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Well we’re just about at the halfway mark of the 30 Days to a Better Man Project. How have you done so far? Is your commitment wavering or are you manning up each and every day and getting every task done? How many tasks have you completed? 10 out of 13? 8 out of 13? How many of you men out there have done perfectly so far, nailing 13 out of 13?

If you’re behind, never fear. You can always get back in the saddle and catch up. Here’s a rundown of this week’s tasks:

• Day 7: Reconnect with an Old Friend. ^[2]Hopefully, many of you really enjoyed catching up with an old buddy of yours. I know I did. If you haven’t contacted someone already, use the weekend to give him a call or write him a letter. And then tell us how it went on the Community page. ^[3]

• Day 8: Start a Journal. ^[4]Will your grandkids know how much you cared about being the best man you could be? They will if you started a journal this week and wrote about participating in the 30 Days to a Better Man project. Keep on journaling every night. While it’s not always pleasant to do, it’s like putting money into a  bank account; it will pay rich dividends later. Let us know how you’re keeping your journal on the Community page. ^[5]

• Day 9: Take a Woman on a Date. ^[6]So you had all week to come up with a killer date. Who did you ask? What did you do? And did you enjoy getting in touch with your suave romantic side? Fill us in on the Community page. ^[7]

• Day 10: Memorize “If.” ^[8] I was really impressed by the enthusiastic response this task received. Apparently many men also believe in the benefits of memorizing great poetry and literature. How’s the memorizing process going? Do you have the whole thing down yet? Let us know how much progress you’ve made on the Community page. ^[9]

• Day 11: Give Yourself a Testicular Exam. ^[10]Well, this was an easy task; we just took something many of you do anyway and gave it some actual purpose. Hopefully you found your cajones to be in tip top shape. If not, don’t put off making an appointment with your doctor. If you need extra motivation, read the story the huhman posted on the Community page ^[11] about his 19 year old son’s diagnosis of testicular cancer.

• Day 12: Create a Bucket List. ^[12]There’s nothing wrong with being ordinary most of the time, but every man needs a little adventure and excitement in his life too. If you haven’t done so already, sit down and really think about all the goals you want to accomplish before you kick the bucket. If you need some inspiration, check out the lists that have already been posted on the Community page. ^[13]

• Day 13: Declutter Your Home. ^[14] It’s time to clear your mind by clearing our your environment. The more you simplify your life, the happier you’ll be. So take an opportunity this weekend to get rid of all the clutter that’s been piling up around you.

Around the Community This Week

• In 2 weeks, Stephen Farrar ^[15] is heading to the United States Military Academy. Did you attend West Point or another military academy? Stephen is looking for some advice and tips on the experience. ^[16]

• Jenks ^[17]posted an interesting article by Naomi Wolfe ^[18]where she argues that maybe we shouldn’t be so reluctant about accepting biological gender differences and explains how these differences may explain why men can’t see the laundry piling up.

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• Jared Padgett, ^[20] whose blog post on the Art of Grilling ^[21]was published on the main site, wrote a follow-up ^[22]to counter the critics of that piece.

• Douglas Breault ^[23] is seeking advice ^[24]on what pen to purchase in the Fountain Pens Group. ^[25]

• David Hawkins ^[26] started a discussion ^[27]in the Benjamin Franklin Fan Club ^[28] on whether Franklin’s saying, “He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas,” is elitist.
  

• So you’re hard at work decluttering your house. But what about decluttering your, um, colon? If that part of your life could use some cleaning out too,  Chris Partida ^[29] offers a solution. He shares a blog post ^[30] in which he outlines the health benefits of the wondrous psyllium husk.

• James ^[31] wrote an excellent two part essay about how much he loved looking through his father’s old comics ^[32] as a kid and the time he discovered a whole treasure trove of comics in an old barn. ^[33]

• Is there a song that really speaks to you, that really sums up or defines your life? In the AoM Audiophiles ^[34] Group, John Clanton ^[35] has started an interesting discussion ^[36] on this question.

Art of Manliness Contests

Don’t forget that we have two really cool contests going on during the month of June.

• The AoM Community PhotoGroup is sponsoring a Father’s Day-themed photo contest ^[37]. The winner gets a Hawaiiabera shirt. ^[38]

• Sign up for the Toilet Paper daily newsletter ^[39]and you could win an Amazon Kindle.

Favorite Comment of the Week

Wayne’s post ^[40] on Thursday drew a variety of interesting responses. I particularly enjoyed this response from Will:

General Interest Links

1001 Rules for My Unborn Son. ^[41] If you haven’t seen this website already, be sure to check it out. The author posts short rules he plans on teaching his son. Gotta love any list that includes “Carry two handkerchiefs.”

Good Leadership ^[42] (@Cowboy Bob’s Western Values) Cowboy Bob’s blog tries to glean insights for the modern man from the cowboy mythology of movies and folklore. In this post he discusses some leadership lessons that can be learned from watching the film, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon.

For Dad: 10 Awesome Father’s Day Gift Ideas ^[43] (@Building Camelot). Father’s Day is next weekend and if you need some ideas about what to get dear old dad, check out this post. I love that he lists the new Verizon Mi-Fi. I just got one, and it is sa-sweet. I drove across the country this week and had Internet the whole way, allowing me to continue posting on AoM. If you don’t have any dough to get Dad a gift, you should enter a contest ^[44] Tyler is also running where if you leave a comment about your favorite memory of your dad working on a DIY project, you’re entered to win a $100 Home Depot Gift Card.