If you think Sunday seems awfully long when you are waiting for a 6:30 p.m. Steeler game to start, think what it would be like if you had to wait until 3:30 a.m. the next day. Endless. I was ready way too early with not much to do except nap since it was a workday for Neal. When he got home, we had dinner, and we still had plenty of time to kill, so he took a nap. Our first guest arrived at 11:45 p.m. with a couple from Chicago shortly thereafter, as the Chicago Bears faced the Green Bay Packers starting at midnight. The Bears were no match for the Packers, although the third string quarterback gave them a run for their money towards the end, but our Chicago couple did not seem too upset or at all surprised by the bad showing at QB, which has been a perennial weakness going back even further than when they picked up Kordell Stewart from us.
The couple bid us good luck and farewell for the game between the Steelers and the New York Jets, but we had three intrepid friends keep us company in what looked to be a blowout for the Steelers in the first half up as much as 24-0, but turned into a scary close game at the end, 24-19. Even Ben looked worried at one point, but he came through, gotta love him even if you hate him. I don't remember a lot about the game, but we can watch it again anytime we want using my Gamepass. (Don't think that will be necessary.)
Now I'm investigating the Super Bowl viewing options, and we're hopeful the U. S. Consulate here will host an audience for the big game, which will again be a middle of the night affair, starting around 3:30 a.m. If need be, we will happily host again and round up even more fans. I only wish we had been able to bring some of our Steeler gear, as I miss my #92 jersey and our terrible towels, blankets, hats, etc. I justify the sorry lack thereof by saying it's best not to test fate with such displays. My husband has his own madness, on display during the tense part of the game against the Jets: anyone making a comment suggesting that the Steelers were going to be fine was immediately accused of being responsible for anything bad happening thereafter. Fortunately, none of those present was left with the responsibility of losing the game, and we all departed on happy terms!
On the occasion of the big win, I do miss being in Pittsburgh for the post-game euphoria that sweeps the town. My friend Jaye sent me the perfect antidote to homesickness on this occasion, a feel-good, tongue-in-cheek look at Pittsburgh by a talented young singer with a beautiful smile. Enjoy:
SUPERBOWL UPDATE: In a welcome nod to the Americans in the area, our local cable company, which carries Fox Sports, broadcast the Super Bowl live starting with the pregame shows at 11:00 p.m. and the game at 3:30 a.m. We chose to skip most of the former by taking a nap after dinner and setting the alarm for 2:00 a.m. when our guests were to arrive. (Three, including two associates of my husband, showed up.) You probably know the outcome already--the Steelers were down as much as 21-3, then rallied in the second half for a valiant comeback but fell short at the end 31-25 to Green Bay. None of us noticed Christina Aguilera's national anthem gaffe but we couldn't help but see how lame the halftime show was--lipsyncing robots would have been better than the B.E. Peas and Usher. We would have missed the commercials entirely but for being able to watch them from home via slingbox and my laptop, which also gave us a three-second preview of the action on TV. These were mostly as uninspired and juvenile as the products they promoted, with the bright spot being the powerful pug whose spectacular leap reminded me of our cousin's dog who shows similar prowess. Final verdict: I was very glad for the nap and didn't miss our lack of Steeler paraphernalia or being in Pittsburgh for the post-loss letdown.
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