A New Outlook on Depression Day

After the first 5 minutes of yesterday's Super Bowl it appeared that we might be in for an all time classic. 92% of the country talked about how they at one point guaranteed that Devon Hester would return the opening kick and how Peyton Manning would "choke" in the biggest game of his career.

Then the madness began and there was a turnover on what seemed to be every other play. Our attention remained fixed on the sheer number of turnovers until the 4th quarter or so, around the time when we stopped analyzing Rex Grossman's capability as a quarterback to just feeling bad for the guy. He looked like a kid in the middle of a nightmare in which he was put in a game with the older kids only to get abused and never be able to shake it off.

So the Colts won. Only 81% of the country is talking about how they guaranteed a 29-17 victory, not so bad. The game ended and everyone who likes football took those two minutes to reflect back on the season. We all had that thought, "man, doesn't if feel like week 1 was yesterday? Oh well, can't wait till next year."

And I'll give you a hint, guys. It's going to creep up on you quicker this year than it did last year. But the Monday after the Super Bowl is for many people, the most depressing day of the year.

It was for me for the first 22 years of my life. You wake up on the east coast and it is 11 degrees and brick and all you want to do is not leave your house only to see no baseball or football on TV and hours of unneccesary Super Bowl postgame coverage and analysis and just decide to crawl into a ball.

It is too cold to leave your house but there really isn't much to do in your house before 24 starts. Maybe I'll learn how to cook? That lasts 5 minutes until you realize you are missing suppllies that require you to walk to the supermarket, which is 6 blocks away, or 56 miles in New York winter time distance, so you just order in some crappy Chinese food, get a stomach ache and get even more bored.

This was my life. I always expected it to happen the day after the Super Bowl and it always did. That is, until I moved to California. There is much to the east coast/west coast debate. Both have their arguments and as a born and raised east coaster I still have my loyalties.

But today in Los Angeles it is going to be 72 degrees. The oranges in my orange tree will look more ripe and I will probably play outdoor basketball at some point.

I will walk outside to get the New York Post that my amazing roommate has delivered and I will do this with my shirt off just to prove that I can.

What was perhaps the most depressing day of the year has become perhaps my most relaxing. No longer do I stress about leaving my house. Now, I have to think of things to do outside of my house. It was once all sadness and depression. Now it is blue skies and sunshine.

California 1, New York 0

Vaya con dios,

Sip

(Pics courtesy of AOLSportsblog.com, typepad.com)