Going Country

Well, the recording of my greatest country hits album is finally complete. You can pick one up today at retail stores near you!


Track Listing: (Kurt Kuklewicz's 35 Biggest Hits)
1. Do You Love as Good as You Look?
2. She Left Me for Axl Rose
3. Do You Really Want Me To?
4. I Keep Forgetting I Forgot You
5. Ol' Banjo
6. Crusin' in my Pickup
7. Don't Breathe
8. I Fell in a Pile of You
9. Thank God She Left
10. That May Put Me in Prison
11. Just Me and the Boys
12. Come Back, Rover
13. She Used Me (And That's Okay)
14. You're Ruining my Bad Reputation
15. I Gave Her a Ring, She Gave Me the Finger
16. She Took my Money and Broke my Heart
17. Vodka Makes Her Clothes Disappear
18. Another Fight at the Bar
19. Two Black Eyes
20. Will You Take Me Home?
21. I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
22. Whoops
23. My Cowboy Hat (Gets Me all the Ladies)
24. My Truck Engine Turns Her On
25. Should've Stayed in School
26. My Lucky Boots
27. No, Sir
28. Her Best Friend
29. Thirsty Hitch Hiker
30. I Ditched Her Where I Found Her
31. Christine, the Cowgirl
32. I'm Getting Too Old For This
33. We're Not in Kansas Anymore
34. My Girlfriend's Mom (Is Hotter Than Her)
35. Farewell and Good Riddance

Get off the juice!

So now Manny Ramirez has tested posted for banned substances in the MLB. Am I surprised? Nope. Major League Baseball has become a major joke during the past decade. Now, six out of the top ten home run hitters in the past few years have tested positive for steroids. Seriously, this is a major reason why I, and many other irritated fans cannot watch baseball anymore. I mean how realistic is jacking baseballs out of stadiums? What is this, an XBOX video game?

The Implicated Users:
Barry Bonds- Despite what he says, we all know that Barry Bonds used steroids during his baseball career. This guy enters the league with Pittsburgh noted for his speed and ability to steal bases. Then, he suddenly becomes ripped, and is cranking baseballs out of the Giants ballpark to the bay. Personally, I hope he never gets in the Hall of Fame. Just take a look at how much he has changed throughout his baseball career.















Alex Rodriguez- I was shocked when I heard A-Rod's name linked to steroid use. He never really struck me as having a huge body like Barry Bonds or Jason Giambi. But, now that will be associated with his name for the rest of his career.

Roger Clemens- Don't even get me started on this.

The Suspended Users:
Manny Ramirez- Wow, Manny Ramirez is doing absolutely fantastic in Los Angeles. Must be the trade that sent there, right? Nope. He was juicing up. Tested positive for steroids. Manny = Joke.

Rafael Palmeiro- He was man enough to say in court that he has never used steroids. "I have never intentionally used steroids. Never. Ever. Period." However, he then later tested positive for Stanzolol (Anabolic Steroid) in 2005. Glad to know he's honest though. (Slams hand on forehead)

The Admitted Users:
Jason Giambi- Jason Giambi has done multipe types of steroids. Admitted Using: Steroids (The Clear, The Cream, Deca-Durabolin, Injectable Testosterone), Human Growth Hormone. However, at least he admitted that he did them, and did not lie to everyone like how Barry Bonds is doing.

Gary Sheffield- Gary Sheffield admitted using several types of steroids to the jury during the BALCO cases. Admitted Using: Steroids (The Clear, The Cream, Andriol). Sheffield has claimed that his drugs came directly from Barry Bonds.

Jose Canseco- Canseco has openly admitted to using drugs and has been suppling the MLB with names of the others who won't admit it. His book Juiced, names several players who were involved with himself and steroids. Admitted Using: Steroids (Deca-Durabolin, Winstrol, Equipose, Anavar), Human Growth Hormone. Personally, I think that Canseco is doing the right thing. Even though he screwed up with using steroids, at least he realized he was wrong and is trying to redeem for his mistake.

