Facts and Inspira-Sean
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| Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 | | 4:20 am |
September: now with more newsletter, less wallet
 | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
September 2009 | Vol. 20 |
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Have you seen me? - I lost my wallet again. This happens so often its more of a "good Samaritan" test. Whoever found it this time has, thus far, failed the "good Samaritan" test. There wasn't much cash in it but there were four gold AMC movie passes. Although I'm not a mean guy, I am sort of hoping the movies the "bad Samaritan" chooses to see using the gold AMC tickets formerly known as mine are real stinkers. You know, like GLITTER-bad or SHOWGIRLS-bad. I also hope the person sitting in front of him at the theater blurts out plot points and answers her cell phone during the film. And, it would be acceptable if his popcorn gives him explosive diarrhea. Other than that, I hope he enjoys the show and my relatively new wallet. As for me, I'm working on losing a new one. This one is a blue velcro type. If you see it around, let me know...I probably don't. | | Speaking of Stinkers... - I went to my second Mets game at Citifield to watch them get manhandled by the Braves 15 to 2. I wrote about the catastrophe here. I was just starting to turn the page on the abysmal lost and then "mets.com" shows up in my inbox with a "Game Recap." They say, right after they put up the 15-2 score that they "hope [I] enjoyed the game." Geez, Mets, don't send out the form letter on the worst home loss of the season. 
If you click on the "video highlights from the game" you will see my highlight from the game. |
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Mom's
Birthday | Tue 9/15: Happy __th Birthday, mom! I encourage everyone to celebrate it as she likely will not. | Everywhere |
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House M.D.
is back! | Mon 9/21 @8p: The Doctor is in (the asylum...according to snakesonacane.com). I love this TV show. If you are not yet into it I have seasons 1-3 on DVD and will gladly loan 'em out. I am not responsible for blown minds. |  |
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Doubledecker
Party | Sat 9/26: My roommate, the girls downstairs, and I are going to join forces and have a double-decker (two story) Astoria party. If you haven't already received the Facebook invite, email me back and I'll forward you the info. | Astoria, NY |
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|  | Pizza Month
Annual pursuit of the 31 Days of Pizza | | October is National Pizza Month. The past seven years I have celebrated it by eating at least one slice of pizza every day at 31 different locations with at least one guest. I also blog about it with photos and ratings. Last year 8 friends of mine made videos for 8 pizza days putting their own unique flare in the editing process. Check out all the final products here. This year, I intend to make it eight years in a row. If you want to be a part of Pizza Month 2008 by either joining me or recommending a pizza place, please click here and let me know. |
|  | Junior Varsity
My improv comedy house team at the Magnet Theater | | TNT - (Thursday Night @ Ten) JV will be performing EVERY THURSDAY @10p as part of Thursday Night Out. $5 gets you in to up to five shows and free pizza. If you haven't been to see us or the Magnet in awhile, be our guest! |
|  | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, Sep 3rd, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, Sep 17th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67  Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- You read this far so tell someone else to sign up for my monthly newsletters! Thanks. | | Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | | 1:11 pm |
Best Disabled List in Baseball
So now that Johan has joined the rest of the Mets on the Disabled List EVERY player us fans can buy a jersey for is on the DL. According to the prognosis, a good chunk of these players are slated to be back in September, but for what? So we can hope to remain above Washington in the NL East? Recently we have miraculously kept the opposition to 3 or fewer runs a couple of times but that is 3 more runs than we are capable of scoring. The fact that Mets are totally out of it with no indication future seasons will be any different is very depressing. I mean we still got like 30 games left in the season where other teams are gonna come in an embarrass us and pad their stats. Ugh. Sometimes being a fan is tough. | Mets | Updated | Status | Due Back | Injury | Notes |
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 | Beltran, Carlos (CF) | 08/23 | 15-day DL | Likely September | Bone bruise in right knee | Scheduled to run Aug. 24; start rehab soon after. |  | Cora, Alex (2B) | 08/22 | 60-day DL | May miss rest of season | Ligament injuries to both thumbs | Moved to 60-day DL Aug. 19. |  | Delgado, Carlos (1B) | 08/26 | 15-day DL | Possibly early September | Torn labrum/right oblique strain | Suffered setback in rehab Aug. 12. |  | Maine, John (P) | 08/19 | 15-day DL | Likely early September | Right shoulder fatigue | Still limited to long-toss. |  | Martinez, Fernando (CF) | 07/16 | 15-day DL | Possibly mid-September | Torn meniscus | Underwent surgery during All-Star break. |  | Martinez, Ramon (2B) | 08/05 | 60-day DL | Possibly August | Dislocated pinky | Placed on DL June 3. |  | Niese, Jonathon (P) | 08/10 | Out for Season | Likely Spring Training '10 | Torn right hamstring | Slated undergo surgery. |  | Nieve, Fernando (P) | 07/20 | 15-day DL | Possibly September | Torn right quad | Carted off field after pulling up lame July 19. |  | Putz, J.J. (P) | 08/25 | 60-day DL | Likely Spring Training '10 | Slight ulnar collateral ligament tear | Suffered setback, done until '10. |  | Reyes, Jose (SS) | 08/13 | 15-day DL | Might miss season | Small hamstring tear, knee inflammation | No new injury updates. |  | Santana, Johan (P) | 08/25 | Out for Season | Spring 2010 | Bone chips in left elbow | To undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery. |  | Wright, David (3B) | 08/22 | 15-day DL | Possibly Sept. 1 | Post-concussion symptoms | Slated for baseball activities Aug. 24-26 |
| | Thursday, August 20th, 2009 | | 6:46 pm |
Insult to injury, thanks "mets.com"
I was just starting to turn the page on yesterday's abysmal lost and then "mets.com" shows up in my inbox with a "Game Recap." They say, right after they put up the 15-2 score that they "hope [I] enjoyed the game." Geez, Mets, don't send out the form letter on the worst home loss of the season. I'm wondering if I click on the "video highlights from the game" it will just be me eating my hot dog. That's the only highlight I can recall. | | 2:07 pm |
Mets crushed by Braves
