Turning 50 is a
big deal. Sure, there are other birthday milestones. 13 for a Bar/Bat Mitzvah.
16 to be able to drive. 18 to vote. 21 to legally drink. You should be a
(somewhat) responsible adult at 25 and certainly at 30. You become a man at 40.
But 50 seems different. A half century is a long time. There seems to be a
sense of mortality. While I’m in decent shape and my kids help keep me young,
there’s a realization that you have lived at least half of your life. I could
live to be 100 but that doesn’t seem realistic.
I’ve started
reflecting a little bit. Am I where I want to be? The answer is yes and no. I
love my family, but I'm not financially secure. I mean, while I'd like a bigger
house and more/any disposable income, the kids get what they need in terms
of playing sports, being involved in activities, and going to summer
camp. They’re certainly not getting designer clothes and shoes. Plus, I am
my father's son. Did I go to Costco on Monday hoping to get a discounted
Mother's Day cake for my own birthday cake? Just turn the cake upside down and
Mom becomes Wow! Oh, the answer is yes I went to Costco, but they didn't have
any remaining Mother's Day cakes.
What I’m
realizing is that I need to be a better friend. While being busy with work and
my kids’ activities is certainly an excuse, I have not done a good job of
keeping in touch with friends, particularly those who live out of town. I also
need to reach out to my family more. I never had a big family, and it’s even
smaller with my parents now gone.
I definitely
want to travel more. My wife and I are planning a trip abroad this summer to
celebrate my 50th birthday and our 20th anniversary. In addition, my goal of
visiting all 50 states is still a strong possibility after going to North
Dakota last year.
There’s no big
ending to this post. I didn’t get any media credentials to cover any awards
shows or athletic events in honor of my 50th birthday. I actually spent my
birthday itself going to work and then driving my kids to basketball practice
and a Scout meeting in the evening. It was just another day with more phone
calls and a lot more messages on Facebook. I’m going to celebrate more soon and
with the vacation this summer. Overall, I’m glad that I made it to 50, and
I know there’s a lot more to do.
I’m 45 today. Happy Birthday to me! I’m going to celebrate by publishing this blog post where I answer 45 questions asked by friends. This is part one since 45 questions in one blog post would be way too many, and I don’t actually have 45 questions to answer yet. So please send me an email or a message on Facebook or Twitter or even in the comments with a question or two. A blog post titled 45 Years Old: 19 Questions Answered sounds awful.
1. What is your greatest regret?
I honestly don’t really have anything major. I should have asked a girl or woman out when I was younger, but I guess I was scared about being rejected or sharing my feelings. I could have met the Pittsburgh Penguins at the airport when they won their first Stanley Cup or attended a Penn State football game once when I was in State College. Maybe the fact that I lived in San Diego and actually decided to leave? Even with that, I wouldn’t have had the life I have now if I stayed in Southern California. Oh, not a great regret, but I lived in San Diego for 2 years and never visited Mexico. Not sure how that was possible. You know, there is one thing. I had a best friend from before elementary school through high school, but we lost touch and it was likely my fault. It would be cool to reconnect with him again
2. What was the best birthday you ever had?
Probably my 13th birthday. I had my Bar Mitzvah the following day, so I got to have a huge party with my entire family and friends. And I became a man and heard lots of fountain pen jokes that I still don’t understand 32 years later.
3. Which professional sports hall of fame has the most dubious standards?
I really don't know how the NHL or NBA Hall of Fames operate, so my answer is the NFL. Except for 2020 where the NFL is having a centennial class, each year a 48-member selection committee picks 5 players for Hall of Fame enshrinement (not including old-time/senior nominees). One of the journalists on the committee argues his or her (I think there's only 1 woman on the committee, so it’s basically his) case why a player should get in. While someone like Troy Polamalu or Peyton Manning are locks to make the Hall of Fame, let’s say that a journalist isn’t prepared or a good speaker to try to convince the committee to elect Hines Ward or someone who may or may not make the Hall of Fame. There’s no public forum or indication of who votes for or against a certain player either. 48 people get to pick. Seems like there should be a better system.
