Tag Archives: Georgia Bulldogs

The "ORB IN ACTION photo contest" rolls on, and another happy recipient of a FREE Original Retro Brand tee has been chosen.  last week, we received an entry from bar owner Billy Allen of Atlanta, Georgia, that was "bigger than life" in the eyes of our judges.  Check it out below and we think you'll agree:

HE'S HUSKY

Here are the comments Billy sent along with the photo: “I don’t have the opportunity to get behind the bar too often, but when I do, I need to be comfortable and look cool too.  My Original Retro Brand shirts have both those angles covered.  Customers ALWAYS ask me – where did you get that shirt?, and that is confirmation for me that I am on point.  I have one more thing to say: The Original Retro Brand is the best shirt in the world for the best bar in the world!”

We have already notified Billy about his winning entry and he has chosen the Georgia Bulldogs shirt (Now there is a man with good taste!) below, right.  We promise to send out promptly.

There are only 4 weeks left in the current contest, and we would really love to see more entries.  IT'S EASY TO ENTER!!!  Just e-mail yours truly (andyphyman@gmail.com) a picture of yourself (or you and your friends) wearing an Original Retro Brand shirt at work or play, with a brief description of what you do for a living and/or what you love to do for fun while sporting your Original Retro Brand gear.  We’ll post your picture and description on this blog when we receive, and on the Original Retro Brand Facebook Fan page. The Original Retro Brand Staff will choose the photo/description each week that they believe best represents the spirit of the Original Retro Brand Fan, and the person who sent in the photo will win a FREE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND t-shirt! A new winner will be announced every Monday through Christmas Eve.  We will then take all the winners, and pick the overall best picture for our grand prize winner and announce on New Year’s Day.  The Grand Prize will be your choice of 4 Original Retro Brand t-shirts!  Also remember to stay updated on all that is Original Retro Brand by following us on Twitter and Facebook.  We need more entries NOW for week # 4, so please send them in!!!

You know what else is downright scary?  My ability to make decent college football picks!  Going into this past weekend, I had a 5-7 record, and eagerly devoured and dissected the smorgasbord of  big games on the schedule in anticipation of leap-frogging over the .500 mark and then some.  The final result of my efforts resulted in 2 wins and 5 losses, bringing my "expert" pick tally to a deplorable 7-12 (.368).  A few of the teams I picked did cover the spread (Tennessee nearly pulled it off over Bama, but got beat by the SEC refs, and Mississippi State got a little of the same against Florida...SEC officiating worse than my picks this year!), but I've been basing the record on straight up W's & L's, and must take my medicine and hope the Halloween Gods will be in my corner this Saturday.   DON'T FORGET TO ENTER CODE HWEEN AT CHECKOUT AND RECEIVE 25% OFF ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND GEAR FOR OUR FEATURED TEAMS (Florida, Georgia, USC, Oregon) FOR GAMES/PICKS OF THE WEEK!!

GAME # 1: Surely an easy way to improve my record will be to forget betting with my heart, and pick the Florida Gators to rout my beloved Georgia Bulldogs in the world's largest outdoor cocktail party.   Let's face facts: The Dawgs just ain't SEC great this year.  The running game does not have the usual breakaway threat, and Joe Cox at QB is likeable enough, but he's just not Matthew Stafford, David Greene, Eric Zeier, Mike Bobo, or Fran Tarkenton!  They did step up and open the season out of conference on the road, but lost a tough battle against a very strong # 10 ranked, Big 12 Oklahoma State Cowboy squad.  Certainly they got ripped off against LSU (reference SEC refs in first paragraph), but still should have taken care of business between the hedges.   The Gators are ranked # 1 for a reason: They find a way to win no matter what.  They are favored by 17, and why not?  They own the Dawgs in Jacksonville, having taken 16 out of the last 20 meetings.  I love coach Mark Richt, but his mellow persona seems to have rubbed off on his team, and being mellow does not cut it in the SEC:  Florida  42,  Georgia 21.     That was painful....and so will the trip home from Oregon for the USC Trojans......

GAME # 2:  Certainly this is the Pac-10 marquis game of the year (since USC clobbered CAL).  The # 10 Oregon Ducks are flat out rolling, outscoring their last 5 opponents 192 -62.  They crushed the same Washington Husky team that gave USC their only loss of the season handily on the road in Washington, 43-19.   At the same time, the # 5 Trojans were not able to cover the spread in their last two victories over Notre Dame and Oregon State.   Both teams are basically neck & neck in all statistical team categories in the Pac-10, but I think the home field advantage will lift Oregon to victory.  USC QB Matt Barkley does lead the conference in passing, but Oregon QB  Jeremiah Mesoli is not far behind and has 7 touchdown on the ground.   Can't wait to see what quacky uniform the Ducks will wear as they continue to roll in big upset:   Oregon 28, USC 21.

