WEP '12, Day 36 - Super Bowl Shenanigans

So, I saw the Super Bowl tonight.  Most years it's a big deal.  I go to a Super Bowl party somewhere, or watch it at a sports bar.  Hell, back in 2002, Ryan and I watched at this fancy place called Cristal.  If there was ever an incongruous experience, it was that one.  The up scale nature of the place, all in dark blues and silver with people dressed nicely contrasted heavily with football and million dollar commercials.  Trying to eat fancy hors d'oeuvres and sip champagne while cheering for the lineman to kill the quarterback was unique.  And as that was the first Super Bowl after 9/11, I'll admit that the U2 performance, especially "Beautiful Day" really struck a chord with me.  And it was the first, and I think only, time that I rooted for the Patriots.

It was that kind of year.

This year's game wasn't that at all.  This time, I took it mellow and watched it with my family.   For form's sake, I made some pigs in a blanket, put out some shrimp cocktail for Matt, and poured out a bag of Doritos, but it was far from the usual big party that I usually attend.

And you know what?  That was alright.  I wasn't the slightest bit invested in the game, since the Bears had been out for months and the two teams I'd hoped to see play, the Niners and the Ravens, had both lost in the Conference Championship Games.  I picked the Giants to win because they'd been the ones to stomp the Pack and because I'm not fond of the way the Patriots do business, but it wasn't much more than an arbitrary choice.  Had the Patriots managed to score on that final Hail Mary, it wouldn't have bothered me.

I will say that the addition of small children does enliven the event somewhat.  Having a four and a half year old (and it's important that we remember the "and a half") around who doesn't care the slightest bit about football makes for a pretty distracted experience.  Throw in a one year old as well, and things got downright hectic.  That said, after Matt took the kids back home at halftime, I found that even though I could now concentrate on the football, it wasn't quite as much fun.  For one thing it was kind of boring football for much of the third quarter, but also the energy in the room was greatly diminished.

I'm not sure what that means, if it means anything at all, but there it is.