I’m writing this blog post in 2018, not 2008 or even 2000. When it comes to music, I am a dinosaur. No, I’m not talking about the music I listen to regularly. Actually, maybe it is. I tend to listen to the radio as background noise at work. I’m not in the car much, but when I’m by myself (meaning not long family car trips where we play Magic School Bus and Curious George episodes for the kids), I generally listen to podcasts or, again, the radio.
You may have noticed that I haven’t written anything about my phone or computer. I got out of college before Napster got big and everyone downloaded music. I missed that wave. I never had an iPod and don’t have music on my phone or computer.* I’ve never paid to download any songs. Sure I have tapes and CDs, but I don’t think I’ve purchased a CD for myself this decade. I’m not sure I even know how to create a digital music collection. How do you get music from a CD to my phone?
(This is not a photo of me. I typed "confused" into Google Images and this iStock photo was one of the results.)
This is where I need your help. I am years behind the digital music revolution. If I save songs to my computer (which I’m not exactly sure how to do), where can I save them as a backup? Basically, where do I even start?
* Actually, I have a total of one song on my phone. The Foo Fighters released five songs available to download for free several years ago. I still have a song named Sean. What a great title for a song!
I’ve shared links and videos of musician Emma G several times here and on my Facebook page. I saw her busk at my Metro station over a year ago, and she has an amazing voice singing a variety of covers as well as being a talented songwriter. I’m no Clive Davis or Quincy Jones, but I think she's going to breakout. Emma G has a new song called Superhero, and I like this description:
It's an empowering track that has both inspired audiences around the country, as well as sparked conversations through its uncompromising and in-your-face lyrics, yet also head-noddingly accessible and radio friendly sound.
See and hear it for yourself right now!
The song is available on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Bandcamp, and everywhere else you listen to music.
The 2018-2019 National Hockey League season starts tonight. To celebrate the beginning of the season, Soulja Boy shared a birthday message to American hero and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Phil Kessel. Sure he pronounced Kessel's name incorrectly, but it's the thought that counts.
If you watch cable news and listen to many politicians, you would think that we live in an extremely divided country. And maybe we do. However, maybe I'm an optimist and believe that we have more in common than things that divide us. People just want to be healthy and safe, want the best for our kids, and except for some folks in the northeastern part of the country, root against the New England Patriots.
Something else that bonds most Americans is our love of snacks. And that’s where we need to come together as Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, Green Party members, unaffiliated voters, Librarians, Mechanics, Cosmetologists, and everyone else to support an important cause.
Earlier this year, the Frito-Lay company made the tragic decision to discontinue BBQ Fritos. This is truly an outrage and injustice. I only learned about this recently when I was in a grocery store that had a buy one, get one free sale on Fritos, yet there were no BBQ Fritos to be found. I noticed that a different grocery store also had several varieties of Fritos, but there were no BBQ Fritos in sight. That’s when I started doing some research and contacted Frito-Lay. Here’s our correspondence:
Me:
Dear FritoLay,
I am a big fan of your products and eat Rold Gold pretzels probably more often than I should. At a local grocery store recently, I saw that Fritos were on sale, so I wanted to buy the BBQ flavor. While there were a half dozen different varieties of Fritos, the store didn’t carry BBQ. At a different grocery store, I also noticed that they no longer carry this flavor. Additionally, I see that this flavor is not listed on your website. Do you no longer make BBQ Fritos? If this is not the case, where can I find them?
Thank you,
Sean
The Reply:
Hi Sean,
Thanks so much for writing to us about Fritos BBQ. This variety has been a fan favorite for years, and we’re very sad to say it has been discontinued. We know that’s a big disappointment since fans like you have been looking high and low for it!
We’re sharing with our Fritos Team all the feedback we receive from our loyal, passionate fans as they may consider bringing it back in the future.
Thanks again for reaching out to us! I’m sending a coupon to you and hope one of our other snacks will satisfy your taste buds!
Best regards,
Tina
PepsiCo Consumer Relations
Sean's note: If BBQ Fritos have been a fan favorite, why discontinue it?
