Superbowl Reunion Bittersweet

While I was distraught to see the Arizona Cardinals narrowly miss a victory after so many years, coming together for a Superbowl party at a friend's house in Salem was a rare treat. How rare? Pretty much once a year, since there were some friends that I hadn't seen since the last Superbowl, and might not see again 'til next year - assuming that the now-engaged host will have us all over in '10.

The event was much like you might picture it: lots of cheering, clapping, and cries of indignation at questionable calls (of which there were plenty). There was hot wings and spinach dip, and pasta and potato salad galore.

As is often the case, I was one of the few who brought beer, to find that some of my kindred figured that the alcohol was as communal as the cheese dip (especially my wife's "girly" drinks that seem to disappear far faster than normal brew).

The commercials this year had their ups and downs: I didn't find any to be as memorable as previous years - none apt to spawn Spencer's Gifts spin-offs like the "Bud. Wise. Er" frogs, but some that brought some genuine laughter.

Needless to say, the preview for upcoming movies Transformers 2 and especially G.I. Joe had us Children of the '80s practically wetting our pants.

Friend's kids were a year older, video game and movie reviews were a year further along, and despite an upset in the game's outcome, it was a fine chance to share something fun and quintessentially American with good friends that we don't see nearly as much as we'd like.