Things Money Can Buy

(To sound like a commercial)
There are some things money can’t buy.

For everything else, there’s ebay. Today it appears that gum once chewed by Jessica Simpson is no longer on the list of unpurchase-ables.


I’m not a big fan of gum chewers mainly because I don’t like the end result. A gob of resin left for future generations to either step on or scrape off of something.

Still, the person selling this particular wad of oh-not-so-freshness also claims that via Simpson’s “residue” on the gum you receive her DNA as a special bonus, suitable for cloning. (Yeah, but the embryonic chamber is sold separately.)

I took a screen shot so that this posting would still make sense after the auction is over on December 4th.



I also wanted pictorial evidence because this is just the kind of thing that the web was INVENTED FOR, and which I more often than not will show friends in years to come.

But back to the gum. I’m thinking that a nice shadow box is probably the proper display medium. If you have a better idea do let me know and I’ll put your name on the plaque as well. (Oh man, that pun was just sitting there staring me in the face!)

Hmmm… but now it occurs to me that if all a person wants to do is pretend that Jessica and he/she are swapping spit, I suppose they could just chew the gum instead of displaying it!

Wow, I think I just grossed myself out.

You call that snow?

Of course by Wisconsin standards what Albuquerque received yesterday snow-wise amounted to a trace.

Down in the city proper there wasn’t even a heavy frost last night. So, as I drove over to UNM yesterday, each block I traveled west of Tramway took me further away from any evidence that it had even snowed at all.


But at 6300 feet there was snowfall and winter has arrived in Central New Mexico.


Lows tonight in the mid-teens and highs tomorrow (November 30) in the low 30’s.


But nothing to shovel! I repeat there will be no shovels used today. (Except for the metaphorical kind as classes have not quite finished for the semester.)

Oh, and it sure is nice to get into a car that’s been sitting in a garage all night!

Better Keep the Attitude in Check

The final week is upon me and I feel the urge to....

... sleep in, get up at three and watch the Home and Garden Channel.

It seems I've only got two class sessions left to go this week and then my time as a full-time student comes to an end. (No, I'm not counting exams as part of this equation – they are of a different animal entirely).

It seems like an appropriate time to list the many reasons why I'm looking forward to returning to work but it also seems that I'm once again late for my Indian Law seminar. I must to run.

Sigh, although it repeatedly consists of three hours of my life I'll never get back, it's also necessary for me to at least go and make the professor feel relevant for just a tiny while longer. (No exam in his class but a paper that he will be, uh subjectively grading. You do the math.)

And don't you "sounds like a case of the Mondays" to me.

I’m short, baby.

Gobble, Gobble

We're having chicken tomorrow at Thanksgiving dinner.

Why? Well, because we're protesting the forced exploitation of the millions of turkeys sacrificed each year in a historical reenactment of the Pilgrim’s racially-motivated subjugation of the Native American culture....

Uh, right.

Actually, we're tired of throwing out the entire dark meat portion of the turkey (which we do every year) and have finally come to realize that with just two of us sitting down to dinner a nicely roasted chicken will do just fine.

Besides, I'm more of a side dish kind of person anyway.

Give me choice! Oh, and an extra spoonful of green bean casserole.

Art Imitates Life

My grandmother is a fantastic artist.

She doesn't admit it and in fact never suggests that she's anything but, "a painter who still needs a lot more lessons."

I disagree.

Here are a few samples of her more recent works:


Her still lifes, while usually on a small canvas, are very dramatic.


Like all great artists my grandmother goes through 'periods'.




For a large number of years she painted seascapes. Now she's moved onto flowers and is exploring old world scenes in Italy.



Truth is, I consider myself lucky to have a number of her paintings hanging in my house.

Sound Garden

Veteran's day holiday in Palm Desert... visiting my grandparents and enjoying not only the opportunity to spend time with them, but also the ten-hour drive to see them.

It's been many years since I lived close enough to actually drive to a family visit (in-laws notwithstanding). I like driving long distances, especially late at night. Nothing but truckers and cruising the AM radio spectrum for interesting talk radio originating in far away cities.

Ever tried that? The fun lies in not being able to tell how far away the station is until they give their traffic or call signs. I think the furthest city I picked up was St. Louis. Imagine that, hearing the "Traffic on the Sevens" update from St. Louis while burning west through the Arizona desert on I-10. Not critical information but a warm fuzzy glow never-the-less.

The grandparents are well and a good time was had by all (now that you ask). So much so that I'm already looking forward to the drive around Christmas.

Hmmm... and hearing the Midwest snow report.

Check that off the List...

MPRE down.

2 hours, sixty questions.

1 Number 2 pencil.

So now I know the ethics rules and have been forced to prove it on paper.