Me:
Tina, Thank you for your quick response. Just out of curiosity, what was the reason behind discontinuing the Fritos BBQ? Is there data available to show that this variety had poor sales in relation to other Frito Lay products? More importantly, how can I start a campaign to get Fritos BBQ back? Do you need a certain amount of tweets or signatures on a petition?
Tina:
Hi Sean,
Thank you for writing again. I appreciate the turn around. All we know, is what's been shared before.
We are sharing feedback as we are receiving contact detail. Who's to say what the future will bring?
The executives know how loyal consumers feel, we are ourselves Frito-Lay fans.
I cannot encourage anyone to spend time on a campaign for the return of a specific snack.
Thanks again for reaching out to us! We value your loyalty and truly appreciate your business.
Best regards,
Tina
I was prepared to start an online campaign, but it looks like twopeople already introduced petitions. Please sign these petitions and contact the Frito-Lay company to let them know that you want, no DEMAND, the return of BBQ Fritos.
Might as while call your Senator and member of Congress on this too. They probably don’t have much going on! And this is something both sides can agree on to help the country.
Let's do this. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!
(Again the petitions are available here and here.)
Sean’s Ramblings is generally a light-hearted blog, and I try to inject some humor in most of the posts. Sure, I may be the only person who finds some of my posts funny, but after 13+ years, I haven’t been canceled yet. (Just checking...can a blog get cancelled? And if I do get cancelled, can WordPress or another platform pick me up?) With that written, it’s difficult to find any humor in last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers. It was riveting television, filled with drama and tension, and terrific product placement by Coca-Cola.
See, I was able to find something funny here. Someone else also found something funny, and mixed together Kavanaugh’s testimony with Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Jules Winnfield, from Pulp Fiction. (The video is NSFW due to language.)
Completely off topic, why did the Senate go away from 60 votes to appoint a Supreme Court Justice? You get way more partisan candidates when only a majority is needed.
I am a big fan of local, community newspapers. They often cover the stories that larger papers do not. Living in Northern Virginia, I feel grateful to have access to The Washington Post, but I also regularly read the weekly Fairfax County Times. I find that the Fairfax County Times is extremely useful in covering Fairfax County news as well as sharing community events.
In the September 14th edition, someone at the paper was able to interview Ozzy Osbourne prior to his show at Jiffy Lube Live. The questions and responses were, um, interesting. This was my favorite:
How do you manage to understand darkness very well and stay out of it?
Huh? What kind of question is this? Is Ozzy a scientist who studies darkness or black holes?
The response is even better.
I like darkness when I sleep, and light during the day when I'm doing things. When I read at night, I like a nice 100 watt light bulb.
I now hope that Ozzy gets a sponsorship deal with a light bulb company!
- If a sporting event is on that I want to watch, I’m going to watch it regardless of the announcers. ESPN's Monday Night Football crew of Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten just confirms this. They really make you appreciate professionals like Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth (who I think is insightful even if he seems anti-Steelers), and Doc Emrick.
Some of my personal highlights:
I don't have the exact quote, but Tessitore said that Tampa Bay fans have been saying and talking about FitzMagic all year long. You mean like during the first two weeks of the season?
After a Bucs WR fell on a second and goal play in the fourth quarter, Witten said, "You cannot slip there." Yes, like the WR was trying to slip.
Tessitore and Witten have only done a few games together, so there's plenty of room for improvement. And if there's a Monday night game that I want to see, I'm still going to tune in.
- Having tight ends that can make big plays over the middle will really open things up for the wide receivers. Every linebacker and safety in the NFL is now familiar with Vance McDonald after this stiff arm:
- I'm not a football coach, but I'll play one on the internet. To the Steelers players, you might want to have fewer penalties. Leading the league in penalties should not be a goal. Thank you.
- Since I'm on the topic of penalties, the NFL should really be flag football for quarterbacks. Look, I get that the NFL doesn't want its star players hurt. The quality of games with below average quarterbacks are generally not very good. So instead of having ridiculous "roughing the passer" penalties, just go all the way and stop the play when a defender grabs the QB's flag.
