Moose alert

We looked out the office window on Wednesday. In traffic was... a moose.

I'm again stealing a photo from my co-clerk, who was quicker with the camera than I was.



This never gets old. I live in a crazy place.

First day of spring

Yesterday was the winter solstice. Maybe not much more than a fun fact in the lower 48, but up here it's something everyone notices... and celebrates. We had a pizza party on our court yesterday to commemorate the big day.

Yesterday was the darkest day of the year. Sunrise: 10:14; Sunset: 3:41. Total daylight: 5:46.

But now, it's getting lighter everyday. Party!

It also means it's technically the first day of winter, which is kind of a joke if you look around. I spent an hour last night shoveling a foot of snow of a roof. It's been winter here for a couple months. Instead, we like to think of it as the first day of spring. Days are getting longer, and soon we'll be swimming in daylight. Well, not "soon," exactly, but soon enough. A helpful graphic (from the Anchorage Daily News):



So, yeah, by February the sun will stay up past 5:00pm. Imagine that!

Snowy roads

We've had about 9 inches of snow here in the last 3 days. The roads are very snowy, which allows me to compare this city's snow-response to Ann Arbor's.

In a landslide, Ann Arbor wins. The plowing here is leisurely... whenever they get around to it, they do it. There is no salting. When it gets icy, they throw some dirt on it. In Ann Arbor, on the other hand, the plows are out instantly, and the salt trucks are everywhere. Roads are bare in a matter of hours.

This is why so many people buy studded tires here. The roads will have permanent layers of snow and ice until April. Drive carefully.

Skiing

Winter is here, and, despite the daily scraping-frost-off-the-windshield ritual, it is a heck of a lot of fun. I have acquired a set of nordic ski gear to take advantage of the numerous cross-country ski trails in the Anchorage area. This is a ski-crazy town. So many trails, many of which are lighted at night (because it's night all the time). Although I did a lot of nordic skiing when I was younger, I'm now learning the skate style, which is more aerobic -- and faster.

It's also time for alpine skiing, and on Saturday I went to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood (a mere 45 minutes away). It's not as big as many of the Tahoe resorts, but it's as big or bigger than many of the resorts in the Cascades. Not too many different trails, but a variety of terrain. On Saturday it snowed all day, so there was powder everywhere. It was great to be on the slopes again, but my legs were not in shape for it, and I've spent the last several days with very sore quads. Still a great time, and I'm hoping to make a trip to Alyeska every weekend once I'm back from the holiday.

Ah yes, the holiday! I'm leaving Saturday for Seattle, and then after a week I'll head to San Francisco for New Year's. Looking forward to the break.

Not-so-high noon

I'm stealing this photo from my co-clerk Tara's Flickr page because it demonstrates how high (or not-high) the sun gets these days. This is from a couple weeks ago, so it may even be lower now -- but it was also in Talkeetna, where they get even less sun than we do, so maybe it's about the same. It just barely peeks up before going down again. This was as high as it got this day.

The thing about a sun this low is that it's hard to get direct sunlight anywhere. It comes in horizontally, so trees or buildings block it. We have very long shadows.

It is damn hard work to be a Seattle sports fan

Yes, I know I say that all the time. But tell me how it's not true.

The Seahawks: losses to Arizona and San Francisco. Just... wow.

The Mariners: first the Soriano-Ramirez trade, now the Snelling + Fruto for Vidro trade. Holy crap what a bad deal. I just can't believe Bavasi is this stupid. Two young guys with promise for a broken-down has-been? Just... wow.

The Sonics: are they still here? Oh.

Computer is back! And that means photos.

If you're reading this, it means that not only is my computer back, but it's working long enough for me to write this and post some pictures. Woo!

Lots more photos are up on my Flickr page. Check em out. Featuring:

Moose!



Sunsets:



Trips:



More to come... if the computer holds up.

Eating Rudolph

Funny story coming out of Chicago, where apparently a hotdog vender is now selling reindeer sausage. As I've mentioned before, it's all over the place up here. I guess it's still a big unusual in the lower 48, especially around Christmas. But if you get a chance... try 'em. Donner and Blitzen sure are tasty.

Mariners: run by morons

It's hard to be a Mariners fan when they keep making deals like the latest one: Rafael Soriano for some guy named Horacio Ramirez. What a terrible, awful, stupid, bad trade. Even if Ramirez turns out to be good, (a) we could have gotten somebody better in return for Soriano, and accordingly, (b) we could have gotten Ramirez for somebody worse than Soriano.

I have to blame the Mariners CEO Howard Lincoln for this. He knew Bill Bavasi was a moron, but Bavasi's still here making moronic trades. I can't really blame Bavasi -- making bad trades is just what he does. Everyone knows this. It's Lincoln's fault for letting a monkey run the team.

It feels like the Seahawks are the only real team left in Seattle. The Sonics are lame ducks and the Mariners are essentially an 8-year-old's fantasy team. I'm going to have to start rooting for the Aces. Second place in the ECHL West!

ADDED: At least Bavasi didn't spend $55 million on Gil Meche. Poor Royals.

Sun and moon

The sun set yesterday at 3:46 pm, and rose today at 9:56 am. (More)

The almost-full moon rose yesterday at 2:33 pm, and sets today at 1:32 pm. (More)

College football makes my head hurt

I'm over my initial reaction -- pure unadulterated anger -- to the BCS championship pairing. I'm still a little raw about it, though, as are Michigan fans everywhere. I hadn't really had a problem with the BCS before, but now it seems clear that the process is broken. I thought this article summed it up best.

I'm not going to argue that Florida is completely undeserving. It had a good year. But it's hard to argue that it looked better than Michigan, even in beating FSU and Arkansas the last two weeks -- the two games that allowed Florida to leapfrog Michigan in the polls.

Instead, it's clear that voters voted for a matchup, not for the best teams in the country. Seems like a squirrelly move to me, but I guess there's nothing in the voting rules that says voters can't vote however they want. There's just a few rationales that chap me.

First, that Michigan didn't win its conference. That it was a "second place team," as Gary Danielson said in his not-so-balanced calling of the Florida-Arkansas game. A rule forbidding a team that did not win its conference from playing in the championship game is arbitrary and logically indefensible. If Ohio State is the best team in the conference and in the country, how is it impossible for Michigan to be the second best team in the country? It just doesn't follow. Next.

Second, that a rematch wouldn't be fair to OSU, who already beat Michigan. The way I see it, there's a regular season, and there's a postseason; the winner of the regular season game wins, um, a regular season game, and the winner of the postseason game wins the championship. What's the problem? If OSU cried foul after losing to Michigan in the championship game, they'd be even lamer than I thought they were.

Third, I'm a little pissed that OSU coach Jim Tressel didn't vote in the final coaches poll, citing a conflict of interest. Poor Jim, he was too conflicted. I understand that the poll put him in a strange position -- his vote would be made public, and could potentially be bulletin-board-material for whichever team he didn't vote for. But so what? Find yourself a bigger sweater vest and man up, Jim. At the beginning of the season you agreed to take on the responsibilities of a voter, and you voted in every poll all season. Then you changed the complexion of the poll at the end of the year just when your being a voter no longer served your self-interest. Then you tried to make it seem like yours was the ethical choice. Whatever. Hmm... you were Maurice Clarett's role model... this explains so much.

All this yapping about polls -- including complaints about the insane Harris Poll voter Jim Walden, who voted for Florida #1 (ahead of OSU?!?), not to mention Oklahoma #4, Boise State #5, Wake Forest #7, and LSU #11 (was he watching women's basketball instead?) -- has converted me to a proponent of a playoff. This debate happens every year, and I'm tired of it. And only a few people like all those stupid bowls anyway. The Rose Bowl isn't really even the Rose Bowl any more, so what's the point? Take away one regular season game and all conference championship games, and add an 8-team playoff. Yes, teams that get left out of the playoff will always gripe, but those gripes I can handle.

Not sure whom I'll root for in the title game. Can't root for OSU because... they're OSU. Can't root for Florida because they shouldn't even be there. I'll just root for Tressel's sweater vest, I guess.

Finally, as a post-script, I must say I'm surprised that Stanford fired Walt Harris. I thought we all knew that it would take a while to undo the damage ol' Buddy left behind. But new AD Bob Bowlsby wants his own guy in there, and there are some interesting candidates out there. Ted Leland whiffed on the last two choices... here's hoping Bowlsby gets it right.

ADDED: A reasoned rebuttal, and an explanation why a playoff will never happen.

