Iceman

In honor of the Penguins reaching the Stanley Cup finals, here is a funny clip of Pascal Dupuis as the Iceman.

A clearer version of this video is available at the 2:24 mark of this Post-Gazette link.

Ithaca vs. Cortland

Several times over the past few years I have written about the annual Cortaca Jug football game between Ithaca College and SUNY-Cortland once dubbed "The Biggest Little Game in the Nation" by Sports Illustrated. Although football season is still several months away, Ithaca and Cortland will face each other twice on Sunday in some of the biggest athletic match-ups between the two schools in their histories. The sports: men’s lacrosse and women’s softball.

In lacrosse, #7 IC (17-2) and #2 Cortland (17-1) meet in the Division III semi-final today at 1:00. Cortland’s only loss this season: a 9-8 loss to Ithaca on March 22. The Ithaca Journal has a full preview and WSYR in Syracuse and WBNG in Binghamton show how each team made it this far.

One hour earlier, the #4 seed Cortland faces the #6 seed Ithaca in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship. There are only six teams remaining in the double-elimination tournament, and the loser of this match will return to upstate New York. Cortland’s and Ithaca’s sports websites explain how each team got here.



Go Bombers!!

P.S. Oh, the Penguins and Flyers also meet today for game 5.

UPDATE SUNDAY NIGHT: Cortland convincingly defeated Ithaca in men’s lacrosse 16-5, but IC’s softball team handled the Red Dragons 8-1.

In addition, in case you haven’t heard, the Penguins are going to the Stanley Cup finals!

Three Member Band Quiz

Welcome to another quiz, this one created by the folks at Stump Trivia from Monday night’s trivia. Your challenge is to name the three member band. As always, please do not use the internet for the answers. Either you know it or you don’t.

1. Gordon Sumner, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland

2. Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Drint, Tre Cool

3. Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill, Frank Beard

4. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart

5. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker

6. Bradley Nowell, Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson

7. Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker, Tom DeLonge

8. Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl

9. Tionne Watkins, Lisa Lopes, Rozonda Thomas

10. Pete Loeffler, Sam Loeffler and Dean Bernardini

A virtual gold star to anyone who correctly answers #10. Just for fun, I’ve also added two bonus questions that were not part of the trivia night.

Bonus #1. Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizell

Bonus #2. Robert Sledge, Darren Jessee, Benjamin Scott Folds

In case you were wondering, we got eight out of ten correct and really should have got 9 of 10. Good luck and have fun!

Jokeblog

The title of this post is a word commonly used on the greatest hockey blog in the world, The Pensblog, in reference to the guy holding the sign in the picture below.



Actually, I guess the "You’re Not That Good" sign is meant for the Flyers’ center Daniel Briere or perhaps the entire Flyers team.

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Birthday Wishes

Dear Sean:

We were honored to grant you one of your holiday wishes.

Sincerely,

Sidney, Pascal, Marc-Andre, Hal, Sergei, Adam, Marian, Tyler, Georges, Kris, Evgeni, Ryan, Brooks, Jarkko, Rob, Jordan, Petr, Maxime, Ryan, Ty, Gary, Jeff, Kris, Dany, Darryl, Michel & Mario.



Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Free Birthday Food

Inspired by my birthday (which just happens to be today), I have compiled a list of restaurants that offer free food for your birthday. Please note that when I write "with certificate" below, it means that I received an e-mail from the restaurant for signing up on their mailing list. The "certificate" is required for the free food.

Red Robin – Free Gourmet Burger with certificate – (received e-mail 5/6; expires 5/20)

Austin Grill – Complimentary Entrée with certificate – (received e-mail 5/6; expires 5/20)

Silver Diner – Complimentary Entrée and a Piece of Birthday Cake with certificate and Blueplate Club card. Valid with the purchase of an additional entrée. (received e-mail 5/1; expires 6/1)

California Tortilla – Free burrito (good only on the day of your birthday)

McCormick & Schmick’s – Free Signature Desert with certificate and purchase of an entrée (received 5/6; expires 5/27)

Baskin Robbins – Free 2.5 oz. scoop if ice cream with certificate (received e-mail 5/8; expired 5/18).

Mamma Lucia – Free desert with purchase of at least two dinner entrees (received 5/6; expires 30 days from receipt of e-mail).

