I Finally Saw Star Wars

Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice opens on Friday and is expected to have a monster box office opening. Do you remember the last movie that was this highly publicized? That would be Star Wars: The Force Awakens that opened in December. Earlier this week, I became one of the last people in America to see the film. Here are some very random thoughts I have about the film. Please note that there are some spoilers here for the other 15 people that haven't seen movie yet.

- I think I deserve lots of credit for managing to avoid all spoilers. For example, I had no idea that Han Solo had a son. Or that the mother of his child was Princess Leia. Or that Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher look significantly older than they did in Return of the Jedi.

- I also managed to avoid any news that Miles from Lost and Parkman from Heroes were part of the rebellion. Seriously, why didn't anyone tell me they were in the movie? I was far too excited about these guys being in the film than I should have been.

- As I watched the end of the opening crawl, I desperately wanted the text to finish with "If you can read this, you don't need glasses."



- When Han Solo and Kylo Ren/Ben met, I fully expected Han to break the ice by complimenting his son on his hair. (By the way, shouldn't his name be Kylo Ben instead of Kylo Ren?) Of course, as soon as I saw that they were meeting on a bridge, I knew it wasn't going to end well for Han.

- Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones was supposed to be in this movie, but I didn't see her. Was she a stormtrooper?

- I was a little disappointed that Lando Calrissian didn't get a cameo. Billy Dee Williams appeared in a Modern Family episode a few years ago, so what's the deal J.J. Abrams? Yoda's spirit would have been nice to see too.

- Was BB-8 named after legendary blues singer and guitarist B.B. King or the slightly less legendary British boy band BBMak?

You know, I now want to hear the only BBMak song I know. Try to get this song out of your head today!



- There was another guy in the rebellion that looked a lot like Donald Sutherland, but I don't think he had any lines, so he couldn't have been Donald Sutherland. Donald Sutherland is no extra!

- So Supreme Leader Snoke. Is he a giant or was he just projected as one? Oh, Snood is significantly better than Snoke.

- So what does Luke Skywalker do with all his time on the island? Seriously, does he just hang out on the top of the mountain? Does he watch any news or have internet service? Seems like the food options are limited at best too.

I think this pretty much captures everything that happened. When does the next movie come out? I'm sure I'll see it 6 months after the release date!

Eating In Pittsburgh In 24 Hours

I made a somewhat impromptu visit to Pittsburgh this weekend. While it was extremely odd driving on the Parkway East and not seeing the Greenfield Bridge, I thought I would share what I ate over the past few days.

- Filet-O-Fish and fries at McDonalds

- Pierogis, pizza and the Pious Monk Dunkel beer at The Church Brew Works.

- Whatever drink this is at Hidden Harbor.

(By the way, Hidden Harbor is such a random place. It's a tiki bar right by the corner of Shady & Forbes in Squirrel Hill. I was also at least 10 years older than just about everyone in the bar. I guess this is the new hip place? Squirrel Hill has hip places? I remember a day where you went shopping for clothes at Newman's and London Dock on Forbes. In related news, I'm old.)

- Vanilla milkshake at Eat 'n Park.

- French toast and orange juice at Eat 'n Park (not at the same meal as the milkshake)

- A burger and a side of pasta salad at Benjamin's on the North Side.

- A cinnamon sugar pretzel from Sheetz.

So I didn't really eat "healthy" this weekend. Well, there were some apples on the burger. Milk is part of the milkshake, so that's got to count for something, right?

Speaking of healthy food, this is now two consecutive trips to Pittsburgh where I didn't go to The O. That needs to change on my next trip.

2016 Celebrate Fairfax Headliners

Celebrate Fairfax, Northern Virginia's largest festival announced its headliners for the annual event.

Friday, June 10: Plain White T's



Yes I could have posted the video of Hey There Delilah, but I like this song better.

Saturday, June 11: The B-52s



By far, my favorite song about the NBA legend.

Sunday, June 12: Living Colour



This should be fun!

I'm sure I'll have much more about the festival over the next three months. Plus you can learn more about the festival and how to get tickets at the Celebrate Fairfax website.


Update: Here is a formal press release about the festival and headliners:

FAIRFAX, VA, March 15, 2016 –- Northern Virginia’s largest community-wide event, the 35th annual Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, is set to take place June 10-12, 2016 on the grounds of the Fairfax County Government Center. The Celebrate Fairfax! Festival features 25 acres of amazing concerts, family programs, exhibits, thrilling carnival rides and nightly fireworks! Among the festival's highlights are more than 130 performances on eight stages, with an exceptional line-up of national, regional and local artists. Included are three fantastic headlining performances:

2016 Headline Entertainment Schedule for the Bud Light Main Stage:

• Friday, June 10th at 8:00 p.m. Plain White T’s

The Plain White T's kicked off their career in the Chicago suburbs, playing a mix of pop, punk, and melody--‐driven rock & roll in basements and clubs across the metro area. A decade--‐and--‐a--‐half later — with several thousand shows and a string of platinum –selling singles, including the mega--‐hit "Hey There Delilah” (the 18th most downloaded song of all time), under their belts. The guys haven't stopped heading back to the basement to dream up new sounds. There's where the Plain White T's put the finishing touches on American Nights, the band's first independent album since 2001.

