As a reminder to my faithful readers (and those who may bounce in here by accident) you can either comment on any topic by hitting the comment link under each entry. Or, for a more private comment, you can send me an e-mail by using the link to the right. With that in mind, I wanted to share some thoughts based on recent comments and e-mails I have received.

I hope everyone either watched or taped Oprah and saw today’s episode with the Queer Eye guys. Lisa L. did New Hampton, Iowa proud and Thom Filicia gave Ms. L’s boyfriend a fabulously redesigned apartment. I think we’re all owed the story on how they were selected. Erick & Ann, do tell.

Speaking of Erick, he wrote me a tremendous e-mail last weekend. The following shall serve as my public response:

Dear Erick,
Thanks for the message. It’s always great to get feedback from loyal readers such as yourself. I’m glad you both enjoy the website, and use it as a starting point for an evening of surfing. I, too, love the Internet and the endless possibilities. Sometimes, I get online only wanting to research how many free throws teams coached by Roy Williams missed in their final game each season, and three hours later I’ve watched penguins at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, read the lyrics to every Public Enemy song, and read 15 different perspectives on the day’s biggest news story. I still need to send that thank you note to Al Gore for inventing this when he was reinventing government. I wish I had that kind of free time!
I have not tried the mayonnaise recipe you got at Beastieboys.com, but rest assured, as soon as we empty our current container of Hellmann’s, I’ll give it a shot.
I had no idea there was still a burgeoning BMX subculture. I remember breaking my friend Kent’s Mongoose bike in seventh grade (I snapped the gooseneck while trying to make a wicked jump). Giving Kent two month’s worth of my allowance to pay for it ended my BMX career early.
I’m pleased that Willie Nelson is such a big supporter of education. While it’s clear Willie got his masters in the school of life, not every kid has to follow his path to be successful.
Your HGTV reference confused me. Everything we’ve tried to plant here has died. Clearly there is nary a green thumb in this household.
Finally, I think the results returned from your search for Sean Murray have to be shared. From seanmurray.hit.bg:
Sean enjoys playing the guitar, snowboarding, snow skiing, horseback riding, and building computers. He is an avid David Lynch fanatic and has an impressive collection of Lynch memorabilia.
I’m surprised there’s no mention of his fondness for being naked.

Thanks again for the message, Erick. Please continue to wear your Bill Whittemore jersey out and about each weekend. It’s clearly paying dividends. If you find yourself anywhere near Indy this weekend, please stop by and we can watch the KU-MU game together.

Your pal,
D

Sebastian Assman would have been a fine name for a child. In fact, I may add it to the list of names I keep ready for those moments when S. asks me, “When we have kids, what names do you like?” My pat answers are DeShawn, LaDanian, and LaFester. If the kid’s going to ball, he needs a name to get respect before he steps on the court. I think Sebastian Assman has the same effect. Fellow newlyweds, answering like this ends the little question game pretty quickly, so you can get back to watching the game and drinking your High Life.

I’ve put a lot of thought into the “what causes gun violence” question that Bowling for Columbine brought up. Two thoughts: 1) Personal property is the organizing principle for the US. If you even think about taking something that’s mine, I’m supposed to defend it. I remember uncles who were farmers always reaching for the shotgun when a strange car pulled into the farm after dark. You show the gun first, ask questions later. Even a perceived threat can elicit the worst response sometimes. 2) The huge amount of wealth in this country combined with the ease of movement among social classes. If I have a gun, I can steal some money, a car, clothing, whatever it is I want. Instant social mobility. Problem is, sometimes flashing a gun and not meaning to use it escalates quickly.
Those aren’t meant to be exhaustive explanations, just two ideas. Whether you have an agenda or not, I think you can spend years studying this subject and still have no idea what the cause is (if there’s even one) or how to even begin finding a solution.

Some of you may have noticed the little counter on the right side of the page, which shows how many people have visited. I can get extended stats, like the IP address of everyone that visits, how they find me (personal bookmark, Google search, referring site, etc). The most interesting search so far is someone who searched for Drew Henson Girlfriend Pictures on MSN. Not sure how this popped up on the search, but I’m glad to have random people, if only for a moment, take a look. Dale Smith says he was able to find me briefly on Google under I love Nazis, but that has gone away, sadly.

Well, that’s all for now. The more comments and e-mails I get, the more often I’ll open up the mailbag. Coming events this week include:
– A discussion of the separation of church and state
– An ode to college rivalries
– And I’m way behind on my Listening Post entries. I hope to have one that Mike from BYU will enjoy.