Dairy Queen – Free 16 oz. Blizzard with certificate and purchase of another 16 oz. Blizzard (received 5/6; expires 5/25)

Texas de Brazil – Complimentary dinner with certificate and purchase of a full price dinner (received 5/6; expires 6/5; not valid on Saturdays)

Moe’s Southwest Grill – Free entrée with certificate (I don't know more about this offer.)

Coldstone Creamery - I think free ice cream, but I cannot confirm.

Noodles & Company - I think a free entrée, but, again, I cannot confirm.

While this list is better than my attempt at this last year, there are many, many more restaurants out there that offer free food for your birthday. That’s where I need your help. Please leave any other suggestions for restaurants (preferably in the Washington DC area) that have free birthday meals in the comments section. Thanks!

Stupid Rain

I have been a strong proponent of the new turf fields for soccer over the past few years. They handle wear and tear significantly better than the normal grass fields and you are able to play games the day after a heavy rain where the grass fields may still be unplayable.

As of today, I have changed my mind. I worked three games as a soccer referee on Sunday on a turf field. Although the weather for first game was fine, the rain started during the second match. It was a cold and steady rain, but the conditions were certainly playable. By the third game, the steady rain became a downpour. Any game on a grass field would have been called due to unsafe muddy conditions. However, the turf field was unfazed by the multiple inches of rain. During halftime of this game, I actually asked my assistant referees whether we could call the game. Unfortunately, we determined that the only way we could cancel the game was for lightning.

When I left the field, every part of my clothes and body were wet. I decided the drive home in my cleats because I didn’t want to open my bag to get out shoes. I didn’t even want to open my bag to get my car keys! Even though I have been home now for two hours, I am still somewhat miserable. I hear the rain continue to come down, but at least I'm comfortable wearing my Homer Simpson slippers.

Of course, if the Penguins win tonight, I’ll be in an excellent mood!

Friday Referrals

Here are a few links to get you through your Friday:

- The 25 Best of “Best of” Albums. What a surprise that The Beatles and The Rolling Stones finished #1 and #2.

- This is both an inspiring and sad story about an 18-year-old dying from cancer titled "Teen is running out of innings, but the game still isn't over."

- Chico Harlan is going to from writing G’Day from Tomorrow for the Post-Gazette (I think he also wrote some in the sports section) to the Washington Post (go about half-way down this chat) to be the Nationals beat reporter. Another Pittsburgher moving to the DC metro area.

- At some point, I may or may not write about my experiences at the new Nationals stadium during last week’s Pirates game. The short story is that I bought four $18 tickets on StubHub for less than $7 each. While waiting for friends at the stadium, someone handed my brother two free tickets. Ten minutes later, another guy gave us three free tickets. This is a brand new stadium and people are giving away tickets! More about the poor attendance at the Nationals stadium in this Yahoo article.

- The top ten worst franchises in pro sports. A Pittsburgh team is #1 and it is not the USFL's Pittsburgh Maulers.

- Google has a link to support disaster relief in Myanmar (Burma).

Finally, I have added the following great links on the right. Check them out!
- Kevin’s Crazy World
- Lacochran’s Bloggery
- Going Five Hole

I'm working on something big that will be posted on Monday or Tuesday, so stay tuned for for more information.

Go Pens!

I Want To Be a Sell Out

Unless you count the Google ads on the side of this page, Sean’s Ramblings does not have any sponsors. In fact, in the 3+ years of this site, I have earned exactly $0, although I did receive a free book and DVD. Instead of hoping that companies contact me to place an ad, I thought I would do the opposite and post information about businesses I like and would be happy to have as a sponsor.

Wegmans – The greatest grocery store of all time.

Guppie Boutique – Primarily sells infant and toddler clothes and accessories. Run by ex-Pittsburghers.

Let’s Eat (specifically the Johns Creek/Alpharetta, Georgia location) – Provides customers with family dinners, sides, appetizers and desserts for in-store assembly or pick-up. There are several of these types of places around, but I’m singling out this location since it is also run by an ex-Pittsburgher.

California Tortilla – Long-time readers know my affinity for this restaurant. Besides serving great food, I love their promotions such as Pop Tart Day and free burritos for the first ten people in line for a grand opening. (Yes, I would still like to sell my free burrito coupons; there are only about 15 left!)

