Lady Bellingrath Gardens in Theordore, Ala./Photo Salena Lettera

Tucson’s Salena Lettera is a minority – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

The particular minority group to which she belongs lets her travel the country, constantly hang out with her boyfriend and makes her more money in a month than she used to make in an entire year.

The feisty female, 42, is a truck driver. Women make up a scant 4.5 percent of truckers that trek through the nation, according the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You wouldn’t guess Lettera’s a trucker just by looking at her. While she said some of the trucker stereotypes are true, she won’t fall prey to them.

“There are tons of sloppily dressed, unshaven, infrequently bathed individuals out here,” she said. “They don’t always have manners and they aren’t always very socially adept. I think this job is a little too perfect for a person who likes to be alone and who doesn’t really socialize all that much with the general public. And for the guys who have been doing it for so long, I think they ‘forget’ how to act around others.”

Herring gull at Depoe Bay, Ore./Photo Salena Lettera

Heck, Lettera won’t start the day without her lip gloss.

“My atypical girlie checklist makes me an anomaly in my industry,” Lettera says of the list that includes the lip gloss along with coiffed hair, spritzed perfume, silver hoop earrings and flip-flops with a matching purse.

“Although I’m no stick figure, I do try to work with my size – most women out here do not care about what they wear, they don’t do much to their hair, they rarely wear makeup and they don’t really ‘girly up’ their image,” Lettera said.

She travels with Ed, 35, her boyfriend of six years. He skips the perfume and silver hoop earrings – but has helped guide her in the profession.

No, they didn’t fall in love at a truck stop over corned beef hash. The two met online and have been a trucking team of owner-operators for the past three and one-half years.

Kayaks in Rockport, Mass./Photo Salena Lettera

“I guess it both makes us stronger AND makes me want to scream,” Lettera wrote in an e-mail. “Ed is very easygoing, while everything annoys me. You have to have a strong relationship to be able to be around each other 24/7 – most relationships are never put to this test.

“We do argue, but I guess for the most part you need to have tolerance (which Ed has in bucket loads over me) and have some similar interests. I think the real secret is that we love what we do.”

Lip gloss, good money and hanging out with Ed aside, Lettera’s favorite part of the job is the absolute freedom of it all. No time clock, no demanding boss, no windowless office.

“I have been to all 50 states, 11 Canadian provinces and three Mexican border towns. I love waking up every day in a new place and being able to visit family and friends at any time along the way,” she said.

South Padre Island, Texas/Photo Salena Lettera

She and Ed clock in an annual 150,000 miles and more than 300 days on the road.

Born in the Bronx and raised in the Catskills, Lettera’s current home base is Tucson, where she and Ed have their stuff in storage and stay with her mother while in town.

“It works out much better,” she said. “We’re still always on the lookout for a house, but we can’t agree as to where we really want to buy. So – we don’t have a house that collects the always present dust of Tucson and my Mom gets all our mail. What a deal.”

Another cool deal is the constant change of scenery – not to mention some of the kookier things she sees on the road.

She ranks the kookiest as the burly, mean-looking trucker dude they spied at a rest stop – whose toenails were painted a bright, glittery red.

If she had to pick a favorite state she’d go with Tennessee. She rates Texas the most rancid.

Tucson's own Ghost Ranch Lodge/Photo Salena Lettera

“It’s big, ugly, hot, dusty and I’ve never been to any part of it (and I’ve traveled it east to west, north to south) that I find remotely likable,” she said.

But even the Lone Star State’s dust can’t blind her enthusiasm.

“I think it’s a great career, a fabulous way to see our country, a learning experience almost every day and something I wish I discovered earlier in life,” Lettera stressed. “I can’t think of any negatives that would make me NOT recommend doing this to someone looking for a great job. Of course, it’s not for everyone, but sometimes people (like me) just KNOW whether they’d like it or not.

“I think everyone who knows me knew that I had a bit of wanderlust and that this job fits my personality perfectly.”

Check out Salena’s adventures on her blog, The Daily Rant at SalenaLettera.com, that comes complete with artistic photos. She is also a blogging expert Big Truck TV and has a host of photos at Flickr.com

Keep on truckin’, Salena, you’re one cool lady!