- The Steelers really miss Ryan Shazier on defense. I know Bud Dupree had a great game Monday and Bostic made some plays, but the defense would be so much better with Shazier out there.
You know, I don't really have much more to add about the game. I'm just want to watch the Vance McDonald video over and over!
To the likely horror of at least one of my sister-in-laws, I do not know the difference between Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Look, I know who Kim, Khloe, and (crap, I have to look it up) Kourtney (I knew that!) are, so isn't that enough? Earlier this week, Kylie Jenner made major news (seriously) from this tweet:
last night i had cereal with milk for the first time. life changing.
Look, I get that Jenner probably never goes grocery shopping and wouldn't know the cost of a gallon of milk, but how could she never know about milk on cereal? Did she never see the Rice Krispies commercials with Snap, Crackle, and Pop? I know this is before her time, but her dad was on the cover of a Wheaties box. There were none of those hanging around the house? No one in her house with so many siblings and step-siblings never had cereal and milk for breakfast? What are they eating for breakfast?
Anyway, this single tweet will probably do wonders for the cereal and dairy industries. Everything a Kardashian/Jenner seems to discuss or promote turns to gold. (Well, milk isn’t going to turn into gold, but you know what I mean.)
Actually, maybe I'm the trend-setter here. I've had cereal and milk nearly every day for decades now!
(Please note that the videos in this post are not suitable for work.)
As I’m sure that you know by now, rapper Mac Miller passed away last week, way too young at the age of 26. Miller was born and raised in Pittsburgh and represented the city proudly. Although I’m more than a decade older than Miller, we have some connections. He attended Allderdice High School where many of my friends went to school, we both went to the same camp, the founder of the company that produced Miller's first albums went to school with my brother, and we both loved the blue slide at Frick Park. (I just took my kids there when I visited Pittsburgh last month.)
I can’t say that I followed his music career all that closely after he initially hit it big. Calling his music “frat boy rap” seemed spot on at the time, and I enjoyed some of his break-out songs. However, he matured and it is reflected in his music. Miller performed a Tiny Desk concert in August and you can hear the retrospection.
It really seemed like Miller had so much going for him and ahead of him. Addiction is a terrible thing.
Our cat Ziggy turned 10 last month. He has been a major part of our lives (and this blog) since we adopted him in November 2008. Ziggy was there before kids. He started as the focus of our attention as a kitten, but now he's outnumbered significantly by our three kids. When we learned that we were expecting a third child, we bought a bunk bed for the older two. Ziggy may believe that this was a gift for him. The top bunk is one of his go to places, and he often sleeps next to The Moose or Pedro Tulo after they fall asleep. Ziggy is also extremely patient with a now one year old Luigi who absolutely adores him. Luigi will grab Ziggy's tail and fur, but Ziggy doesn't seem to mind. I think he likes the attention. He just tries to keep a respectable distance and prefers if I'm there to jump in if necessary.
I wrote about this a few years ago, but Ziggy still likes cuddling up with me at night. Not to brag, but I'm his favorite. Ziggy is a sweet cat, and I can't imagine our home without him. Happy Birthday Ziggy! To the pictures!
It really is his house. We just live there with him!
The headline makes it sounds like this is the Hunger Games! In reality, all you do is pick one NFL team who you think will win each week. If you choose correctly, you have chosen wisely!
You also get to advance to the next week. The catch is that you can't pick the same team twice. Get it wrong and you're out. In that case, you have chosen poorly.
The gold cup looks nice, but DON'T DRINK OUT OF IT!
Anyway, there might even be a prize for a winner. I don't know what the prize will be or even if there will be a prize, but there could be a prize. Let me just type prize again to let you think that you could win a prize. Which might happen. Prize!
To enter, follow this link and enter this information:
Over the weekend, we took a trip to the National Capital Trolley Museum in Colesville, Maryland. It's a small venue with a room of about a dozen trolleys/streetcars, and then you can take a ride on one of the streetcars. The one trolley you could ride when we visited was built in the 1950s and was still operational in Toronto until the mid-90s. Maybe more interesting to me was the ads still on display in the trolley. While this isn't necessarily a Trivia Tuesday post, I'm giving you a challenge today. Can you name the albums from the following ad:
U2, Tom Petty, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., and Eric Clapton immediately jumped out to me. It looks like there are also Hootie and the Blowfish, Melissa Etheridge, and Seal albums. Since this is a Canadian station, that's probably Barenaked Ladies on the top left. Please help fill in the ones I'm missing in the comments section below.
