Spring is quickly becoming summer. How is this possible? Wasn’t it January just last week? Time marches on, whether we like it or not. Weeks become months, and before you know it you’re way behind, playing catch-up.

This time of year, I often see Mount Rainer on my way work in the mornings. Its presence is both comforting and intimidating. A contradiction to be sure. As one travels south from Seattle the mountain changes from background to center-stage. It draws my eye, an unavoidable landmark. Time moves forward but the mountain remains, or so it seems.

I am really looking forward to the start of the World Cup this week. Back when “Germany 2006” was a convenient phrase I had hopes of going. Even if I could not get tickets to a game, I just wanted to be with a crowd of rabid soccer fans, close to the action. A good friend and I were in France during the 1998 Cup championship match. It was incredible.

A student of mine predicted a USA vs. Holland final, which would be great. We shall see.

The semi-annual Friends of the Seattle Public Library book sale was this weekend. It is the one chance book lovers from across the city have to come together, push each other around, and generally act like jerks. Just goes to show what $1 for a hardcover will do to people.

To be honest, people were fairly well behaved, especially compared to my experience last year when several fights broke out. (not really) I did notice a lot of people with cell phones frantically punching in information. I assumed these people were resellers using services like Amazon to find out how much they could get for a particular book. There were several people with bar code scanners quickly checking the value of the multitude of books on sale. To me these people were not acting in the true spirit of the sale, which centers around filling your house with books even the library doesn’t want.

I did manage to pick up a book I came very close to buying earlier in the week, “Ego & Hubris: The Michael Malice Story” by Harvey Pekar. He is the writer of the comic American Splendor which was made into a movie of the same name. He gave an interview/talk on Wednesday which I attended. Harvey seems like a nice guy and was very genuine.

The same cannot be said of the interviewer, a book critic for one of Seattle’s alternative newspapers. I sensed there was something not right about the guy when the woman seated next to me said “Oh, he’s soooo cute” when the critic walked on stage. His flippant and phony interview style only cemented my dislike. He struck me as just the kind of guy Pekar is constantly making fun of in his comics.

The city is currently working on a water system upgrade in my neighborhood. For several weeks months crews have been digging up the streets around my apartment, wrapping the fire hydrants in plastic, installing strange valves, and generally causing mayhem with all things plumbing. Actually, it hasn’t been too disruptive. Occasionally I’ll spot a leaky pipe spraying water like a fountain or some strange overflow arrangement like the one pictured here. Yesterday they had to shut off my water for 20 minutes.

-END OF BORING CONTENT.

SEATTLE- Two local men encountered a rare breed of giant caterpillar in a Seattle neighborhood on Saturday morning. The men, identified only as brothers from a well respected family, refused to comment on the large larva. Scientists speculate the insect may be related to that of the species Monsura, typically found only in Japan. Godzilla was unavailable or comment.

What really happened: My brother and I found this scarf in the alley behind my apartment building. We hung it on the gutter in case someone came looking for it. When we returned several hours later it was back on the ground. Life can be so exciting!

This car is usually parked down the street from my apartment. Every time I walk by it makes me feel proud to be an American. Seattle is full of art-cars and it is always a thrill to see one on the road.

In other news, The Steelers managed to pull of a win despite not looking their best. I do agree with many Seattle fans that the officiating was somewhat sub-par. But in the end I think Pittsburgh played much better football, especially in the second half. Seattle made more than a few bad plays and didn’t manage the clock very well. Plus, anything owned by Paul Allen is doomed to failure.

In case you are living under a rock (or in Paris) you know today is game day for Super Bowl XL. In recent years I have found myself following football more and more. Why? I can’t cay for sure, other than it gives me an excuse to avoid doing anything productive on Sundays.

Living in Seattle I have witnessed a kind of mass hysteria sweep across the city. It started out small, as people began to realize that The Seahawks were having a pretty good season. And then, like the aroma of Tacoma, it has blown through town leaving no innocent bystanders.

I feel that it is safe to announce here on my blog (read by five people) that I will be rooting for The Steelers today. Having grown up just south of Pittsburgh I was often exposed to the myths of “Mean Joe” Green, The Terrible Towel, and Myron Cope. I wasn’t into football at all as a kid, but nostalgia has a strange effect on one’s memories. I also think Pittsburgh is the better team.