"Big Wild Life."

The city of Anchorage unveiled its new brand today: "Big Wild Life." There was a celebration downtown, with a lot of wacky costumes, music, and a few real animals.

My co-clerk Tara and me with a fake eagle:



And then a real eagle:



Plus an actual reindeer (named Star, the subject of a recent blog post by my co-clerk Tara):



At the end of the event I was approached by a reporter from the local CBS affiliate to talk about the slogan. Why she chose me, I have no idea. But I gave the interview, and lo and behold I ended up on the evening news. They had a little trouble spelling my last name, though.



Who spells their name like that? Hmph. Anyway... you're wondering what I said? Okay, here's a transcription. I'm not proud of my response, but it's not easy to find a compelling answer to the question, "How do you like the new slogan?" Here it is:

"I like it. It, uh, it ... I mean it explains Anchorage a lot. It's big... it's wild... and there's a lot of life, so you know it's talking about the people here, it's talking about the animals here, it's talking about the entire environment. So, um, it's exciting, you never know what you're going to see, so I like it."

Yeesh. And yes, you heard it. My thoughts on the slogan "Big Wild Life" are: it's big, it's wild, and there's a lot of life. Whoa, I'm deep.

If anyone knows how I can transfer the clip from my DVR to my computer, so I can post it on YouTube, let me know and I'll do it.

Your Moose news update

We've had so much snow this winter, the moose don't know what to do. Here's an AP article, chock full of interesting tidbits about Anchorage moose. Such as:

• Snow removal crews are overwhelmed with the aftermath of storms that dumped almost 76 inches of snow midway through a season that normally totals 68 inches.
• "We could be heading into a killer snow year, with the snowiest months ahead," [Gary Olson of the Alaska Moose Federation] said.
• In summer, only a few hundred moose roam Anchorage. But the urban population can swell as high as 1,000 in winter.
• In Anchorage, they forage on twigs and bark until spring brings back the plentiful greens and flowers. Moose eat up to 40 pounds of wood a day, enough to fill two large garbage cans.
• "I tell people when the moose is alive it belongs to the state," [state wildlife biologist Rick] Sinnott said. "If it's dead and on your property, it belongs to you."
• Residents pay anywhere between $195 and $265 for [Nuisance Wildlife Management's] moose retrieval service. The price includes depositing the carcass at the local landfill.

Hmm. How do these rates compare to the moose retrieval services in your city?

"Bob's your uncle."

I had never heard that phrase before an anonymous commenter used it the other day. What does it mean? Who's Bob? What does he have to do with making a homemade ice rink in the backyard? For my knowledge, none of my uncles knows that much about hockey.

Good thing for the Internet. Or, as we call it up here in Ted Stevens land, that there series of tubes.

So... Bob's your uncle. Apparently Bob will be my uncle for a mere $3,300. Oh, and Bob is married to Fanny (why the long face?). Bob sells knickknacks.

Well, it turns out that the phrase actually does mean something:

This is a catchphrase which seemed to arise out of nowhere and yet has had a long period of fashion and is still going strong. It’s known mainly in Britain and Commonwealth countries, and is really a kind of interjection. It’s used to show how simple it is to do something: “You put the plug in here, press that switch, and Bob’s your uncle!”

Well that clears it right up.

Your Alaska news update

It's just another Monday here in Alaska, where you'll find a power outage in Juneau because a bald eagle, carrying a deer head, crashed into some power lines. You know, the usual.

Also, if you haven't been following the slip opinions issued by my court, here's a case we issued a couple weeks ago, picked up by the Associated Press today. (Warning: the facts of the case aren't pleasant.) Actually, that case was a memorandum opinion, so it would have been found here instead, but whatever. I can't say that the facts of this case are typical, but we do deal with a lot of weird stuff.

Another McGee on the way

Congratulations to Tim and La Verne, who have another little baby on the way! This will make three kids in a little over 3 years, which is strong work by any measure. We're all very excited, and can't wait for the newest member of the family to arrive, which should be sometime in late July. Woo!

Let's go Aces!

Apparently a lot of people in Alaska own cowbells. Many of those people bring their cowbells to hockey games. And they are more than happy to oblige whenever the PA announcer yells "Let me hear those cowbells!" Yes, hockey in Alaska... enough cowbell.

I went on Saturday to see the Alaska Aces, defending Kelly Cup champions and currently in first place in the West Division of the ECHL, take on the Stockton (CA) Thunder. As the game went along I realized I don't actually know where Stockton is. I thought it was somewhere near Vacaville, or perhaps Modesto. Turns out I was way off with Vacaville, but it is pretty close to Modesto. Which means it's in the middle of nowhere and has no business having a hockey team. Which led to an interesting discussion in the stands: where exactly is the "armpit of California?" We agreed that California has several armpits, and Stockton is one of them (sharing that honor with Fresno and Bakersfield... two cities that also have teams in the ECHL).



