I received an email a few months ago from my health insurance company about getting a "Move Kit" and participating in an exercise program. The Move Kit basically consists of a generic version of a FitBit that I wear on my wrist. It syncs up with my phone and tracks my steps. The key part of this program is that it is free, so I signed up. While I've tracked steps on my phone for years, it only works when I actually have my phone in my pocket. Since I don't carry my phone when I referee soccer games, I always wondered how many steps I take during these games. Over the weekend, I finally got the chance to try it. While I'm not completely sure of the accuracy of the device on my wrist, in three 70-minute games (one as a center referee and two as an assistant referee on the sidelines) including walking to and from my car and the restroom, I took about 15,000 steps in less than 6 hours.
Debbie Gibson has a book coming out in a few weeks. (I've written about her before.) While I'm not willing to buy it (yet?), I put it on hold at my local library.
After four years as the Dining for Dollars chair for my kids' elementary school PTA, I'm finally out! My job was to contact restaurants to set up events where a portion of the sales would go to the PTA. It wasn't a very difficult job, but it took up more time than I wanted in coordinating dates with the restaurants, the board, getting flyers made, etc. I told the PTA president at the end of last school year that I was done but would stick around if they couldn't find anyone new. I sold it as being a great position for someone who wanted to ease into getting involved but not ready for a leadership position. Someone took the role and has ideas for the school year. More importantly, I'm out!
Well, I was due. After nearly 20 years, I received a summons for jury duty. I wrote about my very limited experience years ago near the start of my blog. Might be some new blog content later this fall! (Though not nearly as good as the TV show.)
The Moose last played organized baseball in the fall of his 6th grade year. As someone who throws with his left hand, it was at this level where he could no longer play infield positions other than 1st base. He wasn't great at first, so he mostly played outfield. Although he had/has a good arm, I'm not sure if he pitched that season. Anyway, it was at this level, where you could clearly see a distinction between players. The good players were really good. There were a few kids who hit home runs and pitchers who could really throw. I don't think The Moose had more than 1-2 hits that season (though he had a good eye and walked a lot). I mention this because he just started high school last week and announced that he wants to play on the high school team this spring. As a pitcher. Not exactly sure how this is going to go, but I wish him luck.
Debbie Gibson was one of my first celebrity crushes, and I wrote all about her in a TMI Thursday post several years ago. I follow her on Facebook and Twitter too. It was from this that I learned about her upcoming virtual concert...for AARP. Apparently, I'm now in AARP's target demographic. I don't think a new version of "Electric Youth" titled "Electric Middle Age" will work as well. Bottom line: I'm old!
And yes, I registered for the concert. I haven't seen a Debbie Gibson concert in 35 years, so why not?
In honor of my 45th birthday, I created blog posts where I answer 45 questions asked by friends. The first part is available here, and this is part two. Will there be a part three? We'll see.
11. Who is your all time favorite non-Pittsburgh athlete?
Even my all-time favorite non-Pittsburgh athletes who you wouldn’t associate with Pittsburgh have Pittsburgh ties. The two that stand out for me are Jason Taylor and Larry Fitzgerald. Taylor is from Pittsburgh and played football and basketball for my high school, but most people associate him with the Miami Dolphins. Fitzgerald is Mr. Arizona as a member of the Cardinals, but he attended the University of Pittsburgh and is one of the greatest wide receivers in college history. So that rules them out.
Therefore, my favorite non-Pittsburgh athlete who doesn’t have any association with Pittsburgh is Tony Gwynn. What a player and what a person. I wrote a blog post about Gwynn (of course I did), but I’m happy to write about him again. As a kid, I always knew of Gwynn as a great hitter as he regularly appeared at the top of the batting average standings when I looked through the Sunday newspaper. However, I rarely saw him play since it’s not like the Padres were on TV much and their games started after 10:00 PM. When I moved to San Diego in 1997 near the end of his career, I saw how revered he was out there, and how much he was respected by everyone in baseball. During the 1999 All-Star game, baseball and the Boston Red Sox honored Ted Williams only one of the greatest baseball players of all time. What’s amazing about the video below is how all of the players gather around Williams, and how happy Williams was to see Tony Gwynn (around the 3:50 mark). Williams lived in San Diego and he and Gwynn got together and talked about hitting (and presumably other stuff). How cool would it have been to listen to those conversations?
