It was also a celebration of big companies spending way too much money in order to convince you to spend your own money to purchase their products. And this is what brings us here today. The Superbowl commercials are, according to some, just as big a deal as the Superbowl itself. There are many who watch solely for the commercials. I didn’t get to see the entire Superbowl yesterday. We arrived at a restaurant with a TV in the 3rd quarter, and so I’ve been watching the things I’ve missed online today on Hulu. On a side note… Hulu, why are we forced to watch short ads before we watch… more ads?…. anyway.

First, a commercial that is not really a commercial. I don’t include this in the “top 5″ since it’s not really selling a product, but more to promote a movie. Yeah, it’s the trailer for Transformers 2. I saw this one while watching the game last night, and I have to say it made my inner geek smile.

Ok, and now my top 5 favorite Superbowl XLIII commercials, in ranking order from 5 to 1:

5. Universal Studios Park – Inner Hero

I’m not sure what it is… I think it’s the part of the commercial when the kid is on the building “flexing his muscles” and the man in the office does the same. Maybe it’s the look on his face as he embraces his “inner hero.” Something about it just compels me.

4. Pepsi – Refresh Anthem

I love how it shows how different yet how so exactly the same things were back during Bob Dylan’s time and today. It’s amazing to think about how our story as a people have been progressing for so many thousands of years, yet everyone, no matter when or where they live, are looking for the same things… peace, love, happiness, fulfillment.

3. Hulu – Alec in Huluwood

I loves the Hulu. And this commercial just made me laugh. Also, I like how, when so many companies try to be serious and protect a professional image, that Hulu can make a commercial saying that they are aliens and want to eat your brains. And Alec Baldwin is great.

2. Budweiser – Clydesdales/Generations

Budweiser always brings it with their Superbowl commercials. They had many ads featuring their trademark clydesdale horses, all of which were good, but this is my favorite. The classic Braveheart music in the background, the humor of the horse trying out different jobs…. just really clever marketing.

1. Coke – Heist

My favorite for this year. Coca-Cola always does really creative, sometimes odd, ads. I loved the concept of the insects coming out and heisting the bottle of Coke from the unsuspecting picnicker. I love the way they captured the little mannerisms of the different insects and the happy overall feeling of the spot. Pure brilliance this year… made me want to go get a Coke right away.

So there we go, my top 5 commercials from Superbowl XLIII. What were your favorite ads? You can watch them all here. Leave a comment.

Yesterday started just like every other Sunday… tiring and early. My church does three gatherings every week and I oversee the tech stuff for all of them. It’s actually pretty rough. I’m looking for people to put in charge of the different services so I don’t always have to be everywhere all the time and can take some time to relax every now and then. Overall, though, while it’s hard work and I’m exhausted by the end of the day, I must say that I do enjoy it.

Anyway, we go through the 3 gatherings, the last starting at 5 and ending between 6:30 and 7… right in the middle of the Superbowl. We kind of expected it, but attendance was a bit low due to the game. Afterward all was said and done and the people had gone home, we cleaned up and closed down the building. Normally we go get something to eat directly after as it’s a long day for everyone and it’s not uncommon for a few of us to go the whole day without food due to sheer busyness. This day was no exception. The only rule that was stated in selecting an eatery was that there must be a TV present as some of our party wanted to see what was happening with the game.

We tried a few places before finding our destination. And so, my evening was spent ’round the bar at Friday’s with Carlos, Jenn, and Sarah and several drunk (and some not so drunk) NY Giants fans with a decent amount of New England Patriots fans (Sarah being one of them). On some level I wanted the Patriots to win since they did have the perfect season and there hasn’t been a complete perfect season since the 1972 Dolphins, 36 years ago. I thought it would be nice. On the other hand there is that loyalty you must feel for the home team. I mean, the Giants play about 20 minutes from my house. As stated earlier though, I’m not much of a football fan, so while I didn’t particularly care who won, the back and forth of the 4th quarter was enough to put anyone on edge. There were constant cheers from both Giants fans and Patriots fans. Each team had a “superfan” present at the bar to keep us entertained with their over-excitement and friendly trash talk. Everyone was on edge, though, right up until Tom Brady was sacked in the final seconds of the game and the Giants’ victory was all but sealed.

I was so tired from the day that there was even less excitement on my behalf for the outcome than there normally would be. I don’t even know if I spoke at all during the night. I was that exhausted. I thought the strength I would need to muster to vocalize anything too high a cost. It was bad. I enjoyed the Friday’s bar though. The fans were super in to the game, but no one got stupid or mean about anything. And while there was rivalry back and forth between the fans, it was all in good fun. Patriots fans shook the hands of Giants fans while uttering, “You got that. You deserve it,” and Giants fans ordered rounds of drinks ’round the bar.

I don’t remember much else from the night. I ended up home and in bed pretty quickly. And I slept good, let me tell you….

In other news, I learned last night that there is a group in Boston who subscribe and listen to The Sanctuary podcast on a weekly basis. I didn’t think there were people outside Elizabeth who even cared about it. It’s pretty cool when you discover that there are people you don’t know who enjoy something you do. Learning this did make me feel a little bad, though, as I missed getting the podcast up last week due to being busy. No worries, though, as I got both last week and this week published tonight. How do I know of these New Englanders who share our conversation every week? A few weeks back I received an email about the podcast in reference to an original song they heard on it from Kevin Becker. I replied to their message, helped them find some things they were looking for, and gave them Kevin’s Bridge email address for further information. Apparently they contacted him and told him and Sarah that they really enjoy the podcast and it’s touched their lives and even brought one of their friends closer to God. Who knew?!? They even came down to this area a week or so ago and met with Kevin and Sarah. It’s stories like this that really make me love the Internet.

And that is all I have to say thus far. I take my leave. Good night, all, and may peace be with you.