Snow in the Cascades

View of Mt. Si covered with snow from our house.

Overheard at lunch

File under - You had to be there to appreciate it.

Jennifer (spunky colleague) :
"My cat had some eating problems too, and every time I take him to the vet they can't find anything wrong, and I'm out $400."

Prasantha (noted wisecraker):
"Next time, don't take him to the vet. Just bring him to me and I'll only charge you $300 to tell you nothing's wrong."

Helen (ever pragmatic):
"What are you saying - that you're like a 'Cat Whisperer'? That you can read its mind? I can't stand those type of shows...they are so hokey. They're totally fake."

Me (opportunistic teaser):
"Huh? What about that show you always watch -- The Dog Whisperer?"

Helen:
"Oh that's different...that's real."

Is this the best we can do?

Bill Wixey of Channel 13 is trying to coin a catchphrase for the Seahawks' playoff run -- Git Er Done.

Must admit it's catchy - I've been using or misusing it all day. It rolls off the tongue with a certain silly nonchalance, and I find myself being able to slip it into all sorts of situations. Try it out for yourself - say it a few times while you're watching the tube, or tucking your kids into bed. It goes well when you're asking for a check from the waitress.

I thought we had a winner, but I looked up the phrase on the Urban Dictionary, and I'm thinking maybe we could do better. Any suggestions?

Dancing with Kenny Mayne

In a previous post I poked fun at ESPN sportscaster Kenny Mayne's hoofing skills. Here's the proof - judge for yourself.

Alert: Missing Fan PSA

So I'm having a Super Bowl party, and this looks and feels like the year for the 'Hawks, contrary to Ted's misgivings. Everyone's excited about the playoffs, and our friend Hunter is even considering going to Detroit in the middle of winter if the Seahawks make it to the big dance. I'm in direct competition with about 50,000 SB parties in King County, so it's understandable that a lot of people have other plans.

It was, however, rather disturbing when my colleague Jeff informed me that he couldn't attend, and...GASP! wasn't even going to be near a television. Folks, we're talking about Jeff "I watched the Saskatchewan curling finals last night" Cornwell here. The biggest sports fan - you name it, any sport - I know.

So it wasn't really a surprise when I came across this NFL Missing Fan announcement on the internet. Good people - please help in the effort to find this wayward sports nut. Report any sightings here and we'll notify the proper authorities.

Comet - an original by Helen

About a year ago, Helen started getting an itch to paint. Old school, messy, splatter-on-the-rug art. She's always been very creative, but mostly on the digital frontier. She was doing 2D and 3D computer animation before most of us knew what that even meant, and although the samples are pretty basic compared to what can be done today, you gotta remember that Helen created those 15 years ago using a "blazing fast 40MHz" Apple IIfx with a maximum capacity of 128 MB of RAM. Incredible.

Her artistic ambition has really flowered over the past year through her exploration of colors and textures. "Comet" is her latest work and hangs in the gallery outside our bedroom. Click on the picture to see a larger image. Enjoy and feel free to offer critique by clicking on the comment link below. I'm sure she'd love to hear (or read) your thoughts.

Goin' for the record!

This advisory is for all our friends back east:

Yes, the reports you've been hearing on the news are true - we have had 25 consecutive days of rain. Not 24/7 rain, but yes, every day. Some days are worse - like rainy days in New York, and others are cloudy with spots of rain, mostly at night. One day this week the sun even came out for a few hours. This is why Seattle has the reputation it's got.

No doubt this is the worst spell of weather we've had since we moved here, but...you know what I'm gonna say...this is the exception. Listening to a radio talk show on the way to work this morning, the hosts are talking about the Seahawks playoff game this Saturday. One of the hosts observed that if it rained during the game, it might portend good luck for the 'Hawks since earlier this season they came back to win a big game against Dallas in the rain. The surprise is that it was the first rainy Seahawks game in the new stadium which opened in 2002.

