I Went Viral

You may have heard that there was a Super Bowl last week. You may also have heard that there was a halftime show featuring Jennifer Lopez and Shakira. While there was no debate that the Kansas City Chiefs won the game, there was plenty of debate about the halftime show. My friend Christine put it best.

The topic is pretty polarizing right now. Even in my small little [Facebook] universe, the contrasting opinions have gotten heated at times. You have those saying it was inappropriate, those who hold it up as an example of strong women and Latin culture, those who see it as exploitation and objectification of women, others who say people are hypocrites while sharing cheerleader pics and last year's shirtless Adam Levine. I've seen men and women on both sides of arguments for or against - and that's just the clothing issue. I've also seen people disliking the dancing, the music choice, complaints about the Spanish songs...lots of complaints.

On the Monday after the Super Bowl, I posted this tweet:

I don't understand any criticism about Shakira and Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe last night. They've dressed the same way their entire careers! Even the character voiced by Shakira in Zootopia dressed like this. pic.twitter.com/y5nCCuInZp

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) February 3, 2020

(If the tweet doesn't embed well here, this is what I wrote.
"I don't understand any criticism about Shakira and Jennifer Lopez's wardrobe last night. They've dressed the same way their entire careers! Even the character voiced by Shakira in Zootopia dressed like this.")

Apparently, lots of people searched Shakira and Zootopia and found my tweet. And then they liked it and retweeted it. The end result was over 2,500 likes and 650,000 impressions. That’s just slightly more than I receive with one of my typical tweets.

Alas, the tweet has now faded and few people are noticing my tweets. For example, I thought this tweet on Monday night was brilliant.

I think this was the original premise of Marriage Story. https://t.co/DgrRneoQTH

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) February 11, 2020

Unfortunately, 650,000 people didn’t see this one!

Dumb Post

Dale Lolley is the Pittsburgh Steelers beat reporter for the Observer-Reporter of Washington (PA) and has been in this role since 1993. According to his bio, Lolley previously worked at WJAC-TV and the Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown and The Derrick in Oil City. In addition, Lolley earned a degree in journalism from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. He also serves as the administrative adviser for Washington & Jefferson College's student newspaper. Based on his approximately 25-30 years of writing professionally, you would think that Lolley would have an amazing grasp of grammar. Or not.

Join @BenzTribLive970 and I on @970espn right now from 7-9 pm #Steelers

— Dale Lolley (@dlolleyor) August 18, 2015

Join Benz and I? Take out the Benz part and see how that sounds. Join I on 970ESPN right now from 7-9. Yeah, that doesn't quite work.

Now I realize that Twitter is not the place to go for proper English grammar, but this seems rather amateur for someone that writes for a living.

My Grammar Battle with a Newspaper Editor

Let me preface this post by stating that grammar, spelling and vocabulary are not my strong suits. My SAT verbal score was below average. It's actually amazing that I've written this blog for so long.

I also understand that grammar and spelling are seemingly non-existent on Twitter. People type quickly or post Tweets from their phones which can make it difficult for editing. Plus, many people mistake your for you're way too often. Maybe it is wrong of me, but I tend to hold journalists and editors to a higher standards on Twitter than your typical high school student. That's why I am irked by this with correspondence Jerry Micco, the Assistant Managing Editor/Sports at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

@PG_JerryMicco Did you really just type "folo" in place of follow?

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 10, 2013

@PG_JerryMicco In that case thank u 4 the reply. Hope 2 c u ltr. Hagd. (That wood b, have a good day.)

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 10, 2013

Take a look at the first Tweet. By my count, Jerry only used 110 of the 140 characters allotted by Twitter. Seems like there are more than enough characters to add an extra "L" and "W" particularly when there are two spaces between Mike and Tomlin.

To Jerry's reply to me, is there a spelling police? Maybe this is some kind of NSA force that Edward Snowden exposed. Jerry might know this through his newspaper access.

Oh, it's always nice to be called dude by a guy in his mid to late 50s.

2013 State of the Ramblings

Sean's Ramblings celebrated its 8th anniversary last week. When I first started writing Sean's Ramblings, Twitter wasn't around yet and Facebook was less than a year old and only available on college campuses, so if you wanted to share your thoughts online, you had to do it through a blog. Of course, less and less people want so spend time writing blog posts now when you can share immediate thoughts in 140 characters or less instantly. Therefore, I am a dinosaur in the blog world.

