Back (Again)
This is my first weekly update after being gone for a while. Most of you are familiar with the update, but there are some new subscribers who may not have read one yet. The way it works is simple, each week I share some bit of life from around here, then share a Combat (something challenging, vexing, or just plain stupid), a Snuggle (something positive or uplifting from the week), something worth reading, something worth watching, and something worth listening to. Usually there is a picture of a cute kid. Or even me sometimes. Oh, and one bonus. It is election time here in Chapel Hill, and starting soon I will have a “Local Election Corner” where I will share my thoughts about what looks to be a very odd cycle here. So if you are local and care about that sort of thing, look for that. Otherwise, enjoy. And THANK YOU SO MUCH for being a subscriber to Combat Snuggles. Your support makes this work. --Jeff
Last night - thanks to the extreme generosity of a friend - we were able to attend the Durham Bulls game and sit in some of the best seats in the house. We usually go a time or two a year and it is always fun. Justin mainly goes for the cotton candy.
We were treated to an amazing game (the Bulls came back to win in the bottom of the 9th) and Justin even got a fist bump from Wool E. Bull, the mascot. It was hot, but oppressively so, and the seats were under cover. The Bulls organization does a great job of entertaining fans. Not Savannah Bananas level entertainment, but pretty darn good for a AAA team.
There aren’t a lot of things that bring us together anymore. Our politics is contentious. Our music, what we wear, what we drive, what we watch - they have all become identity markers and tell others whose side we are on. There are only a handful of things that we can talk about without fear that we will walk into a buzzsaw of contention and discord. Sports is one of those things.
The game was a lot of fun. More importantly, it was a chance to set down some of what feels heavy and just watch a guy try to throw a ball past a guy trying to hit it with a stick.