On The Eve Of A New School Year

Twenty three years ago I'm guessing that I was a bit anxious, a little nervous, and even a little eager to see what lay ahead of me once I descended that big yellow school bus. No longer a student, with the days of yellow school buses long gone, and I still have the same feelings approaching a new school year. Guess some things may never change!
Try as I might to hit the "slow" button this past week, the last week of summer vacation has come and gone. And what did I do to enjoy this last little bit of freedom? Slept late, enjoyed my morning coffee with Regis and Kelly, drank Bloody Marys at 3 in the afternoon, and went to see my first professional soccer game. We bought tickets months ago to see the Seattle Sounders play and the day finally came Thursday night. We went as a foursome with Sydney and a friend of hers. Dressed in our bright green attire, we made the 30 minute walk through the International District to Quest stadium (also home to the Seattle Seahawks). We went down early to get a table at one of the bars to eat and drink and take in all the die hard sports fans. The restaurant was a sea of green and bright blue and I've never seen more winter scarfs in August then I did at the restaurant and then at the game itself. That was the first thing I learned that night---scarfs are a big accessory at soccer games. Who knew? (Except maybe the Hargrove household :-) We had great seats at the game-8 rows up from the field right in the goal area. It was neat to see the faces of the players and at the same time gross to be that close to the field to see the sweat fly off foreheads when the players did a "header" (not a "head butt" as I was so inclined to call it the first half of the game...oops). The crowd really gets into the games with chants and there is a section in the end zone area that jumps, does hand movements, and has their own little routines. Sort of reminded me of the "S" zone in Beaver Stadium. Unfortunately we lost the game but it was still a fun night and a new experience to add to the list!
Some interesting politics going on out here. We just voted in the primary election for city positions with 2 important areas of focus. The first was the "bag tax" that someone thought would be a smart move---way off. We were voting whether or not we wanted to be taxed and pay 20 cents for each bag we got at the grocery store or any other place we buy goods. With good conscious, the city as a whole uses a lot of reusable bags when shopping and we're always asked if we want a bag with our purchases but making us pay for that little luxury when we forget to bring our own bags....I think not! (It didn't pass). The other important vote was for city mayor. Seems our current Mayor lost major support after the snowfall in December when the city did nothing to clean the streets. Here I thought I was the only one disappointed by the aftermath. Seems it bothered others as we are bidding adieu to our current leader. Wahooo for the potential of road equipment for bad weather if (and I hope not!) we need it.
You know if I'm typing about politics that it has been a quiet week. That's okay because I'm pretty sure it's going to get a whole lot louder in the month of September. Goodbye summer and hello fall!