Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Limas Sweed Jersey

The biggest story in sports (at least in my world) is the Pirates taking the first three games of the five-game series against the Cardinals propelling the team to the best record in baseball. Arguably the second biggest story in sports is Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel. Honestly, I don't really follow Manziel that closely. He is a college student that is probably only 20 who has been thrust into the public eye thanks to winning the Heisman Trophy. He may drink a little too much, but he's a college student, and we wouldn't know this except that he's the most well-know college student in America. Manziel recently attended a party at The University of Texas wearing a Tim Tebow Jets jersey. This turned out to be a big deal since Tebow can be a polarizing figure and the fact that the party took place at Texas A&M's rival. Apparently, you are not allowed to go to a party on the campus of a rival school. I guess I followed this rule in college and graduate school as I never attended a party at Cortland State or The University of Michigan (though I was never invited either).

Anyway, this is a long introduction simply to share this picture of Manziel at the Texas party.


Notice the guy on the front right? Yes, he's wearing a Limas Sweed Pittsburgh Steelers jersey. A Limas Sweed jersey! Sweed is best known for being for being a second round pick in 2008, yet he only had 7 receptions in his two seasons for the Steelers. While I think it's fair to say that he was a bust, his legacy lives on!

This is now the second time I've featured someone wearing a Limas Sweed jersey. Could it be the same guy?


P.S. Both Steelers Lounge and PSAMP posted similar stories before I did. Good job, guys!

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Salma Hayek Can't Like This

The beautiful and talented Salma Hayek has had an outstanding career. Hayek was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for her performance in Frida, served as an Executive Producer for the successful television show Ugly Betty, and won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Children/Youth/Family Special for Showtime's The Maldonado Miracle.* She was also great as a guest star on 30 Rock and probably deserved an Oscar or Nobel Prize for her work opposite Matthew Perry in Fools Rush In.

Not surprisingly, Hayek was featured on the beauty page of the recent People magazine.


If you're unable to read the title, People wrote "Pros Genevieve Herr and Renato Campora create a natural look for the Grown Ups 2 star." Based on the television commercials for this film, it appears to be true that Hayek does have a role in Grown Ups 2, though I'm not sure she would qualify as the star since the film seems to be about Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade and Kevin James. Regardless, after Hayek's outstanding career, I don't think she wants to see any sentence that contains her name and Grown Ups 2 in it, unless it is something like, "I can't believe Salma Hayek made $2 million for being in Grown Ups 2."


* Sadly, this movie does not appear to be about former major league baseball player Candy Maldonado, who I believe went for $27 in my fantasy baseball league in 1993.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Leave Me Alone Jonas Brothers

The Jonas Brothers are performing at Nissan Pavilion Jiffy Lube Live (also possibly known as "The Lube") in Bristow, Virginia tonight. How do I know this? I received four separate e-mails about the concert from some unlikely sources. An e-mail about the concert from Ticketmaster was not unexpected since it is their job to sell tickets. Getting an e-mail from Groupon isn't unheard of since I guess tickets sales needed a boost. Receiving a message from Travelzoo was a bit odd since I thought they only did travel, but I guess they are in the entertainment business too. However, why did I receive this e-mail about the concert from MLB.com?


There are several things wrong with this. First, Jiffy Lube Live is about 35 miles from DC. Second, why is the Jonas brother on the left staring at us? It's like he's looking into our souls behind those sunglasses. Stop it, Jonas brother!

My main question is why is Major League Baseball sending e-mails about a Jonas Brothers concert? If they were performing at Nationals Park, I would understand that. The simple answer is that MLB probably has some type of partnership with LiveNation, but I don't want a simple answer. Give me an outlandish or conspiracy theory!

Of course, perhaps I'm on too many e-mail lists!

Friday, July 26, 2013

Be Cool Pirates Fans

I attended two Pittsburgh Pirates-Washington Nationals games this week at Nationals Park. Unlike going to Pirates games in DC since the Nats moved from Montreal, it felt different this year based on the team’s success. Wearing Pirates gear to a Nats game was an amazing experience over the past few days. We were there to celebrate the second best team in baseball, a team that looks like a legitimate playoff team. After 20 years of losing seasons, we bonded over Gerrit Cole, Pedro Alvarez, Francisco Liriano, Josh Harrison (yes, Josh Harrison) and the rest of the Pirates. However, some Pirates fans took things a little too far.

