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Friday, 6 January 2012
My Top Ten Ways To Create A Healthier Lifestyle In 2012

Despite what the mouse is doing above, lifting heavy weights is not a top priority in this top ten list. The priorities start with 1,2,3 and descend from there. Hopefully, you'll find something on the list and links that can work with your lifestyle.

I've discovered that getting fit can be fun too.

  1. Sleep: If you don't get enough sleep your body can go to hell in handbasket. A good bed and good pillow is essential. Maybe, you might have to do some relaxation techniques before you go to bed. I find that a "hot toddy" or a "nightcap" also helps.
  2. Relaxation: I've found that the sounds of rain and ocean waves can be very relaxing. Meditation can also help if you use techniques that really work for you.
  3. Learn Something New Everyday: When our minds are challenged by the unknown or something new, it brings about a greater interest in life and self esteem. An old Indian said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.
  4. Intense Exercise: This is exercise that raises your heart rate and makes you sweat. Obviously, if you're not very fit, mild workouts would be the thing to do. A proper exercise program should be implemented with advice from a fitness consultant.
  5. A Healthy Diet: This would include at least two glasses of water a day and lots of fruits and vegetables. Frequently, I drink a V8 juice to meet my veggie quota. Fish is a great source of omega three and nuts can be a good source of protein. If you eat too much fat or carbs, you have to exercise more to burn off the calories. 
  6. Eating And Drinking Antioxidant Foods: This could be green tea, blueberries, and acai berry, but my personal favourite is pomegranate juice.
  7. Saunas: Not only does sweating relax you, but it's also a good way for the body to clean toxins out of the fatty tissues. Saunas are used around the world from the Turks, to the Finns, to the Russians, to the Native Americans.
  8. Developing A Good Sense Of Humor: Laughter is the best medicine for many conditions like stress and depression. You can find humor in just about every situation possible:(e.g. "Top Ten List Of Things To Do After You're Dead", "Top Ten List Of Fridge Magnets", "Top Ten List Of Newfie Sayings", etc).
  9. Multivitamins: I'm not completely certain that food produced today has the same nutritional value as food produced 30 years ago. Therefore, I believe in megavitamins.
  10. Speciality supplements like Garlic, Nopalea, Matol, and Ginseng. See a Doctor of Naturopathy before taking these supplements. What is good for the goose, may not be good for the gander.

We're living in a world where there is more than a thousand ways to die. It's also helpful to get divine protection against those things that could kill us or leave us chronically disabled, diseased and generally screwed up. Check out ww.prayway.com. You can't take health and well being for granted.

I wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year. 

 


Posted by qualteam at 4:26 PM EST
Updated: Friday, 6 January 2012 10:22 PM EST
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Looking Back On 2011

2011 was memorable to me in different ways. I'd like to mention what and who stands out the most.

  1. With sadness, I remember the legacies of Apple founder, Steve Jobs, movie star, Elizabeth Taylor and Canadian NDP leader, Jack Layton.
  2. While there were many top stories of 2011,  the one the impacted me the most was the death of Bin Laden. For 10 years, they chased this terrorist in Pakistan and Afghanistan until they got him. Why so long???
  3. On the lighter side, there was the top ten bogus 911 calls. The cat that ate a woman's hamburger tops this list.
  4. Then there was the list of the top ten words that should be banished from the English language. Yes, "amazing" was overworked, but "mancave" was and still is cool. 
  5. It was a weird year for songs and singers in 2011. Performers like Rebecca Black and Justin Beiber were both very popular and unpopular. Fortunately, there were quality songs done by entertainers like Adele and Lady Antebellum. Personally, when I listen to Justin Beiber, I pine for the good old days of Donny Osmond's "Yo Yo".
  6. 2011 wasn't exactly a stellar year for movies: too many sequels, too many disappointed fans. Check out the critics. "Paul" with Simon Pegg was my favourite movie for the year.
  7. Full Tilt Poker was the crappiest online poker website of the year. Many players including myself are waiting for a refund from these clowns.
  8. "Ancient Aliens" on the history channel is one of the best TV shows of 2011. By combining historical data, myths, experts, and ancient artifacts, the stories are brought to life as "alien visitations or meddling".
  9. Best and worse phoney of the year has to go to Kim Kardashian, even her butt isn't as real as it looks.
  10. There were lots of heroes in 2011. CNN chose 10 of them. However, my personal choice was army vet JR Martinez on "Dancing With The Stars". He was an inspiration for anyone with a painful physical or mental afflication.

Happy New Year and all the the best for 2012.

 


Posted by qualteam at 3:26 PM EST
Updated: Sunday, 1 January 2012 11:48 AM EST
Monday, 26 December 2011
The Aftermath Of Christmas

While Christmas is a fun and meaningful time of the year, it's also hectic for those who put up lots decorations and invite lots of family over for Christmas and Christmas Eve dinners.

My wife, Irene, put up many Christmas displays and ornaments that thrilled our guests on Xmas Eve and Xmas Day. You can check out these displays on my Facebook page www.davebarron.info. Of course, all of these dolls/toys/villages and nativity scenes have to be put back neatly after Christmas.

