He he he.
I’ve been on a bit of a video game bender recently which, if you’re me, is a lot of fun. And yesterday Matt and I got together on Burnout Paradise and tooled around there. I learned a couple of things:
1) Matt doesn’t have a headset, which means they can hear me, but I can’t hear them. I assume it’s like playing a video game with an announcer coming over your speakers. “This is DJ Noel, for Crash FM”.
2) I am so much better than Matt is at Road Rage events.
3) Matt is way better than me at Showtime Events.
4) I need to get Matt a Bluetooth headset for his birthday or something.
In other news, it looks like I’ve finally been locked into travel to England. The dates are March 8th to March 15. It will be mostly work, so little time for me to look around and sightsee, but It’ll be another stamp on my passport and I’ll get to work on my hideous English accent. It sounds like we’ll actually be staying at a proper tavern, too. Just outside of where we’ll be working. Pub downstairs and everything. I’m going to Harrowgate, I believe. Which is two hours outside of Manchester, by car. If anyone wants any, I dunno, horrible food or something, just let me know and I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Return of micro-news!
Jessie’s sister will be visiting us for Jessie’s next game and bringing along her sons. Our first guests! After that, we get Sandlin, Kelsey, and Jessie’s Grandma during the same week. And finally, in October, the parents come visit. How cool! Got our brakes replaced on the car, so the Protégé is definitely up to spec. Whenever we stand up on the landing above the entry and call down for the kitties, Nagano starts meowing. Also, Sandlin's last entry marks this Blog's 200th post! Hooray!
Cheers, old, bean!
-N
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Papa's Stories and a CHALLENGE
I just enjoyed the great pleasure of a long weekend in Spokane- believe me, you are all quite jealous. There was a parade of great food, some long naps and stories of old. I also got to read Jean's memoir, which inspired me- and I hope will inspire you too. This is meant to be an update on Papa's behalf. Please be reminded, that Papa tells these stories much better himself- this is more like the movie preview to help you plan your next visit.
----
One of the things we did together (besides letting Papa make me breakfast, and watching Netflix) was to go to the DMV, so Papa could turn in his driver's license. Every one was impossibly nice. Papa explained that he wanted to trade in his license for identification card, and the woman was very supportive- nay, complimentary. They did have to re-verify all of Papa's personal info, and this I thought was interesting. When asked for the city and state he was born, he replied Rollins County, Kansas. The woman patiently asked for the CITY in the county, and Papa twice as patiently explained that he wasn't born in the city- he was born on a farm.
After the cards were sorted out we went to celebrate at the Old European, because darn, they make a good breakfast. Over breakfast, I asked Papa about growing up on a farm. He didn't think it was anything special, but I explained, I didn't grow up on a farm. So he told me a story:
During the summers, he would go to help out at his Aunt Lizzie's Farm. Once, when he was 8, his Aunt said "Billy, you like eating chicken. It's time you see how that is done." So she took him down to the coop, where they used a wire to catch a chicken by the leg. He asked her if it was ok- he was eight- and she said 'sure, it's fine' so WHACK, and he did his first chicken.
Papa went on to explain that he spent all of his summers out on his Aunt's farm. When he was older (and by older I believe he meant 10), he used to go out and round up livestock at great distance from the farmhouse, which meant he spent a lot of time on his own. As it was, there weren't other kids on this farm, so he got accustomed to being on his own. That is why he doesn't get the cabin fever Nana gets if he doesn't leave the house a couple days in a row. And that, he explained, is why he wasn't so worried about giving up his license and minimizing his mobility.
---
Papa also told me about the first time he went to New York. He was in the Navy, and thier boat went back to the yard in Brooklyn where it was built. While he was there, Papa tried to get around to see everything he could think of he had ever heard about the City- the stadium, museums, parks- anything that popped into his mind he did. And he had a lot of help- a lot of the guys on the boat were from around the area.
