The Saints come marchin' in

The Saints come marchin’ in

Whether you’re a believer or not, there are a couple of days in the month of February that we set aside to commemorate the feast days of some popular saints, and maybe one not so popular, saint.

For instance, everyone knows that on the 14th of the month, we set aside some time to commemorate the feast of St Valentine…patron of love and bleeding hearts everywhere. The good St Valentine provides us with a couple of reasons to celebrate….one economic, the other a little more “physical”, if you will. Florists, candy vendors, restaurants, seedy resorts in the Poconos all benefit from the commemoration we give to this holy figure. Sort of a financial boost to the lagging economy. Sales of the DVD “The Notebook” hit record numbers…if you can stand watching it at all, and “KY His and Hers”…..fuggetaboutit! The manufacturers watch with glee as sales shoot through the roof….if you’ll pardon the pun!

Then there’s the universally celebrated Saint who’s name no one knows, but who’s day we all celebrate on the first weekend of the month. I’m referring to St. Mort eh Fame’….patron of over eaters everywhere. This saint’s origins, much like St. Nicholas or St. Patrick, are still being hashed out. I’m guessing he’s a creation of the NFL, the big 3 TV networks, Hormel, and Perdue. Why Hormel and Perdue you ask? Well, one is the largest purveyor of chili in the land and the other has a vested interest in chicken wings! Both the officially recognized modes of celebrating. But one wonders, can one substitute, say lasagna, for the wings and not provoke the ire of the good Saint? Well we at the Rossi manse have made the pasta substitution in years past with very consequence. But whatever you do, don’t serve salad, or else you’ll be cursed for the rest of the year….and Beano afterwards is only for the faint of heart.

The one who may have escaped your gaze is St Blaise…patron saint of the upper respiratory system. He is of particular interest to any of us that talk for a living since he protects the throat from all sorts of maladies…or so the legend goes. Every year in the first week of February, the priest from our local parish would make an appearance in class with two candles forming a cross, and bound together with a ribbon. He would then have you sort of walk into the space between the two candles, and with the candles firmly implanted around your throat, he would then place his hands over your head and say a blessing. ( I know that this may sound like some medieval torture, but that was, and probably still is the drill!) This, I suspect, was supposed to take the place of cough medicine since no one had medical insurance back then!
However, my faith in his restorative powers was tested a couple of years when I invited a priest friend of mine to the radio station where I was working, and had him perform the ritual on both me and one of the promotional staff. I had no problem taking part, but I could see that my much younger co-worker was not familiar with the practice, and actually recoiled in horror when the priest placed the candles around his neck. One, two, three, chop, chop…and it was done! My co-worker survived the ordeal, but much to my amazement, called in sick the next day with a sore throat and a fever!

So here’s to the doldrums of winter. May your celebration be a happy one, filled with good cheer, and just in case....keep the Robitussen handy!

190 and counting…….

I’m sure you’re aware of Oprah Winfrey’s well documented battle with her weight. She now claims that she’s fallen off the wagon and ballooned to 200 pounds. No more cover shots of her anymore from the midsection on down!

Not that I’m comparing myself to her…but you’d have to figure it had to be easier for her stick to a plan….when you have untold millions and God knows how many people in your employ hired specifically to make sure that you’re up at 4 in the morning to work out and eat right! So how is it she falls off the wagon…..and if she can’t stick to a plan, how much harder is it going to be for me….or for that matter, for you!

This morning, after having a weekend of Chinese food, birthday cake, and God knows what else…..I got on the scale in the gym and had my first case of full blown denial. “No, this thing has to be *&^%$#ed up, can’t be right!” The big one nine oh! Red zone a go go……just where I don’t want to be. Marching backwards!

So, how does one rededicate oneself to the plan that you thought would be so easy to do once you got into a routine?

This morning was a good start….workout at 6, home by 7:15, black coffee, protein shake, and here I am by the computer hoping that I’ll be able to formulate something for the rest of the day, and, for that matter, for the week! I know how hard it is each day to stick to a plan, especially when, in the morning, the bed is so warm and comfy! Is it the same for you and have you had the same epiphany? If so, let me know, and fill me in on what you’re doing to get back on track..and better still, to stay on track!

Even the "trainer" needs a boost every now and then.

Nice Try

Had the Eagles won the NFC championship…..difficult though it may have been to take….I would have rooted for them to win it all!

Yes you’ve read right…..I’d have jumped on the bandwagon. However, the thought would have been unbearable….it’s just not in my DNA. Hurts my hair just thinking about it….and I don’t have much to begin with!

But all that aside, I am truly sorry for Eagles fans not seeing their team get to play in the big one. (Ok, maybe not that sorry, but still….) I never liked jumping on anyone’s grave….it’s bad karma. In fact, if you can believe this, I actually had the blog all written out as to why I would have rooted for the Eagles. And no, I don’t think I put the mallocchio on them by writing it before the game…I think my reasons for wanting to see them win are pretty valid….at least in my mind.

And here are the reasons:

Number 1: Many of my friends and close associates are Philly sports fans….they bleed Phillies red and Eagles Green. During the Giants improbable run to the Super Bowl last year, one of them watched with me and audibly cheered when Eli Manning got to hoist the Lombardi trophy. Yeah, I know that he silently wanted to barf, but at least he had the grace to take delight in something that, to him, must have been like getting a root canal.

Don’t you think that the least I could have done was to return the favor?

Another of my Philly fan friends is actually a stage 4 cancer patient. I was with him the day the Phillies clinched the National League East….in fact, I made sure to juice the sound up on the TV so he could see and hear the climactic moment as Joe Buck proclaimed the Phillies champions of the National League East! (I know, I’m about to be canonized St Erasmo of Jersey!)

Number 2: Everyone likes a good comeback story…and this one would have had all the makings of a gem! It wasn’t too too many weeks ago that the chant was, “Andy Reid’s a bum, Donovan McNabb should be run out of town”…blah, blah, blah. You had to figure Donovan was done when, after the Bengals game, he was asked if he knew the game could end in a tie…and he didn’t know! Ooo faa! That made me think back to the “aw shucks” looks that Eli Manning would give whenever he’d throw a pick, and I pretty much knew…yes, I know that feeling. All you need do is substitute the names Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning for Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb; and the similarities hit you in the face.

The life lesson here could easily have been that you’re never really out of it….as long as you have a pulse and the will! Well, it sure looked like they had the will when they beat the Giants……not so much with the Cards. So I guess the chants of “Andy Reid’s a bum, Donovan McNabb should be run out of town”…will start all over again!

On February 1st, there will be a Super Bowl party at the Rossi mansion, and even though there won’t be any Eagles tchochkis …you gotta at least give me credit for making an effort! No? Besides, pitchers and catchers real soon, then the fun really starts!