During Thursday’s game, a Pirates fan a few rows in front of me in the left field stands was being quite obnoxious in the finals innings. He may have had one beer too many, but that’s not really an excuse. In the 8th inning, the guy yelled to Bryce Harper that that the star Nationals outfielder effing sucks. He did not yell effing. We’ll set aside the fact that Harper does not suck. Every Pirates fan would love Harper in Pittsburgh, especially if the team could trade Travis Snider and Jose Tabata for him. (Please excuse me as I dream of a Marte-McCutchen-Harper outfield. Okay, I’m back) Being that this was an afternoon game with kids around, this didn’t go over well. Although a few Nats fans didn’t take too kindly to the comment and confronted him, I never heard any insults or threats. They simply told him to knock it off. As the inning continued, the guy started insulting the Nats and pointing out how far back the Nats are behind the Pirates in the Wild Card race. Some of his friends talked him down and tried to make peace and things were somewhat civil through the rest of the game (though they guy rubbed it in a little when the Pirates tied the game in the top of the 9th; he wasn’t there for Harper’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th).


One of the Nats fans who confronted the guy is a friend of a friend. She is a Nats season ticket-holder who I just met at the game, and I apologized letting her know that the guy does not represent Pirates fans. She appreciated the gesture and indicated that I’ve been the only nice Pirates fan sitting near her during the series. While I found there to be plenty of nice Pirates fans at the games on Tuesday and Thursday, I’m sure there were a few Pirates fans that were not as nice. Therefore, this message is for all Pirates fans attending away games, sitting near opposing fans at PNC Park or even talking with friends, coworkers or random folks at bars that are fans of other National League teams. Being enthusiastic about the Pirates is expected. It’s been a long 20 years. Share your happiness and feel free discuss Cutch’s greatness. Explain your concerns about Jason Grilli’s injury and the bench. Just keep it clean in front of kids and don’t disparage the opposing team.

Let’s Go Bucs!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Nationals Fail

The Washington Nationals are going through some tough times. Expected to win the division and represent the National League in the World Series, the Nats are 48-52, have lost five straight games and recently fired their hitting coach. On the positive side, attendance is up, and Teddy is winning some of the racing President races.

Like many professional stadiums and arenas, Nats Park has a designated driver booth where folks over 21 can pledge that they won't drink during the game. In return, the Nats give you a coupon for a free non-alcoholic beverage. On a warm summer night when I knew that I wasn't going to drink, I signed up since I'm all about free stuff last night. This is the coupon I received:


Notice anything odd about the coupon? Take a look at the last sentence.

While this doesn't compare to the days when the team had misspelled uniforms, you'd think someone would notice this typo before the All-Star break of the 2013 season.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The All-Time Greatest Books

You may remember a few weeks ago when I went through the top 100 movies compiled by Entertainment Weekly. Today, I'm going through the top 100 books as listed by EW. I've highlighted the books that I've read from start to finish in bold below. I apologize for any misspellings since there was a lot of typing here.

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
4. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
6. My Antonia by Willa Cather - I read some Cather in high school, but I don't think it was this book.
7. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - I read all seven, so I feel like this should could as seven.
8. The Rabbit quartet by John Updike
9. Beloved by Toni Morison
10. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

11. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
12. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
13. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - In my mind, this could be #1.
14. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
15. Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
16. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
17. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - I'm sure folks will disagree, but I feel like this book is overrated.
18. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
19. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
20. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

21. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
22. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
23. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
24. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
25. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
26. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
27. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
28. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - Did you know that the original title of this book was "War, What Is It Good For?"
29. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
30. Native Son by Richard Wright

31. Blindness by Jose Saramago
32. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Sallinger
33. Maus by Art Spiegelman - I've had this book for nearly 20 years and never read it. I'm not even sure where it is right now.
34. The World According to Garp by John Irving
35. A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe
36. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
37. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
38. The Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker
39. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
40. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

41. Go Tell It on The Mountain by James Baldwin
42. The Stand by Stephen King
43. The Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
44. His Dark Materials by Phil Pullman
45. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
46. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
47. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Harold Murakami
48. The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
49. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
50. Snow by Orhan Pamuk - This should not be confused with Informer by Snow

51. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
52. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
53. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
54. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain - This book came out in 2012 yet I've never heard of it.
55. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
56. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
57. The Children of Men by R.D. James
58. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
59. Dracula by Bram Stoker
60. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

61. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Best book of all time with cholera in the title.
62. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - I don't think I actually finished this book.
63. Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth - Mr. Brame is not going to be happy about this. While I've read some Roth, I don't know if I completed this book or not.
64. Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
65. Herzog by Saul Bellow - I'm still waiting for the sequel, Leyland.
66. Howards End by E.M. Forster
67. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
68. Middlemarch by George Eliot
69. Money by Martin Amis
70. Neuromancer by William Gibson

71. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
72. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
73. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre
74. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
75. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
76. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
77. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding
78. A House for Mr. Biswas by V.S. Naipaul
79. Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
80. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust

81. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
82. Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
83. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
84. Clockers by Richard Price
85. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
86. A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham
87. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
88. The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
89. Tristram Shandy by Laurence Sterne
90. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

91. The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
92. The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse
93. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
94. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
95. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
96. If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
97. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler
98. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume - If only Superfudge made this list.
99. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
100. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

How does Brave New World not make this list? Where is Homer?

Anyway, since we're only counting the Harry Potter books as one, sadly, I've only read 8 of these 100 books. Pathetic. It looks like I have some reading to do.

So how many of these books did you read? Please leave your answer and any other thoughts in the comments section below. In addition, please let me know what books I need to read immediately.

Monday, July 22, 2013

My Helen Thomas Story

Helen Thomas, the long-time member of the White House Press Corps from the JFK through Obama administrations, passed away over the weekend. While she had an extraordinary career covering the presidency for nearly 60 years for United Press International and later Hearst News Service, she retired in 2010 after saying that Jewish settlers should “get the hell out of Palestine” and go back to “Poland, Germany, America and everywhere else.” Obviously, that didn't go over well.

Personally, I'll remember Thomas for two things. First, she had a cameo in the underrated film Dave.


Second, and more importantly, in either October or November 2011, we went to dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant in DC called Mama Ayesha's. My son wasn't six months old yet, but he was quiet and calm (and possibly sleeping) throughout the meal. Thomas was seated at the table next to us, and as we left the restaurant, she remarked to us that we have a cute kid. She was, and is, right.

To this point, Thomas remains the most famous person my son has met and commented on his cuteness.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Friday Links and Videos

Just like the title says, here are links and videos on this Friday:

Congratulations to Alex on his blog's anniversary. [Everybody Loves You]

An interview with former Pittsburgh Steeler Lee Flowers. [Pittsburgh Sports Daily Bulletin]

This is cool [Sportslogos.net]


How can Applebee's have no vegetarian salads? [Lacochran's Bloggery]

Cool article about a guy who sails the Pittsburgh rivers. [I Heart PGH]

Finally, for your viewing pleasure:

From the Jimmy Fallon Show, Mets pitcher Matt Harvey interviewed New Yorkers about Matt Harvey.



Robin Thicke covered Icona Pop's I Love It.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project (Fun With 1977)

Earlier this week, the Post-Gazette had an article about the completion of Pittsburgh's Jewish archives through Carnegie Mellon University. From the website, "The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project makes available more than one hundred years of Jewish newspapers published in Pittsburgh. Digitized page images capture daily life in Pittsburgh from the 1890s to the present, with particular focus on Jewish communities. Life-cycle events, synagogue and organizational activities, arts, entertainment, and sports events are presented in detail. The collection offers extensive coverage of local, national, and international news, often from a perspective largely missing from the mainstream press."

Basically, this is awesome! I started looking for articles and stories of relatives, but quickly decided to see if I could find stories about me. While I'm sure that my Bar Mitzvah announcement is there, I found an article from June 1986 where kids were asked to list their three favorite career choices. As a 10 year-old, I answered "Soccer Player, Commercial Advertiser, Astronaut." Sadly, I am none of these.

Meanwhile, I also conducted a quick search of Steelers and found something from the August 4, 1977 issue of the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle.


The first officially licensed Pittsburgh Steelers calendar! This must be worth thousands of dollars on eBay today. Meanwhile, I'm pretty sure that I had a First Federal savings account.

At this point, I decided to take this a step further and share some of the articles and advertisements from this issue. Enjoy!

This is the front page:


I recently finished David McCullough's "The Johnstown Flood" about the 1889 tragedy, and sure enough, there was another flood in Johnstown in 1977. It also appears that a lot was going on in the Middle East and USSR. Yes, USSR.


