More Than Harry Potter

Although this may be hard to believe, there is more going on in the world than Harry Potter. For example, I’m going to work today and have an ultimate frisbee game tonight. Here are some other things going on:

I watched Victoria Beckham Coming to America last night. With Coming to America in the show’s title and Posh’s close relationship with fellow Spice Girl Mel B., I was waiting for Eddie Murphy to appear. It never happened. Actually, when Posh met with Perez Hilton (more on this momentarily), he asked her if there is a celebrity who she disliked. Eddie was the answer.

The show itself wasn’t terrible. Considering all the garbage on TV this summer, this is actually a compliment. Victoria was surprisingly likable. She confronted Perez Hilton for what he put on his website about her, but appeared to have an enjoyable conversation with him. Her trip to the DMV was also funny. The show ended with Posh throwing out the first pitch at a Dodgers game. Mike Lieberthal came across as a nice enough guy; Tommy Lasorda, however, seemed completely disinterested.
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The Emmy nominations are out featuring 15 nominations for The Sopranos. The Washington Post’s Lisa de Moraes has a recap, but here are my own observations:

* The toughest category may be Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series. Neil Patrick Harris receives a well-deserved nomination for his portrayal of Barney Stinson. The other nominees are Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven from Entourage, Rainn Wilson (better known as Dwight Schrute) from The Office and Jon Cryer for 2.5 Men.

* How I Met Your Mother received a nomination for the Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For A Series category for the fabulous Robin Sparkles episode.


* Has there always been a category for “Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series?” In case you were wondering, the nominees are Dancing with the Stars, Deadwood, Desperate Housewives, Rome and Ugly Betty.

* Scrubs received two nominations for the Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics category. The show is up against Family Guy, SNL and MADtv.

* How did George (T.R. Knight) from Grey’s Anatomy receive a supporting actor in a drama series nomination?
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OK, I do have a few Harry Potter links:

A couple is getting married tonight and then going directly to Barnes & Noble. I’m guessing that there will be some upset 13 year-olds when the couple gets to cut to the front of the line.

Northern Virginia appears to have ordered more copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from Amazon.com per capita than any other area in America. Falls Church finished #1, Fairfax #3 and Vienna #4. Herndon (#28) and Alexandria (#78) also made the list as did Ithaca, NY (#80).

Harry Potter Preview

Several months ago, I set a goal to re-read the first six Harry Potter books before the release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” this Friday night/Saturday morning. I finished reading book 6 today! In full disclosure, I did not completely accomplish my goal as I completely re-read books 1, 4 & 6, read most of book 5 and rented the movies for 2 & 3. As promised, here are my predictions (some serious, some not-so-serious) for Book 7. Please note that there are some spoilers here if you have not read books 1-6.

- We learned in book one that Harry’s father, James, saved Snape’s life, even though they were not exactly the best of friends. I have no idea why, but I think Draco Malfoy may help save Harry’s life. Wormtail will also help Harry in some way.

- One of the big questions is the identity of RAB. The answer is clearly Reginald Alfred Bush II. You may know him better as Heisman trophy winner and New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush. He can do almost anything on the football field, so it seems appropriate that he would be able to get a Horcrux.

- I think J.K. Rowling will try to show a softer side of Lord Voldemort. It's been a rough 14 years or so for him and maybe he's just lonely. Read chapter 6 to see Voldermort's experiences on the British version of Match.com. Hilarity ensues!

- The biggest question for book seven is who’s going to die? My guess is Hagrid and one of the Order of Phoenix members, maybe Mad-Eye Moody. Oh, Voldemort won’t make it either.

- I have a gut feeling that Hiro Nakamura could be involved near the end.

- With Dumbledore gone, I wonder if the curriculum at Hogwarts will change. I’m surprised that the students are not required to speak a language. During the Triwizard Tournament, Krum and Fleur from schools in other countries both spoke English. Why aren’t the students at Hogwarts learning French or Chinese?

- As for Dumbledore, he’ll still be able to talk to Harry through his portrait in his old office.

- Ron and Hermione will become a couple. While this is not an exact quote, I have read articles in which J.K. Rowling writes that the books will become more adult as the characters get older. Therefore, it should not be too much of a surprise that Ron gets Hermione pregnant. (This part of the story has been edited out, but look for it in the unedited version that is released in five years.)

- There has to be a major shake-up in the wizarding community. It seems like Voldemort can get the giants and werewolves on his side pretty easily. The Ministry of Magic must grant the giants and werewolves equal rights. I’m not sure where they stand on house-elves.

- Is Snape a good guy or bad guy? Why not both? I think he’s on his own side and will somehow escape from everyone.

A few final Harry Potter notes:

According to this article, nearly 20% of Harry Potter fans will skip to the last page of the book to find out how it ends. I am not one of the 20%, and I do not want to know how it ends until I read it myself. The other 80% feel the same way. Therefore, except for possibly writing about my experiences at Barnes & Noble on Friday night, I am done writing about Harry Potter, and I do not want any comments about how the story ends.

If you are interested in checking out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from the Fairfax County Public Library, your position in the holds queue would be #1537. That has to be a record.

My Brother's Battle with the Credit Card Company

For something different (let’s call it an engagement gift), I am giving my brother a forum to share his rant. I should preface this by writing that my brother does not back down from an argument. He once contacted KDKA’s Wayne Van Dine because he didn’t want to share his Social Security number with Duquesne Light to get electricity. He actually made it on the air and won. He has also had several lengthy confrontations with Verizon. Today’s battle (obsession?): the credit card company:

Can anyone in cyber land explain to me what is the "Effective APR"?
After going around and around with my credit card company we were able to decipher this: it is "your total finance charges - including transaction fees such as cash advance and balance transfer fees expressed as a percentage" What is the world does this mean? I'm a math person, so please just give me an equation to figure it out. Any way that I figure it on my statement it does not come up as the number presented. Yes I asked several people to help me calculate it but they can't. I was able to attain one example problem for 1 month, not the entire year, which apparently is how this thing is calculated. Additionally "it is automatically generated by the computer" is not a sufficient answer as well. Someone, somewhere in your company tells the programmer what to put into the computer, which means someone has an answer.

I have been told that the "Effective APR" does not factor into what I am paying. This appears to be accurate, but I'm not really sure why it is on there, and the 6 people I have spoken with only said "it is required by law". I know that our government officials come up some crazy and stupid laws, but what is up with this? Federal laws are designed to protect the people. This to me means it protects the consumer, company and/or the government itself. So who is this "Effective APR" protecting and why? I know that there is more to it so someone needs to fess up. If this does not factor into what I am paying, what is it used for? Who uses it and why? Please someone tell me.

If anyone can help my brother, please leave a comment. Personally, he lost me in the first few sentences, so I asked for clarification:

I have been told that I am not being billed differently. There are 3 essential questions that have not been answered. 1) How do I calculate it -- and why can't anyone tell me. 2) What is it used for -- and why can't anyone provide an answer 3. Who uses the Effective APR -- if it is not used then why are credit card companies legally bound to display it? It has to serve some purpose, but it does not seem like anyone can identify why.

Best Sports Rivalries

What is the best rivalry in sports? I was thinking about writing a brief description of the contestants below, but I got preoccupied with a few other things. Sorry. If you really want to know more about any of these rivalries, go to Wikipedia or search Google. Anyway, here are my finalists in no particular order:

India vs. Pakistan – Cricket

The Ohio State University vs. University of Michigan – College Football

Brazil vs. Argentina – Soccer

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadians - Hockey

New York Yankees vs. Boston Red Sox – Baseball

Duke University vs. University of North Carolina – College Basketball

Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona – Soccer

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears – Football

Celtic F.C. vs. Rangers F.C. – Soccer

Harry Potter vs. Lord Voldemort (can you tell I have Harry Potter on my mind?)

Cheers vs. Gary’s Old Towne Tavern

Springfield Isotopes vs. Shelbyville Shelbyvillians

So which one is the best? Are there any other rivalries that are better than all of these? Oh, for folks who think Army-Navy football should be here, the 1996 game was the only one since 1963 in which both Army and Navy entered with winning records.

Working for the Weekend

I just wanted to share a few thoughts and articles before the end of the week.

- I love VH1’s World Series of Pop Culture. I could watch this all day. JQ, if you’re reading this, did you enter this year and/or do you know of anyone in the event?