Here are a couple more pictures from the museum. (Not pictured is the one woman who yelled at us for having a loud 4 year old. You're in a trolley museum. There are going to be kids there!)
Now, I need to make sure I get to Toronto by 4:00 this afternoon to catch Ricki Lake!
One of the unique things about being at The Ohio State University is that presidential candidates often visit campus. The student population is one of the largest in the country and being in a swing state makes the campus an attractive venue for candidates to share their message. Plus, Columbus has a fairly large media market, so candidates know that they will get coverage in central Ohio and throughout the state. As a graduate student in 2000, I was able to see Al Gore, John McCain, and Carrot Top (though I don't think the latter was running for president). With McCain passing away on Saturday, this post is obviously about him.
I don't remember if McCain used the "Maverick" label at the time, and I honestly don't remember anything about the speech. It may have just been me learning more about McCain, especially his time as a POW, but I came away from his rally being impressed. He seemed more honest and genuine than many other politicians. McCain ended up losing the Republican primary to George W. Bush, and it's interesting (that's one word to use) to have seen what would have happened if McCain won the 2000 election.
In my opinion, McCain realized that he had to go more to the right to get the Republican nomination. While I don't have a specific example of this off the top of my head, it seemed like he played more to the base between 2000 and when he ran again in 2008. This time, he successfully won the nomination, but lost the general election to Barack Obama.
Over the past few years, McCain has been one of the few Republicans willing to speak out against Donald Trump, even though he ended up voting for many of his policies. I'm actually not sure if I admire McCain or not for not stooping to Trump's level after the ridiculous statement that “[McCain] was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” While I disagree with many of his politics, I admire McCain for his service and being one of the seemingly few politicians willing to work with Senators and members of Congress from the opposing party. McCain dedicated his life to the United States and deserves respect and appreciation for this.
RIP Senator.
Photo from JohnMcCain.com.
Proof that McCain spoke at Ohio State on February 26, 2000 courtesy of The Lantern.
Update: Drew Magary of GQ has some thoughts on McCain that is worth checking out.
Today's video is "No Tears Left to Cry" by Ariana Grande. I'm pretty sure that it's the three notes (da-da-da) that make this song for me. It's really simple, but it works. Now, don't get too dizzy watching this video.
I watched the 2018 MTV VMAs on Monday, apparently to prove that I am old and not in touch with current popular music. If you're not interested in this topic, I suggest you scroll down to the end for an amazing video which I think was the highlight of the night. Here are the people in attendance who are older than me:
Jennifer Lopez
Madonna
Aerosmith
Some (but not all) members of Backstreet Boys
Ariana Grande's mom and grandmother
Camila Cabello's mom
Ken Jeong
That's it. In case you're wondering, I'm two months older than Alex Rodriguez. Other reasons how this award show made me feel old:
1. Apparently it's fine to say "sh!t" on MTV now. (It's not okay to say it on Sean's Ramblings though.)
2. When did face tattoos become such a big thing? When Mike Tyson got one years ago, it was major news.
For example, pictured above is Post Malone, who I assume chose his stage name as a tribute to the former Utah Jazz power forward. Someone also really could have showed him how to move the microphone up. Besides the awards he won, it was also a big night for him as he got to perform with the guy from the Skittles commercial.
Camila Cabello won a few VMAs including video of the year and artist of the year, so you would think that Tiffany Haddish would be able to pronounce her name correctly.
At the beginning of the show, Cardi B held one of those award statue moon-man things. Yet, when she won the award for best new artist, she remarked how heavy it was. Does that mean that she held a fake award at the beginning? Is there a conspiracy here?
Finally, this was by far my favorite part of the night.
That is Bebe Rexha dancing backstage. Meanwhile, the guy on the left just wanted to get by to do his job. I love the look on his face.