The management of Prime Kosher was smart. Notice that the bottom of the ad states that the prices are effective 8/4/77 through 8/10/77. If the ad left out the year, you could go to Prime Kosher next month for $1.29 fruit pies or get a 1/2 pound of lox for $1.59. Of course, Prime Kosher is now Murray Avenue Kosher, so nevermind.


I understand that the Chronicle readers represent the entire Jewish community and beyond, but it seems odd for a store to promote non-Kosher food (scallops & shrimp) since the more observant Jews won't eat this. By the way, are there any Lee Wards anymore?


I'm pretty sure this same Mohel ad appeared in the Chronicle for 25 years.


U-S-A! U-S-A! Dan Schayes ended up having a long NBA career. I also think it is odd that the article specifically states that Willie Sims is "a Black Jew." While I'm sure this is true, it seems very odd that an article would state this. Perhaps this was common in 1977.


Real estate! I'd love to know how much the 5-bedroom, 2 & 1/2 bathroom with a 36 foot pool is worth today. If the price is still $129,500, I'll move back to Pittsburgh tomorrow.


Are any of these restaurants still in existence?


Let's finish this with the Giant Eagle ad! I'd love to know what baby food you can get for 10 for $1. Plus, there's 56-cent coupon for Orange Tang. Finally, what is Gaines Meal?


I'm going to have a lot of fun going through the Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project website.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Trivia Tuesday

We're back with a brand new picture edition of Trivia Tuesday. Your challenge is to identify the actor and film based on the pictures below. Please note that all pictures are related to a common co-star.


As always, please leave your answers in the comments section below. In addition, please don't use the internet for assistance.

This week's trivia is brought to you by Trivia Kings.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Paul McCartney Concert Review

How often do you get to see a member of The Beatles perform in the same place where Wily Mo Pena once played? Well, I had that opportunity on Friday when I saw Paul McCartney at Nationals Park. For me, the show's beginning was surreal. I was seeing Paul McCartney perform Eight Days a Week and All My Loving, classic and recognizable songs, live. Here are my thoughts on the show:

- At 71, how does Paul McCartney have the energy to perform a 2 hour a 45 minute show? It's not like he was just sitting in a chair either. He was playing guitar, piano and singing (his voice still sounds great too) while moving around the stage and he never seemed out of breath.

- Meanwhile, it was a long week for me, and with the show starting at 9:00 instead of the announced time of 8:00, I was getting a little tired early in the show. There were times when I fought to stay awake. Clearly, I'm not McCartney.

- At a certain part of the show, I mentioned to my friend that I only recognized about 50% of the songs. Then, this happened:

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
Band on the Run
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Let It Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude


Holy crap! What a run of amazing songs. Live and Let Die may have been the single greatest performance I've ever seen live. Take a look:









This could have been an amazing end of the show, but then McCartney came back with this encore:

Day Tripper
Hi, Hi, Hi
Get Back


I didn't know Hi, Hi, Hi, but I would have been happy with Get Back as the final song. Then, Paul came back by himself for a second encore to perform Yesterday. I figured that would end the show, but then the band rejoined McCartney for several more songs including Helter Skelter and, fittingly, The End.

- McCartney must dye his hair, right? How can he not have gray hair at this point?



- There was no opening act for Sir Paul, which brings up the question, who could open for him? It would have to be someone big enough to handle a stadium tour but also not have the ego that they could not be an opening act. I think Cheap Trick could be a possibility. Alicia Keys would be an interesting choice.

- McCartney's Let it Be was slightly better than the Norwegian television station's version featuring Steve Guttenberg, George Wendt, Katerina Witt, and Philip Michael Thomas from several years ago, but this could be debatable.

- Random story. On the way to the concert, I almost got off at the Metro Center stop to transfer thinking I needed to switch there for the stadium. A guy heard me stating this, asked if I was going to the concert and told me to stay on the train. He then asked me if I was visiting from out of town.

Me: I've lived in the DC area for 12 years.
Guy: So you must not take Metro often.
Me: No, I take it every day.

A bit embarrassing, We got to the L'Enfant Plaza metro stop where I knew to take the green line rather than the yellow line. He made sure I knew this too. He was being partially helpful and partially a jerk.

Fast-forward about an hour and we get to our section to see the same guy in the row behind us. I made sure to go up to him, showed him my ticket and asked him if I was in the right place. He laughed and then mentioned something about 12 years in DC.


- While I understand wearing a Beatles T-shirt to the concert, I don't understand wearing a Who T-shirt.

