I'm looking to get a Stratocaster or an equivalent, preferably used.  Anyone have any tips or advice on what I should look for, and how much I should spend?

Where and how can I join the Jimmy Rollins fan club? 

As some of you know, I follow the New York Yankees.  Here's a great resource if you're a fellow fan and want to keep up with the Bronx Bombers. 

http://yankees.lohudblogs.com/

The best parts are the audio clips taken from press conferences and media gatherings.  You can hear the actual responses from the players and coaches, which I've found to be much different than what the AP and ESPN writers want you to hear. 

And while I'm on the subject - as some of you know, there's a bit of tension right now between the Yankees and Bernie Williams.  He wants to come back, but the Yankees don't have a roster space for him.  They've invited him to spring training to try out for a spot, but he hasn't yet accepted. 

While I'm all for loyalty and treating a long-time player "right," I'm also interested in my team winning games.  Unfortunately, Bernie no longer helps in that regard.  He can't be a late-inning defensive sub - he's slow, and his bad arm has gotten even worse.  He can't pinch hit off the bench - his bat now moves through the zone about as quick as a turtle moving through molasses. 

The most annoying thing about this is people like Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated (formerly of Newsday) saying things like, "Bernie performed well last season..." or that he's "...still pretty good on the field..." and propagating this idea that Williams still has something to contribute.  Saying that Bernie still has the ability to contribute on the field is bad analysis at best, and instigative at worst. 

Good / Bad

Here's an update on how things are going, in the form of Good/Bad. 

Spending birthday with new friends...  Good
Turning 27.... Bad

Awesome weather for outdoor activity.... Good
Bad ankle....Bad

Three day weekend with low workload..... Good
Girlfriend away on trip....   Bad

Learning cool new things...  Good
Incurring thousands in debt.... Bad

Having multiple interviews....  Good
Not hearing back from any of them...  Bad

Getting a free stereo...  Good
Finding that the volume knob doesn't work.... Bad

Unbelievable.  Janet is now dating a 27 year old. 

Oww 

Interesting Reading

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070202/ap_on_re_af/guinea_bissau_ladies__choice

In this archipelago of 50 islands off the western rim of Africa, it's women, not men, who choose. They make their proposals public by offering their grooms-to-be a dish of distinctively prepared fish, marinated in red palm oil. Once they have asked, men are powerless to say no.

"Love comes first into the heart of the woman," he explained. "Once it's in the woman, only then can it jump into the man."

Wow, that is a weird system.