Friday Links

Tonight is the first night my son will spend in a big boy bed. Wish him (and us) luck! I may give a full report next week. In the meantime, here are some good links whether you are stuck in snow, stuck at work or not stuck at all.

Mr. Brame asked some of his favorite Twitter celebrities, including Ashley Judd & Christina Applegate, to identify their favorite poem. Dale Murphy gave a dumb answer. [Mr. Brame's Blog]

Dejan Kovacevic found a Pittsburgh bar in Sochi. Not a Steelers bar, a Pittsburgh bar. [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

Awesome story by Douglas seeing and hearing his late father on a Pittsburgh Pirates YouTube video. [My Blog N'At]

Japan's women's hockey team is awesome. [Deadspin]

Former Steelers offensive lineman Alan Faneca ran a marathon in under four hours. Under four hours! [Behind the Steel Curtain]

Cool article about the Olympic hockey players in their 40s. [New York Times]

A Parks & Rec outtake of Chris Pratt singing about Sudden Death. [PSAMP]

Have a nice weekend!

The Winter Olympics Problem No One Discusses (& My Solution)

On Tuesday night, I finally got a chance to watch the opening ceremonies of the Sochi Winter Olympics. Yes, I realize that I was four days late. Anyway, Matt Lauer mentioned that there are 88 countries represented in Sochi, a record amount of countries at a Winter games. These 88 countries include Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Venezuela, Virgin Islands & Zimbabwe who all sent just one athlete to the games. I guess that makes it easy to pick who will carry the flag for these countries! This also leads to an interesting anecdote in that Mexico has over 100 million residents, but only one Winter Olympic athlete while Monaco has only 30,000 people, yet has 5 athletes in Sochi. Meanwhile, over 200 countries sent athletes to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

The easy explanation as to the discrepancy between the amount of countries in the Winter and Summer games are the events and the climates. There are 15 sports at the Winter Olympics (Figure Skating is considered one sport even though there are five different medal events - Men's singles, Ladies' singles, Pairs, Team and Ice Dancing - within figure skating) compared to 28 Summer Olympics sports (again, these are overall categories so volleyball and beach volleyball are together). Less events means less athletes. In addition, you're not going to find many ski slopes in Central America or the Middle East, so there's not going to athletes from these countries competing in the skiing or snowboarding events.

While Olympic officials won't say this, the Winter Olympics are primarily for the wealthiest and most developed countries. However, this doesn't need to be the case anymore. The Winter Olympics were designed to occur in mountainous areas for the winter sports. Major cities like Los Angeles could never host the Winter Olympics since there isn't a luge track next to the Rose Bowl. (Yes, I realize that the Rose Bowl is in Pasadena and that Pasadena is its own city in LA County.) That's why Lake Placid, New York, a village with about 2,500 residents hosted two Olympic games. Things have changed in recent years. Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics yet held the alpine events in Whistler two hours away. Sochi is the real game-changer though. Russia spent $51 billion on these games creating countless facilities and venues. Although the 2018 Winter Olympics will take place in the ski resort town of Pyeongchang, South Korea, Seoul isn't that far away.

I'm getting slightly off-track here. My solution to having a more inclusive Winter Olympics is to move some of the Summer events to the Winter games. Events like boxing, judo, weightlifting, table tennis and non-beach volleyball could certainly be held during the Winter games. These are all indoor events that could be held in any climate. Sure, this may involve host countries spending more money to build new venues, but after Russia's investment in Sochi, the International Olympic Committee would simply factor this into the application process for cities to host the Winter Olympics. Besides, this would allow more sports to continue to be Olympic events. Wrestling recently fought to survive as an Olympic sport while baseball and softball were cut. Instead of cutting sports, the Olympics could keep baseball and softball as a summer event and move wrestling (or fencing) to the winter.

Now, can we get NBC to be more like Canada and show more live events?

Found In My Basement: Mr. McFeely

While I realize that there are people out there that make fun of Mister Rogers and feel that he is the epitome of "uncoolness," I am not one of those people. Mister Rogers is a legendary Pittsburgher and has such great messages. I think I appreciate him even more now that I'm a parent.

One of the characters on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood is the mailman, Mr. McFeely, who may be best known for his catchphrase, "Speedy Delivery." Mr. McFeely actually visited my kindergarten classroom about 30 years ago. You would think that the picture below is from that visit. Nope. Check out the date.