August 19, 2009 Braves 15 Mets 2 A day after the Mets scored 8 runs in a single inning, the Braves equalled the feat and then some. Not just "some" but "a lot." Starting pitcher Bobby Parnell seemed to be throwing fastball after fastball after fastball. I guess the other pitches in his arsenal were not working. It was just a matter of time before the Braves timed him and caught up to his 94 mph heat. Unfortunately, that "time" happened in the second inning with Adam LaRoche's no-doubt 3-run homer. While Atlanta "caught up to speed," New York was "just missing." The 8-run second only occurred because catcher Omir Santos "just missed" a foul pop-up and Shortstop Anderson Hernandez just missed throwing out two Atlanta infield hits. The air was so heavy, the dust never actually settled...nor did the Atlanta offense. They continued to batter Mets pitching even scoring the 15th run in the top of the ninth. It was a sad, sad day to realize just how impotent the Mets are this year. John O'Donnell and I arrived at CitiField full of optimism on this hot and muggy August night. T is beautiful. The sunset was idyllic. My Shack-ago Dog from the Shake Shack in center field was amazing. The only thing lacking was competitive baseball. Reminders of what the home team lacked were everywhere. Mets fans donning jerseys of players long since traded and franchise players currently only appearing on Disabled List rosters made the Braves rout even more sobering. Eventually even the most optimistic, hopeful, you-gotta-believe fans need to face the fact that the Mets are not going to win the World Series or even make the playoffs this year. Some folks will blame this on the performance enhancing drug crackdown preventing our players from "recovering." Some will blame Bernie Madoff for screwing over the Mets owner so hard he couldn't afford to make necessary moves to put his team in contention this year. Even others blame the players for not playing. I just think we're snakebit. When our luck turns around we got a team that can bean any team out there. I also like seeing the new guys earn their spot on the team. Tatis and Cora are the two hardnosed ball players that "get the job done." Sheffield, Francouer, and Murphy are our past, present, and future of power production. I also like Angel Pagan. The rest of 'em, better start producing because when the franchise players come back, you're gone! Here are some pix from the game...  still full of optimism (before the game)
The sunset was the only thing worth watching at Citifield
A delicious Shack-ago Dog
John & I hoping for a 13 run rally...didn't happen
| | Monday, August 3rd, 2009 | | 1:49 pm |
Whoopee! A Newsletter..
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
August 2009 | Vol. 19 |
| My Niece Breaks Her Grandfather's Whoopee Cushion
Heartwarming Apology Exonerates Culprit - GRANDPA'S 60TH BIRTHDAY PARTY: Despite inflating and deflating her grandfather's whoopee cushion until it burst , Lori was completely forgiven upon receipt of the apology that accompanied the broken device. But how could a four year old unable to read or write possibly pen an apology? Enter Lori's older sister, Suzi. At 6 years old, Suzi's grasp of the English language was the missing link. Courtesy of stolen sips of Grandpa's soda, the girls worked well beyond their bed time. As Lori dictated, Suzi wrote. Both knew, however, if this apology were to be convincing, Lori would have to be the one holding the crayon. So, Suzi wrote ever so lightly knowing full well Lori would have to trace over the draft. The plan worked beautifully. The apology was so well crafted, it was almost as if my father had completely forgotten he owned a whoopee cushion in the first place! Apologies might not always work, but it certainly did this time. Well done, nieces! |   Yin & Yang - Aside from playing with whoopee cushions I also played 18 holes of golf on a championship course. The photo to the left was the highlight of my round when I hit a rescue club on a par 3 to within one club length of the hole (nearly missing a hole-in-one). The other photo, was the lowlight. I hit two drives on #18 out of bounds to completely ruin an otherwise solid round. Should have stopped at 17. |  Rain Reigns Supreme - Has it ever rained this much in a given baseball season? I finally scored some free tickets to a Mets game. The one drawback is that on a free ticket there is this "no rain checks" clause that mean you don't get to go if it's postponed and rescheduled. So, my buddies and I went ALL the way to citiField just to be disappointed. We did grab burgers at Donovan's Pub (one of the best burger places in the city) on the way home so it wasn't a total waste. Also, I'm still accepting free Mets tickets until the end of the season...which is sadly arriving way faster than I had hoped in the spring. |
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Robin's 30th
birthday | Mon 8/17 : Save the date as a day where fun will happen...maybe even a party. Also, singing will likely be involved. | TBA, NYC |
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| ETV 8 | Fri 8/28 @7p: Improvisers turn into rock stars for a night you won't forget. Robin did it last time and Shawn Amaro and I captured it on video (click here to see Robin sing "Magic Man"). Here's thefacebook event | Kenny's
Castaways |
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Softball
Playoffs | Sun 8/30 @2pm: My 92Y softball team has clinched a playoff spot, come see what we do with it if you're interested in watching or just enjoying Central Park before the end of summer. | Great Lawn
field #2 |
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| | Junior Varsity
My improv comedy house team at the Magnet Theater | | Boston or Burst - Junior Varsity is excited to perform at the Boston Improv festival in Early September. Also, beginning in September, JV will be performing EVERY THURSDAY @10p as part of Thursday Night Out. $5 gets you in to up to five shows and free pizza. If you haven't been in awhile, please come. |
|  | Variety Underground
Free once-a-month variety show hosted and booked by me and Shawn Amaro | | Thursday, Aug 6th from 7:30-9pm at the Parkside Lounge, in addition to the improv groups Jurassic Park and The Patsy Decline, Variety Underground's lineup includes musical sketch comedy by Shoes & Socks, a clown act called Butt Kapinski and stand up comedy by Adam Newman and Aaron Putnam. As always, Free admission and a loosely enforced 2 drink minimum. | 
(click for directions) | | Want to perform at VU? Please submit your act! |
| | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, Aug 6th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, Aug 20th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67 Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- You read this far but you might not have clicked on the link of Robin singing at ETV
| | Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 | | 2:37 pm |
Sean Taylor's July Newsletter; a new mid-summer classic
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
July 2009 | Vol. 18 |
| Better Late-r, than GATOR!!!
