I'm Hooked On These Online Network Television Archives

Was putzing around on the computer late last night after the wife and kiddo had gone to bed. Just another case of Friday night energy that seems to hit at the end of a long work week.

I ran out of productive things to do and when I reached the point where I was just aimlessly browsing the web, I decided to catch up with some old friends.

Pulled up my handy little online TV/Movies tuner and punched up a couple of episodes of Moonlighting (I love Bruce Willis in that show). Then I got really ambitious and started watching the first couple of episodes from the first season of 24. My wife and I only picked up on watching the series in season 3, so it might be fun to see how it all started.

You would not believe the amount of tv shows and movies (from old series like Gunsmoke to the newest episodes of current shows) that are available online. All for free! When I started looking into the online directories that came with the tuner software, I found episodes posted a day after network airing and movies that are still in the theater. Pretty wild.

Anyway, the software does a good job of consolidating all the online sources and presenting them in an easy to use interface. Well worth the one time charge to have access to all this current and past entertainment at your fingertips for immediate viewing or download.

Check it out here . I promise you, it beats buying DVDs of old shows or trying to search thru your cable channel guide to find something worth watching.

What's On My iPod Workout Playlist?

So, what's in my recent Top Rated playlists? Well, as I've been doing alot of high intensity biking and such lately, it's mostly rock. Here are some sample songs that I keep in heavy rotation during workouts.

"Surrender" - Cheap Trick
"Nine Lives" - Def Leppard
"Welcome To The Jungle" - Guns 'N Roses
"All Fired Up" - Pat Benatar
"Sheena Is A Punk Rocker" - The Ramones
"So What" - Pink
"Ballroom Blitz" - Sweet
"Funplex" - The B52's
"Livin' On A Prayer" - Bon Jovi
"Call It Rock N Roll" - Great White
"Tear Me Down" - Meatloaf
"Teenagers" - My Chemical Romance
"Come On Feel The Noise" - Quiet Riot

It's an eclectic mix, but i have over 15,000 rock songs to choose from covering everything from 1960's surf guitar rock to 2008 funk and alt rock. iTunes rules, and I buy most what I have, but I will say that pretty much any music I want is available in the usenet groups. New releases are usually posted within a day. It's old school Internet, but it's all there in the mp3 groups. Comment to me if you need some tips. But do patronize iTunes and support the artists. The search functions and such of the iTunes Store are impressive.

Also. check out this article that provides sites where you can download rock and other types of music for your iPod playlists

What A Stocking Stuffer!

Sometimes a video just speaks for itself...



I've already ordered a few of these for friends..

Check the 5-for-1 Beer Glass out here

It's Been A Real Turkey Of A Year

The holiday season has arrived. On Thursday, families across America will be sitting down to a turkey (**insert favorite meat, fish, or composite bean loaf here**) dinner, clasping hands and giving thanks for all that has been bestowed upon us over this last 365 days.

Let's review what the last 365 days have brought:

- A 40% drop in the stock market (watch those 401k's wither)
- Massive layoffs and rising unemployment
- A foreign war that seems to just keep going and going
- Cataclysmic corporate failures in the banking, auto, and mortgage industries
- A complete failure in the free market system that has led to the biggest financial meltdown in our country's history.

At the national level, it's been a pretty rough year that has impacted families across America. The economic climate, in particular, has all of us worried and concerned about how we can ensure that our children grow up with the same or better opportunities than we've had.

Stress levels are through the roof as we struggle to adapt to the new realities that this recession has inflicted, including the debt burden we will leave to future generations after bailing out the companies whose survival seems to be required to hold our damaged economic system together. We call ourselves a free market economy - we're not.

I look at my son and wonder what kind of world he will grow up in. I think America's days as the world's preeminent superpower are done, and maybe that's not a bad thing. Like the typical neighborhood bully, we have tended to throw our weight around lately. And I'm a big believer in what goes around comes around.

I pray for leadership in Washington. I pray that saner minds recognize that partisan politics, regardless of which party is in the majority, will only perpetuate the stagnant and bloated body of government that runs this country.

I look at my son and I see tomorrow. I look at the evening news and I wonder what that tomorrow will be like.

I do know I want to be around to help him.

Men Living Longer

Welcome To My World

I'm a mid 40's first time father of a rambunctious two year old named Joey. When my wife became pregnant - and yes it was planned - I took a look at the calendar, did some quick mental math, and figured out that if I wanted to be able to keep up with my impending bundle of joy, I needed to make some improvements in my lifestyle.

I want to be able to play ball with him when he makes the high school team. I want to play with my future grandkids. And I want to be able to do it all without relying on a wheelchair, portable oxygen tank, or flash cards needed to remind me where I live or what my name is.

So, I've been making some healthy choices in my life. I've always been somewhat of a weekend athlete, but I knew I needed to get more consistent in my fitness regimen. Now I'm at the local Lifetime Fitness 4-5 times a week doing weights, cardio, and yoga. I'm also on a supplement routine that includes fish oils, red yeast rice extract (pills), and a good multi.

I've also come to be a big fan of acai.

Just wanted to start this blog to have a forum to share my experiences - the good, the bad, and the downright embarrassing. I'd also like to hear from others - especially men who've taken on fatherhood at a post-forty age.

More to come...