Yes, I have an autographed Mr. McFeely picture from 2009 when I was already in my 30s. Mr. McFeely was in Washington as part of the screening of My Tale of Two Cities, and I had the opportunity to meet him and talk with him. I also have a picture with Mr. McFeely that appeared during my Facebook 10-year video.

In case you're wondering, I think I already lost this picture. Maybe it will be found in my basement again in another few years.

Click here for more items Found In My Basement!

A Message to US Airways & The Steelers

The following picture was taken Monday at Washington National Airport:

My first reaction is Go Steelers! My second reaction is that there is no reason for there to be a Steelers logo on any US Airways planes. This January 25, 2014 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article helps explain the reason why.

American Airlines, which merged with US Airways last month, decided to close the flight operations control center in Moon and transfer the 600 jobs to Dallas-Fort Worth, its corporate home.

It's just the latest in a series of haymakers that has left the region as punch drunk as any prize fighter.

From the closing of a reservations center in Green Tree to the loss of flight simulation training in Moon to the shutdown of the flight crew base to the abandonment of its hub at Pittsburgh International Airport -- it seems that nearly every decision the airline has made over the last decade has gone against the region.

"How many wake-up calls do we need from US Airways to see that we're not part of their strategic plan?" asked Kent George, former executive director of the Allegheny County Airport Authority.

The upheaval has cost the region jobs and flights.

Employment has tumbled from a peak of about 12,000 jobs to 1,800 today. Pittsburgh will lose another 600 with the loss of the operations center and 53 more in a maintenance "rebalancing" expected to take effect in March.

The number of US Airways daily flights has plunged from a high of 542 in September 2001 to an average of 41 today. Stripped of its hub in 2004, Pittsburgh has lost service to cities large and small, from London to Harrisburg.

The quick summary here is that US Air has completely abandoned Pittsburgh after the city and more accurately Allegheny County and even the state of Pennsylvania spent milions of dollars to help the company. Yet, the airline continues promoting the Steelers, the most recognizable symbol of the city, on its airplane.

I think that I can speak for Steelers owner Dan Rooney here* when I ask US Air to remove the team's logo from its planes. Feel free to repaint the planes with either an American Airlines logo, a picture of a pile of cash or something not black and gold.


* I cannot speak for Dan Rooney.

Sean's Olympic Figure Skating Preview (With Help From Friends Who Are Figure Skating Fans)

I don't know much about figure skating. Sure, I watched the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding drama closely in 1994 and I often ask What Would Brian Boitano Do, but I don't follow the sport closely enough to have an informed opinion about any of the 2014 Sochi Olympics competitors. Fortunately, I have two good friends, who we will call Kelly and Marino for their love of the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins respectively, that are as big figure skating fans as they are football fans. This is Kelly & Marino's second appearance on Sean's Ramblings after we discussed whether figure skaters ever got upset at not having the opportunity to win multiple medals like their gymnastics, swimming and track counterparts. Turns out that the International Olympic Committee agreed with me.

Anyway, with the Olympics starting tonight, here is everything you need to know about the figure skating events.

Sean: Despite finishing fourth at the U.S. Championship, Ashley Wagner was one of the three figure skaters selected by U.S. Figure Skating to represent the United States in Sochi. Can you explain this to someone who doesn't understand why the top three skaters didn't make it?

Marino: Basically, there is selection criteria that is used to select the skaters going to the Olympics. Unlike other disciplines, the US Skating Nationals are NOT an Olympic Trials. Therefore, they don't have to place top 3 to automatically qualify. I think Ashley Wagner's far superior international record came into play, in addition to likely pressure by NBC and other sponsors already advertising Ashley as headed to the Olympics.

Sean: So despite finishing third at the US Skating Nationals and ahead of Wagner, Mirai Nagasu, who also finished fourth at the Vancouver Olympics, doesn't get to go to Sochi. If anyone has the right to contact Jeff Gillooly for assistance, it has to be Nagasu, right?

Marino:

Kelly:

Sean: Since neither of you replied to my Nagasu/Jeff Gillooly question, I guess I should change subjects. Gracie Gold won the U.S. figure skating championship. What are her chances of winning in Sochi? In a related question, is Gracie Gold any relation to Tracey Gold of Growing Pains fame?