Weekend in Talkeetna

Spent about 24 hours in Talkeetna (purportedly the inspiration for the town in "Northern Exposure") this weekend for two famous events. One is the Wilderness Woman Contest, in which competitors must: fetch water, make a sandwich, gather firewood, drive a snowmobile, run in snowshoes, catch a fish, shoot a ptarmigan, and "dispatch a moose." Amusing stuff, and this year there was a correspondent from Jay Leno there to participate. Not sure when it'll air, but sometime this week there should be a "humorous" take at the "quaint" "hijinx" in Alaska.

The next event was the Bachelor Auction. I was not buying or selling -- men (except for the bachelors to be auctioned) are not even allowed in the room -- so this part was more for the amusement of my female co-clerks. The guys hung out at a bar and played pool while two of my co-clerks made successful bids... and won a drink, a dance, and some awkward conversation with their Talkeetna bachelors. Fun for everyone, really.

I'll try to post some pictures... yes... when my computer is fixed.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Mine was good. Elise was in town, and we cooked a big dinner for a group of clerks. 20-lb turkey, dude. It turned out well... and we're still eating the leftovers. Who wants pie?

The inhumanely cold temperatures have stopped. We had about four weeks of temps running between -5 and 10, but we finally crept up into the 20s and got some snow. Which is great -- can't wait to get to the slopes.

Hey, Stanford is only a 28.5-point underdog against Cal this weekend! Sounds about right. Beat Cal!

Odds and ends

My computer is still, oh I'd guess... 2 weeks away from being fixed. Maybe 3. So blogging remains slow and without any fun pictures. Thanks for checking back during this trying time.

Just a few quick hits:

• Interesting article out of Dallas, discussing how the DeLay-led gerrymandering in Texas may have cost the state its clout in the US Congress. The lesson, as always: nothing good can come from gerrymandering.
• Exciting game between UM and OSU. I lost my voice yelling... sending the cat into hiding until several hours after the game. Although I think Michigan is the second-best team in the country, if USC wins out it deserves the shot at the title, and Blue will be content with the Rose Bowl.
• Come back, Matt Hasselbeck.
• There was a moose out my window this morning.
• Happy Birthdays, Mom and Dad!
• Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

A difficult day

Woke up this morning and poured myself some cereal, turned on the TV. Bo Schembechler is dead, it says. Whoa. No way. The day before The Game? The biggest Game there ever was? That's just weird.

And sad. Bo was the patriarch of Michigan football. The fact that I'm a relative newcomer -- only a fan since 2003 -- and still a little shaken by the news speaks to the power of Bo's presence in Ann Arbor. Buildings are named after him. Stories are told about him. Athletes, no matter the sport, put in extra effort so they can impress him. Bo was simply everywhere.

Then I get to work, and the comedians on my court are all wearing Ohio State gear. Including my judge and my judge's 72-year-old secretary. Just to needle me. Okay, jokers. Let's see who's laughing tomorrow.

Go Blue! Do it for Bo.

Bottleneck

With my computer back in the shop, blogging remains slow. Which is frustrating because there's so much to talk about right now: the UM-OSU game, Stanford getting its first win (woo!), Seneca Wallace and Mo Morris making Holmgren look smart, unbearably cold winds here in Anchorage, a frozen Cook Inlet, moose sightings, and more rants about Dell customer service.

Maybe I'll find time to write here and there, but pictures will have to wait until the laptop is back, unfortunately.

Arrrrrgggggh

Got my computer back, but it's still broken. Just spent 1.5 hours on the phone with Dell. Am in the fourth concentric circle of hell.

My new career path

I think I am most qualified to become a burrito lawyer. There is, apparently, a need for burrito lawyering services, as evidenced by this story coming out of Massachusetts. I would have loved to write the brief explaining why a burrito is different from a sandwich. The next challenge: why burritos are different from, and superior to, wraps.

Sundry items

Just a few quick items:

• Blogging has been slow lately because my laptop's motherboard died. Not a cheap thing to replace.
• I tweaked my knee playing football in the snow yesterday. Boo.
• On the drive to work today, I passed by one of those signs that shows the time and temperature. Three degrees. Three. I'm looking out my window right now, and there's a ton of steam rising off Cook Inlet... because the water temperature is so much higher than the air temperature. I'll post a pic if/when my motherboard is fixed.

Sonics open lame duck year

This is probably the last time I'll write about the Sonics this season, barring some unforeseen developments in their dealings with the city. The whole situation is just too depressing. Especially when you see the kind of deal straight-shooter Clay Bennett wants ("The new owners of the Sonics want a state-of-the art arena on as many as 30 acres in King County, paid for by the team, other private investors and a "significant" investment from taxpayers. They just don't want the public to get a vote on it."). Yep, you're committed to keeping the team here, Clay. Sure ya are.

I'll still find myself reading box scores and quietly hoping that the team wins games, but as far as the emotional commitment necessary to be a "fan," I'm done. And once they move to Oklahoma City, I'll aggressively root for the franchise to fall apart (which, of course, will lead directly to their winning a championship).

It's a shame, because I still like most of the Sonics players. Read about them here.

• Ray Allen is awesome.
• Luke Ridnour has a pomapoo.
• Rashard Lewis has a Rottweiler and a Mastiff, and "[i]f somebody comes over there [his house], they're going to get ate up," Lewis teased. Ha! Dog-mauling humor is the best.
• Chris Wilcox's favorite TV show is "Prison Break" because "he has plenty of childhood friends from North Carolina now incarcerated and the show is an honest look at life behind bars." Oh.
• Nick Collison is having fun with his new baby: "We've had times where we changed her diaper and she's not done yet and it gets all over you."
• Damien Wilkins does nothing but play with his Sidekick phone.
• Johan Petro is also a DJ known as "DJ Jo-P."
• Desmon Farmer watches "Prison Break" with Chris Wilcox.
• Mickael Gelabale is French.
• Robert Swift is injured, but still awesome.

You see? Those guys are great. Wish they wouldn't go.

The Chena Trip

At long last, the photos are up. To the right I've added a permanent link to my photos available on Flickr. Click there any time to see what I've been up to, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed and get an update whenever something new is added (just as you can with this blog). Most of the pictures are for public consumption, but for various reasons some are only for friends and family -- so if you want to see those, you'll have to sign up for Flickr (which is real easy if you already have a Yahoo ID), and then have me add you as a contact.

Anyway, about the trip. It was awesome. On the way up, we had clear skies and an amazing view of Denali. The pictures I took just don't convey how awesomely huge these mountains are. If it helps, my shadow is about 40 miles from Denali:



And even a bald eagle!



We got to Fairbanks and visited the Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co. in nearby Fox, AK, for some free beer (during their Friday tasting session). Fun fact: it's the northern-most brewery in the world. Or so they say. Then it was off to the resort, and into the hot springs. The whole resort is run on geothermal power, they tell us. The springs were a nice way to end a long day of driving.

The next day included some hiking and some ill-fated attempts at sledding (not enough snow yet), and then later a trip to the Aurora Ice Museum, featuring many fine pieces of ice sculpture including:



Then we had apple martinis served in ice martini glasses. That is, glasses made of ice.



Later that night, the northern lights came out. I didn't even try to take photos. But... wow. Curtains of green light waving and spiraling all over the night sky. You have to see it.

The drive back wasn't as nice, as we ran into a snowstorm that blocked all our views. We got back to Anchorage to find 5 new inches of snow on the ground. Photos of my snowy home to come sometime soon.

Aurora

Pictures and details will come soon (after a good night's sleep), but this was a great weekend. We took Friday off and drove to Fairbanks to visit the Chena Hot Springs. On the way we passed right by Denali, and on this cloudless day, the mountain was out in full glory. The hot springs were fun, and the resort also had an ice museum featuring some incredible ice sculptures. And on Saturday night we saw the Northern Lights above us. Amazing.

Photos to come soon. Stay tuned.

Two other small things:
The Tigers lost the World Series, even though I was technically rooting for the Cardinals. I attribute this result to the fact that my jinx was overwhelmed by an even more powerful one: Murphy bought tickets to an "if necessary" game (in this case, game 6). When this happens, it is a stone cold lock that the game will not happen. This is how the Red Wings lost, too. The amazing thing is that Murph knows the jinx exists, but bought tickets anyway. I guess he thought the Tigers were good enough to overcome it. I smell hubris.

Second, bah. I don't even want to discuss the Seahawks game. I watched it in fast-forward on the DVR when I got back from the trip, and I'm glad I only wasted 30 minutes on it. I guess the defense thought it could take the day off, what with the backup running back and quarterback playing. Good work, D. Way to force a total of one punt.

Hello, ice scraper...

... how I've missed you. Today I happily used you to free my windshield from a thin casing of ice and snow that appeared overnight. I'll probably get to employ your services again this evening in preparation for my short drive home. You've sat idly in my backseat since April -- jostled now and then by passengers... stuck under a box when I made two long road trips. But now you ride in a prominent position because winter is here, and I'll be needing you often.

