18 Comments

I wish they had won, too.

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Because then I’d be famous and you’d be friends with me?

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Or so I wouldn’t have kicked you out of my house after they lost?

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Both. And also because I feel like you made fewer remarks about my baseball affiliation before 2016. Maybe if the Bengals had one your anger would subside a bit. 😂

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We've all been a lot angrier since 2016. I wonder why?

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I totally get this. I grew up going to Chiefs games with my dad, uncle and grandfather, when the Chiefs were terrible. For decades. Losing seasons, never in the playoffs, the only thing we had to look forward to was the rivalry with the Raiders. A little different now, and a lot of young fans now don’t remember how it was. But I can certainly wish for you at the Bengals had won in 22 and it had sparked you to fame. Unfortunately wishing to change the past doesn’t have much effect.

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Yes, the Chiefs, another small market, Midwestern team with a lot of years of losing. Always weird when the identity of your team changes so radically like that. Like culture shock.

Oh, being famous would not make me at all happy. It might make me a little less happy, so it's all okay.

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I know! I keep saying, I wanna make enough money to be able to live comfortably and not worried that I’ll never be able to retire, but I really don’t want to be famous. Viral moment make $1 million and fade into oblivion.

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Yes. I need exactly the amount of money that would let me retire and take like one trip a year. That's it. I like the viral moment and then ghosting plan. That could work.

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I always said I didn't want "followers". I hate that word, lol. It reminds me of "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry".

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It's definitely weird, but then, the internet is weird. Wish more people used it for sensible things, like sharing pics of ducks. ;)

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and we don't even have a Target you can go to...

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True. The T. J. Maxx is almost as dangerous for me, but so far no one has recognized me there, either.

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Well, dang. Great essay, though.

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As you know, that's how the writing life goes. Glad you liked the essay.

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Awesome, baby! I was an early Bengals fan, living in Cincinnati in 1968/69. Somehow, my deranged or disarranged brain remembers being in the audience in Louisville for the spectacular Tony Bennett when I think the Bengals were playing the 49ers. He was obviously uncomfortable because he wanted to be watching the game because he left his heart in San Francisco. I don’t care. I still love Tony Bennett more than life. ❤️

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Being at a Tony Bennett concert is much more exciting than being at the Super Bowl.

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Alas, I know all too well!

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