Friday Donuts

  Friends, As 2021 comes to an end, it’s time to remember and be grateful for another year of life – there’s much for which to be grateful. Sure, some things could have gone better (they always can), but on balance things were good. At the González household, the cathartic process of capturing this year’s essence to burn at midnight is wrapping-up. This year’s theme, “Covid Games from home” uses Squid games (Netflix’s unlikely breakaway hit) as a way to mock the two main Covid variants of concern (Delta and Omicron) and commiserate about working from home with all the weirdness it carries along. Comfy slippers combined with dressing-up from the waist up for zoom meetings (not to mention the quarantine fifteen). As I hope for lots of snow and no wind (lest we need to call an audible on the midnight burn) my thoughts turn to my friends in Boulder county and hopes for a quick recovery. May 2022 bring an end to confinement and lots of opportunities to share donuts. Happy Friday!

Friends, On this Christmas Eve, I wish you peace, love and donuts. Peace that overcomes useless anxiety, unproductive worry and unnecessary stress. Love that unites family, friends and foreigners. Donuts to share and bring joy to big and small. P.S. As I wrote this, I was reminded of Steve Martin’s five Christmas wishes . If you haven’t seen it (a) where have you been and (b) enjoy the clip. Happy Friday!

Friends, Many modern problems seem to be the byproduct of having too much of a good thing. A few examples for your consideration: Light pollution and sleep deprivation . The ability to see at night is good. Until the 19th century, night time activities were a luxury. Candles were expensive, so people took spectacular views of the Milky Way and a good night’s sleep for granted. The great Pacific garbage patch . Plastic is good. It solves the age-old problem of expensive, unwieldy and brittle packaging. Unfortunately, it’s so cheap and durable it ends-up everywhere, forever -even a floating island that’s almost as big as Alaska. Obesity and it’s disease entourage . Energy-rich, nutrient-packed foods, like sugars and fats, solve mankind’s age-old food scarcity and subsistence living problem a little too well. Our bodies store the surplus for a rainy day that seldom comes. I suppose moderation is the moral of the story. Enjoy your Friday donut (190-300 calories), but maybe hold-off on that

  Friends, Why is click bait so disappointing? I suppose it comes down to misleading claims and unrealistic expectations. When you watch someone making something, you expect the finished product to be, well, amazing — especially if the headline has a superlative thrown-in. I try to avoid being drawn-in, however, when my irrational desire to get rid of all notification badges on my apps kicks-in I sometimes catch myself watching auto-played Facebook videos I know are likely to end in a whimper. Videos with titles like “amazing technology”, “the end result” or “clever ideas”. Perhaps the most misleading claims are those that imply that I, the common viewer, will somehow be able to make my own artistic furnishings and accessories after watching a 7 minute time lapse video of what is clearly a skilled craftsman working many hours with specialized machinery. Don’t get me wrong, some are fascinating, but I’m not likely to make a fine Corinthian leather chaise lounge anytime soon.   What’s no

Friends, My family gained a new daughter last week. As I welcome the freshly minted Mrs. González, I wish the new couple a lasting, loving, happy and tranquil marriage. I am also reminded of a special delivery I received at the wedding. A few weeks ago, my niece/goddaughter held a “go fund me” and offered to stitch something for the donors. I, of corse, asked for a horse jumping through a donut. The completed masterpiece depicting this unlikely combo now has a special place in my office, and brings a smile to my face every time I see it. That said, I may forgo the obligatory donut today and opt for some of the leftover cake we still have at the house. Happy Friday!   New addition to the Family Horse through donut  with the artist   Horse through donut at it’s new home shelf P.S. The donut wall in action.

