Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. I love you all.

So how about that Super Bowl on Sunday? Drastically different from last year, eh? Sweet and scandal-free. The game was quite good although I was disappointed to see the Pats win. Not that I'm a big Eagles fan, mind you. I just like to see variety in winners from year to year. Dynasties are boring. The only fun thing about dynasties in any sport is rooting for somebody to knock over the big favorite to surprise everybody and spice things up a little bit. Anyway, back to the main issue with the Super Bowl, the commercials and halftime show. Here's my rundown:

- The commercials were rather bland this year. The Lincoln fry commercials were mildly entertaining, and the one with Burt Reynolds and the dancing bear was kinda cute, but the only commercial that elicited any kind of response from me was the one with all the athletes endorsing what appears to be corian. Funny, but even more disturbing. Especially the closing with Dennis Rodman in a bathtub.
- I was intrigued by the preview we got of the 2005 Mustang. It's tough to tell for sure, but I think, come spring, we might actually get the first cool Mustang in at least 20 years.
- You know I also kinda got a kick out of the series of commercials about the guy working with a bunch of monkeys. I think we've all felt like that at one time or another.
- And about the halftime show...well, the producers couldn't have gone any further in the opposite direction of last year's show, could they? Props to them for putting together a fun show this year. It gets a thumbs up. Although I think Paul McCartney is a first class wanker, I'll concede that this was a well done show. Shame Ringo wasn't there.
- Oh yeah, and my new favorite player is Tedy Bruschi (pronounced "Brew-ski"). How great is that? You could have lots fun with that name. Makes me miss living with Reiffer (pronounced "Reefer"). But alas, those days are gone and her last name is no longer Reiffer. ::sigh:: Those were the days...

Monday morning I came in to work and someone had put up these red paper heart doily things all over the women's room. Oh, and there were some cupids stuck on the mirror too. What's up with that? Being festive is all well and good, but come on. I felt like I was either in elementary school or a sorority. (I don't know which is worse.) That's why I like working in a male-dominated field--my exposure to this kind of crap is limited. If we have something to celebrate, we don't hang up crepe paper, eat scones, and giggle. We slap each other on the back a few times, go get a beer, and play some darts.

Do you know somebody who keeps telling the same joke over and over? I mean, I understand it happens. I catch myself doing it by accident sometimes. What I'm talking about here is intentionally using the same lame pun over and over. I used to work with a guy who, knowing I was an HVAC engineer, used to always ask if had "all my ducts in a row". (Har, har, har...) That was bad enough. But now I work with a guy who has an even worse pun that he uses even more often. Whenever you ask him the polite, "Hey, how's it goin'?" he replies, "Positively ducky. Either I'm going quackers or I'm having a fowl day." Yeah, I know. Bad news. The first time he said it, I gave a polite chuckle. The second a third times, a polite smile. Now, I just don't respond. I feel bad, but you just can't encourage this kind of behavior. I can't allow this guy to go around thinking this horrible phrase is funny or clever. I'm thinking about refraining from asking how he's doing altogether.

I had a near disaster this morning. I had almost completed the perfect breakfast sandwich, but when I went to the refrigerator for a slice of my muenster to top it off, I found my bag of muenster slices was missing. I was nearly beside myself. It appeared all my morning efforts for a perfect breakfast sandwich would be in vain. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Sara, couldn't you just pull out that hunk of co-jack you've got stashed in the back of the fridge and use a couple of slices of that?" But the answer is an unequivocal "No, I could not!" Co-jack simply would not do. I HAD to have muenster. Fortunately I had an epiphany and removed the crisper drawer. Sure enough. The cheese had slid off the shelf and down in between the wall of the fridge and the drawer. Thank goodness I had this revelation or I don't know what I would have done.

So have you heard about the new version of "The Apprentice" starring Martha Stewart? I might actually watch this. It sounds immensely more interesting than the current version starring Donald Trump. I can just see a bunch of psycho, prim Type-A's competing with one another to see who can make the best guava chutney....

I keep forgetting to update everyone about the whole eHarmony issue. I did end up tracking down the culprit, but since the intent was neither malicious nor mischievous, I'll refrain from disclosing the person's identity.

I was able to get the password to the account, though, and after much enticing, attempted to fill out their "Personality Profile" survey. They billed the survey as being some sort of miraculous revelation, so I figured I'd give it a shot to see if there was something I didn't already know about myself. I'll post the results and you can judge for yourself. It took quite a bit of perseverance to finish the thing. I did the whole test over a period of about three weeks, but I'd say I probably put a total of two and a half hours into it. So here, finally, are the results....

