Friends, One of my early forays into recreational writing was as the night clerk at the Lake Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. The “shift log” was a notebook, intended to convey pertinent information about the evening’s events to the morning shift. As the last person manning the front desk at 1 AM (at which point we closed), I was entrusted with this sacred duty. Most nights were uneventful, so I started writing top ten lists (à la David Letterman) to give the morning folks a reason to consult the log. I sampled all manner of superficial topics which ranged from “top ten things people think JP stands for” (yes, Jalapeño Pepper was among them) to “top ten statements I’ve overheard tourons say” (a portmanteau of tourist and moron, used to refer to some of the park’s visitors). If I were to write such a list today, it might go something like this. Top ten subtle changes brought about by the pandemic 10. Hand washing. Wait, that’s a change? For whom?? 9. Green thumb. It’s...
Donuts are part of the magic that makes life so sweet. I founded the Level 3 Friday Donut Club in 2004 and ran it until my departure in 2015. It had a three year run at Windstream and is now virtual, but at its peak, we had a rotation of 50+ folks who brought donuts every Friday. We had three simple rules: (1) five dozen (2) boutique shop donuts (3) by 8:00 am. This blog memorializes these e-mails to share my thoughts (and, once upon a time, announce the donut arrival). Have a happy Friday!