Gwynn also did so much in the community and received the 1999 Roberto Clemente Man of the Year award. After his playing career ended, he went back to become the head baseball coach at San Diego State, his alma mater. How many Hall of Famers to that?
The two biggest travesties of the 1994 baseball strike was that it cost the Montreal Expos a legitimate chance to win the World Series (which presumably would have kept the team in Montreal) and Gwynn was hitting .394 and had a chance to hit .400.
Gwynn died way too young at the age of 54 in 2014.
12. What do you love about living in Northern Virginia?
Opportunities for fun, free events and diversity. There are so many free concerts and events, particularly for kids and especially during the summer. Plus, we’re right next to DC, so we can visit any of Smithsonian museums for free or attend free events for kids at places like The Kennedy Center and The National Theatre. We don’t take advantage of this stuff nearly as much as we should, but I know people in other parts of the country and world don’t have these opportunities. Still, we attend at least one free show or concert a week each summer. We’re also in a very diverse area with people from so many different countries and cultures. My kids’ elementary school had a family heritage night last fall with student and family-led displays, performances, food tastings, and more. It was such a cool event with so many different nations and nationalities represented.
13. What do you hate about living in Northern Virginia?
Traffic and the cost of living. What should be a 20-minute drive can easily take 45 minutes (or more during rush hour). Even when you think there wouldn’t be traffic like on a random Wednesday morning at 11:00, there could be due to an accident or construction. The cost of living is also frustrating. A friend in the Nashville area recently posted on Facebook a real estate listing for the house next door to her. It’s amazing! So much space with 5 bedrooms and a big yard. The cost is around the same as the value of my home, but we definitely don’t have 5 bedrooms and a yard. We have also spent SO MUCH MONEY on daycare, preschool, and before and after-school care for the kids. It’s a good thing there are free community concerts and museums nearby!
14. What is your favorite place on the Ithaca College campus?
What’s funny is my favorite spot on campus is a place where I spent very little time. The Dillingham Fountains. If you’re at the right place on campus, you can see the fountains and Cayuga Lake. The problem is that the fountains were turned off for most of the school year to make sure that the pipes wouldn’t freeze. In Ithaca, New York, that could be October through April or nearly the entire school year. There were also cool lights to go along with the fountains, but I feel like those only came out during special occasions.
15. For your 45 questions: 1975's top three films were: Jaws; The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Which one would you pick to define 2020?
I really hope that I’m wrong, but I think the answer is going to be "Jaws." In Jaws, the Amity Island mayor decided to keep the beaches open even though there was already a shark attack and seemingly no action taken to ensure that there wouldn’t be future attacks. The beach needed to be open for July 4th! And what happened? More people got attached by sharks. The White House and the Centers for Disease Control created Guidelines for Opening Up America Again. One of these guidelines is that “states should have a “downward trajectory” of cases over a 14-day period before reopening.” What happened? Most, if not all of the states, failed this test before reopening. I also worry that officials will stop counting or under-report COVID-19 cases or deaths in order to make it seem like things are better in their area that it is. This already happened in Nebraska. Or you get Georgia who made it look like cases were going down by putting dates out of order. For example, May 5th was followed by April 25th.
Again, I hope that I’m wrong, but I think there are going to be a lot more shark attacks in 2020.
16. If you could go back in time, would you change anything in your life?
This is a variation of the “what is your greatest regret” question from part one of 45 questions. The only thing I can really think of is that I would have bought stock in Apple, Amazon, or Google or some other company or made big and correct wagers on sporting events. I don’t think I’d be comfortable having Bill Gates or Warren Buffet money, but it would be nice to have been successful in these endeavors so that we’d be comfortable financially. Like really, really comfortable financially. And yes, this answer is basically plot points from the movies Frequency and Back to the Future 2.
17. & 18. If you could time travel, would you go back or forward and what would you be most interested in seeing?
I’m counting this as two questions. It would be cool to go back to game 7 of the 1960 World Series to see Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit a 9th inning series winning home run against the Yankees.
Traveling forward, I don’t know if I’d want to go to January 2021 to know the result of the November 2020 election. I mean, if Donald Trump loses, do we think he’s going to handle it well? Will there be a peaceful transition of power? I guess it would be nice to know when there will be a successful COVID-19 vaccine and to see when everything is going to be back to normal.
