a weblog of whereabouts & interests, since 2010
I made my way to the south end of the waterfront late this afternoon and walked up to Pike Place market.
The day was brilliant and bright out— but with the air temperature still sharp at 48°F/ 9°C.
I took the sunset picture from Elliot Avenue and Lenora Street.
The daffodils are blooming as well.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
Happy Friday The Thirteenth.
The postage stamps I had bought from an Ebay seller in Mumbai, India, made it into the mailbox on my porch this morning.
Here are some of my favorite ones.
Issued by Royal Mail, Great Britain, Mar. 2, 1993 | Perf. 14 | Design B. Craddock | Lithography | Printer: House of Questa | Silver die-stamped w. Braille symbol for “10” embossed | Paper contains fluorescent colored fibers which, together with the ink on the shield, react under ultraviolet light
1658 1088| £10 Greenish grey, rosine, yellow, new blue, reddish violet, vermilion, violet, bright green and silver
[Source: Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue Part 1, British Commonwealth 1997, Vol.1]
Britannia is the ancient Roman name for Great Britain and the national personification of the United Kingdom, often depicted as a helmeted woman with a trident and shield. Originating from the 1st century BC, it became a enduring symbol of British strength, power, and identity. It frequently appears on coins, on stamps and on artwork.
– Google AI
These imperforate labels, printed in red on phosphorized paper with grey-green background design, were first issued on 1 May 1984 as an experiment by the Post Office. Special microprocessor controlled machines were installed at post offices in Cambridge, London, Shirley, (Southampton) and Windsor to provide an after-hours sales service to the public.
The machines printed and dispensed the labels according to the coins inserted and the buttons operated by the customer.
Values were initially available in ½p steps to 16p.
In addition, the labels were sold at philatelic counters in two packs containing either 3 values (3½, 12½ or 16р) or 32 values (½p to 16p).
From 28 Aug. 1984 the machines were adjusted to provide values up to 17p.
After 31 Dec. 1984 labels ending in ½p values were withdrawn.
On 30 Apr. 1985, the machines were withdrawn from service.
P.S. I asked Google AI why these stamp labels were discontinued. The answer: Automated stamp label machines generally failed to achieve widespread success due to high operational costs, inconsistent print quality, and frequent technical failures.
[Source: Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue Part 1, British Commonwealth 1997, Vol.1]
The crocuses are out here on Seattle’s Capitol Hill.
Spring is coming.
I was among the hundreds of thousands lining 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle today to catch a glimpse of the Seahawks victory parade.
I took the No 12 bus to Westlake Center and walked north along 4th Avenue to Belltown, checking in on the crowds at several of the cross street corners.
Look for Blitz, the Seahawks mascot, in my pictures below.
I believe that is defensive back Julian Love holding the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Sports anchor Paul Silvi is right next to him in the yellow KING5 jacket.
In another picture, a guy in stars-and-stripes pants wears a t-shirt that says WE.DID.NOT.CARE.
Those were the words of head coach Mike Macdonald following the team’s victory in the 2025 NFC Championship game, commenting on a reporter reminding him that many pundits had written the Seahawks off as an ‘afterthought’ in a division dominated by the Rams and the 49ers.
There is going to be a trophy celebration event at Lumen Field tomorrow at 10 am (tickets sold out in an hour or so on Monday).
Then, targeted for around 11 am, a parade will start along 4th Avenue in downtown Seattle.
The Seattle Times reminds readers that in 2014, hundreds of Seahawks fans had already camped out along 4th Avenue by 6.30 am .. and also that the day is sure to set light rail ridership records.
In 2014 some 500,000 people attended the parade and at that time the light rail ran only from Capitol Hill to Seattle-Tacoma airport.
BEEP BEEP THE HAWKS ARE BACK IN SEATTLE.
And so are 750,000 of your closest friends, all coming to Seattle to celebrate our SUPER BOWL CHAMPS.
So if you’re heading to Seattle tomorrow, take whatever ferry, bus, train, or spinning teacup is closest to you.
Please.
– Tweeted on X by Washington State Dept. of Traffic @wsdot
NFL staff writer Saad Yousuf from The Athletic ranked every Super Bowl halftime show since 1991. (In the 70’s and 80’s the halftime show featured marching bands and non-profits that staged song and dance performances).
His assessment is that last night’s performance by Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny (real name: Benito Ocasio) came in 6th. His review is below.
