A Hymn for the First Sunday of the Lenten Season

We've been in a blogging drought, but I'm hoping this season of reflection inspires me to write more. (Gaines, though not entirely lost to the internets, has way too much reading for school this semester. But one can hope.) Maybe he'll link to something lighthearted like Rock Sugar. Anyway, on to the meaty stuff I've been mulling over this week.

Last Wednesday night I attended an Ash Wednesday service at Gaines' grandmother's church. The Hueytown United Methodist church happens to be one of my favorite sanctuaries because it is circular, just like Yielding Chapel, which my fellow BSC alumni may also remember fondly. In a circular sanctuary the entire congregation can see each other. You are reminded that everyone -- choir and congregants alike -- are participants in the service. You can see everyone singing. You can see the toddlers and the kids and the adults and the babies and the elderly all joining in together during the responsive reading. Everyone is on the same level except the minister, whose podium is elevated. I like this because it elevates the preaching of the Word, while still focusing on the Table in the center, which reminds us of Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Marva Dawn, in her book Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, describes how Christ should be both the subject and the object of our worship. There are many ways to emphasize this in the service, but I think that the layout of the sanctuary certainly helps, especially if it reminds us that we are participants in worship and that our worship is directed toward the Lord. It helps take away that whole stage mentality. But I digress.

The other important thing to remember about a circular sanctuary is that everyone can see everyone else. They can see your cute baby. They can see your cute baby when he's crying. They can see your cute baby when he bonks his head trying to crawl under a pew. And they can see when you're the one whose phone goes off -- twice -- during the scripture reading and you can't figure out how to turn it off -- twice. Also, circular sanctuaries make it really easy to hear everything, like when your almost three-year old comes up to the altar for the "Imposition of Ashes" and proclaims, "I don't want a cross on my head!"

Thank goodness no one seemed to mind. They were nice to this visiting mom of two and even were gracious when I had to trade off kids halfway through -- I went back to the nursery to leave Ethan and ended up bringing back a clingy, sick Jacob, who mostly sat on my lap. Surprisingly, he paid attention to even the message, because when the minister repeatedly talked about how the ashes were made from last year's Palm Sunday branches, Jacob asked me, "Where are the palm trees, Mommy?"

One of the highlights of the service for me was singing this hymn, a children's hymn. I'd never heard it before, but was grateful for the words as I help my youngest in my arms and thought about how much I am in need of a reminder, especially in this season, to die to self and hope only in Christ. I thought some of you might appreciate it as well.

"Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days"
Words: Clau­dia F. Her­na­man, Child’s Book of Praise; A Man­u­al of De­vo­tion in Sim­ple Verse, 1873.
Music: St. Fla­vi­an, Day’s Psal­ter, 1563

Lord, who throughout these forty days
For us didst fast and pray,
Teach us with Thee to mourn our sins
And close by Thee to stay.

As Thou with Satan didst contend,
And didst the victory win,
O give us strength in Thee to fight,
In Thee to conquer sin.

As Thou didst hunger bear, and thirst,
So teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and chiefly live
By Thy most holy Word.

And through these days of penitence,
And through Thy passiontide,
Yea, evermore in life and death,
Jesus, with us abide.

Abide with us, that so, this life
Of suffering over past,
An Easter of unending joy
We may attain at last.

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The Beginning of the End

With much fanfare and anticipation, mixed with a little angst, the final season of LOST is now upon us. Allison and I have finished our re-watch of Season Five, including all the cool DVD bonus features. I think we are ready. I hope we are ready.

As far as predictions for the new season go: it just dawned on me that the premiere is on Groundhog Day. (Aside -- thanks to Gen. Beauregard Lee for not seeing his shadow!) So maybe each episode this season will start with the crash of Flight 815 and feature all the wacky things that could have been.

Nah.

Seriously, I've given up on making too many predictions about LOST, since the show keeps surprising me. Each new season takes the show in an unexpected direction, and the overall result is simply fantastic. I'm just going to enjoy the ride.

Also, just in time for the premiere, the Sky1 channel in the UK commissioned the always-excellent Reduced Shakespeare Company to distill five seasons of LOST into ten minutes of awesome: LOST REDUCED.

Update: It just dawned on me that LOST isn't the first show to end a season finale with a nuclear detonation* -- Sledge Hammer! ended it's first season with an atomic blast. I'm going to trust that LOST's writers know what they're doing, and haven't used Sledge Hammer! as a prototype for resolving their own story arc!