Regarding my personality and "core values":

- You tend to be loyal to others. Your loyalty shows in a variety of ways including your "staying power" with relationships and activities.
- You are a good friend and are always willing to help those you consider to be your friends. You also show strong ties, and will be uncomfortable when separated from your friends for an extended period.
- You prefer a warm, friendly environment free of conflict and hostility. In that environment, you prefer reassurance of your involvement and self-worth.
- Others may perceive you as being undemonstrative and self-controlled. Not wanting to be the center of attention, you generally support others.
- You tend to be a traditionalist, and will enjoy the social environment best if it is stable and predictable. You dislike sudden decisions about where to go or what to do, preferring to think things out first.
- Because of your lenient and complacent nature, others with fewer scruples may take advantage of you. You could, perhaps, benefit from greater assertiveness.
- You have a basic need to be supportive of others. You will agree with others, sometimes even if it's not what you really want.
- You tend to dislike sudden or abrupt changes. You prefer things the way they are. Your motto might be: "If it's not broken, don't fix it."
- You may demonstrate positive possessiveness by developing strong attachments; however, you will not be overly involved as some others tend to do.

I'd say they're maybe 75%-80% right here. There's a lot of things that fit me here, but the whole "dislike sudden or abrupt changes...prefer things the way they are...'if it's not broken, don't fix it'" thing is way off, I think. ...Right? And I think it paints me as more compliant than I really am. Anyway, there's more. Here's what they say is the "natural behavior [I] bring to an interpersonal relationship":

- In your group, you may support the group leader rather than vie for a leadership position yourself. As a result, the group leader will usually appreciate the support you bring.
- Others will notice that you are a sincere person about what you say and do. This trait, along with the excellent listening skills, creates an individual whom most people find pleasant to be with and a calming type of person.
- You have a communications style which many people are comfortable with almost immediately. You are sincere, a good listener, not pushy and overall a comfortable person to be near.
- In communicating with others, you may support the mainstream ideas rather than new trailblazing activities. You may prefer the stable and traditional activities.
- You tend to internalize conflict. As a result, if something about another is bothering you, you may bottle-up feelings and keep them inside.

Again, this is close to the mark, but I think they're pegging me as more conservative than I really am. Hmmm...but maybe I just THINK I'm non-traditional... But moving on, here's a list of "communication styles that mesh well with [my] own":

- Expect some resistance if you don't get your way.
- Find areas of common interest and involvement.
- Ask "How" questions to draw out opinions.
- Look for details that might get ignored.
- Listen sincerely.
- Patiently draw out personal interests.
- Get to the bottom line of the problem and speak at a rapid pace.
- Provide solid, yes or no answers--don't say maybe.
- Present ideas softly, nonthreateningly.
- Work to achieve mutual satisfaction.
- Understand a defiant nature, and know it is not malicious.

I'm a little fuzzy on this stuff, but I think it's supposed to be the kind of person I should be with. And I don't think I'm going to disagree with any of it. Then again, what person wouldn't benefit from being with someone who "listens sincerely"? Okay, and here's the "specific personality traits and strengths [I] bring to a relationship":

- You are generally very patient with people.
- You are very empathic towards other people.
- You tend to be a very calming influence in heated situations.
- You are excellent at listening to the concerns and ideas of others.
- You are a dependable and caring partner.
- You take pride in being very loyal to friends and family.
- You tend to give others a sense of self-reliance and strength in a relationship.
- You are very supportive of other people.
- You tend to work hard at making sure that other people are happy.
- You are a big thinker with big plans and a big image that usually carries through.

I'd like to think this is me, but who wouldn't want to be able to say these things about him- or herself? I think eHarmony may be blowing smoke up my butt on this one... Anyway, here are my "wants":

- To be seen as a leader.
- To be measured by the results obtained, not by the manner in which those results were accomplished.
- Opportunity for personal involvement.
- To show and prove your abilities through challenging activities.
- Excitement and variety of activities.
- Freedom to do what you want to do.
- Independence from others occasionally.
- Freedom to act independently from time to time.
- New challenges and problems to solve.
- Unusual, new or innovative activities.
- A chance to be seen and heard--to work hard and play hard.
- New and innovative things to do.

This one's pretty good. Especially all this stuff about independence, seeking out challenges, and needing to prove myself.

So that's it. I'd definitely like some responses on this. Is it accurate? I think it's pretty good, but I'd have to say that I've gotten results almost as good from a quiz in YM or something like that. So I'm still a bit suspicious as to whether eHarmony is the miracle matchmaker it claims to be. And hey, even if they can find a guy who "listens sincerely", "works toward mutual satisfaction", and understands my defiant nature, what are the chances that I'm not going to find him totally boring?

What can I say? I'm a skeptic. Always will be. Hey, I don't think I saw anything about that in my profile...