(Points out of 10 were awarded in each of four categories: Music and Dance, Staging, Performance Relative to Circumstance and Performance Relative to Stature).
6. Bad Bunny (2026): 36.5 points
The NFL managed to bring in one of the top artists in the world, at the height of his powers, and he delivered. The set was incredible. When the performance began, you wouldn’t know if you were watching something in Santa Clara, Calif., or in Puerto Rico. Even if you didn’t understand a word that he was singing, Bad Bunny’s performance and the production was more than enough to elevate the show. He leaned into the heritage and had unifying messages throughout the show, whether it be on the video screen in the stadium or written on the football he flashed to the cameras.
The bit where he gave the Grammy to the little child watching Bad Bunny receiving it on TV was touching, no matter how the viewer interpreted that moment. Given all of the scrutiny he was under coming into the performance, Bad Bunny showed that the stage — the Super Bowl or the current political climate — was not too big for him.
5. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem (2022): 37 points
4. Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson and Beyoncé (2016): 38 points
3. Michael Jackson (1993): 38.5 points
2. U2 (2002): 39 points
1. Prince (2007): 40 points (Prince performed “Purple Rain” as it rained during halftime of Super Bowl 41 in Miami Gardens, Fla.)
Congrats to the Seahawks for their decisive win over the New England Patriots!
Matt Barrows writes for The Athletic on NYTimes.com:
The Seattle Seahawks, who rode a dominant defense to their first Super Bowl title 12 years ago, did it again Sunday, suffocating Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in a decidedly defensive 29-13 win at Levi’s Stadium.
Egged on by a raucous, pro-Seattle crowd, the Seahawks sacked Maye six times and picked him off twice, one of which was returned 45 yards for a touchdown by defensive lineman Uchenna Nwosu. The Patriots did not score until the fourth quarter, and Seattle also forced a fumble.
In praising his players, coach Mike Macdonald had to shout to be heard above the din of the fans who gathered in the southeast corner of the stadium.
“They made it happen,” he said of the dream of reaching the Super Bowl win. “They made it come to life. And we won the game.”
It is a time-honored tradition for countries and postal agencies over the world to issue postage stamps to commemorate the Olympic Games.
The Unites States Postal Service has not issued stamps for the 2026 Games, though.
Here is host country Italy’s stamps.
Very abstract— compared to say, the issue from Japan for the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo.
From olympics.com:
Sapporo 1972 was significant for both Japanese and Asian winter sport.
As the first Winter Games held in Asia, they inspired people across the continent to watch, and take up, snow and ice disciplines.
The success of the Japanese ski jumpers– known as the Hinomaru Squadron– created national heroes and showed that Asian winter sports athletes could compete with the best from Europe and North America.
Issued by Poste Italiane, Jan. 21, 2026
Miniature sheet of 2 stamps | Perf. 11 Die Cut | Engraving by I.P.Z.S. S.p.A. – Roma | Self-adhesive | No watermark
4877 FLV | €3.35 Multi-colored shades of green, yellow-green | Milano Cortina 2026 “Futura” emblem
4878 FLW | €3.35 Multi-colored shades of dark blue, purple, violet | Milano Cortina 2026 “Futura” emblem
[Sources: stampworld.com, Google AI Overview]
Issued by Japan Post, Feb. 3, 1972
Miniature sheet of 3 stamps | Perf. 13¼ | Photolithography | No watermark
1103 A730 | 20 yen Ultramarine & multi-colored |Downhill Skiing
1104 A730 | 20 yen Ultramarine & multi-colored |Bobsledding
1105 A730 | 50 yen Ultramarine & multi-colored |Figure skating, pairs and Makomanai Indoor Skating Rink (now known as the Makomanai Sekisui Heim Ice Arena)
[Sources: 2021 Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue Vol. 4A, stampworld.com]
Happy Friday.
The 12s flag is up on the Space Needle.
Today was another very mild winter’s day here in the city (57 °F/ 14°C) with clouds and sun.
I walked down to the Melrose Avenue overlook to see if the 12’s flag is up on the Space Needle yet.
(It is not. I believe it will go up tomorrow, Friday).
The Seahawks team touched down in San Jose, California, on Sunday to begin preparations for Super Bowl LX on this Sunday, Feb. 8.
Here’s a cute picture from the Seattle Times of young fans in San Francisco.
