After several days of my server being agonizingly slow, I think I’ve fixed the problem. For all of you with accounts, let me know if there’s anything else I need to deal with that can’t wait another month.

So, it’s about a week and a half until Webb and I fly to Europe.

The current list of cities on the itinerary is (in order): Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Interlaken, Venice, Rome, Barcelona, Pamplona, Paris, and back to Frankfurt. If any of you have suggestions on places/museums/monuments/ parks/clubs/restaurants/ sights/buildings/events/whatever to visit, I’d love to hear them!

And yet again life shows me that there’s always room for a new surprise.

On an unrelated, less-cryptic note, I noticed that Science is well on its way toward creating cattle with extra-tender meat! The article adds the qualifier that practical applications are still a ways off, but when they figure it out: Mmmm! Just think of the possibilities if this were somehow combined with Kobe beef…

I’m back in Minnesota now. You betcha!

Since I can write about whatever I feel like, I think I will do so. First up: lettuce.

I was in SuperTarget (a Target with a built-in grocery store) today, casually meandering through the produce section. I used to work in a grocery store, so I appreciate the occasional wandering amongst foodstuffs. It was all I could do to hold back from reciting the code number for various fruits and vegetables: “Bananas! 4011!” Ug. But I digress. So I was walking around when I noticed what must be the bleeding edge in fresh produce one-upmanship: lettuce so fresh that it is still alive. Yes, they are now selling mass-produced lettuce with the roots intact. I guess it was a long time coming, considering the prevalence of live lobsters and such. Killing your own lettuce seems a logical next step. No word yet on whether or not the extra $$$ — uh, err, I mean freshness — makes the lettuce taste better.

While out shopping for backpacks today, something dawned on me: I used a bloody HUGE backpack for my books during high school and college. Based on an unscientific comparison between my new pack and my book pack, I’d say that my book pack has a capacity a healthy ways north of 3000 cubic inches — in other words, really big by book bag standards. Due to its size and numerous straps, I think that it’s actually a large day pack or maybe a small backpacking backpack. Anyhow, what’s the point? There are, in fact, two: a) It’s a shame that I’ve actually made use of all of my bag’s capacity on occasion while going to class and b) I think that kids would be better off if they used backpacks with “real” backpack features (namely, a waist strap).



Anyhow, that’s enough rambling for today.

Tonight marks the end of a chapter in my life. Tonight is my last night at the Pike house.

Time to turn the page…