Friends, When it comes to gratitude, I prefer to focus on the little things we often take for granted. Specific things like the long hug I shared with my daughter last night after Thanksgiving dinner, or my childhood friend’s text message to share a photo of his Friday donut, that woke me up this morning (so much better than an alarm clock). The contrast of the warm blankets over my body with the extra-crisp air that fills my lungs, as I write this note (I forgot to turn the heat back on after last night's capacity Thanksgiving gathering); or the anticipation of hearing your response and thoughts after reading it. These specific moments give meaning to the broad categories used to generate thankfulness lists. My earlier sentiment could also be expressed as “family, friends, peace and hope” —accurate, but sterile and trite. By framing the things for which I’m grateful as specific moments, I quickly realize the five to ten broad categories they fall into are actually a litany of smil

Friends, Walls come in all sorts, types, shapes, sizes and colors. Think of an adjective, and there’s likely to be a wall that fits the bill. There are great walls, such as Pink Floyd’s iconic album, or China’s Mongol hoard deterrent. Quirky walls, say, Wall, SD’s Drug and Corn Palace. Figurative (firewall), past (Berlin Wall), scary (Walmart) and wrong (border wall). From the stock market (Wall Street) to stockades (log walls), there are walls all around us (hopefully, equipped with doors so we’re not trapped). Recently, I’ve been working on another kind of wall, one that is apparently popular at receptions, for my son’s wedding next week: a donut wall. My long term exploration of random donut associations somehow led my future daughter in law to believe building this odd donut display might be a fitting task for me. And so, it is with great pride that I present my creation (donut mind if I do). As for keeping it stocked with the dozen dozens it can hold, I’m pretty sure that won’t be

Friends, I’ve never officially held a cool, edgy title. You know the ones. Technoking (Elon Musk), Master of Coin (also at Tesla), Wizard of Want, Digital Overlord... you get my drift. This week, Michael Fiumano shared another edgy title I’ll likely never hold: Dodge’s freshly minted   Chief Donut Maker. .. you get my   Tokyo  drift. Sadly, the CDM won’t cook circular pastries in a deep fryer. Instead, they will burn circular rubber in a Dodge Hellcat (now there’s a company car!). Good luck getting 50,000 miles out of those tires! The cynic in me thinks a tire exec may have pitched the CDM idea to Dodge, inception style, as a ploy to sell more Goodyear Eagles. Whatever the case, all this talk of donuts has sparked the urge to get in my Firebird and buy some Donuts (and maybe make a couple). Happy Friday!

Friends, My first flight of the pandemic era put a lot of emphasis on face masks. While continuous mask usage can be taxing, I must admit eating and drinking were a particular challenge. That said, putting on your face mask between bites and sips (as advised) had the added benefit of serving as a napkin (flavor saver!). For what it’s worth, I highly advise removing your mask towards your chin. I found out the hard way that removing it upward results in a blindfold which adds a degree of difficulty to that bite or sip you’re trying to take. Of particular concern was the mid-flight announcement that “refusal to wear a mask may result in removal from the plane” —talk about a harsh face mask penalty! Granted, it may have been a recording, and they may have also made this remark prior to take-off, however, it seemed like a particularly ominous threat at 10,000 feet (do offenders at least get a parachute as part of the ordeal?). Finally, it seems personal alcohol is no longer allowed —ironic

Friends, Standing at Halloween’s door, it feels a tad creepy to see companies with obscene market capitalizations choose October to change their names. Google (valued at one proposed federal government spending bill) became Alphabet in October 2015. Now Facebook (worth half a spending bill) will become Meta. Which begs the question, who’s next? The logical candidates would be other tech stocks with market caps within spitting distance of the $1.75 trillion mark (I.e. the biggest of the big) with ambitious plans and egos to match. Fittingly, that leaves us with two candidates. Amazon — I’m rooting for “Market” as their new nom de plume — worth one spending bill and Apple, henceforth “Pear”, worth a whopping 1.5 spending bills. What about Ali Baba, you ask? Despite being ripe for a name change (owing to it’s connection to thievery), they’re not US-based and worth a measly quarter spending bill... so no. I propose a bracket to bet on which of these two tech giants will be next and what

Friends, Last night, I was awakened In the wee hours by the familiar aroma of deep-fried dough. It wasn’t a hyper-realistic dream of sweet pastries. It wasn’t a nightmare, induced by not having a topic to write about this morning. It wasn’t donuts either. Instead, it was my seventeen year old making air empanadas for a school club meeting. His movie night with friends had let-out very late and a last minute announcement of choir practice before school (Fridays are late start days) put a wrench in his plan to get up at 6 to fry them. While I’m proud that not keeping his commitment was not an option for him, if it were me, my classmates would be getting store-bought treats. Anybody want a donut? Happy Friday! P.S. Notice the time on the microwave clock -- and the pajama pants! 

