Whenever I tell people that I have a concealed carry permit I usually get a funny look in return. I think it makes people uncomfortable to know that I might be packing, especially if they have a negative view of guns or have never been around firearms. To be honest, I do not carry a concealed weapon on a consistent basis. After what happened last night a little over a mile down the road from us, perhaps I should?

A case of road rage in Walker County leaves a man dead and his children witnessed the whole thing…the victim and his two kids were driving along in their truck, when they were approached by a very aggressive driver. That driver began passing the victims car, tailgating him all along the road. Sheriff Steve Wilson says the victim pulled over to confront the driver. When he did, the suspect allegedly shot him four to five times.

When I heard this story my first thought was, “What if the victim had been armed?” When my wife found out about the shooting, her immediate comment was, “He should have never stopped.”

She is right. The first rule of self defense is try to avoid avoid a violent attack rather than attempt to survive one. Just because I may carry a gun does not mean that I am itching to use it. Keeping a clear head is key to avoiding a deadly encounter. The gun is there as a last resort.

My wife and I were driving south on I-75 toward Atlanta several years ago when a man started tailgaiting us aggressively. As soon as my wife noticed what was happening she moved over to the middle lane. However, the irate driver was not content to pass us. Instead he pulled up beside us and hurled obscenities. We backed off. We sped up. He continued to harass us on both sides. I wanted my wife to pull the car over so we could have a smack down, but she kept her course. Eventually the goon exited the highway.

I think back to that incident as a learning experience. Sometimes, however, we never get the chance to learn from our mistakes. Had cooler heads prevailed last night, then perhaps the outcome would have been different? Of course, this is not to say that one should not use deadly force when it is warranted. I am still thankful for that final option as our right and privilege. Most of all I am thankful for God’s grace, without which I would surely have undone myself long ago.

Update: Chattanoogan.com has more information on the story.

Today began my second week as one of the walking wounded at work. I have been hampered by a head cold that has migrated south and taken up residence in my chest. There is a veritable chorus of hacks and coughs that can be heard through and over the cubicle walls in our little corner of corporatedom. Everyone is sick; everyone has to work.

When I was dressing this morning I picked my favorite Eddie Bauer striped rugby off of the rack. I did not feel well so I was looking to be as comfortable as possible without bending the rules of corporate casual attire too far. However, I could not shake the feeling that the rugby just might be as dead as I felt.

Back in the late 80′s and early 90′s there were rugby shirts everywhere. I had at least five of them in my closet. All of a sudden they just disappeared. Then a couple years ago I started sighting them again. I think A&F actually had something to do with it. Then Gap, Old Navy and the rest of the gang got in on the act. I think they may have overdone it.

Consider the perennially classic casual shirt–the polo. It will bend and twist for any craze, like the chest stripe, but always comes home. The basic solid color polo will never go out of style. It will even endure the return of flipped up collars, in which manufacturer logos are sewn upside down underneath so that they show right side up when the collar is flipped.

But the rugby; is it as enduring a classic as the polo? Can the long sleeved, white collared and rugged knit shirt recover from the multiple morphings brought forth by bad designers? The fact that you can still buy them is not a good indicator. You especially cannot rely on catalog couture, because Lands’ End and L.L. Bean will sell rugby shirts regardless of whether they are in or out. I tried turning to Google, but did not find anything definitive. Therefore, I am opening up my wardrobe wonderings for your critique. So what say you, fashionistas?

For the first time in the year that we have been subscribing to the local newspaper, my wife has been picking it up from the front yard instead of me. The reason for the change? Sudoku Puzzles. She and my brother-in-law are addicted. Apparently, so are a lot of Americans.

I was reading Thursday’s print edition of USA Today and noticed that three of the top 50 best selling books were about the game of Sudoku.

According to Wikipedia, “Sudoku is a logic-based placement puzzle, also known as Number Place in the United States. The aim of the canonical puzzle is to enter a numeral from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called “regions” or “boxes”), starting with various numerals given in some cells (the “givens” or “clues”). Each row, column and region must contain only one instance of each numeral. Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability. Its grid layout is reminiscent of other newspaper puzzles like crosswords and chess problems. Although first published in 1979, Sudoku initially became popular in Japan in 1986 and attained international popularity in 2005.”

You can click on the puzzle above if you want to try Sudoku. Since the game is highly analytical, you would think that I would be playing it as well. Instead I have been resistant to get started. I either want to avoid becoming addicted, or I am afraid that my wife will be better at it than me. We are both highly competitive when it comes to games. Yeah, that is it. I am not playing Sudoku for the sake of my marriage.

I do not know if I can watch the second half. I know that Penn State is really good, but Illinois is really bad. After scoring on the opening drive, the Fighting Illini have given up eight straight touchdowns to the visiting team. I wish that I could revel in this victory, but I am still sore over last week’s loss to Michigan. Besides, it is so lopsided that I am embarrassed for the home team. Hopefully the second string will start the second half for the Nittany Lions.

This is just a quick note to say that I have updated my spam settings in an attempt to curb the “ca$ino” and “$ex” comments that I have recently received. Not only did I add certain keywords to my comment filters, but I am also once again moderating first time comments.

Providing that you have a previously approved comment, and you do not use one of the verboten words, then you will have nothing to worry about. If you have never commented before and your intentions are good, then please do not let my moderation curb your enthusiasm. Your comment will appear on the site as soon as I am able to approve it. If your purpose is to promote shady web sites, then good riddance.