Hey There Friend
A.K.A. Yes This is a Thing You Subscribed To Once, Please Don’t Unsubscribe Yet
The conversation wasn’t a particularly long one. I was discussing my future - the Next Step – with a friend of mine.
“Do you miss writing?”
“Yes.”
Didn’t skip a beat. Didn’t have to think. I can trace the root of my writing, the truest source of it back to terrible poetry back during my teenage years. Cheaper than a therapist, though not anywhere near as effective. Honestly, it probably goes further back, but we’ll roll with that.
Come 2004, I started living The Dream. Writing about the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team and getting paid for the pleasure. Between then and spring 2021, I had gone on and on with every bit of intention of devoting the rest of my days to this craft.
It made perfect sense. Writing, radio spots, podcasts, video work, and countless colleagues made long-time friends. The lessons learned, all of it.
I’ll level with you. Between the height of a global pandemic and an athletic program that appeared to Just Not Care® (which is a terrible slogan to slap on a t-shirt. Well, maybe. Let me shove it in the subconscious to marinate), I had to step away.
It was good. Refreshing for the soul.
Here we are about a year and a half later with the Huskers roughly 12 hours away from kicking off their fifth year with Scott Frost at the helm.
I had a brief conversation with someone whose journalistic career I’ve done my best to follow between bouts of getting distracted by shiny things: Amie Just*. She’d recently been hired by the Lincoln Journal Star to cover the plucky local university.
I’d missed the official announcement and felt beyond terrible. This was truly a moment to be celebrated and I feel far too few know it. Eh, in due time.
Seeing her achieve a dream of covering the Big Red for one of the state’s biggest outlets only helped to stoke the fire further. Sometimes you just know when to take action.
I just know.
I’m not entirely sure what The Next Step entails. But in the meantime, picking TDD up and dusting it off for another go is as good an idea as any.
You’re going to get what you signed up for and probably some other stuff because hey, who doesn’t like variety? Haven’t really fleshed that out yet.
The good news is a cleaning crew should be in shortly and then we can get down to business.
Mind the mess, welcome back, and let’s do this.
*You owe it to yourself to read Amie’s stuff: https://journalstar.com/users/profile/amie%20just/
Things to say?
Email: devaneydoctrine@gmail.com
Twitter: @Bcav402