12th-man flag proudly displayed on our house. We are part of the 12th-man fans of the Seattle Seahawks. |
12th-man: Seattle Seahawks (NFL football team) fans are called the 12th-man because they are so enthusiastic, loud, and spirited. It is as if the team has one extra man on the field with them for every home game. Everywhere in the Seattle area one can find 12th-man flags flying, including our house. (See photo above.) Our Christmas lights this year were blue and green. Don left them up and now they are Seahawks lights with a spotlight on the 12th-man flag. Go Hawks!
Musical memories: Yesterday as I sat in the chair at the hair salon I listened to the music in the background and was treated to a rush of musical memories that took me back to hppy times in my life:
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- Eleanor Rigby (The Beatles)---when my parents were missionaries in West Africa our aunt sent my sister Kathy the Revolver album by the Beatles. It was our first Beatles album and we played it endlessly. Listening to Eleanor Rigby instantly called up that time, living in Liberia with my family yet loving the popular music of the day.
- A Horse with No Name (America)---when I was a senior in high school I went to an America concert with my friends. I was such a huge fan I uncharacteristically stood on my chair and screamed.
- Margaritaville (Jimmy Buffet)---Don and I went to a Jimmy Buffet concert at the amphitheater on the gorge near George, Washington about 150 miles from our home. It was a warm evening as we sat on the grass and ate our picnic dinner and watched people around us getting drunk. I wore my parrot earrings. When the concert was over, and it was a very dark night, we couldn't find our car because the landmark, a big motorhome, had moved. So we wandered around the field doubling as a parking lot. It is a funny memory.
- Below is a darling YouTube video of a young Elvis fan. Do you have a happy musical memory? Please share it in the comment section.
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From the kitchen: lots of soup. Especially yummy---Coconut Chicken Curry soup. Also I made a delicious batch of chicken cacciatore with lots of vegetables so I could eat more with less guilt.
Books finished this week:
- Round House by Louise Erdrich ---a modern classic, for sure. Can't wait to discuss this one with my book group.
- Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman, designed by Chip Kidd---a graduation speech given by Gaiman last year, the book is a graphic design treasure.
- I Could Chew on This and Other Poems by Dogs by Francesco Marciuliano---bad poems but many are funny (see my favorite below.)
- Between Heaven and Earth by Eric Walters---the #1 book in the Seven series, seven grandsons, seven adventures. This one is set in Africa and a climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Unleashed
I'm free!
I'm free!
I'm free!
I'm free!
I'm free!
I'm lost.
-Francesco Marciuliano (I Could Chew on This and Other Poems by Dogs)
Progress made on other books:
- The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje---this is my current audiobook. This isn't a book, it is literature. I am savoring it. I just passed the halfway point
- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown--- a book club selection; I am having to read this book as if it were homework, slow-going. Page 225 of 370.
- Earth Girl by Janet Edwards---a dystopian novel. It is on my desk at school. I only read it at lunch so I expect the progress to be slow. Page 75 of 270.
Other bookish things:
- I transferred Allegiant from a wma file into a mp3 file so that I can transfer it to my ipod. It will be my next audiobook.
- I was invited to attend the Puyallup Library's 100 year celebration because I read 100 books last year. Cool.
Movie Nights: Don and I have figured out how to get movies on Amazon Prime so we have watched three movies in as many nights. My favorite, starring Al Pacino and Christopher Walken, is called Stand Up Guys. My husband found it so funny he was laughing out loud.
Remember---please leave a comment of a happy musical memory!
Have a good week.