- I’m now half-way through re-reading Harry Potter 6. As soon as I finish, I’ll share my predictions for book seven (some serious, some not so much).

- The man responsible for bringing Harry Potter to America is featured in a Washington Post article, and then, participates in a Q&A. The Q&A is quite entertaining with many people asking about answers from the seventh book and wondering if an eighth book is in the future. Lots of smiley faces too, which seems odd for an editor/publisher.

- Psych on the USA Network is back for a second season starting tonight. I recommend watching it if for no other reason to see Charlie (Dule Hill) from The West Wing.

- I laugh every time I see Homer sing, “Spider-Pig, spider-Pig; does whatever a spider-pig does.”

- Did you hear that David Beckham is coming to America?

2007-2008 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule

With Wednesday’s release of the 2007-2008 NHL schedule, I am here to break-down the Pittsburgh Penguins schedule. I’d like to point out that the NHL apparently fears matching the Penguins with colors. The Penguins do not play against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues or Chicago Blackhawks.

Friday, October 5, 2007 – at Carolina – The first game of the year!

Saturday, October 6 – vs. Anaheim – The Pens’ home opener against the defending Stanley Cup champions

Wednesday, October 10 – vs. Montreal – Sidney Crosby takes over the NHL points lead.

Saturday, October 20 – at Washington – I’ll be there!

Monday, November 5 – at New Jersey – I’ll watch the first two periods and then probably switch to ESPN for the Steelers-Ravens game. How am I going to watch both games plus Prison Break and How I Met Your Mother?

Thursday, November 22 – at Ottawa – The first time these teams will meet since the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hopefully, the result of this game will be better for the Pens than the last few against the Senators.

Saturday, December 29 – vs. Buffalo – Jay Caufield bobble-head night?

Friday, January 18, 2008 – vs. Tampa Bay – Michel Ouellet returns to the Burgh.

Wednesday, January 30 – at Atlanta – Jordan Staal scores his 17th short-handed goal.

Sunday, March 9 – at Washington – This is the same weekend as my brother’s wedding. I’m going to try to make it (it meaning the game; I will definitely make the wedding). Actually, the Penguins aren’t playing on Saturday. Maybe Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin will attend the wedding!

Saturday, April 6 – at Philadelphia – The last game of the regular season. Sidney Crosby wins another scoring title.

My prediction is that the Penguins make the playoffs as the #6 seed. There will be some growing pains as there will be high expectations to start the season, which the team did not face last year. The division will also be better since the Flyers can’t be as bad as last year.

The second annual hockey road trip will take place again, dates to be determined. This year will likely include trips to Chicago, Detroit and possibly Minnesota. I think a game in Tampa and/or New York/Long Island/New Jersey could also be on the agenda.

Travel Advice Needed

Does anyone know of a good website where you can find cheap flights? I'm trying to book a flight to Florida in mid-August, and the cheapest flight I have found is $250. I feel like there has to be something that's less expensive.

I'm also considering taking a New England/Nova Scotia cruise this fall. Has anyone out there done this before and/or taken Norwegian Cruise Lines? If so, how was it? We're also looking into a 5-day cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda, but I'm not sure if it's worth it. You're at sea from Thursday at 4:00 until Saturday at 10:00am, spend 30 hours at Kings Wharf, Bermuda, and then return to Baltimore on Tuesday morning.

Any advice is appreciated!

Links of the Day

As you can see below, my blog is rated G. When I tried this last week, I was rated PG because the rating system didn’t like the fact that I used “Dick” when writing about Dick’s Sporting Goods and Steelers defensive coordinator, Dick LeBeau. This site could become PG-13 if I write about former Pittsburgh Pirates coach Rusty Kuntz. What’s Your Blog Rated?



(“Borrowed” from Arjewtino.)

This Friday, July 13 is Chick-fil-A’s Cow Appreciation Day. For some reason, I think this has nothing to do with South Park. Anyway, if you visit Chick-fil-A on Friday fully dressed as a cow, you will receive a free combo meal. Anyone in a partial cow costume will be offered a free entrée.

Finally, Yahoo has a story about Harry Potter fans hoping to avoid spoilers. Please note that the article contains a spoiler about the 6th book, which I think everyone should know by now. I will write my own Harry Potter preview with predictions sometime soon, but then there will be no further discussion about the book here.

Number Five Is Alive

Have you ever had a touch-tone phone that was missing a number? That happened to us over the past few days as the number 5 not only stopped working, but actually fell out of the cordless phone. While we could still call most of the people we normally do, there are a few friends with five in their phone number. Plus, you can forget calling a company and trying to go through the automated options. Worst of all, I got Jenny’s number (I needed to make her mine and I asked her to not change her number), but couldn’t reach her without the number five.

So now we have a new phone. It is not the one pictured here, but we considered it.

Oh, bonus points for anyone who can name the movie quote from the title without an internet search.

Why Is The NHL Not On ESPN?

It’s Saturday night, and we just got back from dinner with friends. Wanting to see scores of baseball games, I turned to ESPN2, which generally shows sports scores and news at the bottom of the screen. Now I’ve watched enough ESPN and ESPN2 over the years to know that they show a lot of programs that are not truly sports. I’m at the point where I’m used to seeing poker or even the spelling bee on ESPN. However, I was not prepared for tonight. ESPN2 aired the USA Rock Paper Scissors League Championship. I know it’s summer and Saturday night, but why is Rock Paper Scissors on my TV? Why is this on any TV? I don’t even think that Versus would show this.

The USARPS League Championship even has announcers: Trey Wingo and a guy named Master Roshambollah (I’m not making this up). I really hope that Trey Wingo was getting paid a lot of money since he can never be referred to as a journalist again. In the five minutes that I watched, Wingo called a “match” the greatest duel in sports and yelled “what a clutch throw” in response to the one guy going with scissors while his opponent went with paper. I’m sure his professors at Baylor are extremely proud of his performance.

Maybe next week, ESPN will show the politically incorrect version of rock, paper, scissors; cat, tin foil, microwave.

Israel Baseball League

Looking for something to pass the time while heading into the weekend? If so, I recommend checking out the Israel Baseball League’s website. I am fascinated by the league and its players. For example, Bet Shemesh Blue Sox catcher Lukas Brenowitz is pursuing a Masters Degree in Middle Eastern Strategic Studies and Arabic at Tel Aviv University. I think this may be the same degree that John Kruk earned.

Representing Virginia Beach and the University of Virginia, outfielder Sean Slaugher’s favorite movies are Godfather II and Grandma’s Boy. That seems like an unlikely double-feature.

Tel Aviv Lightning pitcher Daniel Kaufman is “a crafty pitcher from Georgia, played baseball at Emory University with fellow IBL'ers, Aaron Rosdal and Bryan Langbord...helped the Eagles reach the post-season twice in 2004 and 2006...the team was ranked #1 in the country in 2006...looks forward to playing in Israel and meeting a nice Jewish girl to bring home to mom.” This bio is close to that of Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ outfielder Elijah Dukes.

Outfielder Ben Field, with that last name, he couldn’t be a pitcher, graduated from Haverford College.

Plus, Ra'anana Express’ Mike Hochman has a journal which includes the following statement, “This just in: Domincans are good.”

In case you were interested, the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox are dominating the league with a 9-0 record led by Jason Rees (5) and Johnny Lopez (4), who are leading the league in home runs. Oh, if you were wondering if I am scouting this league for potential fantasy baseball players for next season, you would be correct!

New Referrals

Inspired by Morag, these are real searches (usually from Google) that real people used to find and visit this place. In cases where I am ranked first in Google searches, you will see “#1.”

will it rain tomorrow at sandcastle water park in Pittsburgh (#1)
When did I become Joe DeNardo?

if beyonce married roy castle
I don’t know this Roy Castle fellow, but Jay-Z would not be too happy if this happened. Would her married name be Beyonce Castle?

kathy griffith in thong (#1)
This is really disturbing. Not only that someone is searching the web for this, but that I am ranked first in Google. To quote a Grey’s Anatomy phrase: seriously?

a guy named alphabet soup from Baltimore
There’s really a guy from Baltimore named alphabet soup?