Any major corporation, television show or movie company – The exposure of your ad on this site could be worth millions (millions of what, I don’t know).

Two Guys a Girl and a Pizza Place Review

Perhaps you have heard the news that Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds are engaged. Who would have thought ten years ago that the star of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place would be engaged to one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood? The answer would be no one since Johansson was only 13 at the time. That would be like a 14 year-old Katie Holmes saying that one day she would marry Tom Cruise, 16 years her elder. Ridiculous! Anyway, 10 years after the debut of Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place, let’s take a look back.

The plot of Two Guys (I’m going to shorten the title instead of typing it over and over again) was simple enough. There were three twenty-somethings, ironically one girl and two guys, who lived in the same apartment building and hung around a pizza place. The guys were Pete (Richard Ruccolo), a neurotic architecture student and Berg (Ryan Reynolds), the laid-back pre-med. Sharon (Traylor Howard) was a tough girl with a soft center. (I took this line as well as the descriptions of Pete and Berg directly from the IMDB plot summary). In my mind, Two Guys was an underrated show. ABC never knew exactly what to do with it and the show was somewhat limited by the long and self-explanatory title. By the third season, the show was re-titled "Two Guys and a Girl" and later moved to an awful Friday night timeslot. Two Guys may have been a precursor to How I Met Your Mother. If you think about it, would there have been a HIMYM without Two Guys? The answer is probably yes, but I like asking nonsensical questions occasionally.



The cast of Two Guys has done quite well from the humble beginnings. Reynolds is now engaged to Scarlett Johansson (if you happened to miss the first line of this post) and has had a very successful film career. Although he is not an A-list actor, Reynolds would definitely fit in the A- or B+ category. Reynolds starred in Definitely, Maybe, Van Wilder and Just Friends and had significant supporting roles in Smokin’ Aces, Blade: Trinity and The In-Laws. With Reynolds starring in the 2009 release of X-Men Origins with Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber coupled with the fact that he is engaged to Johansson, the future is very bright for Berg.

Unless you count the quickly cancelled Bram and Alice (not this Bram), Traylor Howard has had only one noteworthy role since Two Guys. However, the role is in the critically acclaimed USA show Monk starring Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub. In my book, 50+ episodes on a sitcom is a success.

Nathan Fillion, who was neither of the two guys in the tile, is one of those actors that you know by his picture but not by name. He’s been on Desperate Housewives, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Drive (which did not last as long as Bram and Alice) and an episode of Lost. Fillion also played the leading male role in Waitress and is the voice of Sarge in Halo 3. That would be a cool gig.

I would write that Richard Ruccolo, the guy in the title not named Ryan Reynolds, has not had a successful post-Two Guys career except that he was engaged to Tiffani-Amber Thiessen. That has to be worth something, right?

Suzanne Cryer also appeared in 39 episodes as Berg’s girlfriend who fought regularly with Pete, but let’s not talk much about her career. Actually, she has had roles in dozens of television shows included Desperate Housewives, Frasier, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Bones and the Drew Carey Show. Unfortunately, she only seems to appear in one episode.

Based on my trip down the Two Guys memory lane, I’m sure that you share the same question that I have: will Howard, Fillion, Ruccolo or Cryer be invited to the wedding?

Penguins-Flyers Storylines

Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have defeated the New York Rangers, we can all focus on the Eastern conference final between the Pens and the Philadelphia Flyers. For those of you seeking storylines for the series, let me be of assistance of what you will hear from sportscasters and writers over the next week.

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are both located in Pennsylvania, or some variation of this such as the battle of Pennsylvania or the Keystone State rivalry. Let’s face it: this is truly a battle between fans that choose pop versus fans who say soda.

In the Eastern conference semi-finals, Jordan Staal of the Penguins defeated his older brother Marc Staal of the Rangers. Jordan Staal has no siblings on the Flyers. (Or does he? [dramatic pause] No he does not.)

The Flyers’ R.J. Umberger is the Pittsburgh area. Specifically, Umberger is from Plum, which was on of the high schools that my high school faced regularly in sporting events (the last part will not be mentioned during any broadcasts).

Former Penguin Joe Mullen is now an assistant coach for the Flyers.