19. What is your favorite memory of being 23?
In December 1998, I helped organize and create a Kosher Pickle Taste Test at San Diego State University. It was a lot of fun and a huge success and also inadvertently started the tradition of having pickles at Hanukkah. I’m still waiting for this to catch on across the country and the world, and I think this is the year it’s going to happen.
20. What’s the thing you are looking forward to most about being 45?
Since I think I’m going to spend much of being 45 at home, the answer is spending a lot of time with my kids. (This might also be on the list of what I’m not looking forward to being 45.) It will be interesting to see how they grow. I dread doing potty training with Luigi, but it will be so nice not to change diapers anymore. I expect that Pedro Tulo will be reading much more. Maybe The Moose will learn to ride his bike? They’re all going to grow and learn, which should be fun to see.
21. In honor of Michael Jordan and the last dance would you rather be 23 or 45?
I liked being 23. I lived in San Diego, and while I didn’t have much money, I didn’t have many expenses or worries. In normal times, though, I’d still probably go with 45. While my kids can definitely be frustrating and I worry about them, it’s really cool being a dad. However, seeing that I’m probably not going to travel anywhere, eat out at restaurants, or even go the grocery store without wearing a mask for a good part of my 45th year, I’ll go with 23.
22 & 23 What's the age that you liked being the most and the least?
I think 45 is going to be the one I like the least. Again, while it will be exciting seeing my kids grow, I don’t know when I’ll be able to see my mom. Or go out to a concert or sporting event. Or coach my kids’ soccer teams. See a theme here?
The age I liked the most? Probably 25 which is odd to say since I had some tough times then. I couldn’t stand my supervisor at my primary job and often struggled to keep motivated during graduate school. I just wanted to be done. I mentioned “primary” job since I also had at least 2 other jobs at that time. However, as a 25 year old, I went to Israel for 10 days followed immediately (with a 4-hour stop at Newark Airport) by spending the summer in Lancaster, England. I made side trips to Dublin, Edinburgh, Paris, London, and more. Then, after returning to the US, I met friends in Vegas and attended a wedding in Montreal. I also started dating my girlfriend who is now my wife. Just before I turned 26, three friends and I drove from Columbus, Ohio to Buffalo to see the Penguins win game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals (the Darius Kasparaitis overtime goal game) and then immediately back to Columbus. Such a cool experience!
24. Who are your celebrity crushes, then…?
Alyssa Milano and Debbie Gibson. And yes I wrote about both of them here and here.
25. …and now?
This one is much tougher since I don’t know all of the latest stars. I probably would have said Katy Perry a few years ago, but not so much now and it has nothing to do with her dressing up in a Dumbo costume during the recent Disney singalong.
I’ll go with Anna Kendrick who is very talented and also seems to have a great sense of humor. I enjoyed reading her book too. I'm also a fan of fellow Pittsburgh Steelers fan Sofia Vergara.
26. & 27. What do you like/dislike the most about being part of Gen X?
This might be the hardest question on here. I don’t have a good answer. I think it’s nice that us Gen X folks connected to a time with “old” technology (like rotary phones or televisions without remotes) but also know how to use computers. We’re not getting told that we and need to die like Baby Boomers to help the economy, but we’re also not Millennials who are told that we spend too much money on avocado toast. We’re just here doing the best we can trying to help our parents and our kids.
28. What is your favorite blog post?
How can I pick just one out of over 3,000? It’s like picking my favorite child. I mean that answer changes on a minute-to-minute basis. Some of my TMI Thursday posts were fun. I feel like I had some great posts about my kids and being a dad. Interviewing Chris Wright, the former Pittsburgh Spirit and Minnesota Timberwolves General Manager, was a neat experience. Actually, just because of who asked this question, this is my favorite blog post!
29. So what’s been your favorite hockey trip so far?
For over a decade now, a friend and I have taken an annual-ish road trip to see NHL hockey games across the United States and Canada. At this point, we’ve seen nearly 2/3rds of the NHL teams/cities. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’ve tried to chronicle some of our experiences over the years. While it’s hard to pick a favorite trip since they’ve all been fun, I think I’m going with our 2009 trip to Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. The negative was that it was freezing in Montreal (temperatures were in the negative teens) and the crowd at the Maple Leafs game was the quietest at any that we’ve attended. Why am I bringing up the negative? I don’t know. The crowds at Montreal and Ottawa were outstanding. We got to see the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Stanley Cup in Toronto, toured Canada’s capital, and ate some really good steak in Montreal. We did so much driving, got stuck re-entering the United States from Toronto, surreally watched the news seeing that Sully landed a plane in the Hudson River, and then I stumbled into people attending Obama inauguration parties when I returned to DC. What a trip!