I had a great view of the Snow Moon this morning, looking through my kitchen window.
The Snow Moon is the traditional name for the Full Moon in February, named for the heavy snow typical of this month in North America.
Here is the traditional Vietnamese lacquer artwork (called sơn mài) that I had bought in Ho Chi Minh City.
I love the bright colors and the gold background.
By the way: the Vietnamese have a long tradition of holding their wealth in gold. Vietnamese savers are estimated to have collectively socked away around 400 tons of gold items at home.
So what also happens is that a person building a home or starting a business, would borrow money from a relative in the form of gold— rather than taking out a loan at a bank.
The meteoric rise of the gold price has made a world of trouble for these borrowers, because they have to pay back their debts in gold, as well. They now have to buy it back at almost double what it was say, a year ago. The gold price has tumbled by 10% these last two trading days, but is still up by about 90% over the last 12 months.
Congrats to Team Alcaraz for winning the Australian Open.
He lost the first set against a sharp Djokovic, but then found his footing and did not look back.
Final score 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.
Alcaraz has commemorated previous major wins with small tattoos—
a strawberry🍓for Wimbledon,
the Eiffel Tower 🗼for the French Open,
the date of his first U.S. Open title 🇺🇸,
and after his second U.S. Open title in New York, the Statue of Liberty 🗽 and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Word is that he will now add a kangaroo tattoo 🦘 om his leg for Australia.
Here’s a cartoon from today’s Seattle Times.
(Yes, bullfighting is still legal and protected as part of the cultural heritage in most of Spain, although its popularity is declining and it is banned in specific regions like the Canary Islands.)
Happy Friday.
It’s finals weekend at the 2026 Australian Open.
World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz (22, 🇪🇸) survived his marathon 5½ hour 5-setter semifinal match against Alexander Zverev (28, 🇩🇪) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (3-7), 6-7 (4-7), 7-5.
He will meet Novak Djokovic (38, 🇷🇸) in the final.
Djokovic was not supposed to beat world No 2 Jannik Sinner (24, 🇮🇹) in the semis, but he did: 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
In the women’s final Aryna Sabalenka (27) will meet Elena Rybakina (26, 🇰🇿).
P.S. There are AI-animated versions of the matches posted on espn.com in addition to the real ones. Why? Just for fun, I guess. Alcaraz is in green.
The animated players play with an oversized tennis ball. The AI engine is still a work-in-progress when it comes to the finer detail, though— such as showing the hands of the players gripping the racquets.
Amazon is laying off 16,000 employees. That’s on top of 14,000 that were let go in October.
The company is America’s second-largest private employer, behind Walmart. It has over 350,000 corporate employees, so these recent rounds of cuts represent about 9% of the company’s overall office staff.
Amazon also announced just this week that they are closing all of their Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh grocery stores. (The Whole Foods franchise stays put and will be expanded. Grocery delivery for orders placed online will continue as usual).
Finally, there is the troublesome matter of Amazon foisting a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump on America.
Oy, Amazon. What the hell?
Here is whatNicole Sperling and Brooks Barnes write for the New York Times about it:
The film’s rollout is huge — a $35 million marketing campaign that includes television commercials during N.F.L. playoff games and a premiere simulcast in 25 theaters in the United States.
Starting Friday, the film hits 3,300 theaters worldwide.
Amazon’s all-hands-on-deck handling of “Melania,” follows Melania Trump, the first lady, in the days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration.
Ms. Trump produced the film, which was directed by Brett Ratner, who has not made a movie since 2017, when multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct. He has denied those accusations.
Amazon paid Ms. Trump’s production company $40 million for the rights to “Melania,” about $26 million more than the next closest bidder, Disney.
Dry January has come to an end, with rain last night and today— about a quarter inch here in the city today.
There will be more on Thursday and Friday.
The cloud cover made for elevated temperatures as well: 48 °F (9 °C) in the morning, with a high of 52 °F (11 °C).
Every time I look, the gold price is up by hundreds of dollars.
Is there an impending upheaval that buyers of gold expect and that the rest of us are unaware of?
Last year some traders predicted the gold price will cross $5,000 in 2026, and they were right.
It’s only January and it already sits at $5,313.30.
That was +192.70 today.
The stamp from Japan is just for fun.
Even the goldfish looks shocked 😲.
