i miss my electric toothbrush.. it’s a braun, i think, and it makes my teeth and gums feel happy..

i left it behind because i decided that the extra space it would take in my bathroom bag would cripple my ability to pack a good day pack, and by extension, be a good houseguest. on the road, such measures of success are meted out in cubic centimeters.

today, like yesterday and the day before it, i woke up and cleaned my mouth with an old-fashioned, soft-bristled tooth brush. it was like solving a quadratic equation with an abacus.

it’s funny how proud and/or ashamed we are of genetic legacies. i am illogically vain about my teeth (never a cavity or braces), even though i haven’t been more dentally responsible than anyone else i know. conversely, i’ve always envied the fact that dave can wash his face with hotel soap and wake up so pretty.

why is natural talent so sexy (at least to me?) why have i always preferred kobe bryant to mark madsen (at least before the legal stuff).. maddog is such a hard-working scrapper, and kobe is just plain physically gifted.. why do i disdain hardwork?

but is the propensity to work hard equally genetic? was mark madsen born with a scrapper’s mentality? is it all the same?

these are some of the confusing thoughts that enter one’s mind while spending 26 hours in a van.