cheese dressing

D - low-carb white pizza w/ broccoli & tomato

S - Peanuts

80 oz of water!

Monday's Menu

2007-07-31T21:25:00.000-04:00

B - 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties, low-carb toast w/ butter

L - chicken cheesesteak

D - low-carb white pizza with broccoli & tomato, side of broccoli

60 oz of water

Sunday's Menu

2007-07-31T21:16:00.000-04:00

B - 2 fried eggs, broccoli

S - peanuts

S - swiss cheese

D - ribeye steak, broccoli

Lots of water - as always!

Saturday's Menu

2007-07-28T21:44:00.000-04:00

B - 2 fried eggs, ground turkey, peppers and onions, low-carb ketchup

L - Italian sausage and peppers with cheese and a little tomato sauce

S - peanuts

D - My yummy low-carb tomato & Caesar pizza, salad

80 oz of water!

Friday's Menu

2007-07-28T21:42:00.000-04:00

Another pound gone forever! Down to 164 today and closing in on my goal of 158...

B - leftover cold blackened chicken w/ Ranch dressing

L - tomato & cheese salad, creamed spinach

D - ground turkey w/ peppers and onions, 1 fried egg, Caesar salad

65 oz of water

Thursday's Menu

2007-07-27T15:53:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins bar

L - TGI Friday's Sizzlin' Chicken & Broccoli

S - tomato & cheese salad

D - blackened chicken Caesar salad

70 oz of water

Wednesday's Menu

2007-07-26T07:33:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins bar

L - leftover blackened chicken with Ranch dipping sauce, creamed spinach (yum!)

D - grilled chicken, peppers, onions, mushrooms kobobs, asparagus

S - 2 oz of cheese, peanuts

60 oz of water!

Tuesday's Menu

2007-07-25T09:45:00.000-04:00

Down to 165 lbs today! I continue to inch closer and closer to my final weight loss goal of 158 lbs...and I'm still loving what I'm eating!

B - 1 fried egg, broccoli, low-carb ketchup

L - smoked turkey, swiss, lettuce, tomato, mayo low-carb wrap

S - peanuts

D - blackened chicken with Ranch dipping sauce, spinach with grated Romano cheese

60 oz of water

Monday's Menu

2007-07-24T09:24:00.000-04:00

B - 1 fried egg, broccoli

L - chicken cheese steak

D - ribeye steak, broccoli, tomato salad

S - peanuts

70 oz water!

Sunday's Menu

2007-07-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

Down to 166 lbs today! 8 lbs away from my goal of 158...

B - Atkins bar

L - TGI Friday's Sizzlin' Chicken & Broccolli

S - 2 oz American cheese

D - blackened chicken with ranch dressing

Water! Water! Water!

Saturday's Menu

2007-07-23T10:35:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins bar

S - peanuts

S - 3 oz American cheese

D - blackened chicken, mozzarella & tomato salad, broccoli

lotsa water!

Friday's Menu

2007-07-23T10:33:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins bar

L - blackened chicken, ranch dressing

D -2 scrambled eggs, spinach

water!

Thursday's Menu

2007-07-20T10:50:00.000-04:00

Oh boy - I ate WAY too much food on Thursday. I did manage to keep it low-carb...but I consumed WAY more calories than I need. I guess that's gonna happen every once in a while, but I'll be back on the straight and narrow on Friday.

The day started off fine - but I went to The Police concert at Citizens Bank Park last night and ended up eating an extra meal before the show! Hey, how can you NOT eat some old-style Philly food when you're right there! Besides we had about an hour to kill before The Police were scheduled to go on.

Here's Thursday's over-indulgent menu:

B - 1 fried egg, 2 pieces organic nitrite-free bacon

L - low-carb pizza w/ turkey pepperoni

D1 - 1/4 white chicken, creamed spinach, broccoli

S - 6 Wawa meatballs

D2 - Tony Luke's Italian sausage & peppers

80 oz water

Wednesday's Menu

2007-07-18T19:53:00.000-04:00

B - 1 scrambled egg, spinach, 3 pieces of organic nitrite-free bacon

L - leftover blackened chicken w/ Ranch dressing for dipping

D - low-carb pizza!

64 oz water

Tuesday's Menu

2007-07-18T19:50:00.000-04:00

B - 1 egg, 2 pieces organic nitrite-free bacon, low-carb ketchup

L - Greek Salad w/ black olives, feta cheese, tomatoes, & Greek dressing

S - 2 Wawa meatballs

D - Blackened chicken, spinach, grated cheese

70 oz water

Monday's Menu

2007-07-17T08:35:00.000-04:00

B - 1 fried egg, 2 pieces organic nitrite-free bacon, broccoli

L - chicken cheesesteak, 3 chicken wings w/bleu cheese

D - leftover Italian sausage, peppers & onions

70 oz of water!

I came up short on the veggies today - not a great day of eating - but at least I kept it low-carb!

Sunday's Menu

2007-07-16T08:40:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins bar

L - Italian sausage, peppers & onions

D - 1 scrambled egg, 2 pieces of organic nitrite-free bacon, broccoli

Only about 45 0z of water today. I'll do better tomorrow!

Saturday's Menu

2007-07-16T08:33:00.000-04:00

B - 2 scrambled eggs, broccoli

L - grilled chicken, salad w/ Ranch

D - Applebee's! - 10 buffalo wings w/bleu cheese, salad w/bleu cheese, NY strip steak, broccoli

70 oz of water!

Friday's Menu

2007-07-14T07:20:00.000-04:00

B - 2 scrambled eggs w/ green & red peppers, salsa

L - 2 chicken breasts, lettuce, tomato, mustard sauce

D - 1 organic chicken & turkey sausage w/ roasted red peppers, broccoli

64 oz water!

Thursday's Menu

2007-07-13T12:27:00.000-04:00

We went out to dinner Thursday night at Steak 38 in Brigantine - and it's always tougher to stay on your eating plan when you're out - right? Well, I basically stayed on my plan...I just ate WAY too much food! For the first time in a long time I truly felt "stuffed" walking out there last night! I also blew my "no cheese" thing for this week since I opted for the bleu cheese dressing on my salad (yum!). As a sidebar - if you're a steak eater...do yourself a favor and go to Steak 38! Delicious!

So here we go for Thursday's recap:

B - 2 fried eggs, 1 leftover BBQed turkey sausage link

L - blackened chicken caesar salad

D - 20 oz rib steak, bernaise sauce, green beans, green peppers in olive oil, salad w/ bleu cheese, tomatoes, onions

Tons O' Water!

Wednesday's Menu

2007-07-11T20:12:00.000-04:00

Down ANOTHER pound today to go down to 168lbs! I'm easily the lightest I've been since college. You gotta love losing fat - while eating fat!

Here's today's menu:

B - 2 fried eggs, 1 sausage patty, low-carb ketchup
L - WaWa roasted chicken salad w/bacon, tomato, & ranch dressing
S - handful of peanuts
D - 3 links of turkey sausage w/fat/carb/calorie/sugar free BBQ sauce (yum!)
About 80oz of water today!

Tuesday's Menu

2007-07-10T18:59:00.000-04:00

Another pound gone this morning...to take me down to 169...and just 11 pounds away from where I'd like to be!

I'm going without cheese for the rest of this week as an experiment. I've been reading online about many people who say that cheese, while Atkins-friendly, causes their weight loss to stall. Since the final 10-15 pounds are always the hardest to lose, I decided I'd give up my beloved cheese for a week and see if it makes any difference for me. I'm also taking a break from the Atkins bars...which are really more for people who are in "maintainance" mode. Between dropping the cheese and the bars, maybe I can lose more than my usual 1 pound this week. I LOVE cheese...and those bars...so they'll definitely be back SOON!