Salena and Ed in White Sands, N.M./submitted photo

–

Ryn Gargulinski is a poet, artist, performer and TucsonCitizen.com Ryngmaster who would love to be a trucker if she could do it from home. Her column appears every Friday on Rynski’s Blogski. Her art, writing and more is at RynRules.com and Rynski.Etsy.com. E-mail rynski@tucsoncitizen.com.

What do you think?

Any other women or men you know have unconventional jobs?

What’s your dream job?

Would you want to be a truck driver?

Tucson streets offer plenty of fine obstacles for motorists and bikers alike.

Bicycle limbo/Urban Assault Ride photo

We get potholes, jagged palm tree shards, random cardboard boxes, those metal street plates put down during construction and occasional bouts with darting pedestrians and roadkill.

Bicyclists are particularly lucky as they are not protected by a couple of tons of metal car-shaped armor with cushy leather seats.

But bikers need not despair – they can get training instead – all in the name of fun.

The fun comes in the form of the Urban Assault Ride, kicking off its 2010 tour in Tucson on April 18.

Bicyclists sign up with partners and then bike around the city, conquering a number of strategically placed obstacles.

Drivers don’t fret – no obstacles will be set up in places like Aviation Parkway or the middle of Speedway.

More than 450 bikers in Tucson signed up for the Urban Assault Ride’s debut last year, which once again started in Old Pueblo before moving on to other cities across the nation. The ride hits Seattle, Chicago, St. Louis and Des Moines – just to name a few.

Paperboy relay/Urban Assault Ride photo

Learn more or register at www.urbanassaultride.com/tucson

Cost is $45 per person, which goes up to $60 per person as even draws nearer. Monies help benefit Sonoran Desert Mountain Bike Association. The association is also looking for event volunteers.

Oh! There is one other requirement. Bicyclists have to be ready for a beer-filled party at Maynard’s Market following the event. Belgium Brewing sponsors Urban Assault. And we’re glad the beer comes after, not before, the ride.

While the organizers would not disclose this year’s obstacles – “that would ruin the surprise,” said PR rep Sharon Cutler – she did mention some of last year’s challenges.

They included a bike limbo, BMX racing, a paperboy relay, the human wheelbarrow, boats and water slides.

Riders are allowed to dismount their bikes for some of the obstacles.

While neither roadkill nor big metal street plates were on the list, obstacles in the Urban Assault Ride will make us safer if we ever happen to encounter a water slide while bicycling down the street.

You never know.

Two major bicycle obstacles floored me in the past, both about 100 years ago and both while biking in Michigan. The first was a woman who pulled her car into and stopped in the middle of my path as she was pulling out of a driveway. The second was those dang construction barrels.

My bike rammed into the side of the woman’s car, leaving a colossal dent in her passenger door. Rather than apologizing, she quickly rolled up her window and sped away. My bike cracked in half on the way home.

The construction barrels were my fault. I was swiftly tooling down the street and thought it would be fun to kick one. No one ever told me they were filled with sand. I woke up in the middle of the roadway.

For some strange reason, I have not been biking a lot – or at all – lately. But if I were to start up again, I’d definitely go for the Urban Assault Ride to get some preliminary training.

Tucson Urban Assault Ride foot race/Urban Assault Ride photo

What do you think?

Will you be signing up for the Urban Assault Ride?

What other biking events have you attended?

What’s the most annoying obstacle on Tucson roadways?

Education without art is like a sky without sunshine, a car without wheels, a vampire without fangs…

You get the idea. You may be able to survive, but you’ll surely be miserable.

Art makes the world go round/Photo Ryn Gargulinski

Yet with all the public school funding woes, art programs are usually the first to go.

Sure, some steps are being taken. Organizations like Opening Minds through the Arts Foundation (OMA), mentioned by Artistic Tucson blogger Charles Spillar, works to keep all forms of art in the schools and use it to enhance learning in other areas.

But are programs like that enough?

You can always buy a kazoo and a can of paste to provide your own art lessons for your kids. Or you can get your kids the heck out of there.

Independent schools may be an option. Read more about the newly formed Tucson Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) in a news release that mentions “educating the whole child,” “vibrant art programs” and, perhaps most importantly, “financial aid.”

Representatives from each school will be on hand at this weekend’s Tucson Festival of Books on the University of Arizona campus.

