Sleepless in Seattle

                             
SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR:  The year was 1976. I remember it well. America's bicentennial. I was in the sixth grade, living in Vancouver, USA. Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Georgia, was elected president and something very exciting happened in Seattle.

I've loved watching sports for my forever. Anything, everything. I looked forward to the weekly Wide World of Sports broadcast the way some kids look forward to Christmas.

Football was my favorite sport. But, alas, the Pacific Northwest was 100 percent NFL free. So I had to cast my net far and wide for 'my' team.

I loved the Minnesota Vikings, even though their quarterback was named Fran. ;) His style reminds me of a certain young man playing QB for the Seahawks today, by the way.  And who couldn't appreciate the Steelers of the Bradshaw era? Mean Joe Green and the Terrible Towel - those were 'my' teams.

But when the 1970 AFL-NFL merger went down, the NFL began planning to expand from 26 to 28 teams. Come 1976, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks were born. Insert "Hallelujah!" chorus here.  The Nordstrom family was the majority owners of the Seahawks, and Jack Patera was our first coach. I remember the Seahawks' inaugural draft and thinking at the time, and in my very sage 11-year-old football mind thinking, "This isn't going to be good." ,Unfortunately. I remember games where the team had NEGATIVE yards on offense. How is that even possible?


For today's history lesson, I had the kids research some fun facts from 1976.
Here's what CJ came up with ... 

A microwave cost 169.00 dollars in 1976.A gallon of gas cost 59 cents in 1976.The population of the US in 1976 was 218,035,164.The first feature use of the Steadycam happened, being used in Rocky.In 1976, Viking landed on Mars.In 1976, Gerald R. Ford signed the Federal Election Act, or FEA for short.In 1976, a 19-month civil war that happened in Lebanon stopped, because of the threat of escalating to global level.In 1976, the US celebrated its bicentennial anniversary.In 1976, the US Navy tested the Tomahawk Cruise Missile.In 1976, the cost of a first class stamp was $0.13.On November 2nd, Jimmy Carter was elected president.In Europe, the summer was VERY warm and dry.

Annabelle's had a lot of the same facts, plus she noted a color TV cost $600, 


But back to the Seahawks. It was mostly awful from 1976 and forward for a loooooooong, loooooong time. Yes, we had Jim Zorn and the forever inspiring Steve Largent, but it wasn't enough.  (Ironically, back in the Kingdome days, the Denver Broncos were our number one rivals.)

Eventually, along came Dave Krieg. Some people absolutely adore him as a QB. I am not some people. And frankly, I felt the same way about Matthew Hasselback, who steered the ship as the Seahawks actually made it to Super Bowl XL. It was a good run, but all the pieces weren't there. They lost.

But this year is different. All the pieces ARE there. They really could - perhaps SHOULD - win this game.

Tonight, as we were driving down to Rick's house to make yet another improvement, I was listening to sports talk radio and my Favorite Seahawk EVER came on - Kenny Easley. Every little girl's favorite player is a strong safety, right? ;) Easley was a fantastic player whose career was cut terribly short, with lots of (understandable) hard feelings towards the Seahawks organization. But tonight, he was on Seahawks radio, rooting for the home team, and hearing him weigh in was wonderful.  Kenny Easley says the Broncos shouldn't even be able to 'hang' with the Seahawks. Why thank you, Mr. Easley. I just might sleep tonight. ;) I haven't slept well for the last two nights.

In the meantime, this city is just a twitter with excitement. Flags flying, everyone talking. It's a great time to be in Seattle. I'll have some photos for you tomorrow (a bonus Saturday edition!)

By Land, SEA and Air

Boeing's brand spanking new 787, painted in Seahawks colors. Such a pretty bird! It took a test flight over the state - its flight path

FAMILIAR START: We hit the genetics and evolution 'lecture hall' first thing this morning. Today, Professor Noor talked about genes vs. environment, and how people try to tell how each contributes. We learned about how identical and fraternal twins can be very helpful when studying certain things, as can common garden and reciprocal transplant experiments.

We learned the definition of correlation, mean and variance and how to calculate heritability. Heady stuff. The kids also read a "Time for Kids" issue about the upcoming Winter Olu

Then, we headed south to Kent to Winco, to stock up on some Super Bowl supplies. We met Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson there, if you can believe it!

On our way back home, we came across the official Seahawks' bus on a quiet sidestreet in the Sodo neighborhood. Pretty snazzy!

And then as we were driving on the Viaduct on the way home, what did we spy, but an airplane with an enormous "12" banner - the one we all signed back on Monday. It was flying over the waterfront, toward the stadiums. When we got home, I took a photo of it over Queen Anne Hill.

And speaking of home, we got a very special delivery - pastrami all the way from Katz's Deli in NYC! I'm slightly embarrassed to admit how excited we all were by the box o' meat.

Tomorrow it's cookie mania!