There were three guys onboard who were polish, and they were all called 'Ski. He got to talking to 'Ski one day, and 'Ski thought he would really enjoy going into the City for a big Spaghetti dinner- it was cheap, and good. After their shift, they headed into the city, collecting some fellow sailors en route. All told, there were about 8 guys going along, all of them telling Papa how the subway worked, how to navigate the city and this sort of thing. In that time, before the war, these types of restaurants had a guy who stood up front by the windows and scooped up the Spaghetti. Papa thought it looked good, so all 8 sailors piled in. All 8 guys went on to explain the best part about Italian food- since Papa had never had it- recommending things for him to try. When the waitress, a no-nonsense girl in her thirties, came by to see if they were ready, 'Ski explained that they were just telling Papa about Italian food, since he'd never had it. She just rolled her eyes and said "Oh please, I know a Wop when I see one." Which gives Papa a pretty good laugh to this day.
---
This last story is just to remind us all of what a man of mystery our favorite communist spy, part time actor, mountain man extraordinaire is. Nana told me that to make up the difference in wages when the family was living in Juneau, Papa took some accounting courses by mail so he could do some accounting on the side (!). Some years later, this really paid off when he was asked to be on the Auditing Board of his Credit Union. He explained that the Auditors didn't have to audit in 'adding up columns of numbers' sense, they just check in on various features of the bank to keep everyone paying attention. He gestured to a woman's photo on the Credit Union newsletter, and said one day he went in and asked to count the teller's cash. The woman in the photo was the head of the teller's at the time, so she volunteered to count it for him, since she was so quick. And "Zwiip...she counted up all the money. We were just supposed to check in on things like that, let people know we were watching." He had this gig from a few years before he retired to a few years after. He finally quit so he and Nana and Jean could go and spend 3 month living in Oaxaca. The head teller went on to be the President of the Credit Union, so she gets featured on newsletters all the time, but Papa knew her when.
---
Here is the CHALLENGE: These are pretty good stories, but I don't think they are the best. I would challenge my fellow authors and readers to try and remember some of Papa's best stories to be collected here on the blog. Does anyone have the details of Papa's life in espionage? More from the good ol' Navy days? Any that just happen to involve Dad being a goofus? I'll boldly ask Papa to serve as our managing editor, and help us get the details of his storied life correct.
----
One of the things we did together (besides letting Papa make me breakfast, and watching Netflix) was to go to the DMV, so Papa could turn in his driver's license. Every one was impossibly nice. Papa explained that he wanted to trade in his license for identification card, and the woman was very supportive- nay, complimentary. They did have to re-verify all of Papa's personal info, and this I thought was interesting. When asked for the city and state he was born, he replied Rollins County, Kansas. The woman patiently asked for the CITY in the county, and Papa twice as patiently explained that he wasn't born in the city- he was born on a farm.
After the cards were sorted out we went to celebrate at the Old European, because darn, they make a good breakfast. Over breakfast, I asked Papa about growing up on a farm. He didn't think it was anything special, but I explained, I didn't grow up on a farm. So he told me a story:
During the summers, he would go to help out at his Aunt Lizzie's Farm. Once, when he was 8, his Aunt said "Billy, you like eating chicken. It's time you see how that is done." So she took him down to the coop, where they used a wire to catch a chicken by the leg. He asked her if it was ok- he was eight- and she said 'sure, it's fine' so WHACK, and he did his first chicken.
Papa went on to explain that he spent all of his summers out on his Aunt's farm. When he was older (and by older I believe he meant 10), he used to go out and round up livestock at great distance from the farmhouse, which meant he spent a lot of time on his own. As it was, there weren't other kids on this farm, so he got accustomed to being on his own. That is why he doesn't get the cabin fever Nana gets if he doesn't leave the house a couple days in a row. And that, he explained, is why he wasn't so worried about giving up his license and minimizing his mobility.
---
Papa also told me about the first time he went to New York. He was in the Navy, and thier boat went back to the yard in Brooklyn where it was built. While he was there, Papa tried to get around to see everything he could think of he had ever heard about the City- the stadium, museums, parks- anything that popped into his mind he did. And he had a lot of help- a lot of the guys on the boat were from around the area.
