Orient Watch Giveaway

Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday have come and gone, but what about Sean’s Ramblings Wednesday? (It could happen!) Thanks to the great folks at Orient Watch, who make watches for men and women, I am excited to present the biggest giveaway in this blog’s history. This is Orient Watch’s Sparta model, and it would make a fantastic gift for you, your husband, boyfriend, father, son, co-worker, or, um, male bus driver.



To enter the contest, please leave a note in the comment section below with what you want this holiday season. It could be a specific gift or something broad like world peace (but don’t write world peace).

One comment/entry per person. Please enter by 9:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Thursday, December 1st), and I will use Random.org to choose a winner. This contest is open to folks living in the U.S. only.

Oh, Orient Watch also wanted me to incorporate Sapphire Crystal into this post, so there you go. Perhaps, this could be the name of the Dark Crystal sequel!

Hip, Attractive Extras Needed For Tom Cruise Movie

Since Josh dominated Trivia Tuesday, here’s a second post in the same day. Everyone that reads this blog is hip and attractive, so I have an opportunity for you via Nancy Mosser Casting.

We have a scene that is tentatively set to shoot on Wednesday, January 11th for the movie, "One Shot" starring Tom Cruise. We are going to be needing some hip, attractive Extras for a scene in a sportsbar. We are submitting pictures to the Director for consideration. If chosen, we would contact you closer to the date to let you know. Pay is minimum wage for the first 8 hours and time and a half after that. We never know a start time until the day before. It will shoot somewhere in the Pittsburgh area.

If you are interested in having your picture submitted to the Director, please EMAIL A RECENT PIC along with your NAME and PHONE NUMBER to oneshotextras@gmail.com ASAP. PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME AND AGE IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE EMAIL. The best pictures would be of you on a night out when you're dressed up. IF YOU HAVE BEEN SEEN ON CAMERA IN THIS FILM ALREADY, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOURSELF.

I'll look past the "we are going to be needing" line (how about "we will need"), but this sounds like a fun opportunity. If you end up working as an extra on this film, please let me know. I’d love to hear about your experiences, and you’re welcome to write a guest post about being in a scene with Dan favorite (if I remember correctly), Mr. Katie Holmes.

Trivia Tuesday

Thanks for your patience as we haven't had a Trivia Tuesday in some time. Your challenge this week is to name the eight U.S. state capitals that begin with a vowel along with the names of these states. Sounds simple, but is it?

Your second challenge is to name the most common first name of U.S. Presidents.

As always please leave your answers in the comments section below, and do not use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

My Life

Time to vent and get some things on paper (well, the computer screen) rather than keeping everything inside which is what I usually do. I’m in a rut. My entire life consists of home and work. I guess that this is normal for most people, but really, there is nothing more to my life right now other than being at home and the office. My big field trips this weekend were grocery shopping at Wegmans and going to Home Depot to pick up light bulbs and a new air filter. Basically, I need some grown-up time. I love being a father, and I’m lucky to have such a wonderful kid. I just want to do something. I’m not talking about taking a weeklong European vacation (though that would be nice) or a weekend trip to Las Vegas (though that would be nice too). Maybe just dinner and a movie. Attending a play or musical would be fun. Just some type of adults-only activity and/or some me time.

I have more on my mind though. I’m still at a loss about what to do about our shower leak. I don’t see a scenario where we’re not going to have to pay thousands of more dollars to resolve this unless we simply decide to continue to not use the shower. The latest is that the leak seems to be gone based on the “work” done by the glass company. However, I’m not sure how to prove that the leak was their fault. In addition, I’m not sure how we can tell for certain that the leak is completely gone without ripping up the tile and/or carpet.

Plus, there’s a chance that my child is allergic to Ziggy. We’re going to set up an appointment to see an allergist soon, but I’m trying to avoid thinking about the possibility of having to find a new home for Ziggy. Since nothing else is going on in my life, the shower and the possible cat allergy dominate conversation.

Let’s just throw out some more stuff on my mind. Raising a child is expensive. My fantasy football teams are terrible. I feel really behind at work. That pretty much covers it. On the positive side, the Steelers won last night and Sidney Crosby is back!

I actually feel much better after writing all of this. Again, I just needed to vent. I'm also doing much better than Caps coach Bruce Boudreau!