• Saturday, June 11th at 8:00 p.m. B-52s

It is well known that the B-52s are the World’s Greatest Party Band. And thirty years and over twenty million albums into their career, there can be no doubt as to why The B-52s remain among the most beloved rock stars ever. Any mystery concerning the longevity and ongoing appeal of the band is immediately solved when exposed to a unique B-52s concert experience. From the timeless gems of "Rock Lobster," "Planet Claire" and "Private Idaho" to the more recent classics “Channel Z," "Love Shack" and "Roam", the B-52s’ unforgettable dance-rock tunes start a party every time their music begins.

• Sunday, June 12th at 4:30 p.m. Living Colour

Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, hard rock and heavy metal. The band’s debut album, “Vivid,” was released in 1988 on Epic Records and reached #6 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. It featured “Cult of Personality,” a #13 hit on the Billboard 200 Singles chart as well as the Top 40 hit, “Glamour Boys.” “Cult of Personality” went on to earn the band their first Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance.

In addition to the outstanding entertainment schedule, there are plenty of enhancements to the festival programming at Celebrate Fairfax!, including areas such as the popular Silent Disco, the Fairfax County Karaoke Championship, the Fairfax County DockDogs Competition, VA Tourism LoveArtwork, Celebrate Fairfax 5k Race, Giant Maze, Pop-up Playground, Flamingo Frenzy Scavenger Hunt and the Emerging Artist Showcase, plus more than 60 carnival rides, games, and attractions, and over 30 food vendors with enough variety to please anyone! These fantastic attractions are some of the many programs that Celebrate Fairfax! is so proud to host at this year’s festival.

General admission is available for all performances; shows are free with daily tickets to the event. Advance tickets go on sale April 1st at www.celebratefairfax.com and May 1st at all Northern Virginia Wegmans locations.

The 35th annual Celebrate Fairfax! Festival is a presentation of Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. and will be held Friday, June 10th through Sunday, June 12th, 2016. Celebrate Fairfax, Inc. is a nonprofit, 501(c) 3 organization commissioned in 1982 by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. Its mission, “The Celebration of Fairfax County and Its Communities,” is met through the production of the Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, Fall for Fairfax KidsFest, The Workhouse BrewFest, and educational programs such as Celebrate Fairfax CV+ Event Training Program. For more information call (703) 324-3247 or visit the website at www.celebratefairfax.com.

Random Ramblings

- On Tuesday evening, I received the following text:

FREE MSG: Chase Fraud-Did you use card ending #### for $1397.94 at a computer hard/software co. on 03/08? If YES reply 1, NO reply 2

I thought this was a spam text but they got the last four numbers of my credit card correct, so I figured that I would call my credit card company. Sure enough, this was not spam. Someone tried to use my credit card and fortunately was denied. I have no idea how someone got my credit card number, particularly since this is one I rarely use. Other than an $8 purchase that same day at Safeway and paying $10 for a visit to a doctor's office on Monday, 3/7, I hadn't used the credit card in weeks. My last bill for this credit card was less than $50. Anyway, I paid a $10 balance to a doctor's office/walk-in clinic on Monday by phone, and my theory is that someone there used the number. I have no proof to substantiate this, but that's my theory. Anyway, good job Chase on taking care of this immediately. Chase is on the case!

- Pizza Hut is giving away free pizza for a year on Monday, 3/14 for Pi Day.

In partnership with acclaimed mathematical genius John H. Conway, distinguished professor of pure and applied mathematics emeritus, Princeton University, and in honor of "National Pi Day" on March 14, Pizza Hut will release three math problems on its Hut Life blog (blog.pizzahut.com) with a unique challenge to consumers and mathematic wizards everywhere: be the first person to solve and submit the correct answer to any one of the problems for a chance to receive 3.14 years of free pizza from Pizza Hut. Varying in level of difficulty from high school to PhD level, all three problems will be released at 8 a.m. ET.

I'm going to have little (okay no) chance of successfully answering these math questions. It would be much easier if I could just be one of the first people in line at a Pizza Hut restaurant like I did for California Tortilla and Corner Bakery.

- I suggest checking out these two articles/videos from Yahoo and Serious Eats about Pittsburgh. Makes me nostalgic to visit my hometown.

- I'm working my first games of the spring season as a soccer referee over the weekend. Let's see how out of shape I am after doing no exercise (other than occasionally sprinting for the bus) over the last 3+ months.

- Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers are performing at Jammin' Java in nearby Vienna, Virginia on Saturday. I'm sorry Pittsburgh's Own Joe Grushecky and The Houserockers are performing in nearby Vienna, Virginia on Saturday. Not sure why Joe needs Pittsburgh's Own in front of his name. Does that help sell more tickets? Actually, maybe I can have Joe help me with my Pittsburgh Festival in DC idea!

- Finally, if you haven't already seen it, please check out my interview with the Pittsburgh Penguins' Gamenight DJ from earlier this week.

Have a nice weekend!

Interview With the Penguins' Gamenight DJ

Last month, I wrote a blog post about Nicholas' successful campaign to get the Pittsburgh Penguins to change their goal song to Andrew W.K.'s Party Hard. Surprisingly, someone still reads my blog occasionally, saw this post, and asked if I would be interested in interviewing Vinny Karpuszka, the team's gamenight DJ. The answer was a resounding yes.

