No Gum on the Bus!!!

There is a school bus stop not far from my house. This is the back of the sign where the kids wait to get picked up.

I'm glad to see the kids are following the rules by not chewing gum on the bus.

I suppose some folks might not like the idea of sticking gum on the back of the sign. I guess some curmudgeon (Surprise! It's not me!) might consider it vandalism of sorts, at the worst, or, at least some bizarre form of littering. Personally, I think the kids have created a bit of an art piece.

I just hope the kid who started this isn't some unlikeable little puke who needs a swift kick in the ass.

Either way, it's a cool piece of found art and I like the end result. Don't you?

Snack Time

I made up a batch of snack critters to take to class. I had asked my students how many of them were willing to try something new and at least half the class raised a hand. I was curious how many of them actually meant it!

I wasn't too surprised to find that many of those who had raised a hand would have nothing to do with our crispy, tasty fare.

Several students, however, did have a go and most of them thought they were OK. I'm not going to lie and say anyone was so hooked they wanted to eat like this every day, but they did like them enough to try a second.

A couple of people wanted to take a couple with them so they could get a friend or family member to give them a try.

What we had here was a combination of superworms and wax moth larvae. The waxworms were actually quite tasty. After frying them I had sprinkled them with a dash of maple pepper so they had a tangy little bite to them.

I highly recommend entomophagy--the eating of insects. Tasty, high in protein, and nowhere near as damaging to the environment as the farming of meat animals! Give them a try.

10,000 B.C. ... Give Or Take 6000 Years.

I just saw a preview for the movie 10,000 Years B.C. As long as you don't place any significance whatsoever on historical accuracy or anything like that, it looks like quite the thrill ride. Mastodons, saber-toothed tigers, warriors on elephants, action packed, baby, action packed.

But pyramids? Egyptian pyramids? 10,000 B.C.? Um. No. Not for another 6000 years or more, I'm afraid. Escapism at its best I guess--as long as you take it with a heavy dose of willing suspension of disbelief!

American Idol Winner Gets A Gig!

I see Jordin Sparks is singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. You probably don't know who she is--she's last year's American Idol winner. I see that since the Super Bowl is in her hometown they were finally able to find a venue where people would actually come to hear her sing. Go Jordin!

Says a lot for the whole "American Idol" franchise, doesn't it? Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood are the only winners to really make a show of it. Clay Aiken and Daughtry have a lot of success, but they didn't win. They were American Idol "Losers."

If you're Tayler Hicks and Ruben Stoddard, Fantasia (seriously...Fantasia?), and, well, I can't think of the other winners and had to look these three up, but if you're one of these people--how do you mount a come back tour when you never went anywhere in the first place?

One Mystery of Male Female Relations Explained

While feeding my grandson today I had a realization that explains the eternal mystery of why men are seemingly incapable of understanding women. In some ways that Freudian maxim about everything going back to your mother may be pretty accurate after all. At least where my theory is concerned. No. No. No. It has nothing to do with potty training. That's a whole new list of issues that I won't dwell on here.

It happens like this: For the first few years of our lives women pat us on our backs and encourage us to belch after we eat. They even praise us for it when we do. Good, baby! Good burpies!

And then, all of a sudden, for the rest of our lives they berate us whenever we belch and call us ill-mannered pigs.

Is it any wonder we spend our lives conflicted and unsure of where we stand with the opposite sex?