I’m an only child who has been fortunate/blessed/karmically-enabled with a Dugger-sized family of non-blood brothers, and those of you who know what I’m talking about will get this immediately…blood isn’t always thicker than water.

Jim is my brother.

You’ve already met Brian, R.J., Mark, Guido, and Jason on this podcast.  Tony on Facebook if you hang out there.  They are my brothers.  You’ve not met Phillip.  He’s my brother, too.

But Jim…this one is for Jim.  I was a Resident Assistant in Lothrop Hall at the University of Pittsburgh.  Fall 1994 through Spring 1995.  Jim was a resident.  Jim and I were also members of the Heinz Chapel Choir.  Some of you are former members.  We made music…did we not?  Jim and I were also part of what I’d argue was the first contemporary a cappella group on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.  Like, what kids know today from the Pitch Perfect movies or The Sing Off.  It was the winter of 1993.  Having rehearsed an Angeles arrangement of “Always Something There to Remind Me,” we, six people named “The Five Bucks,” prepared to perform at the Friday night improvs in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning.  We got bumped.  Indignant and boisterous, we six 5 Bucks exited the Cathedral, stood at the front entrance, and put on a performance for our friends and whoever was interested enough to freeze their collective asses off in the middle of a blustery Pittsburgh Winter.  (Here is a bit more of the history from the Pitt Pendulums’ website.  There you can follow the inception and progress of co-ed contemporary a cappella at Pitt.)

And through those experiences, along with a trip to Miami for the Super Bowl in 1995 (…I believe Jim’s Mom won one of those contests through a snack brand…enter a code, mail a thing, call a number, eat enough Doritos, you know…for an all expenses trip for two…), the highlight of which was stumbling upon a free Chuck Berry concert (…yes, you read that right…), Jim became my brother.

There are other brothers as well, and my hope is to introduce them to you.  For now, however, let’s finish this conversation with Jim.

We present to you, “The Sam Harris Problem…Resolved.”

-G