Art needs to be fostered and encouraged at an early age. Education must include art. Kids can’t be well-rounded when all they get are spelling tests where they are not even required to spell the words properly and a strange new way to do math.

Art also provides kids with a healthy outlet for pent up energy. They can release their violence, disruption and angst on a canvas instead of on the kid with the pop bottle lens glasses. Artistic expression should not be limited to graffiti and weird patterns created on the wall with spit wads.

Artistic expression is a necessity/Photo Ryn Gargulinski

Aside from one of my early teachers that told my mom, “Your kid will never be a writer,” some of my fondest school moments involve art:

* Collection of illustrated poems I created way back in elementary school – and still have today. Even then my drawings and poetry were warped. But they were also wholly encouraged.

* The collage of a bright pink monster I made using ripped up strips of construction paper. Think it had polka dots and a deep purple background. I was in love.

* My Garfield the cat piñata – OK, that one was more like a gigantic nightmare because I made it way too big and then got sick of sticking on little pieces of tissue paper with a pencil and cried until mom helped me.

* The portrait of Loni Anderson I sketched on my first round using charcoal. That one sticks in my head because the shop teacher, whom we’ll call Mr. R, was filling in for the art teacher and Mr. R. helped me sketch it so the portrait ended up with massive cleavage that shocked the heck out of my parents.

See how fun art can be?

Including art in education may not be the answer to all of society’s woes – but it sure would be dandy if it were.

Ceramic spaghetti and meatball project/submitted by AZMouse

What do you think?

Is art essential to education?

Would you consider an independent school for your children?

What are your fondest early art memories?

Was art encouraged or ignored in your own education?

Do you reckon yourself an artist?

Cloud cover/Ryn Gargulinski

Tucson’s cloudy dark skies of late can only mean one thing. The cloud spirits were pretty dang angry.

Cloud spirits, of course, help rule the world, at least according to some Native American beliefs.

As we might suspect, dark, foreboding clouds means the spirits are irate. When they get thoroughly disgusted, they will spew down rain to help purify the Earth and wash away our wrongs. I like to think of them puking.

Seems we’ve had quite a litany of wrongs lately.

The spirits get especially mad if you kill a spider, as superstition says killing a spider will make it rain.

When the cloud spirits are happy, they go play, leaving our skies as a clean, blue palette. If happy clouds do come frittering around, they are light and fluffy, like marshmallows or the stuffing that comes out of ripped-open dog toys.

Thin, wispy clouds mean the spirits are off to isolate, either bored or annoyed with our world. No, we can’t go join them.

Different cloud formations also send different messages to those that bother to gaze at and interpret them. If we pay attention, clouds can even tell us what streets to travel in Tucson, as chaotic cloud formations often mimic the chaos on the streets (see slide show photo 15).

If all this cloud spirit talk is too “woo woo” for you, you can always sit around and discuss the cloud’s Latin names, types, genesis, classification and the scientific reasoning behind the weather.

Just don’t kill a spider while you’re doing it.

Those scientifically inclined may also enjoy an Arizona Cloudscapes presentation that’s on the horizon.

What: Arizona Cloudscapes presentation by Glenn Minuth
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 18
Where: Sierra Vista Campus of Cochise College Center for Lifelong Learning, 901 N. Colombo Ave
Register by March 11: Call 520-515-5492 or 800-966-7943 ext. 5492.
How much? $19

In the meantime, take a break and enjoy the cloud slide show. To help you visualize cloud formations, I’ve included eyeballs on the first pic. The rest are up to you. At the very least, clouds are art – and a soothing way to escape daily grind.

