Nola and Papa

Images of Nola and Grandpa in Ballard.

Seahawks 29, Bears 26 in OT. Blue Thunder at Temple Billiards!

I don’t know *why* I’m into football, but who wouldn’t love a gladiator sport with hard-to-understand rules? One of the Seahawks’ gems is Blue Thunder, the official drum corps of the Hawks, and on a clear day can be heard from a mile away. What was unusual, however, was they came to *us* at our little prefunc at Temple Billiards (many thank yous to Andy for the preseason ticket)! Also included: photos of the harvest moon peeking above the east side of the stadium, and the field goal kick before it all came to a glorious end.

New record in lutefisk eating contest!

Now I really regret not attending this year’s Ballard Seafood Festival. MyBallard.com has all the details.

One of the most popular events at this weekend’s SeafoodFest is the lutefisk eating contest. Ten contestants with iron stomachs battled it for $150. The previous record was just 18 seconds. But amazingly, a man named Einer Johannsen smashed the record by slurping down two pounds in just 7 seconds! Here’s the winner in the blue-checkered shirt. “I poured it down like a pitcher of Rainier Beer,” Johannsen told me after the contest. “It has a wonderful taste.

Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC?

This article about Rachel Maddow says it all — a great addition to MSNBC if it happens.

She appeared on her way to a career as an AIDS-policy advocate when a funny thing happened: on a lark she auditioned to be the news reader and sidekick on a wacky FM morning radio program in the area. She got the job, which had her occasionally donning an inflatable calculator costume at a local Ford dealer. She acknowledged that the work was not exactly what she had in mind when she graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in public policy and from Oxford University, which she attended on a Rhodes Scholarship and where she earned her doctorate.