As I stated before, Newfies really know how to celebrate Christmas. As well as the parties, there was a Christmas Eve dinner of salt fish, potatoes and sweets.

The next day, Irene served a "jiggs" Christmas dinner to ten close relatives. Afterwords, there were three pies, a cake, cookies and ice cream offered for dessert. It was a wonder that we didn't walk away weighing 20 lbs extra.


The meal and the clean up was a lot of work for the host (me) and the hostess (Irene), but it was worth it for another great reunion of the Noseworthy clan.

Fortunately, I have a cheap gym membership with Brampton Recreational Services to work off the additional pounds.

Past the eggnog.

 


 


Posted by qualteam at 4:00 PM EST
Updated: Monday, 26 December 2011 5:24 PM EST
Monday, 19 December 2011
Getting Ready For Christmas


What would Christmas be without family, children and  a funny looking Santa Claus? The above is a photo of the yearly, Noseworthy Christmas party.

There were close to 30 guests at the party. From left to right above, Joe Noseworthy(the host), Cecilia Hussey(great niece of Joe), Santa (Bryant Noseworthy, Joe's son), Mathias Parsons (nephew of Joe), Tony Sparkes(grandson of Joe), Blair Noseworthy(Joe's son) and Joe's granddaughter, Jessica.

These parties were and still are part of Newfoundland Christmas traditions. To see more pictures on these events, and minature villages,  unusual Christmas dolls, etc. checkout my Facebook website at www.davebarron.info.

Newfoundlanders also have their own Christmas music which harkens back to the good old days.

The "Mummer's Song" and "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" are two great examples of Newfy Christmas music.

There's more to "Preparing for Christmas" then putting up a tree, sending out cards and buying Christmas presents.

My Newfoundland extended family has taught me a great deal about the holiday spirit.


Posted by qualteam at 3:35 PM EST
Updated: Monday, 19 December 2011 4:04 PM EST
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Part Of The Music Mix: Dance Medleys And Exercise


Starting in the 70s, dance medleys became hot items at any wedding, party or disco.

The original medleys were called "Stars on 45" and featured groups like The Beach Boys and Abba.

As time passed, medleys from various decades became popular like 50s and 60s oldies, Jive Bunny, Disco Fever, 90s Techno Dance Music, etc.

I use some of these dance medleys in my exercise routines. The high energy and non-stop playing of these songs help me on the treadmill and with the weights.

Any age has its own great medleys. I found this "Beach Party Dance" performance on YouTube.

There's no excuse for not getting up and moving on the dance floor or in the gym. Your health and well being can be improved with groovy fast music.


Posted by qualteam at 2:17 PM EST
Updated: Tuesday, 13 December 2011 2:23 PM EST
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Musical Discoveries Through The Decades


Although I grew up with the "so-called oldies" of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, I did manage to make musical discoveries that had nothing to do with the top songs on the hit parade at the time.

As a teenager, I discovered on television: Al Jolson in "The Jolson Story" and Nelson Eddy/Jeanette Macdonald in "Maytime". 

I also discovered Gilbert and Sullivan in a high school production like the one on the left.

Although none of these productions had a rock and roll score, I found them all entertaining and even moving.

Al Jolson was the first singer to make black music into popular music.

Nelson Eddy and Jeanette Macdonald brought their hidden love to the big screen. 

Gilbert and Sullivan made fun of English nobility and pomposity. 

My musical journey didn't end there. I discovered great country and heavy metal songs when I performed karaoke in the1990s.

When I went to Newfoundland, I got introduced to great Newfoundland music from Harry Hibbs, Derek Pilgrim, Buddy What His Name, Simani and Roy Payne.

YouTube makes it easy for anyone to get acquainted with any kind of music. That isn't the case with radio or television which seems to pander to certain kinds of audiences who like specific things.

Fortunately, through the internet, we can break free from any artistic or cultural prison. 


Posted by qualteam at 10:33 PM EST
Updated: Wednesday, 7 December 2011 12:24 AM EST
Friday, 25 November 2011
The Future Of Music: The Tailor-Made Flashdrive Mix

I picked up a 32 gig flashdrive for $19.95 yesterday. I then realized how cheap these storage drives had become. My 2200 song library would fit into 8 gigs of this drive.

I paid for some of the songs, but most of them I got through the peer to peer network. This network doesn't exist the way it existed a couple of years ago. Take "Bearshare". It advertises itself as a free song downloading site, but try to burn a CD or download tunes for an MP3 player,  no way, Jose. You have to pay for the MP3 codes that makes songs playable on different media.

If you're starting from scratch, the cost of a diverse music library could cost you thousands of dollars. However, if you know someone with thousands of songs on a flashdrive, you can get your library cheap from him or her. 

Personally, my collection  goes from Al Jolson to Lady Gaga. This also includes many rare oldies and classical Do-Wop. I've tried to find the best english songs on Earth, according to me, naturally.

Added to the above are novelty songsanti-war songs and inspirational tunes.

I have many songs by the great artists and groups of the 20th century. Elvis Presley, Brenda Lee, Bobby Darin, The Beatles, The Beachboys, The Eagles, Abba, Fleetwood Mac are just a few of those hit makers.