Lionel Andrés Messi jew (#1)
It would be awesome if Messi really is Jewish. We need to have more superstar Jewish athletes.

willis mcgahee cab driver (#1)
I know the football off-season can be long, but I don’t think McGahee needs to work as a cab driver to make ends meet.

secret seans for harry potter 5
It’s been a few years since I read the fifth Harry Potter (I’m currently re-reading #4 and will probably see the movie for #5 and re-read #6), but I don’t remember any secret Seans.

Does Cal Ripken Jr work for Jerry Springer
No.

how to be a good beer man
Learn from the best. Go to RFK stadium, and find the guy I wrote about here.

evgeni malkin getting married in france
Evgeni didn’t invite me?

backstreet boys on 4 guys on october 31 2008
Um, Happy Halloween, I guess.

places like chukky cheese you can take kids to in houston texas in America
Well, if you’re in Houston, you could go to Chuck E. Cheese or take the NASA tour.

trai essex wedding
Trai didn’t invite me?

Where to get beer at rfk
Try the concession stand or look for the greatest beer man of all time.

im not internationally known but I am known to rock the microphone
I say this to myself everyday!

Trip to Charles Town

Over the weekend, I crossed over state lines for my first ever visit to Charles Town Races & Slots in Charles Town, West Virginia. I am not a big fan of slots, so I was much more excited about the horse races. Here are some notes from the adventure:

- The casino/racetrack must be a huge moneymaker for the state of West Virginia since every car in the parking garage had a license plate from Maryland or Virginia. My guess is the only West Virginia cars are driven by the casino employees.

- Between Charles Town, Atlantic City and Dover in Delaware, how much money is spent by Maryland residents in out-of-state casinos?

- The music played throughout the casino included songs by Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder and KC & the Sunshine Band. Maybe the next time I visit Charles Town, they will update their playlist to include more “modern” acts like Duran Duran and Billy Idol.

- Casinos will be the last place where smoking is permitted. Even though there are several non-smoking areas, you can’t avoid the smoke.

- I only played (and lost) $1 on the slots; I wish I did that well at the track.

- Even though I missed the first race, I did better on that race than the other nine. That’s right, I lost every single race. Even on the one race where I had a winning ticket, I lost, since I bet $2 on a horse to place but spent another $4 on exacta boxes. I bet $6 and won $4.20. No exactas or trifectas. A few close calls, but, well, you know the expression.

- Just like Atlantic City and Las Vegas, there is a Sheetz just outside the casino entrance. (I know that this isn’t true, but it should be!) Actually, Sheetz at 12:30am was the place to be. It was packed as everyone was buying their MTOs.

Even though the night didn’t turn out as I hoped financially, I had a great time hanging out with family and friends. While I won’t be rushing back to Charles Town, I’m looking forward to my next trip to a track or casino (preferably with table games). Please note that I have no plans to turn into Art Schlichter.

Tie Talk with George and Vladimir

The following were the top stories on Yahoo News today as of 12:42 p.m. EDT
- U.K. arrests Iraqi, Jordanian doctors in bomb probe
- Suicide bombing kills eight at popular Yemen tourist site
- Bush and Putin meet to discuss ties
- Utah calls in National Guard for fast-moving fire
- Shares of Trump's company plummet on failure to sell
- Massive flower in Washington attracts crowd despite odor
- Kerouac fans stage marathon reading of 'On the Road'

So I wonder what Bush and Putin discussed. Did they talk about the pros and cons of the bow tie? Whether they prefer the four-in-hand knot, Windsor knot, or even (dare I write) clip-on ties?

Maybe I’m completely wrong, and they talked about how regular season hockey games end in the NHL verses those in the Russian Super League.

Big Week for Sean’s Ramblings

Thanks to DC Blogs and Deadspin, there were more visits to this site in the past 2.5 days than there usually are in an entire month.

On Thursday, DC Blogs linked to my bus story by writing “Harry Potter book interrupted by the sight of finger nail cutting woman. Metro bus story at Sean’s Ramblings.” Technically, the nail cutting incident took place on a Fairfax Connector bus, but that’s irrelevant.

On Friday, Deadspin linked to my recap of the Argentina-U.S. soccer match. As a comparison of how much Deadspin has grown, they linked to a post I wrote about Ben Roethlisberger attending a Penguins game in January 2006. On that day, I received 78 visits, a personal record at the time for most hits in a day. Yesterday, I received an incredible 848 visits, primarily from Deadspin readers.

The total number of visits on Thursday through 10:30am on Saturday = 1036! So thanks again to DC Blogs and Deadspin, and if you have not already visited these sites, I hope that you do (often).

Have a great weekend!

Copa America - U.S. vs. Argentina Live

I have not watched a full soccer match since last summer’s World Cup final (the Zidane head-butt game), but I am currently watching the United States-Argentina match as part of the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela. I honestly don’t know anything about this tournament, but I’m intrigued to see how the men’s national team fares against the outstanding Argentinean team. I should probably mention that the match is not on ESPN or ESPN2; it’s on Comcast’s Channel 31. I don’t even more the name of the station, but the telecast is in Spanish. No hablo español!

In looking at the starting line-ups, I know that the forwards for Argentina, Hernan Crespo and Lionel Andres Messi are amazing. Apparently, the U.S. team wants some younger players to gain international experience since Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Oguchi Onyewu and Clint Dempsey are neither in the starting line-up or even listed as substitutes. Instead, the U.S. is starting players such as Justin Mapp, Jay Demerit, Ricardo Clark and Marvell Wynne. I have never heard of any of these players except for Wynne because he was an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates about 20 years ago. Based on the line-up, Argentina should win rather easily, but that’s why we play the game.

- The U.S. takes an early lead in the eighth minute! Eddie Johnson (one of the guys I know) got taken down in the penalty box. The ref made an excellent call in awarding a penalty kick, and Johnson scored on the PK. I have no idea whether or not the announcers agree with the call, but it looked like the right call to me.

- You’ll be glad to know that I can understand the advertisements on top of the screen. Bud Light and Toyota Trucks translate well.

- Argentina answers quickly with a Crespo goal in the twelfth minute. U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller (did you know he’s 37!) made the initial save, but the ball came right to Crespo with an open net. The game is tied 1-1 (or uno to uno).
- Each time I write Argentina, I’m tempted to write Arjewtino, which is a blog that I check out daily.

- Nothing really exciting has happened over the last 30 minutes, until now. Argentina’s midfielder Veron took a rocket shot from about 20 yards away. Keller got his hand on it and the ball deflected off and then over the crossbar. I know that Kasey is a professional goalie, but that had to have hurt his hand.

- That’s the end of the first half. This has turned into a blog journal, so I’ll probably write more for the second half. The score is still tied at uno.

- In case you were wondering, the preview for the Transformers movie also looks and sounds cool in Spanish! Oh, and Wendy’s has carne fresca! Plus, hearing the “Nationwide is on your side” jingle in Spanish is also neat.

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Welcome back (or just welcome).

- Not much has happened in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Allstate is now the sponsor at the top of the screen. There is also a ton of confetti all over the field. There really should be some type of Zamboni for soccer fields. That’s going to be a pain to clean after the game.

- Messi is very, very quick. About 15 minutes into second half, he got through and beat two U.S. defenders, but his shot went wide.

- D.C. United’s Ben Olsen is out. Eddie Gaven (who?) is in.

- Welcome to the game Eddie! You just got abused by Messi, who then gave a perfect pass to Crespo. Goal. (Or as the announcer yells, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal, goal). After typing goal so many times, I wonder if it’s even spelled correctly. Anyway, I don’t know if Keller could have made the save, but he didn’t put himself in a good position. 2-1 Argentina in the 64th minute.

- Messi is just dominating the second half. He clearly looks like the best player on the field.

- In case you were wonder, Aaron Brooks (Oregon) was drafted #26 by Houston and Arron Afflalo (UCLA) went to Detroit at #27. Could another Aaron (Gray) go next? (Nope)

- I left the room for a minute to take my contact lenses out and missed another goal. Someone (it may have been Messi again) served a perfect cross into the center and Aimar headed the ball into the back of the net. He put the biscuit in the basket! Keller had no chance. After the goal, Argentina substituted Messi out of the game, and he received a huge ovation from the crowd. 3-1. (Game over?)

- Meanwhile, the U.S. brought in Kyle Beckerman, who has dreadlocks much longer than Adam Duritz. He looks kind of silly actually. I’m going to see if I can find a picture of him.

- Now would also be a good time to mention that the Spice Girls are officially reuniting and are planning an 11-city world tour. I'm excited about this.

