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There was a time around the age of 18 when I had to make a decision whether or not I would "confirm" with the Catholic Church. It's never too late to confirm, but 18 is the universally accepted age to go big or go secular.

I opted not to confirm. Scott, also undecided, began exploring Eastern philosophy at the same time and made "Surfing the Himalayas" his temporary bible. (One could argue skiing is at least physically closer to heaven.) To each his own.

Now, while I sit in the pergatory between Catholicism and being a registered democrat (JFK was an enigma), I think I should be more agressive in my spiritual quest so that I can cash in, literally.

According to the AP today, "A man [in Knoxville, Tenn.] says he was so consumed by the spirit of God that he fell and hit his head while worshipping. Now he wants Lakewind Church to pay $2.5 million for medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering."

Maybe that's not such a great idea. I'd think that by suing the Church for falling over in prayer, you'd likely have a greater falling out with God, right? I think I'll hold my position for now.

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The only thing more awkward than a first date is one in which your roommate Katrine just so happens to be at the same bar where you're meeting the date so that she can watch the activity, or lack thereof, unfold.

Ugh. Next in line.

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I'm nearly halfway through class right now.

For those of you interested, everything you'd ever want to know about the class -- including lecture, student blogs and assignments -- is at http://neteconomics.wordpress.com.

The subject of the course may be "media economics," but the name of the game is "transparency and access," which may be the way of the future of various fronts. When was the last time you turned in a book review as a blog post?

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That liberal, feminist columnist Maureen Dowd has the top spot again on the NY Times' most emailed list. The attraction to her column, titled "An Ideal Husband," can only mean that women feel they are missing something in the opposite sex, or are perhaps interested to know if something's missing.

Dowd doesn't actually write much of anything new in this column. Instead, she just runs quotes from Father Pat Connor, a 79-year-old Catholic priest who has given the lecture "Whom Not to Marry" for the past 40 years. Some excerpts:

  • "Never marry a man who has no friends. This usually means that he will be incapable of the intimacy that marriage demands..."
  • "Steer clear of someone whose life you can run, who never makes demands counter to yours. It’s good to have a doormat in the home, but not if it’s your husband."
  • "Does he have a sense of humor? That covers a multitude of sins..."

Considering the qualifications presented by Connor, I don't think there's such a shortage of men women should want to snag (Case in point: Me), but rather women need help identifying these men (Read: Smart dating). Unfortunately, they won't find much more guidance from the column.

That's the typical hook for any article (Read: catalogs, US Weekly, Maureen Dowd advice columns, etc.) targeting women: Show women what they want (clothes, body, men), but never how to attain. Got to keep up readership, right?

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GOD BLESS AMERICA!
I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July.

I went out to the one and only Mike Chaffee(!)'s waterfront home on Mercer Island for the evening. He threw a one hell of a party, complete with BBQ, fire pit, Rock Band and ice luge.

Screw bars. I need to go to house parties way more often.

Update: More pictures here.