The True Non-Users:
Ken Griffey Jr.- I love Ken Griffey Jr. If he didn't have so many injury problems, he may have broke Hank Aaron's record legitimately. Possibly one of the greatest all around players of all time, Griffey Jr. could steal bases, hit homers and make shockingly unbeliveable catches. The only reason he got injured so much was from constantly throwing his body around to make incredible catches. This guy is the pure defintion of a team player. Ken Griffey Jr. will always remain one of the baseball athletes during this modern era who I respect the most.

Derek Jeter- This guy is considered by many to be streaky at the plate. However, his defensive ability is outstanding. He is one of the all-time great baseball atheletes of the modern era, who hasn't used steroids. I respect his ability to lead and his love of the game.


Alfonso Soriano- Alfonso has the speed of grease lightning, which makes him able to steal more bases than other players. He also has the ability to hit the long ball. Being a cubs fan, I was absoluetly pumped when the Cubs made a move to get Soriano in their lineup. Not only is his ability to play great, he has not used steroids, and is great with community service and helping out other people.

The Roots: My Top 25 Songs from (1990-1999)

Here are my top 25 songs from the 90's. Some of them, have stories associated with them for me as well. They are sorted from #25 to #1.

25. “Someday” – Sugar Ray
-This song always had something in it that attracted me to it. I think it's the chorus that makes this song so enjoyable for me. Back when I was in 5th grade, this was my favorite album (14:59 was the name of it).
24. “6th Avenue Heartache” – The Wallflowers
-I saw The Wallflowers back in my younger days at the arena up here, and they played really well. Also, this song was on one of my mom's recorded cassette tapes that we would always listen to on the road. It has stuck to me since then.
23. “Inside Out” – Eve 6
-Another song that was on my mom's recorded cassette tapes, I love the lyrics in this song and the way Max Collins sings.
"Want to put my tender heart in a blender
Watch it spin around to a beautiful oblivion
Rendezvous then Im through with you"
22. “Swallowed” – Bush
- Perhaps my favorite song from my mother's recorded cassette tapes.
21. “State of Love and Trust” – Pearl Jam
- This is my favorite Pearl Jam song.
20. “All Apologies” – Nirvana
19. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” – Smashing Pumpkins
-The intro to this song, is beautiful and it builds up nicely to the chorus.
18. “Voodoo” – Godsmack
17. “The Kids Aren’t Alright” – The Offspring
- When I was younger, my family and I went to a New Jersey Devils hockey game, and this was the song they came out to. Americana is by far my favorite Offspring album.
16. “Dammit” – Blink-182
- "It's alright
To tell me
What you think
About me
I won't try
To argue
Or hold it
Against You"
15. “One Week” – Barenaked Ladies
-Watching X-Files with no lights on lately?
14. “Wait and Bleed” – Slipknot
- This song has caused me to branched out to some heavy metal.
13. “Black Balloon” – Goo Goo Dolls
12. “Dumb” – Nirvana
11. “Crash” – Dave Matthews Band
- Dave at his best.
10. “Thunderstruck” – AC/DC
- Always loved hearing this song being played at hockey games.
9. “Basket Case” – Green Day
- Say what you want about Green Day, but this song led to most of their success and a greater outbreak to Punk Rock.
8. “Jumper” – Third Eye Blind
- This song is just great. The lyrics are really about understanding. Everyone carries demons around or carry some sort of scar around. The message of Jumper is that there comes a time when you have to put the past away.
7. “Wonderwall” – Oasis
- Everyone knows and loves this song.
6. “Enter Sandman” – Metallica
- Written by band members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, and Kirk Hammett, this is about nightmares and things that go "bump" in the night. It has by far the most radio play of all of Metallica's songs.
5. “Everlong” – Foo Fighters
- I love how this song starts out slow but builds up greatly.
4. “Glycerine” – Bush
- This song is just all-around great. Nice and slow, with great vocals and lyrics. It is actually about a relationship with a woman.
3. “Otherside” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Oh, how long? How long, will I slide?
2. “No Excuses” – Alice in Chains
-Alice in Chains caught my attention after lead vocalist Layne Stanley died. They are one of my favorite bands, and this song absolutely stood out and was attractive to me.
1. “The Unforgiven” - Metallica
-Not only is this Metallica's best song, it is the best and my favorite song of the 90's.

