Tuesday, January 21, 2014

SuperBowl, Richard Sherman and Other Stuff

Hawks vs SF Playoffs with the Louvrak family at my brother's Rocfish bar

My niece Ashley in middle, her fiance Eddie and my brother Scott after the win

Richard Sherman


Photos:  The top two are taken from my brother Scott's house after the playoff game last Sunday with San Francisco. I loved football  in the 1970's and 1980's because i focused on the personalities of the players as well as the game. But this is my first year for Seahawks. My favorite player is Richard Sherman, not only because he's so good but because he is incredibly interesting. There is more to him than what is being played out in the media and i keep feeling like i want to defend him as if he were in my own family. 

I enjoy people who do not play it careful and are passionate to a fault. I get a kick out of confidence bordering on arrogance as long as the person backs it up with the real talent. And it doesn't hurt that Sherman was an honors student at Stanford (and second in his high school class). Also he is beautiful,  fluid and graceful on the field. He reminds me of Muhammed Ali who i used to love when i was in junior high and high school. 

1. Best Purchase:  iPad Air!  It is worth every penny - $668 total. I can now live blog the Academy Awards next month. I was going to wait but then decided that while i often spend money on the house, i don't on just myself.

2. Looking Forward to: SuperBowl of course. AND Bowling! 

3. Accomplishment: finally got my photos organized and off memory cards. i had 1274 on my Nikon D90; 300+ on my Coolpix. They are now in appropriate files, copied in two places on a Passport drive. I have to do better at getting them off earlier so it's not such a chore.

4.  Other Accomplishment: I felt like such a slug after the holidays and after all the bad eating and drinking i've been on a kick with No Weekday Wine and Brian's de-tox diet cooking. What i've discovered is that it's not difficult, except i  realize how often i would have poured a glass after getting home if not for my resolution. While not an addiction, it can easily become a habit for me. I used to do the same thing, looking for a snack the minute i came in the door. I'm doing this in January to retrain the habit. 

5. Addiction: HOWEVER, the one thing i actually seem to be addicted to is FRESCA. I didn't buy it for about a week but then broke down. I first told myself i wouldn't drink it at night, but i still do. I bought oranges to add to my water hoping that would satisfy. It didn't. 

5. Everything Good is Bad: I recently read on Facebook from louie's son Nick a list of  foods you should toss out of your frig:  mayo, butter, margarine, pickles, diet soda, yogurt, processed meats and cheeses. I have all of those things in the frig.  At least now i have kale, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower too!

My new sofa with new Pottery Barn pillows

Notes to Self: 
Temp: 47/32 
Sunrise: 7:49 am
Sunset: 4:55 pm (This is 16 minutes MORE daylight since last week!)
Word Count: 498 words




21 comments:

amulbunny's random thoughts said...

My husband is a Hawks fan but I will be forever a Cheesehead. I know Richard Sherman was a standout at Stanford. I just hope that the exhibition of speech he gave on Sunday was not his usual self. That said. What am i going to do when Peyton the blessed and his Broncos play the Seahawks ? What a conundrum.

I've been sick since before Christmas. Add to that food poisoning from bad chicken wings and you've got a bunny who wishes she could just soak in a hot tub of bubbles and warmth and let it leach out of her system.

Here's to a good clean game. Lots of good commercials. Decent weather.

And a good cold rainstorm to come and drench the southland. We are drying up like you can't believe.

da bunny

jojo cucina cucina said...

Hi amulbunny! I hope you get better soon. Things have been so tough for you these past months!

Yay for your husband being a Seahawk!

I am watching this Sherman drama unfold on Facebook and have to admit it's kind of thrilling. My nephew (on my husband's side) Adam has an ongoing debate on Facebook (he supports Sherman) and here is what i wrote in response to someone who doesn't and who said he was a bad role model for kids:

"I watch football for entertainment. And i am entertained by almost everything Richard Sherman does. It's theater. Peyton Manning bores me. So did Hasselbeck. And Kitna, and Jim Zorn. Even Steve Largent bored me. For me it's more than just watching the game.