4. What is a favorite place in Pittsburgh, for you?
Well, it can’t be The O anymore, so I’m giving two answers. The first is taking The Incline up to Mt. Washington and staring down at the city. I could just look out at the skyline and the rivers for hours. The second is PNC Park to watch a baseball game. Sure, you can say Bob Nutting is cheap and the Pirates are bad, but I still love going to baseball games and PNC Park is the one of the best place to see one. If you’re on the third base line, you can look at a different part of city skyline and the Allegheny River.
5. Ticked off that you were Government Man rather than Lil Abner?
I made my acting debut as Government Man in the Gene Kelly-award winning Woodland Hills High School production of the musical Lil' Abner. I am completely fine not earning the title role. The biggest reason is that I wasn’t (and still am not) a good singer. I made the musical cast because I did really well in my dancing audition, and I think they needed more guys. In the first rehearsal where I had to say my lines, one of my lines was "Cough, cough water cough" after drinking some moonshine or other awful-tasting product. Instead of acting like I was choking, I actually read out “cough, cough, water cough.” I did this again after the director stopped the scene. It was at that point that the director completely flipped out. Who knew that I was actually supposed to act like I was choking in the first rehearsal? I was just saying my line. There are actually videos of my performance (but not my cough cough water cough line) here.
6. Who let the dogs out?
It was the Baja Men with some help on the inside. Why have only one security guard and post him outside? Plus, someone must have opened the doors for the dogs!
7. Of the cities you have lived in, which one was your favorite?
Going back to the first question, San Diego. I moved there in 1997 for a job knowing basically two people: a distant relative who welcomed me with open arms and let me stay at her house for a month and a friend from high school who chose San Diego for grad school and became my roommate. I mention 1997 specifically since the 1997-1998 winter was a really bad El Nino year (and the first time I ever heard that phrase) where it rained much more than it usually does in San Diego and there were days where the high temperatures were only in the 50s. People who lived in San Diego for years said it was one of the worst winters they remembered. For me, it was fantastic. No snow and some rainy days. After spending 22 years in Pittsburgh and Ithaca, New York, the winter weather was fantastic. I also loved my job and knew that I fell into an amazing experience with the best working environment I would ever have and made some really good friends. I also took a surfing class. I couldn't do that in Pittsburgh, Ithaca, Columbus, or DC!
8. Suppose you had to introduce yourself with something *other* than "Hi. I'm Sean. I'm from Pittsburgh."
Now that I’ve lived in Northern Virginia for almost 20 years, when asked, I say that I live in Northern Virginia. I then say that I’m originally from Pittsburgh!
9. If you were from another place, where would it be, and what sports teams would you follow?
Because of my parents and other family members, the answer would be the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers no matter where I lived. Like many Penguins fans though, I didn’t become a fan until Mario Lemieux joined the team. My earliest memories of the Pens were watching them on WPGH-53 lose to the Islanders with Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier 8-3 regularly in the pre-Mario days. If I grew up somewhere else in the 80s, I would be a fan of that hockey team. It would be the Red Wings if I grew up in Detroit, the Blackhawks if I grew up in Chicago, or the Capitals if I grew up in the DC area. (Yuck!)
10. What's your favorite BBYO memory?
This was my youth group in high school. I was always a chapter-first guy, so my favorite memory was winning Tournies when I was my chapter’s president. Tournies was a competition between various chapters in our region in all types of events like basketball, bowling, Connect 4, a lip-sync, and a lot more. We were awesome!
I’d like to thank Leah (one of the people who recommended me for the job in San Diego 23 years ago) for giving me the idea for this post since she did it herself.
Please keep the questions coming, so that I can have parts II and beyond. (I already have some questions but can use a lot more.)
A Penguins victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in game one of the Eastern conference finals.
A Pirates victory over the Chicago Cubs.
