John Wayne Toilet Paper - it's rough, it's tough, and it doesn't take crap off of anyone.

Marat Safin is an idiot. But anyone who has followed his tennis career knew that before his recent call for Andre Agassiz turn in all his trophies and prize money.

A couple of years ago I got Pam a personalized license plate for her birthday. It says GRRAMMY because that's one of the more valued roles in her life. The word with one R was already taken, as were other options I tried.
On occasion I drive her xB and I've felt less than brimming with masculinity realizing that people see me driving a car with that plate.
The other day it dawned on me: people probably see that plate and think I'm an award winning rock star!
I sit a little taller in the seat now.

Lots of people in the business think Kareem Abdul-Jabbar should have been hired as a head coach in the NBA, or at the very least at a Division I university a long time ago. His extreme introverted personality during his playing days caused people to assume he couldn't work well in a coaching setting. Kareem's life since his days with the Lakers has had some significant setbacks, including financial problems, not all of his own doing.
We were big Lakers fans back in the "showtime" days of Kareem, Magic, Worthy, Cooper, Rambis and the rest of the team. So Pam and I both felt sad when we heard today that Kareem has a rare form of leukemia. I hope his prognosis is as good as he says it is.

The anti-strike movement (see last night's post) is growing. Interesting to watch this play out.

Do you know about the castrati? Here's an interesting article on Slate.com about this dark period in musical history that includes embedded brief clips from a new album by Cecilia Bartoli singing music written for them.

This morning I had coffee (OK, I also had a muffin) with a brother I met a couple of weeks ago. We talked for 90 minutes about theology, church planting and the challenges of learning God's will.

I've always enjoyed the immediate and easy connection of meeting family for the first time. It's different from anything else I experience. I meet other people who own classic VW's, have Greyhounds or grew up in Seattle. But meeting someone who is also a son of my Father brings with it an organic connection that can't be described but is instantly recognizable. I look forward to more conversations in the future.