If you promise to eat it, I will bayou alligator - I ate gator...in New Orleans, not this cute fellow but someone who looks a lot like him (no offense). I took this picture on Avery Island, Lousiana (home of the Tabasco sauce factory). I also ate frogs' legs for the sole purpose of saying that I ate them. And, well, I just did. So, all bragging aside, I prefer crayfish, shrimp, andouille, and everything else I ate in that delicious town. Did you know that Cajun people are descendants of French peasants displaced from Nova Scotia? Yeah, like pilgrims, they came over to the "New World" seeking a new life away from religious wars and sucky Europe. Ha! You can learn a lot from a newsletter! |   Can I...Play?! - I did my first play in years. You are probably wondering "Did you have an accent?" and "Was there a kiss scene?" and "Were you barefoot and wearing black?" to which the answers are..."Yes," "Yes," and "Of course!" I played Sylvia Plath's husband, Ted Hughes. The play is The Lazarus Yearsby Kate Mulley and was part of the Jamboree! created by Olivia Gilliatt (she played Sylvia Plath). The run is over but there will be more plays in the near future from Odyssey Productions. |  It's Up, and It's Good...in my opinion - Check out the new look to the Magnet website that Justin Moran and I launched this past month. Let me know if something doesn't work and I'll find a way to pin it on Justin. If you like the site, you should see the SQL (pronounced "sequel"). Not every programer will let you see his backend. Nope, I'm a unique member of that array! |
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Dad's 60th
birthday | Mon 7/13 : My dad celebrates his 60th year of life. He's a scratch golfer but still has several years before he can realistically "hit his age." I mean, he'd have to shoot 12 under par to get a 60. | Reynold's Plantation, Georgia |
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Free
NY Pizza
Suprema | Thursdays in July after 9p show: My favorite slice place in the city has offered to supply free pizza to the audiences of Thursday Night Out for the month of July. That means $5 gets you a whole night of entertainment AND pizza! | magnet |
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| Musical Improv ensembles | Tue 7/14 & 7/28 @10p: The Magnet Theater debuts its newly developed house ensembles performing off-the-cuff, on-the-spot Musicals! It's a spectacle not to be missed. That being said, I'll be in GA for the debut, but won't miss the show on the 28th. | magnet |
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| | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, Jul 9th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, Jul 23th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67 Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- You read this far so watch Robin sing karaoke at 3am on Bourbon St, New Orleans Current Mood:  amused | | Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 | | 3:34 pm |
It's getting hot outside, so read a newsletter | June 2009
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
June 2009 | Vol. 17 |
| Summer Launchin'...
Having a blast! - Justin Moran and I are renovating the Magnet Theater website and launching it on June 12th. The current site I had nothing to do with is located at...
http://magnettheater.com
Although we've already rolled out the message board (open to anyone who has ever enrolled in a Magnet Class), the whole new site won't be ready until June 12th. Please check the address above after June 12th and let me know what you think. |  Two Years - I love Robin and she loves steak. Applying the transitive property of equality (which, of course, applies to love) I love steak. Fortunately, there is a steakhouse in NYC with Robin's lastname (+ an additional "n"). The additional "n" must make it not Jewish as the "Rothmann salad" comes with shrimp and bacon (two items that are decidedly non-kosher and decidedly delicious). Anyway, we went here for our two year anniversary.(psst...ad campaign) Everything goes well when your relationship is at steak. |
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Stonewall
Sensation | Wed 6/3 @10:00p: gay bar American Idol. The aforementioned Robin Rothman is in the top 6 and, like all the remaining contestants, will be singing an ABBA hit and a song from any movie soundtrack. 12 contestants sing to gay/lesbian/drag queen/celebrity judges while we vote (1 vote per soft or hard drink). If you like singing, gay bars, Robin, or drinking, see you on Wed! | Stonewall Inn
53 Christopher St. |
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Free
NY Pizza
Suprema | Thursdays in June @~9:15p: My favorite slice places in the city has offered to supply free pizza to the audiences of Thursday Night Out for the month of June. That means $5 gets you a whole night of entertainment AND pizza! | magnet |
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| Ilya's wedding | Sat 6/6 @5p: A member of my posse (thanks to Erik Tanouye) and 2nd Christmas kin is getting married. Congratulations, Ilya Maga-still-don't-know-how-to-spell-it! | Brooklyn |
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| | Variety Underground
Free once-a-month variety show hosted and booked by me and Shawn Amaro | | Thursday, June 4th from 7:30-9pm at the Parkside Lounge, in addition to the improv group Friends of the Museum, Variety Underground's lineup includes musical sketch comedy by Stuckey & Murray and stand up comedy by Abigoliah Schamaun andJarret Berenstein (who will be celebrating a very special anniversary). As always, Free admission and a loosely enforced 2 drink minimum. |
(click for directions) | | Want to perform at VU? Please submit your act! |
| | Junior Varsity
My improv comedy house team at the Magnet Theater | 
Speaking of websites... - Junior Varsity now has a home in cyberspace. Thanks to Shawn Wickens, you can find out all you every wanted to know about JV and then some right here...
