State of the Union? Let's Party! Sports Skeds, Story Time

Good morning, Granbys! Today is Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012; there are 342 days left in the year.

There are myriad reasons to throw a party. In less than two weeks, the New England Patriots and the New York Giants will play in the Super Bowl; I despise both teams equally, so I hope the game ends in a tie. Anyway, for many people without a rooting interest, the big game is really an excuse to rate the commercials in between annoying cutaways of large men violently colliding with one another. This is a perfectly good reason to get snockered with your best friends while eating too many carbs. Celebrating birthdays also make sense, I guess. “Hey everybody. I been here exactly 40 years to the day. Gimme some presents.” There’s even a recent phenomenon of people throwing divorce parties. Makes sense if the marriage was particularly unpleasant.

My point? The president’s State of the Union Address is tonight and, apparently, there are people who have viewing parties. Bully for the political participation, but how exactly does this work? Is there wagering? Hey, what’s the over/under on the number of Republicans who roll their eyes during the president’s speech? I gotta get the line from Vegas. Or how about a drinking game? You have to do a shot every time President Obama says “Iranian nuclear proliferation.”

Tell me, Granbys residents, are there any State of the Union parties being thrown in either town?

Here's your Daily 5:

1. Border skirmish tonight, as the and boys and girls basketball teams will square off against each other tonight at 7 p.m. The boys game is in East Granby, while the girls play at Granby Memorial.

2. Winter story time at the is today at 1:30 p.m. for children ages 3 to 5.

3. Here’s the schedule from the Granby Senior Center: Basic Training for Men at 8:30 a.m., Muscle Work for Women at 9:30 a.m., Chair Massage at 10:30 a.m., Community Cafe at 12 p.m. and Yoga I at 4:30 p.m.

4. In honor of Jewish Family Services of Greater Hartford’s 100-year anniversary,, a family style restaurant in West Hartford, will donate 10 percent of the proceeds from the dinner guests on Tuesday, Jan. 24 to the nonprofit human services organization.

5. From the Simsbury Patch: Arts Exclusive Gallery presents "The Winter Showcase" in Simsbury.