Steelers-Chiefs (PIttsburgh Midwest?) LiveBlog

What better way to conclude the Thanksgiving weekend than joining us for the Steelers-Chiefs game. Everyone rightly refers to the Arizona Cardinals as Pittsburgh West; however, no one talks about Kansas City being Pittsburgh Midwest. Former Pitt Panther QB Tyler Palko starts for the Chiefs tonight while wide receiver Jon Baldwin also attended Pitt and Steve Breaston is a fellow Woodland Hills High School graduate. Coach Todd Haley is the son of former Steelers Director of Player Personnel Dick Haley and served as a ball boy for the Steelers as a kid. Um, Kendrell Bell and Steve Bono both played for the Steelers and Chiefs. I think that’s all I got. Go Steelers!

Unrealistic Head & Shoulders Commercial

If you haven't seen the latest Troy Polamalu-Head & Shoulders commercial, take a look.



I don't have a problem with the guy "borrowing" Troy Polamalu and his hair. My issue is that it seems highly unlikely that a Steelers fan is going to be attracted to a guy still wearing a Tommy Maddox jersey!

Thanksgiving Message 2011

On this Thanksgiving, may you have the following:

Turkey in the oven
And the buns in the toaster
I'll never take down
My Cheryl Tiegs poster




Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Trivia Tuesday: What Should I Do?

I need some advice. In late 2010, we noticed water damage on our dining room ceiling due to a leak coming from our shower. In talking with our insurance company and a company we’ve used to do previous work (let’s call them company #1), we determined that the shower would need to be replaced. While company #1 replaced the shower and tile in January 2011, company #2 installed the frameless glass door in February 2011. I’m not using either company name at the moment, but I reserve the right to do so at a later date.

Anyway, in October of this year, we noticed that the spots in the ceiling below the master bathroom shower returned with part of the bathroom carpet stained and possibly other areas of the bathroom that we cannot see damaged. Company #1 determined that the seal that company #2 installed was worn and was no longer water tight. Specifically, the company indicated that "the section of the seal that goes below the fixed pane of glass is loose and long. When you splash water in the corner, you see the leak coming out where the door meets the seal." Company #2 visited our home and also noticed that a piece was out of place. Therefore, they took the piece, stated that they would order a new part, repair the shower, and be in touch in a few days.

After nearly three weeks of leaving numerous phone messages, company #2 finally returned, recaulked part of the shower and left without replacing the seal. Although there is no visible leak, we think that the leak is still there, though not as prominent as before.

So that’s where we are. I’m not sure what to do next. Essentially, company #1 blames #2 for the leak while company #2 blames #1. While I don’t trust company #2 since they failed to return my calls, I’m not convinced that the leak is their fault. I'm also not pleased with company #1 since they did an awful job caulking the tile outside the shower. Any suggestions on what to do? Should we get a third opinion? If so, does anyone have suggestions about folks in Northern Virginia we could ask? Feel free to provide any advice in the comments section below or e-mail me at seanramblings at yahoo[dot]com.

Sorry that this isn't an entertaining Trivia Tuesday!

Crosby's Back

All anyone in the hockey world is talking about is Sidney Crosby's back. Here is a picture of his back:



Oh, maybe they're talking about Crosby returning to the Penguins to face the New York Islanders tonight. As always, Benstonium put together a terrific video to welcome back Sid.



Let's Go Pens!

Friday Links & Videos

This is a must watch video showing a reunion between Lt. Charles Jacobson on leave from Afghanistan and his parents at a Boston Bruins game. It will definitely get a little dusty when you watch this. As an added bonus, Zdeno Chara is really tall! [Puck Daddy]



Brian McElhinny, the author of the excellent Pirates blog Raise the Jolly Roger, is a finalist for a $10,000 college scholarship for a student that blogs. Vote for Brian here! [RTJR]

I reviewed the book Scout, Atticus & Boo: A Celebration of Fifty Years of To Kill a Mockingbird [Blogcritics]

I also like this ESPN commercial featuring Terrible Towels around the world. [h/t That's Church]

Lawrence Timmons as Homer Simpson

Although I've read plenty of recaps about this past Sunday's Steelers-Bengals game, I think I'm the first person to make a Lawrence Timmons-Homer Simpson comparison. This is not a very good video, but check out Timmons' move after making this interception.