30. If you could attend any major sporting event regardless of who is in it, what would it be? Super Bowl, World Series, World Cup Final, Masters, Indy 500, Kentucky Derby, Championship fight, etc.?
The “who is in it” is the key here. The Steelers in a Super Bowl or the Penguins or Pirates in a game seven would be at the top of the list. Ithaca College somehow making it to the Division I NCAA Final Four despite being a Division III team would be the dream scenario. Since I don’t have a significant rooting interest in this scenario, I’d pick the World Cup final. Unlike the other examples in the question, this only happens every four years. It has the biggest worldwide television audience of any sporting event, and you’ll have people from all over the world in attendance making it a really unique experience.
31. If you could get tickets to any one Summer Olympic event, what would you go see?
The men’s 100 meter dash but with an asterisk. This might be the most exciting athletic event in all of sports, but I’m also not spending a lot of money on a 10-second race. There needs to be a several hours of qualifying races and/or other track and field events, concluding with this race.
32. If you could get tickets to any one Winter Olympic event, what would you go see?
The women’s hockey gold medal game gets a slight edge over the men’s hockey gold medal game. While I can see many of the men’s players in the NHL, the women’s game is truly the biggest event in the sport. Plus, there’s an excellent chance that the game would feature the American and Canadian teams, and they’ve had quite the rivalry over the years.
33. Your wife tells you that she’s taking the kids out all day and you have the entire day to yourself. What would you do?
To dream, the impossible dream!
Obviously, the answer is before the coronavirus. For most of the day, the answer would be nothing. I would sleep in. Maybe I’d read the newspaper. I’d sit on the couch and watch whatever is on my DVR. At some point, definitely after lunch, I’d probably go out to see a movie since I rarely go to the theater. For the evening, it would go to a trivia night or a sporting event with friends. This sounds like a fantastic day!
So as you can see, I've only answered 33 of 45 questions. I’m still 12 questions short. Will there be a part III? Please ask some questions, so the answer will be yes!
Facebook has this thing where they show you "Memories" of your stories from the same date of different years. Recently, Facebook showed me a post from 2009 where I shared 25 Random Things About Myself. I also shared this information (shockingly) in a blog post. Again, this blog is really old. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to revisit the 25 random things.
1. The first concert I ever attended was Neil Diamond. The most recent concert I saw was also Neil Diamond.
The last concert I attended was Billy Joel. I also saw Billy Joel several times in high school. Perhaps I'll see a performer that's not an AARP member this summer!
2. I spend a good five minutes each morning trying to find a pair of matching socks.
It now only takes me about two minutes each morning to find a matching pair of socks. Major improvement!
3. I enjoy being a soccer referee and know that I am a good ref; however, I don’t attempt to get to the next level because I don’t want to deal with even worse parents and players.
I have worked higher level soccer games the past few years, and yes, the coaches and parents are definitely worse. I don't know what it is, but there is just so much complaining and arguing over any little call. It really has gotten worse.
4. I am addicted to fantasy leagues. Over the past year, I have participated in football leagues, 3 baseball leagues, 2 hockey leagues, a Rock of Love 3 league and several NCAA Tournament brackets. I joined a NASCAR league a few years ago, even though I know nothing about the "sport." Should I also mention that I’ll probably run an Oscar poll for this year’s Academy Awards?
I've cut back significantly. Now, I'm down to 4 fantasy football leagues and 2 baseball leagues. If there's a new season of Rock of Love, though, I'm all in!
5. By waiting in line for over five hours, I earned free burritos for a year from California Tortilla. Over the next 52 weeks, I saved $278.09 in burritos and quesadillas.
6. Before meeting my wife, my longest relationship was 6 months.
This is still true.
7. The idea of buying and selling a home (the process is going to start soon) really, really scares me.
We sold our condo and bought a townhouse about 6 years ago. Yes, it was scary.
8. Due to a stupid car accident that occurred just before the end of my junior year, I was voted Worst Driver in high school. I also finished second in the class clown voting.
There is no truth to the rumor that there was a recount based on inaccurate balloting.