On injuries

This was truly the nightmare situation - losing Matt Hasselbeck. I have little doubt that he's the true MVP of the team, but for some reason I'm morbidly curious to see how Seneca Wallace plays in a real game. Mike Holmgren has had so many chances to find a different backup QB -- especially considering how valuable Seneca could be as a receiver -- that the upcoming games will show that either a) Holmgren is a genius, or b) he's an idiot. And that's always fun.

What's also fun is this: Seneca's nickname in college was "Sin Daddy in the White Caddy." It would be great if Dick Enberg tried to explain that during the game.

This season gives the team the chance to show what kind of character they have. Last season, nothing went wrong. There weren't many big injuries. This season, they've already shown they can survive without Shaun Alexander, Steve Hutchinson, Bobby Engram, and Jerramy Stevens. Now they go into the Wally Bowl against Kansas City (starring Damon Huard) without Hasselbeck. Let's see how they respond. I'm intrigued.

Woo!

Jamie Moyer staying in Philadelphia.

Never come back, ya hear?

Do you have the day off today?

We do. It's Alaska Day! But I'm here at work anyway, as most of us clerks are. This allows me to take Friday off instead. Hooray for random state holidays!

That was a weird ending...

... to the Seahawk game yesterday. I understand why St. Louis is mad about the 10-second runoff rule. My question -- one that I haven't seen asked yet -- is why Holmgren ran the ball one more time with :14 left on the clock and with the ball already within Josh Brown's field goal range. As it turned out, they only gained one yard on the play, they barely got back to the line to snap the ball again, and they almost lost the game on a penalty. I'm pretty sure if Mike had to do it over again, he would have kicked on 2nd down... it would have been a most inglorious loss if it came on the penalty.

Otherwise... great game. You didn't want to be my neighbor during the last two minutes. There was a lot of cursing at a very high volume. And after Brown nailed the winning kick, there might have been some dancing.

UPDATE: Indeed, Holmgren admits that if he had to do it over again, he wouldn't call the run play: "If we were to come into the identical situation again, I wouldn't run another play," Holmgren said. "That's how I could be better."

Alaskans

This seems pretty accurate.

Snow

Not here, but in the midwest! I'm sorry to hear about how cold it is for all you midwesterners. Don't you wish you were someplace a little more temperate, like, say, Anchorage? It's clear enough to see Denali today.

The curse lives

I came back from a weekend-long hike (pictures coming soon) to find that my curse worked its magic while I was away. So long, Yanks. You will find lovely parting gifts when you join the White Sox and Twins for the afterparty in the green room (hosted by the Mariners, of course).

Some may question my methods. Some may argue that the ends do not justify the means, and that rooting for the Yankees -- for any reason -- is unforgiveable. I have no argument to defend myself. I can only say that I knew the risk when I undertook this endeavor, realizing that some would ostracize me for taking this path. My life may be, in your eyes, irredeemable, but ask yourself: are you better off than you were 10 days ago? The Yankees are eliminated and the franchise is in turmoil. Was it worth it?

In other news, I passed the bar.

Did a story like this run in your newspaper today?

Loss of light starts sleepy time of year.

I am as yet unaffected by the loss of light -- my desire to stay in bed is consistent throughout the year, regardless of the light outside.

Moose!

I had been here four weeks, and hadn't seen a single moose. Friends around me were seeing moose on nearly a daily basis, and they had started sending me emails about where they saw the moose and how it's unbelievable that I hadn't seen one yet. Frustrated, I decided four weeks was enough. I was going to find a moose.

I dragged a co-clerk along with me, and we started at Kincaid Park, a place just south of the Anchorage airport known for its many moose. A friend had just seen 7 moose there a couple days earlier on a bike ride. But alas, we found no moose. We did find a great view of Denali, however (off in the distance, a little hard to see in this picture against the light blue sky):

Undaunted, we drove to the east side of Anchorage, into the foothills of the Chugach. There in the hills is a place called Powerline Pass, where the moose hang out in September and October (their mating season). I was told I couldn't avoid moose if I traveled here, and I was not disappointed. On our way up, we saw ahead of us, about 50 yards, the hulking silhouette of a giant moose crossing the street. When we drove to where we thought we saw it, it had vanished. Luckily my co-clerk also saw it, or else I would have been sure I was being haunted by a spirit moose.

Anyway, here's the pass. Somewhere in this picture, blended into the grass and trees, are moose.

We took a trail down into the valley, towards where we heard reports of moose sightings. Then we saw them! First a female, and then this male:

I got up closer, which was quite nerve-wracking because these are ornery animals in heat. (No, Wally, I was not wearing my moose hat... this is no time to be confused for a moose.) Just before I took this next picture, the bull moose charged at a female moose, who then ran into the brush. It was enough to make me take a few quick steps back. But then he just kinda looked at me and shrugged.

And then, on our way back up the trail, we turned a corner and almost ran into two females who were grazing right next to the trail. It might not be clear from the photos how big these things are, but they were so close that I didn't stop to take this pic. It was a brisk-walk-shot.

In the end I saw seven or eight moose there. Quite a successful adventure, and plenty more moose-sightings to come, I hope.

Rooting for the Yankees without selling your soul: possible? I'll try.

I know that I'm taking on risk here. Not a small risk, but an eternal one. But for the greater good, I'm rooting for the Yankees this series. (So far so good! Up 1-0!)

Here's how it works. I can't just root for them in the same way I can decide to root for the Twins or White Sox. The Yankees are evil, so I can't root directly for them. Instead, I am rooting to win a bet. Certain depraved Tigers fans have placed a wager in my name on the Yankees to win the series. If the Yanks win, I win. If they lose, I don't lose anything. So now, I'm rooting to win a bet.

You can make an argument that I am indeed selling my soul. But I will argue that I am rooting for a profitable outcome of a sports bet, knowing full well that I am equally cursed in that regard as well (anecdotal proof of my unlucky betting streaks are available upon request). Will this crafty construction serve both goals -- jinx the Yanks, and preserve my eternal soul? Eh, probably not. I'm going to hell.

Go Yanks!

Well that was fun

The Seahawks just got killed. Absolutely dominated by the Bears. Can't blame this on Shaun Alexander being hurt, either -- he doesn't play defense. I'm kinda glad they lost an early game -- something to keep the fire going -- but I didn't want to lose this badly on national TV. Oh well. Two weeks to prepare for the Rams, and that becomes a big game. Two teams at 3-1.

No small request

A chat after the conclusion of the Tigers-Royals game, which the Tigers lost, costing them the division title and sending them to New York.

cg: game
cg: yay wild card
dave: hello new york!
cg: wow
cg: couldn't take one from the royals
dave: nothing like being swept by the royals
dave: THE ROYALS.
cg: the chevy player of the game: the royals
murph: wow
murph: wow
murph: wow
murph: wow
dave: royals just would NOT lose for a 101st time this year.
murph: yankees hat is on its way tomorrow AM
murph: fedex
murph: i have one lying around
murph: Dave, this is the Ultimate Sacrifice
murph: for a week
cg: yeah dude
dave: jeez. you ain't kidding
murph: you need to be
cg: you see now that we really need it
murph: a Yankees fan
dave: i don't know, guys
cg: maybe that's what this was for
dave: this requires more than a hat
cg: to prove to you that we can't do it without you
murph: what, you want Derek Jeter at your freaking birthday party?
murph: tell everyone you lost a bet
cg: no, i don't think that'll do it
cg: he needs to really believe
dave: see, grostic gets it
cg: ok, what else?
dave: i have to really want them to win
cg: just like the little kid in liar liar
dave: and it's the yankees. i didn't want to have to sell my soul for this
cg: how about a lapel pin?
cg: everyone loves lapel pins
dave: heh

Snow... it's coming

Earlier this week, the Chugach Mountains were pretty barren. Some greenish/grayish hills, with snow at the very top, overlooking Anchorage. Some clouds came in on Tuesday, and sat on the mountains for a couple days. By the time the clouds lifted, the mountains had a thick layer of snow on top. As winter approaches, we can watch the snowline fall. I figure we have a couple more weeks before the snow gets to us.

Cheap AK flights

I meant to post this earlier, but if anyone is planning (or considering) a trip to AK in the next year, check out the prices from Alaska Air's PFD sale. They're pretty low, and will be available until November 2.

Death knell for Twins and M's

I got home from work today, and there was a small package at my door. The sender was some guy from Lodi, CA. Very confused, and slightly afraid that the package contained bomb-like materials or white powder, I opened it to find...

