Rebirth

After spending two weeks with no link to the outside world, I returned to my beloved Seattle only to find a far different city than the one I left.

Ken Griffey Jr. is a Mariner (tears in my eyes as I type that). The Washington Huskies Men's basketball team are Pac-10 Champs (tears in my dad's eyes). And the Seahawks signed T.J. Whosyourmomma (tears in the eyes of that crazy guy with the frizzy hair who slams his hands on the padding for the entire game in the south end zone seating area.

Back in November, Seattle's sports pulse was akin to Tony Soprano's after Uncle Junior popped him in the stomach. Things could not have been worse.

And it's not just about sports. Last Thursday's Raphael Saadiq concert at The Showbox exceeded my lofty expectations. (Although my attempt to record it on my phone turned into my first live album. Let's just say me singing, "The cutie pies they all think they can always l-a-y on my pillow" damn near ruins the song). The-Dream's new cd, "Love vs. Money" is the best R&B album to come out in years.

On TV, Big Love is winding up another polygamistly explosive season. Also, Breaking Bad (arguably the best show on TV), just kicked off its second season.

Yes, I'm completely glossing over the economic turmoil the world is embroiled in. But as I advocated in November, we're better off focusing on the positive.

Because even with all the crap going on, there are still plenty of things to make us smile.