Here's today's menu:

B - 2 scrambled eggs with green & red peppers, low-carb ketchup

L - 6oz leftover BBQ pork tenderloin, broccoli

D - 6oz turkey burger topped with salsa, lettuce

About 75 oz of water today!

Back From Vacation

2007-07-09T20:43:00.000-04:00

I'm back from my very enjoyable week-long vacation spot. No - not Walley World (though I did sport my Walley World t-shirt the other day)...but the wonderful resort up in the Catskill Mountains that my family and I have been vacationing at every summer for 32 years! - Anyway, it's back to reality today...and the good news is I didn't gain any weight on vacation, which as you know is no small feat...so I'm holding steady at 170 lbs...for now. I fully intend to continue shaving off the weight and love what I'm eating!

Here's the menu for today:

B - 2 fried eggs, green peppers, low-carb ketchup

L - chicken steak w/cheese, turkey burger w/spinach

D - 6 oz BBQ pork tenderloin (with no carb/no sugar/no fat/no calorie bbq sauce!), broccoli

Water!!!

On Vacation !

2007-06-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

I'll be away on vacation through 7/7...so I probably won't be updating my blog until then. I'm at 170 pounds today (down another pound!) - but let's see if I can keep it going while I'm away! I actually lost a couple of pounds back in January during the week I was at Disney World...so it CAN be done!

Talk to you soon!

Thursday's Menu

2007-06-28T20:45:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins Bar (I normally don't each a whole lot of processed food - but we're leaving on vacation this weekend...so I don't have any eggs in the house right now!)

L - WaWa Roasted Chicken Salad w bacon, tomato, grated cheese, & Ranch

S - 1 oz Swiss cheese

D - Chicken Cheesesteak Wrap w/ mayo on low-carb tortilla, Spinach

Wednesday's Menu

2007-06-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

I lost another pound in the last week. My weight loss has slowed considerably to an average of 1-pound per week for the last couple of months. I'm extremely happy to be losing at that rate - even though it would be considered "slow" by many people's standards. I only have another 13 pounds to go, so they're not going to come off as easily. I'm down to 171 now!

B - Atkins bar

S - 6 small WaWa meatballs (yum!)

S - Strawberries, 2 servings whipped cream

D - Blackened chicken breast, Salad with Ranch

S - 2 oz Swiss cheese, handful of mixed nuts

Lotsa water!

Tuesday's Menu

2007-06-26T22:45:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins Bar

L - Salad w/ roasted chicken, tomatoes, bacon, grated cheese, & Ranch dressing

S - 1 oz Swiss cheese

D - Steak, Caesar salad

S - Strawberries

What I Ate Monday

2007-06-25T22:24:00.000-04:00

Not the best day of eating today. I definitely came up short on the veggies...but at least I kept my carb count very low. A big part of being successful on ANY eating plan is to plan ahead. I forgot to bring lunch to work today...so I was stuck with the pizza we had in our staff meeting and an Atkins bar I had in my drawer. Here's the recap for Monday:

B - 2 eggs, 1 sausage patty

S - cheese off two slices of pizza

S - Atkins bar

D - chicken steak, salad w/ bleu cheese

Sunday's Menu

2007-06-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Sunday in South Jersey...before it gets REALLY hot tomorrow! Here's what I'm eating today:

B - 2 eggs, 1 sausage patty

L - My Low-Carb Caesar & Swiss Pizza (7 net carbs) , sauteed spinach

S - Handful of peanuts

D - Blackened chicked, salad w/ Ranch

S - Strawberries, 2 servings Redi Whip (less than 1 carb each)

Saturday's Menu

2007-06-23T19:11:00.000-04:00

Eating according to plan is always more difficult when you're not at home. Today I did a WAYV event at the Harris School in Linwood and they were nice enough to offer me and the crew some of the Emma's Rotisserie food that they were serving during their open house. There was a complete spread of pulled pork, chicken, & brisket smothered in barbecue sauce, plus potato salad, cornbread, and mac & cheese. Hungry yet? Well, knowing that everything there was high in carb and/or sugar content, I decided to just have a little taste - one forkful of each of the bbq'ed meats. Let me just tell you - they were DELICIOUS! So kudos to the folks at Emma's - now we just need to get them to offer up a sugar-free low carb sauce to use on those meats! Hopefully my couple of bites of BBQ won't reflect on the scale tomorrow...

Here's my eating for the day:

B - 2 eggs, 1 sausage patty

S - 3 forkfuls of BBQ (1 pork, 1 chicken, 1 beef)

S - Handful of blueberries, 1 serving of whipped cream (1 carb)

D - 7oz rib steak, caesar salad

S - Strawberries, 1 serving whipped cream (1 carb)

Water! Water! Water!

What I Ate Friday

2007-06-22T22:16:00.000-04:00

B - Atkins Bar

L - Leftover broccoli with very little sausage

D - Crabcake, Asparagus

S - Strawberries, blueberries, a little Redi-Whip

About 80oz of water today which I'm very happy with - and I'm proud to say I passed on birthday cake at dinner and went with the much healthier strawberries & blueberries..two of the lowest carb fruits around!

Menu For Thursday

2007-06-21T09:54:00.000-04:00

Here's what's on tap for today...

B - handful of blueberries, Atkins breakfast bar

L - Wawa Roasted Chicken Salad (lettuce, tomato, chicken, bacon, cheese) w/ Ranch

D - Italian sausage with broccoli cooked in olive oil & topped with grated parmesan, Caesar salad

Wednesday's Menu

2007-06-20T17:17:00.000-04:00

I'm going to try and keep up with this on a daily basis so I have a written record of what I'm eating! So far, so good...

B - 2 fried eggs, 1 sausage patty

L - Ground beef w/steak seasoning, spinach w/ grated parmesan cheese

D - Chicken cheesesteak, sweet peppers, salad (l,t) w/ Ranch dressing

64 oz. water

My Weight Loss Journey

2007-06-19T22:35:00.000-04:00

Since January 2007, I've made a renewed commitment to myself to get in better shape. Like a lot of people, I've had my weight go up and down quite a bit over the years. My problem has always been sticking to a low-fat diet for a long period of time. Enter Dr. Atkins! I decided to try the low-carb approach to weight loss and health management, and so far I've been very very happy with the results.

The low-carb lifestyle has been very easy for me to adjust to because the bulk of my favorite foods are no longer "off limits" the way they were on a low fat diet. Foods like steak, cheese, nuts, and eggs are now a regular part of my life again - without the guilt. Who knew you could eat rich, luxurious, satisfying food and still lose weight?! Apparently lots of people - because the more I continue to learn about this healthy way of eating, the more people I find who are living it too!

I'm by no means a low-carb or fitness expert of any kind. I'm just a regular guy who has finally found a way of eating that allows me to be happy, full, and healthy all at the same time! I'm going to us this blog to chronicle my journey as the pounds continue to come off. I'm going to log what I'm eating each day as well. Not so much as an example to anyone else of what you should eat - but just to keep a log of what is and asn't working for me.

Here's where I am right now. I started at 212 pounds in January, and I'm now at 172 pounds. That's 40 pounds of weight off my frame in six months. I know many people who have dropped weight much faster than that, but I'm VERY content to just keep losing at a steady pace. As I approach my goal weight of 158 pounds (I hope I can get there) the pounds are peeling off a bit slower now - but that's to be expected.

Are YOU "Livin' La Vida Low Carb" (to borrow a phrase from low-carb icon Jimmy Moore)? I'd love to hear from you. Maybe you're thinking about trying it out? I'd be happy to share my experience with you. Click on "Comments" below!