Friends, When I write these notes, I sometimes wonder who actually reads them. If the ads placed on my blog are any indication, it’s filthy rich alcoholics looking to improve their diet. With ads for SEI Club’s “private matchmaking for the ultra affluent and exceptionally beautiful elite”, a Liver Health Formula for a “dying liver” and a Health Coach “holistic nutrition course”, it sounds like Google AdSense nailed it!! So, it is with great pleasure I raise a glass of the finest champagne to all you beautiful people out there eating omega 3-rich, sustainably-gathered organic caviar. As for donuts, we all need to indulge in the occasional peccadillo. So, enjoy! —it will be our little secret. Happy Friday!

Friends, Healthy minds must exchange information. The influx and outflow of ideas and opinions are like a stream, bearing oxygen and leaching salts from a lake, and preventing mental stagnation. Listening to reason and sharing your thoughts has a cleansing, therapeutic effect. While the content of our communications matters (an echo chamber of vitriol and lies may do more harm than good), the process itself is just as important. In the absence of a sounding board, it’s possible to get all worked-up over nothing and make mountains out of molehills. And so, if you’re worried about someone’s mental health, talk to them –about anything. Don’t give advice (unless they ask), don’t offer to help (unless they ask) and don’t talk about a perceived problem (unless they ask). Just talk. Open a line of communication. The weather will do –or hobbies, humor, history, happy news… you get the picture. So, if you’re worried about someone’s mental health (or your own) meet-up and catch-up, preferably at

Friends, Color, that thin slice of the electromagnetic spectrum our eyes can perceive. Shorter than sound and radio, and longer than X and gamma rays the 400-700 nanometer waves we call light are wedged between infrared and ultraviolet. And yet, this narrow range can convey so much. This week, aspen trees are trading their boring green for luxurious gold, yellow and orange, and delivering a show that draws tourists from all walks of life to the mountains. The colors are so vibrant, even cloudy skies couldn’t dim the illusion of sunbathed hillsides set ablaze by some magical power. If you decide to go color watching, grab a donut on your way and watch-out for awestruck amateur photographers risking life and limb to take that perfect shot. Happy Friday!

 Friends, How do cyber criminals come-up with names? While the good guys have to settle for safe names --names that convey trust and are in good taste-- the bad guys have no such qualms. From organizations (Krypton, Venomous Bear, Fancy Bear, Blind Eagle, Lazarus Group…) to attacks (REvil, Operation Shady RAT, VulcanBOT, Nitro and Blackmatter Ransomware…), threat actors have the cool name market cornered. Still, I think we can do better than Zero Trust, Unified Threat Management and XDR (granted, any name that starts with an “X” must by necessity be cool!).  Then again, perhaps it's for the best. Who wants to hire Dragon's Bane to vanquish viruses with their Ultimate Forcefield  or Funky Phantom to thwart threats by implementing  their  Bot Thingamajig. So, it seems best that the companies that keep your IT infrastructure safe should themselves use safe naming conventions.  Some donut shops, on the other hand, seem unencumbered by that constraint (I'm looking at you Habit

