Well, I could discuss the devastation from Hurricane Ike, or the market troubles this morning, or the turmoil my personal life seems to want to permanently become.
Nah. Let's talk about something a little less stressful. Or maybe more stressful. I guess it depends on your point of view.
We in the Seattle area have been living under a huge black cloud lately. No, I'm not talking about the weather, although we have days like that too.
I'm talking about.......our local sports teams.
We are like a city cursed. If I believe such a Deity existed, I would be sending up my burnt offerings right now to the God Of Sports Success. Because if such a Deity did exist, He/She/It would most certainly be PISSED at Seattle.
Quite simply, the fans of the local teams have had very very little to celebrate in many years. Where to start.....?
How about the Mariners, our baseball team? We are about to become one of the biggest jokes in baseball history - the first team ever to have a $100 million plus payroll and lose 100 games. They play 162 in a season, so to lose 100 you can only win 62 at the most. 62-100 is not any one's idea of success. And they could win less than that even.
They have had a few decent years. 1995 sticks in the mind of any true fan - they came from behind to make the playoffs, then won a thrilling series against the New York Yankees. Sadly, that seemed to use up what magic they had that year, as an exhausted M's squad then lost to Cleveland in the next round.
In 2001 they tied a record for most wins EVER in the regular season, only to get knocked out of the playoffs by the New York Yankees. Paybacks are a bitch. They have never even played in the World Series, much less won it.
Since then they have gone down hill dramatically. This will be their seventh straight season of not making the playoffs, and next year doesn't look too promising either.
Then there is the Seahawks. When Mike Holmgren took over as head coach almost 10 years ago, I felt certain he would guide us to a championship - especially if you'd have told me then that he would be here for 10 seasons.
Well, he did get us to the Promised Land once - we went to the Super Bowl back in 2005. Sadly, because of some poor play and a few questionable penalties, we lost that game. It was our first visit to the Super Bowl, and we have never been back since. Now this year they are plagued with injuries, and have lost their first two games, including one they were heavily favored to win.
The last men's professional championship this town ever saw was in 1979 when the Seattle Supersonics won it all, and induced pandemonium in this city.
Flash forward to 2008 and they don't even play in this city anymore, since a robber baron named Clay Bennett bought them and moved them halfway across the country. This one hurts way too much still, so I'll leave it at that.
The Seattle Storm did win a women's basketball championship a few years back, but sadly for them they still struggle for recognition in a pro sports world dominated by the men's sports. They have a decent team this year, but another championship seems unlikely since their star player is injured.
Even our college teams suck. I have been a Washington Huskies fan for as long as I can remember, and they are on their 4th or 5th lousy losing season in a row. It's about to cost their head coach his job. To be fair to them, they did TIE for the championship back in 1991 - this was before they had a system to allow the top two teams to play each other. Their basketball team has alternated between awful and decent, but since the glamour recruits never want to seem to come to Seattle it seems unlikely a championship will ever come from them.
And don't even get me started on the Washington State Cougars. I can sort of grudgingly root for them IF they aren't playing the Huskies, but their football team could be even worse then ours and if the glamour basketball recruits don't want to come to Seattle they sure as HELL don't want to play in tiny farming/college town Pullman.
I'm 42 years old. I've seen one major championship in my lifetime, plus a tie and one from a team nobody seems to care about. It feels unlikely I will ever see another at this point, even if I live another 42 years.
What sort of burnt offering does The Deity Of Sports Championships prefer?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
9/11 Rememberance on 9/12
I remember that 9/11/2001 in the Puget Sound area was warm, sunny and gorgeous, much like it was in Manhattan that day.
I woke up, took my shower, got dressed, had a bite to eat and some coffee, then headed to work. I had about a 5-10 minute commute at the time. During all this I had not switched a radio or TV on. So I arrived at work with no clue as to what had occurred. Being on the west coast, all of the major events had already transpired.
So I walk into work, and I see co-workers gathered around a radio crying. I asked what was wrong, and they started saying something about how planes had crashed and towers had fallen and frankly not one bit of it made any sense to me, it was all too overwhelming.
For the first and only time since it became so huge in our lives, the Internet did not help much that day, at least at first. I remember all the news sites being overwhelmed and loading extremely slowly if they loaded at all.
So I went to the message boards that I have always liked to visit, and slowly pieced together the news from there, plus I listened on small transistor radios with my co-workers. It all seemed like a dream or an epic end of the world dramatization.
I had to attend a big sales meeting that day in our other office, and we still held the meeting, but nothing remotely like sales was discussed. Instead we spent much of our time around a television set in our client lounge watching a TV.
On the drive back to my office I stopped at a 7-11 and bought a small American flag from a middle eastern gentlemen who looked as shaken as everyone else and put it on my car. I am not normally given to overt displays like that, but that day it seemed right.