The last time the Penguins and Flyers met in the playoffs was the 1999-2000 season when the Flyers defeated Pittsburgh 4-2 in the conference semi-finals. The Penguins fourth leading playoff scorer during that post-season? Janne Laukkanen. (This useless piece of trivia will also not be discussed during any playoff coverage. In case you were wondering, Jagr led the Pens with 16 points in 11 playoff games followed by Martin Straka and Jan Hrdina with 12 points each.) Personally, I hope Versus or NBC shows footage of the epic 1989 series when the Flyers defeated the Penguins in seven games in the Patrick Division finals.

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are both young and very good.

The last name of Philadelphia’s Joffrey Lupul is a palindrome.

Riley Cote (202 penalty minutes during the regular season) and Georges Laraque (1,037 career penalty minutes) could fight. Of course, Laraque may be practicing more yoga lately as he amazingly has no penalty minutes so far this postseason.

Five words: What Would Gary Roberts Do?

(from The Pensblog)

Finally, Empty Netters has posted the Eastern conference finals schedule. Game one on Friday, May 9 in Pittsburgh.

She’s Just Being Miley

In addition to more upbeat stories about the economy and the fact that Rev. Jeremiah Wright won’t go away, one of the major news items this week was the Miley Cyrus pictures taken by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair. While I think everyone involved is in the wrong, that’s not what I am writing about. Instead, Miley Cyrus being in the news seems like the perfect time for me to embarrass myself (again) by writing that I really like a Hannah Montana song.

I listen to Yahoo! radio at work occasionally switching between the Big Hits of the 80s station and Today’s Top Hits so that I can stay current with what the kids listen to (which judging by American Idol this week, seems to be Neil Diamond; this bodes well for the future of our country). Knowing popular music also helps during trivia night, but I digress. Several weeks ago, a song came on with the first line "I got my heart set on you." While this line is nothing special, it sounded very similar to the start of Corey Hart’s classic "Sunglasses at Night" ("I wear my sunglasses at night"). After a few lines of the new song, a catchy beat emerges and I found myself wondering who sang the song. I was a bit surprised to learn that the song is "See You Again" by none other than Miley Cyrus. My initial reaction was embarrassment. How could I, a 32 year-old without kids, like a Hannah Montana song? Only 10 year-old girls who watch the Disney Channel like Hannah Montana songs. I do not fall into this demographic. The next day, I turned on Yahoo’s Teen Pop just to hear the song again. In case you were wondering, Bananarama was also played on this station. What current teens have even heard the song Venus? 

Anyway, there’s not much more to write. I freely admit that I like a Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus song. It’s not something that I’m necessary proud of, but it’s true.

The Good Wife’s Guide

I received this May 13, 1955 Housekeeping Monthly article from a colleague several years ago and found it last week while cleaning my office.

• Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favourite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

• Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

• Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

• Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

• Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

• Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

• Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

• Be happy to see him.

• Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

• Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.

• Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

• Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order, and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

• Don't greet him with complaints or problems.

• Don't complain if he's late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

• Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

• Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.

• Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

• A good wife always knows her place.

According to Wikipedia, this article may be a hoax. That’s too bad. :)

Surprisingly, there is no mention of Xbox in the article.

Pittsburgh Sports Update

If I wrote only a Pittsburgh sports blog, I would be required to discuss the Steelers draft. Since I don’t write a Pittsburgh sports blog, I don’t have to mention that I was surprised to see the Steelers select Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall. I would express a concern that maybe Willie Parker’s recovery from a broken right fibula is not going that well. I would write that Najeh Davenport’s career as a Pittsburgh Steeler could be over. However, I would also state that I saw Mendenhall play in several games last season and he is an explosive running back who is fun to watch. Even if Willie Parker is 100%, Mendenhall can certainly take some carries away from Parker to give him rest for the entire season and playoffs. The Parker-Mendenhall combination could be one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. Although I would have liked to have seen the Steelers draft an offensive or defensive lineman in the first or second round, the team drafted two players, Mendenhall and six-foot-four wide receiver Limas Sweed of the University of Texas (a steal at #53), that can help them immediately.

Game two of the Penguins-Rangers series airs today at 2 on NBC. As always, go to The Pensblog and the Post-Gazette’s Empty Netters for all of your Penguins coverage.