We took a family trip back to the 'Burgh last weekend, so of course I have some notes (and pictures) from the trip. This never gets old.
* I had never been on the USS Requin before. While I found it very cool, I would not recommend taking an 11-month old on it as you have to climb from compartment to compartment. Not very easy to carry a kid through this. Who knew that submarines weren't designed for infants?
* Major props to Eat 'N Park in Homestead for having this sign in the bathroom.
And yes I bought Smiley Cookies from, um, Smiley Cookie as one person once said. (This gaffe alone should have disqualified Donald Trump from the presidency.)
* I've gone to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (the dinosaur museum) since I was a young child and I've always parked on the street. For this visit, I parked in the garage behind the museum. Has the garage always been there or is it brand new?
* There was a guy wearing a Jurassic Park T-shirt at the Carnegie Museum. I thought about taking a picture, but that would have been rude (and I couldn't stealthily take one without getting his face and/or his kids in the picture).
* A highlight for the kids was the blue slide at Frick Park. The blue slide isn't quite as blue as it used to be.
By the way, very nice job by the people who use the playground. People left cardboard boxes there so that kids could use them to slide down.
* Who would travel to Pittsburgh and wear Pittsburgh sports gear just walking around the city without going to a game? Makes no sense!
* Speaking of places where kids shouldn't be, I had an opportunity to be a guest on The YaJagoff! podcast. However, John and Rachael were broadcasting from The All-Star Craft Beer, Wine, and Cocktail Festival at PNC Park where you had to be 21+ to attend. None of my kids can pass for 21, so maybe next time. (I should have had my kids stand on each other's shoulders while wearing a trench coat. That would have worked!)
* This is the third consecutive trip to Pittsburgh where I did not stop at The O. Stupid Pennsylvania Turnpike traffic (and very heavy rain) for ruining my lunch plans!
* I drove by the house where I grew up which is currently for sale. My parents sold the house about 8 years ago. Anyway, it looked the same from the outside, but I'm not sure if the current owner moved out or is just lazy or unable to attend to the yard, and I couldn't get past how awful the yard looked. Grass was overgrown and you could barely see the concrete path in the front yard leading to the door. And now this song is in my head.
* Oh, it was also odd seeing my elementary school not there anymore. It was an administrative office for many years, and apparently it was torn down a few years ago. Now it's just grass.
* Naturally, I randomly ran into my brother's first grade teacher and her daughter who someone I knew from when I was in high school. Because Pittsburgh.
Last week, I went to CVS to try to find a plastic covering for a cell phone screen. They only had one type available, and while I didn't think it was what I needed, I made sure that I would be able to return it with the receipt and bought it for $15. I also had a CVS coupon good for 40% off one item, so I actually paid $9 plus tax.
After confirming that the covering wasn't the right one, I returned it on Monday. The cashier put the $9+ back on my credit card, and then told me that they would give me $6.36 in store credit for the coupon. Although I asked her several times if she was sure since this didn't sound right, the cashier insisted that I was due the balance. Unfortunately, there was something wrong with the register, so she was unable to give me a store credit on the card. She called over a manager, and at this point, I was worried for her as I figured she would get in trouble for essentially giving me free money. The manager came over and also had difficulties with the register, so she handed me $6.36 in cash.
Basically, CVS gave me $6.36 for using a 40% off coupon on a product that I returned. I don't get it!
People regularly and justifiably criticize Metro, but I think they deserve credit for once. The Unite the Right rally (the same group who protested in Charlottesville last year) is scheduled for Sunday. Like other events in DC with people coming from out of town, most people will take Metro to get downtown.
However, it just so happens that Metro begins a major construction project this weekend with two high-traffic stations (Farragut West and McPherson Square) closed on Saturday and Sunday. Another busy station (Metro Center) is only accessible via the Red Line. Service is going to be such a mess over the next two weeks, that Metro is telling people only to use them if you have no other options.
While it's going to be a major inconvenience for people like me who rely on Metro to get to work, maybe Metro is actually helping by making it more difficult for the Unite the Right folks to get to the rally. What a brilliant plan! Of course, Metro also floated the idea of having white supremacist-only cars to help prevent potential fights, so maybe not.
