In like a lamb, definitely out like a LION...

Uuummm....last I looked, it was the end of March. And this is what it looks like here in West Seattle this afternoon:



and at work:


The Mariner's Opening Day is Monday !! The weather forecast gets better after today - this is only a temporary thing. At least that's what I'm telling myself...

right in my backyard...

...and I didn't know about it. Eddie Vedder played two "secret" shows the past two nights at a small community center in West Seattle, only a couple miles from my house. Small crowd too; around 100 people. Lucky buggers. The setlists were fantastic - a good warmup for his upcoming solo tour. I would have loved to have been there.

cherry blossoms...

Since the kids are out of school this week on spring break, I thought I'd take the opportunity to try to photograph some of the cherry trees that are blooming on the quad. I think a bunch of other people had the same bright idea.

Happy Easter !

We spent the afternoon at our friends' house with their two awesome kids. A fantastic Easter for sure...

Peeps in ways you never wanted to see...

Here are some of my favorite applicants to the Chicago Tribune's International Peep Diorama contest:

Peep Fiction

Vincent VanPeep's Bedroom

Peeping Tom

Peepanardo Davinci

Peep Show

The Peepy Bunch

and I thought my animals were talented...

Slainte !

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My lunch at Finn MacCool's :

top o' the mornin' ...

We had a reservation this morning at the Space Needle restaurant for brunch at 10:00 - Dan's brother and family got him a gift card last July for his birthday. But we forgot about the St. Patrick's Day dash this morning and the closing of the viaduct, so we decided to go another time.

We ended up at Mick Kelly's in Burien instead. I thought about starting the St Paddy's celebrating a bit early by having a pint of Guinness, but it was 9:00 am and I opted for a stout cup of coffee instead. I forgot how good the breakfast was here.

Ever see the movie "Uncle Buck" ? That's what these monster pancakes reminded me of.

Walgreen Field ???

from the Chicagoist 3/13/08:

The Tribune reports that multiple companies might be involved in partial naming rights deals for Wrigley Field, which combined could bring in the same amount of money as a single deal for naming rights.

Tribune officials have met recently with executives from the New York Yankees, who have chosen to keep the Yankee Stadium name on their new park while generating revenue from smaller deals.

In such a scenario, a presenting sponsor might have its moniker applied to the stadium itself, but in a way that keeps the Wrigley Field name as well. Additionally, corporate names might be applied to sections of the park.

For the first time, we're also getting some idea of the companies who might be interested in associating with the historic ballpark. State Farm Insurance and Walgreen's are both rumored to be involved in negotiations.

So would it be Wrigley Field Presented By State Farm? State Farm Stadium at Wrigley Field? We're not sure exactly how Wrigley will remain in the name. We can also expect to see names applied to sections of the park. They've already got the Bud Light Bleachers -- we can now expect something along the lines of the Walgreen's Upper Deck. Chicagoist was all for section naming rights when Mark Cuban proposed such a measure in order to cut ticket prices. Now it looks like a similar deal may simply help fund the state's purchase and renovation of the park.

At the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. annual meeting on Wednesday, company chairman William Wrigley Jr. fielded questions about his company and any interest in ponying up for what it's gotten free since the 1920s. He indicated that while he wouldn't entirely rule it out, that it didn't fit into the company's brand-based marketing. Wouldn't it be ironic if Wrigley did pay, only to change the name to Orbit Field?

Daylight Saving Time - an educational post

(from the Seattle P-I)

• Daylight-saving time begins Sunday at 2 a.m. when clocks are turned one hour ahead. It ends the first Sunday in November (Nov. 2 this year), partially so trick-or-treaters will have more light during Halloween.
• Thrift-loving Benjamin Franklin gets partial credit for the idea, but he didn't propose changing clocks or standardizing time. He simply suggested that people get up earlier with the light, largely so they'd burn fewer candles at night.
• The first proponent of changing clocks to wring more light from the day was William Willett, an early-rising Briton who called morning the best part of the day. Despite heavy lobbying and great personal expense, he died before his idea became law. It took effect a year later.
• The Germans took Willett's idea and created the first daylight saving in 1916 as part of wartime energy-saving efforts. The British followed two weeks later (after defeating it eight years in a row).
• DST was first tried in the U.S. in 1918 to save energy during World War I, but it was unpopular and was dormant nationally until it was used year-round during World War II. After the war, there was no federal law on DST until 1966, so states did as they pleased.
• In 1974, DST was extended for 10 months because of the energy crisis, then scaled back to eight months the following year.
• From 1987 to 2006, DST was a seven-month period. Last year, it was extended to eight months.
• Japan, India and China are the only major industrialized countries that don't observe daylight-saving time.
• In the U.S., Hawaii and Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) are the only states that don't follow DST.

Flowers out front - planted this afternoon...

dogs, dogs and more dogs...

Dan and I went to the Seattle Kennel Club Dog Show this morning at the Qwest Field Events Center. The Border Collies started showing at 8:00 a.m. The Australian Shepards followed. What a display of beautiful dogs.

This is Percy. He sat with his owner next to us, awaiting his turn in the ring. He is a year and a half. He loved Dan - sat on his lap and licked his face furiously. Then proceeded around the bleacher within leash range, greeting everyone in his furry path. I don't think the guy in front of us was all too happy with Percy's enthusiasm - but everyone else thought he was cute. He did have an adorable face. And a slight case of gas.



A short video of the agility course:

Luke

I know I'm partial because he's our dog and all, but Luke is one good looking canine. And he loves having his photo taken. Those two things combined could have made for a lucrative dog model career. Not sure what the demand is these days for a 13 year-old, half-deaf and a bit arthritic Border Collie.

Happy Birthday Erin !