Sunday, a fine day to visit aquarium

It's hard to know whether my sour mood this week is a result of the bleak weather or the upcoming football game.

These dark, wet days get old after a while, but so does the excitement surrounding Seattle's sudden interest in 300-pound men pounding each other bloody.

I'm glad the Seahawks are in the Super Bowl, and I hope they win, if only to teach Pittsburgh that it needs to move on. But the process is agonizing.

First, we learn about those sad codependents, Pittsburgh and the Steelers. Then our multicultural adventure drifts to post-Motown Detroit, scene of Sunday's carnage. And representing the American South, we have Texas A&M pitching a fit about the Seahawks using the term "12th Man."

We endure bashing from jealous New Yorkers ("A New Breed of Pocket Protector" from The New York Times on Jan. 24) and folks inside the Beltway ("Something's Brewing in Seattle, But It Ain't on the Football Field" in the Washington Post on Jan. 9).

Finally, those of us who prefer the clipped pace of basketball or a leisurely nine innings of the national pastime must endure the sight of overweight, grunting men piling on top of each other for hours.

Those painful images are sandwiched between the capitalist extravaganza of Super Bowl commercials, which are expected to bring ABC up to $150 million this year. That's how much money drought-stricken Kenya requested earlier this year to feed its hungry.

In my perfect world, we would come together over something competitive yet intelligent, like chess. The physical exertion might be lacking, but then most football players look like they spend more time noshing tube-side than running laps.

As it is, I'm on my own this Sunday, and the pickings are not as slim as I had feared:

On Sunday, the Seattle Chamber Music Society is holding a 2 p.m. recital and 3 p.m. concert at Benaroya Hall, part of its Winter Festival.

At the Elliott Bay Book Co., New York Times travel writer Michael Benanav will read at 4:30 p.m. from his book, "Men of Salt: Across the Sahara with the Caravan of White Gold." That's a man who trekked nearly 1,000 miles through sandstorms and blistering heat. He deserves a Bud!

In case I need to escape town altogether — and I might after those crazed football fans read this piece — the Museum of Glass in Tacoma is hosting a lecture on Venetian Glass this Sunday afternoon.

Or, there's always the Seattle Aquarium, where the sea otters and seals will still be fed at 5 p.m., even though the Super Bowl is on.

That's according to the aquarium's receptionist and volunteer support person, Katrina Bettis, no relation to that Bus guy.

Go ahead and crank at me for going to the aquarium and a bookstore during the Super Bowl. I've heard it before, back when I sold my Ohio State-Michigan ticket to go shopping.

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com