Dear Kid,

We are nearing the Super Bowl (you probably heard about that). And when I think Super Bowl, I think Super Bowl party. And when I think Super Bowl party, I think food.

And when I think college kid I think food.

And when I think college kid and the Super Bowl, I think food.

When I think college kid, dorm room, and extensive chopping and food preparation, I end up rolling on the floor laughing.

There are 4 zillion websites devoted to intricate dips, snacks, and fun food for The Big Game. None of them are designed for a dorm room.

So being the kind of mother I am, I have ever so thoughtfully provided this Guide to Super Bowl Snacks in Your Dorm Room.

Ingredients: A small bit of planning. Bowls optional. No knives or chopping necessary.

Crudité. Seriously? Probably not. If you want something green, check a roommate’s sneakers.

Guacamole. Buy guacamole. Open. Eat.

Salsa. Very similar to guac except you buy salsa.

Chips. Open bag. Improvise.

Snack mix. Go crazy. Open a bag of Chex mix and add peanuts or potato chips. Gourmet!

Need main course options? Not a problem. Pizza, burgers, a splurge on Chipotle, or even hop over to the cafeteria before the game begins.

Decorations. Consider semi-inflated balloons. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Get your homework done before kickoff.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

A certain someone recently asked, “Do you know who Lorelei is?”

I believe my answer was some version of “yes” but here is a more complete answer.

Once upon a German legend, there was a beautiful young maiden (which is the way many of the best legends start) and her name was Lorelei. Because she was young and beautiful and in a legend, she fell in love with The Wrong Dude. In this particular case, he was Wrong because he was unfaithful. Lorelei was a bit upset with his faithlessness. And by “a bit upset” I mean she fell into a depression the likes of which haven’t been seen since.

And since she was young and beautiful and in a legend, she dealt with her despair in a rather extreme manner. Specifically, she threw herself head first into the Rhine River.

And because she was young and in a legend and dead and probably not so beautiful after her encounter with the river and the rocks, she was transformed into a siren. Ever since, she has been heard singing on a rock next to the river near St. Goar. Because she hasn’t recovered from the cheating Wrong Dude, she sings beautifully and lures sailors to their death in the cliffs.

So that’s the story of Lorelei. Well, that’s one (and probably the oldest) story of Lorelei. Marvel Comics has their own version.

In the Marvel version of Asgard, Lorelei is the younger sister of Amora the Enchantress. Both sisters are young and beautiful (are you sensing a theme here?) and more than capable of getting pretty much any man to do pretty much anything they want. The power of batting eyelashes in the comics is a masterful superpower.

If you want the whole story, you can go read the comics (or ask My Friend the Internet for a synopsis), but here’s the highly condensed short version.

Lorelei got involved in one of Loki’s plots to destroy Thor. Along the way, she encountered the dragon Fafnir, which is important because a) he was a dragon and b) Aunt C and Uncle D used to have a Yorkie named Fafnir but that’s another story.

After many adventures, Lorelei was wounded and died (I’m not clear how that’s possible, but apparently it is). After the comics missed her, she came back to life. She may have been killed and reincarnated again (I’m a little fuzzy on the details—input and clarification welcome).

Rumor has it she is the only survivor of Asgard, and that her current location is unknown. My guess is the south of France, but no one really asked me.

Lorelei. Now you know.

Love, Mom