Thanks everyone.
@Airburst, good to know that chain suck and wear is more of a problem than skipping.
Does Sheldon's page give a method for measuring whether a chainring is too worn for a new chain? It looked like it only talked about cassette/freewheel sprockets.

I suppose the last picture of my chainring (the one that shows the Shimano and Salsa logos) is the worst-looking view of the Shimano ring.

My brother (whose bike had that Campy chainring) is a total romantic who thinks things will work out if your intentions are good. He rode 10k miles without servicing his chain. Eventually he rode only in the granny because the other two rings were so badly worn. This is the same guy who does 50+ mph descents wearing a Banesto cap (no helmet) because it is "authentic." Note the helmet hanging from my handlebars.