How Griffey is like the Oceanic 6

Warning. Gross overstatements ahead...
The dark chapter in Seattle life known as the Dark Years (02/00 - 02/09) is over and we can now look ahead to a bright future. Junior is back. But seriously, it feels oddly profound that Griffey re-signed with the Mariners yesterday, like a massive wrong has been righted. As you saw in my "24 Things list" (created in his honor before the rumors started swirling that he was coming back - that's right, I'm taking credit for it), I cried when Junior asked to be traded. I remember where I was when he asked and I remember where I was when the deal went through. I cried yesterday, too. Yeah, I admit it. I envisioned holding one of my nephews and pointing to Ken Griffey Jr. in Mariner Blue: "There's one of the best baseball players of all-time. You get to watch him play." So great that we get to share the experience with them.

Will he be the Griffey of '97 or even '07? Probably not. Ok, definitely not. But will I still think about getting out of my seat to go to the bathroom and decide to wait another 1/2 inning when I see Griffey is due up? Absolutely. There's still something magical about him and even if he struggles at the plate, I'm so excited to have him back. I'm excited to watch that swing again.

Last night, I woke up around 4am, recognized a feeling of excitement, and remembered Junior's decision last night. My brain spent the next 1/2 hour pondering the parallels between Griffey & LOST. (Spoiler alert for you DVD-watchers) ... Last night, the Oceanic 6 returned to the island. There was a sense that they were back where they were supposed to be, that history had course-corrected a wrong. Griffey has returned to Seattle. He is where he is supposed to be. A mistake made on February 10, 2000 was corrected on February 18, 2009.

Icy

This was my windshield yesterday morning. Usually I get a little annoyed when my car is icy because I haven't allowed time for it. Sometimes, though, I have to pause and just be in awe. I was in a bit of a hurry yesterday, but no scraping occurred. Instead of the ice scraper, I whipped out my camera.

24 Random Things About Me.

I'm still debating which end of the spectrum I fall on with the new Facebook phenomenon, but I'm going to do it because maybe it will launch some ideas for future blogs. Plus, I've loved reading others' and learned about my friends.

24 Random Things About Me... In honor of Ken Griffey, Jr.

1. For some reason I decided in high school to memorize pi as far as I could: 3.14159265358979323846264338327950 ... I don't think I will ever forget that sequence of numbers. Which is scary.
2. I need motivation to run, so I'm in the process of picking another 1/2 marathon.
3. My favorite smells are baseball glove leather, chalk, and coffee. Not together.
4. I don't own any soaps or perfumes in those fragrances. Not socially acceptable. Those tend to be along the limey, coconutty, minty lines.
5. I have spent 20 weeks total in Haines, Alaska.
6. I have also been to Italy, Greece, France, Kyrgyzstan, The Dominican Republic, and Japan. Haines wins the beauty contest by a landslide.
7. I have two older brothers who let me tag along while they played sports and such. I owe them a lot for athletic ability and more importantly, self-confidence.
8. I shed some tears when Ken Griffey, Jr asked to be traded. I was in college at the time.
9. I had an imaginary friend when I was younger. Her name was Ariana. Good times.
10. I'm working on memorizing I John. I like memorizing stuff.
11. My most memorable Halloween costumes from my childhood were Punky Brewster and ALF.
12. I love to laugh and always want to hang out with people who make me laugh and don't take themselves too seriously.
13. I teach my nephews important things like how to raise one eyebrow, the UW fight song, and how to eat like a squirrel.
14. My oldest brother named me after a girl he liked in Kindergarten.
15. I really like words and languages. I studied Spanish and Japanese in high school. I tried to learn as much Russian as possible in Kyrgyzstan. I love crossword puzzles.
16. My favorite foods all start with 'p' ... Pag's Pizza, Polish Sausage (w/ cream cheese!), Pumpkin Bread, Pineapple, Potato Soup.
17. The life verse I chose when I was baptized on 02/02/02 is Psalm 16:8 - "I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken." I love the idea of God before me in all things and next to me through it all.
18. My current hot beverage of choice is a tall americano with one pump of white mocha and light room. Maybe I'm more high-maintenance than I thought.
19. My top 5 strengths according to the official book on strengths are: arranger, adaptability, relational, responsibility, achiever. Basically, I like to be productive alongside other people while considering/balancing lots of variables.
20. I can touch my elbows behind my back. Go ahead, try it.
21. My favorite number is 21. I was once kind of obsessed with the number and pointed it out whenever I saw it - street signs, whatever. Then I decided I wanted to have friends when I grew up.
22. I was born with a hole in my right lung. I have the cross-shaped scar to prove it.
23. I floss every single day.
24. I know that filling this out is going to mess up my game next time I play "Two truths and a lie." Unless, of course, any of these are lies... Which they aren't (which may or may not be true).

