One of My Favorite Holidays

It occurs in February

I just came back from a cold but very lovely walk. The walk was a bit surreal because, even though I was walking through a quasi-urban neighborhood, I saw no signs of human life. There were no humans walking about and there were absolutely no cars driving on the streets. There was no sound but for my feet crunching through the snow and ice. It was as though all the humans in this town had suddenly ascended and left the planet. The town was like the deathly silent ruins of a former civilization. I never even heard a single dog barking.

I just love Super Bowl Sunday. It is not that I am a football fan. Oh heavens no! The idea of a bunch of big fat sweaty men tackling and groping each other over a ball does not appeal to me at all. The last time I watched a football game was the first week of January back in 1979.

No, I like Super Bowl Sunday because it affords me the opportunity to experience the world devoid of humans. I can walk anywhere outside and know that I will not come into contact with other humans for they are all in their homes in front of the TV. It is the one day of the year that I can experience that spooky silent deadness without having to go to the North Pole or out in the middle of the Sahara Desert. It is the only day that utter and profound silence can be experienced right in the middle of…