Out of nowhere, a chance to be part of the goofiness that is Springfield

I always liked "The Simpsons," even though I was never a faithful watcher.

I don't do "appointment television" anymore. Any show I find worth watching is worth waiting until it's on DVD, so that I can watch it at my own pace and without having to sit through commercials. The last show I remember watching when it was actually on was one of the final seasons of "24."

The Simpsons

I have certainly watched episodes, but I can't remember ever thinking it was 8 o'clock on Sunday and I ought to watch it.

Part of the problem is that it just has been on too long. I remember about 12 years ago someone interviewed Matt Groening, the show's creator, about how much longer he thought the show would last.

He said he thought they had enough good ideas for two or three years, and then "we'll probably be able to milk another couple of years out of it."

Well, 25 years is a helluva run, and I don't think this is the last season for Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. But the show is still fun, and they have done a great job of merchandizing.

Before

Then there is the stuff way out on the periphery. I was goofing around on the Internet the other night and I found an artist -- from Pakistan, I believe -- who for $5 would turn me into a "Simpsons" character. Well, not me actually. A photo of me.

So I paid the money and sent my photo.

I didn't know what to expect, and when the drawing came, my first reaction was that I don't look like that. But when I started comparing the photo I had sent with the artwork done from it, I realized that feature by feature it was pretty good.

Figuring a little leeway for the transition from photograph to cartoon, I knew I had gotten my money's worth.

After

The one big discrepancy -- one that was certainly fine with me -- is that in the photo, taken in November 2010, you see a 60-year-old man. The cartoon character taken from that photo looks to me like someone who has yet to celebrate his 30th birthday.

Of course, I have no idea where he would fit into the "Simpsons" cast. Too old to hang out with Bart, too young to sit and drink with Homer.

No big deal.

It is definitely fun to be from Springfield.