Greece is the Word

The Hunsperger family invades Greece
Santorini

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm continuing my series of travel blogs with another one from our trip to Europe.  To catch you up, my in-laws took us all to France for my brother-in-law's wedding in 2006.  After the nuptials, the rest of us took a Mediterranean cruise.  If you missed the Italian ice cream incident, click here...

Let the games begin...
Olympia 

The ship made several stops, all were great for various reasons.  Our first stop in Greece was Olympia, site of the first Olympic games and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  The historical aspect of course made it an awesome visit.  We weren't able to take pictures inside the museums, but I did pose with the kids at Olympia.  The boys and I ran the length of a field there too, as the Chariots of Fire song played in my head.

Donkey grande!

The next day we arrived in Santorini.  The highlight of that visit was the donkey ride up the mountain.  Because our kids were so small at the time, we had to partner up with them.  Lisa, with a backpack stroller carrying Brooke, rode her donkey with Ethan.  The man putting us on the donkeys said "Donkey grande for you!"  Mason and I rode together.  Basically we hoofed up the mountain and back down.  We stopped at one point and got a quick family shot over the edge with the sea in the background.

Windmills of Myknos

After getting back on the boat, we cruised the rest of the afternoon and made a night stop in Myknos.  I think this was my favorite stop in Greece.  We found some really neat windmills there, which made the backdrop for another Hunsperger family photo.  We dined on one of my favorite desserts, Baklava.  The kids had chocolate ice cream and we washed down the sweets with a Coca Cola. 

This stop was short and sweet as we headed back for the boat after a couple of hours.  It was fun and very memorable.

Your Thoughts, Your Health

Herman Louw, Jeff Rose, Kevin Hunsperger
2014 Southern Illinois Men's Health Conference

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I invite everyone to read my blog, but this particular post I'm hoping to reach men around southern Illinois.  Since 2009, I've been the co-chairman of the Southern Illinois Men's Health Conference.  The 2014 event just wrapped up, and I'm striking while the iron is hot for 2015.

Jeff Rose
2014 Conference

I'm appreciative of the 120 plus men who attended the event.  And I can't thank my co-chair Herman Louw (who also blogs), the committee members, and the Women for Health and Wellness board enough for all they do leading up to the conference.  It's a huge undertaking.  Our keynote speaker in 2014 is a friend of mine, Jeff Rose.  He has done just about everything under the sun and has done it successfully.  He's also a blogger, who inspired me to create My 1-2-3 Cents nearly four years ago.

Breakout session
Exercise!

This post is for the guys who didn't attend the conference this year, or those who have NEVER attended the Southern Illinois Men's Health Conference.  I want your feedback.  You don't have to post it here.  Click here to email me.  I want to know what we can do to make the event attractive to you.  I got some interesting comments during the course of the day, but that's from people who were there.  I want to hear from guys who haven't come to the conference.

Please take a few minutes and give me your thoughts.  Thanks!

Homer Simpson: The Real Mr. Wrestlemania

Homer vs. Andre
Wrestlemania III 

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

Two of my favorite things in the world are professional wrestling and The Simpsons.  Since Wrestlemania turns 30 this year and the Simpsons turn 25, I decided to have a little fun.  I took a Homer Simpson toy and had him stand in for a WWE Superstar from the past 29 Wrestlemanias.  I was somewhat limited in my wrestlers and even busted a few of them out of their packaging for this.  

You can see the results in the video below.  I did do a bonus one for Wrestlemania 20 because I thought the shot was funny.  Enjoy.

Way Back WhensDay: The Muppets

The Muppets

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

I'm old enough to remember when the Muppet Show came on TV once a week in prime time.  My family would gather around the television and sing the opening theme song along with the colorful cast of characters created by the genius, Jim Henson.  There was something magical about that 30 minutes of television each week and I was always sad when the show would come to an end.  

From the corny skits to the guest stars (human form) to the Muppets themselves, I was captivated each week.  The show spawned several great movies, that I remember watching in the theaters at the time each was released.  The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan came out in the span of five years.  With them, a collection of drinking glasses, t-shirts, and other sundries.

Me & Rolf

As the films grew in popularity with me, I began collecting plush versions of my favorites characters.  The first and probably my favorite piece of the collection is Rolf.  He's an actual puppet too.  Through the years, I added Miss Piggy and Fozzie (also puppets) as well as stuffed versions of Kermit, Gonzo, and Scooter.  I could not get enough of them, and truth be told, my Muppets are still in a box in my attic, sometimes I break them out for blogging and vlogging purposes.

Muppets Most Wanted
Photo courtesy: Disney 

When Disney bought the company from the Henson family, I think many people feared the worst.  I think it was a great move and the legacy of Kermit, Miss Piggy, The Swedish Chef, and the gang will continue to live on.  In fact, there are new movies being released and a renewed interest in the 40 year old institution.  That doesn't include the undying love for Sesame Street and all the characters America has come to love through the decades.

So whether it's Big Bird, Oscar the Grouch, Kermit, or one of the Fraggles, the work that Jim Henson created so long ago has left a huge mark on pop culture.  I'm glad to say that I watched those movies with my parents, and now as the updated versions are coming out, I'm starting that tradition with my kids.  