The game was fun. The Aces won 2-1, in a pretty entertaining game. There weren't any good fights, which is too bad. But we -- a group of law clerks -- got block seating, so the stadium announced our presence with the other groups during the second intermission. We cheered ourselves, but the rest of the crowd booed us. Apparently there isn't a lot of local respect for law clerks.

Getting lighter

This morning was the first time I can remember since winter began when it was light outside (it was a dawn-ish light... not direct sunlight) when I got to work. Granted, I got to work at 9:45am, but a milestone is a milestone, buddy.

Triple double!

I know that most readers don't care what I have to say about sports, and even fewer care what I say about Stanford sports, but last night was amazing. Bear with me.

With football over, and my attention turned to college basketball, I've been very pleased to see how the Stanford team has played this season. They are really fun to watch, especially with the freshman Lopez twins playing so well together. Last night was the best game they've played yet, with Brook Lopez recording a triple double (maybe the first triple double in school history) in a win against USC. 18 points, 11 rebounds, 12 blocks. Holy crap. The previous school record was 6 blocks.

This team is good.

Superstitious? Me?

Two people sent me this NYT article recently, about how people believe they have magical powers and cling to crazy rituals. Who's superstitious? Me? Nooooo.

It's completely rational to wear the same clothes for every big game (which I did for the Seahawks playoff games).

To always put the right shoe on first (which I've done since I was a high school wrestler and had a winning streak when I put the right shoe on first).

To knock on wood when a possible jinx is uttered (and then knock on wood again, because knocking on wood could itself be the jinx (and then knocking on wood again for the same reason (and then making an agreement with myself that knocking on wood three times is enough, because otherwise I could do it indefinitely, and any more than three is just unnecessary (and weird)))).

Really? I'm superstitious? Okay, fine. But my New Year's resolution this year was to stop being so superstitious about sports, and so far I'm doing quite well. For example, I didn't demand that I sit in the same chair for the Bears game as I did for the Cowboys game. I didn't demand that the same people be watching the game with me. And I didn't demand that I eat the same thing before, during, and after each game.

But then the 'Hawks lost, so maybe I should have. Damn.

And that -- the "should have" -- is the thing that the NYT article doesn't discuss. The basketball coach is almost onto it when he talks about "do[ing] as much as possible to recreate the environment that surrounds his team’s good play." That's close. For me, the reason I tend toward superstition is in part to avoid the potential guilt that might arise after a loss. For example, if the 'Hawks lose but I've done everything I could to replicate the circumstances of their earlier success, I've done all that I could. I absolve myself of the defeat. But if, instead, I'm careless in my preparation and I don't do everything just the same, those differences create variables that I just can't eliminate when I compare one game to the next. And although I know I have no real impact on the game, the infinitesimal chance that these "magical powers" do really exist is enough to make me feel guilty for not doing everything I could to help the team.

That's all rubbish, of course, and all it does is add more stress to watching the game. So that's why I've resolved to quit the superstitions. But I suppose it speaks to the attractiveness of these "magical powers" -- the possibility that I control more than I really do -- that it's not been easy to quit. I need The Patch, or a 12-step program.

Because I still put my right shoe on first, and if the potential jinx is big enough, I still knock on wood three times. You try quitting cold turkey.

Your local ski news

The top story on ADN.com today is this article about an Anchorage woman's 3rd place finish in the World Cup nordic sprint race in Russia on Sunday. No U.S. woman has ever medaled at a World Cup event before. Around here, that's big news.

My favorite part was this:

The course, located about 250 miles north of Moscow, had been pieced together with crushed ice made out of blocks hauled from a local water source, said U.S. sprint coach Chris Grover. He likened it to a "cobblestone street" and "ice cubes in a drink."

Randall likened it to home.

"Conditions were what you might see on a glacier in Alaska during the summer, and I've asked myself, 'When am I ever gonna race on this?' It was good (today) to have that experience," said Randall, a member of the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, which occasionally trains on Eagle Glacier north of Girdwood.

They race on glaciers during the summers. How cool is that.

Alyeska Tram Cam

I've added a new permanent link to the page! It's the web cam at the top of the tram at Alyeska. When it's not foggy, it's a spectacular view of the slopes and, in the distance, the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. When it's foggy, you'll see a whole lotta nothing... which is exactly what it's like to ski there in such conditions.

I'm heading back tomorrow, and I hope it's clear. Woo hoo.

Sniping judges

What is going on back in Michigan? Apparently the justices on the Michigan Supreme Court are publicly sparring, calling each other names. "This is a very angry, sad woman," Chief Justice Clifford Taylor said about Justice Elizabeth Weaver.

Wow. That's just crazy. I can't imagine what it's like to be a clerk on that court right now.