- 4-1 Argentina. Carlos Alberto Tevez, who came in for Messi, scored on a breakaway in the 85th minute. The assistant referee missed the call as Tevez was offside by a few yards. (Game over!)

- I finally learned that I was watching Telefutura. Good to know.

- We’re now into the second round of the NBA draft. I expect Aaron Gray to go sometime in the next 10-15 picks.

That’s it for me. The U.S. played Argentina rather evenly for the first half, but Argentina has too much talent (Messi) and took over in the second half. I would have liked to have seen Donovan, Beasley and the other American regulars to see how they match-up against Argentina. Maybe in 2010 in South Africa. Before I sign off, here’s a picture of Kyle Beckerman, but without the dreadlocks, just long hair.



Update 6/29: Here are some real recaps from last night's match from The Washington Post and San Jose Mercury News. According to the second article, Marvell Wynne is a son of a former major league baseball player. It has to be former Bucco Marvell Wynne, right?

Witness

I’ve heard stories about this happening on the bus or Metro before, but I have never seen it in person…until yesterday. As I was sitting on the bus reading the fourth Harry Potter book, the woman next to me pulled out clippers and started cutting her finger nails. To make things worse, she left the cut nails on the floor of the bus. There are many problems with this entire scenario, but let’s just go with the most obvious. Who cuts their finger nails in a public place, especially on public transportation? This is something that needs to be done in private. While I admit to having poor grooming habits regarding my finger nails (that’s a nice way of saying that I bite my finger nails), at least I do this in private.

So now I need to figure out a nickname for the finger nail woman. I may have mentioned this before, but I sometimes entertain myself on my commute by coming up with nicknames for people who frequently ride the bus with me. This would include Sideburn Guy, Smoking Man, Crazy Lady Who Isn’t Crazy, The Woman Who Doesn’t Shut Up, Weasley (the guy has red hair and would fit in perfectly in the Weasley family from Harry Potter, except without that magic thing), and Disheveled Mike, who looks like a colleague of mine, except my colleague is always well-dressed and neat, and the guy on the bus is, well, not. Maybe I’ll just call her Rude Finger Nail Lady.

I never claimed to have original nicknames.

Sports Fan Checklist

ESPN’s Jim Caple recently compiled a list of the 101 things sports fans must experience before they die. It’s a pretty thorough list, although things start getting a little silly after the first fifty or so. Personally, I think there should be more baseball stadiums and college football and basketball venues, as well as Groundhog’s Day in Punxsutawney, but I digress. Here are the top fifty items on Caple’s list with the events I have attended in bold and my own comments:

1. Summer Olympics (every four years in a different city).
2. World Cup (every four years in a different country). I really should have done this in 1994 when the World Cup was in the United States. My dad and brother went to two games while I worked as a camp counselor in West Virginia.
3. Winter Olympics (every four years in a different city).
4. The World Series (every October, various cities). I've been to a Padres-Braves NLCS game, but will wait to go to a World Series until the Pirates make it. I may be waiting a very long time.
5. NCAA subregional (March, various sites). Seeing #15 Coppin State defeat #2 South Carolina in 1997 may be my favorite live sporting event experience.
6. Spring training (February-March, Florida and Arizona). I really, really, really need to do this. Hopefully, next spring.
7. NFL conference championship (January in various NFL cities).
8. The Masters (April, Augusta, Ga.).
9. Wimbledon (late June-early July, London). The cost for a daily pass in 2000 for all but the main two courts: $6!
10. Tour de France mountain stage (July in various rotating cities in France).
11. Premier League Soccer game (fall-spring, England).
12. Rose Bowl (New Year's Day, or thereabouts, Pasadena, Calif.).
13. NBA Finals (June, various cities).
14. College World Series (June, Omaha, Neb.).
15. Red Sox-Yankees game (April-October, Boston or New York).
16. Hall of Fame induction (July, Cooperstown, N.Y.).
17. Michigan-Ohio State football (November, Columbus, Ohio, or Ann Arbor, Mich.) This was not much fun. I got hit in the back of the head with a Sprite bottle because some drunk OSU student tried to throw it at a guy wearing a Michigan shirt and missed.
18. The F.A. Cup (fall-spring, England).
19. Duke-North Carolina basketball game (winter, Chapel Hill or Durham, N.C.).
20. The Stanley Cup playoffs (late spring, various NHL cities). I rescind my NCAA Tournament statement from above. The Penguins defeating the Sabres in Buffalo in 2001 IS my favorite live sporting memory.
21. British Open (July, Great Britain).
22. Cubs game in the Wrigley bleachers (April-September, Chicago).
23. A football game at Notre Dame (fall, South Bend, Ind.).
24. ACC basketball tournament (March, various sites). I'd rather see the Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.
25. A soccer game at Maracana Stadium (various dates, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
26. Little 500 (late April at Indiana University).
27. Tailgating in the SEC (fall, SEC campuses).
28. U.S. Open golf (mid-June, various courses).
29. A game at Rucker Park (anytime, Harlem).
30. U.S. Open tennis (late August, New York).
31. Bayou Classic (November, New Orleans).
32. Kentucky Derby (May, Churchill Downs, Ky.). This should be in the top 10!
33. The Indy 500 (Memorial Day weekend, Indianapolis).
34. The All-Africa Amputee Football Tournament (Sierra Leone).
35. MLB Opening Day (April, various cities).
36. Boston Marathon (April, Boston).
37. Frozen Four (April, various cities).
38. Canadiens-Leafs game (winter, Montreal or Toronto).
38. Auburn-Alabama football game (November, Tuscaloosa or Auburn, Ala.).
40. Town ball in Minnesota (summer, towns throughout Minnesota).
41. The Iditarod (February, Anchorage to Nome, Ala.).
42. An NBA game from courtside (winter-spring, any NBA city).
43. Baseball All-Star Game (July, rotating cities).
44. Il Palio horse race (July and August, Siena, Italy).
45. Play Pebble Beach (year-round, Pebble Beach, Calif.).
46. Daytona 500 (February, Daytona, Fla.).
47. Running of the Bulls (July, Pamplona, Spain).
48. Triple Crown Surfing (November-December North Shore, Oahu).
49. Lady Vols game (winter, Knoxville, Tenn.).
50. Caribbean World Series (January, various sites).

The following are outside the Top 50 that I have either done or want to do:
51. Heavyweight championship bout in Vegas (sporadic).
54. Green Bay Packers game in the snow (December, Green Bay).
59. Calgary Stampede (July, Calgary, Alberta).
63. A Big 5 Game at the Palestra (winter, Philadelphia).
68. Sumo championship (various cities, Japan).
73. The Beanpot hockey tournament (first two Mondays in February, Boston).
74. Field of Dreams Ghost Sundays (select days in summer, Dyersville, Iowa).
88. "Monday Night Football" (September-December, various NFL cities).
91. Little League game (spring, early summer, everywhere). I watched my brother play little league. This should be about #413.
94. Hot dog eating championship (July 4, Coney Island).
100. A Harlem Globetrotters game (many dates, many cities).

As you can see, I have a long way to go. How do you match up? What events have you attended and what else would you like to see on this list?

Video Game Addiction

Brian Williams: Are you or your children addicted to video games? We’ll have that story coming up after this break. (This was paraphrased from Monday’s NBC Nightly News.)

Me: “I’m going to play Xbox.” (And I did.)


If you’re interested, here’s the NBC News video that I didn’t actually watch on TV.

Pittsburgh Sports News

I have not written much about sports lately, so I thought I would share a few items from the past few days.

First, Ron Cook writes about the possibility of Bill Cowher becoming the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. Just for the record, I already predicted this in January.

The new Pittsburgh sports blog, Doubt About It, has an excellent contest where you can pick the worst Pirates team from the past fifteen years. You can vote for luminaries such as Randall Simon, Chad Hermansen, Keith Osik and Kevin Polcovich. There are some very difficult choices. By the way, the current Pirates have now lost five games in a row and are 13 games below .500.

Finally, it was a great weekend for the Penguins. First, they re-signed Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi, then, they drafted Angelo Esposito with the #20 pick, a player who would have been #1 overall pick if the draft was six months ago. Of course, very few people outside of Canada, Buffalo, Detroit, Pittsburgh and possibly 20,000 people in Anaheim care about the NHL.