- On the way out of the concert, I noticed a guy wearing a Baby Bjorn with a baby in there. The show was loud and it was about midnight, so bringing a baby to the concert seems like a terrible idea.

Overall, amazing show. Don't just take my word for it. Take a look at these show reviews:

- Washington Post

- Washington Examiner (with the complete set list)

- Pop Culture Lunch Box

- The Prices Do DC

Friday, July 12, 2013

Sean On Fashion: Does This Match?

I have a simple question for you, but is there a simple answer? (Probably, yes.) Does the shirt match the shorts?


What are your thoughts on this outfit in general? (Please try to avoid comments about the Penguins. This post is all about fashion!)

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Why Isn’t Wi-Fi Free At ATL?

If Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport ("ATL") may be the opposite. Actually, since my 2008 adventure, my trips to ATL haven't been too bad. There always seems to be groups, generally high school or college athletic teams, wearing matching outfits, and there are now Five Guys located in several terminals. However, I can't understand how in 2013, ATL still doesn't have free Wi-Fi.

Before I get into this too much, let me state that this is definitely a first world issue. This post may even sound elitist. There are significant problems in the world including war, hunger and poverty, and I'm writing about the wireless internet access of an airport. I understand that in the grand scheme of things, this isn't even a small issue, it's minuscule. Yes, perspective is important.

Now that I got that out of the way, why isn't Wi-Fi in ATL free? Here's what the airport's website says:

Hartsfield-Jackson is “on the way to free.” Customers expect free Wi-Fi just as they expect free chairs and free use of restrooms. However, they also expect and deserve fast uploads and downloads and 24/7 service. User access fees ensure that right now.

The Airport has dropped the price for Wi-Fi access by about 40 percent — to $4.95 — and is 100 percent committed to quickly finding ways to remove fees as a barrier to Wi-Fi access without eliminating the great service that customers expect.



What does this mean? On the way to free? Although there is a fee for general internet access, you can access numerous websites (Atlanta colleges, tourist attractions and government agencies as well as airline websites) for free. So how hard is it to make the other sites free? People need to read Sean's Ramblings from anywhere for free!

What exactly are the user access fees? Seriously, I'd like to know. How much would if cost for an Atlanta or international company to sponsor this? That way, anyone could login, click a box stating that you won't do anything illegal online and then have the login page take you directly to the Home Depot or Atlanta Thrashers Falcons website.

Wi-Fi is free at Washington Dulles which I realize isn't as large and busy as Atlanta, but it's still a major international airport. Wi-Fi is also free at Washington National and Jacksonville airports. Make it happen ATL!

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

The All-Time Greatest Films

Entertainment Weekly recently compiled the All-Time Greatest movies, television shows, books and plays. While I'll likely touch on the other topics later this summer, today, I thought I would go through the top 100 films and share which movies I saw (in bold).

1. Citizen Kane
2. The Godfather - While I have watched parts of The Godfather, I have never seen the entire movie. Feel free to never read my blog again for this transgression.
3. Casablanca - Again, I've watched parts, but not movie in its entirety.
4. Bonnie and Clyde
5. Psycho
6. It's a Wonderful Life
7. Mean Streets
8. The Gold Rush
9. Nashville - I've seen the entire season of the television show featuring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, but this is not that version.
10. Gone With the Wind

So of the top 10 movies of all time, I've seen none of them from start to finish.

11. King Kong (1933 version)
12. The Searchers
13. Annie Hall
14. Bambi - I must have watched this.
15. Blue Velvet
16. Singin' in the Rain - Parts
17. Seven Samurai
18. Jaws - The first film on the list that I can conclusively write that I've seen.
19. Pulp Fiction - I'm on a roll now!
20. The Sorrow and the Pity

21. Some Like It Hot
22. Toy Story
23. Notorious
24. The Sound of Music - I've seen the musical but never the film. Are the hills alive in both versions?
25. 2001: A Space Odyssey
26. Bicycle Thieves
27. The Maltese Falcon
28. The Wizard of Oz - Though I never played Pink Floyd while watching this film.
29. North by Northwest
30. Sunrise

31. Chinatown
32. Duck Soup
33. The Graduate
34. Adam's Rib
35. Apocalypse Now
36. Rosemary's Baby
37. Manhattan
38. Vertigo
39. The Rules of the Game
40. Double Indemnity