Oh, the Pirates lost again too and their record is currently 9-15. That would be the second worst record in the National League, ahead of only the Washington Nationals’ 8-17. I can’t wait to see the epic Nationals-Pirates game in person on Thursday night.

Missing Matzo

One of the joys of Passover is the opportunity to eat lots of matzo over the eight-day holiday. Therefore, when faced with the opportunity to buy matzo by the individual box or the 5-pack, I always buy the larger quantity. (Please note that there's a bit of sarcasm in these sentences.) Actually, the cost of buying the 5-pack is less than purchasing two individual boxes. However, when Passover ends, we always seem to have an extra box or two and don’t know what to do with them. Matzo is technically food, so I feel uncomfortable just throwing an unopened box away. In the past, I have had non-Jewish colleagues take a box or two (they enjoy the taste; my response is what taste), but I don’t think that’s going to be an option this year.

However, Streit’s, one of the companies that make Kosher for Passover food, seems to have created a solution. We purchased Streit’s five-pack of matzo this year and discovered a few days ago, well after we opened the first two boxes, that one box was lighter than the others. One box is packaged and sealed exactly like the other four boxes, but this box is completely empty. That’s right; we ended up buying four boxes of matzo and one box of an empty box. I feel like I should complain but I don’t want an extra box of matzo in exchange as we’re not going to eat a fifth box. If I called Streit’s would they even take me seriously? I'm not upset about the missing matzo, but I feel like this is something that I should share.

Only 84 hours until non-matzo pizza!

Here I Go Again on My Own

Notice something odd in today’s Yahoo top searches?

Today's Top Searches (sorry for the list format; I couldn't figure out how to cut and paste the actual portion of the website)

1. Kristy Lee Cook
2. Danica Patrick
3. Nikki Reed
4. Earth Day 2008
5. Going Green Tips
6. Boston Marathon
7. Death Row
8. Whitesnake
9. 2010 Mitsubishi MIEV
10. TV Turn Off Week 2008

You might think that it is Nikki Reed at #3, who after doing a search, I discovered is an actress who wrote and starred in the movie Thirteen. Of course, just because I have never heard of her does not mean anything.

Continue on the list where you will see Whitesnake at #8. You may remember Whitesnake from their monster 80s hits "Is This Love" and "Here I Go Again." You may be more familiar with them because lead singer David Coverdale’s girlfriend (and later wife), Tawny Kitaen, danced on the hood of a car in their video. Regardless, why, in 2008, is Whitesnake #8 on the Yahoo top search list? If Whitesnake can make it maybe Sean’s Ramblings will enter the list tomorrow. In fact, go to Yahoo now, and type Sean’s Ramblings on the search. You’d much rather see Sean’s Ramblings on this list than TV Turn Off Week 2008!



Update 4/23: Sean's Ramblings did not make Yahoo's Top Searches list. Instead, Bum Bot finished at #5; Drew Lane WRIF at #9; and ACT Scores at #10. WTF!

Books I Want To Read

This is the most self-explanatory title I may I have ever written. If I continue this trend, the title of my next post will be "Please Buy My California Tortilla Burrito Coupons. I’ll Give You a Great Deal." Anyway, there have been several times over the last few years when I have asked for suggestions on books to read. For the first time possibly forever, I’m not looking for suggestions. Instead, I figured I would share my list and see if anyone has read any of these books. In addition, feel free to share what books you are reading or books you recommend in the comments section. Maybe this will turn into a book club (well, maybe a book club where people suggest books)

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions by Ben Mezrich.

This book may be better known now as the movie 21. I’m guessing that the book does not contain a line where Kevin Spacey’s character says "Don’t call me dude."

Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart

Recommended by one of my trivia teammates. This is the summary:

Misha Vainberg is an obese 30-year-old Russian heir to a post-Soviet fortune. After living in the Midwest and New York City for 12 years, he considers himself "an American impounded in a Russian body." But his father in St. Petersburg has killed an Oklahoma businessman and then turned up dead himself, and Misha, trying to leave Petersburg after the funeral, is denied a visa to the United States.

Andy Roddick Beat Me with a Frying Pan: Taking the Field with Pro Athletes and Olympic Legends to Answer Sports Fans' Burning Questions by Todd Gallagher

I read about this through one of Gene Weingarten’s Washington Post chats. This should be a fun and funny book.