Tuesday Morning Musings

2007-06-05T08:09:00.000-04:00

Just sitting at the computer - checking out the Mike & Diane morning show on my little transistor radio (yes - I'm old). My girls are in the room watching Tigger & Pooh on TV while we all eat our breakfast. Cereal & milk for them...fried eggs for me.

-I came to the realization last night that now that the May sweeps are over there is NOTHING on prime time network TV that's really worth watching. Is there some show I'm not aware of that's worth watching this Spring/Summer?

-Speaking of prime-time TV - WAYV is giving away free tickets for Dancing With The Stars: The Tour @ Boardwalk Hall every day this week between 9am and 5pm. Good luck!

-Have you heard that phone conversation Mike & Diane had with the guy who held someone's cell phone for ransom? They're airing it now. Yikes! Maybe we'll post it in our WAYV On Demand section of the website.

-After all that rain Sunday all the lawns in my neighborhood look considerably greener.

-Pics from our two Memorial Day Weekend WAYV concerts are now posted at www.951wayv.com.

Fergalicious!

2007-06-03T21:37:00.000-04:00

We had our free WAYV concert with Fergie at the Atlantic City House Of Blues Memorial Day Weekend. Hopefully you were there!

As one of the better perks of my job, I got to spend a little time with Fergie before the show. We had a rather large meet & greet session with about 1oo WAYV & Verizon winners and Fergie before the HOB doors opened - and after that was over, Heather DeLuca and I had the very rare opportunity to hand with Fergie on her tour bus for a bit. Very cool - just the three of us. The bus was incredible in that it had an entire recording studio right on it. She told us she actually put together quite a bit of The Dutchess on that bus! Fergie was a very gracious host - totally normal and really sweet to us. I've also got to say that I thought Fergie was even better looking in person than on TV. Sometimes when you meet someone in person, they just have that special quality that says "star". Fergie has it.

After our time on the tour bus, I was really looking forward to her show, and she certainly did not disappoint anyone in the House. Best song of the night for me had to be her brand new singe "Big Girls Don't Cry". In my view, this is one of the BEST songs of 2007...and should be a big big hit for Fergie for a long time. Wanna hear it? Put on 95.1 WAYV!

Antonella Idol ?

2007-03-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

Jersey's own Antonella Barba has been the center of attention on American Idol so far - and for two completely different reasons!

First, of course, is the racy picture scandal that surfaced this week. A "friend" of Antonella's released some explicit pictures of "Antonella" is some compromising positions. It turns out that while some of the pics were real, the most graphic ones were not.

The second reason the Idol world is buzzing about Antonella is because she's performed very poorly in each of the first two weeks of the final 24 competition...yet she's still on the show! In my view, she's been the weakest female singer in each of the first two weeks of the final 24 and deserves to be sent home. I can't imagine she'll escape another week of eliminations next Thursday night...but who knows!

BTW - Heather DeLuca and I are engaging in our annual American Idol competition again this year. The first part of the competition has us each selecting from the Top 24 who we think will make the Top 12...after that it gets REALLY interesting...and a bit more complicated. Anyway - here our each of our Top 12 selections!

Heather's Girls: Lakisha, Gina, Melinda, Antonella, Nicole (out), Alaina (out)
Paul's Girls: Lakisha, Gina, Jordan, Haley, Nicole (out), Amy (out)

Heather's Boys: Chris S., Chris R., Blake, Phil, Sundance, Sanjaya
Paul's Boys: Chris S., Chris R., Blake, Phil, Brandon, Jared

Who do YOU like??? Click on 'Comments' below!

Is There A Santa Claus ?

2006-12-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, my Mom shared this story with me via e-mail. I'm sure it's making it's rounds on the internet but in case you haven't read it yet, it's a great heartwarming tale for Christmas! Check it out...

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!" My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true. Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" She snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go." "Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car. "Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's. I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, and the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that. "Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas. That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers. Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby. Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were: ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team. I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95. May you always have LOVE to share, HEALTH to spare and FRIENDS that care....And may you always believe in the magic of Santa Claus!

If Everyone Cared

2006-12-11T16:06:00.000-05:00

What would happen IF EVERYONE CARED? That's the question posed in the latest Nickelback song that begins playing on 95.1 WAYV tomorrow (12/12). We sent the link to the video for the song to our WAYV Insiders Club members earlier today - and here are some of the responses!

Leave it to Nickelback to write a truly meaningful song with some serious perspective. These days caring seems to only be superficial-and when people make mistakes, there is no forgiveness, just hate. Hate hurts. During the holidays, people need to start reflecting on what life really means and give thanks for the joy life has to offer. Thanks for the email. Warm Regards, Aimee

I just watched the Nickelback video sent to me in email, and wow....what more can I say. It makes me think twice about complaining about little things ...and to realize that still, today, people are fighting for equal rights and for their word to be heard. It is unbelievable what people have gone through to make themselves heard. It is a wonderful song, amazing video, and should be , I believe, nationally shown because its message is so inspiring, and filled with hope that if people fight for what they believe in, and believe in the cause they are fighting for , that one day, with time, starting with one person, could change the world, and make it a better place....
Thanks Paul!...Have a Great Holiday! God Bless!

That should be an inspirational advertisement...This could be a spark for the next amazing achievement. Could be your neighbor, your brother/sister, your son/daughter or even you if you have the strength to go the distance... Peace be with you, one and all!
John

That Nickelback song and those facts are amazing. I can't beleive that they are real, it really makes you realize, especially this time of year to be more giving. Thank you for sharing that.
Meagan

That was awesome....But, it is like preaching to the choir....many of us understand the message, but there are MANY MANY others who need to see and listen to this....., not that it would make a difference, but then again...you only need to influence ONE.......

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

What do YOU think about it? We'd love to know - just click on Comments below!

Get In Line !

2006-12-06T13:48:00.000-05:00

I know it's the Christmas shopping season - and people are waiting in lines in stores all over South Jersey. I had a situation while waiting in line the other day that we can probably all relate to.

I was in line at my local Wawa in EHT and there were quite a few of us waiting. To Wawa's credit, another cashier came out and opened up another register to speed things up. She announced, "I'll take the next person over here." Upon hearing that announcement, the people at the BACK of the line scurried over to become the first ones in the new line. Come on! Where is the common courtesy of these people? How do you deliberately get in line ahead of someone YOU KNOW belongs in front of you?! The key word the cashier said was "NEXT" - she said she'll take the "NEXT person" in line...not the person who can get there the fastest! It never ceases to amaze me how some people can be so rude - and maybe not even realize it! So this Christmas, when you're waiting to check out at Best Buy, or Macy's, or Walmart, or even Wawa - PLEASE show your fellow shoppers the consideration they deserve!

Is it just me? Please sound off below by clicking on "comments"!

Going Home For Thanksgiving

2006-11-20T14:23:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is here - and for many of us that means turkey with all the trimmings, getting together with family and friends, and giving thanks for all the blessings in our lives. Hopefully your holiday will be a restful one - and not filled with so much of the stress that creeps into our lives this time of year!

Every year around this time I HAVE to watch one of my all time favorite movies...Planes, Trains, & Automobiles. If you get a free 90 minutes - give it a rent this week. It's a John Hughes movie starring Steve Martin and the late John Candy. Make no mistake about it - this is a comedy. In fact it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. But it's much more than that. The movie has a certain warmness and truth that really hits straight to the heart. It tells the story of two strangers both trying to make their way home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. They encounter one travel pitfall after another with hilarious results - many of which we can all relate to. Steve Martin's and John Candy's characters couldn't be more different on the surface - but they both learn a lot about themselves and each other along the way. In my view - this is an all-time classic movie. But don't take my word for it! CLICK HERE to see what Roger Ebert has to say about it!

Seen the movie? Click on 'Comments' below and let me know what YOU think about it!

Sincerest wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Best Horror Movie EVER !

