Determined To Succeed

OK, how sad is it that Gary Coleman has passed away at the age of 42? I have to admit I’m in a bit of shock. Not as much shock as when I heard Michael Jackson or Brittany Murphy died but a bit of shock, nonetheless. I remember growing up and tuning in to “Diff’rent Strokes” on whatever night of the week it was on. Me and my friends always, ALWAYS, used to imitate Coleman’s Arnold character saying “whatchoo talkin’ bout, Willis?” And it wasn’t just the comedic timing and incredible delivery of the line…it was those damn chubby cheeks, too.

I had chubby cheeks when I was a kid, too, but was neither as cute nor had a fan base that kept wanting me to repeat a line over and over again. I never had a catch phrase. I was just a fat kid, and my chubby cheeks were the result of me eating badly, eating often and not exercising. Hell, if anything my catch phrase was “you gonna eat that?”

OK, that made me chuckle just a bit.

I think the thing that strikes me most is the fact that Gary Coleman died at 42. I will turn 40 in December and think the best years of my life are ahead of me and here’s this cat who’s just died and he was only 2 years (two-and-a-half years) older than that. Wow. It blows me away. And why do I feel like the best years of my life are ahead of me? You guessed it. Because I lost weight, weight that was definitely holding me back from doing things. Weight that kept more of the “real” Bill from being seen. Weight that very well might have killed me at or around 40.

So today, I get up (late again, so sorry) to write before trying to start my Memorial Day weekend. There are things I need to do (well, try to do) and Coleman’s passing reminds us (OK, me) ever so gently to get out there, do these things and live life the best we can. As much as I sit and write about and discuss weight (yes, the seemingly ever-present “Battle of the Final Ten”) I know in my heart I’ve already gotten to that goal before and I will again. I beat this. I overcame the weight thing before and these last few pounds are just a revisit of endgame, nothing more. I will never go back to being 400 pounds. I have too much riding on the investment I’ve already made in myself and it has nothing to do with money or position or things. It has everything to do with just being able to wake up every day and have the ability to do these things. I want to skydive out of a plane (yes, a perfectly good plane), I want to climb a mountain, do a stunt for a movie, bungee off a bridge (yes, a perfectly good bridge), meet James Earl Jones and tell him I got into radio because of him. I also want to travel the world more, go scuba diving and so much more…all of which are now possible without weight in my way.

That’s what I’m talkin’ bout, Willis.

PS: I know my friends in the Philly area are not gomna like me too much for saying this but one of the things I want to see is every major Chicago team win a respective championship in my lifetime. I’ve seen the Monsters of the Midway, the Chicago Bears, win the Superbowl. I’ve seen the Chicago White Sox win the World Series. And no doubt everyone has seen the Bulls’ NBA trophies in the years of its dynasty led by Michael Jordan. And now, “Here Come The Hawks, ” The Chicago Blackhawks who play tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. I am thrilled. The team has not won the Cup since 1961, the longest current cup drought in the NHL. At 49 years, it is the second longest Stanley Cup drought in NHL history. So let’s go Hawks…

…now as long as I can keep my healthy lifestyle going long enough to see my beloved Chicago Cubs win that ever-elusive World Series…

Did you watch the Oscars last night? I know I did. It is my holiday. It is my Superbowl. It is my World Series. It is my Wimbledon, Daytona 500 and Masters all rolled into one golden eight-and-a-half pound statue made in my sweet home Chicago.

But I was sick yesterday and as I night wore on I regressed. Maybe I pushed myself too hard in staying up so late. I don’t know but for whatever reason this cold has embedded itself in my chest like “Alien” (although I wish I could cough it all out and finally feel better).

As I hunkered down on the sofa watching Hollywood’s big night I had a wonderful (and healthy) beef barley soup (soup IS good food, especially for the sick). In-between bowls I thought about these Oscars. Were there many surprises? Not in my book. I was involved in two Oscar pools and except for the documentary (short and long-form), animated short and the surprise of “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Saphire” winning Best Adapted Screenplay and that weird, overbearing woman doing a Kanye and just taking over the damn microphone from the guy when Best Documentary Short was announced, I have to say the Oscars were very, very predictable this year.

How does this equate to food? Well, I started thinking about Oscar foods. No, not the kind made by a certain Wolfgang Puck for the various parties in La-La-Land. I mean the kinds of potluck dishes people can make next year for their own Oscar parties.

Let’s take some of the winners and turn them into yummy foods, desserts and drinks:

You could offer from “Inglorious Custards” a Christoph Meat-Baltz (I mean really. Who doesn’t love a good meatball as an appetizer or sandwich. There’s also “The Blind Side Dishes” dessert somewhere featuring “Candy” Bullock or from “Glazy Tarts,”  Jeff (potato) Ridges.

This one’s a tie. A toss up between “The Yo-Gurt Locker” or “The Hurt Meat Locker” (whether you go with a healthier dessert theme or an anti-pasta you can’t really blow this – HA!)

For those who are thirsty you could have “The Beery Kind (especially since Jeff Bridges was loaded most of the time in “Crazy Heart”) or plain old 7-”Up” (although that one’s almost too easy).

“The Young Pigtoria” (everything tastes better with bacon and maybe scallops wrapped in bacon would be a good way to honor this Oscar winner for Costume Design)

And finally, the biggest box-office champ of all-time – “AVATAR.” These might sound bad but you could try “Caviartar” (if your party is REALLY high-end and you like fish eggs on crackers from Russia), or if not a food you could post a sign on your bathroom calling it the “Lavatar” for the night (that one even made me chuckle a bit).

Whatever kind of event gets you going (NASCAR, golf, tennis, baseball or football), if you’re gonna have fattening foods at these things make them fun but remember to have them in moderation, planning for them both before the event and after. In the meantime we have another year of movies to see, places to go and snacks to eat.  Just try to cut back on the popcorn (it’s horrible for you) and sneak in your own healthier food instead.

Shhhhhh. Don’t tell ‘em I said that. Enjoy the movies.