I was on the verge of turning back in frustration. But then I remembered that the person holding the party had gone out of his way to remind me about it, urging me to attend with great warmth. So I mustered the full force of my Belgian endive-hued will and pressed on. Once inside, I contemplated feigning a crisis so that I could leave right away. Yet I stayed, hoping that my nerves would eventually settle.
In the end, I think I acquitted myself well in extremely trying circumstances. Had the game been a blow-out, however, I might have been asked to sustain conversations that were too tense to bear. Similarly, had the halftime act been someone lame, I would have struggled to make it to the second half. Let me then commend the Steelers and Cardinals for deviating sharply from Super Bowl tradition, like the Giants and Patriots did last year, and the Boss for keeping the party-goers around me focused on the television screen. And, while I'm at it, let me commend myself for showing up in the first place.
Ion Square by Bloc Party from Intimacy
