Just started into straights (about 7 or 8 shaves now) and started stopping with a TM Apprentice, and the center seems to be getting smoother down the whole length of the strop. Should the strop be getting smoother the more I use it?
I guess it concerns me because the smoothing effect is not even over the entire strop. Would rubbing it with my hands as Tony recommends help this?

For the first few strokes I can really feel the strop pulling against the blade but after that it seems to become very slick...I hope this is just the blade realigning. Any thoughts?