Kelly: I feel that if the USFSA was going to take the unprecedented step of putting Ashley Wagner on the Olympic Team, then they ought to have replaced that 15 year old who won the silver, NOT Marai. Because if you use the rationale that jumping junior earned her spot, well, then Marai earned her spot, too.

I do think Gracie Gold has a shot at a medal. She'll probably need a little help, but I think that's one of the attractions of figure skating (not so different than NASCAR, eh?)

No clue if there's a connection to Tracey Gold. (Sean's note - I'm going with yes, Gracie Gold is related to Tracey Gold.)

Sean: I don't understand your figure skating/NASCAR comparison. What do you mean by that? Regarding the rest of the women's field, besides Gold, who are favorites to medal? Do you have any personal favorites or women we should root for? Are Katarina Witt or Oksana Baiul still competing?

Marino: Witt and Baiul have been retired for a long time. Please tell me you knew that! (Sean's note: I did!)

Yu-Na Kim is the favorite for the ladies, she won gold at the last Olympics. She is from Korea. It will likely be her, Mao Asada from Japan and either a younger Russian upstart or Caroline Kostner from Italy that will medal. The US has little hope in both Men's and Women's this cycle. The new event is the team one, which is new to this Olympics and will be cool to see. I think it's one competitor or competitors from each discipline (Pairs, Dance, Men's and Women's).

We should root for the US of course! We also like Javier Fernandez from Spain in the Men's event. And I have a soft spot for Kostner, that we call 'falls on head' because she did that at a competition once.

Kelly: It should be a showdown between Yu-Na Kim and Mao Asada for the gold. Yu-Na is trying to overcome a foot injury this season, so it's tough to gauge where she stands against the rest of the field. I do think Gracie Gold has a shot. Falls On Head did not look that strong at Europeans (this nickname was earned because despite falling all over the place, her scores will be upheld by the judges - drives me nuts). Both she and our American "gifted Olympian" Ashley Wagner are reprising their Long Programs from last season. I think this is a good move for Ashley, I don't feel her LP this year was an improvement. But overall I do think this is a bit of a cop out. I'm more excited for the men's event, I think our US Champ Jeremy Abbott can turn the competition on its head. It'll be very interesting to see how former Russian champ Yvgeny Plushenko does after not competing for, like, 4 years. I was a little disappointed with Javier's program choice this year, after having such awesome character pieces, I didn't feel his Mission Impossible (or whatever) show was "Olympic." (BTW, I feel the same way for the Shibutani's - Michael Jackson? In an Olympic year?)

Sean: I'm now rooting for Falls On Head to win the gold. That's an amazing nickname, although since she's from Italy, perhaps we can say it in an Italian accent. She's basically the Greg Louganis of figure skating! By the way, you both now mentioned Caroline Kostner of Italy (that doesn't sound at all Italian) and Javier Fernandez of Spain. Have those countries always competed in figure skating? I always thought the favorites were from Russia (or a former USSR country), the US, Korea, Japan, or Canada. Where are the Canadians?

As for the men's event, who else is representing the USA? Do they have a chance to medal?

Kelly, what is a Shibutani and why is skating to Michael Jackson in an Olympic year a bad thing? Should he perform to t.A.T.u. instead since he's performing in Russia?

Marino, I actually heard about the new team event. This is figure skating's way to have their athletes try to get more medals like gymnastics, right?

Marino: Yes, the team event is similar to gymnastics. Right on Sean! There is a brother/sister team representing us in Ice Dance called the Shibutanis. I am with Kelly that using Michael Jackson in your Olympic year is not a good idea.

You are right about the traditional 'favorites' coming from Canada, the US and the USSR with a few stars from Canada. In the past 10 years, Europe had had more contenders. The advent of the new scoring system helped bring this about.

Sean: Prediction time: Who will win the gold in both the men's and women's events? (I'm not going to ask about the new Ice Capades events.)

Marino: Women's - Yu-Na Kim or Mao Asada. Men's - Too difficult to call

Sean: Marino, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed in your predictions. You gave two options for women's and none for men's.

Marino: Too hard to pick Sean.

Kelly: My picks for Olympic Gold are Mao Asada from Japan and, unfortunately, Yvgeny Plushenko from Russia. However, I will be rooting against the odds for Gracie Gold (probably will need others to falter for her to win, even if she skates her best) and Jeremy Abbott because, yes, I am a homer, and when it comes to international competition, 'murica first.