2006-10-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

There's a lot of debate that goes around this time of year about what the best horror movie of all-time is. Horror movies go all the way back to the beginning of film, so "all-time" certainly covers a lot of ground. You've got to consider everything from Dracula and Frankenstien through Psycho through the teen-slasher flicks of the 80s through the Scream trilogy through Saw 3...in theaters this weekend. It's a very subjective question with really no "right" answer...so I'll just give you MY answer...

HALLOWEEN.

John Carpenter made this movie on a budget of $300,000 - which is a ridiculously small amount of money - back in 1978. It ended up being the most profitable independent film of all-time. Why? It's a GREAT movie! Many people consider it the original "slasher" flick that paved the way for a slew of poorly done imitators trying to cash in on the same theme of a masked "boogeyman" stalking and killing teens. Where HalloweeN succeeds and the others fail, in my view, is that Halloween produces tension, suspense, and genuine scares while movies like "Friday The 13th" rely on gore for their entertainment value. In fact, there is VERY little blood in the original HalloweeN (the same can't be said for it's seven sequels).

For the unitiated - here's the low-down:

In 1963, on Halloween, in Haddonfield, Illinois, a 6-year old boy named Michael Myers stabs his older sister to death. He's locked away in a sanitarium for the next 15 years until he escapes and returns to his town on Halloween 1978 to continue his killing. His psychiatrist, Dr. Loomis, with the help of the town's sheriff, does his best to find Myers before...well, you know.

HalloweeN resonates with so many people for a number of reasons. First - every town has a house down the lane that everyone thinks is haunted. Maybe someone was killed there or someone went crazy there many years ago. That's the Myers house.

Secondly, Michael Myers is a blank slate. The pale white expressionless mask he wears is so much scarier than any other kind of "Halloween" mask or scary face you're likely to see. It lets us project all of our fears onto it. It's just plain creepy. Michael doesn't speak. We don't know his motivation. We don't know why he chooses to kill the people he does. It could be anyone. It could be YOU.

Most importantly, this movie could REALLY HAPPEN. To me, that's what makes this film so much scarier than horror movies about zombies, aliens, or supernatural occurances. Michael Myers is a real person, in a suburban town just like Galloway, or Northfield, or EHT, or "Anytown, USA". HalloweeN shows us that evil is lurking behind the bushes, standing in our backyard, and following us in the car. It's potentially everywhere. And most don't see it until it's too late. THAT is a scary concept!

As I said, there is very little actual on-screen blood in HalloweeN. The movie is beautifully shot, has the SCARIEST movie score of any film I've ever seen, and does a tremendous job creating SUSPENSE.

Check out the 4-star review from Roger Ebert. That's VERY rare for a horror movie!

Rent HalloweeN this weekend, watch it on AMC, - or better yet, see it on the BIG SCREEN at the Regal Cinema on the Black Horse Pike in Mays Landing Monday or Tuesday night! They're showing the movie each night at 8pm...so grab some popcorn...grab your main squeeze...and get ready to be scared! And this Halloween, watch out for the BOOGEYMAN!

What do YOU think? What's the best horror movie? What's YOUR favorite? Click on "Comments" below and let me know!

Paul

Halloween Humor

2006-10-24T13:16:00.000-04:00

Here's a funny joke I received from one of our WAYV listeners today:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! Enjoy

A man was walking home alone late one foggy night, when behind him he
hears:

BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...

Walking faster, he looks back and through the fog he makes out the image
of an upright casket banging its way down the middle of the street toward
him.

BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...

Terrified, the man begins to run toward his home, the casket bouncing
quickly behind him.

FASTER...
FASTER...
FASTER...

BUMP...
BUMP...
BUMP...

He runs up to his door, fumbles with his keys, opens the door, rushes in,
slams and locks the door behind him. However, the casket crashes through
his door, with the lid of the casket clapping

clappity-BUMP...
clappity-BUMP...
clappity-BUMP...on his heels, the terrified man runs.

Rushing upstairs to the bathroom, he locks himself in. His heart is
pounding; his head is reeling; his breath is coming in sobbing gasps.

With a loud CRASH the casket breaks down the door. Bumping and clapping
toward him. The man screams and reaches for something, anything, but all
he can find
is a bottle of cough syrup!

Desperate, he throws the cough syrup at the casket. And,
..
..
..
Oh my gosh......you'll never believe what happened next.

The "coffin" stopped........

I know - groan, groan - but you know you liked it !

Got any good ones? Click COMMENTS below and post 'em for me!

Paul

Holy Cow !

2006-10-03T14:58:00.000-04:00

Holy Cow! It's been a LONG time since I blogged! You know, life just seems to get sooo busy that certain things get pushed aside. Having two two-year old girls can certainly keep a person busy! I'm sure you can relate! Between responsibilities at home, at church, and of course here at WAYV - it seems my free time has been whittled down to a few minutes here or there. But I'm certainly NOT complaining about how busy I am. You figure out what's important to you - and you try and spend most of your time doing those things. I like blogging - and I'm gonna do it more often.

That's the most amazing thing to me about our WAYV listeners. Generally, they lead very busy, productive lives. Lots of parents...Lots of full-time workers...Lots of volunteers...And lots of people who are all three (like me!)

We appreciate you carving out time to listen to 95.1 WAYV. Even if you just have it on in the background to keep you company while you're running your errands - WE APPRECIATE IT!

Hot Enough For Ya ?

2006-07-18T13:01:00.000-04:00

That's one of those sayings that tends to get under people's skin. I guess it's supposed to be funny. Anyway - it sure is HOT in South Jersey! I'm glad to be in my air conditioned office typing this instead of outside in the heat. The beaches are packed - but for me, it's even too hot to enjoy the beach. I'll take good old-fashioned man-made air conditioning!

I'm happy to announce that 95.1 WAYV has entered into an agreement with The Weather Channel to provide us (and you) with exclusive forecasts for South Jersey. Meteorologist Amy Moore can be heard on the Mike and Diane morning show - and throughout the day on WAYV. As an FYI - there's a HEAT ADVISORY all day today through 8pm...and the UV Index is a TEN...so be like me...stay indoors!

There Is Still Kindness In This World !

2006-05-23T11:44:00.000-04:00

Many thanks go out to the woman and her small child who graciously let me check out ahead of them at Babys-R-Us in Mays Landing this weekend!

I was picking up one item - and the store was REALLY understaffed with exactly ONE cashier lane open. On a side note - this seems to happen WAY to often at big stores in South Jersey. So often in fact that it can't simply be blamed on "someone called out". Anyway - So there I am with my $8 item in a line packed with people and their loaded shopping carts and registry lists. The woman in line in front of me (let's call her Jane) saw I only had ONE item and offered to let me go ahead of her since she was buying lots of stuff off someone's registry. NICE! Unfortunately, there aren't enough people in the world like Jane. Jane showed consideration for me. CONSIDERATION for other people is something sorely lacking in today's society. The best thing about giving consideration is that it's FREE! It didn't cost Jane anything except about 30 seconds of her time while I checked out. So kudos - and thanks Jane! And the next time YOU'RE in line at the store, take a look at the person behind you and see if YOU can make THEIR day!

Idol Shocker !

2006-05-15T15:07:00.000-04:00

Wow. No one saw that coming. Idol favorite Chris Daughtry has been eliminated - and no one knows what to make out of it...except me. The way I see it, the American Idol voting system is flawed. Instead of voting for your "favorite" - people should be asked to vote for the person they think should be eliminated. This would absolutely fix the problem of the best contestants getting eliminated too early. The only downside is that Seacrest wouldn't be able to boast about "40 million votes" anymore because I'm sure the number of votes would go down. Chris Daughtry got eliminated because people figured "He's safe. I don't NEED to vote for him - even though I think he should win". The same thing happened to Stacy Keibler on ABC's "Dancing With The Stars".