Name That Tune – Pittsburgh Edition

Welcome to a special edition of name that tune featuring songs with a connection to Pittsburgh. Lyrics from six songs are listed below. Your challenge is to name the song title and artist. This is usually the place where I ask you to try not to search the internet for the answers since you either know the songs or you don’t. In this case, the song title for #3 and artist for #6 may require some internet research. Good luck!

1. "Kathy," I said,
As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh,
"Michigan seems like a dream to me now.
It took me four days
To hitchhike from Saginaw.

2. New Orleans - New Orleans
Detroit City - Detroit City
Dallas - Dallas
Pittsburgh P. A. - Pittsburgh P. A.
New York City - New York City
Kansas City - Kansas City
Atlanta - Atlanta.
Chicago and L. A.

3. Heard about Houston? Heard about Detroit?
Heard about Pittsburgh, P. A.?
You oughta know not to stand by the window
somebody might see you up there

4. Well pick me up with a golden hand
I may see you, I may tell you to run
You know what they say about the young

5. Pittsburgh, Parkersburg, Gravelburg, Colorado, Ellisburg, Rexburg, Vicksburg, Eldorado, Larimore, Adimore, Habastock, Chadanocka, Shasta, Nebraska, Alaska, Opalacka, Baraboo, Waterloo, Kalamazoo, Kansas City, Sioux City, Cedar City, Dodge City, What A Pity

(Please note that I added the commas)

6. Pittsburgh’s Going to the Super Bowl.

Good luck!

Spam Text Message

Now this makes me mad. I received the following text message on my cell phone:

From swan@speedy.com.ar (big savings) S.a.ve over 83% all software (Windows V.ista) only $49.95 visit: www.boxsoftwares.com.

There are now spam text messages! I do not send text messages and rarely (possibly twice a year) receive text messages as it is not part of my cell phone plan. I believe I am charged 10 cents per text message, but cost is not an issue here. I’m just not a fan of text messaging. It is difficult to type and since I have no cell phone reception at home, my cell phone is generally off. If you want to reach me quickly, text messaging is not the way to do it. So when I saw that I had a text message, I was a bit surprised. Then, the surprise turned into a bit of anger when I read the message above. How did “swan” get my cell phone number? Is there a way to block this? Has anyone else received spam text messages?

Of course, even though text messaging is not for me, one of my favorite current commercials features the line “IDK, my BFF Jill.”

Updates

In response to my list of the greatest Icelandic bands, I received an e-mail from Wim Van Hooste, who seems to be an aficionado of Icelandic music. According to Wim, Dr. Gunni (everyone knows Dr. Gunni, right?) wrote a book & made a list of the 100 best Icelandic albums. Here is the top 5:

1. Sigur Ros
2. Björk
3. Megas & Spilverk Thjodanna
4. Studmenn
5. Trubrot

I correctly chose one of the top five!

---

I also received an e-mail from Brian Shactman of CNBC, who is interested in doing a story on slug commuting, and specifically, to find out if it exists outside of the Washington DC area. Brian wrote that he has seen references to it in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, but is looking for more information. If anyone has any suggestions of how he can find out more, please leave a comment.

---

I have finished re-reading the first Harry Potter book (Sorcerer's Stone) and watching the second Harry Potter movie (Chamber of Secrets). My plan is to rent the third movie (Prisoner of Azkaban) and then re-read the next three books before the seventh book is released next month. I promise to share my Harry Potter theories in the next few weeks.

Why I Would Make a Poor Celebrity (or Secret Service Agent)

Well, there are thousands of reasons for both of these, so let’s make this reason number 172. One of the apparent requirements of being a celebrity is that you need to wear sunglasses in public places. The picture of Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham hidden by her child at David Beckham’s final Real Madrid match is an example of this. Sunglasses, often coupled with wearing a hat, helps disguise celebrities in public from the commoners. If you look closely at the picture, you will notice that no one else is wearing sunglasses, so it can't be too sunny.

On to the premise of this post. I cannot be a celebrity because I don’t wear sunglasses. I have had several pairs of sunglasses over the years and have managed to either lose or break all of them. Based on this track record, I have not had a pair of sunglasses in probably six years. Therefore, I have a bit of a dilemma. If I buy a cheap pair of sunglasses, I won’t really care about them and will probably lose of bend them. Conversely, why would I buy an expensive pair of sunglasses if I’ve been fine the last six years without them?

That's about it. I don't have anything else to write about this subject. In full disclosure, I just saw the Tom and Katie picture and thought they looked silly and robot-like with the sunglasses. Plus, this was another opportunity to write about a Spice Girl!

(The picture is courtesy of Deadspin).

Spice Girls Reunion

Welcome to a special mid-day post! I am writing live from home today as our entire air conditioning and heating unit is being replaced. The final bill is not going to be pretty. Anyway, I have no idea how I missed this, but a Spice Girls reunion is apparently in the works. Mel C (Sporty Spice) appeared to be the lone holdout, but she seems to have changed her mind. I am actually excited about this. The world with the Spice Girls and “Girl Power” is a better place! There is also a rumor that there will be an extended Spice Girls gig in Las Vegas.

To celebrate this occasion, you can take this quiz to determine which Spice Girl you are. Apparently, I am Emma (Baby Spice):

You must be the kind of person that loves hugs and cuddles! Also you’re a peaceloving person. Whenever there’s a fight, you’re there to stop it. You love being around people and hanging out with your friends. You’re very loyal, dedicated and a fan of cute pink ‘n’ fluffy things ;-)

While I am loyal and dedicated and enjoy being around my friends, "pink 'n' fluffy things isn't really me.

Lost in Translation

During my time as a volunteer last weekend, I was interviewed by the "Epoch Times" for an article about Celebrate Fairfax. The article is in Chinese, but through the magic of Google translator, here is the section in which I am featured translated into English.

Sean of this year's festival is voluntary duties exhibitors (Exhibitor Relations). He told reporters Axis Friday, and six planet, his work 15 to 16 hours, from 7.00, 8:00, 23:00 to the end. Sunday relatively better, work 12 hours. Today is his first seven years in the "Celebration of Fairfax County," festival volunteer services. Since the introduction of a friend in a year after participate in volunteer work. Work in the first year of wearing apparel props and play the famous cartoon roles. Hot!
　　
He said, "to celebrate the county fee" festival organized by the staff and other volunteers is year after year he returned to the festival services. "It's so interesting, can we all get together. I want to be a part of it."

Hot!

Links To Start the Day

The Penguins are looking for a part-time Game Night Premium Seating Concierge. One of the responsibilities is to assist guests with any game day issues, concerns or special requests. You can look forward to answering questions about how to get a date with Sidney Crosby.

The Pittsburgh Comet interviewed Pittsburgh councilman Bill Peduto. This is the most famous blog interview I have seen by someone I know.

A long-time commenter has joined the blog world. Please welcome Daisy’s Dish, featuring product reviews and freebie information. Although it’s not for me, Daisy has a link for a free Pantene sample.

Courtesy of Arjewtino, Virginia’s Department of Motor Vehicles has an online personalized license plate generator. This is my favorite:










The D.C. Sports Bog interviews the one and only Sergeant Slaughter. I never realized how much he looks like Bill Cowher.

Name That Arena

With the Pittsburgh Penguins moving from Mellon Arena (it’s still the Civic Arena to me) in a few years, I wonder what corporation will pay for the naming rights of the new arena. Although Mellon may have the first opportunity to name the new arena, The Bank of New York Company, Inc. and Mellon Financial Corporation recently merged to become The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. With the probable change of company management, who knows if they want the Mellon name on the arena. Plus, I can’t see a Pittsburgh arena with “New York” in the title. Since Heinz and PNC already have stadium sponsorships, what will be the name of the new arena? The following names are simply guesses:

• PPG Arena or UPMC Arena – Between either of these and PNC, Pittsburgh will quickly be known as the alphabet soup of stadiums.
• Bayer Arena – The slogan: The Penguins will give their opponents headaches. (I’ll be here all week.)
• 84 Lumber Arena – After reading about his birthday party and wedding, maybe Joe Hardy is like Richard Pryor in Brewster’s Millions and needs to spend all his money in a certain amount of time.

• WESCO International Arena – This is a Fortune 500/multinational electronics distribution and services company. I have nothing funny to write.

