I'm glad my last blog post was a nice fun one, because I have been really lazy about updating this month. The fact is, other than my weekly newspaper column and my posting about miscellaneous stuff on social media, I haven't done much writing at all since early August. At least, during that time, several hundred people have apparently gotten a chuckle about my lack of mechanical aptitude. But what to write about tonight?
I was doing great there for a bit during the late summer - whipped out three chapters of my new novel in two weeks, penned some entertaining blog posts, corresponded at length with an assortment of fascinating friends, debated everything from atheism to the Confederate flag on social media - and then something happened. Specifically, school started!
Now, I recognize that I am blessed beyond measure to teach in a small private school where my kids are motivated to learn, the parents are supportive, we have a great headmaster, and I am accorded a degree of academic freedom that public school teachers can only dream of. ("Mr. Smith, why are we spending a whole month of the school year on ancient Rome?" "Because it's flippin' AWESOME, that's why!!") But the truth is, despite the fact that I love my job, it really does keep me awfully busy.
I have seven different preps - 7th grade Texas History, 8th grade U.S. History, 9th grade World Geography, 10th Grade World History, 11th Grade Dual Credit History, Senior Government, and of course, my baby, the elective class I created - Modern America: Pop Culture, History, and Politics from 1980 to the Present. All but one of those classes meet every day of the week. Oh, and in addition to all that, I have been asked to be the announcer at all our home football games this season. Again, something I love doing, but it bites a chunk out of some Saturdays!
What other hats do I wear? Well, I teach a night class one day a week at our local community college. I raise goats (been a tough year in that department, sadly). I pastor a small church near where I live, that keeps me occupied on Wednesdays and Sundays. I am helping my wife and daughters take care of my elderly mother-in-law at home, in addition to being a husband and a father. And, when I can work them in, I do book signings on Saturdays in my ongoing quest to become a best selling author and maybe retire from some of the above activities.
That's why I haven't updated my blog, you see: I have writer's block. Or, actually, I can't seem to block out any time to write! Is that the same thing? Either way, I'll try to be funny again next week.
However, this temporary hiatus in my literary output gives all you lucky folks a chance to catch up on my already published works! So whip out the credit card, or maybe the good old Kindle Fire, and order them today! THE TESTIMONIUM, MATTHEW'S AUTOGRAPH, THE REDEMPTION OF PONTIUS PILATE, and THEOPHILUS, rattling good reads all!
Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1?ie=UTF8&text=Lewis+Ben+Smith&search-alias=books&field-author=Lewis+Ben+Smith&sort=relevancerank
