Superbowl Party.

Posted on by Thor

On Super Bowl Sunday, I went to a gorgeous suburban home right on a lake. The yard was landscaped with bromeliads and other Florida native plants. There was a nice sized koi pond in the from yard. The crowd watching the game consisted of three woman and two guys, myself included. Now I haven’t watched football game all year) but I have to watch the super bowl. I pick the teem to root for based on how much I like their uniforms, so, I decided to root for the team in the red jerseys. Everyone else in the room was rooting for the same team. Our team got off to a great start with two touchdowns. The announcer said that no team had ever come back from a two touch down deficit.

The lead was extended and we all grew confident that this would be a rout. Number 34 however kept getting personal flags which resulted in the white jersey team getting first downs. Fans were irate. From my vantage point, I could sketch the whole room and I was right next to the potluck food table which had World Peas, Deviled eggs, White cauliflower that tasted it chick in wings, and sober bowl tots which was my contribution.

Half time with Gaga was entertaining, although, she kept jumping off screen. The drones above the stadium animated into patterns and logos. Quite impressive. I walked out back to watch the sun set across the lake. The spacious yard was like a nature preserve. I was told an eagle nests in the area. The final quarter of the game, the tide turned. Tom Brady kept advancing hi white Jersey teams yardage and in the final minutes the score was tied. In overtime, he kept that momentum to win the game. Everyone at our Superbowl party was stunned. What just happened? Why can’t I ever get behind a winning team? Well the company was spectacular and there was plenty of laughter. We had Tex Mex to eat after the game and those irresistible  thin mint girl scout cookies. I left feeling lucky to have been invited.

Super Bowl

Posted on by Thor

On Super Bowl Sunday Terry and I went to the Enzian Theater to see the animated shorts that had been nominated for an Oscar this year. My favorite short was called “Adam and Dog“. It was set in a gorgeous natural paradise. The backgrounds were beautifully painted with bold digital brushwork. The dog explored the world with curiosity. In one scene he playfully chased fire flies. Adam and the dog meet and continue exploring the world together until one day Adam meets Eve. He leaves with her abandoning the dog. The dog eventually finds Adam and Eve as they leave paradise ashamed and wearing clothes. All the animals look on in wonder then disappear into the woods. The dog however goes out to meet the couple. Glen Keene was a consultant for the film which was directed by Minkyu Lee. Disney’s “Paper Man” was a close second on my list.

On the drive home, Terry wanted to scout out a bar where we could watch the Super Bowl. World of Beer had no food, while Bar Louie had descent flat screen TVs and a great menu.  When game time rolled around, we went to Bar Louie (7335 W Sand Lake Rd  Orlando, FL). The place wasn’t very crowded. Terry ordered a huge burger and I had a spinach dip with chips. She was drinking martini’s while I had a Blue Moon with a slice of orange. I finished my sketch by half time. Beyonce wowed the crowd with fireworks and some sexy hip moves. Lights flashed, the stage flamed and I’m pretty sure she was singing for real. The Ravens had dominated the first half. I hadn’t really noticed since I was sketching.

When the second half came, I put the sketch away and started rooting for the 49ers. There was a movie preview for a new J.J. Abrams directed Star Trek movie titled “Into the Darkness.” The lights went black in the stadium. Probably a fuse was blown from the halftime show. I wouldn’t doubt that all of New Orleans might have blacked out. A five minute delay stretched out to half an hour. I got to see replays of all the touchdowns I had ignored in the first half. Most of the patrons left the bar. The 49ers began a steady come back  after the lights came back on and in the last minutes of the game the stood 5 yards away from victory. Four plays at the five yard line resulted in no yards gained. A pass to the corner of the end zone wasn’t caught and I slammed my hand down on the table and shouted sending cutlery and dishes bouncing loudly. They blew it. They had every opportunity and they blew it. It was a tale of two halves and probably the longest Superbowl ever.

Gator’s Dockside

Posted on by Thor

Terry and I went to Gator’s Dockside, (5142 Dr. Phillips Blvd. Orlando, FL), to watch the football Playoffs with the San Francisco 49ers playing the Atlanta Braves. Surprisingly the place wasn’t very crowded. As the game went on more people gradually filtered in. The guy at the table next to us watched the game alone and he argued with Terry about certain calls the referees made. Very late in the game, his wife and children joined him. Don’t ask me who won the game, I wasn’t facing the large flat screen TVs.

The guy at the table in front of us had an iPad still in its cardboard box. I guess he never takes it out to protect it from harm. He checked the iPad constantly throughout the game. Maybe there is a game statistics site that updates as the game is happening.  His girlfriend was busy talking to friends on her phone. I did my best to avoid catching any one’s gaze as I sketched them. The second you catch someones gaze, they consider that an invitation to see what you are up to and your clandestine cover is blown.

I ordered a Tail Gate Burger and it was so big I couldn’t open my jaw wide enough to take a bite of it. I ended up eating half of it using a knife and fork. The waitress kept me well stocked with Mountain Dew. Whenever there was an uproar I would glance at the TV screen. There was a moment when a players knee gave out and his leg twisted with horrific torque. It was played back repeatedly in slow motion. It was horrible to watch, but obviously I did watch when I could have been sketching. Today is the Super Bowl. I don’t know who is playing but I’ll be there to sketch and watch the commercials.

I just came back from the supermarket where I found out that the Ravens are playing the 49ers based  on all the helium balloons in the produce section.  I’ll be rooting for the 49ers since I like their red and gold uniforms. As a kid I used to get a mini NFL helmet from a gumball machine every Sunday and I always liked the 49ers helmet logo. Mark my words, they can’t lose.