Friday Donuts

Friends, Last night as I watched Venus and the new moon set over the high Andes mountains, I couldn’t help but feel grateful. The frogs croaking and creaking over the vague sound of a river in the otherwise silent background. The still, crisp, fresh air touching my cheeks. The vague smell of smoke coming from the fireplace. The gift of senses to take it all in and the ability to walk around in this pristine landscape. My supportive family whose indulgence makes this possible. Life is good my friends. And it’s even better when you can share a donut. I hope your Thanksgiving was awesome and that you too have many things for which to be thankful. Happy Friday!  P.S. The photo does not do it justice.

Friends, This week I 've been pondering an appropriate way to close this chapter. A soliloquy on the  Peter Principle  reeks of sour grapes. A discourse on RIFs, pink slips and the like would sound repetitive, given we spoke of euphemisms just last week (plus I already covered it in  this blog  from 2008). So, instead, I will leave you with two quotes. One from Monty Python's cult classic  Holy Grail  "I'm not dead" and one from David Lee Roth's cover of  Just a Gigolo : "Life goes on without me". It's been a pleasure working with you. I believe WIndstream will pull through and return to growth (at which point everything becomes more fun). I also have a good feeling that our paths will cross soon --ideally over a hot cup of coffee and a donut. Happy Friday! Peace, out!

Friends, Euphemisms. The words we use to get around the words we don’t want to use. Sometimes awkward. Sometimes unintentionally funny. Death is often one of those topics surrounded by euphemisms. Someone might pass away, kick the bucket, croak, get whacked or have a negative patient outcome. This week I ran into this beauty. In the official report listing cause of death for a life cut short at its prime, the text read “he expired of acute anemia caused by a hemorrhage which was induced by a projectile from short range firearm”. True. And, so much better than “he died of a bullet wound”. I might have gone with acute lead poisoning (bullets are, after all, lead-based). Of course, rather than biting the dust, I recommend you bite the big one –the big donut, that is! And while you’re savoring that sweet indulgence, care to share any funny “polite synonyms” you’ve heard lately? Happy Friday!

Friends, As a child, I was drawn to scavenging. During the rainy season, after the river exceeded its banks, I loved combing through the debris left behind. The fairly straight line where the new riverbank had temporarily been seemed like a treasure trove to me. It was mainly leaves and garbage, however, there was also an occasional jackpot –a cool shaped branch, a pen or a plant that only grew in the highlands. If our family vacationed at the beach, I would much rather explore the seashore, looking for shells, than swim in the ocean. One time, I found a whale’s vertebrae which took two people (my cousin and I) to drag home. It may be the same irrational collector gene that compels me to hoard coins and relatives (aka genealogy). While I don’t advise a donut collection (ask me about the sugar packet collection I started as a kid), I do find collecting experiences and the memories they bring can be very rewarding. Happy Friday!

Friends, You’re likely familiar with the spooky Celtic traditions that spawned Halloween. You might even be versed in the eerie amalgamation of Mesoamerican and Catholic traditions that became el Día de los Muertos. Just when you thought you’d heard them all, I’ve got a new one for you—well, the tradition is quite old, I just expect it to be new to you. In Ecuador, an All Soul’s Day delicacy (November 2 nd ) are Bread Babies – Guaguas de Pan (pronounced wa-was). I’d never really questioned why we did it, just enjoyed the pastries, often followed by a Colada Morada chaser –a traditional All Soul’s Day concoction, made with 8 herbs, 5   fruits, purple corn flour, sugar and water, which is best served hot. So, I did a little research. It turns out the Incas mummified their dead and would bring them out of their graves once a year to share food and colada morada as a form of showing respect and remembering your ancestors. Of course, the Spanish would have none of this tomb desecra