Was Timmons going for a break dancing move from the 1980s? Personally, I think he was channeling Homer Simpson after Homer, serving as the nuclear power plant's union leader, got Montgomery Burns to keep the dental plan in exchange for him stepping down from office. (It's a great episode!)

This is Homer's move with unnecessary subtitles and music.



Yes, this is one of the dumbest posts I've ever written.

Sweet Malkin Goal

If I am you source for Pittsburgh Penguins coverage, you probably didn't realize that the NHL season even started based on my lack of posts about the team. While I can't say that this will change in the near future, I felt the need to share this amazing goal by Evgeni Malkin during last night's 6-3 victory against the Colorado Avalanche.



Awesome!

Sean Freaks Out, Then Calms Down

Just before Sunday’s Steelers-Bengals game, I saw this Tweet from Dale Lolley of The Observer-Reporter of Washington (Pa.)



Since there’s a good chance that I’ll attend the December 4, 2011 Steelers-Bengals rematch, I freaked out. Attending a Sunday night game in Pittsburgh with the game ending around midnight and then driving back to Washington, DC to get to work by 9:00 AM is virtually impossible. I could have done this 10-15 years ago, but there’s no way I can make the late night/early morning drive now and be coherent at the office the next day.

I did a little research about Lolley’s statement, but couldn’t find any other information about the possibility of the night game becoming a reality. Therefore, I went directly to the source. In a quick reply, Lolley stated the following:

They have decided not to move the KC game, which at this point means that the Cinci game is still at 1 because the Steelers already have the most night games a team can have. But they may try to flex a different game to make that a prime time matchup because the two teams are good. I heard this from a TV source, so it's definitely true.

While I’m not exactly sold on Lolley’s “definitely true” statement, I do feel much better than I did on Sunday. I guess possibility of Pitt QB Tyler Palko return to Heinz Field with the Chiefs was too big of a storyline for NBC to pass on!


Update: Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms Lolley's story.

The kickoff of the Steelers next game, at Kansas City, will remain at 8:20 p.m. There was speculation that NBC-TV might opt to show another game at that time under the NFL flex schedule and move Steelers-Chiefs to an earlier kickoff.

Now, I'll only need to worry about the Pittsburgh weather for a December game!

Most Random Comment Ever

I’ve written this blog for nearly seven years now and over that time I’ve received many random comments on my blog posts. However, this comment from someone named Michelle, is likely the most random comment. Enjoy!

If this is SEAN from OTTAWA into AK's and a grandmother called FRAN...she would be devastated.
I have been trying to locate you and get you away from your parents as well as MATTHEW & CHRISTINE.
They are going to JAIL SEAN, if they are " lucky".
We want those under forty rehabilitated..and we know you begged my mother to take you when you were 12...she didn't because her marriage was terrible with SPIKE .
So, if this is not the SEAN, pass the message on ..he 's the the son of " RICK'S SETAIN".
I am going to help you and get leniency ..this should never have happened to all three of you.

Wow! In my nearly 1,900 blog posts, you’d think I would have made some reference about being from Ottawa at least a few times. Actually, there are probably several hundred posts where I write about being from Pittsburgh. I don’t even know where to start on the rest of this. Is Michelle trying to get me away from Matthew & Christine or them away from “my parents?” Who’s going to jail and why is it lucky that they are going there? Why am I actually passing this message on since this was not the SEAN?

Probably the most random part of this comment: it was made on my April 2008 post about my vacation to Seattle and Victoria.

Tropical Storm Sean

Look out Bermuda. Here comes Sean! Until this morning, I had no idea that there was a tropical storm named after me. While tropical storms and hurricanes are obviously scary and can result in loss of life and extensive damage, it is pretty cool that there is a Tropical Storm Sean.



In reading more information about the storm in The Washington Post and NoLa.com, I just can’t take this storm seriously based on these lines.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Thursday that Sean’s maximum sustained winds are 65 mph (100 kph).

It must have been something I ate.

Forecasters say Sean could become a hurricane later Thursday before weakening on Friday.

As Scorpions once said, "Here I am; Rock you like a hurricane."

Sean is moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph, 13 km/h.

This is totally false. I may have moved that way earlier today, but I'm currently sitting in front of a computer.

Sean is expected to produce 1 to 3 inches of rain on Bermuda.

