This Friday night is just plain weird. It is the first Friday night I’ve been home since October 5th. I’m in the Highland Hundred lot on Friday nights if it is a home game. If it’s a road game I’m there by Friday night. So staying at home is an uneasy feeling as if I’m not supposed to be here.

I miss football already. I know we’ve still got a game left but for this weekend and the following two I’ll feel uneasy. That’s why I love football season because it isn’t just about the game. There is going to other cities to hang out with other Tigers fans and supporters. I’ve been in a hotel in Orlando, a field in Jonesboro, at my son’s home in Little Elm, having fun at Razoos on Bourbon Street and tailgating at Southern Miss on Friday nights for road games this season. I miss them already.

Friday nights in the Highland Hundred lot are always fun. Last Friday night, not so much, as it was cold as it has ever been out there. Thank goodness for friends with heaters, tents and RV’s. The weather doesn’t really matter to tell the complete truth as we get to enjoy the fellowship of the Tigers family. Many people cook food that is simply incredible. Some just know how to enjoy themselves in a parking lot without lights. It is truly a bonding experience. I’ve been doing it for some seven years. It has become a great tradition started by a good friend. It used to be 8-10 of us out there on game eves. Now you might find as many as 200 people out there on Fridays.

Don’t get me wrong, I really love my other Tigers teams. Basketball games are exciting. I love a good 50-point blowout myself but I’m a little funny that way. I get to sit with friends I consider family members. It is always a good time. But it doesn’t have the tailgating and socializing that comes with football. There is a difference in the social aspect of it.

Of course, my wife is happy to have me back home. We’re going out to dinner on a Friday night for the first time in almost 4 months. Tomorrow there will be a honey-do list for me. And then there’s the Christmas decorating events. Ah, back into the home routine I guess.

Is it time to go to Nawlins yet?