Slide 1 of 31.
Tucson seascape with eyes to get you started/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 2 of 31.
Tucson seascape sans eyes now that you know/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 3 of 31.
Warped butterflies, Clovis, N.M./Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 4 of 31.
Awakening that's really sunset, Clovis/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 5 of 31.
Demon man, Clovis/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 6 of 31.
Hungry demon man, Clovis/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 7 of 31.
Hawk on high pillow, Clovis/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 8 of 31.
Upside down mountain head man, Clovis/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 9 of 31.
Fish head, Clovis/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 10 of 31.
Dancing serpents, Gasquet, Calif./Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 11 of 31.
Two ducks in a row, I-10, Ariz./Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 12 of 31.
Thor to the left, I-10, Ariz./Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 13 of 31.
Top o' the clouds, plane from Mexico/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 14 of 31.
Center of a cloudscape, plane from Mexico/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 15 of 31.
Chaos clouds reflecting street chaos in Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 16 of 31.
Sunset that looks like sunset, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 17 of 31.
Screaming turtle heads, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 18 of 31.
Big mouth, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 19 of 31.
Save the whales, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 20 of 31.
The hook, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 21 of 31.
No I didn't paint this, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 22 of 31.
Bubblegum, Tucson/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 23 of 31.
Bird basking stomach, Tulum, Mex./Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 24 of 31.
Serpent bird, Tulum/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 25 of 31.
Awakening that is an awakening, sunrise, Tulum/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 26 of 31.
Questioning caterpillar, Tulum/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 27 of 31.
Birth of the serpent bird, Tulum/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 28 of 31.
Billow boys, Tulum/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 29 of 31.
Disconnected train cars, Tulum/Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 30 of 31.
Union, Tucumcari, N.M./Ryn Gargulinski
Slide 31 of 31.
Monkey head, Tucumcari/Ryn Gargulinski

What do you think?

Do you ever bother to gaze at the clouds?

Can cloud spirits direct and guide you?

Welfare used to be a nasty word. Some folks were ashamed to apply for it, much less admit they were receiving it. But now, for many, it has become a way of life.

Photo Ryn Gargulinski

And why not. If someone handed you money every month to sit on your couch and watch soap operas, would you bother to go look for a job?

Neither would 60 percent of Arizona welfare families who have at least one adult in the house who is able to work, according to a news release from a Goldwater Institute. And those stats are from 2007.

Not only is that adult able to work, but he or she is supposed to be out finding work, as per the welfare-to-work reforms Congress passed in 1996.

These reforms dictated that states must try to get people off their couches and into job training or at least a part-time job.

Yes, we know. Now is not the greatest time to get a job. But folks have a better chance of nabbing one if they at least go through the motions.

The welfare-to-work program had great success in its first nine years – reducing welfare recipients from 4.4 million to 1.7 million across the nation. Arizona even cut its welfare rolls by 50 percent.

“But once the state reduced its welfare enrollment by half,” the release said, “the federal government no longer held Arizona accountable for additional progress.”

Please pass the remote. Days of Our Lives is starting.

We need to start a fire beneath the recipients, give them a little motivation to get off the couch.

Just as some folks busted for DUI have had a breathalizer attached to their ignitions, welfare recipients should have a block on their TV sets. Unless they can enter the secret code they receive after spending a reasonable amount of time (i.e. more than 30 minutes) each week in training or trying to get a job, their boob tube won’t function.

Now the only boobs are the tax payers who merrily fund all this television viewing.

Using that same secret code should also be the only way they can pick up their welfare checks.

Other ideal solutions come from The Heritage Foundation’s Katherine K. Bradley:

· Set higher targets for getting welfare recipients into jobs or training. Hold staff at Department of Economic Security accountable for reaching those benchmarks.
· Require able-bodied recipients to immediately begin a four-week job search program. Recipients should report daily to a training site and log at least 30 hours a week of job search and training activity.
· Deny an entire welfare check the first time someone fails to report for work or job training.
· Require all parents of children receiving welfare payments to work. Illegal immigrants aren’t eligible for TANF checks, but their U.S.-born children are. U.S. citizens and immigrants alike should be required to work to support their children.
· Rely on private employers and community groups to manage work training and job placement.

The Heritage Foundation also points out some simple math: as more and more people depend on welfare, fewer and fewer are paying taxes to fund government programs.

“Despite the famed 1996 Welfare Reform Act and the more recent welfare adjustments in 2006, 60.8 million Americans remain dependent on the government for their daily housing, food, and health care,” the Heritage Foundation said. The latest prediction on Social Security gives us less than six years to fix this mess:

“Starting in 2016, Social Security will not collect enough in taxes to pay all of the promised benefits – which is a problem for all workers, but especially for the roughly half of the American workforce that has no other retirement program.”

Call it a cynical view, but perhaps some welfare recipients not only see welfare as a way of life, but as a badge of honor: “Just look at what I can get away with.”

When does Bold and the Beautiful go on?

What do you think?

Do you agree with the solutions put forth? Can you think of others?

