Skip to main content

Carpe Donut

Dear Members and Constituents,
What do you call it when your sister is in tears because the only tool she has to search in the dark for her lost shawl is a bioluminescent sphere? You ready? It's a glow-ball find-a-shawl cry-Sis'. Yeah, I know, it's bad. Very bad.

On a slightly more serious note, had you looked at yesterday's Top 10 Google "Hot Trends" you would have found no trace of a global financial crisis. Sure, Mauritania is in trouble (two of the top ten trends focus on it) and there is a pet chain allegedly abusing puppies, however, the majority of the searches --six of them-- are for celebrities (the remaining trend, if you are counting, is for a movie called "Twilight"). You might argue searching for crisis-related topics is unnecessary due to the constant bombardment we receive from the media. You might also argue the more serious trends get buried deeper and cannot be uncovered with a cursory sampling. I, for one, think this mundane sampling of what people are searching for on the internet is an encouraging sign folks are continuing to live their everyday lives. Curiosity about a porn star lawsuit or what prince Andrew is packing (I could not have made these two up) continues to motivate people to search the web.

The sun rose again today. There are donuts at my desk again today. Amanda Tierney (our donut girl) celebrates her birthday again today. And it's comforting to know that if you look at the Google Top 10 Hot Trends again today, while the list bears no resemblance to yesterday's (some three weather-related searches, three mass media stations, three historic characters and a different porn starlet), one common theme is still no crisis-related searches in the top 10.

"Carpe diem quam minimum credula postero" -- Horace
(Pluck the day, minimizing your reliance on the future)

Happy Friday!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Donut Doodle Dandy

Dear Members and Constituents, In trying to figure-out Wednesday’s cool-looking Google Doodle ( Jorge Luis Borges’ 112 th birthday ), I stumbled across a list of Google Doodles you’ll never see. This, and a Rockies game later that day, were sufficient inspiration to get my head spinning around what other doodles Google might never noodle? I’m sure you’ll probably have a few ideas of your own, but I was able to come-up with a couple. How about a former Colorado Rockies player whose unfortunate encounter with a moth put him in the news this week? The Matt Holliday doodle might look something like this… Another item which, surprisingly enough, has not been made into a doodle are donuts. Although I was slightly taken aback to find this delicious pastry has not been featured, after the initial disappointment, I decided to take matters into my own hands and take a stab at one (perhaps Google can use it next year for national donut day )… or to celebrate Greek police having “ blown a ho...

Donut Hole Alignment

Friends, My predawn attempts to watch the planetary alignment have thus far been met with cloudy skies. The weather forecast through the end of the cosmic event suggests I shall not witness it. And yet, my futile attempts have been rewarded in other ways. The chorus of birds, frogs and insects singing in anticipation of the sun’s glorious rising complement the river’s steady churning. The crisp, fresh air in a desolate town whose citizens are still bidding Morpheus “adieu” caresses my skin while the sweet aroma of petrichor fills my lounges. Deep shadows of centenarian eucalyptus trees slowly recede and give way to the imperceptible progress of the brightening skies. Sure, witnessing those tiny bright spots lined-up in the sky would be pretty cool —like sprinkles on a donut. Speaking of donuts, if you’re ever in Cuenca around the feast of Corpus Christi (which ended yesterday) you need to try the Huevos Chilenos (Chilean Eggs) —think of them as less sweet donut holes. And, if like me t...

Donuts Without Borders

Friends, I believe going anywhere in the world (so long as you abide by the local laws) should be a human right. People should be allowed to wander freely (or vote with their feet whenever a government alienates them). In this, I fully support Doctors Without Borders’ decision to no longer accept funding from the EU due to their immigration policies. Good for them! That said borders can be useful. Take, for instance national sports teams. If there were no borders, events like the summer and winter Olympiads would not exist. Closer to home, those of you who follow soccer are probably tuning-in to the hundredth edition of Copa America , currently under way. Last night the quarter final opener featured both of the teams for which I've been rooting. Who do you cheer for when you know only one of your teams will advance? You can't root for both or you risk becoming a dispassionate observer, so, you either pick one or choose to narrate the game in English (i.e. no 100 MPH narra...