Stupor Bowl Monday

It'll be Monday morning here in Sweden by the time The Big Game kicks, but the fridge is full of beer (well, five or six, at least; this is Sweden and you need, like, a second mortgage to buy a case of beer) and I'm ready to celebrate a fifth Steeler Super Bowl Championship.

I'm particularly psyched about this game. Not only am I suffering from acute football-withdrawal symptoms, having missed all of the college bowl games and the N.F.L. playoffs, but aside from da Bears (who are now my favorite pro team) there's no team I would rather see win the Super Bowl than Pittsburgh. I've rooted for the Steelers since reading in Sports Illustratedabout Rocky Blier making the squad after being discharged from the army with war injuries that left him 40 percent disabled. No need to go on about the legendary Steeler teams from the seventies, the Steelers' storied tradition, the Bus's farewell and homecoming in Detroit, or Dan Rooney's old-school management choices (sticking with Cowher, etc.) because there's more at stake with Super Bowl XL.

As my mom put it in an e-mail, "You and Claire have a once in a lifetime event coming up - your old childhood favorite teams as rivals in the Stuporbowl."

My sister is and has been a huge Seattle fan since sometime in the late seventies. (See accompanying photo for proof. This is Claire - the jock in the family - competing in the Lions Club punt, pass, and kick competition. Date uncertain. Probably 1982, I'm guessing. Note the Seahawk jersey and socks.) As a little girl she used to worship Jim Zorn and said she wanted to grow up to be the quarterback of the Seahawks. She's a political science professor now, but I suspect that she'll be armchair QBing as she watches the game.

Yes, this game is all about familial football bragging rights in the Rasmussen family (not to mention a potentially hefty bar tab that is on the line as well).

Although Seattle will benefit from the services of former 'Husker Josh Brown, their reliable field-goal kicker, his strong leg will not be enough to win the game. All that Microsoft money will not bring Seattle a championship, not this year.

My prediction: Pittsburgh Steelers 31, Seattle Seahawks 27.

Smiling Siblings

Claire & Eric
Originally uploaded by erasmus.

April is the cruelest month... Perhaps that's a bit of an overstatement, but maybe not... Morgan, Claire's boyfriend's dog, died suddently yesterday, and for me this April certainly has been and continues to be as hectic as hell. Thus, although April coming to a close and I haven't posted a damn thing on my 'blog. So, to rectify that situation, here's a photo of my sister, Claire, who came to Chicago for a couple days in the beginning of the month. Although she was attending a political science convention and I was studying for PhD exams, we managed to spend some time together. This time was precious, as we only see each other about once every year and a half or so. Ira, who had met Claire only once before, was glad to get to know Claire better.

Millennium Park: Believe the Hype

I'm posting a few pics from our visit to Chicago's new Millennium Park, which is located just north of the Art Institute in the area that was formally an industrial wasteland containing old train cars. The park opened to the public last weekend (July 16-18) and more than lived up to its hype. Despite the predictable cost overruns, I left feeling a bit better about the 8.75% sales tax (not to mention the ridiculous 'sin taxes' on booze) we pay here in Chitown. This picture of Daniel, Ira, and me sitting on the Great Lawn was taken by Adam Richer.

Daniel Ira Eric Originally uploaded by erasmus.