Football Friday in Stiller Country

And this one, my folks, is for all the marbles Vince Lomabardi trophy (aka: big shiny award given out at the end of the Super Bowl).

It's Super Bowl XLV, or "45" for those who never understood the Romans. And unless you live in a cave, you'd know that the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Green Bay Packers.

If you live IN Pittsburgh, you'd know that black-and-gold is the new black. It's the "in" thing. The cat's meow. If you don't wear black-and-gold, you're shunned. You're harassed on the streets and called a traitor. The coppers will pick you up and throw you in jail, where you'll undergo forms of torture that include 24 hrs of non-stop music, including Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" and Renegade. They torture you until your blood runs black and gold.

Ok, not really but, if you know what's good for you, you'd better find something gold (or yellow) and pair it with black. C'mon - even 'Burgh babies are doing it. Pittsburgh's newborn babies are black-and-gold in the womb.

I only moved to Pittsburgh in 1996...a naieve smart, young thing just trying to finish my college degree (on the *ahem* 6-year plan). I thought I would stay for a couple of years, get that degree and move on to something bigger and better!

Then I got a job. Got my Masters. Had a boyfriend, who kept me planted here. Moved on from said cheater boyfriend, found another and got married. Bought a house. Had some babies.

Now I'm here for the long haul. For better or for worse. I might as well embrace it, right? So now I own a Steelers shirt and a Steelers jersey (granted, the only player jersey I ever plan to own: The Bus - Jerome Bettis - Go Irish!).

I know the Steelers chant. I know the players (which is more than my toddler can say - he thinks Sydney Crosby plays for the Steelers!). I even know how to pronouce "Polamalu" and I plan to attend their victory parade next week (but, you know, only because I work downtown and it's convenient...)

I think I can officially say that I'm a "Yinzer."

Gah - that word still makes my skin crawl all of these years later.

Here we go Steelers, here we go!