I have to be invested in the players personalities or i don't much care. Those same kind of speeches that athletes give make me think of the Bull Durham movie when Kevin Costner was teaching Tim Robbins' character how to talk to the press and it was so banal. You can have some very well mannered athletes be real douchebags in life (Lance Armstrong in his hey day before we knew what he was comes to mind) and you can have Richard Sherman.

I think for those of us who love the Seahawks we protect and defend them like our family members. Richard Sherman is indeed a great role model for kids when you read about his accomplishments and how he mentored his fellow footbal teammates in high school to get their butt to college."

jojo cucina cucina said...

You know, all this Sherman/Super Bowl drama reminds me of how when Tanya Harding made the Olympics so much fun to watch that year she had Nancy Kerrigan wacked in the knee by her husband. the only difference is i couldn't stand either Tanya or Nancy and thought both of them were really dumb, but i tell you, it made the Olympics so much more exciting to watch because of that drama.

What also comes to mind is the year of the Grammy's when Elton John and Eminem teamed up to sing Eminem's song 'Stan'. I never had watched the Grammy's before Eminem showed up. That's a better comparison because i actually took up for Eminem in the same way as i am taking up for Sherman because i liked Eminem.

pearl said...

I gave up weekday wine too - part of my weight loss last year, absolutely. Still enjoy a glass or two now and again, and really enjoy it 'cuz it's special. Also gave up - quite unintentionally - soft drink. Started drinking a green tea/noni drink and just plain water instead. Find myself craving water now. Yay!

What's wrong with yogurt?

I'm concerned that Sherman is heading into Dennis Rodman territory. And while I find "interesting" interesting - just acting out for show becomes exhausting, then annoying and ultimately STFU!! in very short order.

louielouie said...

I am embarrassed to say I didn't even hear Richard Sherman's rant. At the time, I was busy posting about Terry Bradshaw's disgusting hair.

I do feel bad that the comments have become such a big deal, even my beloved John Stewart mentioned it. I hope the Sherman flack doesn't overshadow the Super Bowl itself.

I am looking forward to the game, the commercials, the beer and the family time. God bless the NFL.

louielouie said...

1. Yogurt is fine. Just not sweetened yogurt.

2. If I had a Fresca addiction I would be embarrassed. Got no time for any pop but Coca Cola, and only infrequently.

3. I am addicted to caffeine. I only drink one cup of coffee a day, but really need that one cup.

4. I have no current accomplishments; am still resting on my laurels of raising fantastic children.

5. Go Hawks and let's hear it for the best kicker ever, Steven Hauschka.

jojo cucina cucina said...

Hey pearl and louie! So happy to see you here!

louie, i just posted a Hauschka story on your FB page. (I figured we needed some more stories about our Seahawks other than Sherman.)

pearl, Nooooooo.....Sherman is not even close to being in the same category as Dennis Rodman. I can't stand Rodman!

I never saw his rant as a big deal when it happened and then later he was talking to the press all calm and wearing his bow tie and i cracked up about the bow tie. I was surprised the next morning when things hit the fan.

I always look forward to him talking about the game afterwards and he doesn't make it all about him. normally. And he's sorry now that he did that.

Somewhere on Facebook was a comment by a Sherman supporter who said something like "I'm so glad a microphone hasn't been stuck in my face when i just got really mad at someone at work when my adrenaline shot up ." ....I know i would have said some BAD words if that happened to me.

I loved it that last night David Letterman made a joke about Sherman. They showed his rant and of course i cannot remember the joke. (I never remember jokes.)

louie, why is Coke a better addiction than Fresca? They are both soda pop. I'm really going to try and kick it and drink it only when i have Chinese food. I LOVE Fresca with Chinese food. I did indeed forget to mention coffee. I was able to cut back to only one cup a day and it is a strong one, but i don't think i could ever give up coffee ever.