JVimprov.com |
| | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, Jun 11th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, Jun 25th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67 Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- Read this far? well, maybe you missed the compilation video I made for Robin at Stonewall Sensation Current Music: Robin Rothman compilation | | Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 | | 4:09 am |
MAY I Speak? | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
May 2009 | Vol. 16 |
| BALLS!
I got your balls - If you ever hit errant shots on any Reynold's Plantation, Georgia golf hole, my dad and I may have recovered your golf balls. In just one afternoon we found 107 golf balls, nearly half in that greenside pond on #13 (if you don't know what I'm talking about, take my word for it and aim left on your approach!). Our booty (107 balls) did not come without casualties. My dad's leg found the business end of a stickerbush and I nearly twisted my ankle falling in a gopher hole. But we persevered. Sure a lot of these dirty balls pictured look nasty but I assure you they clean up nicely. You want clean balls, you gotta scrub 'em hard! I don't claim to be an expert but you can quote me on that one. |
| Sean's TV/web/stage/field guide |
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Stonewall
Sensation | Wed 5/6 @10:00p: American idol as only one of the most famous gay bars in the country could have it. 12 contestants sing to gay, lesbian, drag queen, and celebrity judges. The audience votes (one vote per drink ordered) and hopefully Robin Rothman (my girlfriend) advances. If you like singing, gay bars, Robin, or 80's, see you on Wednesday! | Stonewall
53 Christopher St. |
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House
season 5
finale | Mon 5/11 @8:00p: Season finales for the best show on television are awesome and sad. Awesome because the producers and writers of HOUSE always experiment with the medium and blow your mind with interesting stuff. Also, there's drama for the ladies. It's sad though, because it's a long time before the next season begins. | FOX |
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92Y softball
Opener | Sun 5/10 @5:30p: The Central Park softball team I play on has a game at 5:30. If you're out there, stop by. | Central Park
(Great Lawn) fld#2 |
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|  | Pizza Month
Annual pursuit of the 31 Days of Pizza | 
My first commercial!
(click here to play)
Me and my partner-in-pizza (Shawn Amaro) made a 15 second spot that will be seen before movies shown at The Pavilion in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn.
(note: If you go to Enzo's, please mention you heard about it here) |
| | Junior Varsity
My improv comedy house team at the Magnet Theater |  A Cause to Beach About - Junior Varsity helped raise $5,000 to promote the arts for the children of Delaware. The event was held at scenic Rehoboth Beach, Delaware on the first beautiful day of spring. There was enough sun there to prompt me to buy sunglasses (not pictured) and sunscreen (also not pictured) - sunscreen I later had to forfeit to airport security for being over 3 oz. |
| | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, May 14th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, May 28th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67 Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- Read this far? well check out my friend Erik's kindle commercial Current Mood:  cheerful | | Friday, April 3rd, 2009 | | 5:11 pm |
Not April Fooling anyone | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
April 2009 | Vol. 15 |
|  April Tools!I got iPhone fever. I do not even own an iPhone but that won't stop me from creating applications (apps) for them. What has slowed me down, however, is having to teach myself Objective-C (the iPhone developer language). I now see why people go to college to learn how to program as listening to13 year olds give tutorials online is tough on my ego. My first app, of course, centers squarely (Sicilianly) on pizza. If you click on the image to the left you will see a fully functioning web version of my forthcoming ALLSTAR NY PIZZA iPhone app. Please beta test (er taste) it out by clicking on the iPhone or going here... http://www.seantaylor.us/iphone3.php If you like it or find a bug, please contact me. I would also love to hear any feedback you may have about technical or aesthetic improvements.
 Speaking of tools...
I celebrated Saint Patrick's Day with some college friends in Boston, Mass. I had hoped to see the green Charles River but forgot to look (on three separate occasions). Anyway, I was able to wear my hat-that-I-can-only-wear-one-day-a-year. Also managed to play some green beer pong. |
| Sean's TV/web/stage/field guide |
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Mets
home opener | Mon 4/13 @7:10p: The New York Mets have a brand new stadium (Citifield) and will be playing their first regular season game. I want to attend in person but I don't have a ticket yet. | SNY
CitiField |
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The Baroness
of Vegas | Sun 4/19 @6:30p: Trudy Carmichael goes solo and off book in a night of completely improvised songs featuring Robin Rothman and Frank Spitznagel. One night only. | Magnet Theater |
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Blue Balls
home opener | Mon 4/20 @6:15p: My softball team has our first home game of the season. We already had a game (we won) but we were the visiting team. | Riverside Park
(@107th st) fld#6 |
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| | Pizza Month
Annual pursuit of the 31 Days of Pizza |
My first commercial!