A Minnesota Twins hat! Apparently my services have been requested again. I will bring down the Twins, simply by rooting for them. This is an interesting move by the Tigers fans who wish to employ my sports curse. I guess they are seeking a division title, so they can avoid the Yanks and get the A's in the first round. Seems like a risky proposition -- I think fans should be careful what they wish for. Moreover, I'm not sure my resources are unlimited; I'm sure my services will be employed again once the playoffs begin. Can I jinx four teams (White Sox, Twins, A's/Yanks, and obviously the Mariners) in one season? We shall see.

In other baseball news, the Mariners have defied all common sense and logic, deciding to bring Bill Bavasi AND Mike Hargrove back next year. I cannot believe it. Bavasi... okay. He doesn't bother me so much. But Hargrove is a terrible manager. Very, very bad. His lineups are baffling, and his in-game decisions are just plain stupid. His decisions to give certain players (Everett, Bloomquist) consistent at-bats are indefensible. I agree with everything said here. The M's won't be as good as they can be as long as Hargrove is making the calls.

Two Alaska things

First, apparently a volcano near here might erupt soon. Cool.

Second, we've now entered into the time of the year when there is more dark than light every day. Monday offered 12 hours of each, and now we're losing about 5 minutes of daylight a day. Some quick math for you: that's 35 minutes a week, 2.5 hours a month, until late December.

Now who wants to visit??

The Madden Curse

I'm not sure I believe there's a curse, but there are a lot of reasons why the Madden video game cover athlete might have an injury-filled year.

First, the cover athlete is always coming off a year in which he didn't get hurt. It's hard to find a big-time player who goes two years in a row without missing at least a game or two.

Second, the athlete often played deep into the playoffs, thereby extending his season and shortening his off-season. I'm pretty sure this is why many of the Seahawks have had injury problems this year.

Third, John Madden is evil. Okay, maybe I do believe in the curse.

It sucks that Shaun is out for the Chicago game, but I really don't think it will hurt the team as much as it might seem. I'll never believe that Shaun was the team's MVP last year, despite all the accolades he won. If I were to rank the most valuable players from last year, I'd say: Matt Hasselbeck, Walter Jones, Lofa Tatupu, Shaun Alexander. Sure, it'll hurt not having him in there, but Holmgren has confidence in Morris, and the team is really built more around precision passing anyway. Morris will have a fine day if the line blocks for him and if Hasselbeck is connecting downfield. Should be a good game.

My work is done here

Tigers clinch playoff berth. Can I stop rooting for the White Sox now?

Stanford football: worse than ever?

It is axiomatic that when you get blown out by Washington State, you have a bad team. When you get blown out by Navy, who in turn loses to Tulsa, you have one of the worst teams ever. Stanford is reeeaaallly bad. Holy crap. This might the worst team they've ever had. No exaggeration.

Luckily, they're not on TV much up here. More luckily, Michigan is on TV up here a lot. Michigan seems to have its defense back, and the offense has Mario Manningham, so this could be a fun year for Blue.

But Stanford... damn.

Wrong announcer quits

Ron Fairly, longtime Mariners color guy, announced he's quitting. When he started, I didn't like him. But he grew on me, and in the end I kind of enjoyed him. It's too bad that he's leaving, and Rick Rizzs is staying... now that Moyer's gone, my last wish for the M's is to ditch Rizzs. But, just as I fear I'll never be free of Moyer's greasy clutches, I fear that Rizzs will announce Mariner games as long as he lives, which will be until 2070 or so, I think.

The worst thing about Fairly quitting is that it gives the M's another chance to put a crappy guy in the booth... the M's choices in broadcasters is even worse than their choices in free agency. My prediction: Cryin' Joey Cora.

Tide

One of the ways I keep myself busy all day is watching the tide change from high:
to low:
Endless fun.

Marketing

You've heard of "Ladies Night," where a bar or club will offer reduced prices to women on cover or drinks to get more women to attend. Here in Anchorage, they go a step further. At one local bar, "Ladies Night" means free dinner. Some of my friends went this week... the food is free, the only price is being gawked at by the crusty sourdoughs fresh off the fishing boats. In describing these fellows, the words "abscess tooth" were mentioned.

Toy.

Alaskan style.

Bears and reindeer

Not sure if it's a sign that I'm acclimating or not, but last night I had a dream that I was being hunted by bears. They were only black bears, but it was enough to make me wake up and wonder where I am and where the bears went.

Today for lunch I had reindeer sausage from a street vendor. Very tasty. Had to take advantage of the good weather we're having and eat outside on the grass... before winter arrives... which should be next Tuesday or so, I'd guess.

A little hike

I spent Sunday watching football, but Saturday was in the hills. Some fellow clerks and I went to hike around and old dilapidated mine:Things have fallen into disrepair.
From there we hiked up to a small mountain lake:
A nice place to stop before the rain clouds rolled in.
So many places like this, all so close to home. Have I convinced you to visit yet?

Orientation

A few months ago, I commented on this piece from the Stanford Magazine. I remember thinking that the author must be kidding about the orientation -- more talk of bears than of judicial philosophies. Well, now I know... she wasn't kidding. We had an orientation on Friday that included discussions on bear safety, hypothermia, kayak safety, etc... Funny.

An ugly win

The good: I got to watch the Seahawks game today.
The bad: They played like crap.
The ugly: The game started at 9 a.m. here.

Also good: They won, but won ugly. The offensive line is clearly going to be an issue -- Hasselbeck got knocked around a lot. I give the Lions a lot of credit, though. I think they're going to be a good team this year... as long as their D plays that well every week. The Lions' offense was bad, but I think that had to do with the Seahawks' D playing really well. I'm excited about the Seahawks defense, especially the addition of Julian Peterson. But that O-line needs to get its act together.

On a clear day... you can see a very far way

Especially here. On the clear days, this is the view out my bedroom window, which faces west:


When I get to work, this is the view I see out my office window, which faces north. The peak on the left is Mt. McKinley/Denali, the tallest point in North America. It's about 300 miles from Anchorage, and still visible. Pretty crazy.

Oh, and today I saw a pair of Beluga whales swimming right along this shore. There's a surprise every day here.

Animals

I haven't seen any moose or bears yet, but they're around. Some of my coworkers reported some moose hanging out in their yard all weekend. And we really have been given advice for what to do when we see moose and bears (brown and black) in the streets or on trails. This is real knowledge around here, as common as knowing to look both ways before crossing the street. If you see a moose, don't spook it... run away. Black bear, yell at it. Brown bear, just pray it goes away by itself, or else lay down. It's simply accepted that we share the city with these creatures.

In other news

We felt an earthquake tonight. At about 10:30 AKDT the house shook a little bit. Turns out it was a 4.3 magnitude, centered a little bit north of Anchorage.

Shhh, don't tell Mom. She'll worry.

UPDATE: Now they have it measured as a 4.1 magnitude.

Out of shape

After a week of sitting on a boat or in a car, and eating rich foods, I need to get back in shape. Tonight I went to an Anchorage tradition, Tuesday Night Races, where the locals get together and run around different trails.

Tonight I ran a 5k that featured some huge hills. Holy crap. Big ups. Ugh.

Fun event... we'll see if I do it again next week. I've also found that there's pickup ultimate every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday... at least until the snow comes.

UPDATE: An article about Tuesday Night Races.

The trip

Elise arrived on Thursday evening, a little late after a slow takeoff in Chicago. We got home and had a quick dinner with Mom and Dad, and watched a movie. The next morning we got the car packed quickly, and had some extra time to hang out before leaving at 1. Grabbed some wine from TJ’s, and got to Bellingham around 3. The directions I got from Google sucked, so we had no idea where to go. Finally we pulled over and asked at a marine supply store, and got directions to the ferry terminal. The directions were right on, so we made it with plenty of time, and then had a couple hours of waiting before finally loading.

The Columbia is huge – holds almost 1000 passengers, has a dining room, snack bar, solarium, theatre, two large viewing decks. We had a four-berth cabin, which has two bunk beds plus a toilet, sink, and shower. It was more space than we needed, really, but it was nice to be able to spread out.

We left Bellingham at 6, and headed west before turning north to hit the inside passage, east of Vancouver Island. The ship is great – they show movies in the theatre, they have a naturalist who gives presentations about animals or towns or geographic features. The sunset the first night was amazing. We were traveling west at the time, so the sun set in an amazing explosion of red and orange and reflected across the many small islands east of Vancouver Island. The food in the dining room is okay – the first night I had the halibut and Elise had a game hen. Nothing amazing, but it was a nice environment with views out the stern of the ship.

Saturday was more of the same. The islands don’t change much between Puget Sound and Ketchikan, I noticed. Small, forest covered, not too tall. The inside passage is nice because we rarely come across rough waters, and everything there is to see is just off the sides of the ship. We don’t see a lot of wildlife – there were a couple porpoises and a couple whales, but not much else. We learn about bears from the naturalist. Apparently, if the bear charges me, I need to lay in the fetal position and cover my neck. The bear might injure me, and it will hurt, but then he’ll probably go away. Great.