Tricks and Treats:  I thought # 3 Texas would have a tougher time against Mizzou last week, but they routed them, and will do the same against # 14 Oklahoma State in Stillwater: Longhorns 38, Cowboys 17.....# 25 Ole Miss has to travel to Auburn who has dropped 3 straight after opening 5-0.  The Tigers will rise to the occasion: Auburn 28, Mississippi 24.....Both # 13 Virginia Tech and North Carolina lost brutally hard fought games to ACC rivals Georgia Tech and Florida State respectively last week.  The Hoakies must win out to have any shot at the ACC Championship game and the Tarheels are looking for their first conference win:  VTech 35, North Carolina 14.....Purdue has proven they are much better than their 3-5 record after shocking Ohio State, and Wisconsin has lost 2 straight after busting out 5-0.   Wisconsin nearly ended # 11 Iowa's dream season and will not drop another at home:  Badgers 24, Boilermakers 14.

One last prediction for this week:  The Yankees will beat the Phillies.....in Game # 1.  Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

Where did the time go?  The Original Retro Brand FIGHT FOR THE FIT challenge that started back on August 3rd, is about to come to an end this Saturday, October 31st with my final weigh-in.  12 lucky folks have won a FREE Original Retro Brand shirt, including today's winner.  Whoever guesses my weight closest for the Halloween finale, will win a Bodybugg from 24Hr Fitness in addition to 2 Original Retro Brand shirts of their choice!

My goal of losing 30 lb's in 3 months so I could fit my Georgia Bulldogs XL Original Retro Brand shirt, and dress as an Original Retro Brand model for Halloween, will not be met I am sad to report.    I was only able to lose 1 measley lb this past week, leaving me 7.5 short with just 5 days before final weigh-in (I will not be going on a 5 day fast!).  Anybody that has battled the bulge knows that it is so extremely difficult to lose the weight, and so much easier to gain.   You bust your butt all week, and then even just one day of indulgence can tip that frickin' scale a notch against you.  I had the pleasure of working a trunk show this past Saturday with my pal Angela, and took the liberty of gorging on all of the delicacies that were offered (7 layer taco dip X 30 dips = thousands of empty calories) and that simply led into a lazy Sunday in which I will not elaborate what foodstuffs were consumed ( Egg McMuffins, pizza, chicken parm, wings, chips, and even some fruit!).

Hey, I'm not into walking the catwalk anyway.  And even though I won't reach my goal, my Georgia shirt actually does fit me well enough for me to proudly wear in public again.   I promise to give my all out this last week and break that dang 220 mark.   I haven't seen the scale say 219 or less since I was in college, and that is 27 years ago.

Before I forget, the winner for this week is Dante Samuel of Brick, New Jersey.  He has chosen an orange New York Islanders shirt - one of my personal favorites.   This is the comment he left and I couldn't agree more:  "220 is the psychological breaking point and too tough to break…..220.5"    Regardless, I am going to break that 220 barrier as my last shot at some glory!

If you are just reading this blog for the first time, why not take a shot at winning a FREE shirt from Original Retro Brand.   All you have to do is enter what you think I will weigh this coming Saturday in the Post/View comment section of this blog post.  Whoever comes closest will win (in the event of a tie, which happens frequently, names will be drawn from an Original Retro Brand hat to determine the winner).   You could also win a Bodybugg from 24HR Fitness.  The Bodybugg is an excellent motivating device which counts your calories on a daily basis, in addition to nutritional breakdowns, advice, etc., and has easily helped me lose weight during this challenge.

This will also be the last week of donating $5 a day to the American Cancer Society's Relayforlife.   It's a great cause, please check em' out if you can.  You can follow my progress (or lack of..) on Facebook and  Twitter.

73 days are in the books - only 19 days left in the Original Retro Brand FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE.  Hang in with me just 3 more weeks!  My goal was two-fold;  firstly to get my fat a** in good physical condition after an eye opening mid-life crisis moment that occurred back in late Summer (see this post from July for details), and secondly by accomplishing step one, I could then fit comfortably into my old beloved extra-large, extra comfortable, extra durable, extra retro Georgia Bulldog Original Retro Brand shirt that used to fit just fine 4 years ago.  At the time of my mid-life crisis, it fit me like a dang sausage casing (really tight)!!

I think I've attained step one.   After dropping 3.5 more lbs this past week, I feel like I'm truly back in good physical condition.  It was 4 years ago that I actually participated in a mini - triathlon (1 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, 6 mile run) and yes, it was the "Clydesdale" division, and yes, I came in second to last, but I did finish!   The point is I can run 3 miles a day now with my eyes closed and it feels GREAT!