Me and my partner-in-pizza (Shawn Amaro) made a 15 second spot that will be seen before movies shown at The Pavilion in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn.
(note: video from which still above was taken is not yet available to public) |
| | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, April 16th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, April 30th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67 Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- Read this far? well, rock out to this remixed news story - Current Mood:  calm | | Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 | | 3:58 am |
March Gladness | Sean Taylor's newsletter
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
March 2009 | Vol. 14 |
|  On Your March,
Get Set...
GO[oooogle]!This "in-like-a-lion" weather has kept me inside affording me ample opportunity to combine my odd desire to computer program with my love of pizza. Now all of my pizza month reviews for the past two years are available on a searchable google map. Integrating PHP, CSS, SQL, Javascript, and HTML has never been so tasty. Please beta test (er taste) it out by clicking on the map or going here... http://www.seantaylor.us/googlemap.php If you like it or find it useful, tell a potential employer for me! If you don't like it or find a bug, pleasecontact me and I'll fix it. Also, I would love to hear any feedback you may have about technical or aesthetic improvements.
  Mindless Drivel - Although most of my computer time was spend coding, I did find time to invent "Conversation Theory" and weigh in on the steroid scandal with my own Op-Ed piece. In short, avoid asking questions that don't provide any information to the responder and A-Rod really disappointed me (details here... Convo 101 | A-roid). |
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| Tony's "blurb" | My roommate addresses the write-up for his singer/songwriter debut show in hilarious fashion | Vimeo video |
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| WBC | The final game of the World Baseball Classic (Olympics of Professional baseball) is on Monday (March 23rd) from 6-9pm. Hopefully, the United States (inventors of baseball) will be in this game. I'll be tuning in regardless. | ESPN/mlbTV |
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| My sister's wedding | Melanie got married and her photographer put together a pretty cool slideshow...even though I'm only in one photo. | key=Dasher |
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| ETV | Enormous Television is a rock show that took place this past February 26th with some of my favorite comedians/closet-rockstars including Robin Rothman (my girlfriend). If you were unable to attend, check out the footage provided by Shannon Manning! | flip video |
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| | Pizza Month
Annual pursuit of the 31 Days of Pizza | Please beta test out the pizza reviews from the past two years here...
Pizza Month meets Google maps!
and contact me with any bugs you encounter or creative alternatives to the "1" and the "0" google maps. I'm toying with the idea of using inverted pizza slices but I'd love to hear from you.Thanks, in advance! |
| | The Spotlight with Sean Taylor
My talk show featuring folks who have been on TV! | | Encore condensed episodes of The Spotlight are available on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network for folks living in Manhattan with Time Warner cable. So, set your DVRs to the upcoming air dates and times... Thursday, March 5th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67
Thursday, March 19th, 2009 @11:30p on Channel 67 Want to talk about YOUR appearance on TV? Please click here to submit yourself to be a guest on the show!
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- Read this far and on facebook? Let's play scrabble - |
archived at http://www.seantaylor.us/newsletter/2009_03.htm Current Mood:  accomplished | | Monday, February 16th, 2009 | | 12:07 pm |
Thoughts on Conversations
I have long believed that the world runs on conversation. Some may say it's based on profession or schooling or love. I do not disagree I just feel that conversation is key to all of these. Profession - The best doctor in the world still needs to be able to converse with his patients, nurses, fellow researchers, and hospital owners. The best grades from the best med school doesn't get you a job. An interview seals the deal. It's the great equalizer. A conversation about sailing with a hospital owner who loves boats will give any qualified (not necessarily the MOST qualified) candidate the edge. College - All the top schools require interviews. And even if your test scores and grades are just that good that you get in anyway, everyone knows you learn more from fellow classmates than from the professor. Fellow classmates are likely going to be colleagues. If colleagues can't relate to you then how will non-colleagues? Love - Despite what movies and books depict, a lot of love takes place outside of the bedroom. If there isn't some sort of Romeo & Juliet thing going on, you are likely to spend A WHOLE LOT of time with each other. "How was your day?" and "What are you up to today?" and "What do you want for dinner?" are going to be questions (conversation topics) that are going to come up. If you are unable to answer them, you and your significant other are probably going to fall out of love. Some say, "I knew fromt the moment I met him, he was the one for me." This is either revisionist history, a stubborn person, or a very lucky guesser. The only thing you get from a "moment" could be a crush, lust, or infatuation. Love happens over time. Time = conversation. So, Live Journal, what am I trying to say? Well, the common denominator in all of the items above is "conversation." Without decent conversation ability, you have created a glass ceiling for your own potential. Many people will disagree with this thesis, but it's difficult to unprove. If you're still with me, Live Journal, then you are at least interested in conversation theory by Sean Taylor. This is not a book, just the random thoughts that I can't get out of my head all the time so I figure I'll assault my live journal with them. Conversation Postulates 1. It takes two to converse. This means if you are involved in a "boring conversation" you are potentially 50% at fault. 2. Everyone has something interesting to say. If you know this is not true then either you have been unable to pry something interesting out of people and/or you have nothing interesting to say. 3. At least half of a conversation is listening. If you exceed 50% talking, then you are likely "venting" or "lecturing." Either way, you are not listening and, thus, not conversing. Can you teach and also talk? Yes. These are the postulates. If you do not buy into them, then you are likely not interested in what I have to say about having interesting conversations, icebreakers, knowing your medium, respecting your audience, and finding your conversation partners' expertise. But, no bother, I'll probably write it anyway! Current Music: "You Are My Everything" by Robin Rothman | | Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 | | 11:34 am |