(*Disclaimer: Okay, I assume that Season Five ended with a detonation, but things on LOST are rarely as they seem.)

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Product Review: Puj Baby Bathtub

When I was pregnant with our second son, I got into all these cool baby items that were coming out on the market, one of which is the PUJ baby bathtub.



Last fall, I signed up to be a product tester and wouldn't you know, the tub arrived in the mail right before we moved. So, this review is a little late in coming. But better late than never, right?

I've liked the look of this bathtub since I first heard about it in 2008. Back then, though, it was way more expensive ($99) and didn't seem to be a necessity since we already had a clunky blue plastic bathtub that worked fine. Well, I might've been mistaken. The PUJ is one of the most unique baby bath tubs I've ever seen and would be a great addition to any new mom's wishlist.

Since my two boys are too big for this (can be used up to 6 months), I tried it out with a doll and also had another friend try it out with her baby.

Pros:

The Puj tub stores easily. It arrived in a large, lightweight, flat box, and is only about an inch thick. You can hang it on the back of a door, like I did here, or you could slide it in a linen closet or even hang it on the wall of the shower.

The Puj tub is easy to maneuver -- no assembly required. Once I figured out which way the flaps folded, it stayed securely in place with magnets (which are safely covered). The design is deceptively simple.

The Puj tub cleans quickly and effortlessly. I wiped mine down after use and let it hang to dry. There is no drain plug to get clogged or dirty and no place for standing water to collect.

The Puj tub let me wash an infant securely. When using the tub, I felt like the baby was safer than in the infant tub/sling I used when my sons were newborns, because in the Puj there was no danger of them being covered by water. Also, it fits nicely in our bathroom sink and doesn't slide out or tilt at odd angles like my other tub did.



Cons:

You can't use it with babies who are older than six months. Seriously! I liked it that much! I suppose at that point babies are too big and wiggly anyway and want to sit up, but it sure would be nice if I could just plop my toddler in something like this!

The only drawback I noticed is with an older baby who likes to grab things, the close proximity of the faucet might be a distraction.

The tub might not fit every sink or be right for every baby. In my friend's review, she thought that, "Overall, it is a very cool idea, but didn't work out well for my baby. He enjoys bath time when he's immersed in the warm water, but the Pujtub wasn't big enough to immerse him - so we'll have to stick to our bulky plastic bathtub." I hadn't thought of that perspective before, so perhaps that is another drawback.

Still, I think the benefits of being able to quickly and safely wash a newborn in a tub that fits almost every sink would've been great for all the travelling we did when our boys were little. The Puj tub packs light, dries quickly and easily, and seems to be a unique invention. They are now only $39.99.

Check out the Puj Tub for yourself at Puj's exclusive new website for baby bath tubs!

Giving Back:
Though this is not a reason to buy the tub, I did notice that right now 10% of their sales are going Save the Children in Haiti.

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Fare Thee Well, Conan

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Songs for Haiti

Paste Magazine has launched a new website -- "Songs for Haiti" -- to help with relief efforts in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. It's pretty cool -- in exchange for your donation, you get access to a bunch of free songs, many of which are unreleased/rare tracks provided by the artists specifically for the site. There's a lot of good stuff on there, including tracks from Bill Mallonee, Sandra McCracken, Switchfoot, and Derek Webb, just to name a few. You can donate directly through Paste, which will split gifts between a few charities, including the Red Cross. But you can also donate to the charity of your choice and get access to the same songs (on the honor system, of course). Very nice.

One great charity to support is Compassion International, a Christian organization which aids impoverished children all over the world. They've been in Haiti for over 40 years and their program there has over 64,000 children enrolled. Communication with the various outreach centers in Haiti has been greatly hindered, but there are already reports of fatalities and injuries among the program's children and staff workers. These reports will undoubtedly increase in the coming days. There is a great need for aid to help Compassion in Haiti, both to provide humanitarian aid in the short term, as well as to rebuild their long term program. Any amount will help.

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Blogiversary

So, the six-year anniversary of this blog came and went last week with nary a word from either of us. 'Tis a pity. I've been enjoying reading some of our earlier posts. If you're new around these parts (or reading this on Facebook) feel free to check out our archives.

I intend to make up for it by actually posting something, with the hope of more to come. I refuse to believe blogging, or even our blog in particular, is dying out.