There were three guys onboard who were polish, and they were all called 'Ski. He got to talking to 'Ski one day, and 'Ski thought he would really enjoy going into the City for a big Spaghetti dinner- it was cheap, and good. After their shift, they headed into the city, collecting some fellow sailors en route. All told, there were about 8 guys going along, all of them telling Papa how the subway worked, how to navigate the city and this sort of thing. In that time, before the war, these types of restaurants had a guy who stood up front by the windows and scooped up the Spaghetti. Papa thought it looked good, so all 8 sailors piled in. All 8 guys went on to explain the best part about Italian food- since Papa had never had it- recommending things for him to try. When the waitress, a no-nonsense girl in her thirties, came by to see if they were ready, 'Ski explained that they were just telling Papa about Italian food, since he'd never had it. She just rolled her eyes and said "Oh please, I know a Wop when I see one." Which gives Papa a pretty good laugh to this day.
---
This last story is just to remind us all of what a man of mystery our favorite communist spy, part time actor, mountain man extraordinaire is. Nana told me that to make up the difference in wages when the family was living in Juneau, Papa took some accounting courses by mail so he could do some accounting on the side (!). Some years later, this really paid off when he was asked to be on the Auditing Board of his Credit Union. He explained that the Auditors didn't have to audit in 'adding up columns of numbers' sense, they just check in on various features of the bank to keep everyone paying attention. He gestured to a woman's photo on the Credit Union newsletter, and said one day he went in and asked to count the teller's cash. The woman in the photo was the head of the teller's at the time, so she volunteered to count it for him, since she was so quick. And "Zwiip...she counted up all the money. We were just supposed to check in on things like that, let people know we were watching." He had this gig from a few years before he retired to a few years after. He finally quit so he and Nana and Jean could go and spend 3 month living in Oaxaca. The head teller went on to be the President of the Credit Union, so she gets featured on newsletters all the time, but Papa knew her when.
---
Here is the CHALLENGE: These are pretty good stories, but I don't think they are the best. I would challenge my fellow authors and readers to try and remember some of Papa's best stories to be collected here on the blog. Does anyone have the details of Papa's life in espionage? More from the good ol' Navy days? Any that just happen to involve Dad being a goofus? I'll boldly ask Papa to serve as our managing editor, and help us get the details of his storied life correct.
Monday, February 9, 2009
literary laughter
I went to a book & author festival sponsored by the Seattle U School of Theology & Ministry Saturday where the highlight was the final keynote by Sherman Alexie.
I'm sure you heard of his novels, stories and screen plays, but I don't think I knew before that he's written several books of poetry. He was in rare form. You have to think for a moment about the crowd that would show up for such a thing.
Does the phrase "Seattle Liberal" bring anything specifc to mind? Well it did for Sherman and he started off with that . . describing his joy at watching the Inauguration on TV seeing a pair of such types, wearing No-animals-were-harmed-in-the-making-of-this Gore-Tex parkas, with oatmeal colored hats and oatmeal colored sweaters.
"Arm in arm with a big, African American churchwomen, with a fur coat . . (pause while the audience recoils in horror) . . one of those fur coats with the fox's head still on . . they were swaying back and forth and every time they swayed, the fox head banged one of the oatmeal hat . . none of them cared . . . they were too happy."
Later he said he never understood why white liberals were so interested in Native American spirituality . . . "we love guns . . we kill animals . . we eat meat .. our sacred clothing is from dead aminals and endangered bird species . . . how does that even work for you?"
Towards the end, he started to read a poem (from an upcoming book?) something like "To a Polar Bear Death" . . . when he told us the title, there was an audible "Ohhhhhhh . . " throughout the hall. He had to stop and laugh: "Seattle audience . . in Alaska, they'd be cheering at that!"
If the presentation ever gets posted on the Internet tubes, I'll offer up a link.
I'm sure you heard of his novels, stories and screen plays, but I don't think I knew before that he's written several books of poetry. He was in rare form. You have to think for a moment about the crowd that would show up for such a thing.