When I got home that evening I didn't know what to do other than carry on as usual - I made dinner for my family and then took my kids to the pool.
We lived near Sea-Tac airport at that time, and the silence of no planes flying was noticeable that night. When we had first moved in the jet noise was a little annoying, but we felt hope again the first time we heard it again post 9/11.
It sounded like the world was righting itself again, at least a little.
Seven years and a day later it seems like some weird fever dream, but it must still seem like a nightmare to those who lost loved ones and those that were there and survived when others did not.
My prayers are with them.
I woke up, took my shower, got dressed, had a bite to eat and some coffee, then headed to work. I had about a 5-10 minute commute at the time. During all this I had not switched a radio or TV on. So I arrived at work with no clue as to what had occurred. Being on the west coast, all of the major events had already transpired.
So I walk into work, and I see co-workers gathered around a radio crying. I asked what was wrong, and they started saying something about how planes had crashed and towers had fallen and frankly not one bit of it made any sense to me, it was all too overwhelming.
For the first and only time since it became so huge in our lives, the Internet did not help much that day, at least at first. I remember all the news sites being overwhelmed and loading extremely slowly if they loaded at all.
So I went to the message boards that I have always liked to visit, and slowly pieced together the news from there, plus I listened on small transistor radios with my co-workers. It all seemed like a dream or an epic end of the world dramatization.
I had to attend a big sales meeting that day in our other office, and we still held the meeting, but nothing remotely like sales was discussed. Instead we spent much of our time around a television set in our client lounge watching a TV.
On the drive back to my office I stopped at a 7-11 and bought a small American flag from a middle eastern gentlemen who looked as shaken as everyone else and put it on my car. I am not normally given to overt displays like that, but that day it seemed right.
When I got home that evening I didn't know what to do other than carry on as usual - I made dinner for my family and then took my kids to the pool.
We lived near Sea-Tac airport at that time, and the silence of no planes flying was noticeable that night. When we had first moved in the jet noise was a little annoying, but we felt hope again the first time we heard it again post 9/11.
It sounded like the world was righting itself again, at least a little.
Seven years and a day later it seems like some weird fever dream, but it must still seem like a nightmare to those who lost loved ones and those that were there and survived when others did not.
My prayers are with them.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Freedom!
I feel like I am channeling William Wallace, I am standing on a hill, screaming "Freedom" and waving my fanny at my foes.
OK, not really. That's just the fatigue talking. I need to go to bed early tonight.
Today is the last day of summer freedom for the wonderful, smart, funny, talented Hoerler children. I am hoping they are making the most of it. It's sunny outside, and I can only imagine them running around the yard or walking to the park.
My oldest, Vivian, is starting Junior High tomorrow, and frankly she seems pretty on-edge about it. I have tried to assure her that, despite my own horror stories of my time in Junior High, she should be fine. Besides, it would be almost impossible to have a time as bad as I did. Vivian is far more self-assured than I ever was at that age, I'm not worried about her.
Corwin is going into 5th grade. This may be an interesting year for him, he'll no longer have the shadow of an older sibling in the same school over him. He's a bright kid, and of my three probably reminds me most of myself at that age, except for he is more physically gifted than I ever was.
And our baby, the youngest, Joshua is going into 2nd grade. He's also very bright, charming, and seems to be a buddy to pretty much everyone.
It's always vastly entertaining and educational to watch these three diverse personalities grow and develop. Each has their own style and strengths. I love each and every one of them so much it feels like it hurts sometimes.
Here's to a good school year!
OK, not really. That's just the fatigue talking. I need to go to bed early tonight.
Today is the last day of summer freedom for the wonderful, smart, funny, talented Hoerler children. I am hoping they are making the most of it. It's sunny outside, and I can only imagine them running around the yard or walking to the park.
My oldest, Vivian, is starting Junior High tomorrow, and frankly she seems pretty on-edge about it. I have tried to assure her that, despite my own horror stories of my time in Junior High, she should be fine. Besides, it would be almost impossible to have a time as bad as I did. Vivian is far more self-assured than I ever was at that age, I'm not worried about her.
Corwin is going into 5th grade. This may be an interesting year for him, he'll no longer have the shadow of an older sibling in the same school over him. He's a bright kid, and of my three probably reminds me most of myself at that age, except for he is more physically gifted than I ever was.
And our baby, the youngest, Joshua is going into 2nd grade. He's also very bright, charming, and seems to be a buddy to pretty much everyone.
It's always vastly entertaining and educational to watch these three diverse personalities grow and develop. Each has their own style and strengths. I love each and every one of them so much it feels like it hurts sometimes.
Here's to a good school year!
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