The Making of a NHL Superstar : Chapter 2

November 8th, 2008 - Today was a huge day for Right Wing Kurt Kuklewicz. Before this day's game against the rival Hershey Bears, Head Coach Dan Bylsma had more news for him. Not having a goal or assist in over three games, Kurt feared that he would be demoted back to the third line. He knocked on the office door of coach Bylsma, with a sense of guilt of his recent play. As he walked into the room and coach Bylsma prompted him to have a seat, he thought to himself "How can one have such a great start to the season, and suddenly flat-line so hard." He began to think if it was normal, and if all the great players such as Lemieux and Gretzy occasionally expereinced a sudden decrease in their performance. Then, Kurt's daydreaming was suddenly interupted when Coach Bylsma said loud and clear, "Kurt, I decided to put you on the first line with Chris and Jonathan." Kurt was shocked at this great news, considering how his play was recently. "I understand you're going through a bit of a streak there, but I like your style of play. I like how you never give up. Your sense of urgency to make plays even when the team is down four goals, awes and motivates the rest of the team. Everyone is impressed with your incredible work ethnic. The truth is that I've had coaches of other teams tell me that they always see you working non-stop." Kurt was impressed with Coach Bylsma's words. But he knew it was true, that he would try his best to make plays at any point of the game regardless of the situation. Coach Bylsma thanked Kurt for coming into his office. Kurt walked toward the door with a huge smile on his face. As he walked out the door, Coach Bylsma had one more thing to tell him. "I want you to remember one thing, Kurt - every great player goes through bad streaks, but it's just a matter of time before they break out of it. It's simple math". Later, Coach Byslma stated to the Wilkes Barre press that Kuklewicz would be playing on the WBS Penguins first line tonight with forwards Jonathan Filewich and Chris Minard against the Hershey Bears. Later that night, Kuklewicz made assurance to his coach that he made a wise decision as he led his team to victory and was one of the three stars of the game yet again. While on the penalty kill, Kurt made an outstanding play that clarified his endurance and resiliance. Hershey up and coming star left wing, Chris Borque drilled Kuklewicz crazily into the boards while he was trying to set up a pass for a shorthanded goal. The Wilkes Barre crowd felt a sense of disaster as they saw one of their favorites down on the ice. Suddenly, the Bears had an odd man rush into the Penguins defensive zone and everybody's attention was focused on it. Wilkes Barre goalie John Curry made an incredible, sportscenter top 10 like save. The puck came around to Wilkes Barre defenseman Alex Goligoski who saw Kurt skating back to the Hershey blue line by himself. Goligoski buried his head and soared a pass across two lines to Kuklewicz, who was in the clear and on a breakaway. The crowd all rose to their seats, as Kuklewicz winded back for a slap shot and fired it top shelf on the goalie's stick side. The crowd erupted in a frenzy as Kuklewicz scored his sixth goal with the Wilkes Barre Penguins. Kurt had a goal and two assists that night, distributing the puck to Minard and Filewich most of the time. Kuklewicz began to feel like he suddenly was surged with energy and tapped into his inner hockey sense and knowledge.