Does the phrase "Seattle Liberal" bring anything specifc to mind? Well it did for Sherman and he started off with that . . describing his joy at watching the Inauguration on TV seeing a pair of such types, wearing No-animals-were-harmed-in-the-making-of-this Gore-Tex parkas, with oatmeal colored hats and oatmeal colored sweaters.
"Arm in arm with a big, African American churchwomen, with a fur coat . . (pause while the audience recoils in horror) . . one of those fur coats with the fox's head still on . . they were swaying back and forth and every time they swayed, the fox head banged one of the oatmeal hat . . none of them cared . . . they were too happy."
Later he said he never understood why white liberals were so interested in Native American spirituality . . . "we love guns . . we kill animals . . we eat meat .. our sacred clothing is from dead aminals and endangered bird species . . . how does that even work for you?"
Towards the end, he started to read a poem (from an upcoming book?) something like "To a Polar Bear Death" . . . when he told us the title, there was an audible "Ohhhhhhh . . " throughout the hall. He had to stop and laugh: "Seattle audience . . in Alaska, they'd be cheering at that!"
If the presentation ever gets posted on the Internet tubes, I'll offer up a link.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Darn Groundhog.
Despite the excitement of the weekend, many people in Pennsylvania will steal themselves for a moment of solitude on Feb 2 to participate in an important ceremony that determines the course of our lives for... about 6 weeks. Yes, we tune in to watch Punxsutawney Phil (yeah, he is like a buddy) make a prediction about the changing of the seasons. In Punxsutawney, PA.
Monday, the stupid groundhog said there would be 6 more weeks of winter. And this morning it wasn't two degrees outside! Who wants 6 more weeks of this, Phil? We don't all live in cozy libraries!
Monday, the stupid groundhog said there would be 6 more weeks of winter. And this morning it wasn't two degrees outside! Who wants 6 more weeks of this, Phil? We don't all live in cozy libraries!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A gaggle of furniture
Two weekends ago Jess and I were in Vegas for a Hockey tournament. Good times all around, though her team didn't do super-great. The point is really to go there and meet up with all of her old hockey friends from LA, and that's what we did. I also got to see Vegas family and check out their new house. I took a bunch of pictures of the place, but chances are that if you wanted to see them, I've sent them to you already.
The week after the tournament, though, we were TIRED. All during the work week Jess and I were both just sleepy all day and it was pretty hard to get going in the morning. So for the weekend, we decided to take some time, relax, and unwind a little from a long week.
Which is why we spent five hours on Saturday in Ikea.
No, I don't know why, but it was pretty restful anyway. We woke up LATE on Saturday, went running (Jess is now faster on her feet than I am) and then decided to go see if we could get some more of our furniture situation worked out. We knew we liked a bedroom set that we saw at Ikea, so we were going to see if they had all the pieces available for purchase (they were out the last time we went.) We went there and lo-and-behold they did! So, before anyone else could steal our *precious*, bought our entire master bedroom. And all for about the same price that we had seen *just a bed* at other locations. Man that store is fun.
Unfortunately, there was no way we were going to be able to get all that stuff home in my little car-sized car, but Ikea delivers! So we set up a delivery for the next day and dropped off all our boxes of furniture off with them. They'll deliver anything in a box to your location, up to 600 lbs worth of stuff. (Over that is just an additional charge). And after we got all that set up…we went through the whole store again! Well there was more on our list than just the bedroom, and since we were there and all…
So two shelves, two dining tables, and a bunch of extras later, we had our living room, breakfast nook, and library all furnished up too! Getting things accomplished is restful! Unfortunately, the tables weren't going to fit in my car either. (By the way, ever bought two dining tables at the same time before? Yeah, me neither. Weird.) So we went back to the delivery center and added the two tables to our delivery. Total weight: 599 lbs. High five!
So the rest of our Saturday consisted of bringing back what furniture did fit in the car, assembling it, and then re-doing all our TV stuff to take advantage of our new, organized system. And it all worked out great. Having all the consoles right next to the TV and the receiver (and our net hub) meant that most of the connections could be made right there. Very nice! And now all of our DVDs and game have a place, and they are in that place, and there are no more unnecessary boxes in our living room. *Room complete!* (Except that we need some end tables and a coffee table, but it's pretty good for now!)