Friends, The early bird catches the worm, however, as the sun rises I’d much rather have a Denver omelet than a diet of worms . Ready to fly the coop, my ducks all in a row, I ponder one more time whether a bird in hand is truly worth two in the bush. Egged-on by my quest to tuck away a nest egg, I’ve decided to change industries and hope that, like the phoenix, my career will also rise from the ashes of change. After all, I’m no spring chicken –my crow’s feet and gray bely my age – however, I have to trust my judgment and believe you can’t catch this old bird with chaff (whether or not folks think me an odd bird for my actions). And so I shall attempt to soar like an eagle, aware that counting my chickens before they hatch would be ill-advised. As I learn to talk turkey in the language of cybersecurity, I will endeavor not to hide my head in the sand, choosing instead to be like a duck – calm on the surface and paddle like hell underneath! And while my excessive use of bird-inspired

Friends, I enjoy jogging without music. No headphones, no earbuds, no boom box… nothing! My wandering thoughts keep me company as I put one foot in front of the other. One moment I’m grateful for the awesome sunrise, which reminds that the instant a star, like our sun, starts fusing iron it’s doomed. Soon I’m pondering another element: carbon. It gets a bad rap as a greenhouse gas, yet it is the main building block of life as we know it. And so it goes. From funny observations to solving work problems, to world hunger, to keeping tempo, to mental math, to thinking about my kids, to prayer, to ... When a great idea comes along, I jot it down – after all, a quarter of the time I can’t remember a third of my half-witted thoughts. I suppose it comes down to learning to live with yourself – and loving it. Or like the donut sign says it’s about “peace, love and donuts” – by the way, if you make it up to Loveland, the little donuts at this shop were amazing! Happy Friday!

Friends, Sometimes, I’d like to stop time, capture a perfect moment and make it permanent. Yet, hard as I try to grab the fleeting and hold on, it’s not possible. Grapes must be harvested, leaves must fall, days must shorten and weather must turn. Snow will fall and, before you know it, make way for green sprouts to blanket the earth once again. Months make years, and decades make a lifetime. Yet, somehow, everywhere is here and it’s always now. Time’s constant churning tills the soil of my experiences and renews life all around me. I may begrudge that perfect moment's passing, but without change, I’d be stuck. I’d never see all the other perfect moments, waiting for me, just a blink away. So, what’s perfection? That’s a loaded question. I have a feeling it may involve a quiet conversation, coffee and a donut. I suppose I'll head-on down to Baked n' Denver and grab me some perfection. Happy Friday!

Friends, This week, my wife scared me half to death. I was so absorbed reading Plato, I had not noticed her sitting behind me. So, imagine my surprise when I turned to find a masked Greek theater performer (or, as it turns-out, my wife wearing her beauty treatment). While my pulse slowly returned to normal, I started wondering why Greek names haven’t caught on. After all, Greece is the cradle of civilization. Then again, perhaps the foreign-sounding appellatives add gravitas to the great philosophers of old. Would Socrates come down a notch if the folks in his dialogues had ordinary names like Bob, Joe or Mike; instead of Euthyphro, Crito or Simmias? Let’s take the phone booth time machine* out for a spin, babble fish** in ear, to the 5th century B.C., where we can be a fly on the wall for a random philosophical discourse: SOCRATES: So, Joe, we agree our senses trick us and don’t let us see the true essence of things. You good with that? JOE: Sure thing, bro! SOCRATES: And Bob, don

Friends, Every achievement begins with action, a catalyst that precipitates events to follow. Granted, not all achievements are planned — nor are they all of the same caliber. Still, comfort, complacency and routine are often at odds with excitement, discovery and growth. The siren call of the mundane often wins over the small voice calling us to do great things. The couch, snacks and Netflix may have won the battle, but you, my friend, you’re gonna win the war on blah... tomorrow. Mañana, mañana!! And so it goes. Well… not today! (hmmm… that was ambiguous… did JP just say he won’t procrastinate today or does he mean he won’t do it today – i.e. he WILL procrastinate?). What chronic to-do item will you check-off the list today? Or perhaps a good deed is in the cards… if nothing comes to mind, I’m   raising money for ALS   in honor of a good friend who lost his battle to the disease a year ago this week. Whatever you do, take the first step. As for me, before I do, I need to get some don