Sean: I really want Falls on Head to win the gold! (I feel like this was a character in Dancing with Wolves.)

Kelly: I think her time is passed. But as I said before, you never know in figure skating who is going to be the last one standing! And she has proven even when she Falls on Head she can still rack up enough points to do well. I watched some of that NBC Olympic preview last night, I'm excited to watch the Games! Here's hoping they can get thru the event without any B.S. (I bet NY breathed a sigh of relief when the game was done on Sunday.)

Marino: Falls on Head is a sentimental favorite, that's for sure! I don't think Plushenko will smell the podium, if Patrick Chan can skate close to clean, he will win. He is from Oh Canada Sean. I think Mao Asada too like Kelly for Women's.

And go USA! Maybe Jeremy Abbott will surprise and lay it down for the good ole USA!!

Everyone In The Heinz Commercial Is Doing It Wrong

Did you see the Heinz commercial during the Super Bowl? If not, check out the video below (and if so, let the video refresh your memory).



Am I the only one who notices something wrong with the commercial? Everyone in the commercial hits the bottom of the bottle to get the ketchup out. Growing up in Pittsburgh, I learned at a young age the proper way to effectively get ketchup out of a Heinz bottle. You tap the 57. This might have been part of the first grade curriculum. Heinz even writes this on their website!

What's the best way to get Heinz ketchup out of the iconic glass bottle?

To release ketchup faster from the glass bottle, apply a firm tap to the sweet spot on the neck of the bottle— the "57." Only 11% of people know this secret. Now you're "in-the-know."

While Heinz may have spent $4 million on the TV spot, perhaps they should have spent the $0 to tell the marketing people the right way to get ketchup out of the bottle.

Interview with Joshua Comenetz, the Creator of the U.S. Jewish Population by Congressional District Map

Back in December, I shared the fascinating map of the U.S. Jewish population by the 113th Congressional districts. I was so intrigued by this project that I contacted the individual who created the map, Joshua Comenetz, and he was nice enough to answer some questions. If you like maps, geography, population mapping or even the University of Florida Gators, I think you'll enjoy this interview.

First, what is your background and how did you get involved with creating U.S. Jewish Population by Congressional District map?

As a consultant, I do population mapping and demographic studies of both U.S. and foreign areas. I've been doing religious population mapping, mainly Jewish, for nearly 20 years. The congressional district map is a companion to the National Map, a county-level Jewish population map completed in 2012 and also available on the Berman Data Bank website. Both were Berman Summer Research Fellowship projects--fellowships sponsored by the Data Bank.

How does one get to be a population mapping consultant?

I started doing consulting work as a way to have more hands-on work, especially when I was a professor. First I did some redistricting work, but more recently it's mostly been Jewish population. I'm not aware of anyone else who does Jewish population mapping.

How long did it take you to compile the data and create the [U.S. Jewish Population by Congressional District] map?

The project was completed during 2013, as a part-time research project. A revised version of the maps (I received better data for the districts in the NYC area) was just posted online.



Did anything surprise you about the results?

Not that much because I'd already done the county map. It's interesting that the data show at least a few Jews in every district, and how clustered the Jewish population is in some states. The county map shows no Jews in a large fraction of counties, partly because information about Jews in rural areas is sparse.

I was surprised by the amount of Jews that live in the eastern Arizona Congressional district. While I definitely don't want to dispute your results, um, was this correct?

There are definitely inaccuracies in the maps, mainly because of the limitations of the source data. These include out-of-date demographic studies in fast-changing areas, and lack of good data in many rural/small town areas. However, the southeast Arizona district is probably approximately accurate. The Tucson area is split between two districts, including that one. Tucson's Jewish population was estimated at 22,000 in 2002, and a 2006 update of that study found little change. The Jewish institutions in Tucson (according to Google Maps) are clustered in the eastern part of the area, i.e., in the congressional district you mention, and the Census Bureau ancestry/language data also suggest more Jews living in that part of the area. That led me to assign more of the Tucson area Jewish population to the eastern district.

My parents both grew up in small towns, but each of these areas had at least one synagogue. There's not much of a Jewish population in either town today. The reason I mention this is because I'm wondering if there is any comparative data in Jewish population from previous years (with the understanding that Congressional districts change)? If so, are there significant differences between now and 30 or 40 years ago?