When I started Sean's Ramblings, I was in my very late 20s and newly married. Now, I'm in my mid-30s (though some people would say late 30s) and have a child. Having a kid has been an amazing experience (see my fatherhood updates here and here). The only downside is that I don't write nearly as much as I did in the past. Although 203 posts in 2012 seems like a significant number, this is the least amount of posts I wrote in a year since this blog's inception by far. While I can't promise that I'll write more in 2013, I have no plans of retiring. I still enjoy sharing my thoughts on a wide variety of topics, and I hope that you enjoy reading this blog.

So what happened in the past year? I was introduced to an amazing and supportive Pittsburgh Bloggers community. I just wish that I was able to attend some of the events, which is difficult seeing that I live in Northern Virginia. Staying with the Pittsburgh blog topic, I think I'll continue the Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament in 2013 making it the 5th annual event. It's a lot of work, but I like being part of the Pittsburgh sports blog community, even if I don't write much about Pittsburgh sports anymore.

In case you missed it, here are some of my favorite/best posts of 2012:

- Since it was an election year, here is my political platform.

- I looked back at a shooting at my high school 20 years ago.

- I interviewed Laurie Koozer, author of What Happens on Sunday

- My escape from South Florida before Tropical Storm Isaac

- The best London Olympics preview.

- I tried to revisit my 1997 road trip, but I didn't get very far.

- I had my first Twitter battle.

- I ran a 5K without trying.

- I saw Van Halen in concert so naturally, I wrote a concert review of the opening act, Kool & The Gang.

- I applied to be on MTV's The Real World.

- I shared my memories of Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.

Thanks again to everyone for reading and commenting. I really appreciate your support!

Sean On Twitter

I'm going to let you in on a secret. I'm on Twitter. Not only do I follow people on Twitter, but people follow me. Apparently, over 300 people think I have something interesting to say. Of course, maybe they are just patiently waiting for another giveaway, the annual Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament or are not actual people. I still have no idea why U.S. House Speaker John Boehner follows me.

Actually, the real reason why people follow me on Twitter must be because of my quick wit and humor in 140 characters or less. Here are some of my favorite recent Tweets here for your reading pleasure:

Fiscal cliff would have been solved quicker if it was a Fiscal Clifford & Congress would be eaten by a big red dog if deal not done in time.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) January 2, 2013

Is the Lambada still the forbidden dance? Are there other dances that are on the forbidden list?

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) January 5, 2013

Have the Black Keys & Alicia Keys ever thought about doing a duet? Perhaps they can remake Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life album.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) January 7, 2013

My kid playing in/with a box is just as entertaining as the Steelers game.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 30, 2012

I feel like a cheated on @wegmansfairfax by shopping at @wegmans Dulles today. It didn't mean anything to me!

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 30, 2012

Has anyone figured out what Geena Davis hit in League of Their Own? Why didn't teams intentionally walk her?

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 30, 2012

My kid got a book called Bosco's Busy Morning for the holidays. Bosco is my ATM pin!

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 30, 2012

Reading the Pete Townshend book. He writes about his mother's "relationship" with Dennis Bowman. I can only think of the WPXI weather guy.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 28, 2012

My kid is wearing a watch. He can't tell time, so when I ask him what time it is, I hope he replies that it's time to get ill.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) December 28, 2012

You can always follow me on Twitter by clicking here.

Plus, on a somewhat related topic, check out Everybody Loves You for the always entertaining Week In Tweets. (Yes, I really, really want to make the Week In Tweets!)

My Conversation With Kordell Stewart

Twitter is great sometimes. In this case, Twitter allows me, your above-average blog writer guy, to directly interact with former Steelers QB Kordell Stewart. Enjoy this fascinating conversation:

Did Kordell spend all if his NFL money already? RT @kslash10 What's score of the Steelers game? Out of the loot

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) November 25, 2012

@seansramblings meant to say LOOP.....money's good brotha. Moneys real good..

— Kordell Stewart (@KSlash10) November 25, 2012

@kslash10 Good to hear!

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) November 25, 2012

Sure, I figured that Stewart meant loop, but I thought it was funny to point out the typo.