Heavy metal is represented by Joan Jett, Pat Benatar, AC/DCTwisted Sister, Quiet Riot, Bon Jovi, etc.

Country is represented by Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, George Jones, Shania Twain, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, etc. 

R & B is represented by Brook Benton, Marvin Gaye, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Ray Charles, etc.

Newfoundland/Irish music is represented by Simani, Derek Pilgrim, Foster and Allen, A. Frank Willis, etc. The link on each performer's name is a YouTube video of their biggest hit.

Getting closer to present time, there's tracks from Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Adele, and Train. If something is good, moving or exciting, I'll admit it. I'm not stuck to one or two genres or a few particular artists.

If peer to peer networks hadn't been suppressed, I would probably have over 3000 songs now.

The best way to improve your song library is to find a friend with 2000 good songs who would put it on an 8 gig flashdrive for you. It might cost you some bucks, but not 2000 dollars.

Would you be interested in all or some of my collection? Email me at qualteam@rogers.com. I'm a reasonable person, but it took over 10 years to accumulate my audio treasures.

Singers may age, but youthful, passionate, high energy songs never do. The right kind of music can enhance any activity in life (exercising, relaxing, sharing meaningful moments, etc.)

Without a doubt, rock and roll has a divine origin.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!


Posted by qualteam at 1:33 PM EST
Updated: Sunday, 27 November 2011 10:57 AM EST
Monday, 21 November 2011
Changing Some Songs On My Top 1000 Play List: Adele Is Now On The List

Over the last four years, I've made few song changes on my MP3 player. However, I did notice that I was skipping certain songs frequently. These included "Bad Day", "Complicated" and Matt Monro songs (slow moving ballads).

Bad Day and Complicated are two excellent tunes, but I dropped them off my top 1000 song list.

Lately, I've been looking for youthful high energy songs with original beats and background harmonies. I didn't want to listen to music that sounded similar one song to another. That's why "The British Invasion" of the middle 1960s knocked U.S. pop music for a loop.

Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" is a fantastic song with an incredible beat that climaxes during the passionate choruses.

In looking for unique high energy material, I discovered rare treasures from Barry Mann, Bobby Darin and James Darren.

It took some searching on YouTube, but here are four new additions to my top 1000 list: Barry Mann's "Warpaint" and "Little Miss U.S.A", Bobby Darin's "Somebody To Love" and James Darren's "Mary's Little Lamb".

I love happy feel-good songs with a bit of humor in them and the four above fill the bill.

You don't have to move like Jagger. You can move wherever the music takes you.

 


Posted by qualteam at 9:29 PM EST
Updated: Monday, 21 November 2011 10:44 PM EST
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Stupid and (Funny?) Stuff In The Media

Lately, I've been looking at stories in the Media that are laughably called news. Take the "Occupation Movement in Toronto". Why don't these squatters live at home until they find a job like many of the young people in Italy.

It's amazing how the media has given so much attention to these malcontents who have  made their protest points over the last month. They just didn't go home after the wrap party.

Then there's William Shatner's goofy video on the dangers of turkey frying called "Eat, Fry, Love". Why not bake the turkey in an oven? That's probably the safest thing to do. 

How's this for a headline: "Kid's Balls Kicked Out In School". This looks like extreme bullying, but it isn't. The "balls" are footballs, soccer balls and even tennis balls which are forbidden on a school playground. Why? It seems some parent got a concussion when a soccer ball hit his head.  You have to be kidding. Players score goals by hitting a soccer ball with their head.

There's been a lot of dumb gossip about Justin Beiber and Kim Kardashian. With any luck, maybe he'll knock her up just like "The Beaver" did with his grandmother.

 


Posted by qualteam at 10:17 PM EST
Updated: Wednesday, 16 November 2011 11:59 PM EST
Friday, 11 November 2011
Remembering My Father (Eddy Barron) On 11/11/11

My father didn't have much time to do lots of "dad things" with his kids. In raising four children, he worked at one main job and two or three part-time jobs. 

He was a veteran of the Second World War and spent a great deal of time with Barrie's "Gray and Simcoe Foresters". I wrote a blog about his war experiences in this entry in 2008.

The military meant a great deal to him. He was an instructor for cadets at the Barrie Armory and he even instructed me when I was a reservist in my late teenage years.

Although, we didn't spend much time together. He got me at least five jobs during my teenage years. The first one was in a tuck shop at the armory. The second was a stint in the summer student militia. The third was a part-time job at the Barrie Post Office. The fourth was a summer caretaker job at Camp Borden and my fifth job, was as a casual mailhandler on the railway.  Some of the jobs, I didn't do so well, but he stood by me.

My father also helped my other two brothers in getting part-time jobs.

My father died at 50 while working as a railway postal clerk, but I walked in his footstep as a postie until I retired from the postal service a couple of years ago.

I'm proud to have Eddy Barron as my father. He set a good example by supporting his country and his family with dedication and sacrifice. 

 


 


Posted by qualteam at 10:26 PM EST
Updated: Friday, 11 November 2011 11:17 PM EST

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