If I had to make a prediction, I’ll go with Dick’s Sporting Goods Arena. Fortunately or unfortunately, it will likely be dubbed “The Dick” rather quickly.

Impossible Undertaking

Inspired by something that Dan wrote several months ago, I decided that I would read all six Harry Potter books before the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, arrives on July 21. I started today. After going through my morning routine that is the Express, I completed a total of 54 pages on the bus and Metro. At this pace, I think it is unlikely that I’ll finish the first six books. Books four (Goblet of Fire) and six (Half-Blood Prince) are my favorite, so I’d like to re-read those. I think I have to read the fifth book (Order of the Phoenix) if I’m reading four and six. Plus, I should read the third book (Prisoner of Azkaban) since that seems to be the favorite book of many people I know. Is there anyway to cut corners here? I guess I could watch a couple of the movies to help get through things a little quicker, but I'd feel like I'm cheating.

Busy Week

Celebrate Fairfax was a great success, and the Pirates went 1-1 in the games I attended against the Nationals. Overall, it was a very good week. Well, except for the people who hate me because I do not love Daughtry. I'll write much more soon, but in the meantime we can ponder if Mick Jagger will leave the Rolling Stones to join his brother's band. (The answer is no.)

Celebrate Fairfax 2007

The 2007 Celebrate Fairfax! festival, Northern Virginia’s largest community-wide celebration, is this weekend, June 8-10, at the Fairfax County Government Center. The festival features over 80 bands and performers on six stages including headliners Live, Smash Mouth, Little Big Town and Eddie from Ohio plus Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, JunkFood, Welbilt and much more. The entertainment is only part of the festivities. There are also 400 exhibitors, vendors and crafters, a SciTech Center, County Expo program where county agencies create dozens of activities (it’s definitely worth going through this area), fireworks, a laser show, and of course, food (hooray for funnel cake!).

This year marks the 26th year of Celebrate Fairfax, and my sixth year of involvement. I’m obviously a little biased, but I have been to dozens of festivals, and Celebrate Fairfax is one of the best around. Plus tickets are only $10 for adults (even less if you use the coupons from the festival’s website or for kids) and you don’t need to pay an extra fee to see the headliners.

I will be at the festival as a volunteer for the entire weekend, so if you happen to see a guy wearing a nametag that says Sean, a Celebrate Fairfax shirt and possibly carrying a walkie-talkie, please say hi.

Freaking Daughtry

Ten years ago this summer, my brother and I took a 4,000-mile road trip across the eastern half of the United States. When we were not listening to tapes (the car did not have a CD player; it was 1997, so there were no iPods yet either), we scanned radio stations to try and find good music. We even tracked the songs we heard the most over the month-long trip. In case you were wondering, “The Freshmen” by The Verve Pipe, Hanson’s “MMMBop” and “Everyday is a Winding Road” by Sheryl Crow were the top three songs.

Anyway, during the past weekend, we drove about 13 hours, and while we listened to a few CDs, we switched to the radio for much of the way. Although I did not keep track of songs we heard on the radio this trip, Daughtry was the clear winner. Every time we hit the scan button, “It’s Not Over” or “Home” came through the speakers. I was indifferent about Daughtry before this weekend; now, I can’t stand him. I started swearing each time one of the songs played and quickly turned the station. Unfortunately, he would not go away. Daughtry was in Binghamton, Scranton, Moosic, Harrisburg, Northern Virginia and everywhere in between. I’m just grateful that Daughtry did not become the lead singer of Fuel as was rumored last year after Brett Scallions left the band. “Shimmer” and "Hemorrage (In My Hands)" are great songs; it would have been too bad if I had to start hating them because of Daughtry.

The sooner Daughtry becomes Bo Bice (meaning out sight and off the radio), the better.

UPDATE 6/5/07 @ 11:59pm I left a very long comment in response to the other comments. I also apologize for including Bo Bice in my Daughtry rant. At this time of night, I can't think of anyone to substitute in place of Bice.

Notes From The Road

I’ve been away for a few days, so I have not had the opportunity to write. It may also be tough to write this week between the Pirates-Nationals series and the Celebrate Fairfax festival. I’ll have much more about both of these as time allows. On to the notes:

The Ithaca Times had an interesting Q&A and picture with Josh Face, who appears to be famous for his tattoos. The guy pictured here is not Josh Face – that can’t be his real name – and unfortunately, the web article does not include his picture. There seems to be one question missing from the piece. If you have a complete face tattoo, do you still have to shave? I honestly have no idea how this works.

The Yankees’ debut of Roger Clemens this season has been delayed because “The Rocket” has a “fatigued right groin.” No, I’m not making this up.

I have never heard of Moosic, Pennsylvania until the past few days. Moosic is a borough located just south of Scranton in Lackawanna County. While not included in the Wikipedia description, Moosic makes the people come together. Moosic makes the bourgeoisie and the rebel.

Name That Tune Returns

Lyrics from five songs are listed below. Your challenge is to name the song title and artist. Please try not to search the internet for the answers. Either you know the songs or you don't. I think this second version is a little tougher than last week’s debut. Good luck!

1. Till now I always got by on my own
I never really cared until I met you

2. I’d shout out an order, I think we’re out of this man get me some

3. Da Force coming down with mayhem
looking at my watch time 3 A.M.

4. I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change

5. If you're callin' 'bout the car I sold it;
If this is Tuesday night, I'm bowling.

Kevin Costner

Kevin Costner is currently making the rounds going on television shows to promote his new movie, "Mr. Brooks," in which he plays a serial killer. I actually think that Costner will do a great job playing a bad guy, but that’s not the point of this post. Seeing the movie previews has reminded me of something that I have known for years; Kevin Costner is an underrated actor. Take Costner in his five best movies (in my opinion, Dancing With Wolves, The Untouchables, Field of Dreams, and then two of Bull Durham, JFK, Tin Cup and Thirteen Days) and compare them with the five best movies of other actors of his era. I think it’s fair to say that Costner would do well. While Costner is not in the same class as Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Denzel Washington or Tom Hanks, I think he’s certainly in the next tier with Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, Mel Gibson (before he went crazy) and Tom Cruise (see Mel Gibson). I would take Costner’s top five movies/performances over Ford, Williams, Gibson and Cruise.

I think it’s fair to write that Costner does not have the reputation he deserves because of one movie, "Waterworld." The cost to make Waterworld was so extraordinary at the time that it had no choice but to fail. Even though other actors have had flops, Costner seems to have “suffered” more for "Waterworld" than any other actor has for another movie. Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty recovered from "Ishtar." Even Mel Gibson earned three Oscar nominations for "Apocalypto."

I admit that I have a certain bias for Costner. “Field of Dreams” is my favorite movie of all time, and I also played Black Jack in his Deadwood, South Dakota casino. Plus, Costner seems like the kind of guy who would buy you a beer. Maybe "Mr. Brooks" will bring Kevin Costner back and make others believe what I just wrote, that he is an underrated actor.

Random Links

Fergie is coming to Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax. No, I’m not kidding. (Click on the meet Fergie tab.) Here’s your chance to challenge Fergie to a spelling contest! She will be at Verizon Experience store at 3:00pm on Tuesday, May 29.

Good luck to the Ithaca College Women’s Crew team at the NCAA Rowing Championships!

I admit that I’m not as devoted of a Lost fan as most other followers, but the season finale on Wednesday was really, really good. Here’s a good recap of all things Lost. Please note that most of the theories are way above me.

Fourteen Ithaca College students of the a cappella group Ithacappella, some of them seniors skipping their own graduation ceremony, opened the set of an Incubus concert in LA. Here’s the article; here’s the YouTube video.

Roger Federer and Pete Sampras will meet in an exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur as part of Malaysia’s 50th anniversary of independence celebrations. I’m guessing that they will both receive nice paychecks. It would be an especially interesting match if the Pete Sampras of eight years ago could play today’s Federer.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Favorite Unpopular Posts

The idea of this is to share past posts that I thought were good, but did not seem to take off. I was tagged by Rinsem’s Rink, who I have linked to several times over the past few months. So here are seven posts from the past year or so that I feel deserve a second chance.

When Did Pittsburgh Become a Country Town?
Self-explanatory (or maybe not).

The Greatest Icelandic Musicians
To be honest, I was hoping that Icelandair would see this post and fly me to Iceland to prove that there are many great Icelandic bands. Maybe that will happen now!