Help Us, Ryan Howard, You're Our Only Hope
A-Rod, A-Roid, A-Hole, A-positive-drug-test, or "Alex Rodriguez" - whatever you want to call him, he came clean this weekend about a positive drug test from 2003. This is bad on all fronts except one. Alex Rodriguez piece of mind. His stats reflect a ball player who is one of the best men to ever play the game. But he cheated. When you are guilty of cheating, nothing else matters. A Rod will play the game until he's tired of it and leave, several years shy of his potential. This isn't fair to baseball fans. I respect the Hall of Fame but not as a collection of the best ball players to play the game (I can get that from the internet), but I respect it because ball players respect it. I feel like we dangle "Hall of Fame" potential in front of great ball players so they'll keep playing the game. Whether it be setting records or breaking records, this keeps our favorite ball players in the game. But records only happen after the fact. I watch baseball for the fact, not after-the-fact. A-Rod's numbers no longer matter so why stay in? He's got his health to worry about now. After all, no one knows the adverse side effects to extended use of steroids. Sure, I'm mad. It's a manifestation of my disappointment of having to take someone off the "role model" pedestal combined with a preparation for a pre-mature retiring of one of the most gifted ball players to play the game. But, I'm glad he came clean. I feel like he's off the stuff now so anything he does between now and retirement will be legitimate. I am ok that he put his current well being ahead of his Hall of Fame status. When I watch a game, i want to see good baseball, not someone padding his HoF stats. I wish Barry Bonds would come clean too so maybe I could see him take a few more at bats. Ryan Howard, if you're reading this, please don't ever do drugs. You now have to be the outright home run leader of all time just so baseball can turn the page on this ugly chapter. Also, don't hit any homers against the Mets. Current Mood:  disappointed | | Monday, February 2nd, 2009 | | 12:24 am |
Are You Ready for Some Newsletter? | February 2009
| | Sean Taylor's Newsletter
February 2009 | Vol. 13 |
|  New Administra-SeanI was fortunate enough to be amongst the approximately three million people in D.C. for the inauguration. Thanks to Justin Purnell and the keep it fun Fun Bus, 50 others and I were able to take part in the festivities.
 This newsletter marks the one year anniversary of the Sean Taylor Newsletter, the most egocentric newsletter that Sean Taylor has ever written. What better time to introduce a new sec-Sean with less concentra-Sean on Sean. It's called "shows I'm planning on watching this month" or SIPOWTM for acronym lovers. Thanks for reading! |
 Check Out My 15 incher!
I got a new 15" Macbook Pro giving me the capability to edit, video chat, and make newsletters on-the-go. It's also capable of so much more but I'm content with it just bringing portability into my life. Now I'm one step closer to potentially leaving my apartment. Click here for a larger version of my new writing partner. |
Shows I'm Planning On Watching This Month
(SIPOWTM) |
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| What? | When? | Where? |
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Tony Carnevale's Greatest hits
My roommate is singing songs he wrote and he's funny | 3 Feb @8p | Ars Nova Theatre | My Sister's Wedding
My sister, Melanie, is getting married...seriously! | 7 Feb @6p | Indianapolis, IN | Made-Up Musical
Improvisers make up an entire hour long musical off-the-cuff | 13 Feb @10p | Magnet Theater | ETV
Improvisers become rockstars for a night | 26 Feb @8p | Kenny's Castaways |
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| | Variety Underground
Free once-a-month variety show hosted and booked by me and Shawn Amaro | | Thursday, February 5th from 7-9pm at the Parkside Lounge, in addition to a musical improv group Los Banditos del Canto, Variety Underground's lineup includes individual performances by Jason Verlaine and Rob Lathan. As always, Free admission and a loosely enforced 2 drink minimum. |
(click for directions) | | Want to perform at VU? Please submit your act! |
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Current Mood: excitedCurrent Music: NFL theme | | Sunday, February 1st, 2009 | | 10:06 am |
My new computer
I got a new Macbook Pro. It's awesome. I always wanted the mobility of a laptop but laptops were not robust enough to do video editing. Now they are. This one I'm on now can supposedly do it all. I haven't yet tested it's limits but I've been pretty impressed so far. One of my favorite parts is the trackpad (which is typically my least favorite part of a laptop). With the trackpad, one can point, click (by pushing down on the entire trackpad as opposed to a separate mouse button), rotate and zoom a picture, quickly switch between apps, and shortcut most web navigation buttons. Pretty sweet. Here's a pic of Mac & Me...  One thing that is nice about looking forward to the new computer is that it puts some perspective on the past. My old computer (pictured just off to the right above) is a 867 MgHz dual processor G4. It was cutting edge when i bought it. When did I buy it? November 2002! I still use it. That means my computer I bought over 6 years ago still functions, and, for the most part, keeps up with new technology. But, it isn't portable. So, old with the old and in with the new. Current Mood:  geekyCurrent Music: Make New Friends, But Keep the Old... | | Saturday, January 31st, 2009 | | 7:12 pm |
My Facebook "25 Things"
Some people don't like the "25 Things" thing that's been going around Facebook recently. I love it. Particularly when people take it seriously. It is an opportunity to find out "things you probably don't know about" your facebook pals. Here is mine... 25 Things
Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
1.I lived in Izmir, Turkey for fourth and fifth grade (1986-87). As a son of an active duty military officer, I had little say in the matter.
