We hosted a Super Bowl party last Monday. Central Asia is UTC+5 which is 13 hours ahead of Las Vegas. That meant the game started at 4:30 AM for us. It was the first time in a long time that I did not have to go to school on Super Bowl Monday. We celebrated Lunar Year with a 4-day weekend and had the Monday off.
The Super Bowl is the quintessential American holiday. It celebrates consumerism, spectacle, and violence. Many people watch the broadcast solely for the commercials that this year came with a price tag of $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime. Considering that the Super Bowl is one of the few events that many Americans stop to watch at the same time, it was probably worth it to the companies and people advertising. The game is a small part of the event with the hype and commentary before and the halftime music concert. Usher was the artist and I thought it was a too over-the-top show. The only part I liked was the roller skates. My cultural and pop music references of the 1990s is limited because I lived in Colombia and Bolivia in the 1990s and at that time, the internet was just getting started. I was isolated from the global culture. I remember in the early 90s, having to rely on getting a Miami Herald occasionally at the Hotel Prado in Barranquilla and my mother sending me VHS video tapes of sports games and newspaper clippings. I only knew one of Usher’s songs.
Our party theme was “Denial Bowl”. Because my favorite team, the Detroit Lions lost to the 49ers in the NFC championship game by 3 points, that might be the closest they ever get to participating in the big game. They have not won the NFL championship since 1957, 9 years before the Super Bowl started in 1966. We had a Detroit Lions/Taylor Swift cake and asked attendees to wear Honolulu Blue of the Lions. People actually came over at 4:20 AM and in attendance were a family from California rooting for the 49ers. I was cheering for an entertaining game and slightly favoring the Chiefs. I correctly picked the outcome of the game as I went with Patrick Mahomes being a better quarterback than Brock Purdy and the under (45.5) because I thought the 49ers would play slowly to keep Mahomes off the field. As with all close games, a few lucky breaks usually determine the outcome and the Chiefs won. We also were cheering for Taylor Swift suite camera shots. I probably won’t have a chance to host another party until I retire. I was kind of sleepy the whole day and would have preferred to get up at 7:00 AM and watch the end of the game live. We have a subscription to Paramount + thanks to my uncle and watched the US broadcast. I hope the Lions are playing in the game next year!
Saturday afternoon we had dinner and went out for drinks at Maqom Bar (“status” in Uzbek). They have a fun drink menu and beautiful Art Deco/Uzbek decor filled with interesting-looking people that makes it one of my favorite places to socialize. I rarely drink these days because alcohol has such a strong negative impact on health. I want my remaining years on earth to be as active as possible and taking care of my body is my priority. I am exercising a lot and eating less and better and hoping to extend my physical fitness into my 70s and 80s. Nadia and I went to the Hippodrome Market shopping for “disco” style clothes for next weekend’s Gala and were successful. Always good people watching in the market.
Nadia and Ocean had a girls day at the InterContinental Hotel. Massages, spa, and the breakfast buffet. I am blessed to have two beautiful women in my life!
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