One Year Ago

I remember a year ago so vividly.

The Monday after the Super Bowl, just having seen one of the greatest endings in Super Bowl history. My two favorite teams fighting it out, and my top team (Giants) winning in such incredible fashion.

I remember being on cloud nine for months, starting with today.

I can see our hotel room. I still remember the streets of Tempe, Arizona. I remember where we had lunch before our flight, and remember the long two-day process of returning to Boston (booking a last-minute flight on miles got us from Phoenix to Minneapois on Monday evening, and then onward to Boston first thing in the morning).

I remember it all - and for the better part of 2008, it was great to casually drop in conversation, albeit with arrogant intent.

"Oh yeah, I was out there for last year's Super Bowl"

:: (varied astonished reactions) ::

The Giants are no longer the reigning champs. They made a great run at it this year, though. My cousins were already scheming for a lottery to see who got the family Super Bowl tickets this year, should we have been fortunate enough to have received a pair again. Then, the Giants failed to show up to most games in December and January, and poof....they're gone.

It's a memory I will take to my grave. Everyone should be so fortunate enough to have seen their team win it all in the big one, live in the stadium.

The sights, the smells, the sounds. The camaraderie. The spectacle.

It's been a year, it's officially now history.