The next day, my wife was watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta, and I noticed that a guy that looked like Kordell Stewart was on the show. Here's another fascinating conversation:

Me: Is that Kordell Stewart?
My Wife: Yes.
Me: I had a conversation with him on Twitter yesterday.
My Wife: (no reply...long silence...apparently not impressed by my interaction with Kordell)
My Wife: How long did he play for the Steelers?
Me: About seven years. (He actually played for 8 years.)

It turns out that Kordell Stewart's wife is one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta. I guess Kordell's money truly is real good!

Update:

Kordell Stewart liked my blog post. I knew there was a good reason why I still have his jersey!

@seansramblings good article. More funny than anything. The wife not knowing was hilarious.

— Kordell Stewart (@KSlash10) November 28, 2012

My First Twitter Battle

Meet Cory Bolt, or @corybolt, courtesy of his Twitter description:

I love sports for starters, I'm an eagle scout and I love Life. I always look on the bright side and I have the best gf in the world!

Cory contacted me on Twitter during last week's Pirates-Orioles since I mentioned the Orioles. Enjoy a hearty discussion.

@seansramblings facebook.com/groups/2929793… like this page if you really truely like the orioles! RT This for me to spread the MAGIC!

— Cory Bolt (@CoryBolt) June 15, 2012

@seansramblings We did right the National Anthem so....We can add our own little touch!

— Cory Bolt (@CoryBolt) June 15, 2012

@seansramblings @CoryBolt I highly doubt Francis Scott Key gave the okey-doke to scream "O!!" at a sporting event. #disrespectful

— Gary Cave (@gonastynats) June 15, 2012

I hope you're joking. If not, MD has terrible schools. RT @CoryBolt no Jackass! It was written in MD under the Francis Scott Key bridge!

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) June 15, 2012

@CoryBolt And please stop bothering random people asking them to check out your Facebook page.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) June 15, 2012

@CoryBolt You really think the national anthem was written under the Francis Scott Key bridge? Key wrote it under his own bridge?

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) June 15, 2012

@CoryBolt 1. It is you're not your. 2. I doubt the bridge was called the Francis Scott Key bridge in 1812. 3. I live in VA not DC.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) June 16, 2012

@CoryBolt why do find the need to insult me? Disagree all you want, but you're just showing that you need to improve your grammar & history.

— Sean's Ramblings (@seansramblings) June 17, 2012

Clearly, Cory always looks on the bright side! Of course, I learned, once again, not to argue with a teenager.


In case you're wondering, here is the history of how and where Key wrote the national anthem.

The Star-Spangled Banner, was written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. Key was sent to the British fleet in Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812 to secure the release of Dr. William Beanes on September 13, 1814. Beanes was captured by the British during their raid on Washington D.C. Beanes, a local official in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, had arrested two drunken British soldiers. When one escaped, a small force came to release the second, and arrested Beanes. Key was enlisted by the residents of Upper Marlboro to retrieve Beanes, who, as a non-combatant, had no reason for military arrest.

Key was able to retrieve Beanes, but because the British were preparing to bombard Baltimore's Fort McHenry, his ship was detained. The commander of Fort McHenry, Major George Armistead, knew his fort would be a big and welcoming target for the British warships. He had a special, oversized flag made for the fort (which at the time had fifteen stars and fifteen stripes), and it flew for over a year before the night of the bombardment that inspired Key.

Anchored eight miles from the Fort, Key waited for the British to wage and finish their attack on the Fort. The ships used long-range, high-trajectory guns to fire at the fort. Though it tried to return fire, the Fort's cannon were too small to reach the attackers. The attack proceeded through the night and the Americans waited on the detained ship to see if the fort had been captured. As dawn broke, Key watched the fort through a telescope. There he saw the large flag Armistead had had made, flying in the breeze. Key jotted some notes on the back of a letter he had in his pocket, and later in his hotel room in Baltimore, completed a poem, an ode to the sights he'd seen.

Am I wrong on this one? According to the article, Key wrote the National Anthem on a ship (though the article doesn't state specifically where) and completed at a hotel.

My Jackee Harry Experience

Although I don’t mention it very often here, I’m a part of the Twitter universe. When I hit 226 followers, I posted the following Tweet:



@getfreshdesigns retweeted my clever message and several hours later, I saw this message on Twitter.