Now that Chris is gone - who's the new favorite? The oddsmakers are saying Taylor Hicks - but I'm just not sure who's gonna win now! It'll be interesting to see if Idol's ratings take a dip this week. There may be people who lose interest now that Chris is out. We'll see!

What do YOU think? Click on "Comments" below to sound off!

The Idol Challenge Is OVER !

2006-04-27T15:06:00.000-04:00

First - let me say "sorry" for not updating last week! I've been incredibly busy over the past seven days...but that's a good thing.

As you can tell from my headline, the WAYV American Idol Challenge between Heather DeLuca and me is OVER. I have a ten point lead - and there are six points left up for grabs. There's just not enough points left for Heather to catch up...so I will be the WINNER! Heather won last year, so thankfully I didn't go down 2-0!

Last week Heather picked up a couple of points on me when ACE went out. I picked ACE to finish WAY too high...but luckily he got through a few extra rounds on his looks.

The adorably naive Kellie Pickler went home last night - as she should have. I picked up another point because my Pickler prediction was a tad more accurate than Heather's.

We're down to the top 5 - Who do YOU think is going to win?

Bye Bye Bucky !

2006-04-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

The rout is on in the second annual Heather DeLuca vs. Paul Kelly American Idol Challenge! With Mandisa going out last week, victory practically became a certainty for me. My lead swelled to ten points over Heather. Now with Bucky gone (finally), I've picked up ANOTHER point to make my lead 11 with only seven contestants remaining. Heather is still mathmatically alive - there are still enough points out there...but everything is going to have to break her way in order to catch me! Thanks to everyone who's been voting for ACE YOUNG :-)

Thoughts? Click "Comments" below!

PK Pulls Away in the A.I. Challenge !

2006-04-06T17:04:00.000-04:00

It turns out I had it right! Mandisa is gone...and I'm proud to say I CALLED IT! When Heather and I initially posted our picks, I got a lot of heat for saying Mandisa would come in 9th. Honestly, I was a bit nervous after she nailed her first couple of Top 12 performances. But all it takes is one bad one to get you the boot - and that's what happened to poor Mandisa!

I had a small three point lead over Heather DeLuca in our Idol Challenge heading into last night's results show. I had Mandisa finishing 9th...and Heather had her finishing 2nd! So I tacked another 7 points onto my lead which now stands at 10. I now have a commanding lead over Heather as we head into the "Elite 8" - but there are still enough points on the board for Heather to turn the tables if everything breaks her way. It'll be tough...but it COULD happen!

What are YOUR thoughts? Click "Comments" below!

Paul

We're Down To 9...And I'm Still Winning !

2006-04-01T14:06:00.000-05:00

Lisa Tucker was eliminated on Idol this week and I've tacked on a couple of points to my lead over Heather DeLuca in our AI Challenge! I was up by one point thanks to Melissa McGee...now it's a 3 point lead because Heather had Lisa finishing 5th and I had her finishing 7th (a two point difference). As I've said from the beginning, this Challenge will most likely come down to Ace and Mandisa. We've got a potential 6 point swing on Ace and a potential 7 point swing on Mandisa. I picked Ace to do well while Heather picked Mandisa. But until we know the fate of those two, I'm happy to nickel and dime my way to a lead. One point here...two points there...they all add up!

I'm a bit worried about Ace who has now been bottom three fodder a couple of times. This week the theme is Country...so I'm not expecting much out of Ace this week.

How 'bout Katharine McPhee in the bottom three last week? I predict we don't see her there again until we hit the top 5.

Who do YOU like? Click "Comments" below!

Idol Challenge Update: Paul's In The Lead...

2006-03-17T13:41:00.000-05:00

Melissa McGhee was the first finalist eliminated from the Top 12 this week on Idol...as I predicted! Heather was close, picking Melissa to go out at #11...so I only picked up one point. Melissa's elimination also means that I am guaranteed to outscore Heather on the Bucky Covington elimination. She has him at #12 and I have him at #11...so I'm guaranteed to pick up another point there. Now the bad news for me - It looks like I may be in serious trouble with my Ace Young pick! Bottom three already in the first week??? He better get his act together if I have any chance of cashing in on my 3rd place prediction for him!

To see what Heather has to say about our American Idol Challenge, CLICK HERE!
For the complete list of our picks click here!

Click on COMMENTS below to let us know what YOU think about IDOL!

American Idol Challenge - Phase II !

2006-03-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

Heather DeLuca and I tied in the first phase of our annual American Idol Challenge. Now that we're into the Top 12, Phase II begins! Here's how it works. Heather and I both listed the contestants in the order we think they'll finish - numbering them from #12 (first eliminated) to #1 (winner). Each week, when a contestant is eliminated, we'll compare the spot they finished at to the spot where we predicted they'd finish. The difference between the two equals the number of points scored. We'll tally points each week so we can see who's winning. Just like golf, whoever has the LOWEST score at the end will win our Challenge. Here are some examples: Paul picks Chris Daughtry as #1. He actually finishes #3...Paul gets two points. Heather picks Ace to finish #9. He actually finishes at #5. Heather gets 4 points. Got all that? Get your calculators ready! Here are our selections...Keep in mind we made our picks BEFORE last night's performances!

PAUL

#12 Melissa
#11 Bucky
#10 Kevin
#9 Mandisa
#8 Elliott
#7 Lisa
#6 Paris
#5 Kellie
#4 Taylor
#3 Ace
#2 Katharine
#1 Chris

HEATHER

#12 Bucky
#11 Melissa
#10 Kevin
#9 Ace
#8 Kellie
#7 Paris
#6 Elliott
#5 Lisa
#4 Katharine
#3 Taylor
#2 Mandisa
#1 Chris

As you can see, we both pick Chris Daughtry to win. Outside of that, the only other pick we agree on is Kevin finishing at #10. Most of the others are close...but there are BIG differences on how we picked Mandisa, Ace, and to a lesser extent, Kellie. So it the winner will likely be the person who has those contestants pegged correctly. And that person is ME (sorry Heather)!

What do YOU think? Whose list looks better? What's YOUR list? Click on COMMENTS below to let me know what you think!

Don't Touch My Dog !

2006-03-12T22:37:00.000-05:00

I'm not talking about canines here - I'm a cat person. I'm talking about something near and dear to any red blooded American male's heart - HOT DOGS!

Something happened to me tonight that's become a pet peeve of mine - and if you work at WaWa...take heed! For the uninitiated, when you buy a hot dog at WaWa (as I did tonight), you're afforded the opportunity to load it up with free condiments and toppings - mustard, ketchup, relish, onions - before you go to the counter to pay..which is a beautiful thing. You load it up any way you want, and then you close the lid on its little clear plastic container and you're ready to roll. So I'm at the register with some other items...and my dog. Here's where the pet peeve part comes in. The cashier puts my items into a plastic bag and then tosses my dog in there with them. Before the bag is even in my hands, my hot dog is on its side. Toppings are falling off. Condiments and smearing against the clear plastic container like some horrible amatuer painting. By the time I go to eat it, it's a mess. How hard is it to either put the dog in its own bag, away from the other items, or NOT bag it at all? Doesn't common sense tell you that a hot dog loaded with toppings cannot be placed on its side? From this point on, I'm taking my dogs into my own hands!

Damn You Kevin Covais !

2006-03-10T11:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I had a two person lead over Heather DeLuca in our American Idol Challenge heading into last night's elimination show. I had Mandisa, Will, and Gideon. She had Bucky. The only way I wouldn't win our challenge was if three of my people were sent home versus her one...or two of my people versus her none. If you saw the show, you know what happened! I lost two, Heather lost none, and our Challenge ended in a tie.

