Super Bowl Sunday

Here we are. This is the day I have looked forward to ever since preseason began. Today is the last day of football - until the beginning of September. Today is the day that the heavens open up and the angels sing a chorus of hallelujahs because this is the last Sunday that will revolve around football for many months. This is the day that football relinquishes its firm grip on my husband and our friends and lets wives enjoy Sundays with their spouses again. Today is Super Bowl Sunday.

I actually like Super Bowl Sunday for the reasons mentioned above and because it is a day that usually involves friends and food. I love both of these things. The guys generally are more concerned about the game and the food, but us ladies like to get together to gossip and talk about the commercials, cute new shoes, and probably tampons or some other female issue will make an appearance in the conversation. I also love how our dinner is basically composed of appetizers. I love appetizer dinners. It feels so wrong, and yet so right.

This year I have surprised myself and actually want a specific team to win. I usually don't care and chose the team that has the nicest team colors/mascot or the cutest quarterback, but this year is different. This year the Packers are playing. I am not a hard core Bears fan, but I am a big enough Bears fan to want the Packers to go back to Green Bay with their tail between their legs and so I am jumping on the Steelers' bandwagon, wallowing in the fact that if Jay Cutler wasn't such a Nancy, the Bears could be playing today . . . but that is another blog.

The Super Bowl really is an American institution. My parents even watch it and they hate football. There is something congruent about the Super Bowl and togetherness. It's nice to know that most Americans will be tuning into tonight's game. My friends in California and Massachusetts will probably be watching. My cousins in Colorado will tune in. My parents and in-laws will be cheering. It's nice to know that even though we all live far away from each other, today we will be united . . . over a bunch of guys humping a pig skin.

If that isn't American, I don't know what is.