When we woke up the next day we were in Ketchikan. The terrain is the same, but the weather isn’t. We had mostly sunshine until now, but here the weather is drizzly and rainy. After the town of Wrangell, we start to see some bald eagles when we go through the Wrangell Narrows. Very tight, shallow little waterway, with changing currents. We go slowly through it. At dusk we reach Petersburg. The terrain is still largely the same, and the weather still sucks.

We awake the next morning in Juneau. Finally, the geography is changing. The mountains are taller and more craggy; there are glaciers cascading down the hills toward the water. We got to Skagway safely, and walked around the town a little bit. It’s Disneyland for retirees. False-front buildings, wooden sidewalks, people walking around in circa-1898 garb. Amusing. We bought some fudge and took some pictures, then hit the road on the Klondike Highway. A gorgeous road, it weaves its way alongside the old White Pass Yukon Route railroad from the old gold rush days. We pass lakes small and large, and lots of smaller peaks. When we get out to take pictures, we encounter the state bird: the mosquito. They’re everywhere. Suddenly, getting in and out of the car is a challenge – it must be done quickly and decisively to avoid allowing mosquitoes in the car. We pass into British Columbia and then into the Yukon Territory.

After about 100 miles we reach the Alaska-Canada Highway (aka the “Alcan”), and head into Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. There’s a miner’s convention in town this day, so most of the hotel rooms are booked. After help from the visitor’s center, we finally track down one of the few remaining rooms, which turns out to be a “suite” in a family motel. We didn’t need the kitchenette and the living room, but it was nice to have the extra space. Dinner was at a barbecue joint. Elise had caribou stew, and I had prawns.

The next morning we took the Alcan back into Alaska. The drive is again magnificent, with more lakes and peaks – this time larger snow-capped ones. We stopped in Tok for the night at a surprisingly nice hotel and a decent meal at “Fast Eddie’s.” The next morning we started off for Anchorage. We stopped for lunch in Glenallen, at a restaurant called the Brown Bear Rhodehouse. A classic dive, it had an “Insured by Smith & Wesson” sign on the front door, a musty bar and a dimly lit atmosphere. Fox News was on the TV in the corner. The food was okay, and the biggest attraction was the wall of brown bear photographs.

The last 100 miles of the drive to Anchorage was amazing. Winding through the Chugach mountains, we saw some very tall (16,000+ ft) peaks and some long glaciers. We drove right past the Matanuska Glacier – 26 miles long and several miles wide. What a sight. Slowly we started seeing more signs of civilization – a truck stop here, a gas station there, and finally a McDonalds in the city of Palmer. Then it was just 30 more miles to Anchorage.

The journey finally over, we went to a very nice restaurant called Simon and Seafort’s, where we ordered king crab legs and delicious appetizers. We spent the next day exploring downtown Anchorage, and Elise left on Thursday night for a red-eye back to Chicago. It was a great trip.

For photos, go here. I'll be back with more later about life in Anchorage so far.

Taller people are smarter.

So says a new study. I'm surprised; I thought the opposite would be true.

Road trip pics coming soon...

Resurfacing

I've made it to Anchorage, and today was my first day at work. Internet service is not set up yet (I'm mooching from a downtown hotel right now), so more pics and tales of the trip to come later. Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone.

Radio silence

I leave tomorrow for Alaska. Hopping on a ferry in Bellingham, riding for three days up through the inside passage to Skagway, AK. Driving into British Columbia and through the Yukon, into Alaska again and down to Anchorage. I should arrive next Wednesday or Thursday. In the meantime, I won't be writing unless I can find Internet somewhere along the way. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back in a week.

Testing the curse

Does this happen to anyone else?

My friends -- Tigers fans -- are so sure that whatever I touch will turn to crap that they are signing me up to be a White Sox fan. They have even bought me a White Sox cap. All they want me to do now is root for the White Sox, and they're pretty sure that will seal a division title for the Tigers.

No, this doesn't happen to anyone else.

So anyway, I'll do my part. I'm in it for the science: just how cursed am I? Let's find out.

Go Sox!

Always the last to know

I was in San Francisco this weekend, interviewing for a position that would start a year from now. I didn't bother checking the Internet, so I was in a bit of a news hole. But when a story this big breaks, it doesn't matter where you are. Word spreads. Sure enough, it was Saturday night, during dinner with friends, when my phone rang. Justin was on the line, making sure I had heard. Jamie Moyer had been traded.

Shock, amazement, unadulterated glee. Whooping and hollering. Champagne celebration. Trophy presentation. Going to Disneyland.

This is as close as I get to winning a championship.

When I finally check the Interent, I see that all five of my readers have left comments about it on my blog. You are heroes.

So, yes, I'm thrilled that Moyer has been traded, and now I root against the Phillies. But I don't hate the Phillies -- in fact, they have done me (and any true Mariner fan) a favor. They are the exorcist that has ridden us of our greatest demon. So I will root against the Phillies making the playoffs (I don't want to see Moyer get any joy from this deal), and I will root against them during every Moyer start, but I will casually root for general Philly success. When Moyer leaves, I might even become somewhat of a Philly fan. This is a great service they have performed for me. I am in their debt.

My excitement is tempered, however, by the sinking feeling that we have not seen the last of the m*****f***** Jamie Moyer. He is a free agent at the end of the year, so it seems plausible that the deaf/dumb/blind Bill Bavasi will sign him again. And if not, he will probably become a coach or TV analyst. His gaunt and sullen countenance will continue to haunt this fine city and its (mostly) ignorant fans for years to come.

But for now, at least, even in the midst of the worst stretch of Mariner baseball in recent history (11 straight losses overall, 19 straight against AL West opponents), I am a happy M's fan. Ding dong, the witch is dead. The wicked old witch is dead.

Holy crap the Mariners suck

I never knew a team could be this bad. Granted, I've never been a Royals fan. But still, this is absolutely heinous, what the Mariners are doing right now.

16 straight losses against AL West opponents
10-29 against the AL West overall
0-8 on the current road trip

I've stopped rooting for them to win; now I root for Hargrove to get fired and for Jamie Moyer to take a line drive in the head.

Striking down the NSA wiretapping

Just some quick thoughts on today's ruling by a federal judge that found the NSA wiretapping program unlawful...

Overall, I'm unsatisfied. I think the end result is correct -- the wiretapping violates FISA, and because FISA is a constitutional exercise of congressional power, the program is both illegal and unconstitutional. However, the opinion should have been 20 pages longer; its discussion of the Fourth and First Amendment claims is surprisingly thin. In a case like this, clarity and persuasiveness is important, but the opinion offers little of both.

I dislike how the opinion repeatedly refers to the President as a "creature" of the Constitution, and how it takes time to say "There are no hereditary Kings" (opinion at 40) created by the Constitution. It makes the opinion seem like it's a rant against Bush, and not a straightforward analysis of fact and law.

I especially disliked its conclusion in the "Standing" section, where Judge Taylor mentions that if the Court did not find standing in this case, then the "President's actions . . . would be immunized from judicial scrutiny" (opinion at 23). This is no way to win a standing argument. The law has a long history of shrugging its shoulders and saying "tough luck" when no plaintiff has standing to sue a defendant who might even be clearly at fault. These paragraphs make the rest of the reasoning on standing, which seems fine but is hardly a slam dunk, look desperate or disingenuous. If she had concluded without the discussion of the court's role as a watchdog, it would have been more persuasive.

The aftermath... legally, not much. The Sixth Circuit has already issued a stay, so it'll take the case soon. (Oh to be a clerk on the Sixth Circuit!) Politically, this just adds to the slumgullion of reactionary talk after the British foiled the recent terrorist plot. It should be noted that, in the course of foiling this plot, US agents used FISA warrants and the British used their equivalents. I mention this because, politically, to be against this NSA spying program is not to be against wiretapping in general, but instead to be for the process of law... even during wartime.

This brings me back

You may have heard recently how AOL's search logs for its members was published on the Internet. Some people have enjoyed parsing through the logs, which are identified by user number, to find patterns and trends. Slate has an interesting analysis.

It's all funny to me, because this is almost exactly what I used to do back in the LookSmart days. We didn't create user profiles like this; instead we had massive files of the top x number of searches (I usually dealt with the top 10,000). I spent my days trying to make our search engine more user-friendly to the different types of users (who employed different searching strategies). It warms my heart to see that people still misunderstand search engines (by searching for "www.google", for example). Because such a large portion of our users were novices, we had to dummy-proof the system, which was exhausting. I'm ever thankful, though, that LookSmart was family friendly and screened out the x-rated searches... it wouldn't have been pleasant to stare at those for hours on end.