UPDATE: More craziness in Michigan. They're losing their minds.

Good game

Just a quick reflection on the Seahawk game... I was happy with the way they played. It's disappointing to lose, especially considering that they really should have won that game at the end of regulation or the beginning of overtime, but I am not too upset about it. I had been waiting all year for the team to play a good game, and yesterday they did. They played hard, and with a lot of courage.

It's hard to win when your defensive secondary is so inexperienced. The bomb to Berrian and the killer pass to Davis in overtime were direct results of all the late-season injuries to that part of the team. Despite all that, the defense played well, and didn't even need a bad Rex game. If Rex had played badly, it would have been a Seahawk blowout. This was about as good as Rex can be, and it was barely good enough.

The one play that will haunt me is the bobbled snap on the 4th-and-1 near the end of regulation. Without that bobble, Alexander gets the ball in rhythm and picks up at least one yard, and then we're only a few more yards from field goal range. But -- again with the injuries -- Hasselbeck's broken finger on his left hand had been giving him all sorts of trouble, and it was an unlucky time for that injury to play a role.

This isn't the crushing defeat that the last three playoff losses were (interception return for TD vs. Green Bay; dropped pass in endzone vs. St. Louis; getting completely hosed by officials in Super Bowl). This team showed a lot of guts this year, and overcame a lot of unlucky breaks. They'll be remembered as "lucky" after the Romo game, but I'll remember this team for its determination.

They'll go into next season with no expectations... I already hear analysts predicting Arizona to win, while STL and SFO will have their backers as well. But I still like this team (shocker!). The Super Bowl window has not closed yet. They're still relatively young. If they can avoid the injuries that led to inconsistent play, they should be back in the playoffs again next year. I'm already looking forward to it.

UPDATE: It turns out that Hasselbeck played the last 8 games of the season with broken fingers, but that wasn't why he bobbled the snap. Instead, it was center Chris Spencer who snapped the ball late. Damn.

Tsunami watch!

You know what's creepy? When you're watching a TiVo'd program and all of a sudden the National Weather Service breaks in and tells you that a tsunami watch is in effect in all coastal areas. It's even more creepy when you can then glance out your living room window and see the coast. Eeeeek.

So, yeah, there's a tsunami watch/warning tonight. We haven't had a lot of info about it yet... the ADN doesn't have much (at the time of this writing). Apparently there was an 8.2-magnitude earthquake off the Russian coast, and it might have caused a tsunami. We'll see.

UPDATE: It's over. Phew.

Seahawks-Bears

My New Year's resolution this year was to be less superstitious about sports. This means no more worrying about what I wore or where I sat for the previous game... no more recreating every little detail. It's a good thing, too, because I would have a hard time luring the Victory Moose back to the house on Sunday.

The great thing about winning the Cowboys game is that now I feel that this Seahawks season has already been a success, and any further advancement in the playoffs would be gravy. The pressure is off, and I don't have a lot of expectations going into the game. That's not to say, though, that I don't have an irrational hope that they'll beat the Bears.

It's irrational because the Bears clearly have the better team. The Bears have a few frightening players like Urlacher, Briggs, and Hester, and the defense as a whole has no clear weaknesses. They also have a good running game and good receivers.

All hope this week for a Seahawk win derives from more mystical, and less logical, sources. For one, the Bears were in the same situation last year... and lost. Rex Grossman plays as many terrible games as he does good games, and although he torched the Hawks earlier this year, there's a chance he lays another egg. After the win over the Cowboys, the Hawks may have "Team of Destiny" feel about them, where lucky breaks obscure their flaws (much like the 2001 Patriots). And in the end, it's the NFL, where underdogs have been winning all season.

One quick gripe, though. I've read/heard several commenters saying the Hawks are a lucky team. Oh, please. The Romo fumble was lucky, sure, but even if there had been no fumble the Hawks still had a great chance to win that game. Moreover, it's patently ridiculous to say this is a lucky team after the season of injuries we've had -- where Walter Jones is the only player to start every game on offense... we've had 8 different starting lineups on the O-line... we lost Alexander and Hasselbeck at the same time... Bobby Engram had a thyroid condition (?!?)... we lose three cornerbacks in the final two weeks and have to sign a loan officer and elk hunting guide off the street to play in a playoff game. Where's the good luck in that? The fact that the team got this far is a testament to its depth and courage. We'd need several more Romo-moments to even things out on the luck scale.

As for the game itself, on D the Hawks are going to need to take an early lead. If they fall behind and allow the Bears to run the ball in the second half, the Hawks are toast. If they keep the ball in Grossman's hands, where nobody knows what will happen, they have a chance. On O the Hawks will have to run the ball better, and give Hasselbeck some protection. It's all about O-line play. The good news is that the same O-line that started last week will start this week (this has happened rarely this year).

