Project 190: Update 5

  Weight (2024-01-28)  221.2 lbs

Change since last week:  +2.4 lbs

Change since January 1st:  -1.8 lbs

And... a step back.  Annoying.  Need to get more serious.  I'm hoping by recording these publicly, it will encourage me to get more serious.  

Rush Retrospective: Album 01- Rush

 

Album:  Rush

Year Released:   1974

Lineup:  

• Geddy Lee – lead vocals, bass guitar
• Alex Lifeson – guitar, backing vocals
• John Rutsey – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Overall Thoughts:

Rush is well known as straddling the line between Progressive Rock and Hard Rock.  But what if they were a Blues Band? 

Their first album (and only one without Neil Peart) is a different sound.  The drums are more basic (Rutsey is not a bad drummer by any means, but Peart added several more dimensions to the band), and the lyrics are far from the themes they would be known for.  ("Need Some Love" and "Take A Friend" would both fit in a ZZTop album)

But the framework of Rush's sound are there from the beginning.  Lifeson's guitar work is excellent, and so is Geddy Lee's bass and distinctive voice.  And when the band moves away from songs about hooking up, they show some clever lyrics.

"Working Man" is the big hit that launched their careers, and it remains a great song.  It's an anthem for a Blue-Collar worker, and right away you can see the appeal.

The surprise song to me was "Here Again"- it could have fit in perfectly with other Blues-Rock bands like Cream or Derek and the Dominos.  

Their first album is a good album- you can hear the tools.  But adding Neil Peart changed their direction, and it shows.

Ranking of Rush Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. Rush

Top 10 Rush Songs (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. "Working Man", Rush
2. "Here Again", Rush
3. "Finding My Way", Rush
4. "Before and After", Rush
5. "In the Mood", Rush
6. "What You're Doing", Rush
7. "Take A Friend", Rush
8. "Need Some Love", Rush
9.  
10.  

Rush Retrospective: Prologue

 A little project I'm starting for 2024...

Rush is my favorite band to listen to.  I'm a fan, but I'm nowhere near their biggest fan (my wife might be in the running for that title).  

In fact, on the R40 DVD, for a couple of seconds on the Tom Sawyer song, the camera does a crowd shot and you can catch us (Katie is jamming the air guitar; I'm the goofball standing next to here)

Lately I've been on a kick of listening to their music- and reading My Effin' Life, Geddy Lee's biography.

So I'm going to do a Rush Retrospective.  Go through their catalogue, album by album, give my (amateurish) thoughts on the songs, and rank the albums and songs.

Besides, what else am I going to do on this blog- talk about the Presidential Election?

Coming up soon- their Debut Album.  

Project 190: Update 4

 Weight (2024-01-21)  218.8 lbs

Change since last week:  -0.2 lbs

Change since January 1st:  -4.2 lbs

Nice recovery after a bad step mid-week.

One of the rules I'm trying to follow is to only eat in a certain timeframe:  8AM-6PM.  It's too easy for me to eat late night.  

Yesterday I had a big lunch and didn't get home until after 8PM, so I skipped dinner entirely.  Annoying, but tolerable. 

Project 190: Update 3.5

Current Weight:  222.4 lbs.

Two observations from yesterday:

1)  'Hangry' is a real thing.  I often act stressed at work but I normally keep it in check.  Yesterday I really was stressed and I responded by eating constantly.

2)  Bread seems to be my weakness- when I eat bread (not necessarily carbs, but specifically breads and pasta), my weight skyrockets.

Knowing may not be half the battle- but it's a good first step.  Time to pick myself up and continue.

Project 190: Update 3

Weight (2024-01-08)  219.0 lbs

Change since last week:  +0.2 lbs

Change since January 1st:  -4.0 lbs

I did botch things on Friday- went out when I was starving, and ate an entire 12" pizza.  Not too proud of that.  

On the other hand, I didn't feel great after eating- in fact, I felt miserable.  So my theory is that I'm training my body to appreciate healthier foods and reject unhealthier foods.

It's a marathon, not a sprint.  I'm not doing this to get to a certain rate by a certain date- it's to get healthier for the rest of my life.

But I need someone to smack my hands when I grab a third slice of pizza.

2023-2024 NFL Playoffs Support Rankings

The NFL Playoffs for Super Bowl LVIII start tomorrow.  I'm ranking the 14 playoff teams by two methods- are they likely to win the Super Bowl, and who I want to win the Super Bowl.

The team I want to win and the team I think will win

Let's do the 'likely to win' rating first:

1. San Francisco 49ers
2. Baltimore Ravens
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Philadelphia Eagles
6. Cleveland Browns
7. Detroit Lions
8. Buffalo Bills
9. Los Angeles Rams
10. Miami Dolphis
11. Houston Texans
12. Green Bay Packers
13. Pittsburgh Steelers
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are three franchises that are considered 'cursed'- Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Detroit Lions- and with their track record, I tend to always expect something bad to happen to them.  So I've lowered their rankings by 3-5 spots.

The 49ers and the Ravens are the best teams this year.  But it's been a weird year- no one has been consistently great.  I could see just about any team get hot and be in the Super Bowl.

On the 'want to win' ranking, I'm in a quandry.  I used to be a Browns fan.  But when they paid a quarter billion dollars for DeShaun Watson, I broke with them completely.  It managed to be a bad football move and offensive.  The city has had to deal with a shitty organization forever- you'd think that at least they wouldn't get behind a serial sexual predator.  So I broke with them.

Naturally, they had a great year- but not with Watson.  He was injured (and didn't play that well).  Instead, the Browns picked up Joe Flacco from retirement- and he's been great for the team.  

So, rooting for the Browns isn't rooting for Watson... but it is rooting for the organization that brought in Watson.  Ugh.

My ranking for who I want to win:

1. Buffalo Bills
2. Detroit Lions (then a gap)
3. Cleveland Browns (then a gap)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (lower because they won it last year)
5. Houston Texans
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. Los Angeles Rams (not a fan of LA teams, but they are playing well)
8. San Francisco 49ers
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (solely for Baker Mayfield)
10. Green Bay Packers
11. Dallas Cowboys 
12. Philadelphia Eagles
13. Miami Dolphins (then a GIANT gap)
14. Baltimore Ravens (still bitter...)

Final note:  I've gone from being a fan of the Cleveland Browns to being a fan of the Buffalo Bills.  If the Browns win and the Bills lose in a heartbreaking fashion, the evidence that I myself am the sports curse will be damned strong...