Skip to main content

I Wonder What Folks in LPR do for Donuts?

Friends,
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 contrast to the Big Rock, a 200 foot bluff just upstream). This knowledge makes me slightly more comfortable with the name and has inspired me to set forth a proposal for your consideration. Ready? I would like to start abbreviating Little Rock as “LPR” (short for La Petite Rocher). Not to toot my own horn, but I think it’s genius! It hails to the city’s roots, has the familiar “L” and “R” at the beginning and end, making it intuitive and the added letter “P” gives it a distinguished cachet (think FDR or JFK). Granted, three letter acronyms don’t always work (I wouldn’t try one for LPR’s most celebrated child, Bill Jefferson Clinton –something about “BJC” just doesn’t sound right). So next time you need to refer to the beloved city where our headquarters resides, casually throw-in an LPR and see what happens.
 
Of course, the real reason I’m writing you today is that donuts have arrived in DEN. Not to say we’re holier than thou, but a dozen delicious Holy Donuts are sitting in their usual spot . So come grab yours. Now if only there was a Round Rock donuts less than 900 miles away from here, that would have been perfect.
Happy Friday!
JPG at the BJC/HRC airport in LPR

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...

A Dozen Rules to Live By

Friends, When it comes to the big questions, there are far too many platitudes, truisms, cliches and BS. Bookshelves are lined with so much advice, you’d think we would have answered them all by now. So, why do people keep doing it? I couldn’t tell you. Whatever the reason, here’s one more exploration to add to the interminable list. I’ve left God out of this post, so these “rules” should come in handy whether you believe life has meaning, or you think purpose is just our prefrontal cortex’s way of sabotaging our limbic system. And, since donuts come in dozens, it felt fitting that my list just happens to have twelve rules.   Do it! (what are you waiting for?). Life sometimes feels like a dress rehearsal. So much time spent preparing for the future, there’s little time left to actually live life. Habit, routine and inertia have a way of filling the day. Try something new, who knows, you might enjoy it. Don’t overthink it. But, what to do? Give-in to a...

Enchanted Donuts

Friends, Mix equal doses of isolation, adaptation, and time. Add a pinch of random stowaway life forms. Remove predators. The result? An eclectic collection of surprising plants and animals known as the Galápagos Islands. Here, iguanas swim and dive for food, the largest members of the sunflower family grow into 45 foot tall trees, and boulder-sized tortoises blow past the century mark with ease. Frigatebird throats of red, boobie feet of blue, moth-pollinated flowers of white. And, having been granted constitutional rights , sea lions own most park benches in town. Surrounded by an ocean teeming with fish of all shapes and sizes, the only downside of spending time in this remote Ecuadorian province appears to be the complete absence of donut shops. I suppose I too can adapt.  Happy Friday!