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I thought I’d use this space today to send a sincere thank you to everyone who came out and supported our charity boxing event on Saturday at The Whip Boxing Academy. The turnout was absolutely incredible, including such heavy hitters as Kitchener-Waterloo MP Peter Braid, Kitchener-Centre MP Stephen Woodworth, Waterloo Regional Police Chief Matt Torigian and Kitchener councillors Berry Vrbanovic and Kelly Galloway. I don’t think anyone in attendance left disappointed — except maybe my mom, who cringed once or twice as Fitz “The Whip” Vanderpool landed more than his share of quality punches. I asked him to take the fight seriously and he did. There’s no doubt he could have been a lot harder on me but he also made sure I knew I was in the ring with a world champ. And that was the whole point.

 We wanted to raise awareness about Cystic Fibrosis and we did that. Everyone who attended left with just a little greater understanding of this terrible disease and, thanks in large part to the folks here at Rogers Kitchener Radio (570 News, 96.7 CHYM FM and KIX 106), we’ve been able to spread the word even farther. Talk show producer Jessie Lorraine has posted a You Tube video that has gone viral. George and Tara talked about it on CHYM this morning, as did Linda and Jen here on KIX. The video is also on the KIX Facebook page. The support has been truly incredible and I can’t thank you enough. Oh, and did I mention that we raised $750? That money will go directly to Team Farwell at the Great Strides Walk on May 30th.

My initials may just work in my favour on this one. From now on, when you hear the name Mike Farwell, please just take a moment to think about CF, the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. MF = CF. May is CF Awareness Month. Why not join us for the Great Strides Walk on May 30th? It would be great to see you there.

I was driving to St. Joseph’s school in Cambridge for a visit yesterday afternoon. On the way there, I passed a family restaurant on King Street in Preston. Darned if I can remember the name of the restaurant but I distinctly remember the sign. It clearly pointed out that two of its menu items were “Beer and Ice Cream.”

That’s my kind of place.

I felt a little uncomfortable this morning after pointing out to Linda, on the air, that my pants today were not grey, they were charcoal. Is that something a guy should really know, much less be concerned with? I admit that, given the occasional TV appearances I make, I do have more ties in my wardrobe than I ever thought one man needed. Suits, too. And I also admit to kinda liking them. I know how weird that sounds! I remember being a kid and wondering why my Dad would wear dress pants instead of jeans when he had the option. Now here I am, usually in dress pants. Go figure.

Still, I felt it was a little out of character to admit to knowing the official colour of these dress pants is “charcoal.” I promise there’s still a man buried deep beneath the surface that is today covered in new clothes. To prove it, I’ll go home later and watch TV in my boxers while scratching myself.

Not even nude yoga. If you missed the discussion this morning, it’s the latest craze. People are now shedding their clothes to shed pounds. Go figure. The entire concept of yoga is intimidating enough for me given my complete lack of flexibility and the strange positions yoga artists contort themselves into.

My arm has been twisted on several occasions to take part in a yoga class at the gym. To be honest, I understand the benefits of the exercise and I know that many a hockey player has now taken it up. So I’m kidding a little bit with the “real men” comment. But it sure as heck isn’t exercise for this man. I know my limits and the “downward dog” is one of them! But hey, whatever floats your boat.

Linda mentioned this morning that Jen and Ayson take mommy and baby yoga classes together. I love the bonding aspect but the poor little guy will have no idea what hit him when he grows up and wonders why he has an irresistible urge to stretch instead of bench press.

Fascinating nugget (pun intended) of research out of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto. It claims that those fast food signs don’t make us hungry they just make us move faster. Apparently on some subconscious level, simply seeing the signs make us more impatient in other areas of our lives. Go figure.

I’m no scientist and I’m not one to throw cold water on good research but I’m not convinced it’s true. I mean, if it was, why would we be hearing about our “obesity epidemic” so often? Unless the places we’re hurrying after seeing fast food signs are not gyms.

Honorary KIX Chick Brenda Halloran, mayor of Waterloo, is one smart cookie. I know this because a couple of years ago, the mayor accepted a meeting with a Wilfrid Laurier University student who was about t graduate. She didn’t know what this young man wanted but she knew the meeting couldn’t hurt. Clearly it didn’t.