God Save the Fan: How Preening Sportscasters, Athletes Who Speak in the Third Person, and the Occasional Convicted Quarterback Have Taken the Fun Out of Sports (And How We Can Get It Back) by Will Leitch

Leitch is the founding editor of Deadspin, the best spots blog in the world. I enjoy reading his work everyday, so I expect nothing less from this book.

Jews and Judaism in the 21st Century: Human Responsibility, the Presence of God and the Future of the Covenant by Edward Feinstein

Just in case I want a change of pace.

X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft and Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking by Jeff Gordinier

The premise of this book is that members of Generation X are not slackers. I like where the book is headed! Plus, Nick Hornby wrote that he loved the book. That seals the deal for me. I actually considered going to see Gordinier do a reading of his book when I was on vacation in Seattle.

Are You There, God? It's Me. Kevin by Kevin Keck

Keck offers his drug-induced view on living life with as little effort as possible while delving into the possibility of God and organized religion versus spirituality. He recalls his past 10 years, explaining the influence of his family (his crazy mother who wakes him up by putting a butcher knife to his throat) and his unfulfilled decision to descend into priesthood (It was cool to tell people you were becoming a priest, especially if you had a beer in your hand). He gets roped into teaching Sunday school, where he delivers half-baked sermons on evolution and abortion, yet the church parents can't stop raving about the positive impact he's had on their children.

I don’t think Keck is a member of Generation X.

Anything by David Halberstam. I bought Summer of '49 at a used book sale from the library last year, so this is the one I should probably read. Halberstam is one of my favorite authors.

My Life by Bill Clinton.
I don’t remember how I got this book, but it’s in my house. The problem is that the hardback book is over 1000 pages making it a little heavy for the bus & Metro.

My wife bought The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Dan wrote about this book a few weeks ago in that it is #1 on the best-seller list. Pausch is the terminally ill CMU professor who is now known internationally. Just for fun, I placed this book on hold through the Fairax County Public Library system. I am currently #213 in the queue. This has to be the highest number since the seventh Harry Potter book.

In case you were wondering, I’m currently reading All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren’s loosely fictionalized account of Governor Huey Long of Louisiana. This book may be older than the other 10 on the list combined.

Again, feel free to leave your comments below. Maybe this will turn into the Ramblings book club!

Neil

Like Madonna, Cher and Bono, he needs only one name and they’re coming to America today. Actually, he is Neil Diamond and his North American tour is coming to the Verizon Center in DC on Tuesday, August 5. While I wrote about wanting to see the Spice Girls several months ago, I was half-joking. If someone offered me free tickets to the Spice Girls, of course I would go; however, I was not willing to pay actual money to see them. I would pay to see Neil Diamond.

In fact the first concert I ever attended was Neil Diamond at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. It was probably 1981 or 1982, and I went with my parents and younger brother, who managed to sleep for nearly the entire show (I think he was only 3 or 4). If I remember correctly, he woke up to hear exactly one song, America, which was the show’s final song and featured a fluorescent American flag hanging above the stage.

Back to 2008, tickets for Neil’s DC show go on sale to the general public on Monday, April 28. But I am not the general public! Tickets go on sale for me (and everyone else with an American Express card) this Monday, April 21, at 10:00 AM Eastern time. According to the hated Ticketmaster website, tickets are $55-$120. As I mentioned in the Spice Girls post linked above, I’m sure that Ticketmaster charges will be another $25. While I really don’t want to pay that much for tickets, the cheapest seats for Neil Diamond are going to be almost $40 less than Spice Girls tickets. Neil has more hits and a much longer career than the Spice Girls can ever dream of having. Well, maybe not Posh Spice because she has David Beckham money. Regardless, in twenty years, do you think there will be a movie featuring a Spice Girls cover group like there was for Neil Diamond in the underrated Saving Silverman?

So the question now is if I got a Neil Diamond ticket, would anyone go with me?

Kosher for Passover Sunscreen

It’s fun to see how people find Sean’s Ramblings through Google and Yahoo searches. While I receive dozens of hits from folks seeking information about plans for Jenna Bush’s wedding or Spider Pig lyrics, here are a few "interesting" referrals:

all sunscreens kosher for Passover
Are there non-Kosher for Passover sunscreens? Seriously, how could sunscreen not be Kosher for Passover since you’re not eating it (I hope!)?

