Tomorrow’s the Big Day!

Tomorrow is the day most of Seattle has been waiting for, the day of The Super Bowl! I definitely want us to win, but to me this season has been a major success regardless of what happens tomorrow.

In my mind, the city of Seattle, the state, the region and beyond became a family last year as they rallied around the Seahawks football team. That community experience was so powerful, and I expected it would be similar this year; but as far as I’m concerned that sense of community grew exponentially during this season.

There have been rallies occurring here for weeks. On Blue Friday’s so many people wear their Seahawks jerseys to work and in their lives. As the big day approaches a sea of Seahawks jerseys can be seen every day of the week. Apparently on the day of the NFL championship game, 91% of the televisions that were turned on in Seattle were tuned in to at least part of the game. Seattle area fans are streaming towards Arizona whether they have tickets to the game or not.

Seismologists keep track of the rumbling in the earth during the games, as Seattle is known for being one of the loudest stadiums. The dancing and cheering that happened when Seattle came back to tie the game in the NFC championship caused activity equivalent to a level 2 earthquake. The press box was shaking so much that some of the press thought that a real earthquake was occurring! Take a look at the seismic readings below. The Beast Quake happened a different year; but notice the difference in the reading during the Dance Quake and that of the Overtime Touch down which resulted in the Seahawks winning the NFL championship game! For more information click here.

Governor Jay Inslee created a proclamation that called for all 12’s (Fan’s are considered the 12th “man” on the football team due to their level of support) to engage in three moments of loudness in support of the Seattle Seahawks: at 12:00 p.m. on Jan. 30, Jan. 31, Feb. 1, 2015. He requested that the fans get LOUD, LOUDER, and LOUDEST for 30 seconds on each day.

Government buildings have the U.S. flag, the Washington State flag, and the 12 flag flying. There are 12 flags or lighted displays everywhere. Google Images shows an impressive selection of them.

Celebrating the Seahawks has also become a family event. I heard someone being interviewed yesterday that said their one year old was the biggest Seahawks fan in their family!

Tears rolled down my face as I watched the joy that the children in the video below were expressing. I think the video exemplifies much of what I am trying to put into words in this post.

(I cried as much when I re-watched the video in preparing this post as I did the first time I saw it!)

So, whatever happens tomorrow I will have had the joy of experiencing a sense of community that is so palpable that in some cases it can be recorded as seismic activity!

GO SEAHAWKS!

*****

Teaching kids………….

I just found this quote and picture on KSFINBLOG: Global Analyst. I love it and hope you do to! Thank you for posting it KS.

K.S.@ksfinblog: Global Analyst

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Mixed Race Marriage/Mixed Race Children

The July 2014, AARP magazine reported that 15% of new marriages in the United States are mixed race marriages. Oh how times have changed! I don’t know what that percentage was when I married Al, an African-American man, in 1971, but it certainly was nowhere near 15%. Mixed marriage was even illegal in some places in the U.S. until 1967.

Our wedding was in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but we moved to Seattle immediately afterwards.

Prior to our marriage, I was working at Highline County Hospital in Oakland. Just before I left for Seattle, an African-American colleague took me aside and advised me to keep my marriage a secret once I obtained a nursing job in Seattle. She said that if the hospital administration found out I had married a black man, I would be fired. Naturally, that news was very unsettling. Continue reading “Mixed Race Marriage/Mixed Race Children” →

FOUND!

Soon after I returned from India in January, I received a series of emails from neighbors letting me know they had been robbed. In the 40 years I’ve lived here, I’ve had only one break-in. That was in the 70’s and was clearly the work of a child. l made that conclusion at the time because the thief had ignored the boombox and other things that were of value. The only item taken was a piggy bank. They then dropped the piggy bank as they fled down the back stairs. Loose change was scattered everywhere. Continue reading “FOUND!” →

A Treat for Us!

Photo: Kendall- “Piggies” @ allrecipes.com

I have so few memories of my childhood, but occasionally snippets come to my mind. One of those snippets has surfaced several time lately.

My mother loved to make desserts. Pies, cakes, bars, cookies, puddings– all were regular features in our house. Seven days a week, we expected and were given a desert for both lunch and dinner. When my mother made pies, I knew a special treat was in store for us. Continue reading “A Treat for Us!” →

A Journey into the Jungle

This post is the story of a journey that the adventurous part of me (AP) and the sometimes scared kid part of me (KP) took this morning! (If you click on the pictures in each section you will be able to see them as a slide show.)

AP: “Today we are going to participate in Bastet’s Pixelventures for the first time!” The assignment is to take a picture of something looking up!”

KP: “That sounds like fun. What will we take a picture of?”

AP: “How about a photo of the big, gray concrete house on the next block? It is different and it goes straight up.”

KP: “That house is weird. I suppose it would be okay but it is pretty boring.”

AP: “Oh….. I know! There is that gorgeous big tree in the lot behind our house. We can walk there and take a picture!”

KP: “That tree is down a BIG hill and that lot is a JUNGLE. I don’t know about this.” Continue reading “A Journey into the Jungle” →

Seabeck: A Home in the Universe for Me

Around 1980, I started attending a Unitarian Universalist church. Soon thereafter, I heard about an eight day family summer camp that was held at Seabeck Conference Center every year. It was sponsored by Eliot Institute, a regional Unitarian group. I was so excited and knew I wanted to go.

At that point my son was five and my daughter was two. I decided it would be too much for me to take a two year old to camp, so made plans for Sreejit and me to go. When we crossed the bridge into the conference center that first time, it was like entering another world. A world of unbelievable beauty, where one could relax, make new friends, get hugs, and simply breathe. I felt like I had found my “Home” in the universe. Continue reading “Seabeck: A Home in the Universe for Me” →