Sully's Stuff

24 days and counting...

SEATTLE, WA. First trip of the year finds me about as far away from home as you can get in the Continental US, Seattle, WA. Counting today, it has rained for 24 consecutive days in Seattle, making Pittsburgh feel sunny. The record is 33 days, and anytime you get within 10 days of the record, I think you have to get excited.

When I arrived on Monday afternoon, my cell phone wasn't working. It turns out that a fiber optic phone line in California had been cut, which somehow cut off wireless phone and data service to the entire west coast for more than 3 hours.

Seattle is a great city with beautiful mountains and the Puget Sound, some decent restaurants, a coffee culture and some pretty energetic youthful folks, but there is no buzz for the Seahawks and that makes me miss Pittsburgh. Not a single local in a single restaurant or coffee shop, not one taxi driver, barista or corporate middle manager has mentioned the S-word. Here's a conversation from my cab ride this morning:

Me: "Are you a Seahawks fan?"
Cab driver: "No"
Me: "Is there another team you're rooting for?"
CD: "No."
Me: "What will you do during the game Sunday?"
CD: "Work."

As you can see, he was a real ambassador for the city.

I'm ready to get home to black and gold tastefully worn by news anchors, interviews with longsnappers about wrist action, speculation about Ben's thumb and a righteous and healthy indignance about piped in crowd noise.

posted by Sully @ 1/11/2006