Have you ever been on welfare? Are you still on welfare?

Do you know anyone on welfare who should be out looking for work?

Do you know anyone who is honestly trying to get off welfare?

The biggest sidewalk hazards are neither the cracks in the pavement nor the gooey fat gum that sticks to our shoes. It’s the folks atop the sidewalks.

Proper sidewalk etiquette puts bikes in the street/Ryn Gargulinski

Thankfully Tucson’s sidewalks are not as clogged as those in say, Manhattan, but we do have our pockets of sidewalk abusers downtown, along Fourth Avenue and near parks or other facilities.

We’ve seen skateboarders come barreling at children – and adults – and bicyclists on sidewalks trekking so recklessly and fast they nearly knock us on our fannies.

Pedestrians that refuse to walk are another threat. These folks will stop in front of shop windows, fancy fences, a parked car – and just stand there.

Their stopping is best when it’s sudden and abrupt so we have a high chance of ramming into their backsides. Those who don’t want to walk should please sway out of the way.

Large groups that clog up the entire width of the sidewalk are one more major danger. These often consist of yelling pre-teens, distracted tourists and families of 16 with two strollers, four toddlers and a mom saddled with 32 shopping bags.

Now make the large group abruptly stop in front of a shop window, fancy fence or parked car and we’ve got ourselves the Hoover Dam. Damn.

We’ll give the rambling family some leeway, but we have to wonder if other sidewalk abusers are oblivious or just plain rude.

In either case, it would behoove them, and other sidewalk users, to play nice with some simple sidewalk etiquette rules.

We need to follow a certain sidewalk hierarchy if we all want to get along while we move along.

Piano sidewalk etiquette dictates pianos be off to the side/Ryn Gargulinski

People who are simply walking on a sidewalk, of course, get top priority. Those that are walking quietly and at a steady pace are more deserving of the sidewalk than those weaving, yelling, belching or careening.

Top of the top priority heap include kids, women with children, little old ladies and anyone using a walker, wheelchair or cane. Be nice. Go around.

The second tier of sidewalk hierarchy consists of joggers, fast-paced and power walkers and the impatient. The second tier is expected to go around the first tier, but can expect those on lower tiers to go around them. We hope.

Dogs are in the murky middle area. If our dog is well-behaved and small, he has as much right on the sidewalk as any kid or little old lady.

Medium and large dogs have to be gauged by how much sidewalk room they take up and, more importantly, how they react to passers-by.

Let’s just say my two pretty beefy dogs – who like to lunge at anything moving – are steered into the street when we see anyone coming.

The dog stand-off happens when two people or more people walking dogs are about to confront each other on the sidewalk. Proper etiquette tells us the person with the larger or more obnoxious dogs should be the ones to move out of the way, leaving the sidewalk to those more civilized.

Fallen trees always get the right of way/Ryn Gargulinski

Like I said, my two beefy dogs and I usually end up moving into the street.

But we wouldn’t be too quick to move for those who are at the bottom of the sidewalk hierarchy.

Bicyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers are the bottom feeders.

The bottom feeders include anyone who takes up way too much room, is hazardous to others or is not supposed to be on the sidewalk in the first place.

Skateboarders and rollerbladers are technically allowed on the sidewalk, but they need to cede to the hierarchy if they want to retain any modicum of respect.

And unless you’re something like 5 years old, you and your bike are really supposed to be in the street.

Actually, when we run across such sidewalk abusers, the street can be a dandy place to be.

What do you think?

Are you a sidewalk hog or do you follow proper sidewalk etiquette?

What’s the rudest sidewalk behavior you’ve witnessed?

Were you ever knocked down on a sidewalk? Did you ever knock anyone else down?

Stealing a car is just plain rude. Not only do thieves leave the vehicle’s owner stranded, but they probably make off with a cool CD collection they don’t even appreciate.

This could be your car/Ryn Gargulinski

Goodbye, bootleg version of The Doors’ L.A. Woman.

Odds are the rightful owners are not going to get their vehicles back, either.

This year has already seen 629 motor vehicle thefts through the beginning of February, according to Tucson police statistics. Only seven have been recovered.

Last year saw 3,556 vehicles stolen with 12 recoveries, while 2008 had 5,687 thefts with 228 recovered. And that’s only within Tucson city limits.