As you say, congressional districts change, so it would be hard to compare those numbers over more than a decade. However, county or city data in the American Jewish Year Book goes back to the 1890s for some areas, and you can see long-term patterns of growth and decline.

While you may not be in the prognostication business, where do you see in this map in 20 or 30 years? Any trends you foresee?

In general, Jews move around more than the American average, related to educational and work opportunities and retirement. In growing places, the Jewish population is often growing even faster than the total population. In slow-growth areas, the Jewish population often grows more slowly than the total population, or declines. It seems likely that Jewish population growth will continue in southern and southwestern states, while there will be little change or even decline in much of the midwest. Some northeastern cities will not see growth, but others such as Washington/Baltimore, New York, and Boston will keep growing because of job opportunities and rapid increase in Orthodox communities. Orthodox increase is the key Jewish growth trend of the 21st century.

Finally, I saw that you worked as a Geography Professor at the University of Florida. Are you a fan of the Gators football team, and if so, will they be better in 2014?

I have not followed football, but I was in Florida when UF won the football and basketball championships in the same year. (Sean's note: Essentially, Joshua Comenetz is responsible for the success of the Gators football and basketball teams too! The teams haven't been as good since he left.)

Thanks again to Joshua for taking the time to answer my questions. For more information about the Jewish Maps of the United States by Congressional District, check out the Berman Jewish Databank. You can also check out Joshua's 2012 Jewish map of the United States by county and his website PopulationMapping.com.

Two Questions

It's the Monday after the Super Bowl and Groundhog Day, so I'll keep today's post short and simple.

1. At a major retail store recently, the cashier rang up three items of $5.50 each but didn't charge me for the fourth item even though he thought he did. Before telling you what I did, would you mention this oversight to the cashier?

2. This is a poll/question. If you have lived in the Washington DC area for more than five years, have you been interviewed by someone regarding a security clearance for a friend, neighbor, family member, co-worker, etc.?

Friday Links & Videos

If you're looking for something to pass the time before the Puppy Bowl and Super Bowl, I think you'll enjoy these articles and videos below.

I was asked to share my 12-song mixtape playlist. Enjoy possibly the greatest mixtape ever! [Everybody Loves You]

An oral history of the awesome movie Swingers. And yes I have seen Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in concert a few times. [Grantland]

Josh Noel of the Chicago Tribune visited Pittsburgh and loved it. [Chicago Tribune]

Debbie Gibson celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Electric Youth release. Please remember that the future is Electric Youth! [Billboard]

This may look like a normal hockey fight, but check out Mike Green of the Caps and Erik Karlsson of Ottawa at around the 1:15 mark. Makes you feel good about the world. [Deadspin]



Dejan Kovacevic wrote a nice tribute to the late Curtis Bray who passed away way too young. Bray attended Gateway High School and the University of Pittsburgh and leaves behind a wife and child. [Pittsburgh Tribune Review]

Puppy Bowl Camera! [Animal Planet]

Pittsburgh Sports Daily Bulletin seems to be invading on my Pittsburgh Sports Blogger Interview Series territory by having interviews with Dave Bryan of Steelers Depot, Neal Coolong of Behind The Steel Curtain & Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects. [PSDB]

The end of Steely McGnome. [Steely McGnome]

Finally, Yakkin' With Ya Jagoff! featured an interview with Norman Childs of Eyetique. I babysat for Mr. Childs many, many years ago. [Ya Jagoff]

Found In My Basement: Al Gore's Family

Al Gore invented the internet just for this blog post!

With a second child on the way, we started clearing out the guest bedroom to convert into a kid's room. As part of this clean-up, I came across a box of cards and letters I received over the years.* For 2-3 years in the late 1990s, I received holiday cards from Vice President Al Gore and his family including this card from 1998.

While I'm still not sure how I ended up on this list, I enjoyed receiving these seasons greetings cards. Plus, Al Gore was and still is the most famous person who sent me a happy holiday card.

I wonder if he'll see this post and start sending me holiday cards again.

* Yes, technically I found the cards in the guest bedroom, but they are now in the basement, so I consider this close enough.