Six years ago...

This blog was one week old.

We were in our second year as a CARES Team.

We had no children (yet).

Our blog posts did not have titles.

We were closet Calvinists.

We were completely obsessed with a particular JJ Abrams TV series. (Hmmm. Perhaps some things haven't changed!)

We apologize for this interruption in our service and hope to continue to bring you quality programming like "what we're watching," "what we're reading," "what our kids are saying that makes us laugh," "sunsets, puppies, walks on the beach" and "deep theological posts from Gaines" (perhaps).

Stay tuned.

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Orange You Glad ...

No, not at all.

Georgia Tech Falls To Iowa In Orange Bowl 24-14

It appears that even Coach Paul Johnson can't break Tech's streak of bowl failures. Iowa's defense pretty much ruled us all night. One of the most telling signs -- Chandler Anderson kicked 7 punts last night (Tech has one of the lowest numbers of punts in the FBS this season, and did not punt at all in either of the previous two games.) The offense's stats were quite dismal. But the loss was especially frustrating since the game was never really out of reach for the Jackets. The offense finally got going in the second half, and Tech narrowed the margin to 3 in the waning moments of the 4th quarter; however, the offense faltered on back-to-back drives, complete with an interception and a near safety. A late score by Iowa sealed our fate.

A level-headed assessment would recognize that even with the loss, the Jackets had a pretty spectacular season. 11 wins. ACC Championship. Remarkable performances by several of our star players. But for now, I'd rather sulk. And hope that some of our juniors decide to come back for one more year.

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Books Read in 2009 (Allison)

The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Jesus Storybook Bible
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture
Positive Discipline: The First Three Years
Lions at Lamb House
Prince Caspian
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician's Nephew
The Last Battle
Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Life of Pi
Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - And Cold - Climate Cultures
The Omnivore's Dilemma
Harry Potter & Imagination: The Way Between Two Worlds
North! Or Be Eaten
Between, Georgia
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

This list is sadly MUCH shorter than in previous years. I don't think I've picked up a book since November, much less finished one. I've flipped through magazines and various parenting stuff, but never finished anything. What with moving and everything, I never could really get into anything on my bedside table. Of course, the entire year was quite busy, what with the birth of Ethan and all those Apartment Life events I never mentioned. At least I made it through all the Chronic-(what?!)-cles of Narnia. In 2010: a re-read of Harry Potter, perhaps?

If you're ever curious about what I'm reading, find me on Goodreads. I've been trying to keep that current, at least.

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Books Read in 2009 (Gaines)

Economics in One Lesson: The Shortest and Surest Way to Understand Basic Economics
The Shack
Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures
Watchmen
Remember Who You Are: Baptism and the Christian Life
The Structure of Biblical Authority
The Genesis Debate : Three Views on the Days of Creation
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
The Two Towers
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension
McCain: The Myth of a Maverick
Preaching Christ from the Old Testament: A Contemporary Hermeneutical Method
The Return of the King
North! Or Be Eaten
On Bull----
Eyes Wide Open: Looking for God in Popular Culture
The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America

This list is a bit shorter than previous years, but please note that I had a whole lot of seminary reading that isn't represented -- it just feels like cheating to list books from which I only read excerpts!

Also, I realize that I did a pretty poor job of posting reviews of the books I actually did read. I'll try to do better in 2010. If you're dying to know what I thought about any of my 2009 readings, feel free to drop a line in the comments.

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We've moved!

Well, mostly. Some of the kitchen stuff and some miscellaneous items are still at the old apartment. We ran out of time and boxes before the movers came Monday afternoon. But don't worry, we still had plenty of stuff to fit in the truck...

This is what we have affectionately dubbed "The Room of Requirement." If you need something, it's probably in here:



Thank goodness for the extra room to hold everything! It makes living and unpacking in all the other rooms less trying. Once it's cleared out (maybe by 2011?!) I plan to make it a library/reading room, with some places for toys.

Amazingly, this move was cheaper than last time and we have MORE stuff. Here's a tip: Always go with the extra guy. It's worth it.

I'm off to do some more unpacking... more details (and photos) to come.

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DONE!

For better or for worse, Fall semester is done, at least from my end. That means I can take a break from things like waw consecutives and Deuteronomic histories, at least for a little while. Maybe I'll get some fun reading done. Or better yet, maybe I'll get some SLEEP.