Even with the high stats for 2008, Tucson car thefts were down from prior years. So were those across the whole state, thanks in part to Arizona’s Bait Car Program.

What a delightful concept.

Now in its seventh year, the program places decoy cars in strategic places. These vehicles are equipped with a GPS tracking device, cameras and audiotapes that go into action when the thief gets behind the wheel and starts the engine.

Dispatchers then work with police to track and stop the thieves.

The program runs on grants from the AATA and vehicles donated by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). It boasts a 99 percent conviction rate for thieves that are caught.

Car thefts in Arizona have dropped 40 percent since the program’s inception in 2003, the news release said. Not bad.

To be sure, no Arizona city made the most recent top 10 list of Car Theft Hot Spots, even with our proximity to the border.

Tucson made No. 9 in 2007 and No. 10 in 2006 while Phoenix made No. 4 for both of those years.

The Car Bait Program is helping, but common sense is another major factor for protecting our cars. Don’t leave the vehicle running with the doors unlocked – yes, I see this. Don’t park in dark alleys or leave mounds of money or other valuables in plain view. Get at least one type of deterrent, like an alarm system or disabling device. Know that driving a junker is not necessarily going to exempt you from thievery.

Car parts are sometimes more valuable than the vehicles themselves, especially when they go trekking down to Mexico to get dismembered and sold.

Air bags are hot commodities, with more than 75,000 nabbed every year, according to a Forbes article. While they get about $200 on the black market – yes, the airbag black market – it costs insurance companies and vehicle owners about $1,000 to replace them.

Maybe they should turn to the airbag black market.

Tires, rims and catalytic converters – which often contain precious metals – are other hot items, Forbes said.

No mention of the bootleg L.A. Woman.

Top 10 cars stolen in Arizona

1. 2004 Dodge Ram pickup
2. 1994 Honda Accord
3. 1995 Honda Civic
4. 1997 Ford F-150 Pickup
5. 2003 Ford F-250 Pickup
6. 1994 Nissan Sentra
7. 1990 Toyota Camry
8. 2006 Ford F-350 Pickup
9. 2000 Chevrolet 4×2 Pickup
10. 2004 Chevrolet 4×2 Extended Cab Pickup

Source: NICB

2008 Auto Theft Hot Spots

1. Modesto, Calif.
2. Loredo, Texas
3. Yakima, Wash.
4. San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Calif.
5. Bakersfield, Calif.
6. Stockton, Calif.
7. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.
8. Albuquerque, N.M.
9. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Calif
10. Fresno, Calif.

13. Tucson

Source: NICB

What do you think?

How do you protect your car?

Have you ever had a vehicle stolen? Did you get it back?

Some may dream of riches. Others may dream of Jeannie. Local guy Andrew Farley dreamt of the Far-log.

Andrew Farley with his Far-log/Ryn Gargulinski

The Far-log is a self-contained campfire, a fire log that works on the concept of convection.

Thanks to a hole down the center of the log, the wood burns from in the inside out, making it safer than a scattered campfire and longer-burning than your average log.

First developed in 2008, the Far-log has come a long way. Farley created an easy fuse lighting system and even branched into Far-log key chains based on the gas station restroom key holders. It doesn’t get much cooler than that.

The ideas keep on burning.

Far-log key chain/Ryn Gargulinski

Currently made of cottonwood, mesquite and a variety of wood in various shapes and sizes, Farley is working with a friend in Guatemala to create the Tiki Far-log made of palm trees.

Far-logs work well for cooking, especially for hot dogs, corn, marshmallows and the cow hearts Farley likes to feed his dog. They can heat up the whole backyard with the handy Johnson Attachment (JA) and make a fine centerpiece for any burning ritual.

Break out that sage.

Meet inventor Andrew Farley and check out the Far-log in action in the video below.

MUSIC: Courtesy of Heithaus Productions

NOTE: Video quality suffers due to high compression necessary to view video on this site.

Click here for cleaner video on YouTube

For more info, click here to join the Facebook Far-log Fan Page.

What do you think?

Is the Far-log the greatest thing since sliced bread?

What other cool inventions have you seen lately?

Never mind the budget, the drug trafficking or the illegal immigrants. Arizona is facing a much bigger problem:

We don’t have a State Horse.