9. I cannot ride a bike; I am not going to elaborate on this.
I still can't ride a bike, and my older son will probably start learning to ride this spring. I'll teach him how to drive in 11 years, but I'm not going to be of any use teaching him how to ride a bike.
10. My blog is an extremely important part of my life. Although it may not look like it, I spend many hours each week writing posts.
With kids, I just don't have the time to write like I did 7 years ago. That's why you only see a few posts a week these days.
11. Many people work retail jobs in high school or college. I worked at Blockbuster and Kohl’s after earning my Masters degree.
I wore my Blockbuster shirt this past Halloween.
12. Assuming that the bus and Metro run on time and aren’t too crowded (huge assumptions here), I enjoy my 50+ minute commute each way as I have read more books for pleasure since I started my job 4 years ago than the rest of my life combined.
The bus has been fine, but Metro is hit or miss these days. Plus, I haven't read any books this month though I'm up on my Washington Post Magazine.
13. I was a Politics major in college and even interned with my Congressman. Although I still follow politics, especially during elections, I hate all of the partisanism (is that even a word?).
Things have certainly changed, haven't they? Everyone gets along now and both political parties work together effectively in the best interest of the American people.
14. I love my kitten and let him get away with just about everything. I hope that I’m not the same way when I have kids (the letting them get away with everything part).
I'm probably a little lenient with the kids, but as long as they aren't hurting themselves, hurting each other or damaging property, I'm generally fine with what they do.
15. Speaking of kids I don’t have, I’m convinced that my children will not be Pittsburgh Pirates fans. I can’t see them supporting such a horrible team especially when they will likely attend dozens of Nationals games. They are going to think that racing presidents are better than racing pierogies!
The Pirates have actually been good. My kids really might be Pirates fans!
16. When I lived in Columbus, I was a below-average beer-man for the Blue Jackets, Crew and Clippers.
Ah, the good old days of Columbus. Back when I was a full time grad student and worked three jobs. Good times! (I'm actually being serious. Good times!)
17. My driver’s license states that I am 5’ 7” and as a legal form of identification, it must be true.
Sadly, a late-30s growth spurt didn't happen.
18. I used to be involved in dozens of activities, clubs and sports in high school and college. I don’t do much of anything anymore.
Well, at least now I have the being a parent excuse. That eats up any free time.
19. The first concert I attended without my parents was Debbie Gibson. I was 24. (The age line was a joke; seeing Debbie Gibson was not.)
Did you see where I don't have time to blog? How I'm not involved in activities anymore? Sure, I have plenty of time to write a book.
21. I love traveling and always need to have a trip to look forward to.
Now this is sad. Besides going to Florida to visit the kids' grandparents and traveling for work once a year, I don't go anywhere. I want to go on a real vacation!
22. I performed in two award-winning musicals in high school. I made the cast through an awesome dance audition coupled with the fact that they needed more guys.
Nothing new to add here. I'll just reiterate that I was amazing in my dance audition.
23. When I took the Myers-Briggs test about 10 years ago, I was an extrovert. The older I get, the more introverted I become.
I really think I would land on introvert if I took the Myers-Briggs test today. Meeting new people is hard for me these days, and I find that I need my own time at the end of the day to recharge.
24. Here are random thoughts I have: how many total miles have I driven; what song have I heard more than any other; what toilets have I used the most in my life (#1 and #2 are in my parents’ house; #3 is my current home; there are several possibilities for #4).
Recently, there was a major renovation of the office bathroom with brand new urinals and toilets. So do the new toilets restart the count or is the bathroom, and not the actual toilet, the key factor in the count? Um, so I guess I still have random thoughts.
25. I was a three-sport star in high school in soccer, tennis and swimming/diving. OK, star is a bit of a stretch. As you can probably tell, I also like self-deprecating humor.
Still got that wonderful sense of humor!
Well, that was fun. Maybe I'll revisit this again in 2023.
If you're looking for something to pass the time before the Puppy Bowl and Super Bowl, I think you'll enjoy these articles and videos below.