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P-Dub Addendum

My friend Sarah's post describing last night's events is now up. Yay! (That sweet tea was a brilliant idea. Too bad we couldn't make it happen.)

Also, if you want to buy the Pioneer Woman's Cookbook for a friend (or two), then it is currently on sale at Amazon for under $12. Too bad I didn't know that earlier.

Plus, if you already have one of her cookbooks and want her to sign it, you just mail it to her with a postage-paid return padded envelope. How cool is that?

Enough. Just go check out Ree's glorious website. It is addictive. You have been warned.

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The Pioneer Woman Signs Books

Have I told you about The Pioneer Woman?

Surely I have. I've certainly made many of her recipes! Perhaps you enjoyed one. (But perhaps I just took the compliments and sneakily passed them off as mine. Oops.)

The Pioneer Woman is otherwise known as Ree Drummond, a midwestern gal, mom to four kids, who blogs about food, photography, and her life on an Oklahoman cattle ranch. I've been reading her blog for about three years now, mostly the recipe section (I remember when she first posted that chocolate sheet cake), but her story of how she went from an uptown city gal to the wife of a rancher, "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" is quite riveting. She's got a wicked sense of humor and a great eye for composition. Her fame has steadily grown (I voted for her to get those Bloggy awards!) and she recently published a book. Isn't this just the happiest cookbook cover you've ever seen?



See that lovely design on the brown background underneath her book? That's a t-shirt. How did I get it, you might be wondering? Well, that, as they say, is the rest of the story...

Tonight, I met the Pioneer Woman. She was at her booksigning here in Atlanta. She is just as warm and friendly in person as she comes across on her blog. And she was signing books like Babe Ruth signed baseballs while carrying on completely gracious and intelligent conversations, maintaining poise and composure with Sharpie in hand and cameras flashing. How does she DO that?

(I actually asked her if she uses Vaseline to help her keep smiling through all those photographs. She said, "No, but I probably should." And then she proceeded to execute a proper "pageant wave." I love that woman.)

My friend Sarah is probably blogging right now about all our experiences, so I will let her share all the details about how we ended up there at the perfect time and made it smoothly through the line in only a little over an hour. Sarah brilliantly researched the fact that we should show up way early and get armbands so we could go in with an earlier group, rather than getting there at the start time. Apparently, some of PW's recent book signings have lasted until the wee hours of the morning, so at least Borders was prepared.

The Pioneer Woman definitely draws a crowd. But it's also a very nice crowd. Mostly ladies, quite a few adorable kiddos, one or two lone males. We were diverse and chatty and super excited to be there. I have been to other book signings (mostly obscure poets and authors that only my fellow English majors would appreciate) and it was nothing like this. Tonight was like a big party. You couldn't meet a stranger. Perhaps it was because we all felt we knew her from reading her blog.

Upon meeting the Pioneer Woman, she made me feel instantly at ease. When my friend Sarah, her sis-in-law Vickie, our friend Shanna and I all went up together, Ethan was sleeping, strapped to my chest in a Beco carrier. The very first thing she said to me was, "You are too tiny to have such a big baby!" That is the nicest compliment I think I've received in months!

I was just beaming. And struck dumb! How could I compete with such a compliment? Wasn't I, as the fan, supposed to be the one praising her? I think I said something lame about how I enjoy her blog. Then she said, "Was that all your milk?" and it took a second to register that she meant did I breastfeed him and all I could say was "Yup. Pretty much." Tongue-tied, I tell ya.

Still, that, too, was a compliment I couldn't beat. I tried to follow up with "And it was all from your food, too!" but that came across as kind of weird. Still, perhaps she, as a fellow mom, understood. At least she didn't shoo me away or anything.

There was some chatter about a Marlboro Man coffee mug that Shanna brought her (who doesn't like coffee?). And something about her hand getting cramped from signing all our books (we had 8 between us, but some people had that many by themselves!). Then we were gone, thanking her for coming, gathering our things so the next group could meet her. We chatted for a minute with her friends and were given these amazing t-shirts. For them, it's like residual fame. Kind of neat. And they are just as graceful and charming as PW.

And then it was over.

Afterward, we went to Figo for a late dinner. I think PW would've liked the food, minus the stale bread. I just enjoyed chatting with my friends and watching Ethan try to eat a piece of bread with his pacifier still in his mouth.