That’s right, Jackee Harry, the Emmy award winning actress of 227, was my 227th follower. Ms. Harry followed me on Twitter along with Pink, Tim Tebow, Taylor Dayne and Missy Elliott. I can definitely see the similarities between all of us.

Sadly, Ms. Harry stopped following me a few days later. I guess she didn’t appreciate all of my Tweets about the Steelers. Therefore, I'm back on 226 followers. Please feel free to follow me on Twitter and be my new 227th (or 228th) follower.

Pittsburgh Athlete Twitter Updates

I joined Twitter a few months ago for the benefit of my blog. Specifically, I figured that I would share the thoughts of Pittsburgh athletes and coaches. This is my first post about such updates, so let’s see what famous Pittsburghers have to say:

Safety Ryan Clark was released by the Steelers on Thursday, and I really hoped the team would resign him. However, I'm sure that you'd much rather hear how this could impact the team from LB Lawrence Timmons than me. Let's see what he thinks about the team's decision.

Also check out new blog at my website www.timmons94.com
12:21 PM Dec 3rd, 2009 via web

Staying with the Steelers, there has been significant discussion recently about whether Willie Parker would become a free agent. (Sean's note: This was written on Thursday evening so Parker may very well be a free agent by the time this is posted.) What does his fellow RB Frank Summers think?

Vikings are coming to town. It should be fun to watch Brett hes a pretty good role model. Once againjust cheering....
6:29 PM Oct 21st, 2009

Pitt has had a remarkable season with a top 20 ranking despite losing four starters from last year's Elite Eight team. What does Coach Jamie Dixon think about the team's wins over Top 5 teams Syracuse, Villanova and WVU and last night's exciting game against Providence?

We are also holding the first Maggie Dixon Heart Health Fair.
9:57 AM Oct 2nd, 2009 via web

Finally, did you ever wonder what Bubby Brister does on a day-to-day basis?

Denver camps were a lot of fun. Thanks to all those who came out both days. See you in 2010.
8:27 AM Jul 30th, 2009 via web

Perhaps, I should stop following these guys!

If you want to follow Pittsburgh athletes that actually update their Twitter accounts, I recommend visiting Mondesi's House for his Guide to Pittsburgh Sports Twitter. Plus, you can always follow me on Twitter though I'm hardly a Pittsburgh celebrity or athlete (or am I?).


Finally, if you haven't done so already, please enter the Ramblings Giveaway by clicking here or scrolling down to the next post.

Toll Booth Bathroom Question (Trivia Tuesday)

Trivia Tuesday is taking a slightly different form today. There is something I have wondered about for years, and I hope that you can assist me in answering the question. There are hundreds if not thousands of toll booths throughout the country. For every major toll plaza area such Breezewood on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, there are smaller booths with only one or two attendants like those on the Dulles Toll Road or in New Jersey (I believe the Garden State Parkway, but I always get the New Jersey toll roads mixed up). For these smaller booths, where do the attendants go to use the bathroom? It's not like they can leave and use a McDonald's or Wendy's around the corner. (Or can they?) I don't recall seeing Port-a-Johns outside the booths either. Does anyone seem to know? I guess I could ask an attendant someday but I just drive right through now with my E-Z Pass.



In unrelated news, I am now officially on Twitter. As I mentioned previously, I have no idea how often I will post, but my guess is it will be rather infrequently. With that ringing endorsement, feel free to follow me at seansramblings.

To Twitter or Not to Twitter

I’d like to try something new at Sean’s Ramblings where I’ll occasionally bring up a topic for debate.* Today’s topic: Twitter. I have previously written that I don’t understand the appeal of Twitter. I think that you’re limited to a certain number of characters and that seems rather arbitrary to me. However, to be fair, I really don’t know how Twitter works. When someone tweets (is that what the cool kids call it?), do you get an e-mail or text message? Is this entire thing similar to the status update on Facebook?

Since several folks have told me that I should have a Twitter account (page?), I thought I would open up the debate. I’d like to hear from those pro-Twitter folks about why it is good and whether or not I should start an account. Conversely, are there folks that are anti-Twitter or think that this is just a waste of time?

* I should also come up with a cool name for these debates. Battle Royal seems a little much.