The year has barely begun, and already Super Bowl XLI is over. Though I have a number of friends (and family) who love to watch the play offs and look forward to Super Bowl Sunday, I noticed this year that I've been more apathetic than ever before about the event.

Don't get me wrong, I like football (American football) as much as the next chap, but I just can't follow sports (thanks to a combination of lack of time and lack of interest; it's mostly the latter though). Most years, I've been known to give the "I don't care about the game, I just like to watch the commercials" excuse. Even the half-time show, in the past, wasn't bad to watch.

But thanks to the infamous Wardrobe Malfunction, censorship has been taken to a new level, and entertainment is now downright boring. Even if the act totally sucked (read: I detested both the performers and their music), I liked watching the half time show simply for all the glitter and glamour thrown in there (how gay is that!).

I also used to enjoy the commercials, which had a reputation for being innovative and almost always funny. There was something about squeezing in so much thought, creativity, and just clever ideas into 15-20 seconds that fascinated me. Sadly, I noticed an increase in the number of local spots on the air this year (and last year), which were just regular lame-ass commercials.

Still, despite the serious downturn in quality on these two fronts, I do enjoy a good game. This year's game, though, did not grab my attention much, and I found myself completely bored and uninspired. This was evidenced by the fact that I was paying more attention to how much snow and/or rain was hitting the camera, and how that changed the image on the screen. Here's a rundown on some of my thought-processes:

"Okay, the team in white, I think that's the Colts, have the ball. Oh wow, look at the rain, just coming down in sheets, I'm glad I'm not out there right now, that must be a real drag. Hey, look at how the moisture affects the camera! Oooh, ooh!! The droplets are moving! Oh, man, now the camera looks all foggy, cool. I wonder what it's like to be a camera man in that position, having to move and trying to see with all the snow getting in the way. I'd probably try to wipe it clean with my hand, and that would smear it pretty bad, and I'd probably get fired. But not until after the game, so that wouldn't matter. Oh, geez, it's got to be hard to hold onto or catch a football in this weather, no wonder every time I actually pay attention to what's going on, I see a fumble...."

And so on. Short story short, I didn't even finish watching the game, opting instead to spend time chatting it up with some friends and eating, two of the main reasons for even having a Super Bowl to begin with (that's a fact). In conclusion, I am left with only one question (an inevitable one, to be sure): was your Super Bowl celebration even half as lame as mine? Do tell.

Oh, and before I forget, I have to add a final point of peculiarity. I stopped watching the game after half time. In a text conversation with my brother, I predicted shortly thereafter that the Colts would win 30-18. Needless to say, I was surprised (and miffed, too) to discover that my guess for the winning score was dangerously close. The Colts took the game, 29-17. Wow.