This city is electric right now. It's exciting and exhausting! I can't even sleep!

Ripped Genes

DANCING MACHINE: This afternoon, whilst getting down to "Just Dance" on the XBox, CJ ripped out his pants in a big way.

"Bravo!" I say. Bigger and better exercising is a good thing. Rip all the pants you want, CJ!

ANOTHER ANGLE: For years now, I've been sharing a few of my photos I think others would enjoy on a free stock photo site called Morguefile.com. I discovered it when I was writing multiple stories a week for The Columbian newspaper, and while I took most all of my photos, sometimes I'd have to pull from opther sources, and Morguefile was a lifesaver sometimes. I figured the least I could do was pay it back, and share there, too. Why just let my images collect 'dust' on my hard drive?

It's been cool, I'm Facebook friends with a number of people who have used my photos, and pics of mine (including many of the kids) have would up in magazines and newspapers 'round the world, as well as on countless Web sites. Today, I got a nice note from a woman who told me she used this photo (a favorite). It's Annabelle after a ballet class years ago. She'd forgotten her street shoes, so Christian carried her to the car, so as not to ruin her ballet slippers.

Here's what the creative behind Heart-2-Heart-Angels.com shared with me today ...

Sweet sentiment. MUCH sweeter than anything I usually think or do, so I appreciate it. ;)

CRAZY CONTINUES: I apologize in advance, and should have issued the apology sooner. There's no way I'm NOT going to talk Seahawks every darn day from here until Super Bowl Sunday and likely a couple days beyond. (The 'good' news is, this insanity is temporary. I think.)

Today, I took the What kind of Seahawks fan are you? quiz. SHOCKINGLY, I received a 'score' of "12th Man at Heart"

Speaking of silly, pop psychology tests, today we did a fun fast test. You can, too. Ready ... raise the index finger on your dominant hand and draw a Q on your forehead RIGHT NOW!

Did you draw it 'inwardly,' so it was a Q to you, or did you draw it outwardly, so others could read it? According to sociologist Richard Wiseman, which way you did it is a Really Big Deal.

I'm not sure I subscribe to his pop psychology 'findings,' but it's fun to talk about, just like the very scientific Seahawks' quiz regarding what type of fan you are http://blogs.seattletimes.com/seahawks/2014/01/29/take-the-quiz-what-kind-of-seahawks-fan-are-you/#.UunvQyhUQRQ.email

In news that will surprise no one, I'm a  "12th Man at Heart."

IT'S ALL RELATIVE: We're still plugging away on our genetics class. It's so interesting - and challenging. I'm already sweating the mid-term next week, as it accounts for 40 percent of our grade.

Because we have genetics on the mind, stories related to the topic jump off the computer screen at me. Today we read, "UW scientists find there’s a little Neanderthal in most of us - Studies by the University of Washington and Harvard suggests genes passed down from our ancient relatives play an important role in our skin and hair." Fascinating!

And then there is news out of England of a "major scientific discovery" regarding creating stem cells from non-embryonic cells. Scientists in Japan published ground breaking results along these lines not long ago, and now scientists in England are following suit, with news of shocking blood cells with acid which triggers their transformation into stem cells. Shocking, indeed!

CJ spends the better part of the day talking evolution. I'm so glad we happened into this genetics and evoluation Coursera course when we did. 

Of Hawks, Sheep and Broncos

STEADY DIET: The Seahawks don't go to the Super Bowl often (think twice in 36 years), so we're having to milk this experience for all its worth. Apologies in advance to any non-Hawks-crazed readers.


This morning, we watched live coverage of press day from New Jersey, where Super Bowl XLVIII will be held. It's interesting watching how the different players handle the media maelstrom. Richard Sherman is in his element (heck, he showed up EARLY for the presser), while Marshawn Lynch would rather hide under a rock.

In case you're wondering what's up with the team in blue and green and their crazy fans (a/k/a 12s), here's little primer: 12 things the casual football fan should know about the Seahawks.

Photos all over my Facebook feed show the Empire State Building awash in Seahawks' colors. It's because Seahawks' fans won a social media contest. Ironically, when we were in NY in September, the Empire state building was lit in blue and green. Back then, I posted this photo to Facebook and wrote, "Nice of them to decorate the Empire State Building in Seahawks' colors for us."

When we were there, it was the opening weekend of regular season NFL games, and so, of course, we thought "Seahawks!" However, the locals told us it was probably for the Jets (green) and the Giants (blue).
Oh well, whatever the occasion, I think the iconic building looks fabulous in blue and green!

While watching the pre-Super Bowl festivities today, we saw a new ad on ESPN featuring the mascots for the teams, the Seahawks' Blitz and the Broncos' Miles.
http://youtu.be/GBKX2RV3Ajw

"Why do you think the Broncos' mascot is named Miles?" I asked afterward. (Yes, even an ad for the Super Bowl is a teachable moment!)  The kids were both stumped by the question. They made guesses about horses being able to run well. Wrong! And so, they were instructed to do some research on Denver's topography. Miles is Miles "because Denver's official elevation is one mile above sea level," CJ now knows.