Submitted photo

Arizona has a State Bird, a State Fossil and even official State Neckwear. The two-tailed swallowtail is our official State Butterfly. But where’s our horse?

Country singer Rex Allen Jr. is galloping forward for the cause. He jumped on the House Bill 2634 bandwagon, already sponsored by no fewer than 12 Arizona lawmakers, to designate the Colonial Spanish Horse as the State Horse of Arizona.

Whew. Now we may make some progress in the State Horse arena.

“When it comes to the settlement of the Great American West, there is no animal more important than the horse,” Allen said in a news release promoting the project. “Without the horse the settlement of Arizona could not have happened.”

We’re inclined to agree, although we did hear that camels once carted things across the state.

A native of Willcox, Allen does seem to have authority on what our Grand Canyon State may need. He even wrote the state song – or at least one of them. He penned “Arizona,” which repeats the lines: “I love you, Arizona,” “Oo, Arizona,” and was chosen as the backup state anthem in 1982.

A glance at our list of notable state designations does seem to have certain categories that are lacking.

State Motto: Ditat Deus – God Enriches
State Nickname: Grand Canyon State
State Songs: “Arizona March Song” and “Arizona”
State Flower: blossom of the saguaro cactus
State Gem: turquoise
Official neckwear: bola tie
State Tree: Palo Verde – “green stick”
State Bird: cactus wren
State Butterfly: two-tailed swallowtail
State Fossil: petrified wood
State Mammal: ringtail
State Reptile: Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake
State Fish: Apache trout
State Amphibian: Arizona tree frog
Official colors: blue and gold

In addition to needing the Colonial Spanish Horse as our State Horse, we are desperately in need of an official State Spider, a State Scavenger and a designated State Firearm.

What do you think?

Should the Colonial Spanish Horse be named our State Horse?

What other categories does Arizona need?

Are you a Rex Allen Jr. fan?

Breasts get attention. Can’t argue with that.

Graffiti in Lakeside Park gully/Ryn Gargulinski

That attention is not always welcome, however, especially from the lecherous types who insist on staring at a woman’s chest rather than looking her in the eyes.

Women have also spent decades trying to shuttle the focus away from their breasts – and bodies – and more towards their minds.

So is it a giant step backwards to celebrate breasts for Women’s History Month?

The ASUA Women’s Center doesn’t think so. It’s hosting two upcoming breast events.

Thursday’s gala gives gals a chance to make molds of their breasts after swapping used clothing and strutting down the runway in a fashion show. The fun starts at 6 p.m. in the Tucson Room of the Student Union Memorial Center.

A breast decorating party is slated for March 25, where women bring their breast molds to deck them out with sequins, feathers, paint and a host of other novelties. Join the fest at 7 p.m. in the Rincon Room of the Student Union Memorial Center.

The news release does not indicate if men are allowed.

We would also be curious to see what types of molds may be in store at any event that celebrates men’s history.

Sure, the parties sound like fun. Save for certain dudes who are cursed with man boobs, breasts make women unique.

But they are not the only thing – or main thing – that should be celebrated. Women have conquered great heights, offered amazing insights and helped shape history.

Think of women known for their minds and we get the fearless Joan of Arc, the quotable Eleanor Roosevelt and the tenacious Rosa Parks. There’s no cleavage on the coin of Susan B. Anthony.

Think of women known for their breasts and we get a bevy of porn stars and a country singer.

But the term “breast party” gets attention – and sounds much more enticing than something like a boring old “mind party.”

What: Breast Party/Clothing Swap
When: 6 p.m. March 4
Where: Tucson Room in the Student Union Memorial Center, University of Arizona campus
Bring used clothes to swap, wear swapped clothes in the fashion show, make molds of your breasts

What: Breast Decorating Party
When: 7 p.m. March 25
Where: Rincon Room in the Student Union Memorial Center, UA campus
Decorate your breast molds made at previous event

Both events hosted by ASUA Women’s Resource Center in honor of Women’s “Herstory” Month. For more info, e-mail Eva Izhieman at Izhieman@email.arizona.edu or call 621-3919.

What do you think?

Are breast parties the best way to honor women?

How would you celebrate Women’s History Month?

Does it annoy you when “women” is spelled “womyn” and “history” is spelled “herstory”?