Guilty Pleasures
No one seemed to make fun of the fact that I like VH1 reality shows, Hilary Duff, Neil Diamond, Eddie Money and the Spice Girls.

Do I Need to Turn in My Man Card?
I admitted that I worked out to Leslie Sansone DVDs.

You 1988 Pittsburgh Pirates
The days when there was true hope that the Pirates could be good

Toilet Talk
Toilet technology is not where it should be in this country.

Cleaning House
Found newspaper articles

Breaking News: California Tortilla Opening in Reston

This is huge! One of my favorite restaurants, California Tortilla, is opening a franchise in Reston, Virginia. I e-mailed Pam Felix, Marketing/Queen of Burritos (that is her actual title listed on the website) to confirm that this is true, and she replied that the new location will hopefully open mid-summer. This makes me very happy. I haven’t been as excited about the opening of a business/store since Wegmans came to Northern Virginia in 2004.

When a California Tortilla opens, they give away a free burrito and pop (yes, it's pop) to every customer from 11am-2pm and 5pm-8pm that day. Plus, the first ten people in line receive a free burrito every week for a year at that store, and the next 20 receive a free burrito every week for a month at that location. Depending on the opening date, I may take a day or half-day off of work to wait in line.

Fantasy Television League

Way back in September, I mentioned my participation in The Alison LaPlaca Open, a contest to see who can guess which television shows would be cancelled during the 2006-2007 season. Now that the season is nearly complete, I have unofficially (depending on the status of Standoff and According to Jim) finished in the top ten, possibly top five, out of over 100 entries. I correctly predicted that What About Brian, Kidnapped, Happy Hour, Runaway, The Knights of Prosperity, The O.C., Seventh Heaven and The War at Home (thank goodness!) would not make it to the 2007-2008 season. Unfortunately, Men In Trees starring Anne Heche survived, and NBC was apparently smart enough to realize that The Singles Table was a terrible show and never aired it.

I’m definitely going to participate next year. My top pick will probably be Caveman, the new comedy based on the “guys” from the GEICO commercials.

Name That Tune

Here's a little game to start your week. Lyrics from five songs are listed below. Your challenge is to name the song title and artist. Please try not to search the internet for the answers. Either you know the songs or you don't.

1. Little boys messin round with the girls playing double-dutch

2. And I feel so much depends on the weather
So is it raining in your bedroom?

3. The D-A-double D-Y-M-A-C
Ya you know me

4. We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I

5. Cry baby cry
When you've got to get it out

I'll be back this evening with the correct answers and to declare the winner. Good luck!

Pittsburgh Penguins Job Opportunity

Want to work for the Pittsburgh Penguins, but you can’t skate? The Penguins are looking for a Game Night Producer. The responsibilities include planning, formatting, and executing JumboTron and game night presentations; working with Mellon Arena staff to coordinate visual in-arena components; and organizing sponsorship-related opportunities with the Corporate Sales Department. The Game Night Producer must be a creative, responsible individual who can thrive in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment.

Tasks and Responsibilities:
• Plan, format and execute the Pittsburgh Penguins game night presentation including but not limited to pre-game and post-game ceremonies, PA announcements, JumboTron, matrix messages, music, organ, national anthems and in-arena and concourse promotions
• Coordinate with the Corporate Sales Department to ensure proper sponsor visibility and fulfillment of all contractual obligations
• Work under pressure and make complex decisions in a time-sensitive situation
• Possess a technical understanding of control room workflow, capabilities, and limitations
• Ability to interface and lead Pens Patrol and other game night staff as well as coordinate logistical issues within the arena

Qualifications:
• A minimum of 3-5 years experience working in a live event or broadcast environment with an emphasis on producing and directing as well as experience writing game scripts and coordinating in-game promotions and special events
• Excellent communication and time management skills with a friendly and professional demeanor
• Ability to demonstrate flexible and creative problem solving skills
• A working understanding of broadcast control room flow of operations
• The ability to make quick and complex decisions under pressure situations in a team environment
• The ability to communicate and cooperate with technical crew, building staff, and Pittsburgh Penguins staff.

This seems like a perfect job for GwenJen or maybe Eddie Olczyk.

Click here for more information or to apply.

Evening at RFK

I attended the Washington Nationals-Atlanta Braves game on Tuesday night, my first baseball game of the season. What a fantastic evening! Here’s why:

I bought Lower View Outfield seats for $5, but never got close to sitting there. Instead, we sat on the 1st base line in Field MVP seats that sell for $55. I used to do this all the time for Pittsburgh Pirates games at Three Rivers Stadium, although then, we actually sat in the outfield or upper deck seats and moved down to the nice seats later in the game. The one good thing about a losing team in an old, undistinguished stadium is the many open seats. I’m really going to miss RFK for baseball games next year when the Nationals move to a brand new stadium.

I may have mentioned a while back that I used to work as a beer man. I write this now because I think I have a good sense of what makes a good beer man. So when I write that RFK has the greatest beer man I have ever seen, I write that with conviction. First, RFK Beer Man (I don’t know his name) carried three stacks of beer trays. I didn’t get a full count, but my guess is he started with a minimum of 72 cans. That in itself is tough enough to do while walking up and down aisle after aisle and yelling to sell the product. What really distinguished this beer man was how he opened and poured the beer. He had some type of hand-held electric can opener (I searched unsuccessfully online for about 20 minutes trying to find the product) that removed the entire top of the beer cans. He could do this for two beer cans at a time, and then quickly pour the topless cans into plastic cups. Anywhere he went, people would stop watching the game and watch him in amazement as he opened the cans and poured the beer. It was unbelievable!

A foul ball landed two rows in front of us and another two rows behind us. I have never caught a foul ball, and if I ever do, I have a feeling that I won’t be able to keep it. I’ll end up giving the ball to some little kid sitting a row down.

If you are a designated driver or have no intention of drinking beer at a baseball game, I highly recommend signing up at the designated driver booth. Just for pledging that you’re not going to drink, you receive a free pop coupon (soda for some of you) and are entered into a drawing. Tuesday night, the designated driver booth gave away two free pop coupons. I also won two tickets for Busch Gardens as the lucky winner of the drawing.

Anyone who has attended a Nats game this year knows about the President races. This is a complete knock off of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Sausage race and the Pirates’ Pierogi race. Anyway, the big story is that Teddy Roosevelt has never won a race. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln always win. My guess is that the Nats are saving a Teddy win for a big moment, either the last game at RFK, the first game at the new stadium, or if the Nationals ever sell-out a game, which could happen this weekend against the Baltimore Orioles.

Oh yeah…the Nationals lost 6-2.

PayPerPost

Rinsem’s Rink has recently started to participate in PayPerPost, which is exactly as it sounds. You get paid for blogging about “web sites, products, services, and companies and earn cash for providing your opinion and valuable feedback to advertisers.” I was and am intrigued by this so I asked Rinsem for more information. So far, he has written three posts which totaled $25. I’m curious if anyone else out there has tried PayPerPost, and if so, what do you think? I don’t want to sell out, but I’m not sure that I’m currently really selling in. If I wrote about these products and services, would you be less inclined to visit this site? Any advice is appreciated.

Dilemma

I am writing about another contest in which I would like you to vote, but I’m in a bit of a quandary. First, the contest is Diamonds in the Rough by Briggs & Stratton where one youth baseball/softball player will win $10,000 and a clinic hosted by Tino Martinez. Twelve winners (now finalists) have been selected from eligible entries based on creativity, description of a mentor and a specific “Power Within” example. There are some pretty cool essays written by these kids.

Here’s the dilemma. Of the probably hundreds if not thousands of entrants, I have received e-mails to vote for two of them. Taylor T. of the Atlanta area is a student of long-time reader Christine. Ellen M. from Pittsburgh is a former student of a friend I have known since my chickenpox days.

The rules state that there is only one vote per e-mail address. I have voted once for Taylor and once for Ellen using different e-mail addresses. Instead of asking you to vote for one specific person, vote for two!

Birthday and Mother’s Day Surprise

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.

Chess Fight

Maybe you’ve heard about the fight that broke out at the Boston Pops’ opening night concert. For some reason, this story reminded me of a fight that took place at my junior high chess tournament. When I was in eighth grade, I participated in a chess tournament with about a dozen other schools in the area. I don’t remember how it started or what it was about (probably someone touched a piece without moving it, which is a no-no in a chess tournament), but Aaron G. and a kid from another school started to get in an argument. (The argument took place during a break so my touching theory is likely wrong.) Aaron was a cool guy. He also had a bit of a temper and seemed to be in detention or in-school-suspension a lot, sometimes for fighting.