I was asked to share my 12-song mixtape playlist. Enjoy possibly the greatest mixtape ever! [Everybody Loves You]
An oral history of the awesome movie Swingers. And yes I have seen Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in concert a few times. [Grantland]
Josh Noel of the Chicago Tribune visited Pittsburgh and loved it. [Chicago Tribune]
Debbie Gibson celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Electric Youth release. Please remember that the future is Electric Youth! [Billboard]
This may look like a normal hockey fight, but check out Mike Green of the Caps and Erik Karlsson of Ottawa at around the 1:15 mark. Makes you feel good about the world. [Deadspin]
Dejan Kovacevic wrote a nice tribute to the late Curtis Bray who passed away way too young. Bray attended Gateway High School and the University of Pittsburgh and leaves behind a wife and child. [Pittsburgh Tribune Review]
Pittsburgh Sports Daily Bulletin seems to be invading on my Pittsburgh Sports Blogger Interview Series territory by having interviews with Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot, Neal Coolong of Behind The Steel Curtain & Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects. [PSDB]
I've written Sean's Ramblings for over eight years and read blogs for even longer. I tend to read blogs that have been around for a significant period of time, so even the "new" blogs that I read are new to me even though they may have been around for several years. Over the years, many of my favorite blogs have gone away. While I'm often saddened when blogs go away, I understand that bloggers get busy with life or get burned out and that's the end of their blogs. Therefore, I am extremely excited that one of my favorite blogs, One For The Other Thumb, returned after an 18+ month absence. I don't recall another blog coming back after this long of a hiatus, so welcome back Cotter!
This is Cotter's first post announcing his return. [OFTOT]
I couldn't figure out why Deadspin showed this video. Then, I noticed the guys on the left in the Minnesota Twins bullpen and couldn't stop smiling. [Deadspin]
Mazel Tov to Josh on his engagement! [Ngewo's World]
Captain Wild Bill of the Discovery Channel’s "Deadliest Catch" hijacked a Just Ducky Tour Boat. [YaJagoff!]
My first celebrity crush was either on Debbie Gibson (as I wrote two years ago) or Alyssa Milano. Amazingly, in the 8+ years of writing Sean’s Ramblings, I’ve only mentioned my crush of Alyssa (we’re on a first name basis) once and that was in the Debbie Gibson post. We all watched Alyssa as Sam on Who’s The Boss and saw her mature from a child to an attractive teenager. I clearly remember an episode where a guy kissed Alyssa as he taught her yoga. I envisioned this same scenario for my first kiss, but followed Doogie Howser’s model instead.
Anyway, Alyssa moved on from Who’s The Boss to some terrible movies in the 90s until eventually settling into roles on television shows Melrose Place and Charmed. I don’t think I ever saw her in either of these shows. Meanwhile, Alyssa had a short marriage with a guy from the band Remy Zero and then turned her attention to baseball: dating baseball players, writing a baseball blog and designing women’s clothing for baseball fans.
For the most part, she’s been off my radar until recently when ABC started showing promos for the new series Mistresses. Seeing Alyssa wearing attractive outfits in the commercials, I decided to give the show a chance. Yes, I’m watching the TV show Mistresses. Actually, I watched the TV show Mistresses. I saw the pilot which wasn’t very good. Then, I thought I would give the show another chance, so I watched the second episode. Despite several scenes with Alyssa wearing suggestive outfits, that isn’t enough for me to continue watching the show. Oh well. I guess I’ll share another picture of Alyssa instead.
Although I don’t update the “What I’m Reading” section of my blog very often, I continue to read books regularly. I’m currently reading I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum. While the history of creating and starting MTV is interesting (who knew that Michael Nesmith of the Monkees “fueled the origins of MTV?”), I truly enjoy reading the behind the scenes descriptions of making the videos. Here are a few portions of the book I feel like sharing (along with the videos):
Daryl Hall: People loved to spend my money. This is a good story: Somebody decided the “Maneater” video wouldn’t be complete unless we had an actual panther, a man-eating animal, in the video. It appeared for a second and a half in the video and probably cost $10,000. This South American black panther was wired to the floor so it wouldn’t attack everybody. Of course, it got loose in this gigantic studio in LA and went in the rafters, fifty feet up. Nobody could get it down. That’s when I left the building.
The panther got at least 10 seconds of air time!
Jazz Summers (Wham!'s manager): Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” is a bit camp. Two young boys dancing around in shorts. I thought it was tacky, and said so. I tried to talk them out of it, but my management partner, Simon Napier-Bell, was more camp than a row of tents. He thought it was lovely. And MTV really got behind it.
