The Mom Weekly Volume 28: February 6, 2024
How’s that for a headline?
I’m not really sure how “true” that is, but I’m writing this in advance of the Super Bowl. The reason is “just in case” Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce get engaged on Super Bowl Sunday. No, I’m not making any bets. I just keep hearing it talked about.
The cool factor? (And not this cool factor) Let the record reflect that Dad and I were way ahead of the times on this “getting engaged on Super Bowl Sunday” bandwagon. This year is 31 years since we got engaged on Super Bowl Sunday.
Back in 1993, the Super Bowl was during January (January 31). Even though the date always changes, it is when we celebrate. It’s been a joyful thing to remember every year.
Of course, we weren’t engaged because it was Super Bowl Sunday! It just happened to be that Sunday.
Fun Facts About Super Bowl XXVII
Here are some fun facts about that Super Bowl. I remembered literally zero of these, which will shock no one:
*It was Super Bowl XXVII. Honest question: why does the Super Bowl insist on Roman numerals for numbering the games?
*the game featured the Buffalo Bills and the Dallas Cowboys, and the Cowboys won 52-17. I genuinely forgot the teams and the statistics the minute I wrote that sentence. That is mostly because I cannot summon even a “pretend: interest in football. But admit it: it’s the least important thing about the Super Bowl, right?
*the coin toss was by O.J. Simpson. O. J. Simpson! How wild is that?
A little more than a year later, in June 1994, we were all glued to the television during the low speed chase to bring him into custody after being charged with the murder of his wife and her friend. My memory of that summer is for another Weekly. I wish I had been keeping a journal back then (blogs did not exist in 1994, obviously), because I would dearly love to remember my thoughts in real time from that whole summer.
*Super Bowl XXVII was the first year the “halftime show” became a thing. Michael Jackson was the musical guest.
*Garth Brooks sang the national anthem, but only after nearly walking out, if Wikipedia is to be believed.
Neither Dad nor I would change a thing about the day we got engaged, or how we got engaged (after Mass, near the church we got married later that year), and anything else about that day and evening (with sisters!). It’s a good memory, and if Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce get engaged on Super Bowl Sunday, I, for one (and probably a million others), will congratulate them. It’s a good day to start a new chapter of your lives.
Remember how much I love you,
Mom
Interesting/Notable:
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs singing “Fast Car” at the Grammys
I didn’t watch the Grammys this past weekend, as my PBS shows were on (Miss Scarlet and The Duke, and All Creatures Great and Small). Even if they hadn’t been, watching awards shows is not really my thing. I prefer catching up on the “big moments” worth watching in news coverage.
I heard about this and tried to track it down. It seemed nigh impossible to find a YouTube version, but this NPR story has the video embedded in it (Shared by Aunt Susan, thank you!). Check it out—it’s a stunning performance.
I’ve listened to both of their versions of “Fast Car” on Spotify. I could not find a “live in concert” of Tracy Chapman singing it, but I did find a nice live one of Luke Combs singing it in concert. He has said in an interview, “It was my favorite song before I knew what a favorite song was.” (and he was born two years after the song was released!)
But there’s something even better—both endearing and healing— about the Grammys duet. “Fast Car” was one of my (and pretty much everyone else’s) favorite songs in the late 1980s. What a great trip down memory lane!
Action Item: Try the 30-second power test
After reading this article in the NYTimes about the “power test,” of course I wanted to find out how well I could do on it. Slight brag: I was able to complete well above the average for my age—yay me!). And I found this test that is apparently used in a lot of studies about aging. It’s part of the Senior Fitness Test, with a group of measures to see how agile and mobile older people are.
At first I thought, I should try to increase my score on the power test, but after reading all of the measures, I realize I have other things to work on.
I can see, for instance, that my score on the “back scratch test” would be way below average. And one side is more flexible than the other.
Let me know if you do the power test, and what score you got. Don’t worry if it’s low—it’s a baseline, and you can improve! That’s what I plan to do, especially on the measures that I am “low” in.
What Are You Doing this Weekend?
It’s Super Bowl Sunday this weekend, in case you didn’t know! Ha. Maybe consider getting or making some fun snacks. Priorities!
I’m sure we will watch bits and pieces of the Super Bowl, but the PBS shows are on, so that will take precedence.