So here is my interview with Vinny who was extremely gracious in responding to my questions.

First, how did you become the Penguins game night DJ?

A lot of luck and knowing the right people. Back in 2006 I joined the local audiovisual/broadcast technicians union and as my luck would have it I caught word that the Penguins were looking to bring a couple of fresh faces onto their in-game entertainment crew. I mentioned this to one of the guys I was working with at the time and he said “well I run the audio board for them, I’ll put in a good word for you”. A few days later I got a phone call from the guy who did the crewing saying I got a “glowing” recommendation and would I be interested in training to be the new DJ. I said yes and here I am today.

What exactly are your job duties at the Penguins DJ? I'm sure it's more than just press play on a song during a stop in play.

Pretty much all of my job requirements revolve around the music that is played at the game. I load all the music files into the software that I use, Click Effects ProAudio, and from there I’ll set in and out points for each song and then make sure the audio levels are peaking at the right spots. I’ll queue up songs for during walk-in, in-game promo reads, tv time-outs, intermission, and whistle stoppages. I create and edit the warm-up playlists and if there isn’t a clean version of a song we want to play I’ll edit that as well.

I also have an Instant Replay 360 machine that I use for sound effects and a few other show elements. I submix myself on a 12 channel audio console that is fed to the main audio board in the control room, which is then fed to the house.

What is your typical game day look like? Specifically, how early do you arrive before the game and how long after the game do you leave?

I get to the rink 4 hours before puck-drop. Every game my producer prints out a format that lists every element we'll be running throughout the game. I'll go through the format and queue up the songs I'm going to use for those elements, and then I'll get my free-whistle songs ready as well. I'll then build my walk-in playlist and if I have some prep time left over I'll browse through Spotify to try and find new songs to use. After that we have our crew meeting, rehearse a couple of in-game elements, and then we have our dinner break. I'm back up in my spot about 10 minutes before doors open. After the game is over I play a couple of walk-out songs, turn off my gear, gather my personal things, and I'm out the door. Typically if it's a 7pm game, I'm out of the building a little after 10pm.

My friend Nicholas started a campaign to get the Penguins to use Andrew W.K.'s Party Hard as the goal song. Were you involved in making this decision?

No, I was not involved. That decision went all the way up the corporate ladder. Seriously. A lot of us on the gamenight staff were well aware of everything that was going on on Twitter in regards to getting the goal song changed to “Party Hard” but I think everyone of us never thought it would actually happen.

Another friend and I are trying to attend hockey games at each NHL city. We're more than half-way through. Anyway, I've noticed that rock is the predominant music played at most venues. So this is a long way of asking how much input do you have in the type of music you play? If Mario comes by, says he's feeling nostalgic for home and wants you to play some French-Canadian lullaby, would you have to play it?

Well he is the boss, so to answer your question, yes, I would, haha.

I do have some input into the music selection, yes. I have a great working relationship with my producer and he trusts me to play the music that’s expected from management without having to look over my shoulder and tell me what to play.

I’m not surprised to hear that rock music dominates NHL arenas. In my opinion, hockey and heavy metal are a perfect match. The speed and aggression of metal totally compliments the sport of hockey; it’s like chocolate and peanut butter.

I've seen that DJ Bonics sometimes serves as a guest DJ for Pens games. What is your relationship with him? Do you have a rivalry at all?

My producer books him from time to time to liven things up a bit. It adds variety. I like it. I’ve never met him but I hear he’s a great person, and he’s having a lot of success right now being Wiz Khalifa’s live DJ, so good for him. He’s an actual DJ, you know what I mean? He’s syncs beats and time signatures, reads and reacts to the crowd, acts as a hype man, scratches records and creates loops...he’s a performer. That’s what a real DJ is. I like to think of myself as a music director: I’m picking a song to match the mood of the game at that given moment.

Do you have a favorite moment or memory at a Pens game? (Mine is attending game seven of the Penguins-Sabres playoff series in Buffalo where Darius Kasparaitis scored the game-winning OT goal.)

The most memorable game I ever worked was Game 1 of the 2008 opening round series against Ottawa. The year before that in ‘07 Ottawa was a juggernaut and bounced the Pens in 5 games. Fans were disappointed but weren’t surprised just because almost the entire team never experienced playoff hockey before and everyone seemed just happy to be there. But in ‘08 the Pens were rolling and Ottawa was coming into the playoffs with no momentum at all.

So back in the Mellon Arena days, and currently at CEC, the main usher will blow a whistle to let everyone know that the doors are now open to the public. I swear, that night of Game 1 against Ottawa in ‘08, when that whistle blew, you could feel the energy. I’m not kidding dude, it was something else. You know that saying “there was electricity in the air”? Well maybe it was the old, faulty wiring of Mellon Arena I felt, but goddamn it man, I felt something. That building was alive the second they opened the doors. As soon as fans hit the seats you could feel the buzz, and this was 90 minutes. before the opening faceoff.

Anyway, Gary Roberts scored like 20 seconds into the game and it was pandemonium after that.



Finally, do you get to hang out with Mike Lange at all?

I’ve ridden the elevator with him a couple times, does that count? I’ve never really talked to him but everything I hear about him and how he is as a person is extremely positive. The local media and team employees refer to him as “Hall Of Famer” for good reason.