November 15th, 2008 - With a recent Pittsburgh trade that sent center Jordan Staal to the Los Angeles for young defenseman Jack Johnson (I don't know why on earth they would make this trade), the big Pens needed some youth to replace Staal in their new line-up. Receiving a phone call, Right Wing Kurt Kuklewicz was awaken very early in the morning with news that he would be playing for Pittsburgh. There was one problem presented with this situation, however. After having 1 assist playing against the Binghamton Senators last night, which ended in a heartbreaking Wilkes Barre loss, Kuklewicz would have to make a trip to Pittsburgh and jump right into the lineup today in order to play against the Buffalo Sabres. So, Kuklewicz booked a plane trip straight to Pittsburgh and made it there by 5:30 to be at the 7:30 home game. Kuklewicz had never even stepped into the Penguin's locker room until now. This was the moment he was waiting for. All of his hard work and dedication led him here, to this place. Kurt suddenly came back to reality when he realized it was time to skate on the ice for practice. During the practice, forward Matt Cooke of the Penguins told Kurt that he would be playing on his line tonight with center Max Talbot. Penguins coach Michel Therrien told Kuklewicz that he would indeed be playing on the 3rd line with Talbot and Cooke. This was a thrill to Kurt, because these were two guys who are known for being workhorses, something he felt he also brought to the team. Therrien also informed Kuklewicz that he would be playing on the second powerplay line with forwards Tyler Kennedy and Miroslav Satan, and defensemen Ryan Whitney and Brooks Orpik. "We need your passing skills to fuel our overload powerplay style" Therrien added. It was time to skate on the ice for the game. Kurt and the rest of his teammates walked to the tunnel where ironically enough, the song that played for their entrance was "Fuel" by Metallica. This was it now, Kurt was skating with the big boys. Kurt's night was a struggle for him at first. The play was so much faster than what the AHL was. It was something that took two periods to get use to. During the third period, down 0-1 to the Sabres, Kurt cashed in on his first NHL goal on his second shot of the night. During the play, Matt Cooke fed Kurt the puck. He continued to skate with it until he came to the direct left side of Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. Unexpectedly, Kuklewicz dipped the puck in between Miller's left leg and the left post of the net. The crowd erupted as the score was tied with under ten minutes left to play. Kurt's night was not finished just yet. With over four minutes left to play in the game, Sabres forward Tim Connelly took a two minute roughing penalty. The first powerplay line with Crosby and Malkin could not get anything going that night. The second powerplay line then rose to the occasion for the Penguins. Kuklewicz received the puck from Ryan Whitney behind the net, and passed to Tyler Kennedy who was open in the slot. Kennedy shot and scored. Kuklewicz was indeed the fuel of the overload. His team celebrated with him as they beat the Sabres 2-1.

The Making of a NHL Superstar : Chapter 1

Note: This is the record of my NHL 09 blog of Be a Pro mode.
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Last year, the Pittsburgh Penguins organization drafted a young right wing from Hanover Township, PA. This young forward's name is Kurt Kuklewicz. This forward was on many teams' draft boards, but the Penguins took a chance on this forward. Listed at 5'10" and 162 pounds, Kuklewicz lacked the ideal size of a NHL superstar. This caused his draft grade to drop until the 2nd round. However, scouts rated Kuklewicz as one of the top playmakers in the NHL entry class. Straight out of the Wyoming Valley Wildcats, in the DEL league, Kuklewicz showed poise and clear passing and puck control skills throughout his DEL career. He also showed that he can play defense as well.


OT Magic!- Right Wing Kurt Kuklewicz was pure cash when it came to making clutch plays in his DEL team, the Wyoming Valley Wildcats. He celebrates a goal (above), after setting up a beautiful overtime game winning goal on a pass to teammate Rocco Dimarco.

June 22, 2008 - Kuklewicz signed a one-year 2-way contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins worth almost $1 mil. The 2-way contract made Kuklewicz eligible to play on the Pittsburgh Penguins and their AHL affliate, Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins.

October 4th, 2008 - Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins Head Coach, Dan Bylsma invited Kurt Kuklewicz into his office with some great news. He decided to put him on the 3rd line of the team the start of the season, and give him an opportunity to extend his play. Kuklewicz decided to wear the #14 jersey in honor of his lucky number.

October 8th, 2008 - Right Wing Kurt Kuklewicz stepped up onto the ice in a big way in his first ever AHL game. On his first shot of the game, Kuklewicz scored a beauty of a goal. He also tallied an assist to have a 2 point night against the hated rivals of the WBS Penguins, the Hershey Bears.

October 24th, 2009 - WBS Penguins Head Coach Dan Bylsma noticed Kurt Kuklewicz's playmaking abilities and hard, dedicated work. He called Kuklewicz into his office yet again with fantastic news. He would now be playing on the second line in Wilkes Barre. At this point, Kuklewicz led his team in goals, assists and points. If this continued, he would surely be playing with the Pittsburgh team in no time.

November 7th, 2008 - Kurt Kuklewicz already performing in a big way and looking like one intelligent draft pick, gave more reason to why he should start for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The game against the Lowell Devils on this date, went into overtime at home. Kuklewicz was paired on a line with Wilkes Barre Scranton Forwards Paul Bissonnette and Mark Letestu, seeing ice time during the last few minutes of overtime. Kuklewicz rushed into the slot of the Devils with under a minute remaining and received a beautiful pass from Letestu. He fired it pass the goalie's glove side to give the WBS Penguins a much needed win.