M's are done

What small sliver of hope remained after the sweep last weekend by the A's is gone, after a four-game sweep by the Rangers. The Mariners have now lost 13 consecutive divisional games. That's insane. They're not a terrible team, and they're above .500 against non-AL West teams. But they can't beat anyone in their own division, so they're done. It's especially frustrating, since the other teams in the division are not very good.

It wasn't an awful season -- there's hope for next year. They just have to figure out how to beat the A's and Rangers. First step, get rid of Jamie Moyer, Joel Piniero, and Gil Meche, and find some real starting pitching. Second step, send Mike Hargrove to Manager School.

Yakima Valley

For whatever reason, I never knew there was such good wine country up here. Yesterday I went with some friends to the Yakima Valley for some wine tasting, and it was a great trip. It's only about 150 miles from Seattle, so we got there just after lunch. If you're ever hungry in Yakima, though, don't eat here:


Not tasty, the Lariat Bar-B-Q. Avoid the pork. The shakes aren't bad, though.

Most of the wineries we visited were in the Red Mountain area -- there are 6 of so within a mile of each other. I don't know much about wine, so it was cool to learn a little about them. The landscape is probably not as beautiful as California wine country, but it was still nice. They're trying hard to make it a tourist destination, so some of the wineries try to be fancy. Others are really low-key. Here's a fancier one:

Sorry for the photo quality; it was the best I could do with the phone. Anyway, good times. I recommend it.

Lamont/Lieberman

What an interesting week in politics. I was fascinated by the Democratic primary for the Senate seat in Connecticut... could an incumbant really lose in a primary? An incumbant who was once the Democratic nominee for vice president? Well, yes. I think that's so cool.

Putting aside the political repercussions of Lamont's win, this is just a cool example of democracy in action. Our entire system of government is based on political accountability, and it's great to see an incumbant have to go back to his home state to face his constituents and defend his record. This kind of thing should happen more often. If you're a Democrat in Connecticut, and you're unsatisfied with Lieberman, your choice should not be between voting for a Republican and waiting for Joe to retire. You should have the chance to vote for a different Democrat. Same goes for every other incumbant in every other state. You never see it happen, though, because of some ideal of party unity... but I think it's clear that what's good for the party is not always what's good for the people. The people would be better off, I think, if there was less party unity.

It's interesting how party unity, though, is now the key issue in Connecticut. Lamont is now the Democratic candidate, so he'll have the benefit of the Democratic financing machine. Lieberman can fight on as an independent, but I think he'll discover soon enough that the going is tough for an independent, even if 40% of voters in CT label themselves as independents. He won't be able to keep up with Lamont's national support, and I think Joe drops out by the end of September. I think we'll see Senator Lamont soon enough.

It's also interesting to see how that primary has become so nationalized. Democrats call it a referendum on Bush and the Iraq war, Republicans say the Democratic party has radicalized and separated itself from the mainstream. Neither is completely right: it's really just a Democratic primary in a deeply Blue State, not proof of anything bigger. But I can't help but think the Republican spin is wrong... 60% of the country now is against the war, so it's hard to say an anti-war candidate is "fringe." I think Lamont fairly represents mainstream views.

Anyway, a fun week. Election season is good times.

Victory for fantasy sports

Much to the relief of all fantasy sports players, a federal judge ruled this week that Major League Baseball does not own the exclusive rights to the names and statistics of its players. The evil Bud Selig wanted MLB to make money on fantasy sports, but thankfully the judge knew her stuff. This is, to me, a no-brainer case... the law does not allow us to copyright facts, such as the fact that Julio Mateo gave up 2 runs in 0 innings pitched last night. That information is in the public domain, and anyone can use it. (Mike Hargrove, however, would like to copyright his use of a flyball pitcher in a situation where he needs a groundball out... nobody does it like Mike.)

The judge also decided that the players are public figures, so the use of their names is also allowed. MLB is going to be jerks about this, though: they've appealed. I hope they get stomped again.

A little futbol

Went to the Real Madrid vs. D.C. United match last night at Qwest Field. A fun game, it ended in a 1-1 draw and included several exciting almost-goals. The view from my seat:
It was a packed house, and the big draw was David Beckham. Accordingly, there were hundreds of girls soccer teams there, screaming and holding signs. I was impressed by Freddy Adu, who was very active on offense for DC. Good times.

Good, even when it's bad

My computer has been very good to me. I got it soon after arriving in Ann Arbor, and it has served me unfailingly since -- all through law school and the bar exam. Yesterday it stopped working -- Dell says it needs a new video card. This is mildly frustrating, but then it occurred to me: if this had happened two weeks ago, just days before the bar exam, I'd have had to handwrite the exam and I'd be completely screwed; if this were to happen two weeks from now, my warranty would be expired, and I would have to pay for a new video card. As it stands, though, I have 10 days left of the warranty, and I have no pressing laptop needs. So even when my computer decides to have a malfunction, it happens at the perfect time. What a good laptop. Get well soon.

Piling on

College football previews are coming out, and I've seen the following statement, or some variation thereof, in about 10 different publications:

Michigan went 7-5 last season. Two of those victories came in overtime, and a third came on the final play against Penn State. In other words, Michigan came within three snaps of being 4-7.

First of all, weird math. I guess he means 4-8. Second, weird that so many writers are saying the exact same thing. I guess it's fun to take a program like Michigan, which has exciteable and often unreasonable fans, and twist the knife a little bit: Last season sucked, and it coulda been a lot worse! Fine, whatever. But the thing that these writers won't mention is that, of the five losses, four were by 4 points or less, and the other was by 7. In four of those losses, the team had a fourth quarter lead (or tie) and was one or two pivotal plays from winning. They also should have won the Notre Dame game, but were sunk by 3 turnovers near the ND goal line.

So to say the team was 7-5 last year is fine. But if you're going to say that it could/should have been worse -- they were "within three snaps of being 4-7 [sic]" -- you should also mention that they were within 5-6 snaps of being 11-1. Of course, they weren't good enough to be 11-1, just as they weren't bad enough to be 4-7. It's just more fun, and drives more people crazy in Ann Arbor, to talk about how bad the team almost was, instead of how good it almost was... a point proven by the fact that it inspired me to write about it. Damn those sportswriters, they got me too.

I should be so lucky

“In this kind of heat, we really ought to start Jamie Moyer – he’s older and closer to death, anyway,” [Jarrod] Washburn deadpanned.

I wish. Instead, it's already presumed that Moyer will be back next year too. And my Dad likes to remind me that after Moyer retires, he'll probably become the pitching coach, then the manager, then the color commentator on TV broadcasts. Arrrgh. I hate him more every day.

The World Series of Crappy Blog Posts

I hadn't realized how powerful that phrase, "The World Series of...", was until just this past month, when suddenly my TV was inundated with the World Series of several different activities. Example: The World Series of Pop Culture on VH1. When I saw this, I thought it really was the biggest pop culture quiz event of all time... until I realized that no, this is no different from any other quiz show, except they were clever enough to call it the World Series of whatever to make it sound bigger than it was. It's no bigger than Jeopardy!, really.

Then there was the World Series of Darts, and of course the World Series of Poker. So this is a great idea: any time you want to make an average event seem bigger than it really is, just call it a World Series, and you're golden. The World Series of Beer Pong, the World Series of Fantasy Football, the World Series of Surfing the Internet. I could win any of them, and put them on my resume.

I'm going to take Bo on the World Series of Walks now.

"I don't want him to go over the Reichenbach Falls"

That's Stephen King, pleading to J.K. Rowling for Harry Potter's life. It's an allusion, and a cool one, to the death written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle of Sherlock Holmes -- before fans convinced Doyle to bring Holmes back.

I'm of the opinion that Rowling should kill him off if she thinks it makes for a better story. I don't think she should kill him if she only wants to retain control over the character before fan fiction and copycat authors get a hold of Harry. Let the people have their fun.

My theory about who dies in book 7... she says two main characters will die, and one gets a reprieve: Voldemort - dead. That's an easy one, but maybe he's not a "main" character? I bet Snape dies too, as a martyr who vindicates his troubled past. And I think Harry lives.

Wall of Flame

I am now a member of the Wall of Flame at the Wingdome in Kirkland, WA. I ate a "7-Alarm wing" at this local buffalo wing joint. I couldn't be prouder.

Come visit. My picture is on the wall.

"Well, I'm back."

So said Samwise Gamgee after he went to hell and back. And so I say the same after finishing the bar exam today. That thing is done.

Day 2

I don't know what makes me happier: being done with the substantive portion of the bar exam, or seeing that the Mariners finally released Carl Everett. Both are wonderful. Today is good.

I have one 2 1/4 hour session to go tomorrow morning (the ethics part), then it's done.