For the worst impression of Fozzie Bear watch the video below...

Don't Pity Him, Fools

Mr. T vs. Roddy Piper
Photo courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

WWE has announced Mr. T will be going into the Celebrity Wing of the Hall of Fame.  Obviously, this is a good choice in terms of celebrity inductions.  Mr. T was one of the big draws for Wrestlemania as his star power from the A-Team helped bring wrestling into the main stream or the main stream to wrestling.

Boxing at Wrestlemania II
Photo courtesy: WWE

At that first Wrestlemania, Mr. T and Hulk Hogan teamed up to beat Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.  According to Piper, there is legit hard feelings between he and the actor, as Piper feels T didn't respect the business.  When the two met a year later in a boxing match at Wrestlemania II, the heat was still there.  

Mr. T made a few more appearances with the WWF in the late 80's.  I remember him serving as an enforcer referee during the Honky Tonk Man-Jake Roberts feud.  I believe he was even doing that on the house show circuit at a match in St. Louis.  He also went on to support Hogan when he moved to WCW and beat Ric Flair for the heavyweight title.

Hogan, Snuka, & Mr. T
Photo courtesy: WWE

Mr. T then faded away not just from wrestling, but it seemed the main stream too.  I know he had some health issues at one point.  There's also the rumor that he refused to be inducted in the Hall of Fame earlier because he wasn't happy with the payday.  I'm glad those issues (if they exist) have been resolved.

I've talked about it before, I'm not a huge fan of the celebrity wing, but it obviously serves a purpose.  The WWE is about sports entertainment, and the men so far inducted have proven they're not making a mockery of wrestling.  I do think that Cyndi Lauper needs to be the next (and first woman) inducted into that celebrity wing.  But for now, props to Mr. T, a well deserved honor for the 80's icon.

Okay, I'm in My Forties

Happy 41

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

Turning 40 was not hard for me.  I embraced it.  I blogged about it in a series of posts called "Facing 40."  In fact, turning 30 was harder for me.  I don't know why that is, but I suspect it has something to do with being 10 years wiser; blah, blah, blah.  

When I turned 40, I convinced myself that I was not yet in my forties.  I viewed 40 as its own age group.  It was partly tongue and cheek, partly me being serious.  

After my half marathon

Now here I am, age 41.  I accomplished several things during age 40.  I finished my goal of running 500 miles.  I actually clocked 503 by the end of 2013.  A month ago I ran my first half-marathon.  I hope to do another one before the end of the year.  I think the running may be a part of wanting to become more fit, but also part of a midlife crisis.  I'm trying to turn back or at least slow down the hands of time.

Not really me...

I've also declared 2014 "Operation Find My Abs", which is a quest to actually reveal a six-pack under the keg I've built up.  I know this is totally narcissistic of me to say, but I'm just being honest here.  I've lost sight of that goal recently, snacking on Girl Scout cookies, candy, and other sweet treats.  I've cut the sugar from my coffee and given up cereal for Lent (even though I'm not Catholic) in my attempts to lose some weight and tone up.  I'm learning it's much more than exercising, but eating right is key to this.

I want my 40's to be more fit than my 30's.  I've already run more in the first year than I did in that decade.  Thanks for reading and not judging me, or at least to my face.  

Caribbean King

Carlos Colon

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

WWE announced on Friday Night SmackDown! that legendary Puerto Rican star Carlos Colon is joining the Ultimate Warrior, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Lita, and Paul Bearer in the Hall of Fame Class of 2014.  Colon is a deserving inductee, who is still considered a wrestling god on his native island.

Brody gnaws away

Growing up in the midwest, we didn't get Colon's World Wrestling Council program.  But I remember reading about him in all the wrestling magazines I could get my hands on.  There would be full color spreads of him battling Abdullah the Butcher, Bruiser Brody, and Ric Flair.  Each time, Carlos was bleeding like a stuck pig.  One magazine photo still burned in my brain featured Colon vs. Abdullah with barbed wire ropes.  I can't find it online and my magazine collection is way to large to go through and find today.  The guy was tough as a two dollar steak (thanks JR) and had dozens of scars to prove it.  By the looks of his forehead his scars even have scars.

Action figures

In the mid 80s, the AWA came up with a line of action figures to compete with the WWF's line of LJN figures.  Their guys were smaller, but poseable.  They reminded me of the Masters of the Universe toys, only smaller.  The company behind the wrestlers released a two pack of Abdullah and Carlos.  I remember using a tube of fake blood to smear across both their heads when they'd wrestle.  The cloth ring cover was soaked in that blood as it looked like real wars happened there.

1993 Royal Rumble
Photo courtesy: WWE

I remember him doing some work in the AWA, at least I think it was.  Then there was also the 1993 Royal Rumble. I believe that was the one and only time Carlos wrestled for the WWF/E.  He was one of the surprise entrants (at least I think he was unannounced).  It was nice to see someone I had read so much about and only actually wrestle a few times, appear on the big stage of the WWF.  

Now of course, Carlos' two sons Carlito and Primo are household names in the wrestling world, having held the WWE tag team titles.  Rumor has it Carlito will be one of the inductors for his father next month in New Orleans. It'll be good to see him again and hear more about the legendary career of Carlos Colon.