E-MAIL BONDING: One of my good pals has been on quite a fitness kick for the past couple years, running marathons and working out with a personal trainer. Yesterday he sent me an e-mail about a business-related something-or-other, then added, "I had my body fat percentage done yesterday, and it came in at 7.5%."

Pretty impressive, right? Sure. But then he gets a little worried, writing: "Don't forward my body fat info along to (business contact) lest he think, you know, we're like gay and stuff."

I laugh, and I taunt him: "You're in very good shape, but I can still do more dips than you."

His response is what makes this whole episode worth recounting here:

"If we're ever attacked by Iraqis with WMD, and the only way to escape is through dips by repetition, you will be one of the very few survivors."