On Fandom and Turning Two

 I guess I should preface this by saying I am unbelievably blessed and have a terrific life. I have experienced true sadness and this is not the same. 

That being said I had a suboptimal weekend and it had to do with my sports fandom. If you are a long-time Pete Chat reader you no doubt know how much I love my teams and how personally I take losses, and yes I fully recognize how weird/unhealthy it is. But to those who don't understand, I only wish you could experience being so committed to something that it literally makes you sick.

I did not know if the 49ers were going to beat the Rams. I knew that the 49ers could beat the Rams and when the 49ers went up 17-7 I allowed myself to believe that we might beat the Rams. We did not beat the Rams. See it only took a few sentences before I started to refer to the 49ers as "we" because with your teams you feel like you are a part of the team, at least I do.  

A couple of friends sent me this Tweet and it is spot on except for me it's around age 8.

When a football season comes to an end I naturally turn to basketball and focus on the Lakers and Cougs but wouldn't you know the Cougars had back to back terrible losses and the Lakers are injury prone and inconsistent and would certainly be the best team in the NBA if it was 2013. When so much of my media consumption is related to my teams I feel at a loss. I didn't want to read, watch, or listen to anything related to my teams for days. In fact, I was so bummed about catching glimpses that I found myself watching episodes of NCIS ( a show that I have never watched before and is not particularly good or interesting) on Paramount + from 2003 because, in the words of the late great Chris Cornell, it Doesn't Remind Me of Anything.

The 49ers, Angels, Lakers, Cougars, Germany have all won Championships in my lifetime. Some of my friends have never rooted for a team that has won a Championship. Is it somehow easier to root for a never-was than a once was? I have climbed the mountain and I want to go back there and yet it is totally out of my control despite my crazy superstitions about not cutting my hair or not changing the flag out front, or what jersey I wear to watch the game. I know it doesn't matter except that it does.

As the game was coming to a close Shannon pulled out her phone. I told her in no uncertain terms, Do Not Record Me.

After the game as I contemplated the game and the opportunities missed I thought that the Swedish Auteur Ingmar Bergman captured exactly how I was feeling as I took off my Jimmy Garappalo for the last time to be hung next to my Colin Kaepernick jersey never to be worn again.

via GIPHY

Misery brings creativity.

In much much happier news our sweet Hela Noelle turned two today. We call her Behbe and she really is the sweetest little thing. She isn't much of a talker but she loves playing outside, going to church, pouring water from one cup to another, she just discovered hopping.

She likes her dad but she LOVES her mom. Hela prefers to be in her mom's arms as much as possible and in close proximity at the very least.

She loves to eat and snack, particularly yogurt. She has curly blonde hair and eyes that sort of change color. We thought they were blue at first but now they seem to be green. She enjoys Coco Melon and she loves Frozen. She loves toddler songs like Wheels on the Bus etc. 

I usually get her out of the crib in the morning (she actually sleeps in a crib which is amazing unlike her big sister) and she is so happy. She is our little alarm clock she starts chirping and we know it is time to wake up.

Shannon and I joke that sometimes it is all too much for Hela. Sometimes she likes a song or a movie and she has to cover her eyes because it is all too much. She's been to Mexico, Las Vegas, Denver, Virginia, and Utah and pretty much her whole life has been during the pandemic. 

It's funny because when Ella turned two we thought she was so grown up but with Hela, she is much more our baby. Probably because she will actually sleep in a crib and sit in a high chair.

We do get a little sad because she is so perfect and we don't want her to change one bit, but we are so happy that she is growing and thriving. Happy second birthday Behbe!