Our Foxy Lady

No fear, dear reader (hi Mom!), blogging less was not my New Year's resolution. Instead, my New Year's resolution was to get a dog and convince my parents' to let her live at their house.

So, inspired by the puppycam, we found our very own Shiba Inu, Kitsu (short for Kitsune, which is Japanese for "fox"). We couldn't love her more! And so far, joint custody has worked out quite well.


So, now you see the actual reason for my absence from blogdom: taking time to write would have robbed me of puppy time. And that's just not acceptable. I mean, she already will fetch a tennis ball and sit on command! No fawning over her is too much fawning. However, I still have Christmas stories I need to write and I intend to do so - even if it means a little less time gazing at Kitsu while she sleeps, saying, "She's so cute!" Further proof:

Hope

Rick Reilly is one of my favorite sports writers and you owe it to yourself to read this piece. Where would any of us be without hope?

Who is My Neighbor?

Snow in Seattle will always be magical to me. I can remember sitting near the back sliding door updating my mom every 2-3 minutes on the status of the snow from the time of the first snowflake. "Still snowing!"

We all know the snow is fun for snowball fights, sledding, and snowman-making. It's a great excuse to skip work for many people and it turns our gray worlds into bright white snowglobes. I love the absolute silence that comes with the snow. Any time I go for a walk, I make it a point to stop so I no longer hear the "swish" of my pants of the crunch of the snow beneath my boots. It is very rare that we have utter silence in our lives these days. As I write, I hear the whir of the VCR, the ticking of a clock, and the engines of the cars going by; but Sunday morning as I walked to work, I stopped and heard absolutely nothing for several minutes. It was a glorious awe-filled silence that spoke louder to me than anything audible possibly could.

I know the hazards of snow, too. One check of the facebook status updates of my virtual friends tells me there are many who are stir-crazy, some stuck at airports, and others simply ready to get on with their normal lives. I understand those plights and have certainly found myself frustrated at times as well. Of course, there are others facing even more dire circumstances, for whom the sky is their roof and the snow is a cold, unwelcome visitor to their home. As the snow fell last week, I couldn't help but think of those living in Nickelsville particularly, which tempered my excitement.

But today's events won me over for snow and reminded me of its magic. My day was bookended by good Samaritans. This morning, as I struggled for the second time to get the chains on my tires, cars whizzed by for 20 minutes. I thought about how great a second pair of hands would be for the task as a suburban slowed down, stopped 20 yards down the road, and backed up. The driver rolled down the window to ask if I needed help. I can't remember if I said anything or if the frustrated look on my face gave me away, but he immediately pulled over in front of my car, hopped out with his friend and they helped me get the chains on the tires of the Vibe. (Ok, by "they helped," I mean "they did everything.") It took 10 minutes or so and I got to know a couple of mortgage bankers who would be great to call if I ever actually make enough money to buy a house. No, they did not stop to make a customer. Yes, I did get a business card. Yes, they will get a Christmas card in the mail from me.

Tonight, I got home and discovered the plows had left piles of snow (that was now ice) between the road and the parking alongside the road. To my dear vibe, piles of icy snow are insurmountable mountains. So, I somehow wedged my way over near the curb and went to get a shovel with which to clear a better spot and conquer that mountain so that my life will be easier in the morning. As I finish my task, a man approaches and asks if I'm trying to get my car out. I immediately think he wants my parking spot or doesn't want me parking in front of my house or needs to fit his car in front of mine. Then I see the shovel he's holding and he says, "I was just talking on the phone and I looked out the window and saw you shoveling and thought I'd come help." I talked to Paul, my neighbor for several minutes, discovered his wife works at Safeway, he's lived in Seattle his whole life, and his house was built in the 1930s by the same people who built the house I'm renting.

I repeat: I TALKED TO MY NEIGHBOR. In this age of not acknowledging anyone, I'm struck by how a little snow can create a human connection between us and prompt us to reach out to each other. College students were using brooms to get snow off the tents in Nickelsville last Thursday. People at the bus stop acknowledged each other and had full conversations. I talked to my neighbor.

We were made to connect with people. We can see God in people we've never met before and we are called to serve all those in need. I think we suppress that need for connection, but it's so innate that it only takes a little snow to bring it to the surface. I heart snow always and forever. (Unabridged version)

Who's Right?

"Nobody's perfect"
or
"Practice makes perfect"

...because I'm not sure there's room for both sayings in one language.