My guess is that Grossman will have a decent game, and the Seahawks will play hard but come up short. Bears, 27-17.

(I gave up superstitions, but not reverse-jinxes. (Real prediction: 22-19, Seattle.) Go Seahawks!)

2006 Year in Review

I know I'm a week or so late with this, but whatever: Happy New Year. I thought I might do what other real blogs do, and conduct a bit of a year in review of 2006. Why not?

January: We welcomed a new McGee, and (surprise) I was football-crazy.

February: I dealt with the aftermath of a disappointing Super Bowl, and I remembered I was still in law school.

March: I got my ass kicked in Vegas, and the suspension of the Tree made children cry.

April: The Mariners began a craptastic season, and I had my last law school class and bowling night.

May: I turned 30, graduated from law school, and left Ann Arbor.

June: I completed a road trip, started a bar review course, and spent a lot of time with Bo.

July: Studying took over my life (corrupting everything), the Sonics bummed me out, and I took the bar.

August: In my leisure time I went wine tasting, and -- ding dong, the witch is dead!

September: I made the trip to Alaska, took a hike, and my friends used my sports jinx for their own purposes.

October: I took down the Yankees, and I saw my first moose.

November: Drank from frozen ice martini glass, and I realized I wanted to be a burrito lawyer.

December: It got dark... real dark. but seeing a moose out the window reminded me how great it is to live in Alaska.

So that's it... 2006. Here's hoping to an even better 2007. Happy New Year!

Great weekend

That was a top-5 weekend. I don't know what the other 4 would be, but any list of top weekends would have to include this one.

I was nervous about Saturday's Seahawks game, but outside my bedroom window that morning was an omen. It was a Victory Moose! Eating Victory Bushes!



Then he came towards the house and stood near my car (in the lower right). I think I heard him say, "MMM, Go Seahawks."



You can see in this picture how huge these animals are. Taller and wider than my car -- wouldn't fit in the back of my neighbor's big pickup. You don't want to mess with these animals. I knew the Cowboys were in trouble.

Then later that day came, of course, the game. I will write more about the 'Hawks in another post, to spare those readers who are bored by my sports-related ramblings. But holy crap. I thought our goose was cooked more than a couple times. The team showed extraordinary courage to play with so many injuries at key positions, and they never backed down. I was just giddy, if exhausted, when the game was over.

The next day I headed to Alyeska for some hard-core subzero downhill skiing. It was pretty cold, but I wore several layers plus a balaclava, so I was mostly fine. Some cold fingers and toes at times, but there were no lines at the lifts so we weren't wasting a lot of time standing around. The snow was amazing -- very soft and forgiving, great for attacking down the hill. I had a great day skiing, the best I can remember in quite a while. It was awesome. And I'm going back next week.

Then, to cap off the weekend, my roommate and I started watching disc 1 of season 2 of "The Wire," one of the best shows ever. (Have you seen it? You should.)

So... yeah. Pretty sweet weekend. Skiing and an improbable win. I'm hoping for more of the same next weekend.

P.S. Current temperature: -8 degrees. My hands went numb during the walk from the car to the house. I've never experienced colder.

Freaking cold

The snow has stopped, for the moment, but now it's incredibly cold. Right now it's 6 degrees. The Anchorage Daily News weather page has an icon for times like this:


That pretty much says it all.

Saturday we'll have a high of 2 and a low of -10, and on Sunday we're just getting nasty. High of -4, low of -13. And of course, that's the day I've decided to go to Alyeska for some downhill skiing. (Can't go on the more balmy Saturday because of the Seahawks playoff game.) I don't know what will happen to my body. I went nordic skiing tonight, and it was about 7 degrees; we went last night and it was about zero. It's not terrible, but we weren't out for more than an hour, and already my toes and fingers were losing feeling. I'm more curious than anything else -- what's it like to sit on a chairlift when it's -10... windchill bringing it to -20? I mean, don't we all want to know what that feels like?

Oh, and a note about the snow. What do Anchorageans (?) do when they have three feet of snow in their front yards? Build a snowman, of course. But not just any snowman: Snowzilla.


(photo from the ADN)

Beat that, Colorado, you bunch of wussies.

Snow snow snow snow snow

I got back from my holiday break last night (recap & pics to come), and it was a shock to get off the plane and find several feet of snow on the ground. I had gotten used to mild Washington and California weather, so it took a while to readjust to the 8 degree temps.

My car, which I had left here, was buried under 2 feet of snow.



And it just kept coming down. It snowed all day today, to the point that they closed the courts. You know it's serious when snow closes Alaskan courts. So we got out of work at 2:30 today, and it's still coming down as I write this at 5:00.

We've gotten at least 9 inches since last night, which continues a December trend. In Girdwood, which is 45 minutes away and where the Alyeska ski resort is -- got 24 feet of snow last month. Whoa.