Superbowl Seahawks

iPod morning commute music: Wilson Pickett, The Very Best of Wilson Pickett (1993)
Sad news: The Wicked Pickett passed away last week. Not the most famous of the '60s soul men, but hey, he gave us Land of 1000 Dances, In the Midnight Hour, and, hee hee hee, Mustang Sally ("Ride Sally Ride"). This greatest hits has 16 of his best. He will be missed.

Yesterday I got snowed in, which was OK as I don't have any classes on Mondays since the seniors finished lessons last December. I watched the Pittsburgh/Denver game live, and then saw the Seahawks delayed, with all the timeouts, commercials, half-time, etc. edited out. What a game!

The Superbowl should be good. The Steelers are 3 and a half point favorites, which is probably good for Seattle. The game will be televised live here in Japan at 8:30 in the morning of February 6th, a Monday (see above paragraph as to why that's good news). I my friend Ian, a Brit who says he likes American football but I suspect is just looking for an excuse to party, has said he'll join me at my house for the game.

About getting snowed in: This is always a bit embarrassing. If you look at a map of Japan, you can see Osaka is located on the Pacific side of Japan. Our cold weather usually comes down from Siberia, and affects the Japan Sea side of Japan. Our house is located in the mountains, almost exactly between the Japan Sea and the Pacific, and we are often on the outer edge of the cold fronts. In other words, if it's snowing on the coast of the Sea of Japan, it is often snowing at my place, with Osaka experiencing clear skies!

The office staff always laughs when I call in because of snow.