I was listening to a report on NPR today that featured cotton - where it comes from, how it's farmed, and I was reminded of a particular spot of my education I truly loved. I was never a history scholar. Dates and names escape me. For example, the part I loved the most in all of my history education was when we learned about the old world (date?) explorers (names?) who traveled to various countries (specifically?) and traded their wares for whatever the specialty was at that particular destination. I especially loved when countries would trade things for tea and spices. I mean, tea and spices were golden. Everybody wanted to go to the countries with tea and spices and get themselves some of that shit. With my current financial situation being, well, sub-par, I was thinking this would be an excellent tactic to take on. Trading. But I've got nothing as good as tea and spices in my house, or within my grasp. Since we don't want to revisit that period where I got all neurotic about making soap, there is nothing I produce. Nothing that the country of me can offer as tender in the trading game. If old "New Yorker" magazines could get me a delicious burrito for dinner tonight though, I'd be in.