Random Ramblings

* In reading baby books, one important aspect of being an expectant father is prenatal communication. This specifically means talking to my future child (is this a proper term?). I haven’t truly done this because I feel ridiculous talking to my wife’s stomach. I’ve somewhat made an agreement with myself, which I may very well break, that I’m going to wait until I feel my child’s kick to start my conversations. At that point, I probably won’t shut up talking about my day, what it means to be a Steelers fan, the joys of California Tortilla, etc.

* For the first time since my junior year in college, I am growing a beard. I haven't shaved since Christmas Eve, and I have to admit that my beard looks good. It probably won't last long, but in the meantime, I look like a young Don Johnson!


(Don or Sean?)

* I learned last weekend that I’m pretty good at Rock Band and Guitar Hero. I dominated the vocals of Styx’s Renegade, Def Leppard’s Pour Some Sugar On Me and Muse’s Uprising.

* If you live in the DC area and have younger kids, I highly recommend attending the Frostival taking place at the Dulles Expo & Conference Center on December 30th through January 2nd.

* Pitt’s basketball team looked really good against soon-to-be formerly #4-ranked UConn on Monday night. I’m not sure if this is the year that Pitt finally reaches the Final Four, but at a minimum, they’ll get 25 wins and be fun to watch.

* When we first moved to Northern Virginia, we were friendly with a couple in which the wife worked on weekends as a meteorologist for a local news station. They moved to Boston several years ago, and I hadn't heard from them since. On Monday, I saw her on Good Morning America filling in for the regulary guy. Apparently, she's now a full-time meteorologist at an ABC affiliate in a major US city and big enough that GMA wanted her. Good for her! Nice person.

* Speaking of meteorologists, I don't expect the guy on the NBC station in Jacksonville to appear on GMA. The station interrupted Meet The Press to announce that there were flurries spotted in the Jacksonville area. He essentially said, "Although snow is not sticking, YOU SHOULD TOTALLY FREAK OUT BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN A SNOW SIGHTING IN FLORIDA. PANIC PEOPLE! PANIC!" (or something like that.)

FROSTIVAL: January 1-3, 2010

You've made your plans for New Year's Eve and perhaps you even have an idea for what you're going to do on New Year's Day (my guess is that it involves sleeping in and possibly watching the NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park). However, what are your plans for the Saturday and Sunday of this New Year's weekend? What are you going to do on Friday once you wake up? If you live in the Washington DC area, may I suggest checking out the first annual FROSTIVAL at the Dulles Expo and Conference Center in Chantilly, Virginia Friday, January 1st through Sunday, January 3rd from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.



The FROSTIVAL is a brand new winter-themed family festival (created by the organizers of Celebrate Fairfax and Fall for Fairfax) geared to kids ages 2-12 and includes twenty interactive science and craft stations; 15 rides, slides and bounces; and three stages of entertainment featuring nationally recognized popular children’s performers Rocknoceros, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, and Yosi. That's one really long sentence! There is also a diverse line-up of music and dance performance groups showcasing the varied heritage and cultures of the region as well as a story time stage where local dignitaries will read winter-themed or classical children’s stories.

While these activities may not be a good fit for many of you, I'd like to suggest volunteering at the event. The event is in desperate need for volunteers, so please consider helping for a four-hour shift on Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday. If you're interested, please contact Ashley Evancheck at Ashley.Evancheck@FairfaxCounty.gov or at 703-324-9423.

For more information about the event itself, including the full entertainment schedule and discounted tickets and weekend passes, please visit the FROSTIVAL website.

Finally, check out a commercial of the event on YouTube.

Don’t Hibernate. Celebrate! (I like that tagline!)


UPDATE

Here is a few more articles about FROSTIVAL from the Washington Business Journal and the Annandale VA blog.