Okay, this "recirculating gravy fountain" is the strangest thing that I've seen in recent memory, but for obvious reasons it immediately reminded me of Rob Ford and the rhetoric of his mayoral campaign. Although news on the Ford front has been relatively quiet leading up to his swearing-in ceremony, I still constantly hear the phrase gravy train bandied about. It seems that this expression has been permanently implanted on the brains of Torontonians, myself included.

So when I saw this last night, I didn't think of holiday gluttony, but was hit with this strange image of Ford and his team using it as a prop (sort of like Miller's broom) to proclaim the end of the gravy-train at City Hall. Almost unwittingly, I pictured this thing spewing out thick, bubbly gravy before Ford triumphantly pulled the plug, causing the fountain to sputter to a halt amidst a chorus of cheers from his supporters.

This imagery is, of course, little more than a product of my own bizarre imagination, but aside from the fact that the sheer oddity of this DIY project struck me as worth sharing, I think I'm only now taking stock of just how pervasive and lasting the gravy train campaign slogan has become.

Despite the fact that the mayoral campaign has slipped to the back of my mind, the fact that the sight of gravy -- or strange gravy devices -- immediately conjures Rob Ford's chief slogan is really rather remarkable. So far from bashing our next mayor for his lexical inadequacies, I'm going to have to humbly give some props.

For instructions on how to make your own recirculating gravy fountain, check out instructables.