Thanks again to Vinny for sharing great answers about his job. You can also follow him on Twitter at @theironmoth though don't expect any inside news when he's on the job. According to Vinny, "I mainly just retweet pro wrestling gifs and other stupid stuff, but every once in a while I'll put up a link to some metal I'm currently enjoying."

You can also see Vinny's playlist from the Penguins' March 4th game.

Flavor Flav Does The Weather

Every four years, I post a video where we all see what happens when Flavor Flav has a microphone. For some reason, Flav recently did the weather for a Salt Lake City television station. This is the result:



I think I know what he's sayin'. In case you don't remember the video from 2012, here is Flavor Flav narrating fireworks at Celebrate Fairfax. Yes, you read that correctly. Oh, there's some NSFW language around the 10:00 or 11:00 minute mark. The man likes his fireworks!



Stay tuned to my next Flavor Flav video in 2020!

Casting Call for The $100,000 Pyramid

Is there anyone that has more high profile jobs than Michael Strahan? The retired football star serves as the co-host of the talk show Live! with Kelly and Michael. He also regularly (if not daily) appears on Good Morning America, and during the football season, Strahan is part of FOX NFL Sunday. Clearly Strahan doesn't have enough to do since he will host the ABC's "The $100,000 Pyramid" this summer.

For those of you who don't remember this show when it was hosted by Dick Clark (yes, it was hosted by others, but I associate the show with him), "Pyramid is a classic American television game show franchise that has aired several versions domestically and internationally. The game features two contestants, each paired with a celebrity. Players attempt to guess a series of words or phrases based on descriptions given to them by their teammates."

So now is your chance to be a contestant. To apply, go to http://www.castingpyramid.com/. You'll need to make a video, but I know you can do it!

If you have any questions or interest, you can also contact casting producer Sami Blumenthal at castingpyramid[at]gmail.com.

Good luck!

Oh, if you want to see Tony Randall saying a swear word on the $10,000 Pyramid, here you go:

Donald Trump Is Going To Be President

What a scary headline. The American political system has become extremely partisan with little getting done in Washington, so many voters are looking for a political outsider. Donald Trump with his celebrity status and his "I'm saying what I want to say" style is appealing to a lot of people. As I'm writing this on Tuesday evening, The Washington Post declared Trump the Republican winner in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Virginia. Sure Ted Cruz took Oklahoma and Texas, and Marco Rubio won Minnesota but the Senators from Texas and Florida, respectively, are well behind Trump in the overall delegate count. Mathematically, it seems unlikely that either candidate has any chance of catching Trump. Seriously, how many states is Trump going to lose? Maybe Rubio can take Florida and perhaps Governor Kasich can win his home state of Ohio, but Trump seems unstoppable in capturing the delegate count to receive the nomination.

I'm sure you're thinking, um Sean, doesn't Hillary Clinton have something to say in the general election? Well yes, but let's look at the map.

I really like this map even if it was used for an ad campaign. Anyway, let's look at the United States map.

Probably 40 states are already decided in November. The Democratic candidate will take California, Vermont, Massachusetts, etc. The Republican candidate will win Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, etc. Really, you're looking at around 10 states (the usual suspects of Florida, Ohio, etc.) to decide the election. I'm obviously not sharing anything new. What will be interesting is how the Republican establishment, which appears to despise Trump, responds. Unless they can create some type of coop and a brokered convention (now that would make some terrific television!), what are they going to do come November? How can they go against the will of the party voters? Plus, think about how many Congressional hearings there have been about Bengazi and Clinton's emails. You think that the Republican establishment is all of a sudden going to support Clinton over Trump? I think not. They also know that another conservative third party candidate would essentially give Clinton the White House. After all the time fighting Obama and Clinton and all of the hours of FOX News coverage against the former Senator and Secretary of State, they are reluctantly going to support Trump as the lesser of two evils in their minds.

So it's really going to come down to voter turnout. And that's where Trump has done extremely well. There was record turnout in Virginia on Tuesday as there was in Iowa and other states during this campaign season. People are voting that never have before. Will Clinton be able to inspire the Democratic base and get enough Independents in Virginia, Florida and North Carolina to win the election? As of today, my guess is no.

I'll close with sharing this amazing John Oliver video since it truly is "must watch." Please note that there is some NSFW language.

Friday Video

First, congratulations to me for posting blog posts over five consecutive days. Enjoy it since this probably won't happen again for a long time.

Today's video is from the band Cold War Kids.



Shouldn't they be Cold War Grandkids since the Cold War has been over for at least 20 years? Anyway, I really like this song, titled First. Not sure I understand the video, but I don't understand lots of things.

Have a great weekend!

TMI Thursday: 25 Random Things About Myself (Updated)

Facebook has this thing where they show you "Memories" of your stories from the same date of different years. Recently, Facebook showed me a post from 2009 where I shared 25 Random Things About Myself. I also shared this information (shockingly) in a blog post. Again, this blog is really old. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to revisit the 25 random things.

1. The first concert I ever attended was Neil Diamond. The most recent concert I saw was also Neil Diamond.

The last concert I attended was Billy Joel. I also saw Billy Joel several times in high school. Perhaps I'll see a performer that's not an AARP member this summer!

