super!

I am an ambivalent football fan. On the one hand, I love to see the leadership, the determination, the teamwork and sheer human drama of sport; on the other, it is plainly a modern version of gladiators, where underprivileged men trade their bodies for the possibility of fame and fortune. That said, I thought Super Bowl XLII was tremendous, filled with great play and great stories.

Some watch for the commercials--I was tickled as giant balloons of Baby Stewie and Underdog vied for the giant balloon softdrink bottle, only to lose it to a giant balloon Charlie Brown. I was pleased in the moment (thinking "Charlie deserves to finally win one"), but soon came to disagree. Charlie Brown is the quintessential lovable loser. I chose to believe that balloon Charlie soon realized that he lacked the ability to open the balloon soft drink, and so was thwarted again.

And thus is balance restored: the New York football Giants as victors, and Charlie Brown as our surrogate loser.