A fine state of affairs;

"I feel as if I'm in a state of Grace," remarked Ursula. Sam was open minded... "How does it feel?" he asked. She had intended a moment of emotional bonding, and his failure to be decisive had its irritating effect. "I'm sure I don't know," she opened. Sam was _as_ perplexed by this as any other feature of the female mind and proceeded carefully. "IF you don't know how it _feels_ to be in a state of Grace, AND you STILL SAY you _feel_ like you are IN a state of Grace THEN what _exactly_ AM I supposed to think?" he asked with deliberated diction. She smiled on the inside, and answered him accordingly. "We're in Texas right?" "Yes," said Sam with reasonable alacrity. He did not specifically know the NAME of the rule of specificity, but he had adequately mastered the concept. "Well is the State of Texas in or out of the State of Grace?" she asked, in full possession of the knowledge that this was a paradox. Sam gave her a hunted look, and squared of with her mentally. His strategy was to go back to some single certainty of truth, and work his way back out, giving careful attention to the definition of terms along the way. If Texas country WAS a State, he might lose the war in a single successful battle of secession. He started slowly, "Do YOU know who Turing was?" he bartered. "Alan M. of Enigma fame? Most assuredly," she replied with confidence. "He IS the authoritative source on State Machines isn't he?" Sam proceeded. "On State _Machines_, yes, but what has that got to do with Texas tea?" she said tartly. "Well... isn't the Government of Texas a Ship Of State?" he asked next, feeling his oats. "And as such, Turing ought to be able to tell us what STATE it is in?" he continued. She began to see the punch line coming, and immediately got out in front of it. "Too true, too true, too true," she compromised. "The whole Ship of State is in a constant state of Grace." This nettled Sam, because his "win" was not going to "count." "Well gal," he rejoined. "Whatever the case, YOU _have_ got ME in a state!" Ursula reveled in his affection. Not since her days at U5t, in the College of Tenets of Tort had she been so happy. "You remind me of Tocqueville," she responded coyly. "YOU took Tocqueville too?" he verified, delighted by the commonality of the experience. "Oh yeah, I had a double Major: Tenets of Tort, a law degree, AND Tympani, for my musical talents." Not to be outdone, Sam quickly returned "I had a double Major too. Tyranny and Terrorism, for political science, AND Telemarketing for a business angle." He cared enough about her not to stop there, however, and continued with genuine regret. "I always WISHED I had gone into Tourism instead," he admitted. "A TRIPLE Major would have OVER COMMITTED you," she retorted. "It was too EXPENSIVE," was his rationalization. She changed the subject (as a woman is wont to do) for no apparent reason. "I LOVE you Sam!" she implored. He took her in his arms and didn't answer with words at all. It was going to be a GOOD "rest of the day."

This SHOULD lead to "The Farmer and the Cowman..."