41. The Road Warrior
42. Taxi Driver
43. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Is this the first film? If so, I watched it though I fell asleep through a significant portion. If this is the 2nd or 3rd film, I didn't see it.
44. On the Waterfront - I watched this about 10 years ago and felt like it didn't hold up.
45. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
46. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - Kevin Costner wasn't in this version.
47. A Clockwork Orange
48. It Happened One Night
49. Goldfinger
50. Intolerance

51. A Hard Day's Night
52. Titanic
53. Star Wars - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
54. Breathless
55. Frankenstein
56. Schindler's List
57. Midnight Cowboy
58. The Seventh Seal
59. All the President's Men - On my DVR waiting for me to watch.
60. Top Hat

61. Silence of the Lambs
62. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
63. Network
64. The Best Years of Our Lives
65. Last Tango in Paris
66. The Shining - This movie freaked me out.
67. Rebel Without a Cause
68. GoodFellas - Parts
69. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
70. L'Avventura

71. American Graffiti
72. The 400 Blows
73. Cabaret
74. The Hurt Locker
75. Touch of Evil
76. Lawrence of Arabia
77. Dog Day Afternoon
78. Raiders of the Lost Ark
79. Night of the Living Dead - As a Pittsburgher and someone who spent much of my youth at the Monroeville Mall, I should feel ashamed for never seeing this.
80. Dazed and Confused - I like this movie, but I don't know how it makes the top 100 films ever over The Godfather II and The Ten Commandments.

81. Blade Runner
82. Scenes From a Marriage
83. The Wild Bunch - Was this the prequel to the Brady Bunch?
84. Olympia
85. Dirty Harry
86. All About Eve
87. La Dolce Vita
88. The Dark Knight
89. Woodstock (1970)
90. The French Connection

91. Do the Right Thing
92. The Piano
93. A Face in the Crowd
94. Brokeback Mountain - On my DVR
95. Rushmore - Overrated film (though I'm sure many of you will disagree)
96. Sullivan's Travels
97. Diner
98. All About My Mother
99. There Will Be Blood
100. Sweet Smell of Success

By my unofficial count, I've watched only 22 of the top 100 greatest films. That seems pathetic. So how many did you see? Please leave your answer and any other thoughts in the comments section below.

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Hines Ward Does Something Else I Will Never Do

Happy July 4th everyone!

From my friend Jordan, here's the latest video of Hines Ward preparing for a triathlon.

Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Longest Spam Message Ever

I received an e-mail recently from someone named Adriana with the subject, "Hey." While most messages with this subject go straight to my Spam folder, this one managed to reach my inbox. Unlike most spam messages with a sentence or two followed by a link, this is a novel. I thought I would share such amazing prose and my thoughts. Please note that some of the text is PG-13.

BABE... i guess your not getting any of my email huh? ive been tryign to email u so many times but this dam laptop is such a piece of garbage and keeps freezing.. anyways how u been?

Sean's notes: Babe? Hopefully, that's for Babe Ruth rather than Babe the pig.

In case u dont know who this is its ME Adriana.. we used to chat a bit on facebook and then I think u deleted me :( haha.. anyways guess what... I got 2 things to tell u.. both good news.. 1) im single now.. yup me and my bf broke up about 3 months ago... and 2) guess where im moving? RIGHT EFFING NEAR U.. lol... ur actually the only person im gonna know there.. well 3 cousins too but i cant chill with them lol..

Right effing near me? Totally tubular dude! By the way, I think having three cousins, family, counts as people you know.

I remember when we chatted u told me u thought i was cute and u wanted to chill so now we finally can HAHA!

For the record, I've never said I "wanted to chill" with anyone.

im kinda scared to move.. im hoping this email addy is still the one you use and u can chat with me ebfore i get there.. maybe even help me move my [stuff] in...are u still on facebook? i cudnt find ui was soo confused...anyways im gonna need someone to show me the town and take me out so u better be around bebe...

The misspellings and poor grammar are really starting to bother me. Plus, is it that hard to capitalize I?

we only chatted a couple times but i remember thinking to myself i wanted to get ot know u better when i was single..a nd i thoguth u were cute too but cudnt tell u cause i wasnt single lol...ok so more info about me.. well im 23.. virgo.. love the outdoors and love to socialize, go out for drinks, restaurants, movies etc.. travel..

Hold the phone! You're moving right effing near me and I'm the only person you know (besides your family). Yet, you need to tell me your age, sign and what you like to do. Shouldn't I know this already?

i have a lil kitty named BOO and i luv her to death...