A Sheffield Wednesday victory in game one of a two-game playoff against Brighton in the British Championship division. The Owls have a chance of getting promoted to the Premier League.
Cookies or cake.
This Cake is fine but I was thinking of something more like this:
When I turned 13, I had a Bar Mitzvah and became a man. (In actuality, turning 13 is the age for fulfillment of the Commandments. In related news, I'm still waiting to receive a fountain pen.)
When I turned 16, I got my driver's permit and later my license. What a sense of freedom to be able to go to the store to buy milk or to pick up your brother from soccer practice.
When I turned 18, I could legally buy lottery tickets (check) and cigarettes (pass).
At 21, I could (and did) legally drink. I also learned that drinking a Long Island Iced Tea and other alcohol and finishing the night with Ben & Jerry's ice cream is a terrible idea.
Today is my birthday, so Happy Birthday to me! If you’re reading this on Sunday, Happy Mother’s Day too! Do you see what’s happening here? It’s my birthday, and I have to share today with every mom. Can’t I be a little selfish today and have my own day?
I was 4 the first time my birthday fell on Mother’s Day. To celebrate, I got chicken pox. Apparently, that ruined a big dinner and plans for the entire family. Maybe subconsciously, I didn’t want to share the attention.
I recently complained to a friend about this whole birthday-Mother’s Day thing. (I left out the previous paragraph and the whole chicken box thing.) She replied, “try having a Christmas birthday like me.” My complaining ended immediately.
Article II, Section 1 of The United States Constitution states that "No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States." Do you see that I "bolded" four words of the Constitution? Well, effective yesterday, I can be President.
I understand that you may be hesitant to vote for me, so let me share my qualifications. In college, I worked as an intern for my Congressman and State Legislator (though not at the same time). You're looking for someone that earned and received popular support, aren't you? Well, I was elected Class Secretary during my Junior year of High School and served as Regional Treasurer in my youth group. I'm sure that you're now convinced that I would make an excellent President, so I appreciate your support.
I just hope the rest of the voters don't read this blog. Who knows what skeletons hide among 5+ years of posts? I'm guessing that I already lost the votes of Baltimore Ravens and Washington Capitals fans. Perhaps I shouldn't have shared so much in those TMI Thursdays.
is a Pittsburgh Penguins victory over the Washington Capitals tonight. That’s not asking for too much, is it?
To celebrate my birthday, we made 6:30 dinner reservations tonight at a nice restaurant that just opened recently. Since the Capitals won game six, we’re now planning on arriving much closer to 5:30 since the hockey game starts at 7. Therefore, I want to publicly thank my wife for planning a nice evening and apologize to her since I’ll probably watch the clock throughout dinner to ensure that I’m home for the opening face-off. Is that wrong of me?
Since I am out of my free burrito coupons, I now seek out new opportunities to earn free food from California Tortilla. Fortunately, California Tortilla is celebrating its birthday today (Wednesday, September 24) by giving everyone who purchases an entrée a coupon for a FREE quesadilla, salad or burrito on Thursday, September 25th. Yes, the catch is that you need to eat at Cal Tort two days in a row. In addition, the first 50 people in line at 11am and 5pm today receive a free Cal Tort T-shirt when purchasing an entree.
As always, more information is available at the Cal Tort website.
In case you were wondering, the picture is of my friend’s car for his 33rd birthday. It took him almost two hours to remove all of the post-it notes and drive home.
On this day 28 years ago, I turned 4 (yes, you added correctly, I am 32 today), and got chickenpox while my birthday was on Mother’s Day. Apparently, the chickenpox ruined the birthday/Mother’s Day dinner. So for those of you celebrating birthdays or Mother’s Day today, I hope that chickenpox is not part of the festivities.
Welcome to Sean's Ramblings! If you're looking for thoughts on pop culture, music, fun and informative links, random DC and Pittsburgh info, sports (particularly Pittsburgh sports), and just what's going on in my life, then you're come to the right place.
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