2. I spend a good five minutes each morning trying to find a pair of matching socks.

It now only takes me about two minutes each morning to find a matching pair of socks. Major improvement!

3. I enjoy being a soccer referee and know that I am a good ref; however, I don’t attempt to get to the next level because I don’t want to deal with even worse parents and players.

I have worked higher level soccer games the past few years, and yes, the coaches and parents are definitely worse. I don't know what it is, but there is just so much complaining and arguing over any little call. It really has gotten worse.

4. I am addicted to fantasy leagues. Over the past year, I have participated in football leagues, 3 baseball leagues, 2 hockey leagues, a Rock of Love 3 league and several NCAA Tournament brackets. I joined a NASCAR league a few years ago, even though I know nothing about the "sport." Should I also mention that I’ll probably run an Oscar poll for this year’s Academy Awards?

I've cut back significantly. Now, I'm down to 4 fantasy football leagues and 2 baseball leagues. If there's a new season of Rock of Love, though, I'm all in!

5. By waiting in line for over five hours, I earned free burritos for a year from California Tortilla. Over the next 52 weeks, I saved $278.09 in burritos and quesadillas.

Ah, the good old days! Of course, I also earned free paninis for a year and burritos for a year again in 2014-2015. Between the two, I probably ate about $750 worth of free food.

6. Before meeting my wife, my longest relationship was 6 months.

This is still true.

7. The idea of buying and selling a home (the process is going to start soon) really, really scares me.

We sold our condo and bought a townhouse about 6 years ago. Yes, it was scary.

8. Due to a stupid car accident that occurred just before the end of my junior year, I was voted Worst Driver in high school. I also finished second in the class clown voting.

There is no truth to the rumor that there was a recount based on inaccurate balloting.

9. I cannot ride a bike; I am not going to elaborate on this.

I still can't ride a bike, and my older son will probably start learning to ride this spring. I'll teach him how to drive in 11 years, but I'm not going to be of any use teaching him how to ride a bike.

10. My blog is an extremely important part of my life. Although it may not look like it, I spend many hours each week writing posts.

With kids, I just don't have the time to write like I did 7 years ago. That's why you only see a few posts a week these days.

11. Many people work retail jobs in high school or college. I worked at Blockbuster and Kohl’s after earning my Masters degree.

I wore my Blockbuster shirt this past Halloween.

12. Assuming that the bus and Metro run on time and aren’t too crowded (huge assumptions here), I enjoy my 50+ minute commute each way as I have read more books for pleasure since I started my job 4 years ago than the rest of my life combined.

The bus has been fine, but Metro is hit or miss these days. Plus, I haven't read any books this month though I'm up on my Washington Post Magazine.

13. I was a Politics major in college and even interned with my Congressman. Although I still follow politics, especially during elections, I hate all of the partisanism (is that even a word?).

Things have certainly changed, haven't they? Everyone gets along now and both political parties work together effectively in the best interest of the American people.

14. I love my kitten and let him get away with just about everything. I hope that I’m not the same way when I have kids (the letting them get away with everything part).

I'm probably a little lenient with the kids, but as long as they aren't hurting themselves, hurting each other or damaging property, I'm generally fine with what they do.

15. Speaking of kids I don’t have, I’m convinced that my children will not be Pittsburgh Pirates fans. I can’t see them supporting such a horrible team especially when they will likely attend dozens of Nationals games. They are going to think that racing presidents are better than racing pierogies!

The Pirates have actually been good. My kids really might be Pirates fans!

16. When I lived in Columbus, I was a below-average beer-man for the Blue Jackets, Crew and Clippers.

Ah, the good old days of Columbus. Back when I was a full time grad student and worked three jobs. Good times! (I'm actually being serious. Good times!)

17. My driver’s license states that I am 5’ 7” and as a legal form of identification, it must be true.

Sadly, a late-30s growth spurt didn't happen.

18. I used to be involved in dozens of activities, clubs and sports in high school and college. I don’t do much of anything anymore.

Well, at least now I have the being a parent excuse. That eats up any free time.

19. The first concert I attended without my parents was Debbie Gibson. I was 24. (The age line was a joke; seeing Debbie Gibson was not.)

My Debbie Gibson knowledge remains strong and finally paid off. I had a top 10% finish in a Learned League Debbie Gibson quiz.

20. I want to write a book someday.

Did you see where I don't have time to blog? How I'm not involved in activities anymore? Sure, I have plenty of time to write a book.

21. I love traveling and always need to have a trip to look forward to.

Now this is sad. Besides going to Florida to visit the kids' grandparents and traveling for work once a year, I don't go anywhere. I want to go on a real vacation!

22. I performed in two award-winning musicals in high school. I made the cast through an awesome dance audition coupled with the fact that they needed more guys.

Nothing new to add here. I'll just reiterate that I was amazing in my dance audition.

23. When I took the Myers-Briggs test about 10 years ago, I was an extrovert. The older I get, the more introverted I become.

I really think I would land on introvert if I took the Myers-Briggs test today. Meeting new people is hard for me these days, and I find that I need my own time at the end of the day to recharge.

24. Here are random thoughts I have: how many total miles have I driven; what song have I heard more than any other; what toilets have I used the most in my life (#1 and #2 are in my parents’ house; #3 is my current home; there are several possibilities for #4).