Owning a cat changes everything. I love my cat Ziggy too.

uhhh oh im a super horny gurl too but every gurl is they just wont admit it. so ilove watching p0rn and all that.. love sex etc blah blah blah...who doesnt..

How can you be 23 and spell girl incorrectly? Shouldn't you know how to spell girl in first grade? Yes, that's what I'm focused on.

I really hope we get a chance to chat for a bit either online or on the fone before i get there enxt week.. i hope u remmeber me and still wanna chill and arent married yet lol.. OH YA also.. i need to find a job when i get there..

do u have any hookups or know anybody hiring?


Please send me your resume, cover letter, salary requirements and a writing sample. Actually, don't send the writing sample. That's not going to help.

id LOVE to work in a bar or osmehting like that...really anythgin cause my current job is fun and all.. and technically i CUD keep doign it but i want a change.. i currently work from home and well thats cool but i need ot be out meeting people.. oh wait. i dont think i ever actually told u what i did? hmm shud i......???? ok WELLLL... and dont get all weirded out on me.. i work on a webcam chat community site and i get paid to chat with people and get naked HHAHA... BOMB right :)?

What's the proper response to bomb right?

I KNOW.. like i figure iim horny anyways why not get paid to chat with people and [deleted since I try to maintain a PG-13 blog] heheh...anyways i hope u dont look down on that and NO THATS NOT WHY IM CONTACTING U RELAX URSELF lol... i actually need help once i move and i remembered u live there so im reaching out....like i said before this computer is a complete piece of CRAP and freezes NON STOP.. ive tried ot send this email to u maybe 3 times already and im hopign this time i can hit SEND before i run into trouble lol..

ANYWAYS.. heres the deal....every month natalie (my boss) gives each of us 3 VIP codes to give out to whoever we want.. so with this code u can lgoin to watch me at work for free and dont have to pay like everyone else... the only way i can give u one of the codes (so we can chat) is if you absolutey DO NOT give it out to anyone else and u ONLY USE IT FOR URSELF... i only get 3 a month and she gets pissed if more than 3 people use them so DONT SHARE IT MISTER... i figured u cud always email me back instead but my email account doesnt even let me login half the time.. so the bets palce ot chat me is my chat room...

Why does your e-mail account not let you login? I'm not a computer person, but I tend to think that's a user error.

if theres anyone else logged in when u sign in ill boot them out.. but remember DONT SHARE THIS PASSWORD PLEASE BABE IM BEGGING U.. I TRUST U... im online most of the day now to try and save money for my move.. also since im in such a huge debt already form my student loan :(

You better hope Congress works something out with the student loan interest rates. Actually, you should share the password with some of the Members of Congress. That could be a good way to earn money.

I really thingk we need to chat before i get there and make sure u evern remember me hahha.. anyways ive rambled on and on now and ur probably soooo annnoyed with me so ill stop now..

No, I'm not at all annoyed. Please continue.

im gonna go start work.. i really hope u come chat me. it wud make my day and releive a lot of my stress about the move... REALLY i mean that....anyways once i see u in insdie ill shoot u myc ell number and u can gimme yours.. if u dont wanna come chat i understand but its really the only palce to find me now days.. if u email me abck ill probably get it once i get there after my internet is setup so about 2-3 weeks fomr now.. but im hopign to see u in my chat room..

While I may not be an internet expert, don't you need internet to access your chat room?

rmemeber its 100% free with this code im gonna give u.. just DONT GIVE IT OUT OR ILL KICK U IN THE BALLS INSTEAD OF [something else] WHEN IS EE U hahahahha...k babe im out for now... chat ya soon.. kisses xoxo Adriana

After all that, she never game me the password. Oh, there was a link included at the end of the message, but I'm worried it would take me 2-3 weeks to set up my internet if I click it.

Monday, July 01, 2013

Science!

Although this video is a month old, how often have you seen Thomas Dolby perform "She Blinded Me With Science" with astronaut Buzz Aldrin? For me, the answer is never. The performance is awkward and sometimes cringe-worthy, but overall, pretty awesome.



According to DCist, "the performance took place during the Smithsonian's "The Future is Here" conference, held at the National Museum of the American Indian on June 1."

Now, can someone explain to how Dolby's hand-held instrument can make so many different sounds? (Yes, I'm sure the answer is science!)