Friends, When my alarm went off at 4 this morning I had a choice: Morpheus or Perseus. On one hand, my soft, warm bed made driving out for a chance to witness a few grains of sand burn-up in our atmosphere seem silly. Besides, the wildfire smoke would surely obstruct my view, and I need my beauty rest. Morpheus has a point! On the other hand, my desire to watch these fleeting, magical lights streak through the sky pushes me forward. A half-hour later, Perseus had won. I’m on a dirt road, feeling silly as I stare at a patch of unclouded sky. As my eyes grow accustomed to the dark, stars grow brighter. Minutes pass. A satellite crosses the sky. No meteors. This is foolish! Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, a shooting star –darn, just missed it! Another satellite. Then, finally an unmistakable bright flash smack dab in the center of my field of vision. Wow! Minutes later, the sunrise begins, but that one Perseid makes the whole experience seem worthwhile. Granted, the deer sighting,

Friends, As SARS-CoV-2 mutates, the resulting variants appear to be joining the fraternities and sororities featured in the classic 1980s film series: Revenge of the Nerds . While the Alpha Betas (UK and South Africa variants) have fallen-out of favor, the Delta Pi’s (India variant) are leading the resurgence in hospitalizations amongst the uneducated… I mean, unvaccinated. Meanwhile, the tri-Lambda variant appears to have been around for a while and is quietly making the rounds in South America. I suppose that means Omega Mu will be making their theatrical debut soon. I also suppose that if you never watched the movie you’ve tuned-out, or are very confused. In any event, this nerd is going out to grab a donut before the day gets too crazy. Cookie monster donut, or unidentified strain  at the Greek Games ? Happy Friday!

Friends, The Devil might literally be in the details. Lurking. Waiting to call-out trivial inconsistencies. She may point to the anachronistic (and ubiquitous) “Tokyo 2020” branding. How much of a dent would a logo redo and new stationary have made on the $20 Billion Olympic budget? Or, make me chuckle at the little boy doing the sign of the cross with the church hand sanitizer. In his defense, it’s located where the holy water used to be. This literal interpretation of the expression might help explain the sign at this week’s donut shop. From a distance the billboard appears to simply read “Donuts”. Unoriginal, perhaps, but certainly appropriate. As you get closer, the fine print reveals the full name: “ Sugar Rush Donuts ”.  Using classic logic, one might say that since (A) the Devil is in the details and (B) the details on the store sign revealed "Sugar Rush" was part of the name, ergo, (C) the Devil is in the Sugar Rush (or at minimum, in the ensuing crash). Happy Friday!

Friends, Have you ever inadvertently fermented spaghetti sauce? Yeah, me neither… until yesterday, that is! Imagine my surprise when the half-full bottle, sitting in the fridge from time immemorial, made a sound akin to opening a beer bottle, instantly filling the glass container with a hazy smoke. As the carbonation dissipated, I grabbed a spoon to conduct the obligatory taste test. How was it? I’m glad you asked! Let’s just say chunky carbonated tomato beer is not my thing (although I must admit that if I had been expecting it, my reaction might have been a little more… composed). Now, if you forgo the fermentation and switch the tomato paste with spicy salsa… that might be the next million dollar idea! Sparkling sriracha anyone? How about Carbonated Cholula?   Bubbly Habanero? Fizzy Jalapeño?? I could go on, but I have a feeling Gassy Guac might not fly off the shelves. Now, if only I could stumble on a way to improve donuts. Carbonated Jelly filling… yeah, maybe not. I think I’ll

Friends, When challenging a loved one’s exaggerated fear, you should always pray the behavior you’re trying to prove “safe” does not, ironically, lead to the dreaded outcome. Your son won’t go outside due to a bee phobia? Don’t get stung mid-sentence... “if you don’t bother them, they won’t... ouch!” (if you do, stoicism is strongly advised). Wife afraid of slipping on ice lurking beneath snowy trail patches? Better not lose your footing while proving her wrong (you and your sore coccis may never hear the end of it). Improbable events are not impossible, and, if Murphy’s Law has its way, any attempt to make a point about such improbability might just trigger them. It’s preferable to acknowledge a very small (but real) risk exists that something may lurk in the dark, than to suggest it’s impossible while inadvertently stepping on the cat’s tail (that child may never sleep with the lights off again). How about you? Ever bring about the unlikely consequences of an act you were trying to p