Yeah, yogurt. I didn't get that one either, but it was the sugar. I love my Chobani (sp?) yogurt. I won't give it up because i'm not normally into sugar anyway so it's not that bad for me i don't believe.

jojo cucina cucina said...

Another comment about the Richard Sherman story. It reminds me a lot of the Howard Dean Scream back during the presidential election in 2004. The way that story took a small moment and derailed the bigger one and i was a huge Dean supporter and wrote about Dean after that supporting him. This feels so similar.

louie, i just watched Jon Stewart's Daily Show on DVR And saw the Sherman reference too. Didn't know that when you mentioned it. Pretty cool that this Super Bowl people are at least paying attention to the Seahawks (even before the Sherman story). I really feel like the hype about the Hawks wasn't there 8 years ago. I don't remember it but i wasn't watching them like this year.

pearl said...

Ahhh - that's it. I only eat nonfat, plain Greek yogurt. With fresh fruit.

Will never give up coffee!

jojo cucina cucina said...

i went and looked at my Chobani yogurt The sugars are 16 g. That doesn't seem so bad does it? It has 150 calories, 11 grams of protein. 3 g of fat, 2 of them saturated. only 15% of daily calcium though.

jojo cucina cucina said...

I could never give up coffee either. But at least i've cut it to only one cup. The bad thing is i put Coffeemate in it. I cannot drink it black at all. A long time ago i used to even put sugar in it. I sometimes use half and half but i like Coffeemate in it more. And that stuff is not healthy.

pearl said...

I buy the big tubs - it's cheaper that way. I do buy the plain Chobani sometimes, but I like the Fage best. I switched to Fage for a while when Chobani had the contaminated batch last year (I had actually bought a tub, but hadn't opened it yet.) Healthy food's not supposed to make you sick!

I drink my coffee black and iced. My splurge is a cappuccino at the airport or the occasional after dinner espresso. Can't stand sugar or chocolate in my coffee - mocha turns my stomach.

I think the worst of the Sherman story is that he - perhaps inadvertently - took a really special, celebratory team moment and overshadowed it was an unnecessarily negative personal one. Unlike politics, sports seems to be fairly forgiving of such things. Look at Michael Vick...

pearl said...

BTW - I absolutely HATE the 'prove your not a robot' authentication required here. Had to get new glasses just to read the damn things. I'm not a robot - just an astigmatic little old lady.

jojo cucina cucina said...

I have that on pearl? I don't mean to. I'm going to see if i can get it off.

jojo cucina cucina said...

I think i got it off now. Let me know. I never had that before i don't think. I probably clicked that on when i changed the template a few weeks ago. I didn't mean to. It's not like that keeps out those fake view from the vampirestat site.

louielouie said...

Yes, yes, yes you have the "prove you're not a robot" requirement. Always have. Sometimes I have to make two or three stabs at it before I get it right.

louielouie said...

OMG I just posted without typing in those non-robotic code words. Maybe you got it off.

Coke may not be a better addiction than Fresca, it's just a better beverage.

Also, I am against artificial sweeteners, I think they're worse than sugar or corn syrup. Diet drinks all taste bad to me anyway.

Besides, I don't have a Coke addiction (now that sounds funny doesn't it?) I use it as a sometimes treat.

jojo cucina cucina said...

sorry y'all. I never knew i had that on there since it doesn't happen to me. I didn't mean to. Maybe it was the default. I just went into Comments and clicked it off. So it should be all good.

I don't use artificial sweeteners but the fake cream is bad enough i know.

jojo cucina cucina said...

dammit, i wasn't done. COKE addition does indeed sound funny. No confusion with a Fresca addiction! I had Fresca tonight. I recently found out that Cranberry juice, as in the Diet kind i buy is also bad for you. I like to mix my Fresca and Cranberry together. I bet having a glass of wine is healthier than that!

jojo cucina cucina said...

testing 1 2 3...

jojo cucina cucina said...

I am working on a Letter to God about the SuperBowl. I hope to have it done by tomorrow.