Angular Momentum - it makes the world go 'round.

One large, one small, but both pretty impressive examples of wood working skill.

Based on responses in the comments section here and in emails the consensus seems to be that the person who cuts my hair should get a 15% tip. And I was surprised by the number who had wondered the same thing. Makes me feel like I've performed a public service of some kind.
Do the people who cut women's hair get the same 15%? Just curious.

I watched some of the NBA draft. I understand the logic of letting the worst teams draft first but it sucks to be a great rookie prospect. The L.A. Clippers?? The ESPN guy said they have only had two winning seasons out of the last 20. Blake Griffin did a great job of looking happy. I figure he has started counting the days until he's a free agent.

Michael Jackson died. Best thing that could have happened for his career. He instantly went from being the butt of late night talk show jokes to "icon of pop music." IMHO he was incredibly talented and unquestionably very messed up in the head. Why do those two seem to go together most of the time?
Try this at home: think of very gifted artists from any of the artistic fields and rate them on a scale of "normal-to-scary." There are many who are normal! But doesn't it seem like a disproportionate number are more than a little tweaked?

And am I the only one who sees it as an indication of our celebrity-obsessed culture that Jackson's death was not just the lead story on the network news, but also the subject of internal content?

In three different contexts today I was reminded of how important children are. At the beginning of my day a small child who will suffer because her parents are going separate directions. In the middle of my day two children with parents who love and care for them in the classic nuclear (read: biblical) family. At the end of my day a wonderful family that will soon welcome two more beautiful children from Africa who would otherwise grow up in an orphanage.
"Let the little children to come to me...for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these."

Back to yesterday's trip to get my haircut.
The gal who did it was 20, maybe. In the course of our brief conversation we talked about growing old. That came up because my hair is increasingly gray, something more apparent now that I've let it grow out a bit. I told her I'm fine with that, with being older. I said our culture values youth too highly, IMHO, and undervalues the advantages of age.
She said she'd heard "growing old isn't for sissies."
I agreed in the sense that some things get more difficult...some impossible...as we age. I can't dunk with one hand anymore. Arthritis gives me some grief, my teeth are almost more trouble than they're worth and my singing voice, which used to be strong and sure, has slipped noticeably.

But each age has its strengths and weaknesses, and the back side of middle age is no exception.

I have lived enough life to put successes and failures in perspective. Neither seem like such a big deal.
I know who I can count on. Only someone really committed would stay around for 38 years. That means I don't have to worry if they'll be there next year, or ten years from now.
I've tried enough stuff to know what I'm good at, what I'm bad at, and what I can do just well enough to get enjoyment from so long as I don't need to make money at it.
I've seen my kids, all of them, become better people than their dad. I don't worry about how they'll turn out; they already have.
I've seen God's unfailing faithfulness, and that through some really dark times. So his track record removes any worry about the future.

I liked being young. And the physical limitations of advancing years frustrate me, the more so because I love being active. But I'm fine with growing old. I know, it's going to get more frustrating and the limitations will only increase.
"Nobody told me the road would be easy. I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me."