Debbie Gibson: Being a gay-boy magnet even at fourteen, I was in love with George Michael. I'd come home from school and turn on MTV - and there was "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.
I'm confused. Is Debbie attracted to gay boys or are gay boys attracted to her?
Nigel Dick (music-video and film director): Roland Orzabal told me what he envisioned for "Head Over Heels": "I see myself in a library, there's a beautiful girl, we'll grow old together, and there's all this random stuff like a rabbi and a chimp." And I'm rapidly scribbling on a piece of paper: "Chimp. Rabbi."
Is this the only video featuring a rabbi and a chimp?
Bryan Adams: The whole budget for the "Run to You" video went into building a tree. Lightning was supposed to hit the tree, and create a big, long lightning storm. Imagine the shock and horror on set when the [f'n] thing burns in about a minute. We stood there, looking at this tree up in flames. And Steve Barron's (the video's director) going, "Oh. S#!t." This is probably my worst video.
The real problem is that Adams doesn't run at all in the video. The Bangles walked like Egyptians (sort of) walked in their hit. If the song title is "Run to You," you run!
There are a lot more stories I could share particularly about Van Halen, Paula Abdul, and Billy Squire, but this could end up being my longest post!
Please note that this is not a sponsored post. I'm just really enjoying the book.
It seems like only days ago when I wrote about my excitement of the return of Debbie Gibson. After seeing her performance on Friday's Good Morning America, I'm not as enthusiastic. Take a look.
Remember when TMI Thursdays were a weekly occurrence? I don’t really have much embarrassing to write about these days, so consider this a special occasion. Yes, any post regarding Debbie Gibson counts as a special occasion. Much to my surprise, I searched my blog and discovered that I really haven’t written much about this 80s pop icon. There have been bits and pieces of stories, but not one comprehensive post. Consider this that post.
My first celebrity crush was on either Alyssa Milano from her days on Who’s The Boss or Debbie Gibson, singer of #1 hits Foolish Beat and Lost in Your Eyes as well as top 10 songs Only in My Dreams, Shake Your Love and Out of the Blue (Electric Youth reached #11). While I honestly don’t remember who was on my radar first, I do know that I didn’t own anything featuring Alyssa Milano while I bought two Debbie Gibson cassette tapes. In addition, the first concert I ever attended without my parents: Debbie Gibson at Duquesne University’s A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburgh. Although I don’t remember the exact date of the concert, I still have the ticket stub somewhere 20+ years later. I went to the concert with my friend Dave and met up with junior high school classmates Kris and Greg. How did we ever manage to meet up with friends at an unfamiliar location without cell phones? Anyway, Debbie Gibson played all of her hits, and I bought a Debbie Gibson poster. I remember thinking that she would be the last thing I saw before I went to sleep, and therefore, she would be in my dreams. (Get it? She sang Only in My Dreams. Give me a break I was probably only 13 or 14.)
I love YouTube. I found this video, which according to the title is of Debbie Gibson performing Only in My Dreams at the A.J. Palumbo Center in Pittsburg (really?) on September 16, 1988. I was there...and I was 13. By the way, the drummer also plays sax? Amazing!
I really haven’t followed Debbie Gibson’s over the past two decades. I know that she goes by Deborah now, performed on Broadway and showed off her ice skating skills in the short-lived FOX reality competition show Skating with Celebrities. Now, Debbie Gibson is back! Debbie and fellow 80s pop star Tiffany announced tour dates (Cleveland and Council Bluffs, Iowa?) and on Friday, they are performing on Good Morning America. The DVR will get some rare early morning work. While I always thought that Tiffany was overrated, if the tour comes to Washington DC, I’ll be there! Who’s with me? Anyone? Anyone?
(While Debbie Gibson still looks great, doesn't this seem like a picture Ke$ha would take?)
If you belong to Facebook, I’m sure that you or at least 47 of your friends have completed the "25 Random Things About Me" game/application thingy (technical term). Well, I figured I would share my list and TMI Thursday seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so.
1. The first concert I ever attended was Neil Diamond. The most recent concert I saw was also Neil Diamond.
2. I spend a good five minutes each morning trying to find a pair of matching socks.
3. I enjoy being a soccer referee and know that I am a good ref; however, I don’t attempt to get to the next level because I don’t want to deal with even worse parents and players.