I figured Mandisa was a lock to get through to the next round, so I wasn't worried about her. I thought Will was a definite to go...but as long as America didn't vote out Gideon I'd be OK. After seeing Kevin Covais lisp his way through another song this week I thought this might FINALLY be his time to go home. America felt differently! I'm not sure why people are voting for Kevin. Yes - he's likeable - I like him. He seems like a genuinely good kid. But he's NOT a great singer...nor is he a very good performer. He usually stands motionless behind the microphone. So who's voting for him and why? Do people feel bad for him? Is he getting votes because he's "cute"? I'm not sure. But I wouldn't be surprised to see him ride this wave of undeserved popularity well into the Top 10 and beyond - which would be a real shame for some of the better singers in the competition who might get eliminated in his place.

So where do we go from here? Heather and I TIED in our Challenge...so the Challenge continues - with a clean slate, new picks, and a new set of rules. More on that in the next blog entry!

American Idol CHALLENGE !

2006-03-06T13:33:00.000-05:00

Heather DeLuca and I are battling it out again in our second annual American Idol Challenge! Here's how it works: Once the Idol contestants were whittled down to 24, Heather and I each selected our Top 12...6 guys...6 gals. Whoever gets the most correct...wins! Heather won last year - but this time I'm out to an early lead. Here's who we've selected!

Paul's Picks
Paris Bennett
Mandisa
Katherine McPhee
Becky O'Donahue - (OUT)
Kellie Pickler
Lisa Tucker

Chris Daughtry
Patrick Hall - (OUT)
Taylor Hicks
Will Makar
Gideon McKinney
Ace Young

HEATHER'S PICKS
Paris Bennett
Katherine McPhee
Becky O'Donahue - (OUT)
Kellie Pickler
Stevie Scott - (OUT)
Lisa Tucker

Bucky Covington
Chris Daughtry
Taylor Hicks
Sway Penala - (OUT)
David Radford - (OUT)
Ace Young

Drew's Turn To Lead ?

2006-02-26T12:52:00.000-05:00

It's HERE! The Dancing With The Stars finale is upon us tonight - and after an amazing performance on Thursday night, Drew Lachey has a strong lead. As I predicted back in Week One of the competition, it has come down to Stacy and Drew...although Jerry still has a small shot of winning (more on that in a moment). Stacy has been my pick to win this thing since the beginning, but she now has to overcome her lackluster "freestyle" performance in order to best Drew. I put the blame squarely on the shoulders of her professional partner, who choreographed their boring "Saturday Night Fever" routine. Besides the lift at the end, their routine was very...well...routine. Nothing special AT ALL. Drew and even Jerry took chances and really wowed the judges. Should be interesting to see how it all plays out tonight.

The judges scores make up 50% of the performers total score...the viewer votes make up the other 50%. HOWEVER, in the event of a tie (which is VERY possible), the tiebreaker is viewer votes. So really, viewer votes are more important than the judges scores. That being said, there is still one dance left to scored by the judges tonight - but the judges' leaderboard will most likely stay the same...Drew, Stacy, then Jerry. That means Drew gets 3 pts, Stacy gets 2pts, and Jerry gets 1pt. There are 6 different ways the viewer vote can play out. I'll lay them out for you..

Scenario #1: Drew, Stacy, Jerry...WINNER = DREW
Scenario #2: Drew, Jerry, Stacy...WINNER = DREW
Scenario #3: Stacy, Drew, Jerry...WINNER = STACY
Scenario #4: Stacy, Jerry, Drew...WINNER = STACY
Scenario #5: Jerry, Drew, Stacy...WINNER = DREW
Scenario #6: Jerry, Stacy, Drew...WINNER = JERRY

As you can see, Drew wins in 3 of the 6 scenarios, Stacy wins in 2 of 6, and Jerry wins in 1 of 6. Scenario #6 is most intriguing because all 3 finalists would tie with 4 points. Jerry would win on the tiebreaker!

Now that I've laid it all out for you, I'll give you my official prediction. I'm 3-4 on the season so far, and we'll count the finale as TWO because two people will be "eliminated" tonight. As I've said from the start my pick to WIN is...STACY KEIBLER. Drew deserves to win based on last week's performance, but I'll go out on a limb and say Stacy wins the viewer vote this week - and that's enough to win it all!

What do YOU think?

'Dancing' Semi-Final Selection!

2006-02-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

I'm currently 2-4 on my Dancing with the Stars elimination picks - but I've hit two in a row and I'm looking to make it three! Last night's show demonstrated three REALLY good celebrity dancers...and one not so good. Stacy, Drew, and Lisa are all spectacular - but Jerry Rice is out of his league right now. His effort and dedication are to be applauded, but he's just not as talented a dancer as the others. Jerry is a boyhood idol of mine so he always gets a couple of my votes each week. That being said, I think Jerry's got a very big fan base...at least bigger than Lisa Rinna does. For that reason, and that reason only, my pick to leave the competition this week is...LISA RINNA!

Lisa deserves to move on. She is improving every week and she's shown that she does indeed belong in the finals with Stacy and Drew. But Lisa has been in the bottom two before (while outscoring Jerry with the judges). I fully expect Jerry to be in the bottom two with Lisa this week...but I think the votes will save him again.

What do YOU think?

INXS = Excellence !

2006-02-13T13:35:00.000-05:00

WAYV Presented INXS at Borgata Saturday night. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that INXS has a new lead singer, JD Fortune...who was the winner of the hit TV show INXS: Rockstar on CBS. The picture you see here is JD with Supermodel, Maxim, Stuff, and GQ covergirl Joanna Krupa - taken at the WAYV meet & greet before the show!

So after seeing the show Saturday night, does JD have what it takes to be the new front man for INXS?

YES!

Of course he will be compared with Michael Hutchence - the original voice of INXS - who has really become something of an icon since his death. Comparing JD to Michael is not only unfair - it's pointless. Michael, God rest his soul, is not coming back - and the other 5 original members of INXS want to move forward as a band. In my view they've made an excellent choice in JD Fortune. The guy can sing - plus he's got all those intangible qualities that a lead singer needs to really be "the guy".

Heather DeLuca, a bunch of contest winners, and I were lucky enough to hang with the band a bit before the show. The guys were all very gracious and seemed genuinely happy to be meeting all of us. Everyone got autographs and pictures with the band. Heather also did an interview with the guys that will be available shortly on demand at www.951wayv.com . Thanks to our friends at Epic Records and Borgata for helping make everything run smoothly.

I got to go up on stage before the show for a quick "welcome" announcement - which is always fun. Before long the show was underway, and I was hard pressed to find anyone actually SITTING in their seats. They were too busy dancing!

Here's a copy of the setlist from the show Saturday night:
1. Suicide Blonde
2. Devils Party
3. Mystify
4. Disappear
5. By My Side
6. Afterglow - (this will be the next single...so listen for it on WAYV!)
7. Taste It
8. Original Sin
9. Hungry
10. Never Let You Go
11. Need You Tonight
12. What You Need
13. Kick
14. Devil Inside
15. Pretty Vegas
Encore
16. New Sensation
17. Never Tear Us Apart
18. Don't Change

Dancing With The Stars Week 6 !

2006-02-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

We're more than halfway through the season of Dancing With The Stars on ABC and I finally got one of my elimination picks right. If I play this right I can still finish the season above .500 after my dreadful 0-4 start. Now I'm 1-4 and looking to keep my newfound momentum going!

