I’m only on here because I haven’t been much lately. And for good reason. With the holidays, family is in town, and of course I’m quite busy enjoying my time with them.
I’m also working on a few other things. Sadly, I’ve found that not setting out a goal like “read nothing but Pulitzers for a year” scatters one’s focus when it comes to reading any books at all. It’s the same old Bob, back again — I’ve started three different books and can’t settle on any one (although I think I’m going to power through Holiness by J. C. Ryle — an incredible book). With the Pulitzer run, I had to push through the book I was reading before moving on to the next. Now I find that if I get a bit distracted or see something that looks interesting, I leave what I’m doing unfinished, thinking I’m going to get back to it. It all makes me want to go back to some kind of pattern. Maybe non-fiction? I don’t know. There’s just too much good stuff out there.
I’ve also started a couple of heavy pieces of writing that I’m not even sure will make it here. One of them is an in-depth explanation of my faith through apologetics, while another deals with the actions of an elite tier of “Americans.” Both articles are wonderful exercises in thought-clarification, and that’s just how it is with me sometimes. I write so I can think my way through things. I’ve got a few out there that haven’t seen the light of day, but really should. It’s not that I’m afraid of what will come with my publishing them. It’s more that I just don’t want to deal with having to explain myself when I’m fairly certain I’ve made it clear enough. Still, hearing what others have to say is a valuable exercise.
I’ve been following football a bit more this year. I grew up with the Green Bay Packers (less than 50 miles from Lambeau Field as the crow flies), and my brothers and I have been in a pretty constant flow of e-mail communications about them lately. The Packers have been really interesting this year — up and down, but now at least it looks like they’ve got their future quarterback in Jordan Love. And I have been on record here saying as long as three years ago (but believing it even longer) that they should have moved on from Aaron Rodgers. He wasn’t getting the job done, and while Love might not take them to the Super Bowl right away, it’s exciting to see what might come of the current team. They definitely need some work on defense, but I think they’re going to be something for the next few years.
And interestingly, I think the Chicago Bears are going to be a contending force during that time too, and that means a lot of exciting football in the future. And it all starts this coming Sunday afternoon, with the Packers playing the Bears at Lambeau in a “win-and-in” game — the near miracle (considering how they’ve played this year) of getting into the playoffs. And a much-improved Bears team standing in their way — playing to ruin the season for the Packers.
Except, it won’t be ruined. Eight victories (so far) is as good as they did last year, and a couple victories better than expected (I think Vegas had them at 6.5 for the over/under). And the Packers look to have their franchise quarterback. The season has been a win for them, with more on the way.