I'm going to make it rain!

Swells generated by Sean are affecting portions of the southeastern coast of the United States and Bermuda, causing life-threatening surf and rip currents.

Who knew my cannonball could cause such an impact?

Hopefully, Sean misses Bermuda and doesn't cause any damage. You can follow Sean via the National Hurricane Center's website.

RIP Heavy D

Rapper and actor Heavy D passed away yesterday at the age of 44. Heavy D is probably best known for the single "Now That We Found Love," which I may have called B94 to request when I was in high school.



Among his acting credits, Heavy D appeared in Cider House Rules and the TV show Boston Public. No one could wear a neon green rain coat outfit like Heavy D!

Trivia Tuesday

The folks at Sporcle are amazing. They put together wonderful quiz after quiz after quiz. For today's Trivia Tuesday, take the Sporcle quizzes and share your results in the comments section below. Good luck!

Name the answers to these Television related questions in the 3 minute time limit. I scored a 26 out of 50.

Name the 100 largest private colleges/universities in the United States. (12 minutes) I scored a 41 of 100 and missed two easy ones in my hometown.

Name the QBs who started the most games for each team 2005-2009. (6 minutes) I got 115 out of 160 answers correct.

Steelers-Ravens International Fraud Awareness Week LiveBlog

We've done a good number of Steelers-Ravens live blogs over the years, so I thought I would use a fancy title for tonight's game. Today is saxophone day, but what do saxophones have to do with the Pittsburgh Steelers or Baltimore Ravens? Therefore, I went with International Fraud Awareness Week which runs from November 6-12, 2011. According to the IFAW website, "this weeklong campaign encourages business leaders and employees to proactively take steps to minimize the impact of fraud by promoting anti-fraud awareness and education." In using my blog for good, let's hope the Steelers expose the Ravens as frauds tonight!

Yes, this is a bit of a stretch, but join us for a special fraud awareness edition of the Steelers-Ravens live blog.

NFL Supports Breast Cancer Awareness for 31 Days Only

If you watched any football games over the past month, you probably noticed players wearing pink wristbands, gloves, hats, chin straps, and shoe laces while carrying pink towels. For all we know, the players even wore pink underwear. The reason for all of the pink was the NFL's campaign to promote October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is the NFL’s press release describing the league’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities. The NFL is such a caring and supportive corporation!

Now that it is November, the NFL doesn’t want you to think about breast cancer awareness. According to Ed Bouchette of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "players also have been warned they are subject to fines if they continue to wear the pink (shoes, towels, gloves, etc) they sported during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October." So if you see Hines Ward dancing with a pink towel after making a big play against the Ravens this Sunday, you can expect Hines to receive a significant fine.



Of course, don't mind the NFL while it sells items on their website to help fight breast cancer.

Sean Gets a Haircut

This is a picture of the top of my head.



From the view from above, I seem to be missing a good amount of hair. Some people may say that I’m balding, but I like to think that it is a sign of maturity. (Although I never think that.) Nevertheless, I get a monthly haircut to shave the back of my neck, even out my sideburns and trim the remaining hair on my head since I still have a significant amount around the sides. Basically, I’m Jeffrey Tambor from 20 years ago.

At my recent haircut, the stylist asked me if I wanted color for my hair. I was surprised by her question, but I politely said no thank you. A few minutes later, I asked what kind of color she had in mind adding that I didn’t think blond highlights were in anymore. She confirmed that the blond frosting was indeed out and that I would get the same color as my hair. I still declined, but I’ve thought about this a little more since then. Why would I get color? I assume that the color wouldn’t be spray-in-a–can to cover up my bald spot. Plus, as you can possibly tell by the picture, I don’t have any gray hair. Perhaps I should find a new barber (or just shave my head).

Final Muppets Trailer

Yes, I'm excited to see the new Muppets movie. Enjoy the latest (and last?) Muppets parody trailer.

A Conversation with My Seven-Month Old

After giving my son a spoonful of baby food, specifically apples, I asked him the following question:

Me: How do you like them apples?

Kid: (No response)

Me: You have no idea where that line is from, do you?

Son: (No response)

Me: I guess you haven’t seen Good Will Hunting. You lead a sheltered life.



I also fed my son sweet potatoes and entertained myself by saying Dude...Sweet...Potatoes