Recently, there was a major renovation of the office bathroom with brand new urinals and toilets. So do the new toilets restart the count or is the bathroom, and not the actual toilet, the key factor in the count? Um, so I guess I still have random thoughts.

25. I was a three-sport star in high school in soccer, tennis and swimming/diving. OK, star is a bit of a stretch. As you can probably tell, I also like self-deprecating humor.

Still got that wonderful sense of humor!

Well, that was fun. Maybe I'll revisit this again in 2023.

Duquesne's Exquisite Mustache

A few years ago, the winner of one of my fantasy football leagues asked that we donate to Duquesne University in Pittsburgh rather than to send him money. This was even tax-deductible! This donation also put me on Duquesne's mailing list, so I now receive the Duquesne University Magazine. I recently received the Winter 2016 edition which features a story about Ken Gormley, the School of Law Dean who will become the 13th President of Duquesne University in July.

I don't know anything about Gormley or his qualifications , and while we don't know much about anything here at Sean's Ramblings, we certainly know good mustaches. And Gormley has a solid 'stache.

While the magazine includes a section showing quotes from various figures such as U.S. Congressman Mike Doyle, U.S. Senator Mark Warner, Frank Coonelly, President of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, praising Gormley, none of these folks referenced Gormley's mustache or how his mustache is part of his leadership skills and abilities. I hope the Duquesne University Magazine has a separate feature once Gormley becomes President about his mustache.

Trivia Tuesday: Route 66 Edition

I've mentioned several times that I'm part of the Learned League trivia league. I'm clearly one of the worst players in the league, but I enjoy it. That's not what this post is about though. There was a recent One-Day quiz about Route 66. I borrowed several questions from this quiz for today's Trivia Tuesday. I expect Eric, a Route 66 enthusiast, to do well.

1. Which American author coined the term “The Mother Road” for Route 66, in his depiction of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s?

2. Beginning in Chicago, Illinois and ending in Santa Monica, California, Route 66’s 2,000+ miles go through how many states, inclusive of the two termini?

3. Sheryl Crow could “drive up to _________ for the night, find some crossroad trucker to demonstrate his might.” Glenn Frey was “standing on a corner in __________, Arizona, such a fine sight to see.” While neither song is about Route 66, they each contain the name of a town along it. Complete the lyrics by naming both Route 66 towns.

4. What movie, whose setting was inspired by the small towns that were bypassed when Route 66 was replaced by interstates, was the highest grossing film of Paul Newman’s career? It was also his last feature film credit as an actor.

5. When President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act in 1956, it was the beginning of the end for the “Main Street of America.” As the new system was built, no single interstate was designated to replace Route 66; instead, 5 different interstates now make up the route that most closely parallels it. Name any 3 of those 5 interstates.

6. “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” has been recorded by Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Asleep at the Wheel, and Depeche Mode, among others. However, it was first recorded in 1946 by what crooner and jazz musician?

7. Route 66 was established in 1926 as one of the original highways in the U.S. Highway system. It was decertified and officially ceased to exist in what year? Other significant events to occur that year include Mikhail Gorbachev becoming leader of the Soviet Union, a Stanley Cup win for the Edmonton Oilers, and the release of New Coke.

8. In the summer of 1997, my Dad and I were stuck in this Arizona town on route 66 due to car problems. The part that we needed wasn't in this town and could not be delivered for several days due to a UPS strike. We ended up renting a car and visiting the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. We also ate at the same diner in this Arizona town, also home of Northern Arizona University, at least three times.

9. Although he may not have ever driven on any portion of Route 66, this #66, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, won his second Stanley Cup against Chicago.

As always leave your answers in the comments section below. In addition, don't use the internet for assistance. Good luck!

Sean Eats Incorrectly

A few months ago, I shared that I occasionally ate pizza bagels with ketchup instead of tomato sauce as a kid. This news nearly broke the internet with the outrage I received. So now I'm back with a new proclamation on how I eat incorrectly.

When I was in school, if you didn't get lunch from the cafeteria, you brought your meal from home and kept it in your locker. My two staples were either Hebrew National salami or cheese sandwiches. These sandwiches would sit in my room-temperature (if not warmer) locker for several hours before I ate them. I guess maybe some kids had ice packs or lunch bags that kept their meals cool, but I wasn't one of them.

Now that I'm an adult (by age though maybe not maturity level), I still regularly bring salami or cheese sandwiches from home for lunch. All these years later, I find that these sandwiches taste a little better if I don't refrigerate them. Essentially, my sandwiches sit in a Ziploc bag in my backpack for approximately five hours between the time I make them and eat them.

If this is supposed to make you sick, apparently, I've built up an immunity over the years. So am I alone on this one (again) or does anyone else eat sandwiches this way?

Hating Hillary Clinton

Eight year ago (8!?!?!), I wrote a post where I asked why people hate Hillary Clinton. Since the former Senator, Secretary of State and First Lady seems to be in the news quite a bit lately, many people seem to be asking the same question again. In just the first 45 days or so of 2016, here are keywords (generally through Google searches) of how people found Sean's Ramblings:

Is Hillary disliked by most American people

Specifically why do people hate Hillary Clinton

Why do people dislike Hillary

Why do people like Hilary Clinton

Why do people like Hillary Clinton

Why do people not like Hillary Clinton

Why do people not trust the Clintons?