John Cangelosi marry Beyonce
Can you imagine the headlines on People or Page Six if this actually happened? I’m guessing that only four people who read this actually know who John Cangelosi is.

Why was Ithaca College upset with Barry Manilow
There are just too many reasons.

bestman speech/bestman speeches/bestman speeches for free
There must be a lot of speeches out there if a Bestman ever gets married. Are there specific speeches for someone with the last name of Besterman or Betterman (as in Pearl Jam’s song)?

Do you love me Sean?
Depends who’s asking.

We invited Jason to the wedding but he was a no show.
I hope that it wasn’t this Jason.

dreadlock hair celebration expo
This is an expo in which I’ll never be invited. (Tear)

Pictures of Edgar Snyder
Here’s one for you. Enjoy!



Finally, enjoy a nice Happy Passover message from the Matzah Man/Men.

Seattle & Victoria Vacation

I’ve promised details about my vacation to the Seattle, Washington area and Victoria, British Columbia so this is it. I have also included a few pictures, but please bear with me as this was the first time I have ever used a digital camera. Yes, I know that it is 2008. I’ve also heard good things about this new VCR thing.

Before the pictures, I wanted to share a few notes:

- I’m a big fan of the Suquamish Clearwater Casino, especially the $3 blackjack tables. I finished up $11, which is a significant difference from Atlantic City last month. My favorite moment was when I hit on 15, got an 8 and then watched the dealer pay me after he busted on his final hand before a break. I noticed the mistake as did everyone else at the table and probably the new dealer who was about to start his shift, but no one said anything. I think it’s a rule that if the dealer makes a mistake in your favor, no one says anything.

- I’m also a big fan of taking a ferry into Seattle. What a neat way to commute with a snack bar, free wireless internet and much better views than Metro. Unfortunately, I worried that we might crash like the ferry did on Grey’s Anatomy (the episode when they should have killed off Meredith). Of course, on Grey’s Anatomy, the boat ran into a bridge. There were no bridges between Bainbridge Island and Seattle’s Pier 52.

- In Victoria, I happened to catch the beginning of Live with Regis and Kelly while flipping through stations. Although the show looked exactly the same as the American version and even had Kelly Ripa, Regis was replaced by Pat Sajak.

- Attending a session of British Columbia’s Parliament (the equivalent of a state legislature), even though it was only for a few minutes, was one of the unexpected highlights of the trip. I have no idea what they were talking about, but after a person spoke, the people in his or her party clapped and banged on the table. When a member of the opposite party spoke, they openly jeered. It was somewhat like Prime Minister’s Questions in the UK.

- If the Penguins were facing British Columbia’s own Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals and I happened to be at Parliament during that time, I would have risked ejection and possible arrest to yell Go Penguins.

- By the way, we received the Globe and Mail, "Canada’s National Newspaper," in our Victoria hotel room, which included predictions by the paper’s hockey experts. Roy MacGregor deserves credit for predicting that Ottawa would defeat Pittsburgh in seven games. Wonderful selection! In all seriousness, Matthew Sekeres deserves credit for predicting a Penguins sweep and Allan Maki and Tim Wharnsby both picked Pittsburgh in five games.

- If you ever go to Seattle, you must visit these stores: The Elliot Bay Book Company; Golden Age Collectables; and Metsker Maps of Seattle.

- World spiritual leaders seem to be following me. The Dalai Lama arrived in Seattle on Friday, April 11 while I was in the city and now the Pope is visiting Washington.

- The Dalai Lama did not throw out the first pitch of the Mariners-Angels game I attended. For some reason, I don’t think it would be his thing. Maybe he watched Naked Gun and is worried that Reggie Jackson may try to kill him.

- I did not have an Ichiroll at Safeco Field.

Seattle pictures:







Victoria Pictures:











This is an illegal picture from the Royal BC Museum. We almost got kicked out for taking a picture with a flash. I blame the camera!

Mariners Game Pictures:







On the way back to the hotel from the Mariners game, we saw the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile randomly parked in a Bellevue, Washington park and ride. A picture had to be taken.