Lessons and Football

I sit here on the couch tonight with the Bears/Packers game about to start. But the lessons have all been planned, despite having the premier of my annual fall sinus infection. I've got some spicy Chinese food on a plate on my lap hoping to burn the infection out of my head. And everything on the tv guide points to the fact that there is nothing else on tv except this game. Okay, Return of the King is on, but I watched part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy yesterday while on the couch trying to recuperate. The fact is I've never really been into football. There are so few games in the season and most of those, at least in Chicago, are played in inclement conditions so I've never really fallen in love with the Bears, or football for that matter.  

Yet now I am in Champaign. A new friend is our high school football coach. U of IL football has been the top news story since I moved down here, except for the week when Extreme Makeover Home Edition was here. And now everyone I know on Facebook that lives in Chicago is either watching the Bears game or at U2's kickoff tour in Soldier Field, home of the Bears.

So I sit here tonight, lesson planning done for the week and am watching football. I know the game well enough. I admit I won't be able to tell you what happened when flags are thrown. I DO know Bears legend Dick Butkis went to U of IL.  Shoot, I CAN tell you it's Faith Hill singing the NFL NBC theme song. And it's nice to see Bob Costas on tv again, who I love during Olympic "season." So here I go, hoping to get a little excited about this tough sport. It's 79 degrees in Green Bay, WI. The lights are on the field. The sun has set here in C-U. And people all over the bi-state area are tuned into the tv just like me.

So Bear Down Chicago. Let's hope the Bears win. Happy middle of September everyone!

KB