Anyway, perhaps inspired by the chess fight that took place in a “Family Ties” episode or just being a 13 year-old, I helped escalate the situation. Aaron and the other kid starting trading insults. Nothing major, but I thought I would “help” the situation by throwing in “Oooooooooh; you’re going to let him say that!” By continuing to say things like that, Aaron and the other kid couldn’t back down. They probably didn’t want to fight – well at least the other guy didn’t – but they had no choice. Pushing ensued and a punch or two may have been thrown before a few teachers broke up the fight. The moral of the story: I was a really good chess player.

P.S. There is no truth to the rumor that the World Chess Boxing Organisation started based on the aforementioned chess tournament incident.

The Greatest Icelandic Musicians

Last December, I ranked the greatest Canadian musicians of all-time. It was a fun activity, and I received some good comments, although most of them were about Nickelback. Anyway, after reading that Björk is releasing a new album, I decided to bring back the idea. Today, I rank the greatest musicians ever to come from Iceland.

1. Björk
2. the Sugarcubes (Björk’s band before she went solo)
3. Tie between everyone on The Icelandic Music Page.

I would love to come up with more, but I only knew Björk and had to look up the Sugarcubes. Are there any performers or groups that I’m missing?

In case you were wondering, no Icelandic musicians made the Final Four of Band Madness. It’s David Bowie vs. The Beatles and Led Zeppelin vs. Pink Floyd.

Wednesday Morning Notes

On the way to the San Francisco airport, we passed a Shell gas station charging $4.33 a gallon…for regular unleaded! Directly across the street was a Chevron station charging 70 cents less per gallon. According to the taxi driver, who was extremely passionate about the subject (some might say crazy or fanatical), the Shell station is believed to be the most expensive gas station in the country. Apparently, a San Francisco TV station questioned the station manager about the extraordinary prices. The manager explained that he was just breaking even because of the high cost of rent.
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Unfortunately, Tiffany Catania got voted off Good Morning America’s Dancing With the Moms. I blame myself. When I first encouraged people to vote, Tiffany advanced to the next round. Since I was away last week, I didn’t solicit votes, and now we see what happened. Sorry Tiffany.
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Finally, Mother’s Day is on Sunday, so don’t forget to send Mom a card. There is no mail on Sunday, so you may want to mail the card soon, like today!

Celebrity Sighting

With the exception of the time last year when I saw the Indianapolis Colts and Dan Reeves, I never see famous people at airports. That changed today. As I was walking to my gate, I noticed someone who looked very familiar. Some people may even say that he looks like former president Andrew Jackson (see below). As I got closer, I heard him talking on the phone about Roger Clemens. Yes, I saw Peter Gammons at the San Francisco International Airport. Gammons is widely regarded as one of the best baseball writers and reporters for his work at The Boston Globe and ESPN.

Over the next half-hour, I debated whether or not I should go over to speak to Gammons. I’m sure people come up to him all the time and I wanted to respect his privacy. Several of my colleagues offered to take a run-by picture of me standing behind Gammons. I figured that could be rude. I actually called a friend and talked somewhat loudly about fantasy baseball players hoping Gammons would notice. Of course, Gammons was on the phone nearly the entire time. At one point, I think I heard him say that Melvin Mora of the Baltimore Orioles is awful. Finally, as I was boarding, Gammons got up and walked around. As he passed me, I said, “Hi Mr. Gammons. I just wanted to let you know that I love your work.” He smiled and replied, “Thank you very much.” That was the entire conversation. I really wanted to ask him if the Pirates will ever be good again. I guess I’ll have to wait until the next time I see him.

Adventures in San Francisco

I haven't had an opportunity to write since I arrived in San Francisco, so I thought I would share a quick story from the trip. After an excellent dinner at The Stinking Rose the other night, we decided to walk up Lombard Street, which is famous for its steepness and twists and turns. This is nothing too unusual or out of the ordinary. After reaching the top of the hill and beginning to walk back to the hotel, I ran into a problem...I really needed to use a bathroom. Unfortunately, the area was mostly residential and the only open businesses were laundromats without restrooms. Amazingly, after a few blocks, there was a port-a-john on a side street. My prayers had been answered! Another problem, the port-a-john was locked. I've never seen a locked port-a-john before, although I found two more over the next few blocks. Finally, after strongly considering relieving myself on a side street and risking arrest and embarrassment, I found a coffee shop that was nice enough to let me use their bathroom as they were closing for the night. I found a website for Cafe Nook (apparently not named for Washington Nationals Outfielder Nook Logan), so here's some free advertising in exchange for their generosity.

Five Questions

Morag "interviewed" me by sending the following questions:

Of all the places you have lived in your life, which one was your favorite, and would you move back if you could?

This is a tough question since I’ve really enjoyed everywhere that I lived. Therefore, I’m being upfront in that I’m partially avoiding the question. When I win the lottery, I’ll move to my winter house in San Diego and my summer home in Ithaca, New York. At times, Ithaca has a small town feel, yet it is a vibrant community due to Ithaca College and Cornell University. There is an outstanding arts community and numerous state parks, gorges and hiking trails. Ithaca has fabulous locally owned restaurants, Wegmans and the cost of living is exceptional. The only drawback is the winter weather, which is why I’m also choosing San Diego. I moved to San Diego after I graduated from college. There was a significant El Nino during my first winter, one of the worst winters any of the locals could remember. Coming from Pittsburgh and then Ithaca, rain and 50-degree days was the best winter weather ever. Besides the fantastic weather, the beach is not far from anything. Every time I return to San Diego, I always spend a few hours walking on the beach.

What's your dream vacation?

Of these five questions, this was the hardest for me to answer. I have no idea. I’ve been to most places I wanted to in the United States, so I guess it would be an international destination. I’d love to go to Australia, New Zealand, South America, Japan and basically most of Europe since I have never been to any of these places. There are more places in Canada I would like to explore. While not necessarily a dream vacation, in my lifetime, I would also like to visit many parts of the Middle East, although as an American, that may never happen. Cuba could certainly become a tourist destination in the next 25 years if not sooner.

What one thing would you do if you knew going in that you absolutely could not, would not fail?

This has to be something athletic. I have no interest in climbing Mount Everest, swimming the English Channel or running a marathon. Winning a Super Bowl would be nice, although I could only be a kicker. I’m also too short for the NBA. I think it would be playing a significant part of a World Cup victory. I’d be very happy scoring a goal or making a great pass to set up a goal.

What's aspect of your life is the most different now that you're married?

Stability. I’m not writing that I was unstable prior to marriage, but my life is much more stable now. I’m with someone who I can share my thoughts and hopes, loves me unconditionally and keeps me in check. There’s a lot of little things too. For example, when we’re apart, I stay up later at night and therefore, wake up later in the morning causing me to get to work late. That doesn’t happen when we’re together. Plus, I eat much better now that I’m married!

Are you internationally known?

Now, this question has to be a set-up. Everyone should know the answer. I’m not internationally known but I’m known to rock the microphone.

31-Cent Ice Cream and More

Since I missed Ben & Jerry’s free scoop day a few weeks ago, I wanted to let everyone know that tomorrow (Wednesday, May 2) is 31-cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. The 31-cent scoop night runs from 5-10pm in honor of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. Through this promotion, I also learned about and signed up for Baskin-Robbins’ birthday club. Later this month, I’ll get a free scoop of ice cream just for being born!

Now I’m curious about other places that give away free birthday food, so here’s what I’ve found thus far:

Red Robin – Free Burger – I cannot remember if the free burger is only if another burger is purchased; I’ll find out when I receive the e-mail later this week. (Join the Red Robin eClub.)

Austin Grill – Complimentary Entrée – Again, I cannot remember if the entrée is only if another entrée is purchased. (Sign-up for the Austin Grill Eclub)

Silver Diner – Complimentary Entrée and a Piece of Birthday Cake (you need to sign up for the Blue Plate Card at the restaurant).

Please leave any other suggestions for restaurants (preferably in the Washington DC area) that have free birthday meals in the comments section. Thanks!

This is another example of using my blog for good instead of evil!