Why do people think Hillary Clinton is evil?

Why do women hate Hillary Clinton

Why does everyone make fun of Hillary Clinton

Why does the younger generation not like Hillary

Why don't people like Hilary

Why dont people like Hillary Clinton

Why is Hillary Clinton disliked

Why is Hillary Clinton not liked

Why so many hate Hillary Clinton

Why to not like Hillary Clinton

young mail big nose actor


Hmmm...not sure how that last one got in here.

Stupid Henrik Lundqvist

During the Penguins-Rangers playoff series last April, my friend Nicholas, better known as PSAMP (and also known as Tecmo from back in the day) started a campaign to make Andrew W.K.'s Party Hard the Penguins' goal song. After months of tweets and correspondence by hundreds, if not thousands, of Pens fans with the organization, the team obliged. I suggest you check out The Point of Pittsburgh and The Hockey Writers for more on how this campaign succeeded.

Anyway, to celebrate the goal song, the Penguins invited Andrew W.K. and Nicholas to attend Wednesday night's game against the New York Rangers. It was going to be awesome seeing them and the arena celebrate when the Penguins scored. The Pens came in as one of the hottest teams in the league with Sidney Crosby scoring approximately 30 goals (plus or minus 20) the past 7 games. Despite getting more shots and more chances than the Rangers, the Penguins were held scoreless by arguably the best goalie on the planet, Henrik Lundqvist. Therefore, the goal song wasn't played. As I wrote in the post title, Stupid Henrik had to go and ruin this celebration.

Nevertheless, it looked like Nicholas (center) and Andrew W.K. (wearing sunglasses) had a fun time.

* Full disclosure: I never heard any of Andrew W.K.'s songs before this campaign started. I think I knew of him from being on MTV and VH1 shows.


Update: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an article about this too.

Living In New Hampshire During An Election

You may have heard that there is an election in New Hampshire today. Even if for some reason you don't ever follow the news, I'm sure that you've seen this outstanding video from Saturday's Republican debate which I may have watched a dozen times.



I've always wondered what it's like to live in New Hampshire during the nation's first Presidential primary. Does every candidate personally call you or knock on your door? My friend Ellen, also the author of the terrific Bookspired blog, moved to New Hampshire a few years ago, so I asked her about life in the Granite State.

My perception is that New Hampshire, in terms of population, is rather small. With so many candidates spending so much time in New Hampshire over the past year, I feel like the odds of seeing or meeting a candidate are pretty high. So since you're a parent of young kids, what candidate has kissed or tried to kiss them?

You know, I thought we'd run into a candidate or two in recent weeks or months, but so far we haven't. They're around, of course ... Many of the major events happen at St. Anselm College, which is right in our town. Carly Fiorina did a town hall meeting at our kids' future school this Saturday. I'm glad no candidates have tried to kiss my babies!

(This may be the last picture you'll see of Fiorina as a Presidential candidate.)

Being serious (momentarily), what's it like being in New Hampshire days before an election where the whole country is watching (or at least will watch after the Super Bowl)?

It is kind of exciting that all eyes will be on New Hampshire. We've had a lot of knocks at our door from canvassers. I'd say tomorrow we'll get more. The weirdest one happened yesterday. My attending nurse for my second daughter's birth knocked on my door to ask for my vote for Hillary. Really tugging at heartstrings.

Just going to the grocery store or running errands, can you avoid the election or do people simply go about their business?

People seem to go about their business. I thought I might have an exciting sighting at Market Basket, but nothing yet. So far, no one has approached me while I've been in public. They just come right to my house. The political signs are everywhere, though, similar to the situation in Northern Virginia.

I decided to look up famous people from New Hampshire. I figure (my perception again) that they are all traveling the state with the candidates they support. So who did Mandy Moore, born in Nashua (though she moved to Florida at two months) endorse? What about current Pittsburgh Penguin Ben Lovejoy? Basically, have you had any celebrity sightings either from people endorsing the candidates or even media members?

I didn't even think of the possibility of meeting real celebrities! That would be truly exciting. Mostly I've been thinking up choice words for Donald Trump, if he should cross my path.

What do you expect when you go to the polls on Tuesday? Big crowds? Offers for a free California Tortilla taco if you wear your "I Voted" sticker?

Hmm well they are pretty organized here in my town, and it's not that big, so I expect an efficient voting experience. I would love the bribe of free tacos, but it'd have to be Chipotle ... No California Tortilla in these parts!
(Sean's note: Chipotle offered free burritos Monday, but that had nothing to do with any elections.)

What do you expect New Hampshire to look like on Thursday?

I expect there will be no candidates left in the Granite state ... they'll be heading to Nevada and South Carolina, I guess? Or maybe making their rounds in the other states in preparation for Super Tuesday? It'll be interesting to see how long the signs hang around. Jeb seems to have the most signs in our area ... maybe because of the proximity to the family residence in Kennebunkport. I think NH will be back to business as usual pretty quickly.

Thanks again to Ellen for answering my questions. Tuesday should be fun in New Hampshire. Please make sure to check out Ellen's blog, Bookspired.

A Reason To Root Against Peyton Manning

During last year's football season, we established that Peyton Manning dresses terribly. He is probably the only person to tuck a football jersey into his jeans. Now, Manning is at it again. Hanging out at the gym with J.J. Watt and Papa John, Manning tucks his T-shirt into his gym shorts.