Step 2 still has not been attained, however.  I may be in good physical condition, but physical SHAPE is another story.  I still have that putrid rubber tire (oh, the shame of being called the "Michelin Man," and " The Round Mound of Rebound" most of your life)!  Losing the remaining 10.5 lbs via extra cardio, serious sit-ups, push-ups, and weight room activity should deflate that tire and get me into the shape I really need to be in - Original Retro Brand shape!!    They have so MANY shirts I want!   Soon the Harlem Globetrotters, Indy 500,  Hamilton Tiger Cats, Texas Longhorns, NY Islanders, and Denver Bears will be mine....ALL MINE I TELL YOU!!

One shirt that won't be mine, will be going to the winner of this week's FREE Original Retro brand shirt....Veronica By of Katy, Texas, guessed 224.5 exactly!   She has chosen a Northwestern Wildcats shirt from the College Vault, and we will send it out immediately.  The Cats are an impressive 4-2, and hopefully the shirt will bring Katy and Northwestern good luck against a tough Michigan State team this Saturday.

As I've mentioned often in my previous posts, one of the driving motivational tools I've been using in this challenge has been the Bodybugg, donated generously by my friends at 24HR Fitness.   Remember, they have donated another Bodybugg to be given as a grand prize to the person who comes closest to guessing my weight for the final weigh-in, scheduled for Saturday, October 31, 2009 - Halloween.   I've also been donating $5 a day to the American Cancer Society's Relayforlife.  It is a great cause - please check them out.

WEEK BY WEEK FIGHT FOR FIT LOSS/GAIN RESULTS:

Week # 1 : Starting weight:  244  Weigh-In:  241.5   - 2.5

Week # 2: Starting weight:  241.5  Weigh-In: 239.50   -2

Week # 3: Starting weight:  239.50  Weigh-In: 237   -2.5

Week # 4: Starting weight:  237   Weigh-In: 235  -2

Week # 5: Starting weight: 235    Weigh-In: 233   -2

Week # 6: Starting weight: 233   Weigh- in: 229  -4

Week # 7: Starting weight: 229   Weigh-in: 232  + 3

Week # 8: Starting weight: 232   Weigh-In: 229  -3

Week # 9: Starting weight: 229   Weigh-In: 231  +2

Week # 10: Starting weight: 231  Weigh-In: 228  - 3

Week # 11: Starting weight:  228   Weigh-In: 224.5  - 3.5

Week # 12: October 19th   ?

Week # 13: October 26th   ?

week # 14: October 31st - FINAL weigh-in

"There are only 4 weeks until Halloween, Daddy!"   With these words, my son reminds me that I will be dressing as Batman to go along with his Robin (from Teen Titans cartoon-he's hooked), and NOT as a slim Original Retro Brand model when the FIGHT FOR THE FIT CHALLENGE comes to an end.   While I may be wearing a bat cowl and purple tights on October 31st,  I still intend on reaching my goal of losing 30lbs and wearing my XL Georgia Bulldogs Original Retro Brand shirt too!

Having gained 2lbs last week with 34 days (and 17lbs to lose)  until my final weigh in, drastic measures had to go into effect.   I stepped up my cardio, and cut back on calories and the result is a loss of 3 lbs.    While I am glad to see 228 lbs on a scale for the first time since I had an afro (bald spot started to appear in a big way in 1999), I fell about a half pound short of the 3.4 lbs needed to stay on track.

When the Georgia Bulldogs lost a heart wrenching defeat to LSU on Saturday, I could easily have gone the way of the wing, (as in chicken, which averages 95 calories per wing people!!) but I honkered down like a hairy dawg and ate a bowl of delicious oatmeal instead!    27 days and 14 lbs to go!!!!

NOW, the winner of the of the FREE Original Retro brand shirt this week is .......Keith Hughes of Rye Brook, NY.   Keith, and last week's winner Bobby Tang both guessed 228, but I pulled the name Keith out of the Original Retro Brand hat, so he gets the FREE shirt!!  I've already notified Keith, and he has chosen a "Smoke Edna May" cigar shirt which is prett-ay, prett-ay cool!

FIGHT FOR FIT CHALLENGE PRIZE UPDATE:  Our friends at 24HR Fitness have decided to donate a Bodybugg to the person who comes closest to guessing my weight on the day of the final weigh in!     The Bodybugg has really been a driving force in my motivation and success to this point.  It does a whole lot more than count your steps, I promise you that!   You can read more about it HERE.   BIG THANK YOU to 24HR FITNESS!!

You can follow my progress (or lack of) on http://twitter.com/retrobrand and the Original Retro Brand FAN page on Facebook.   I am also donating $5 a day to the American Cancer Society’s Relayforlife for the duration of the challenge.   It’s a great cause, so please check it out…