Ok boys, it’s already real hot in North Carolina. I’d been living in (Southern) Italy the last few years, and swear by linen in warm weather. Classy, comfortable and incredibly effective to help with the heat- however- nobody here seems to be wearing it. Except me, of course. Dudes have been stopping me and saying “what’s that?” Or “how can you be in long sleeves/ pants right now?” And have genuinely never heard of linen clothes. The real question is… why? Are most dudes just opposed to branching out from what is standard?

Back in November 😬 @Antonio Centeno sent me a very nice thank you for supporting the group as a premium member. When I received it I was both shocked and perplexed... Shocked at the generous gift, and perplexed with how to best use it. Now to explain: Some of you may know I'm in the middle of a weight loss journey that started at 570 pounds in August 2024. As of today I've lost 217 pounds, with about 93-123 pounds remaining to get to my goal range. I found Antonio's channel when I started shopping for new clothes, trying to figure out who I am stylistically. The gifts, by the way, are a Navy Silk Knit Livingston Tie, Stainless Tie Bar, and Berlin Paisley Pocket Square from The Dark Knot. Needless to say, in this transitional period, suits have not been a part of my current wardrobe, hence the conundrum... I've finally decided what I'm going to do with these gifts, and I hope that I'm doing them justice. When I stabilize in that goal range, I'm going to celebrate by, among other things, getting my first proper suit, in dark grey herringbone, with an equally suitable pair of Chelseas to go with it... @Antonio Centeno , thanks again for the gift. I really appreciate it. I'll be sure to share the milestone with the group when I reach it.

Here's a short clip of a race that I watched yesterday. It's known as the Sydney Cup a qualifying race for the prestigious Melbourne Cup. Amazingly this race was one of 4 Group 1 races that I had the privilege of watching yesterday.

Three years ago when my friend Tad Jones the Executive Director of the Will Rogers Memorial spoke to my Rotary Club, I came up with an idea: work concurrently in preparation of the 100 hundred year anniversary of the American Mother Road (Rt. 66) in 2026 to grow our Rotary Club. The Highway was also named the Will Rogers Highway At Will’s passing in 1935. https://oklahomaroute66.com/news/the-will-rogers-highway Tad was starting the process in 2023 to raise $11 million to break ground on the Will Rogers Memorial renovations (he raised $18 million in fact and breaks ground this August). I got the club last year to start a companion club that meets 2X a month in the evenings to support all things Will Rogers Highway. As the official “Membership Dude” (yup that’s my title), this process has increased our club by 50%. One of the things I designed was a bench and brochure under the title The Rotary Initiative: On the Road to Civility. The ultimate goal is to have these benches from Chicago to L. A which is like a “zipper” across the center of the US. God knows we could use more civility. I am most pleased to announce the first bench was dedicated today. I helped a young guy in the troop make its installation and promotion his Eagle Scout project. We had a county commissioner, a state Representative, the UnderSheriff and of course Tad Jones at the ceremony. The Rotary Club members (most of us in club shirts, me included) were there naturally as the first Bench went up at the county courthouse. It’s not about a bench it about the message of Civility along RT 66. Hope it works.