Heh! great list of places you'd rather be, not mindless at all!

:)

Eric, you inlude "Lord of the Rings" in your meme ... last month, Jim at serotoninrain included LOTR in a meme on his blog ... a couple weeks back, I posted about LOTR on my blog ... could appreciation of LOTR be the tie that binds the blogosphere, and brings it together? (second, of course, after appreciation of Abbye photos) ...

Well, I can honestly say that I have NOT seen LOTR, nor read the book, so there goes that theory Jeff. So it must be the Abbye photos. ;-)

I'm with you on the Bluebell HVIC though! And hot dogs! And your wife's blueberry scones (never had them before, but I love them already...scones are the best breakfast food)! But Shredded Wheat?! Come on, let's be serious...fruit or no fruit, that stuff is like eating corrugated cardboard!

Since I am blogless, I'll just answer two parts:

4 jobs (I'll bet MLB's progression up the actg ladder is not this illustrious ;-):

Fish Shanty fry cook
Dairy Queen maiden
Golden Pelican Motel maid
CPA (I began my career cleaning toilets...I was cleaning offices for a CPA firm that learned I was an accounting student and gave me tax returns to prepare...I worked my way up to partner from there ;-)

4+ Vacations (and I can feel another one coming on SOON...I hope):

All 48 contiguous United States, plus Hawaii
Bicycled the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
Africa and the Seychelles Islands
Croatia, all along the Adriatic (the Other Mediterranean)

Thanks for letting me play. :-)

Gwynne, I was going to say that a graph of your career would be an exponential curve...but that wouldn't do it justice! And your vacation experiences seem to indicate that you should be the one giving Condi foreign policy advice. Those are some intriguing travels.

I just have one question: why don't you have a blog? Inquiring minds want to know [more]...

Wait a minute. You've never seen LOTR?!

Ah yes, you've got me there. I do not have a blog *because* I have not read or seen LOTR, thus also validating Jeff's thesis. :-\

Actually, my career could be better represented by a Venn diagram...there's a lot of overlap between what I do now and what I did before, if you get my drift. ;-)

Four jobs I've had that prepared me to comment here at the Fire Ant Gazette:

1 - Electrician
2 - Kennel help in a vet's office
3 - Technical Support (for a web-based application)
4 - Junior Ski Patrol wannabe.

#1 prompted my first comment here (as 'bb'), where I mistook Eric's playfulness for a subconscious death wish.

Couple #2 with being a life-long pet owner. Two middle-aged dogs currently. And I'll take partial responsibility for my son's guinea pig.

#3 is a stretch. But on those rare occasions where Eric mentions he's having a technical problem, I at least investigate.

#4 is in no way a job I held, but was a job I very much wanted. Free skiing! The problems were (a) I was 15 years old - too young - and (b) the "mountain" was farther than I could reasonably go for a job - even after I could drive.

...there's a lot of overlap between what I do now and what I did before, if you get my drift.

Indeed, I do. Although there might be those less knowledgeable readers who might try to connect cooking fish with cooking books, and we need to point out that's not what you're referring to! ;-)

Brian, the very thought that one must somehow be prepared or qualified to comment at the Gazette makes my head hurt. ;-)

I remember well the post that prompted your first comment. I got several concerned emails, which were vivid reminders that sometimes lame attempts at humor on the internet can backfire. Nevertheless, I was still touched by the concern.

Brian's comment was hilarious! As was the context. Good stuff here at the Gazette. :-) I'm glad we don't have to pass a test in order to comment here.

And thanks for bringing clarity to my comment, Eric. Amazing as it is, that thought had not even crossed my mind...my focus was more on the KP duty.

No chocolate?

No chocolate?

Chocolate's not a food, it's a religion! ;-)

Um, I had to pass a test. You mean nobody else did?

And Gwynne... I'll add my voice to the chorus. Why don't you have a blog?

Um, I had to pass a test.

OK, I guess I was naive to think we could keep it a secret forever. The Gazette does have a screening process for commenters, and you were caught by the BMWVMBLIP* Clause.

But, hey, you passed it, so all's well that ends well, right?

*Blogging Musicians With Vocational Ministry Backgrounds Living in Pennsylvania. We can't be too careful, you know.

Apparently I slipped through the cracks, not being a blogger, or a musician, or a vocational minister, or a PA resident. And I think Eric has a soft spot for accountants...he knows we've had all the tests we can handle.

And Jim, I thought I answered that question already. ;-) That, and it should be quite apparent from my comments, that I have very little of any value to say, although that doesn't stop me from saying it on *someone else's* blog (but here's where Eric will humbly say that his objective is to remain content-free, which we all know is a big fat lie). ;-) Maybe. Someday. When I learn how to build a website (hint, hint).

Oh wait! I DO have a blog:

http://www.xanga.com/Gwynne_r

And as you can see, I have nothing to say. ;-)

Okay Gwynne, you did answer the question @ Jeff, kinda. But I thought that was more in the way of a Match Game 76... you know, they were all permitted one joke answer apiece.

About your blog: there may not be any posts, but I dig the hat.

Match Game 76! I loved that show!! And now that our house has finally succumbed to the abuses of cable TV, I can watch it all over again. :-\

Yeah, it's hard to take myself too seriously when wearing that hat. Makes me burst out in song, in fact ("I feel pretty, oh, so pretty, so pretty and witty, and gay!") I dig it too...thanks! :-)

Yeah, I dig the crazy chapeau too, but I was totally distracted by that big hairy goiter...

Oh, was I not supposed to mention that?

Oh, and you don't have to know how to build a website in order to have a blog. In fact, it's better that you don't know.

So, really, you have no excuse, and the public is growing increasingly restless.

LOL :-) I'm feeling the restlessness.

Oh, and thanks for pointing out the obvious, Eric. I've since had it removed. Actually, my husband removed me from the petting zoo before it became attached. ;-)