If it rains for 9 more days in a row, we'll beat a 1953 record. This is in direct contradiction to some of the tall tales we've heard about the 'hundred straight days of rain.' It is pretty amazing that we've had measurable rain 25 days in a row, and it has caused flooding, mud slides and other problems. It's even become news all around the country. I read an article on Boston.com about the record rainfall. Even so, at the conclusion of the article, the writer does point out that...

Though Seattle is famous for its rain, the city's average annual rainfall from 1970 to 2000 was 37.07 inches, compared with 49.71 inches for New York City.

Nah, I think it'll take a lot more rain to change my sunny disposition.

Report from Snoqualmie

It's been very rainy the last few weeks, and people are starting to talk about breaking the "record" - that is, record number of consecutive days with rain - which stands at 33. We live close to Snoqualmie Falls, a famous Seattle area landmark. I haven't checked it out recently, but with all the rain it's probably a sight. Here's a picture taken during the summer from the bottom of the falls. Snoqualmie Falls is higher than Niagara, but nowhere near as wide.

Fake Photo Booth Video

If you haven't seen this one yet, it'll bring tears to your eyes. Jay Leno and The Tonight Show rigged a fake photo booth at Universal Studios. Watch...

What's to watch now that bowl season is over?

Last night I bid a fond adieu to the 2005 college football season, and I feel compelled to take a moment to pay homage to one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory, culminating in 4 breathtaking BCS bowl games. The final 4 games of the 2005 season built to a crescendo of pigskin rapture: starting with Ohio State exposing Notre Dame's being just a notch away from coming all the way back to national contention, followed by an overlooked West Virginia team stunning Georgia early and hanging on for a thrilling victory.

The PSU-FSU game contained the most intense play I've seen all season, with the defenses delivering knockout punch after knockout punch to overmatched offenses that somehow kept getting up off the gridiron canvas. I was completely incapable of focusing on the marketing services document I was supposed to write as I literally found myself sitting at the computer with fingers on keyboard for most of the 2nd half without typing more than 10 words. It was additionally gratifying to share the experience with my good friend Oliver via IM, who was probably doing the exact same thing I was. The game can best be described by the often used cliche "the agony and the ecstacy" as late in the game each side wasted a couple of golden opportunities to clinch the victory through the unimaginable failure of the kicking game.

After such tremendously dramatic games (even the ND-OSU game was emotional for me due to my clandestine Irish heritage), the over-hyped Championship game between USC and Texas had tremendous potential for letdown, especially if it had been a blowout. Instead it was a game decided literally in the last seconds, and filled with all the momentum and emotional swaying that was promised.

Man, I love college football. Now I've got to wait 8 months for the next season!

As I began to sink into the inevitable post-bowl depression, I happened upon something that just might provide the competitive drama to tide me over until the the Superbowl, Winter Olympics and March Madness. It's an athletic competition requiring stamina, balance and style -- it's...


The concept: Ten celebrities partner with professional ballroom dance champions to train and perform in front of judges in an elimination format. Imagine "American Idol" blended with "Celebrity Fit Club" and topped off with a pinch of "The Surreal Life." What drew me to the show, in my football withdrawal state, was the fact that Jerry Rice was one of the celebrity contestants. Even so, I thought I'd only check it out to get a quick laugh watching the greatest receiver in NFL history dancing the Cha Cha. Instead I found myself laughing hysterically at ESPN sports anchor Kenny Mayne's impression of a dancing ironing board, marveling at actress Tatum O'Neill's silly personality, and oogling WWE wrestling star Stacy Keibler's 42 inch legs. Folks, we have reached the apex of reality-celebrity-hilarity television. It doesn't get any better than this. Thursday and Friday nights at 8:00 PM on ABC. Be there. You'll thank me.

Jack loves the snow

This is from one of our hikes to Mt. Baker a couple years ago. We found a nice hill to do some butt sliding and frolic in the snow with Jack.