And the next day, the rest of the furniture arrived. Ten boxes worth. Well Jess and I spent the entire afternoon with screwdrivers in one hand and Allen wrenches in the other (and the occasional hammer, thanks dad) putting together a whole lot of stuff. And you best believe we got it all done! Every last piece assembled and ready for the delivery of our mattress in a couple of days to make our master bedroom *functional!* And my hands and wrists were sore enough the next day to offer proof of exactly how much stuff that was. I even got to put up my big, stumpy candles that we got just for the bedroom. Yay!
Short news! I tested for my next 'level' in Wing Tsun. We don't do belts, but at this point I get to attend the advanced class and start learning the Chi Sau drill, which is the real bread and butter of the art. Jess has an eye appointment and I a teeth appointment this week. Our new bed is King size, hopefully enough for us and two kitties to all lay on together. We've been watching action movies in High-Def with our awesome new sound system and MAN is that nice. There is an awesome park down the street from our house that Jess and I have been running to. It's got one of those nature walk/activity stop things, so we run for a few hundred feet and then do pushups or leg lifts or whatever else the signs tell us to do. Good exercise, but the jog home at the end is *rough*.
Movies maybe coming later, I've pegged tonight for playing video games! I'm an adult, I get to do that if I want!
-N
 |
| From Vegas Tourney 09 |
The week after the tournament, though, we were TIRED. All during the work week Jess and I were both just sleepy all day and it was pretty hard to get going in the morning. So for the weekend, we decided to take some time, relax, and unwind a little from a long week.
Which is why we spent five hours on Saturday in Ikea.
No, I don't know why, but it was pretty restful anyway. We woke up LATE on Saturday, went running (Jess is now faster on her feet than I am) and then decided to go see if we could get some more of our furniture situation worked out. We knew we liked a bedroom set that we saw at Ikea, so we were going to see if they had all the pieces available for purchase (they were out the last time we went.) We went there and lo-and-behold they did! So, before anyone else could steal our *precious*, bought our entire master bedroom. And all for about the same price that we had seen *just a bed* at other locations. Man that store is fun.
 |
| From Our New House |
Unfortunately, there was no way we were going to be able to get all that stuff home in my little car-sized car, but Ikea delivers! So we set up a delivery for the next day and dropped off all our boxes of furniture off with them. They'll deliver anything in a box to your location, up to 600 lbs worth of stuff. (Over that is just an additional charge). And after we got all that set up…we went through the whole store again! Well there was more on our list than just the bedroom, and since we were there and all…
So two shelves, two dining tables, and a bunch of extras later, we had our living room, breakfast nook, and library all furnished up too! Getting things accomplished is restful! Unfortunately, the tables weren't going to fit in my car either. (By the way, ever bought two dining tables at the same time before? Yeah, me neither. Weird.) So we went back to the delivery center and added the two tables to our delivery. Total weight: 599 lbs. High five!
So the rest of our Saturday consisted of bringing back what furniture did fit in the car, assembling it, and then re-doing all our TV stuff to take advantage of our new, organized system. And it all worked out great. Having all the consoles right next to the TV and the receiver (and our net hub) meant that most of the connections could be made right there. Very nice! And now all of our DVDs and game have a place, and they are in that place, and there are no more unnecessary boxes in our living room. *Room complete!* (Except that we need some end tables and a coffee table, but it's pretty good for now!)
And the next day, the rest of the furniture arrived. Ten boxes worth. Well Jess and I spent the entire afternoon with screwdrivers in one hand and Allen wrenches in the other (and the occasional hammer, thanks dad) putting together a whole lot of stuff. And you best believe we got it all done! Every last piece assembled and ready for the delivery of our mattress in a couple of days to make our master bedroom *functional!* And my hands and wrists were sore enough the next day to offer proof of exactly how much stuff that was. I even got to put up my big, stumpy candles that we got just for the bedroom. Yay!