Day 1

Day 1 (of 3) is done. 700+ would-be attorneys typing away in one room. Here's what my camera-phone saw.

Game time

I'm done studying. Ready to rip tomorrow. Good luck to everyone who's taking the bar!

My new neighbors

Now you can see what my soon-to-be neighbors are doing, 24 hours a day, courtesy of National Geographic: Wildcam Grizzlies at McNeil River Falls. (Thanks, Dad.) There's a new permanent link in the sidebar, so check back any time. You might see me swimming there one day.

Burrito update

I was pleased to discover a new Chipotle burrito joint in Bellevue, with a sign indicating that another will open in Redmond next month. As I've said before, the Seattle area needs good burritos very badly. Hopefully Chipotle will fill that void. There's still time, though, if an enterprising person wanted to open a chain of authentic burrito restaurants here (ahem, Wally).

Why it sucks to lose a team

I guess there are two general reasons for why it sucks when your team leaves town. The first is a prospective loss: it's no fun to think about a future where there is no pro basketball in Seattle. No more exciting games with an authentic rooting interest, no more interest in off-season player movements. We've been robbed of future experiences.

The second, I think, is worse. It's a retrospective loss. I mean, for all those heartbreaking games -- the ones that made me question why I root for the team and wonder why I follow sports at all -- I always got through those times by telling myself that when the team finally wins a championship, bad times like this will make that moment much sweeter. So I'd stand up and say, okay Sonics/Seahawks/Mariners, you're just making the victory party more epic. I'll take this miserable loss -- I'll live with the memory of Dikembe Mutombo clutching the ball over his head as he lay on the Sonics' home court, cherishing the eighth-seeded Nuggets' shocking series win over the top-seeded Sonics -- and I'll recall it someday when I watch the green and gold clutching the championship trophy over their heads. And I'll know that we -- the fans -- earned this celebration. It'll be glorious.

Now, however, I know I'll never get that from the Sonics. Those horrible games -- the Dikembe moment -- are deadweight loss. The Sonics sold us short, and we lost our investments. Forgive the metaphor (but if you haven't heard, I'm studying for the bar, and it's all I can think about right now), but a sports team is like a trust, where all the fans are both grantors and beneficiaries. We supply the cash and the emotion. The team is supposed to do something with it, and pay us back in kind. The owner is supposed the be the trustee, who owes a fiduciary duty to all the fans -- a duty of loyalty, prudence, and due care. Schultz breached that duty, abused our trust, and left us nothing in return for our investments. All those bad moments that had hope, that had a silver lining, are now just bad moments.

Some might wonder why, if I've invested so much with them, I can't continue rooting for the Sonics when they move. I guess I could, and I guess the reason I won't is selfish. I won't root for them because I don't want them to win a championship for Oklahoma City. I don't want to celebrate with Oklahomans. Nothing against the people, but they haven't invested like we have. They've never had Dikembe Mutombo haunt their dreams. (Yes, it's as bad as it sounds.) When the Sonics win, I want to celebrate with the people who earned it; I don't want to share it with OKC. They're freeloading -- they're riding on our backs. I won't be a part of it. I'm out.

And that's why I think the Sonics will have a miserable time trying to fill the arena during the upcoming lame-duck season. There's just no point any more.

A couple more quick points

First, I think this might put Seattle on par with Cleveland as the most tortured sports cities. I always thought Cleveland had a slight advantage because Modell betrayed them and moved the Browns to Baltimore, and at least Seattle hadn't ever lost a team (not counting the Pilots, who left for Milwaukee after only one season). Well now I think we're square. Hello, Cleveland! They can take the lead back in a couple years, though, if LeBron bolts. But for now, we're tied up, baby!

Second, just to remind us what we'll be missing once the Sonics leave, the Mariners turn in a prototypical Seattle sports team effort. Holy crap. They take a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, and quickly give up a run. With rain pouring down, and a runner on second and one out, Posada hits a groundball to Lopez who makes a great stop and throw to get Posada at first. Except the blind/sleeping/paid-off umpire calls him safe (he was clearly out). Damon hits a sac fly to tie it, and the Yanks win in the 11th inning. The M's have now lost 10 of 12 and four in a row (three of which came in extra innings). Yay. I love sports.

Third, the question about which NBA team I'll root for now. Heh. Let me rephrase: which team I'll curse now. Hmmm, maybe I'll put this on eBay -- which franchise shall I destroy? Should I go after the Lakers? That would take real commitment; this curse doesn't allow me to half-ass it, and I'm not sure I can honestly root for them. The Knicks? Well, that's just piling on at this point. Detroit? Ahh... Detroit. Now there's a team I could really root for.

Bye, Sonics

The Sonics are gone. Outta here. Vaya con dios.

I watched the news conference today, where Howard Schultz and Wally Walker discussed the sale and introduced Clayton Bennett, the new owner from Oklahoma City. This whole story about wanting to keep the Sonics in Seattle is so thin. When Bennett was asked whether, to keep the team in Seattle, he wanted a new arena or renovations to KeyArena, he just mumbled about not having looked into it yet. Riiiiiight. That's definitely something you'd think about after you buy the team. Whatever. Nobody believes you.

Bennett and crew will give a perfunctory 12 months of "negotiating" with state and local officials, and when they don't get a deal featuring a free arena, free airport, free laundry and free salad bar, they're gone. And from Schultz, this is the final "fuck you" to the city and state people who wouldn't bow to his demands. You didn't like negotiating with Schultz and Walker? Try Bennett, who doesn't give two craps whether the team stays, and has an arena waiting back home. Talk about hardball negotiating.

It's a damn shame. The fans here have supported the Sonics well for 40 years. Even in lean years, fans remain interested and generally fill the arena. The Sonics, in return, have won the city's only championship. (Shut up, the Storm doesn't count. And even if it did, it's moving too.)

In a way, it's okay. The NBA is the worst of the big three pro leagues -- the product is both rigged and boring. My mom has already proclaimed "good riddance." (Her second proclamation: "The name 'SuperSonics' will work in Oklahoma, too, because they have McDonnell Douglas." Sweet. At least there's that.) But still, it sucks that they're leaving. I can't root for them if they leave, and I don't want to root for any other team. If Seattle ever gets another team, it'll either be a sinking ship like the Hornets or Hawks, or an expansion team. Ugh.

I'm not sure if this relieves some of the Seattle sports torture, or aggravates it. Like every other Seattle team, the Sonics were sure to torment fans for decades to come with heartbreaking losses. So maybe this is like ripping off the band-aid in one swift stroke. It stings at first, but in the long run, it's less painful. Maybe it's for the best.

But no, I don't think so. To have a team leave, not because of poor fan support or lack of on-field production but instead because of bureaucratic bellyaching, is a terrible fate. This is a sad day that will linger throughout the next season and beyond. The pain I'll feel the day the Oklahoma City SuperSonics win a championship -- rednecks going wild -- will be the same pain I feel today. The band-aid is for superficial wounds, see. This one cuts deeper. This one's gonna leave a mark.

7 days to go...

It's now Tuesday on the west coast, so in a week it's go-time. Every day that passes is a step closer to some foreboding thing; it's weird. It feels like that old Shel Silverstein-turned-Johnny Cash song, "25 Minutes to Go," about the prisoner on death row, who counts down the last 25 minutes of his life. Excerpt:

Now they're testin' the trap. It chills my spine.
I got 11 minutes to go.

'Cuz the goddamned thing it works just fine.
I got 10 more minutes to go.

I'm waitin' for the pardon... gonna set me free
With 9 more minutes to go.

But this ain't the movies, so to hell with me.
I got 8 more minutes to go.

Something's happening in 7 days, that's all I know. I just hope it turns out better for me than it does for the fellow in the song.

By the way, when I was looking up the lyrics, I found this crazy, mezmorizing website. For some reason, in a way I can't quite explain, it also captures this pre-bar sensation quite well.

No, I won't be sad

I will shed no tears if Mike Hargrove is fired. I'm tired of watching him put weird lineups on the field and mismanage the bullpen. He seems like a nice guy, but I haven't been impressed with the way he manages a game. (I haven't heard anyone saying that Hargrove will be fired... I'm just hoping.)

My biggest objection is his loyalty to Carl Everett. Everett was an awful signing, made even worse by Hargrove's decision to play him every day. He's a designated hitter, and he hits like a pitcher. During the game today, the broadcasters mentioned how Hargrove wanted to find more time for Willie Bloomquist. Okay, fine... Willie is hitting around .270 and generally makes good contact. Everett is hitting .230. Willie is not a good fielder, so he should really be the full-time DH. Everett should only get pinch-hitting duties for the rest of the season, but of course, since Everett is insane, he won't like that and he'll scream and yell and make everyone else crazy too. Anyway, today, Everett stayed at DH, Willie played 2B and picked up an error. Stupid Hargrove. Stupid Everett. Stupid Mariners.