Sorry Cleveland Browns Fans

I feel bad for Cleveland Browns fans. I really do. Sure I want the Browns to lose to the Steelers, but the team has been so terrible for so long that you feel for the passionate and devoted fans. This week's Parade cover seems to rub salt in the wounds for Browns fans.* Take a look:

On the left, you'll notice Michael Symon wearing a Browns shirt and the words "Super Bowl Smack-Down" on the top of the page. Meanwhile, Mario Batali has a Seattle Seahawks jersey which looks terrible with orange shorts and Crocs. (Sean on Fashion!) While the Seahawks are in next week's Super Bowl, Cleveland is not. However, if you don't follow football, simply seeing this cover would make you think that the Browns really are in the Super Bowl. Of course, Cleveland has never made the Super Bowl and haven't come close since the Bernie Kosar days.

I think that Parade owes Cleveland Browns fans an apology.

For shame Parade. For shame.


* Does this expression make sense when Epson Salt is designed to help? Actually, you probably aren't supposed to rub Epson Salt on wounds, so nevermind.

Friday Video: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Although I've heard of Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for years, I don't think that I ever heard one of their songs. While watching VH1 recently, the network showed a video for their latest song, Stranger to My Happiness. I like the sound.

My Trip To The Podiatrist

Before Monday, I had never been to a podiatrist. I'm not going to share the reason why I went or what happened because it is not very pleasant particularly if you're squeamish. Well, I can confirm that I did not have a foot amputated and did not start growing extra toes. Therefore, you cannot call me Sixto Lezcano.

Anyway, since I haven't written anything in nearly a week, I felt the need to share some notes about the appointment.

When the doctor recommended getting a procedure done in the office that day, the assistant asked me if I wanted a divider so I wouldn't see what was happening. Since I wasn't having a C-section, I declined though I did ask for a magazine. She returned with two choices, a golf magazine and a runners magazine. I chose the runners magazine since the woman on the cover was more attractive than Phil Mickelson.

Runner's World (I think that was the magazine's name) included a profile of a female teacher in her 20s who is in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest person to run the most marathons. The article didn't mention that she is too busy running to create adequate lesson plans for her students.

After the doctor completed the procedure, he said that I shouldn't go to the gym that evening. No concerns on that one. Then he clarified that I could still go to the gym, but that I shouldn't do any running. I guess he thought I was a runner since I was reading Runner's World.

Several days later, I'm walking around with a bit of a limp. I've been referring to myself as 50 Cent since I thought "In Da Club" included a line that he walks with a limp. I discovered that the actual line is "Been hit wit a few shells but I don't walk wit a limp." You learn something every day!

Meanwhile, perhaps I'll start to refer to myself as Martin Crane.

Friday Videos

Happy Friday! Today, we have not one, not two, not four, but three videos for you! The first is the talented chorus at PS22 Elementary School in Staten Island teaming up with Ithacappella to perform OneRepublic's Counting Stars.



Next, your may remember Susie Meister of MTV's Road Rules and many of the Real World/Road Rules challenge shows. Did you also know that she's earning a doctorate in Religious Studies at the University of Pittsburgh? Meister was part of a recent “Yakkin’ With Ya Jagoff!” She's a Pittsburgh megastar!



I generally watch handball for about 20 minutes every four years during the summer Olympics. Well, I can now say that I watched handball during a non-Summer Olympics year. Can someone explain the physics of this shot? (h/t Deadspin)



This has to be the only blog that has one post about Susie Meister, handball and an acappella/elementary school chorus.

Where Can You Find Cherikee Red?

As a child, I often went to Rhoda's in Squirrel Hill with my aunt and uncle and had matzah ball soup, a hot dog or sandwich and a can of Cherikee Red pop (yes, I said pop). I'm not sure how well these items went together, but I really enjoyed these meals. Anyway, if you're not familiar with Cherikee Red, you're missing out on this cherry pop magical deliciousness. I haven't seen Cherikee Red in years, so I turned to the internet* to see if the product still exists.

Last February, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article by Andrew Seder (why is the writer different than all other writers?) titled "Cherikee Red: Rediscovered Soft Drink From Scranton Makes Comeback But Still Is Scarce." Essentially, Cherikee Red's back. All right! However, where can you find this refreshing and probably low-calorie soft drink? There's a Bring Back Cherikee Red Facebook group that shows some businesses that carry Cherikee Red, but this page hasn't been updated in nearly a year. More importantly, I don't see the product carried anywhere outside Pennsylvania.