After 5 of the 10 "stars" have been eliminated, there seems to be a clear cut pecking order amongst the 5 stars left. Clearly Stacey and Drew are the top 2 dancing stars...they each earned perfect scores of 30 tonight! That makes two straight 30s for Stacey (who remains my pick to win it all). Lisa has a solid hold on the #3 spot. She's a step behind Stacey and Drew, but she's improved every single week and looks to be a threat to make some noise in the semi-final next week. That leaves George and Jerry (a personal favorite). These guys are both class acts, but it's obvious to me that they just aren't as good as the other 3. Jerry is a world class athlete, and I've been very impressed with his transition to the dance floor - but he can't begin to compete with Drew or Stacey on this playing field. I think George has done all he can do. His bag of tricks may finally be empty. He's been in the bottom 2 before, and I fully expect him to be back there again tomorrow night. In fact, my Week 6 Dancing With The Stars Elimination Pick is.......GEORGE HAMILTON.

I've Seen A Million Faces...

2006-02-05T10:22:00.000-05:00

Wow! Bon Jovi ROCKED Boardwalk Hall last night! Thanks to everyone at Island Records for their generosity in hooking us up with all those on stage passes for our listeners! Many thanks to the crew at Boardwalk Hall for making sure everything ran smoothly from start to finish. All of us at WAYV are very proud to be associated with Bon Jovi. There aren't many artists out there that elicit the kind of response we get from our listeners everytime we do something with Bon Jovi. Thanks to all of our on stage winners for wearing the shirts - it was like a sea of WAYV up there on that stage last night! Also thanks to eveyone who made signs that DIDN'T get picked to join us on stage last night...and there were lots of them! We appreciate you showing you WAYV colors...I just wish we could have taken you ALL up on stage with us!

The view from the stage is an amazing one - not only beacuse you're just feet away from the guys in the band...but because you really get sense of what it's like to BE in the band when you're looking out at a sea of faces. We had lots of happy WAYV listeners last night...and we're thrilled to be able to give these kinds of opportunities to you. I'd say the most satisfying part of my job is being able to do these kinds of things for people. It's obvious that Bon Jovi means SO much to some people. We had listeners break down and cry in the radio station lobby when they found out we were upgrading them to on stage passes. Being able to bring that kind of joy to someone is like nothing else in the world. So - we will keep these kinds of promotions going. We pride ourselves on being able to give you prizes that money can't buy, and that you otherwise would not be able to experience. Speaking of which (plug alert), we've got your exclusive opportunity to meet INXS all day today on WAYV. They're doing a "WAYV Presents" show at Borgata on Saturday - and we've got your free tickets and backstage passes - so tune in!

Have A Nice Day!

Is This The Week I Get One Right ?

2006-02-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

I am 0-4 this season on picking who will get eliminated each week from ABC's Dancing With The Stars. I must confess I thought I'd be doing a whole lot better than I am with this. Well - since I said I was gonna do it each week...I'll forge ahead. And maybe THIS will be the week where I get it right! Tia Carrere has been a bottom dweller a couple of times before, and she finished last with the judges this week - so she's the obvious choice. Even though the obvious choice hasn't usually been the one leaving the show, my pick this week is......TIA CARRERE.

WAYV Big 80s T-Shirt Friday

2006-01-27T12:08:00.000-05:00

Here's something fun you can do in your office...80s T-Shirt Friday. We've got one going here today (sort of). Actually there's only three of us doing it, but maybe next time we'll recruit everyone to participate. I'm sporting a "Back to the Future" 80s T that has a picture of the Delorean and says "Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads". Heather DeLuca has on her "I (heart) Jake Ryan" Sixteen Candles baby T on. Sean our promo guy is proudly displaying his Poison T-shirt, complete with pics of all the guys with their makeup and big hair.

Remember - WAYV's Big 80s Weekend kicks off with me today at 3pm! Wall to wall 80s music and nostlgia...and free Eddie Money tickets all weekend long!

The Tan Man Is In The Hot Seat !

2006-01-27T11:51:00.000-05:00

OK - no more fooling around! Time for me to get on track with my Dancing With The Stars Elimination Predictions! In case you haven't been following, I am 0 for 3 in trying to guess which "star" will get eliminated from ABC's Dancing With The Stars. I thought this would be a whole lot easier, but apparently America's voting patterns are not what I thought they'd be!

Week 4 saw great performances (as usual) from Drew Lachey and Stacy Keibler. I loved the whole "Thriller" vibe Drew had going. Lisa Rinna seems to be really stepping up her her game as well (pardon the pun). Jerry Rice and Tia Carrere are middle of the packers. That leaves the bottom two...George Hamilton...and Master P. I've been burned twice by Master P. He is OBVIOUSLY the worst dancer there, but for some reason he gets lots of viewer votes. I've got a friend of mine who voted for P because he wanted to see his partner Ashley stay in the competition. George, on the other hand, has been in the bottom two before...with much better scores than P. Therefore, my pick to go home this week is.....GEORGE HAMILTON.

I'll be sorry to see him go because even though he's not the best dancer of the bunch, he is always entertaining. Something Master P is most certainly not. Anyway - it's up to America...so we'll see what happens tonight! For the record, my votes went 4 to Jerry (since he's one of my boyhood idols...I want to see him do well) and 3 to Stacy. I figured Drew doesn't need my help this week.

What do you think? Click "Comments" below to sound off!

You Know You're From South Jersey If...

2006-01-25T10:15:00.000-05:00

I received this list from a listener the other day and I figured you'd get a kick out of it. So here you go!

You know you're from South Jersey if...
- You've had arguments over cheesesteak quality.
- You know what a Wawa is, and know the location of at least 10 of them.
- You know that you should get out of Camden before dark.
- You know how to successfully navigate a traffic circle.
- You've counted the number of topless bars on the Black Horse Pike.
- You refuse to call Hoagies "subs."
- You've almost fallen asleep on the parkway, turnpike and I-295
- You've lived through hurricanes, nor'easters and fires, but have never seen a tornado, earthquake or volcano.
- You have mandatory recycling. Enforced by law.
- You've made a meal out of Tastycakes, Herr's potato chips, and Taylor Pork Roll.
- You know New Years is all about the Mummers and the Polar Bear club
- You can go bowling at 1:30 A.M.
- You know it can be -10 degrees and 70 degrees in January in the same year.
- There's a fruit and vegetable stand down the road.
- You will always say "YO", and you'll say it often.
- You go to another state and sit at a gas station wondering when the people will come out to pump your gas.
- You think North Jersey is a different state and South Jersey deserves its own secession.
- You are tired of people not believing you're from jersey because you don't have a New York accent.
- You have crossed all 5 bridges into Philly at one point in your life.
- You know know what funnel cake and water ice are and think something is wrong with people who refer to them as "fried dough" and "slush".
- You know of at least 3 bars where you know they wouldn't card you.
- You went to StoryBook Land as a kid.
- Every time someone in Hollywood makes fun of Jersey, you're mad and proud at the same time
- You know all of the "back roads" to get everywhere and prefer them to the Expressway.
- You listen to 95.1 WAYV!

This Time I Mean It !

2006-01-20T18:01:00.000-05:00

This has to be a quickie since I'm heading out to dinner tonight! It's time for my Week 3 elimination selection for Dancing with The Stars. Before you go and bet your life savings on my pick please keep in mind that I'm off to a less than stellar 0-2 start!

This HAS to be the week Master P gets kicked off. I said that after Week 1 but this week i mean it ;-)

I'll admit he performed better this week than in the previous two...but he is still WAY behind the other "stars". Jerry Rice didn't have a great night last night - but he's a personal favorite of mine so I hope he doesn't go this week. In fact, I used 6 of my 8 votes on Jerry this week. Stacy and Lisa each got one from me as well. So there you go, my official Week 3 elimination prediction is...MASTER P.

Sticking Up For Rachael Ray

2006-01-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

Mike (from our Mike & Diane morning show) has gone on the record in his blog that he can't stand Rachael Ray. He's certainly entitled to his opinion - but my opinion is 100% in the opposite direction.

