Friday Donuts

Fr iends, Have you ever wondered how the Arkansas capital got its name? Little Rock. I mean, if I were the one doing the naming, I would have probably gone with some massive or impressive landmark or feature –think Mammoth Hot Springs or Grand Prairie (I’d even accept Boulder as semi-legitimate name). But Little Rock? Wouldn’t there be LOTS of little rocks (i.e. pebbles) in the same vicinity? So, of course, on my trip to HQ earlier this month I was determined to find-out from the locals. Fortunately, an opportunity presented itself at happy hour –admittedly, not the best time for a history lesson— so, take this with a grain of salt. While there were different versions (details such as whether it was the French or the Native Americans who gave the place its name), the consensus was that the French had settled  “Le Petite Rocher” (a clever French toponym meaning “The Little Rock”). The name itself derives from a small outcropping of rock where the Arkansas river could be forded (in con

Friends, One of the perks of working downtown has been the ability to carpool with my son Francisco a couple of days a week. On those days we park at the Auroria campus. Along the ten block walk to our offices there are several whimsical sculptures which have caught my attention. These works of art probably have been named and the artists likely had some sort of meaning ascribed to them. However, since these are not readily apparent or visibly displayed, I’ve started to create my own mental narrative with plausible names and backstories about them. Let’s go through a few of them. First, there’s the Quidditch Goal Hoop , which I presume was put there under pressure from some rogue student organization promoting alternative sports like Segway polo, disc golf and three dimensional chess. Then again it may have been put there in preparation for a JK Rowling commencement address that never actually took place. Then you have the Monument to Wireless Communications with antennas of va

Dear Friends, How about them Broncos?!? In honor of the Super Bowl 50 champs I have decided to see how many sports cliché’s I can string together for you this morning (let’s see how many you can spot)... I’m no Monday morning quarterback, but when the ball was in our court, we answered the bell. Sure, the Panthers talk a good game, and the media were blowing their chances out-of-proportion, but the Broncos didn’t pull any punches and showed the haters we are on a league all our own. Our Broncos are living proof offense wins games but defense wins championships. It was a team effort which further showed us there is no “i” in “team”. The Broncos are all team players who kept their eye on the ball and never forgot football is a game of inches. I think we can all take a page from their playbook and the next time we’re facing fourth and long, use the inspiration to hit a home run. On any given Friday, we’ve all heard donuts are not deserved, donuts are made. This morning Dunkin Donu

Friends, It’s tempting to believe the human race has evolved beyond the age of superstition and irrational belief. Yet, on closer inspection, I think we’re not that far from the middle ages. Case-in-point, on my Monday flight-out to Little Rock, I couldn't help but notice the de-icing fluid was Windstream green. Coincidence? Perhaps. It’s probably a case of the frequency illusion , where your recent experiences, bias and predispose what you see. I may well be noticing this color more often because I’m new to the company. Yet, that de-icing truck bleeding Windstream green preceded a very positive and productive trip at HQ. Coincidence? Most assuredly, still, part of me is tempted to see it as a good omen. 1. Windstream Green wing. Or, take groundhog day. It’s irrational to believe winter may be prolonged or made more brief due to some creature’s optic nerve relaying a certain image to its brain. Yet, for the record, on my way back to Denver this groundhog day, I did see my