Short news! I tested for my next 'level' in Wing Tsun. We don't do belts, but at this point I get to attend the advanced class and start learning the Chi Sau drill, which is the real bread and butter of the art. Jess has an eye appointment and I a teeth appointment this week. Our new bed is King size, hopefully enough for us and two kitties to all lay on together. We've been watching action movies in High-Def with our awesome new sound system and MAN is that nice. There is an awesome park down the street from our house that Jess and I have been running to. It's got one of those nature walk/activity stop things, so we run for a few hundred feet and then do pushups or leg lifts or whatever else the signs tell us to do. Good exercise, but the jog home at the end is *rough*.
Movies maybe coming later, I've pegged tonight for playing video games! I'm an adult, I get to do that if I want!
-N
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Don't Listen to MC Hammer
Hey,
This may be a little odd, considering the forum, but I think it's useful and timely information, so I'll share it.
Don't send your gold in to Cash4Gold!
They managed, somehow, to nab a super-bowl commercial spot, so they've obviously decided to step up their exposure, but from what I understand about the company, it's essentially a scam. You send your gold to them in a plastic baggie (insured for *up to* 100$) and *then* they'll tell you how much money they'll give you for it. You're allowed to request your gold back, but the rest of their business is dedicated to making that process as awkward as possible without being downright illegal.
I know it's not the usual family news stuff, but I hadn't really thought much about it until I had read a few recent articles, and consider this useful information. Cheers!
-N
This may be a little odd, considering the forum, but I think it's useful and timely information, so I'll share it.
Don't send your gold in to Cash4Gold!
They managed, somehow, to nab a super-bowl commercial spot, so they've obviously decided to step up their exposure, but from what I understand about the company, it's essentially a scam. You send your gold to them in a plastic baggie (insured for *up to* 100$) and *then* they'll tell you how much money they'll give you for it. You're allowed to request your gold back, but the rest of their business is dedicated to making that process as awkward as possible without being downright illegal.
I know it's not the usual family news stuff, but I hadn't really thought much about it until I had read a few recent articles, and consider this useful information. Cheers!
-N
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Other sports note
I know the world's attention is aimed at the football game, but I wanted to pass on the information that the Roller Derby thing that Jessie (what is her skate name again??) is involved in is featured in a New York Times Magazine article this morning.
It makes the whole thing much more understandable to someone like me who's been asleep since the 1970s . . .
PS: As recently as 2005, I was rooting for the Steelers for a variety of reasons . . . Despite the feel-good story of those towels and the school they support, I'm no longer enthused about the whole 'win one for the thumb' idea. Today, and today only, I'm Go Cardinals! Don't quote me.
It makes the whole thing much more understandable to someone like me who's been asleep since the 1970s . . .
PS: As recently as 2005, I was rooting for the Steelers for a variety of reasons . . . Despite the feel-good story of those towels and the school they support, I'm no longer enthused about the whole 'win one for the thumb' idea. Today, and today only, I'm Go Cardinals! Don't quote me.
Go Steelers!
IT'S SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!! I wanted to post an update, because I suspect our dear readers may not all be experiencing the same Frothy Football Frenzy as Pittsburgh. And since Mom and Dad will be welcoming the new Bishop 'Burgher into their lives soon, I thought it might be valuable as a sort of cultural exchange.
You may know that both teams playing today take a once week break before playing the Superbowl. This is theoretically to help the teams rest and prepare before the Big Game, but it also helps the Steelers Nation to prepare their pep rallies, the Terrible Towel Cakes, their Cardinal Stew and queue up the Fight Songs. I've been searching the internet to find a clear example of the fanatacism here, but I think you have to see both the breadth and profundity of the madness to really understand what is going on here. If you search the internet for Steelers followed by anything- there will be pages of hits- Steelers Radio, Steelers Recipes, Steelers Polka, Steelers School Supplies, Steelers School delay (I'll get back to this), it's all important stuff. If you search iTunes for Steelers music, you'll find an unbeleivable variety of artists have taken a swing at a fight song- Rock, Blues, Hip Hop, Punk, Polka- they've got it all. And these have been top requests on all the radio stations in town all week.