Bryce Harper is a good baseball player, but not a great baseball player like he and others think he is. Yes, he was great during his 2015 National League MVP season and yes you would probably like to have him on your team. The question is at what price. There has been talk that Harper seeks a deal of $300 million or more when he becomes a free agent at the end of the 2018 season. Someone may pay this. It's the baseball owners' money, so they have every right to spend it as they please. If I was a baseball owner or GM, I would never pay Harper this though. (In full disclosure, I cut out coupons and regularly look for discounts and deals, so I may not be a good example.)
When the ball was hit, the score was tied at 1-1 in the 9th inning against a team the Nationals are chasing in the standings. This should have been a double with runners on 2nd and 3rd and the Braves taking a 2-1 lead. Instead, Harper seemed nonchalant as he threw the ball to home plate.
I'm sure you're thinking, Harper didn't have a chance to get the out at home, so it doesn't really matter. Fine. What about WAR, or wins above replacement? Harper currently has a WAR of 0.9 which is good for tied for 95th...in the National League! Todd Frazier, Alen Hanson, Gorkys Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, and Adam Frazier are all better than Harper in this category. And none of these players are going to earn $300 million!
If you want a guy to hit home runs, Harper (tied for 3rd in the NL) is your guy. If you want a guy to get on base, Harper (12th in the NL), is solid. If you want a guy who strikes out a lot, Harper (4th in the NL) is also your guy. For $25 million or more a year, I'll pass.
Seemingly overnight, craft breweries have exploded in Northern Virginia. While I don't get out much (that will happen when you have three young kids), I've been to Caboose Brewing Company in Vienna and Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn and enjoyed them very much. Cool atmospheres and outstanding beer. Both of these breweries are part of more than 30 Virginia craft breweries, artisan distilleries, and Virginia wineries that will be on tap at the third annual Workhouse Brewfest on Saturday, August 4, from 1:00-8:00 at the Workhouse Arts Center in Fairfax County, Virginia (9518 Workhouse Way, Lorton, VA 22079).
Here's more about the event via the press release since I like considering myself press:
This unique event will feature live performances by 12 of the region’s most popular bands, incredible food trucks, access to air-conditioned art galleries and 65 artist studios, and of course some of the area’s most exciting craft beer, artisan spirits, and Virginia wine. The day will provide an unforgettable experience for every kind of beer lover – from the uber-knowledgeable beer geek to the casual drinker and those new to the world of craft beer. Fairfax County, Visit Fairfax, and Celebrate Fairfax are joining the Workhouse in producing this year’s Brewfest, Tickets are available for purchase online at http://workhousebrewfest.org.
Fairfax County officials say they are thrilled to continue their support for Brewfest as part of the county’s plan to boost the economy, which includes encouraging entrepreneurs and innovation; promoting arts, hospitality, and tourism; and supporting events that cultivate a vibrant, energized community. In its first two years, the event has showcased the appeal and potential of these small businesses to be significant draws for tourism, business investment, and regional development. Brewfest’s success even contributed in part to Fairfax County leaders adopting new zoning rules that expand the areas where craft producers can operate in the county.
Brewfest also highlights how craft beer is a big business in Virginia. Craft breweries sustain more than 10,000 full time equivalent (FTE) positions and produce nearly $1.4 billion in economic impact in the state, according to the Brewers Association. There are more than 200 licensed breweries in the state – including 10 in Fairfax County. Of course, the arts also contribute significantly to the economic health of the county and enhance its appeal to many audiences. Americans for the Arts reports that in Fairfax County alone, direct economic activity tied to arts and culture organizations and their audiences exceeds $271 million dollars per year and supports more than 6,200 FTE jobs.
Welcome to Sean's Ramblings! If you're looking for thoughts on pop culture, music, fun and informative links, random DC and Pittsburgh info, sports (particularly Pittsburgh sports), and just what's going on in my life, then you're come to the right place.
Any questions, comments or links? Contact me at seanramblings[at]yahoo[dot]com.
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