Clutch - Kurt Kuklewicz scores the game winning goal against the Lowell Devils at home to improve the Baby Pens' winning record (above).

There will be more to come on Kuklewicz's performance.

The Weekly Top Ten : Video Games

Well ladies and gentlemen, prepare yourself for something new on here. I'm referring to the weekly top ten where we give you the top ten reasons to explain a certain topic. We'll kick it off with the top ten reasons why you should play video games.



Reasons to Play Video Games
1o. Have an excuse to tell your teacher or professor why you didn't do your homework.
9. Two words - Big Explosions
8. Where else can you steal cars while listening to Michael Jackson's "Beat It"?
7. Train to be in the navy without breaking a sweat, literally.
6. Personally re-injure Tom Brady's knee to get back at him for his good looks and fancy sports cars.
5. Have yet another reason to kill time and block out your girlfriend when she calls you.
4. Sing Fallout Boy on Rock Band and sound better than them doing it.
3. Pretend to be John Rambo while playing Call of Duty 4.
2. You can kill someone you don't like and not have to go to jail!
1. A video game will play with you over and over again, no matter what time or what place.

Pulling off The Dreaded All Nighter

From time to time, almost all people experience pulling the infamous "all nighter". Whether it'd be writing that 14 page report at the last minute for English, or studying for that three chapter calculus test, there certainly needs to be an organized effort to achieve this monster task. But what is the best way to do it though?

First, if you want to pull an all nighter off successfully, you need to realize that your entire body acts in a cycle. Normally, a person will wake up in the morning, do some repetitive task such as go to school or work, while eating a few times in the morning, afternoon and evening and then go back to bed at night. Then, this process is repeated the next day. This cycle tends to run in a 24-25 hour pattern. This is also called the circadian rhytym. As a result, you need to realize that you will be greatly throwing your body's normally functions off.

Energy is always needed in life in general, so it will be especially important for keeping up at night. Therefore, you want to have a good amount of energy to stay awake. However, having too much energy at one time can be very tiresome for your cells and body. This is why you should ultimately leave the energy drinks and coffee away from you. Mitochondria is a key part of the cell in all animals. They fuel your cells with the energy to do things that involve work and action. You should think of them as muscles after working out in a gym. You do not want to overwork your mitochondria or else you will crash and get tired.

It's perfectly natural to experience a feeling similar to being run over by a mac truck when the attempting the all nighter. This is why you will need to become alert without overdoing it. The best way to do this is by filling a glass with cold water. Afterward, put the glass in the freezer and let it sit for 20-30 minutes while you are doing the work at hand. The water should be very cold as it should be very close to becoming ice. Drinking the water at a slow pace should rejuvenate you in an alert fashion. Always have another glass of water ready and constantly drink it. Also, this is good because it will make you go to the bathroom more, keeping you more alert. Another way to boost the alert level of yourself is to turn the heat off while perhaps leaving a window open.

Another aspect of successfully pulling off an all nighter is to avoid distraction. So, if you're on the computer while doing the work at hand, sign off instant messagers as one conversation could alter your work for hours. Also, you can significantly decrease your distractions simply by going to a place where there are very little. A good destination can be your college library, (if they're open very late) for example.

Do not lay down at any point during your all nighter attempt! While you can say that you're just going to rest your eyes, you will most likely wake up nine hours later and completely miss the deadline of your work. That is certainly not the desired outcome, and it almost always is accompanied with a huge, unreal sense of panic. It is okay to take ten or 15 minute breaks every hour, but avoid taking naps. If you absolutely have to take a nap, set several alarm clocks for no later than 20 minutes after you lay down and DO NOT hit the snooze button ever.

The most common myth about pulling an all nighter is perhaps the impression that sleeping should not occur. Most people tend to think that sleeping after restless hours of studying will erase everything they just learned. However, the opposite effect will happen if one does sleep during this situation. The human brain needs to rest in order to learn. The best way to do this is by achieving REM sleep. Therefore, you should always try to squeeze in some sleep during the all nighter, even if it is for an hour or two.