I'd like to think that the reason this collective adventure was so enjoyable for all was because the Pioneer Woman writes about and photographs what she loves, and we all just happen to love the same things.

I'm grateful I have a whole slew of new recipes to try out on my unsuspecting friends and family. Thanks, PW!

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Champs!

Georgia Tech 39, Clemson 34.

The ACC Championship was a nail-biter down to the final minute, but the Jackets came out on top. A few reflections before bed-time:

1. Being the punter for Paul Johnson is either the worst (if you actually like to play) or best (if you're really lazy) job in the world.
2. Josh Nesbitt is one tough dude.
3. Once again, Scott Blair proves he can be the man when he needs to be.
4. I'm glad we'll never have to play C.J. Spiller again.

and lastly,

5. Most awesome fruit? ORANGE, BABY!

Go Jackets!

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More Than We Could Ask or Even Imagine

Ephesians 3:20-21



When I first started looking at houses to rent back in August, I had a wish list:

1. A fenced-in yard for the boys to play in.
(Here I have to go down two flights of stairs, carrying the baby and anything like balls or golf clubs or strollers along with me, just to get to some grass.).

2. An eating area that is NOT carpeted.
(We have mats down, we clean up immediately, but still I feel like the carpet around our table is disgusting. You just CAN'T get baby food or applesauce or milk or any other liquidy food product out of carpet properly without steam-cleaning all the time. And who can afford that?)

3. Three bedrooms.
(The boys will share--hopefully, but Gaines really needs an office area where he can close the door and work at night or when he is home on the weekends.)

I'd like to think I'd have been satisfied with just that. Of course, we wanted to be close to our church and still have a decent commute for Gaines.

And do you know what? God gave us a place that answered all of those requests and more!

I picked up the keys today and did a last walk-through. I ran back in afterward to take a few photos...

Our cute little 70's style 3 BR/2 BA brick ranch:



not only has an eat-in kitchen:



(This curtain seen below was left by the previous owner and the landlord gave permission to get rid of it. Suggestions for something new?)



But also has newish carpet and flooring throughout (seen here with the original tile in the entryway):



The house also comes with a 2-car carport:



a partially-finished basement, an extra living room, a den with a fireplace:



and the best part of all -- a screened-in porch!



Look at that deck -- there's a big fenced-in yard beyond:



Oh, and did I mention there were trees? Glorious trees. I'm actually looking forward to raking.



God really does answer prayers! When we move in, you are all invited over for a big 'ole party. Maybe we'll watch a bowl game?!


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Biggest Game of the Year?

No. 7 Georgia Tech Falls to Georgia

Well, I've been waiting for -- nay, dreading -- the inevitable heartbreak that each football season brings to Jackets fans. Maybe we already had it back in September down in Miami? Maybe Paul Johnson can stave it off completely? But of course, the inescapable cannot be escaped (duh!).

The loss to the hated Bulldogs at home definitely left a bitter taste to the Thanksgiving weekend. Not just the loss, but the combination of bad things that led to it. Like the fact that UGA's star receiver sat the game out, but it didn't even matter, since they ran and ran and ran the ball -- and our defense couldn't do a thing about it. Or the fact that Josh Nesbitt got hurt and didn't play the entire second quarter. Or the fact that our 76-yard completion for touchdown was almost immediately answered by UGA's 75-yard touchdown run. But of course, the cruelest heartbreak was when Georgia's kicker, who had been perfect all night, missed the field goal that would have put the game out of reach, and Tech began their final drive with about three minutes left, with victory tantalizingly within reach. In a stroke of extreme irony, the drive ended when our usually consistent/frequently amazing receiver dropped a pass, and Tech turned over the ball on downs.

Now, in most seasons, the conventional wisdom is that the UGA game is the biggest game of the year. A loss to the Bulldogs typically leaves Tech fans to ponder which crappy bowl game we'll be headed for (not the blue turf!!!), and then we begin turning our eyes towards basketball season (Tech's looking good so far, btw).

But this is the Paul Johnson era, dangit! We're playing for the ACC Championship next weekend. If we beat Clemson, we're going to the Orange Bowl. That'll go a long way to wash that bitter taste out.