2.While in fifth grade I was given permission to tour the Izmir American elementary school as a beatboxer for a four man rap group comprised of Marcus Cole, Trevor Hawes, Chris Skells and myself. Marcus, our lyricist, told us he made up all the lyrics and we believed him. When I returned to the states it turned out Marcus had just memorized lyrics to raps on American radio.
3.Moments before performing in front of the principal, we made the decision that Chris Skells was not good enough yet so we went on with three, while Chris waited in the hall. I feel really badly about this because Chris was better at beatboxing than I was. Chris didn't seem to mind though, he still got out of class.
4.I used to be amazed by the armed Turkish security guard for our American elementary school. He used to do coin tricks involving flipping coins between his fingers and head. Occasionally he would catch it on his knee and kick it back up to his head. All this while carrying a loaded sub-machine gun. Only in retrospect do I recognize just how dangerous this was.
5.While in Turkey, I shoplifted constantly from poor Turkish delis. I feel awful about it and will likely never forgive myself despite taking what would probably amount to about $20 worth of stuff over two years. My contraband of choice – gummy coke bottles and soda pop.
6.I spent nearly six months in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia working at the IT Help Desk for Lucent Technologies. Some nepotism may have played a part in me getting the job as my dad was a top executive for the company. He lived in Riyadh until his compound (Al-Hamra) was attacked by terrorists in May '03 blowing out all his windows and prompting he and any remaining Americans to leave.
7.The bowling alley at Al-Hamra compound in Riyadh was the only place I ever scored over 200 pins in a game. I did it twice and it's an accomplishment I am proud of but can only mention in a medium such as “25 Things.”
8.My dad and I played along side each other in the Riyadh Softball League. With him pitching and me at shortstop, our team never lost (17-0). It helped that we were Americans playing an American sport against teams with very few, if any, Americans on them.
9.I have never hit an over-the-fence home run in any organized game. I've hit the top of the fence three times but never gone over. I've had several in-the-park homers but typically on fields with no fence.
10.While playing with some local arabs visiting my father in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) I went from hero to zero when the game shifted from beach volleyball to soccer. I am horrible at soccer. Also, someone kicked my ankle.
11.Once we went “wadi-bashing” in the UAE desert which means a bunch of Westerners get driven up and down sand dunes recklessly in an SUV by a “certified” teenage driver. I pretended not too be scared but I was.
12.After several [seemingly] near-disasters we settled in for a dinner on the UAE desert. While chatting with a newlywed American couple they said to everyone, “this guy's funny” referring to me. They meant it too. I liked that couple. Think I'm funny...that's all it takes to win me over.
13.If I could, I would golf every day. I play to about a 10 handicap but I swear I could drop it below 5 if I played twice a week rather than twice a year.
14.I always wanted to be a professional baseball player. I realize that I don't have the skill nor the stature to accomplish this in reality but I could definitely do it for the camera. Playing a baseball player on TV or in a movie (even a bench warmer...for which I have credentials) would be at least a partial realization of my life-long ambition and is probably a driving force for me pursuing entertainment.
15.I've run 4 marathons (Hartford '03, NYC '04, '05, '06) and will likely never run another. I will continue to run but I think 26.2 miles does more harm than good. My target distance I think is 10K – 45 min is much less boring than 4 hours too.
16.I enjoy computer programming. It's nerdy, time consuming and sometimes a total creativity drain...but I find some aspects of it rewarding and, dare I say, fun.
17.I was raised mormon but am not practicing since I was about 11ish.
18.When I was thirteen, my little sister (four years old) accidently killed my gerbil when I was at boy scout camp. My family replaced it before I got home. It wasn't till after college did my mom let it slip what they had done.
19.My favorite dog of all time was a teacup pug that I used to ride my bike by on Maxwell Air Force base in Montgomery, Alabama. Most pugs are “toy” sized which is cute...but not as cute as teacup sized pugs.
20.I dislike doctors likely because I was misdiagnosed and, thus, mis-medicated for asthma when, in actuality, I just had bronchitis. In the same year (6th grade), despite passing the eye chart, I was told the shape of my eyes meant I was farsighted. They then dilated my eyes so, for the first time, everything was blurry. Then, under these conditions I was fitted for glasses. The result was a prescription for glasses so thick I could see subatomic particles...but not what was in front of me. I tossed 'em aside along with most advice doctors give.
21.Despite my love for pizza, I wish humans didn't NEED to eat. I love the social aspect of it and “trying new things” but the dependency on nourishment and routines surrounding it (lunch rush, tea time, sugar fix, pizza fridays, salad-entree-dessert, red wine with this, white wine with that, this fork goes here, no plastic at the table, the “good china”, not eating makes me irritable) make me crave an alternative. My least favorite overheard conversation typically begins with “what do YOU want for lunch?”