4. I am addicted to fantasy leagues. Over the past year, I have participated in 4 football leagues, 3 baseball leagues, 2 hockey leagues, a Rock of Love 3 league and several NCAA Tournament brackets. I joined a NASCAR league a few years ago, even though I know nothing about the "sport." Should I also mention that I’ll probably run an Oscar poll for this year’s Academy Awards?
6. Before meeting my wife, my longest relationship was 6 months.
7. The idea of buying and selling a home (the process is going to start soon) really, really scares me.
8. Due to a stupid car accident that occurred just before the end of my junior year, I was voted Worst Driver in high school. I also finished second in the class clown voting.
9. I cannot ride a bike; I am not going to elaborate on this.
10. My blog is an extremely important part of my life. Although it may not look like it, I spend many hours each week writing posts.
11. Many people work retail jobs in high school or college. I worked at Blockbuster and Kohl’s after earning my Masters degree.
12. Assuming that the bus and Metro run on time and aren’t too crowded (huge assumptions here), I enjoy my 50+ minute commute each way as I have read more books for pleasure since I started my job 4 years ago than the rest of my life combined.
13. I was a Politics major in college and even interned with my Congressman. Although I still follow politics, especially during elections, I hate all of the partisanism (is that even a word?).
14. I love my kitten and let him get away with just about everything. I hope that I’m not the same way when I have kids (the letting them get away with everything part).
15. Speaking of kids I don’t have, I’m convinced that my children will not be Pittsburgh Pirates fans. I can’t see them supporting such a horrible team especially when they will likely attend dozens of Nationals games. They are going to think that racing presidents are better than racing pierogies!
16. When I lived in Columbus, I was a below-average beer-man for the Blue Jackets, Crew and Clippers.
17. My driver’s license states that I am 5’ 7” and as a legal form of identification, it must be true.
18. I used to be involved in dozens of activities, clubs and sports in high school and college. I don’t do much of anything anymore.
19. The first concert I attended without my parents was Debbie Gibson. I was 24. (The age line was a joke; seeing Debbie Gibson was not.)
20. I want to write a book someday.
21. I love traveling and always need to have a trip to look forward to.
22. I performed in two award-winning musicals in high school. I made the cast through an awesome dance audition coupled with the fact that they needed more guys.
23. When I took the Myers-Briggs test about 10 years ago, I was an extrovert. The older I get, the more introverted I become.
24. Here are random thoughts I have: how many total miles have I driven; what song have I heard more than any other; what toilets have I used the most in my life (#1 and #2 are in my parents’ house; #3 is my current home; there are several possibilities for #4).
25. I was a three-sport star in high school in soccer, tennis and swimming/diving. OK, star is a bit of a stretch. As you can probably tell, I also like self- deprecating humor.
Most of these are fairly tame but I think do reveal a lot about me. If you made it through all 25, it probably was too much information.
As always, check out Live It, Love It for all of your TMI Thursday needs.
Over the weekend, I mentioned my addiction to the Traveler IQ Challenge. The same site also has about a dozen other quizzes including the USA Challenge and UNESCO sites. I earned a score of 113,735 (Level 8; traveler IQ of 126) on the USA Challenge and 587,525 (Level 10; traveler IQ of 102) with UNESCO sites. In full disclosure, I failed miserably in my first attempt at the UNESCO quiz as Henderson Island, UK is not even near Europe.
I haven’t done this in a while, but here are real searches (usually from Google) that real people used to find and visit this place.
Do the Spice Girls mention the Packers in a song? Unless David Beckham joined the Packers, I’m going to guess no.
Did Debbie Gibson go to Ithaca College? I wish.
"What is wrong with Katie Holmes" Tom Cruise is too easy of an answer, right?
What's going on with Joe Hardy from 84 Lumber Last I heard, the 84-year-old Hardy (he may be 85 at this point) divorced his third wife, 23-year-old Kristin Georgi, after only four months of marriage. I really thought they would make it.
Why do people hat Hillary You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Clinton wear a hat. Maybe a lot of people dislike Clinton because of the vast right-wing haberdasher conspiracy against her.
Why are people so hard on Clinton This seems like an inappropriate question.
Jaguars Mating I think this aired on Animal Planet after Puppy Bowl IV.
"looks heavier" Tom Brady So that’s why the Patriots lost the Super Bowl!
Finally, how exactly did Sean’s Ramblings end up on a Star Trek message board debate about Hillary Clinton?
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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