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Raise the Song of Harvest Home

We sang this glorious old hymn, "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come," in church this past Sunday. I've probably heard it before, but I'm not sure if I'd ever paid attention to the words until now. The phrase "harvest home" just struck me as the perfect metaphor for the day when we will be united with Christ at his coming to establish the new heavens and the new earth -- the idea that all the harvesting will be done and we can abide with Him in eternal Thanksgiving for His ultimate provision. I also like that the emphasis is on the Lord as the one who is doing the harvesting, not us. I especially appreciated the reminder to pray that we "wholesome grain and pure might be." Repentance comes before renewal.

Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin.
God our Maker doth provide for our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God’s own field, fruit unto His praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown unto joy or sorrow grown.
First the blade and then the ear, then the full corn shall appear;
Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home;
From His field shall in that day all offenses purge away,
Giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast;
But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home;
Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified, in Thy garner to abide;
Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home.

Hymn Text by Henry Alford, 1844

This Thanksgiving, remember that Christ is Lord and we are to thank him for His goodness. Our weapon is worship! By praising the Risen Savior at our feast, we boldly proclaim that "All the world is God’s own field!" Perhaps you could start a new tradition of singing this hymn with your family. :) However your celebrate this Thanksgiving, may you have a wonderful holiday and celebrate gladly around your tables with family and friends!

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Walks with Waterfowl

The past several weeks we've seen some glorious fall weather.



To take advantage of these beautiful, blustery days, we have been taking walks near the pond at our apartment complex.



Usually, we go on Thursdays after handing out cookies to the school kids. Cookie Days interrupt our usual naptime, but I know these apartment events will be ending soon, so I like to think I am finding ways to enjoy them as a family rather than rush through and just get the job done.

One day, I finally remembered to bring some bread.

Quite a gaggle of geese have occupied our little patch of water, competing with the dozen or so ducks who can usually be found here year-round.



Once the bread ran out, Jacob shared his Goldfish crackers. He can be so thoughtful.



Last Thursday, the ducks and geese avoided us, though we came bearing a boutiful harvest of old bread. The birds were probably just full from someone else feeding them earlier in the day, but I secretly wondered if they despised us for the pervious week's meager offering.

This time, will they remember how we cast the bread out even when they didn't swim our way? Gentle reader, we shall keep you informed.

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Tampa Bound

No. 7 Georgia Tech Runs Over Duke to Clinch Spot in ACC Title Game



First things first: I really need to stop watching the opening quarters of Tech football games. Saturday was a prime example: In the waning minutes of the first quarter, the Jackets were down 10-0 to the Blue Devils. Say what?!? But as usual, Coach Johnson made some adjustments, and GT was in business. After an 83-yard kickoff return, Tech scored the first of seven unanswered touchdowns for the day. Jonathan Dwyer rushed for over 100 yards (as usual), and Josh Nesbitt passed for 195 yards and 2 TD's -- on just 6 completions. Six different Yellow Jackets scored touchdowns. And our backup players went in for pretty much the entire fourth quarter.

The win earns Tech a spot in the ACC Championship Game down in Tampa on December 5, most likely in a rematch against the Clemson Tigers (but they aren't locked in just yet). But the real game of the season is in two weeks: after a much-deserved week off, the Jackets host the hated Bulldogs from Athens.

In the polls, Tech remains at No. 7, since none of the teams above us were kind enough to lose this weekend. Alas.

One last thing: curious about what Coach Paul Johnson will do on a given 4th down? Here's a handy tool.


Go Jackets!

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"I Play to Win"

... says Coach Paul Johnson, after the Jackets eked out a 30-27 overtime win against Wake Forest.

Of course, the description "eked out" hardly does justice to Johnson's bold call to forego the game-tying field goal on 4th & 1. Granted, Johnson usually goes for it on fourth anyway, but the Jackets had not had much success with it on Saturday: Tech was 0-4 on 4th down conversions going into overtime. A gusty move, but it paid off when Josh Nesbitt muscled his way forward for the first down. He ran in the winning touchdown on the next snap.

Wake Forest definitely played a heck of a game. After watching them nearly upset Miami last week, I knew they would give us a hard time. Plus, we had a few dumb penalties on crucial plays that kept the game closer than it should have been. But the Jackets prevailed.

With the win, and a few upsets in the top ten, Tech moves up to No. 7 in the polls. Next up: a visit up to Duke, where a win clinches the Coastal Division and sends the Jackets to Tampa for the ACC Championship. Duke should be an easy win, which is enough to make Tech fans everywhere start sweating: this is the point in the season where a Tech team on the rise typically has the rug pulled out. But then again, Paul Johnson plays to win.



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