Again, is Manning the only person to tuck in his shirt at the gym? I can't tell what he's doing with his football jersey at the end of the video either. It may not be tucked in, but it doesn't look right.

Anyway, if you're not sure who to support in Sunday's big game, I doubt you'll see any member of the Carolina Panthers tucking their football jerseys into jeans or T-shirt into shorts at the gym.

Randomness & Monday Links

Wegmans celebrated its 100th birthday this weekend by giving away lots of samples, grocery bags and birthday cake. (My 1.5 year old - Pedro Tulo - loved the sheet cake.) While I really enjoy shopping at Wegmans and definitely appreciated the free swag, I feel partially responsible for keeping the grocery store in business. Wegmans opened in Virginia in 2004, so I have shopped at either the Dulles or Fairfax locations for 11-12 years now. I also shopped at Wegmans when I was in college for 4 years in Ithaca. Conservatively, I've probably easily spent $50,000 at Wegmans. You're welcome, Wegmans!

This is a recent discussion between me and my 4 year old (The Moose)

The Moose: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Me: Retired.

The Moose: (Excitedly) A Tiger!

Although The Moose doesn't read yet, he is now a subscriber to Entertainment Weekly. He had some airline miles that were about to expire, so "he" redeemed them for a year subscription. I'm sure he's going to be excited to read articles about The Walking Dead.

A few articles to start your week:

PGH Sports Daily had an exclusive interview with Steelers and Pitt sportscaster Bill Hillgrove

This is a fascinating article by John Scott, the NHL enforcer/All-Star/now minor leaguer who also happens to have an engineering degree. [Players Tribune]

The Steel Trap published its latest, always entertaining First World Problems post.

Craig Adams Retires

Former Pittsburgh Penguin Craig Adams retired on Tuesday after playing 14 seasons in the NHL. I actually thought he retired when the Penguins didn't sign him to a new contract at the end of the 2014-2015 season. Adams is (I believe) the only NHL player born in Brunei and also attended a small Boston-area school called Harvard. Adams frustrated many Penguins fans at the end of his tenure for his lack of offensive, and even defensive, production. He also made the dumb decision to fight his own teammate, superstar Evgeni Malkin, in practice. Someone that went to Harvard should know better. With all of this written, I still have a bit of a soft spot for Adams.

Adams was claimed off waivers in March 2009, but his Stanley Cup experience and excellent work on the penalty kill helped lead the Penguins to their own Stanley Cup three months later. There was also a bit of a running joke that whenever Adams scored, which was infrequent (though he did score three goals during the 2009 Cup run), the Penguins won. However, my favorite Adams moment came off the ice during HBO's 24/7.



Now that I'm a father of a preschooler, I appreciate this video even more. My 4 year-old loves to rattle off names of his classmates or tell us who has what job (line-leader, calendar person, etc.). Maybe The Moose (my son) could have been an HBO star!

Winter Storm Jonas

If your city is going to be paralyzed by a blizzard, it might as well be an historic one. Winter Storm Jonas arrived in the DC area on Friday afternoon and finally finished its work sometime late Saturday night / early Sunday morning. While you can see the snow totals for the DC area here (my estimate is that we received about 27 inches at my home), I decided to give a thumbs up/thumbs down on the snowstorm.

Thumbs Up: Jonas. Look, I don't understand why every storm needs a name, but Jonas is fine particularly since the Jonas Brothers are probably thrilled by the extra exposure. Meanwhile, I hope that Hanson is plotting somewhere to have their own blizzard.

Thumbs Down: Snowzilla. Is this name really necessary? Why did this name make it in news stories?

Thumbs Up: My son (The Moose) helping shovel.

Thumbs Down: My street. The snow plow got stuck on Sunday morning, and I don't think it's been back since. My side of the street isn't bad but the other half is still a mess.

Thumbs Up: I found a bag of Stacy's Pita Chips. Sure the expiration date was last month, but they still taste good to me.

Thumbs Down: Sweets. I don't seem to have any here. I should have bought a bag of Hershey's kisses before the snow hit.

Thumbs Up: Me. I did an awesome job shoveling. Here are before and after pictures from Saturday morning.

Of course, we received another foot of snow after I finished, so there was much more shoveling. However, after I finished I felt like quoting Lords of the Underground. They don't understand, I'm the motherf'n man. (Some of the words in the video are NSFW.)



Thumbs Down: My car. I don't think it's ever getting out of this parking spot. My car is in the middle.

Thumbs Up: Pittsburgh Sports. Pitt won an exciting basketball game on Saturday afternoon while the Penguins defeated the Vancouver Canucks.

Thumbs Down: This was supposed to be the annual hockey road trip weekend. It didn't happen. Of course, the New York Islanders actually cancelled the game in Brooklyn, so maybe it will happen in February instead.

Thumbs Up: The Washington Post. The Capital Weather Gang provided great information over the past few days.

Thumbs Down: The Washington Post. I'm a Sunday subscriber, and while I didn't expect to receive the Sunday paper, I liked getting the circular on Friday. Unfortunately, instead of including the Comics, Travel and Arts sections, all I got was the weekly ads. Heaven forbid we don't know the sale prices at Kohl's and Target!