The student was Mike Morrice and that meeting with the mayor convinced Mike that he had a bright future in Waterloo. Today, he is the Executive Director and co-founder of a company called Sustainable Waterloo. In a nutshell, Mike’s company helps other companies reduce their environmental footprint. I was at a shindig last night celebrating the successes of the companies already involved with Mike, trying to cut down on their greenhouse gas emissions. The evening was nothing short of inspiring. I was one of the oldest people in a room of about 300 and I was thoroughly impressed with the commitment of this group to making a difference in our world. Mike Morrice seems to have the ability to get these people motivated and his company’s efforts are off to a roaring start. Here’s to hoping it can continue.

Thanks for having me out last night, guys. I’ve never had more fun being the old guy in the room.

It’s hard to believe my two sisters died from Cystic Fibrosis (CF) almost 20 years ago. We lost Luanne on September 15, 1993. She was 24 and, at the time, had reached the average life expectancy of someone with CF. Sheri would go on June 10, 1994. She was just 18. But this is a blog, not a blah-g. No pity party here. In fact, it’s entirely the opposite.

Some great things have happened since that difficult year back in the early 1990s. Tremendous advances have been made in CF research, so much so that average life expectancies are now almost 40 years of age. And I’ve been blessed with a supportive employer who lets me get as involved as I want in helping this research continue. That’s why you’ve probably heard me on the air over the past week, promoting the CF chapter’s biggest annual fundraiser, the Great Strides Walk. It’s coming up on Sunday, May 30th, at Waterloo Park.

Again, thanks to the support of my bosses, I’m taking our efforts a step further this year. We’ve gone online and created “Team Farwell” on Facebook. Since this is the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, our goal is “500 Friends in 50 Days.” Can it be reached? Yes, with your help! If you’re on Facebook, please follow this link to join the group. Not on Facebook? You can still support “Team Farwell” through the Great Strides website here.

I know this direct appeal is a little out of character with my usual ramblings on this blog and I hope you don’t mind. Consider this your “heads up” that I’ll be talking an awful lot about this over the next couple of months as the walk approaches and again into the summer as we get set for our second annual “Celebrity Slo-Pitch Challenge.” Cystic Fibrosis is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart, for obvious reasons. I want to do my part and I don’t want the effort to be half-hearted. So from the bottom of that heart, thanks for putting up with my big mouth. I hope we can connect, in person or online, in the months ahead.

I hate winter. I make no bones about that everytime the weather takes a turn for the cold. But as the warmth starts to creep back into our days, my arms start to creep back out from under my long sleeves. Apparently, it’s time to get back to the gym.

C’mon guys, you know what I’m talking about. As much as the ladies talk about “bikini season,” there’s definitely a “T-shirt” season for us. We may not lose sleep over it but, deep down, don’t we all wish we had something at least a little Schwarzenegger-esque to fill out our sleeves? Of course we do.

What’s the lesson in all of this? You have to spend your winters lifting more than beer bottles.

Even the Harley riders give you “the wave.” Motorcyclists always signal each other when they pass on the road but Harley riders tend to shun those who ride the Japanese “crotch rockets.” Not so yesterday. I got out for my first ride of the season and clearly the mild weather has everyone in good spirits, including the Harley riders. Every bike that passed — and there were a lot of them — gave the wave or the nod. It was nice to see. Funny what a bit of sunshine can do for your mood, eh?

Another beauty is on the way today which means ride now, drink later. St. Paddy’s Day is the perfect excuse to tip a pint of golden cheer…except today it will be emerald. No matter. Hope you all have something fun planned. Happy St.Patrick’s Day!

Sandy told us the story this morning about the push for healthier treats at movie theatres. I’m all for healthier eating (remembering, of course, that beer is a food group) but there should just be places were healthy snacks aren’t allowed. The poker table, for example. You don’t bring a veggie tray to the poker game. A baseball stadium would be another case in point. When you go to a ballgame, you have a dog and a beer. That’s just how it works. I think the same should hold true at movie theatres. I know the snacks are full of sugar and salt and, most important of all, calories, but that doesn’t mean we should ban them. Like everything else, it just means we shouldn’t eat them every day. Everything in moderation, right? Eat your healthy snacks the other 90% of your life. But when you go out, treat yourself.

Movies and popcorn belong together, like peanut butter and jam, cereal and milk, jeans and T-shirts, Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban. Besides, if you think text messages at movie theatres are annoying right now just wait til the person sitting next to you is munching on some carrot sticks or an apple. Good luck with that.

I’ll see you at the movies. And I’ll be the guy in the back row with the family-sized bag of Peanut M&M’s. Except without the family.