You know Rachael Ray as the perky young lady who's taking over the Food Network...and seemingly the world. She is to cooking what Seacrest is to everything else. She's popping up everywhere! She's got her books, magazines, and numerous TV shows including 30-minute Meals, $40-A-Day, and Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels. She's one busy lady!

The same way she just "bugs" Mike for no real reason, she enchants me. Now I admit I wouldn't even know who Rachael Ray was if I hadn't seen my wife watching 30-minute Meals on the Food Network one day. But really - what's not to like about this lady? She's loaded with personality, she's sweet as pie, she's down to earth, she can cook (which goes without saying), and she's cute as a button! In fact, my wife has already been put on notice that if she ever divorces me, I'll be headed straight for Rachael Ray (although I'm sure HER significant other wouldn't appreciate that!). That reminds me of a funny scene from Dirty Dancing when Dr. Houseman is practicing putting with his wife and he tells Baby, "If your mother ever leaves me it will be for Arnold Palmer".

Boy - Rachael Ray and a Dirty Dancing reference in the same blog. Good thing I'm secure in my masculinity!

PK's Dancing With The Stars WEEK 2 Prediction !

2006-01-13T17:29:00.000-05:00

Each week in this blog I'm posting who I think will be kicked off Dancing With The Stars. So far I'm 0-1 because SOMEHOW Master P managed to escape elimination in Week 1. So surely I'll be picking him again in Week 2 right? WRONG! I'm going against the grain this week by picking TIA CARRERE to be eliminated. Why? Well she's certainly a lot better than Master P...but as we saw last week, it's not always the worst dancer who gets eliminated. My thinking here is that poor Tia (whom I like) was in the bottom two last week...and she didn't score well with the judges this week. Master P wasn't even in the bottom two last week after that HORRIBLE performance...so he must have a core group of people voting for him. I'm looking for that to save him again this week. I hope I'm wrong...but the prediction is...TIA CARRERE!

What do YOU think?

Mouse's Revenge

2006-01-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

When I heard this story on the Mike & Diane show earlier this week, it really cracked me up and I just had to relay it on my afternoon show. It's such a ridiculous story that it found its way onto all the major networks and news channels. If you haven't heard about "The Mouse"...you're about to!

A guy named Luciano Mares in New Mexico has a mouse problem in his house. He ends up using what's known as a glue trap to catch the mouse. Basically, if the mouse steps onto the glue trap, he gets stuck to the glue and can't get away. Anyway, the guy finds the mouse in the trap and decides he will dispose of him by tossing the entire trap into a pile of burning leaves he's got going in the backyard. After throwing the trapped mouse into the fire, the heat from the fire melts the glue trap and the mouse is able to escape. The mouse...ON FIRE...runs from the pile of burning leaves and goes back into the house! The house catches on fire and ultimately burns to the ground! Now, you hate to see anyone lose their home...but that is one funny story! - And one TOUGH mouse! I hope Luciano had insurance!

We had a mouse at our place a couple of months ago. When I was looking at my options on how to get rid of the little guy (or girl), most of the "traps" seemed pretty cruel. Anyway, we ended up finding one that was able to rid us of the mouse in a humane way. Maybe Luciano should have found himself a better way to get rid of his mouse!

I'm No Nostradamus !

2006-01-08T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well that didn't take long. Less than an hour after I posted my prediction that Master P would be eliminated from Dancing With The Stars, I was 0-1 with my DWTS predictions! The very funny Kenny Mayne was eliminated this week, much to my chagrin. Kenny was entertaining - even though he was clearly out of his element on the dance floor. I even used one of my ten votes on Kenny. Yes - I'm actually voting on this thing. I'm not proud of it - but what the heck. I figured I'd throw one vote his way just to help make sure that P would be the one to go. I guess it didn't work! Maybe I should have given him all 10!

Master P has NO business making it to the second round! He was horrible the first week - and his attitude stinks. I feel bad for his partner. She was probably secretly hoping they would be eliminated so she wouldn't have to spend another week trying to teach P how to dance. In one of the backstage interview segments P explained, "I ain't changing for the judges". Isn't the whole point to listen to the advice the judges give you and try and improve your dancing week to week? And to think I've actually got some Master P music in my home collection! Who knows, maybe P will get his head on straight and improve his dancing this week...but I'm not counting on it!

Master P Has Got To Go !

2006-01-06T19:23:00.000-05:00

Alright - I admit it...I'm hooked on Dancing With The Stars. I got caught up in it early in the first season and I haven't missed an episode since! I think MIKE (of Mike and Diane) explained the appeal of the show pretty well this morning. He said how it's interesting to see celebrities try something that they've never done before...Something that requires hard work and is very physically demanding. Anyway, whatever it is, it's one of those shows that just sucks you in. This year they upped the number of celebs to 10 - so we can look forward to 8 or 9 weeks of "Stars" this time around.

The stars are:
George Hamilton - tan movie star
Lisa Rinna - soap star
Kenny Mayne - ESPN
Stacy Keibler - WWE Diva
Drew Lachey - 98 Degrees
Tia Carrere - actress
Master P - rap mogul
Giselle Fernandez - broadcast journalist
Jerry Rice - NFL legend
Tatum O'Neal - actress

That's quite a diverse group! I've got to wonder what a backstage conversation between George Hamilton and Master P would sound like.

Each week I'll post my selection for who I think should be eliminated...and I encourage you to do the same by clicking on "comments"! After the first week, my choice is clear:

MASTER P

In all fairness, P was a late replacement for his son Romeo who injured himself a couple of weeks before the show. So P stepped in...but it didn't look like he put a whole lot of time or effort into it. He wore a baseball cap during his performance for crying out loud! For as bad as Kenny Mayne was (and he was bad), you could at least tell he was trying. P is in last place on the judges' leaderboard, but viewer voting makes up 50% of the total score...so if enough people voted for P he can be saved. Stranger things have happened!

We're just a few minutes away from the results show, so I'll wrap this up with a quick prediction for the Dancing With The Stars winner....STACY KEIBLER! I may have a totally different opinion after a few more weeks, but she looked magnificent in week 1. I'd say with the exception of Drew Lachey (who did really well), the women are much better than the men. Should be fun to see how it all plays out.

Who do you like to win? Click "Comments" to the lower right and let me know!

Happy New Year !

2006-01-02T16:25:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year from WAYV! The above picture is me and the WAYV airstaff. From L-R...Mike, Diane (hidden by Mike's beer!), me, Heather, and Intern Karin. You can't see it well, but those are actual little pictures of my daughters on my tie!

New Years Eve 2005 was a different one for me. Last year my girls were only about 6 weeks old, so obviously we just stayed in. The 15 or so New Years Eves before that pretty much consisted of me going out with friends and getting drunk! This year was a bit different. You see, not only do my wife and I have kids now...but so do many of our friends. All of us went over to our friends Kim & Mark's house for a little celebration with all our kids around 6pm. We were home by 8:30. My how times have changed! It was a lot of fun...just in a different way than we're all used to!

The WAYV Big 80s New Years Eve Bash was a big success over at Trump Marina - from what I hear! Taylor Dayne and Morris Day cranked out their dance hits LIVE - and over $10,000 was given away! If you were there I'd love to hear from you.

Did you see Dick Clark this year on ABC? It was a little sad to see and hear the trouble he's having with his speech - although he has had to work incredibly hard over the past year to even be able to speak at all. As you probably remember, Dick suffered a stroke about a year ago. He's made tremendous progress relearning everything that used to be second nature to him...and that's pretty inspirational...but it was a little jarring when I first heard him speak. Dick is a true American icon...and synonymous with New Years Eve...and hopefully he'll continue his recovery!

All the best to YOU and your loved ones in the New Year. Here's hoping you'll be healthy, wealthy, and wise! Happy New Year!