Ukraine

Max Fisher/Washington Post

Statement from the White House on 2/22/2014

We continue to urge an end to violence by all sides and a focus on peaceful, democratic dialogue, working pursuant to Ukraine’s constitution and through its institutions of government.  Going forward, we will work with our allies, with Russia, and with appropriate European and international organizations to support a strong, prosperous, unified, and democratic Ukraine.  Going forward, the Ukrainian people should know that the United States deeply values our long-standing ties with Ukraine and will support them as they pursue a path of democracy and economic development.

The people in the east of Ukraine, closest to Russia, favor closer ties with Russia.  The people in the west of Ukraine, closest to Europe, favor closer ties with Europe.

John McCain and Barack Obama agree that a unified Ukraine is important.
The White House statement above includes 'unified' as one of the characteristics of Ukraine that the White House will support.
John McCain on Face The Nation this morning said

...let the Ukrainian people determine their own future and a partition of Ukraine is totally unacceptable, and we need to act immediately to give them the economic assistance that they need based on reforms that are gonna be required as well.

Click on the map credits for Max Fisher's article describing the map.  See also the comments.  Take everything with a grain of salt.
Not sure how much of Ukraine is for or against Russia, but it's clear that the more we try to describe a conflict the farther we get from understanding it. 
(That subject alone is worthy of a doctoral thesis, I bet)

I'm curious why these arbitrary dividing lines for countries are worth dying for.
Doesn't anybody remember the Big Blue Marble?  No lines here.

Watching Sochi 2014

It takes some effort.

First, I'm aware of the social and political issues with Russia, but I'm taking a pass on it for this blog post.

Second, don't watch the NBC Nightly News...last night I watched it and they spoiled their own broadcast coming up after the news.  According to Brian Williams they were only spoiling results that are widely known already.  Are you KIDDING????  Widely known????  Wow.

I'll catch events on NBCOlympics.com and on NBC cable channels.
NBCOlympics.com has replays as well.  I have to work during the day so I can't watch everything live.

Why bother?
I remember when everyone watched the Olympics and we met the athletes "Up Close and Personal".  I liked that.
I also really enjoy watching sports I don't understand and figuring out how it works - what are the rules, what makes a performance good or bad.
These days the broadcast switches gears so quickly it's hard to settle into any of the events so that I can figure it out.

If I know the schedule I can pick an event and watch it from beginning to end on the internet or one of the cable channels.

This morning I'm watching Men's 500m speed skating.  And nobody can spoil it for me because I'm watching it live.
Did you know the speed skating skates detach from the boot at the heel?

UPDATE:  The Netherlands swept Gold, Silver, and Bronze.  There's never been a medalist (gold medalist?) from The Netherlands in Men's 500m.  Not only that, but the Gold and Bronze medalists are twin brothers!.
After the race (and after much of the crowd has left, except The Netherlands contingent) there is a flower ceremony.  Apparently, the medals are awarded elsewhere.
Here's a twitter picture that I don't know how to copy:  http://t.co/v5uipeHxyE

Sunday Sweeties

If I were the kind of girl that swoons - these are the gentlemen I'd swoon for...

kind hearted, generous men who value good friendships, can have a laugh at themselves, and make interesting movies.

Today's Weather

There's a snowstorm where I used to live, and it's cold with beautiful sunny blue skies where I currently live.

Super Seahawks!

Wow - what an amazing game!
Look at the way the points were scored...great variety!!!
That's fun!

• Safety (2)
• Field goal - Hauschka (3)
• Field goal  - Hauschka (3)
• Running touchdown - Marshawn Lynch (Kam Chancellor intereception) - and point after touchdown (7)
• Interception return touchdown - Malcolm Smith - and point after touchdown (7)
• Kickoff return for touchdown - Percy Harvin - and point after touchdown (7)
• Touchdown pass - Wilson to Kearse - and point after touchdown (7)
• Touchdown pass - Wilson to Baldwin - and point after touchdown (7)

The Seattle Seahawks are a tight knit group...they play like brothers.  That's easy to be proud of.

I'm also proud of the fact that people around the country are recognizing how GOOD the team is.  It's not that Denver is so bad, but that Seattle was a really impressive team.  They would have liked a closer game, but for a person in Seattle it was pretty amazing.  Offense, Defense, and Special Teams - all played at their best.  Wonderful.  It makes it easier to celebrate the win.

(I've been a fan when a team or player has won, but all credit goes to the lousy play of the opposition - like any crappy team would have won against the lousy play of x.  No fun to win in that situation.  I was afraid it would happen this year.)

I'm sorry that Richard Sherman was injured in the second half.