More about Everett's ineffectiveness here. Is "ineffectiveness" a word? Thanks to Carl Everett, it is now.

The trip is set

I'll be getting to Anchorage by way of the Alaska Marine Highway System, taking a three-day trip from Bellingham, WA, to Skagway, AK. From there, it's 800 miles to Anchorage. I've got a little cabin reserved on the ferry, and it should be fun. The drive will also be cool -- Skagway is an old Klondike gold rush town, and from there it weaves through the Yukon and back into Alaska to Anchorage.

Okay, that's settled. Back to the bar.

The trip north

I am just now understanding how difficult it will be to get me, my car, and my stuff up to Anchorage. There's no easy/cheap way to do it. The options, as I see it, are:

• Drive all the way. It's about 2400 miles from Seattle, and the roads are iffy. It's not all paved, and there aren't gas stations every 10 miles. I would have to bring extra gas and tires with me. The upside is that the drive would be amazing. Check this out.
• Ferry most of the way, and drive the rest. The Alaska Marine Highway System is pretty cool, but its schedules are not convenient. It would take 9 days, including a 3-day stop in Petersburg, AK, waiting for the next ferry. It's also a tad expensive, but the views would be great.
• Fly, and ship the car. I could put the car on a barge or some sort of ship and then fly. This might be the easiest, but I would lose the great views, it would cost a lot to ship the car, and my poor car will be buried in sea spray for a week.

Those are my choices. What would you do?

Bar Exam - The Home Game

Now you can play along at home! Here's a sample bar exam question (from Criminal Law):

Don and Betty lived in Seattle, Washington, and had always had a stormy relationship. Don had physically abused Betty in the past and threatened to kill her if she tried to divorce him. Don's life was insured for $1 million with Betty as the beneficiary.
Fearing she could not escape the relationship with Don, on March 1, 1999, Betty contacted Harry and told him she would pay him $100,000 if he killed Don and made it look like an accident. Harry agreed but wanted to be paid in advance. In order to get the money, Betty took a number of checks from the business where she was employed, filled them in and cashed them. Betty gave Harry the money. Harry went to the bar next door and had seven drinks to get up his courage.
According to the plan, Harry went to Don and Betty's home, broke open the back door, and entered the darkened bedroom armed with a handgun. Harry grabbed Don's wallet containing $500 off the dresser. Don jumped up from the bed and Harry fired two shots. The first shot missed Don, went through the window of the house, and struck and seriously injured Bob, the next-door neighbor, who was sitting in his living room. The second shot struck Don and killed him. As he left the house with the wallet, Harry threw gasoline on the porch and started a fire to conceal what had occurred.
When Harry's car would not start, he ran into the street and approached Sally, who was stopped at a traffic light. Harry jumped in her car, displayed the gun, and told her to drive. Sally was later able to jump out of the car at a stop sign down the road and escaped.
When the fire department arrived at Don and Betty's home to extinguish the fire, a fireman was killed when part of the roof fell on him.
Disregarding merger, discuss all substantive crimes and defenses of the parties.

Go!

The bar making movies less fun

I took a break today and saw Superman Returns. Pretty good, I thought. It's nice to have Superman back in the cinemas again.

The only bad part was at the beginning, where (and I don't think I'm spoiling anything here) we see the execution of a will. I couldn't help but lean over to my friend Kimmy and tell her that the will was not properly attested, and is therefore invalid. In Washington, at least. She told me to shut up.

The subjects

I get questions now and again about what's on the bar exam. In Washington, these subjects are tested:

Constitutional Law
Sales
Contracts
Administrative Law
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedure
Property
Corporations
Agencies/Partnerships
Secured Transactions
Family Law
Community Property
Civil Procedure
Torts
Commercial Paper
Evidence
Wills
Trusts
Professional Responsibility

All but the last are tested over the course of 18 essay questions given on the first two days. The Professional Responsibility part is tested on the third day, with 6 short answer essays.

So that's what this is all about. The kicker: no notes; all memorization. Woo!

Less than 2 weeks to go...

The public library

I'm here at the Kirkland public library doing some bar-studying. I think, if I wanted to, I could live-blog the events going on around me. This place is bustling. Okay, not really. But it's certainly more active than a law library.

Examples:

There are kids everywhere. And they aren't quiet. Running, scampering hither and yon.

There were two older Native American gentlemen who appeared to be teaching each other how to read. I don't know how that would work, but that's what it looked like. They were very loud about it, too.

The library is right next to a park, and I'm perched at a window-side desk, so I can see all the carefree youths playing ball. I would love to trade afternoons with them.

A kid just rolled by me. No, not like a "steamroller," but with those shoes that have one wheel in the heel. Are these shoes here to stay? Or, in 20 years, will these kids-turned-adults think back and chuckle in nostalgia about these dumb shoes like we do about parachute pants? These shoes serve no practical purpose -- you can't really get anywhere by rolling. I guess it's fun, and looks cool. Do they come in a size 12?

I tell you, exciting times at the public library.

UPDATE: now hooligans are skateboarding outside my window. Damn kids! Get off my lawn!

The Internet is "the 'crack cocaine' of gambling."

Many of my friends at Michigan spent a lot of time in this "crack house." They will be disappointed when Congress makes it a lot harder to gamble online. Better find the closest Indian casino!

Tigermania

After seeing this article on ESPN today, I think a couple of my Michigan friends have to pinch themselves. Everyone has gone Tigercrazy! In this article, every major league team is compared to a member of the 1984 Tigers team. The Mariners are some guy named Johnny Grubb. I'm sure Murph has that guy's signed batting helmet somewhere.

How long can Tigermania last? What happens if I start rooting for them? Shall we test the jinx?

And while we're on Detroit sports, I just wanna give some love to Stevie Yzerman, who announced his retirement last week. I don't know if there's ever been an athlete more beloved by his home town. He has been there for 20-something years, and people in Detroit are madly in love with Stevie Y. I don't know enough about hockey or the Wings or Yzerman to fully give tribute to his career, but there wasn't much national press about it last week, and there should have been. This kind of bond between city and player doesn't happen very often.

These are not the Emmys nominations I would have chosen.

The Emmy nominations were announced today, and they mostly suck. I'm an expert in the matter.

The most blatant, inexcusable omission is "Lost" from the list of best dramas. It is still one of the top three shows on TV, even if many people get frustrated by the plot's glacial pace. Instead, the nominees are "24," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Sopranos," "House," and "The West Wing." I won't quarrel with Grey's, which has a quite a following even if it is kinda crappy. The Sopranos had an off-season, but it's still better than anything else TV can offer. I've never seen House, but maybe I should. I do watch 24 and West Wing, and neither deserved this honor this year. 24 is addictive but ridiculous -- crazy yet predictable plotlines and laughable overacting at times. The West Wing had a nice bounce-back year, but it's still a shadow of its old self, and I don't like the Sorkin-less version getting any recognition whatsoever. "Lost" should have been on this list. Also deserving recognition is HBO's "Rome," which was phenomenal, as well as "Big Love" and "Boston Legal."

As for best comedies, I'm glad that "Arrested Development" made the cut. It was such a great, great show, and all the morons who never watched it need to have its greatness rubbed in their faces a little before it fades to TVLand or BrilliantButCancelled. I'm also happy that "Scrubs" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" got nods, and I can live with "The Office." But I don't understand this fascination with "Two and a Half Men," a show I've never had any desire to watch, over "My Name is Earl," a hilarious show. Earl needs some love.

As for actors, this seems like a crapshoot. There are so many to choose from, and I suppose the nominated actors all deserved it. It's funny to see President and Mrs. Logan from "24" each nominated for supporting actor -- their acting made me laugh out loud. I thought Martin Sheen mailed it in this year on The West Wing. I can't figure out how no one from "Rome," "Big Love," or "Lost" got any acting nominations, or how they can leave out Jason Lee from "Earl."

I'll be rooting for William Shatner.

Sonics draft

I haven't had time until now to comment on the Sonics' draft, where they picked some guy from Senegal. I actually like the pick. They don't have any room on their roster for a rookie anyway, so he can stay in Europe for a year or two and then come back when he's more ready. He appears to be a freak of nature, physically, so maybe he'll turn out to be good. No one else at the #10 spot was going to help anyway, so why not take a shot with this guy. I'm relieved they didn't pick Redick.

The team is close to being competitive. They were the second-best scoring team last year. Unfortunately they were the worst defensively. If they can move to an average defensive team, they'll win the division. I'm a little wary of Chris Wilcox -- he was very good after the trade last year, but it's not clear he'll continue to play hard after a big payday. Tread carefully, Rick Sund.