I haven’t written anything for a long while. I did not do much writing during football season. Just a handful of articles. I made an attempt to pen a column before the Auburn-Georgia SEC Championship Game. I got two paragraphs in and quit. Motivation at an all time low. And I didn’t care. Bone dry.

So here we are.

It’s January 24th and me and my wife, Melodye, have been battling this sinus infection/upper respiratory thing for weeks. It gets better. It comes back. I think we’re moving toward complete recovery now. I certainly hope we are. Many of you have experienced this. I’m sorry. As you well know, it’s exhausting.

(Jonny Lang’s “Lie to Me” playing on a Genius created setlist, Mannish Boy 1. There is no Mannish Boy 2. Hmmm…)

I suppose we’re “Ramblin.” Last one was May of 2017. Yep, bone dry.

I completed James Lee Burke’s latest novel, just released on January 2nd. It’s entitled “Robicheaux” and continues the life and times of his beloved Dave Robicheaux character. It’s marvelous. Sunday it was number five on the New York Times best seller list for fiction. But now, the problem is, I’m all out of James Lee Burke books to read. I have devoured them all.

I began reading Burke’s brilliant prose as a road into fiction. I’ve always been a non-fiction guy, primarily biographies and auto biographies, and I truly wanted to get lost in some great fiction. Bingo!

Burke is done. Now what? Well, as fate would have it, Pat Conroy has received the nod as my next potential obsession. (Whiskey and Wimmen’, John Lee Hooker, now doing the boogie).

Ok, Pat Conroy. I’ve seen the movies. Now it’s time to immerse myself in the books.

I was In Rome, GA, back late in the year 2017, and wandered into Dogwood Books after I completed my lunch at Harvest Moon Cafe. Be sure to check it out if you’re ever in Rome. Anyway, almost a soon as I entered this marvelous old bookstore, a small copy of Conroy’s “The Prince Of Tides” practically leapt off a table of paperback novels and into my awaiting hands.

Oh my! The hands of fate, destiny, God, or what have you, have touched my soul once again! The question now is, will I obsess over South Carolina the way I have over Louisiana and New Orleans? I don’t know, but I am prepared if that be the case. It’s lowcountry time! Shrimp and grits anyone?

War Damn Eagle! Auburn reeled off a 14 game winning streak recently, in basketball no less, and now stands at 17-2. They are ranked number 19 in both the AP and Coaches polls and are neck and neck with Florida for the SEC lead! ESPN Bracketology  has the Tigers as the number four seed in the South region and playing number 13 East Tennessee State (16-4). That is, obviously, subject to certain change. But ain’t this fun?! Mizzou tonight in Columbia!

Seen any movies lately? If not, ramble on over to your nearest cinema and take in Steven Spielberg’s “The Post.” A shoo-in for Oscar nominations, it tells the story of the Washington Post’s rise into the big time of the newspaper worlds with its coverage of the Pentagon Papers. Wow! Yes! Go!

Sad though. I fear we’ve seen the last of great journalism along these lines. The Post. The New York Times. The Boston Globe, et al. Heck, we’ve actually seen the death of true journalism, I fear. Studying journalism at Troy, I was mesmerized with the tales of William Randolph Hearst, Horace Greeley, Joseph Pulitzer, and the like. There remains some decent investigative reporting out there, but the halcyon days of great newspapers are behind us.

This just in! Oscar nominations out! The Post HAS been nominated for Best Picture! Spielberg and Hanks snubbed!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!