  Friends, There’s something sempiternal about trees. Majestic specimens with perfect balance and symmetry have the power to inspire and lift downtrodden spirits. Those fortunate enough to avoid the timber mill and furniture factory can lead some astonishingly long lives. Thousand year oaks and araucarias, two thousand year baobabs and figs, three thousand year sequoias and jequitibá-rosa, four thousand year yew and cypress, five thousand year bristlecone pines and six thousand year olives (not to mention clonal trees with shared root systems – there’s a male quaking aspen colony, named Pando, believed to be somewhere north of 14 thousand years old!). Yet, even under ideal circumstances, trees eventually die. Plains cottonwoods have a 70 year average lifespan and, while allergy sufferers might consider them giant weeds, they can be beautiful. As they near their end, fewer leaves emerge each year. The bark is shed and bleached branches call to mind a giant skeletal relic of its former

Friends, Progress, measured in quality of life improvements and enabled by technological infrastructure, seems inevitable. Agriculture, sanitation, transportation, communications, industrialization, healthcare, electrification and computing would all appear to follow a linear, upward trajectory. But, are we guaranteed a higher life expectancy, greater convenience and ever-increasing productivity? Not necessarily. It’s healthy to challenge the implied assumptions that progress is beneficial, universal, undeviating and unavoidable. Take ghost towns. Last week I had the opportunity to visit Inter-Laken, a late-1800s boomtown which once competed with Aspen for the affluent tourist’s dollar. The two mile hike to this abandoned relic begins with a dubious trail at the unmarked dead end of an unremarkable dirt road. The gorgeous trek takes you through lakeside rolling hills, lush with wildflowers and shaded by pine and aspen trees. Just when you think you’ve taken a wrong turn and doubt you’l

Friends, In a world rank with spin and “truth-shaping”, the unvarnished truth can be a breath of fresh air. This notion seems to have inspired the folks naming things in and around Aspen. Next time you’re there check out the (1) Difficult Campground. After all, if you want it easy, camping may not be your thing. During your stay, you may be tempted to explore the (2) Lost Man trail. His mishap reminds us all that hiking is not devoid of risk. If you’re looking for something original to do while in town, why not take a walk down (3) Original Street, just be careful not to wander down to (4) Glory Hole Park –I hate to imagine what you’ll find there! Instead, mosey on down to Mill and Hyman where you’ll find (5) Sweet Coloradough donuts. Just be sure to go early, lest they run out of their famous Cronuts –and decide for yourself whether they’re truly worth $7 a pop. Happy Friday!

  Friends, They say you can’t judge a bakery by it’s billboard, yet, its natural to try. External traits feel like reasonable proxies for deeper truths. Eloquent passes for rational, articulate for competent and charismatic for good. We tend to trust proxies for their decent probability of holding true, forgetting that symptoms may have alternate causes. Madmen can be expressive, frauds persuasive and devils charming. So, one might be forgiven for assuming Habit Doughnut Dispensary sells torus-shaped edible THC, despite the fact such an assumption would be wrong. They’re just your run of the mill pricey bakery. That said they do have some very dope donuts (to be clear, “dope” not in the literal sense, but rather, as slang for “great”). Their blazed donut calls to mind a delicious flambe dessert and their strawberry glaze tastes like fresh picked, well, strawberries. You should try it some time. Happy Friday!