I liked that in their after game interviews, the team and coaches and owner have all mentioned the 12th Man.
The first score of the game was 12 seconds in.  The first score in the second half was 12 seconds in.

My favorite number has always been 12.

I can't take any credit for being a 12th Man fan because I'm a fair weather fan.
As I've mentioned before, I don't handle the emotional ups and downs of being a true fan very well.
But, in my heart, I'm a fan of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, and the Seattle Seahawks (and the Seattle SuperSonics).
My sister is a true 12th Man fan.  She loves the team, loves the game, and knows all the players.

***

I went to my Mom's house for art in the afternoon.  We watched the first quarter together at her house.  I left after the first quarter and listened to KIRO call the game on the radio while I drove home.  Between the time Mom and I stopped watching, and I was in the car driving away, the team had a field goal and a touchdown!  Before I was 5 miles away, I heard Steve Raible call Malcolm Smith's interception return for a touchdown!
I was still driving during half-time and into the 3rd quarter.  I worried the momentum would change during half time and was gob-smacked when Percy Harvin had a kickoff return for touchdown.  Wow!  I saw the rest of the game at my house.

***

Considering the NFC Championship game was won in the last minute or so and the Super Bowl was won in the first half (and cemented in the first play of the second half), we were lucky to have the emotion of both a close game and a blowout to end the season.

An article from Josh Levin at Slate

And now we go back to regular life.
Which is why I find it emotionally draining to be a sports fan.

But for now?  Go Hawks! :)

Seattle's Spamalot at the 5th Avenue

I just got home from a preview performance of the 5th Avenue production of Spamalot.  I didn't realize it was a preview performance when I purchased the ticket several weeks ago.  Not sure it makes a difference except I don't have any reviews to read.  I'll have to rely on my own judgement!

I enjoyed it.  Yay! :)

I've never seen Spamalot before.  Time flies fast because I've been wanting to see it since I first heard about the play when it was on Broadway and then won the Tony Award for Best Musical.  It turns out that was 2005 and that's almost NINE years ago!!!!  What have I been doing all these years?  Sheesh!

This production was special because it's a local production, not a touring production.  According to the Executive Director of the 5th Avenue who took the mic before the play started all the actors, stage, and other crew for this production are from the Seattle area.

Local flavor was sprinkled throughout the play...three mentions of the Seahawks, and one mention of gay marriage in Washington State.  Each time the Seahawks were mentioned in the play the crowd erupted in cheers.  Including me.  We cheered for gay marriage as well.  The first Seahawk mention was a cast member running across the stage in a crowd scene wearing a 12th man jersey, the second was a 12 sign held up during a scene where other placards were waving, and finally one of the characters said they were going to update their twitter at "hashtag Denver Broncos suck".  I hoped that, at the end of the play, they'd drop down a huge 12 flag.  I was ready to cheer for that.

Seattle is currently bursting with HOMETOWN PRIDE!  It's fun to be here, now (even though I'm not doing anything special or sharing this fun with anyone)..

Back to the play...

If you've seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you know what happens in the play.  The songs add to the fun and there are lots of laughs.  I was smiling and laughing the whole time.
I'm not a person who knows all the lines from Monty Python, but I do get a chuckle out of some of their jokes.

I thought all the actors and musicians did a fabulous job.  They sang and danced and acted well...I wonder if I'd even know the difference between a Broadway production, a national touring production, and what I saw today?  I don't think so.  All the actors played a lot of different parts.  The costumes were pretty elaborate, I thought - they had to be tired our from all the costume changes backstage.

Highlights:  Patsy's coconut clapping (the guy who follows King Arthur clapping coconuts to sound like a horse), swallows carrying coconuts, Not Dead Fred, the singing and dancing Robin, Dennis the political radical, the Lady of the Lake's singing voice, the song "Find Your Grail", the song "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life", the men ensemble doing the Russian dancing in the style of "Fiddler On the Roof", Lancelot rescuing Prince Herbert, King Arthur singing about being alone while Patsy stands next to him, the rabbit bites the head off a knight, the audience member has the Grail (and gets a polaroid of being onstage), the cast encourages the audience to sing "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life" with them during the final bow.

It was a fun afternoon.  Thank you 5th Avenue!!!

And when it was over, it was still light out.  There were dark fluffy clouds in the sky, but the sun was shining through a couple of them and it was a beautiful sky.  Absolutely beautiful.

That's part of why I have HOMETOWN PRIDE - I LOVE THE SEATTLE METROPOLITAN AREA, WHICH INCLUDES BELLEVUE 'CAUSE THAT'S WHERE I LIVE!!!!! :)