Science Fiction Super Bowl Feature

The first thing I heard this morning was banging and cursing, both of which were coming from Miss Ellie's end of the house. Then, I heard the phone. My first thought was that the Acme was attempting to call me in...but then I remembered the generator for the house was making noise again. Miss Ellie told me the guys who were going to fix it would be around between 8 and 12. I assumed they meant 12, not 8! I rolled over, went back to sleep, and didn't get up again until after 10.

When I finally did get up, I made wrote in my journal, made gingerbread pancakes for breakfast, and listened to Brunch With the Beatles. The theme today was "Beatles songs with messages." I've never really been much for paying attention to "messages" in music, but apparently these include "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Hey Jude," "Dear Prudence," "Act Naturally," the Wings solo hit "Live and Let Die," and one of my favorite Beatles songs, "Revolution."

Worked on the budget after the Beatles ended. This time, I spent a ton on food but not quite as much on other things. That was good - I didn't make nearly as much money last month as I have the past few months. My hours have been terrible for a while now. I think the only reason I had money until my tax return came was my Christmas money.

Headed to work after I finished the budget. It was a gorgeous day for a ride. It was sunny and windless and there was a blue sky above me. It had to be at least in the 40s. Everything was melting. Green patches could be seen on some of the more exposed parts of the grass for the first time in weeks.

Not surprisingly, given this is Super Bowl Sunday and the beginning of the month, the Acme was busy all day. We continue to have problems with the new card policy. One woman refused to sign for a card because she didn't want to give out her phone number, address, or name to anyone! Um, can we say "paranoia?" How does she expect to buy a house or get a bank account or subscribe to anything? I understand that people are worried about identity theft, but come on. Have a little trust here.

My relief was right on time, allowing me to hurry home. I went inside, grabbed the cupcakes I made yesterday, changed my shirt, and headed right back out again. It took me a while to get to Uncle Ken's - the tracks are still covered in snow and blocked by piles of ice - but I did finally get there.

The party was hopping when I arrived...and so was the game. Dad and Jodie are supposed to be in Ft. Lauderdale until tomorrow, but Dolores, Uncle Ken, and Dolores' many children and grandchildren were there, including Mercedes and Blake. Samantha, David, and their kids were there through the first quarter. Uncle Ken's older granddaughter Amber was their with her boyfriend and their daughter Ella and adorable 6-month-old baby daughter Lilly. Lilly was small and slender, with a very round head and pretty almond-shaped eyes. She was sleeping when I came in, but she got up in time for the end of the third quarter.

Dolores saved me a plate of cranberry sauce, home-made stuffing, cole slaw, and Uncle Ken's tasty turkey. (They'd actually had the dinner food around 3:30 because of all the kids.) I tried a spicy buffalo chicken-cheese dip that Amber brought, layered refried bean dip, a cake shaped like a football, a huge strawberry tube cake that was pretty good, shortbread cookies with icing, hard rolls, and a tasty fruit salad with big chunks of melon and pineapple.

I stuck around for the Black-Eyed Peas' performance at half-time. Actually, I preferred Usher, who turned up later in the performance...but I do remember Fergie when she was Sarah Ferguson on one of my favorite shows in my childhood, Kids Incorporated. I don't really listen to the Black-Eyed Peas. Some of their music was ok; some of it seemed a little odd to me. ("Boom Boom Pow?")

As with last year, I went home after halftime. And I was wrong about one thing - the game actually WAS pretty darn good. At press time, the Packers are up 31-25, but I wouldn't put it past the Steelers to get something going...


Oh, and my favorite commercials were the movie trailers. A lot of superhero movies coming out this summer. Thor sounds a tad cheesy. My Marvel-loving nephew Skylar will adore Captain America, and I think the World War II setting sounds unique.