Here's my challenge to you. If you see Cherikee Red, post a comment here about where you found it. Bonus points if you see Cherikee Red anywhere in the DC area. Maybe I should ask my local Wegmans to carry Cherikee Red.

As a bit of a tangent, the Washington Redskins should really sell Cherikee Red at FedEx Field. Seems like a perfect match.


* Where I quickly discovered that Cherikee Red is Cherikee Red and not Cherokee Red if that makes sense.

Not Lost In Translation

This is a blog post I plan on sharing with my son in about five years. And then maybe again during his wedding. My son is only two years old, and clearly, he has not mastered the English language. (Of course, if you're reading this blog, you discovered that I have not mastered the English language either.)

Here are some of my favorite words my son uses and their definitions:

Lala = Banana

Hot sauce = Apple sauce. To my knowledge, GoGo Squeez does not make a Tabasco-flavored apple sauce.

Zeba = Zebra

Cheetos = Cheerios. Just wait until he discovers Cheetos and that they are a must tastier snack.

Dinotaur = Dinosaur

Bollypop = Lollipop. Maybe my son watches Indian movies at school.

For the letter H, my son says the name of a former teacher with a first name that starts with H. While it is still cute, I really hope he starts saying H by kindergarten.

Chips = Chips, pretzels, popcorn or any other salty snack.

Cake = Cookies, chocolate, muffins or any other sweet snack.

Daddy's bus = Bus. Every bus is Daddy's bus. You didn't know that I own the Blue Bird bus manufacturing company, did you?

State Of The Ramblings

Wednesday marked the 9th anniversary (yes 9th!) of Sean's Ramblings, so it's time for my annual State of the Ramblings. Although I had fewer posts in 2013 compared to any other year of this blog, I still averaged slightly more than a blog post every other day. Not too shabby.

(Get it? For 9 years of Sean's Ramblings.)

A big part of this blog over the past year was community. I got more involved with the Pittsburgh blogger community by participating in a Pittsburgh Guest Blogger event, becoming the Commissioner of the Pittsburgh Blogger fantasy football league, and I was encouraged to do NaBloPoMo in November from some Pittsburgh bloggers. Meanwhile, while I didn't hold the Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog tournament this year, the Pittsburgh Sports Blogger Interview Series was fun and something that I'm proud of. I plan on continuing the series in 2013. Meanwhile, I attended my first ever Northern Virginia blogger event (since I don't actually live in Pittsburgh anymore), and I questioned if the DC blogging community is dead.

Fatherhood posts continue to be a big part of my blog and with a second child on the way (let's call the baby Jim Paek or Jack Wilson for #2), there's a good chance that there will be more fatherhood posts in 2014. Of course, with a second child there may be fewer posts in 2014 since I expect to be a little busy and a lot tired.

2013 was the year of famous visitors. Sally Wiggin, Edgar Snyder, John Ross Bowie (aka Kripke on The Big Bang Theory) and at least one of The Birthday Boys all read a post on Sean's Ramblings. This was confirmed based on Twitter correspondence. Unconfirmed visitors to my blog last year included President Obama, Mike Tomlin, Mila Kunis and Kevin Pittsnogle's mom.

On a completely different topic, these are some of my favorite blog posts of 2013:

Paul McCartney Concert Review
Return to Pittsburgh
Hockey Road Trip

So what will 2014 bring? Besides fatherhood posts, I hope to have entertaining posts about the Olympics and World Cup. I also hope to write all about winning my fantasy baseball league for the first time in the 20+ years I have been in the league.

I'm also contemplating making Sean's Ramblings its own site instead of using the Blogspot address. However, I want to make sure that I keep my archives and I don't really want to pay for a domain. Plus, I feel like making a new site could be a lot of work. Basically, I probably won't do anything about this.

Finally, I want to thank you for reading and for commenting over the past year and past 9 years. I really appreciate your support, feedback and encouragement!

You Know How I Know You're Gay? You Like Coldplay

Monday's Washington Post included a story that The Advocate named Washington D.C. the gayest city in America. Among the criteria to select the gayest cities in America, The Advocate looked at such things as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender elected officials; bars on Out magazine’s list of the 200 greatest gay bars in the world (the Duplex Diner and JR’s both showed up on that list); and concerts performed by Mariah Carey, Pink, Lady Gaga or the Jonas Brothers.