Friday was unoffical Steelers Party day. Much like in high school, people wear team colors the Friday before the Big Game. Black & Gold you can work into professional attire- I saw the black and gold scarf, the Steelers logo earrings, the black and gold tie- but most people just drop the professional guise and wear thier jersey. Riding in on the bus I was struck that I live in a town that by unspoken agreement will be Entirely Color-Co-ordinated for a day, every car had black and gold passengers. If only we could get this kind of concensus on the stimulus plan. My Weight Watchers meeting Saturday, every one there said at work, Friday, they had a Party for the Steelers.
Businesses that normally don't close for major holidays are closing thier doors- because lets face it- no one is going to be out. They say it is a holiday in Pittsburgh. My impression is if we win, there will be unprecident joy and goodwill spilling out into the (closed) streets, even more so than the Obama Inauguration. If we loose, there will be bitterness, tears, and petitions for the turnover of the coaching staff. But let's not dwell on that.
As a final testament to the unity the city feels about seeing its boys succeed, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced a 2 hour delay of ALL schools on Monday. Seriously. Hope you'll have extra reason to enjoy the game this afternoon. Go Steelers!
_______
UPDATE: FYI- Steelers won the Super Bowl. Great game on both sides, very close. Matt and I headed to Oakland to see the riots- we saw this guy and a camera watching a couch lit on fire, then heard about it (and the burning dumpsters and the Fire truck being swarmed) on the radio on our way home. After we saw the Mounted Police drove up the street a couple times, so we thought we should go home.
Couch on Fire and Party On Campus
You may know that both teams playing today take a once week break before playing the Superbowl. This is theoretically to help the teams rest and prepare before the Big Game, but it also helps the Steelers Nation to prepare their pep rallies, the Terrible Towel Cakes, their Cardinal Stew and queue up the Fight Songs. I've been searching the internet to find a clear example of the fanatacism here, but I think you have to see both the breadth and profundity of the madness to really understand what is going on here. If you search the internet for Steelers followed by anything- there will be pages of hits- Steelers Radio, Steelers Recipes, Steelers Polka, Steelers School Supplies, Steelers School delay (I'll get back to this), it's all important stuff. If you search iTunes for Steelers music, you'll find an unbeleivable variety of artists have taken a swing at a fight song- Rock, Blues, Hip Hop, Punk, Polka- they've got it all. And these have been top requests on all the radio stations in town all week.
Friday was unoffical Steelers Party day. Much like in high school, people wear team colors the Friday before the Big Game. Black & Gold you can work into professional attire- I saw the black and gold scarf, the Steelers logo earrings, the black and gold tie- but most people just drop the professional guise and wear thier jersey. Riding in on the bus I was struck that I live in a town that by unspoken agreement will be Entirely Color-Co-ordinated for a day, every car had black and gold passengers. If only we could get this kind of concensus on the stimulus plan. My Weight Watchers meeting Saturday, every one there said at work, Friday, they had a Party for the Steelers.
Businesses that normally don't close for major holidays are closing thier doors- because lets face it- no one is going to be out. They say it is a holiday in Pittsburgh. My impression is if we win, there will be unprecident joy and goodwill spilling out into the (closed) streets, even more so than the Obama Inauguration. If we loose, there will be bitterness, tears, and petitions for the turnover of the coaching staff. But let's not dwell on that.
As a final testament to the unity the city feels about seeing its boys succeed, Pittsburgh Public Schools announced a 2 hour delay of ALL schools on Monday. Seriously. Hope you'll have extra reason to enjoy the game this afternoon. Go Steelers!
_______
UPDATE: FYI- Steelers won the Super Bowl. Great game on both sides, very close. Matt and I headed to Oakland to see the riots- we saw this guy and a camera watching a couch lit on fire, then heard about it (and the burning dumpsters and the Fire truck being swarmed) on the radio on our way home. After we saw the Mounted Police drove up the street a couple times, so we thought we should go home.
Couch on Fire and Party On Campus
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