The Seattle Times has started running crafts related to the Seahawks. Today's project was a fold-it-up 'fortune teller.'

You can get a pattern and instructions in a PDF here: http://www.seattletimescompany.com/fanfrenzy/pdfs/fortune.pdf

HELLO, DOLLY!: We crammed a few genetics lectures in today, all fascinating stuff. A photo on the intro slide to the lectures often features a sheep. "What's up with the sheep?" CJ asked today, not for the first time. So, after we finished the lecture we talked a little bit 'bout Dolly, the cloned sheep. I found a great 13-minute New York Times feature called "RetroReport" did a great job of recounting the birth of Dolly, including precisely how she came to be, as well as chronicling the reactions and fallout to the scientific breakthrough.
Dolly NYT RetroReport: http://nyti.ms/1akMtFk

It took 400 attempts to produce Dolly. Most of the creatures died before or right after birth. In a way, Dolly had three mothers. One female sheep provided the egg, the DNA came from another and a third carried the cloned embryo to term.

Fun trivia fact - the video disclosed the genesis of Dolly's name. She was created by taking a sheep egg and cleansing it of its DNA, and then attaching DNA from an adult sheep's mammary gland, which brought Dolly Parton to mind, and that's all scientist Ian Wilmut wanted to say about that.

Dolly died when she was 6 years old. Today, visitors to the National Museum of Scotland can view Dolly's taxidermied remains (pictured below, via Wikipedia).

WHERE HAVE ALL THE FLOWERS GONE?: A musical legend left Earth today. I loved Pete Seeger songs as a child - especially the sing-along ones he wrote and/or popularized, like "If I had a Hammer" and "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore."

This afternoon I shared some Seeger songs with the kids. We ended on this one - Joan Baez poignantly performing "Where Have all the Flowers Gone?" for Seeger at his Kennedy Center Honors evening. which leaves my misty eyed and a bit breathless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3ly8cyWvkw

Monday Fun Day

BANNER DAY: There are all sorts of fun ways Seattle Seahawks' fans are giving their team a Super Bowl send off. Pemco, a Seattle-based insurance company, had a 100-by-40 foot banner made. This week, it's going on a tour 'round Seattle, so fans can sign it. It will be flown over the stadium in New Jersey on game day. We just had to get our names on it!

We chose to try to rendezvous with it this afternoon, at the REI flagship store. We'd never been there before, so it was a good chance to go check it out.

It's just barely west of Interstate 5 between Mercer and Denny, near Thomas and Yale. As we made our way there, the area began to look *very* familiar. I noticed a familiar pea patch across the street. (Yes, even our scarecrows are all about the 'Hawks up here.)

 I told the kids, "This is where Grandma and Grandpa (Richstad's) church was.

We ended up parking right next to it.  So that was a big, happy bonus to our field trip!

We walked a block to the east, and arrived at REI.

It was quite the oasis sandwiched right next to the freeway in the city!

They had a fun photo opp out front ...

Inside, we just gawked (including gawking at really big price tags!)

The Seahawks' banner was outside the store.

The kids got their names on it in silver, and we add a few friends' names, too.

HARD LABOR: We spent most of the weekend in West Seattle working our collective a$$e$ off on Rick's house. Brutal manual labor, ripping off nearly two inches and 100 years of ugly awful floor coverings. Thousands of nails, hundreds and hundreds of pounds of terribleness.

Getting it out meant we had to rip all the lower cabinets out, too, of course. Very Not Fun.

But when we put them back, you could almost kind of picture a nice kitchen in the not too distant future. There's still a LOT of work to be done, though.

TOTALLY '80s: This afternoon, we took a much deserved hour or so break and played a board game. Rick chose Trivial Pursuit Totally 80s. I thought Christian and I could/should kill him at it, since he wasn't even born until halfway through the '80s, but nooooo. He pretty much destroyed us.

Part of my problem is apparently I didn't watch enough TV in the '80s. I didn't know the difference between "Dynasty" and "Falcon Crest."

Rick's game piece was a Trapper Keeper, LOL.

GROUNDED: CJ, Annabelle and Christian spent three hours today at a new local establishment that teaches ground school for aspiring and experiences pilots, Modern Pilot. I got them each a one hour introductory lesson there as a Christmas gift.

Unfortunately, Christian forgot to take any pictures. Or even One Single Picture (despite me yelling "TAKE PICTURES" out the window to them as they left).  They all tell me it was great fun and the software and flight simulation mock up was really cool.  We'll all have to take their words for it.

CJ and Annabelle report they 'only' crashed the simulator plane a couple of times. Christian said he was 100 percent crash free.  They're all hoping to continue their schooling. We'll have to chart a course to make that happen.