22.I perhaps put way too much emphasis on conversations and constantly build theories based on them. For instance, I feel that it takes two people to have a bad conversation so I feel people that say “she's a horrible conversationalist” should be saying “I don't know how to talk with her.” In addition to the “whatever should we do for lunch” qustion, other conversation starters I wish didn't exist are “So, how are you doing?” and “What do you do?” Both put all the pressure on the responder for the contents of the subsequent conversation without making it clear whether the asker truly wants to know or just has nothing to provide himself. The latter should be reserved for job interviews. Sometimes people that ask “how are you doing?” just want to hear “fine, and you?” Other times this same question means “we haven't spoken in a long time so I would really like to catch up with you.” In my personal opinion, it should be the initiator of the conversation who makes it clear which he is seeking. In most cases, a question isn't even necessary. In the first instance, merely saying, “you look fine” or “I hope you are well” would suffice whereas in the second instance I would prefer, “It's been awhile, I hope to hear good things about [thing we talked about last we spoke].” I could go on...but I won't. After all, you want 25 things, not a whole lot of mindless drivel about conversations. Really, I just like talking about talking!
23. I love lists. Will Hines articulated this once and it just seemed like exactly what I love to do. Sure, shopping lists, to do lists, and wish lists count but I like listing things, in general. Resolutions, favorite movies, 15 songs with some randomly selected word in it, muppet names, TV shows of the 80's, Newman's Own products, Baseball teams for which Nolan Ryan has played, etc. Maybe everyone likes lists to some extent or “Best of” shows and “Top 10” lists wouldn't be so popular but I love lists all day long. This is a list of 25 things so, obviously, I'm having a ball. If there's one thing I love doing on road trips it's listing things. Making categories and putting things in it. Scattergories and Facts in Five are two of my favorite games. Outburst is fun with a group of people. Oh, I mention these because they all have to do with lists...and are on my list of top 10 board games.
24.I love people with musical talent. Maybe because deep down I want to have the talent too or maybe you just like what you don't got. Singers and musicians amaze me.
25.I am the webmaster/admin of a message board for my family and recommend any spread out family do the same. It's also fun to watch witness the older generation gradually become comfortable with computers. Current Mood: calmCurrent Music: car horns | | Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 | | 1:01 am |
| | Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 | | 4:42 am |
Good bye, 2008
Looking back at this journal entry, I think it was a pretty good year. In addition to being lucky in love, 1. I travelled to... - several pizza places in Chicago, IL
- a wedding in Pittsburgh, PA
- another wedding in Seattle, WA
- a burger place in New Haven, CT
- my college reunion at Dartmouth in Hanover, NH
- Christmas in Daytona Beach, FL
- my mom's house in Tampa, FL
- my dad's house in Greensboro, GA
- a beach on the Jersey shore
- a summer retreat in Beech Mountain, NC
- an improv comedy festival in Chapel Hill, NC
- another improv comedy festival in New Orleans, LA
- and another in Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
2. Got a TV show on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN). My half hour slot every other Thursday night has already been renewed for another season. Sure it means I spend countless hours on my computer capturing, editing, exporting then clearing hard drive space but I'm proud of the final product. 3. In the industry. In addition to being paid for being a background player on Law & Order, Gossip Girl, and Cashmere Mafia, I was fortunate enough to get a paying gig for improv at Fordham University. More thrilling was booking a corporate gig for my talk show. Maybe I'm not crazy. Maybe I'm marketable after all. Obviously two gigs a year is not a steady job by any stretch of the imagination but it's a start and potentially...a sign. 4. Invented an Awards Ceremony. Pizza Month featured an awards ceremony this year called THE SLICEYS, complete with nominees, competition, and even a trophy. The personal achievement for me was being able to give some of my talented friends a new means to showcase their talents. 
5. Started spreading the News-letter. An evolution of an email blast took form in a monthly newsletter. It's a whole lot of work but keeps my family and friends informed and me on task. I mean, I don't want to release a newsletter saying "didn't do much last month" now do I? Currently, the multimedia newsletter includes a caption contest, original videos, and links to upcoming shows. So, for the reasons above, I shall deem 2008 a fun "journey." Obviously it was not a "destination" as I have not arrived anywhere. The best part was, of course, finally having someone to ride copilot. Onward and Upward, Live Journal! | | Friday, December 12th, 2008 | | 2:13 pm |
| | Monday, December 8th, 2008 | | 9:59 pm |
Spotlight on Zohar Adner
Zohar Adner is a life coach (as featured in the LATE SHOW) who was also a patron in the CASH CAB. Then, Kevin Cragg came up from the audience and talked about his appearance on SNL (where he was also an audience member). I talked to them about these things on THE SPOTLIGHT which then inspired some talented improvisers (such as Matt Donnelly, Jess Allen, Eli Newell, etc.) to do scenes based on the interview. Click on the photo below to see the footage. 
3 parts (28 min)
 Current Mood: chillCurrent Music: Christmas carols | | Saturday, December 6th, 2008 | | 11:11 am |
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tayls99's journal
In case you 'minze'd it! - Thanks for making 2008's Tree Trimming, the best yet! Ornaments were decorated, Rumple Minze was consumed, and my naked tree was clothed with some of the most creative decorations ever to be placed on a holiday tree. (
energized
