I passed another of life's milestones without noticing a few weeks ago. As of mid-June, I've been newspapering for 45 years. Some of you cynics might say that what I do now -- blogging -- isn't exactly newspapering. But my print column keeps me tied to printer's ink. As a junior at Chico State College, I started in the summer 1970 with the Chico (Calif.) Enterprise-Record, shuttling between the circulation department and the sports department. By the following year, I was working full-time as a general assignment reporter and going to school fulltime. Nah, it wasn't easy. I've run the gamut from hot-metal & linotype operators to cyberspace. And there's still gas left in the tank. So you'll have to put up with me awhile longer. Here's your Thursday Wild Card ...