I'm a little confused by the last sentence. How does concerts performed by Mariah Carey, Pink, Lady Gaga and the Jonas Brothers make a city more gay than other cities? When Lady Gaga organizes an American tour, she goes to big cities with arenas. Basically, she's not going to play shows in Punxsutawney, Paducah, or Poughkeepsie even though they could be just as gay as the cities that made the list like DC, San Francisco and Atlanta. Besides, wouldn't a bigger indicator of a gay city be concerts performed by Elton John, Melissa Etheridge, The Indigo Girls or Right Said Fred?



Should I have posted the video for Come to My Window instead?

Pittsburgh Pirates Hat Goes To North Korea

Dennis Rodman is returning to North Korea and is bringing former NBA players with him. According to the AP story, Rodman's squad — featuring ex-All Stars Kenny Anderson, Cliff Robinson and Vin Baker — will play against a team of North Koreans on Wednesday, which is believed to be Kim's birthday. The former NBA players, who arrived in Pyongyang on Monday, also include Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, guard Doug Christie and Charles D. Smith, who played for the New York Knicks. Craig Hodges and four streetball players are also on Rodman's roster.

Deadspin included a picture or Rodman's team (at an airport?), and the guy on the left is wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure of the identity of this individual wearing the Pirates hat along with the very stylish pink pants and purse. Charles Smith has ties to Pittsburgh from his time at the University of Pittsburgh, but that's definitely not Smith.

Regardless, is this the first time a Pittsburgh Pirates hat has traveled to North Korea in the past 25 years? I wonder if Kim Jong Un follows the Pirates and has some insight about whether A.J. Burnett will return to the team next season or who will play first base.

Sean's Best & Worst of 2013

Many television shows, magazines, websites and newspapers have best and worst of 2013 lists. What makes my list different is that I'm posting this in January 2014, well after everyone else.

Best Movie I Saw In The Theater: Most lists will have 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, American Hustle or Captain Phillips at the top of the list. Unfortunately, I only saw two movies in the theater in 2013. Therefore, my vote goes to This Is The End starring Seth Rogan, James Franco and Jonah Hill.

Worst Movie I Saw In The Theater: The Heat. I enjoyed this movie, but not as much as This Is The End.

If you think my list so far is a bit ridiculous, I encourage you to stay here. It gets better.

Best Sports Moment: Pirates Wild Card win over the Reds

The first Pirates playoff game since 1992 was incredible. My brother and I drove to Pittsburgh on the evening of the Wild Card game for a funeral the following day. We listened to the first few innings in the car including hearing the "Cueto" chant, him dropping the ball, and Russell Martin's home run. Then, we watched most of the rest of the game with my parents at a Quaker Steak & Lube by the airport and saw the 9th inning and highlights in a small hotel room that we shared as an entire family.





I still get goosebumps watching these videos.

Worst Sports Moment: The entire Penguins-Bruins Eastern conference finals.

Best TV Show: Breaking Bad. In other news, the Earth is round. Honorable mention to Orphan Black, Parks & Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Happy Endings.

Worst TV Show: Oh Sit! CW still hasn't cancelled this show!

Best Book I Read: While Midnight Rising: John Brown and The Raid That Sparked The Civil War by Tony Horwitz was fascinating and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was captivating and had the most unexpected twist I experienced in a book in years, I'm going with Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First Century Parenthood by Drew Magary. I really enjoy Magary's writing, and I guess this book seemed to speak to me at this point in my life.

Worst Book I Read: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Okay, this may not be the worst book I read, but it definitely did not live up to my expectations. The Great Gatsby is supposed to be known as an American classic, but I didn't get it. I disliked every character, who had no redeeming values, and really don't understand why the book has the status that it does. I already know that Mr. Brame is going to completely disagree with my choice.

Best Song: I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift. Yes, I've lost any street cred I may have had. I listen to pop music regularly as background noise, and I never got tired of this song. In the middle of writing this, I found that I first wrote a blog post about this song in December 2012. I guess this song isn't eligible for 2013. In that case, I'll go with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for Thrift Shop and Can't Hold Us.



Worst Song: This was a tough decision. We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus get an honorable mention, but the winner goes to Perfume by Britney Spears. I just think this is a terrible song.



Best Blog Post: I'm cheating and going with every post of the Pittsburgh Sports Blogger Interview Series.

Worst Blog Post: So many choices. Let's go with Sisqo Coming to Fairfax.