  Friends, Unseasonably warm days create a short window of opportunity when daylight and strenuous outdoor activities mix. Accordingly, I’ve shifted my running habit to the early morning hours. The sheets will inevitably try to dissuade me of my purpose by overselling the benefits five more minutes of sleep might provide. Fortunately, getting out there is more rewarding than the alternative. The crisp morning air, sharp angle lighting and a residual good feeling that carries-on for hours outweigh the temptation to hit the snooze button and sleep-in. If that wasn’t enough, the possibility of chance wildlife encounters sweetens the pot. This week, the coyote who often stares from a distance crossed the path a little closer than usual. Then there was the completely unexpected common snapping turtle, digging right off the running trail —there was nothing common about that sight. ​​ The other benefit of an early run is the donut stop before the day gets too crazy. I guess that's why

Friends, There’s a certain gratification that comes from imposing order on chaos. Whether it’s crafting a story, assembling a puzzle or building a project, every completed stage is delightful, even though there may never be a “finished product”. One of my guilty pleasures, genealogy, has mutated beyond a one-dimensional search for ancestors into a quest to tackle the social fabric that connects me to the world. My genealogical web (family tree seems an inadequate metaphor) has metastasized into a large and eclectic collection of interweaving connections between folks with varying degrees of affiliation. Think of it as seven degrees of JP González. The only rule for getting added is holding some relation with someone who is already on the tree. As you might imagine, this means a good chunk of folks on the tree hold little or no blood relation to yours truly. Still, it’s satisfying to connect the dots and, particularly rewarding when I get to merge individuals. A son is also a husband

Friends, John Locke’s concept of nominal essence refers to a common set of qualities a thing shares with other things of the same kind. For instance, all donuts share a donut-ness (nominal essence) even though they don’t all look, smell or taste the same. This archetype tells us that we are indeed enjoying a donut; not a bagel, muffin, danish, croissant or funnel cake. As I prepare to run the “Bolder Boulder” this weekend, I can’t help but wonder about the race’s essence. The crowded Memorial Day 10K event has become somewhat of a González family tradition. Running through the streets of Boulder, where quirky racers and fans engage in shenanigans, and culminating at Folsom field, where F-16 flybys, parachute landings and military tributes amuse the recovering runners sprawled on the bleachers. That was then. This year, the organizers have spread the start times across the entire weekend (my family runs tomorrow) and venues (we’re running in Firestone, CO… not Boulder), so as to avoi

Friends, The human form is the measure by which we frame the world around us. We are, after all, most familiar with (and full of) ourselves. Take the friendly elevator at Shift, the coworking environment where I sometimes migrate to change scenery. It’s no more or less efficient than other elevators, yet, the illusion of a smiley face created by the card reader’s reflection makes the space just a tad more endearing. The elevator could, for all I know, be an evil machine plotting my demise. Nah! Who am I kidding, it can’t be. What with its symmetric “eyes” and understated grin. Nothing so cute could possibly be waiting for the right moment to plunge me to my grave from the top floor. Could it? Another example: receiving two thumbs up is universally accepted as a sign of having done a great job. Unless, of course, if it’s coming from a koala bear. With two opposable thumbs in each hand, anything short of four thumbs has room for improvement. Which leads me to donuts. Last week’s expedit

Friends, With urban camping season underway across the Colorado front range, now felt like a good time to ask, what makes for a good spot to pitch a tent? Private property is out of the question – “trespassers will be shot” signs can be a tad unnerving. Access to services is a selling point amongst urban campers settling near the Good Samaritan and the Jesus Saves sign. Public lands and close quarters with other like-minded urban campers also seem like key criteria. And, while a view of the capitol or a flowing stream would appear to be desirable commodities, the smell of pot and strewn litter might be bigger draws. Maybe it’s my quiet nature or the quasi-hermit mindset derived from years of working from home… whatever the reason, I think that if I were camping within city limits, I’d pick a suburban trail underpass. You know, within reach of civilization but still remote enough to create the illusion of wilderness – plus the road above bears the brunt of the elements in the event of

Friends, Good photos use subject, light, color, contrast, texture and composition to create an overall pleasing effect. Great photos add the whimsical, unexpected and inspiring. Good photographers know the rules, understand their gear, are deliberate about their approach, experiment with different variables and welcome the unexpected. Great photographers combine motive, means and opportunity (or was that criminals?) They strive to create, not recreate some archetype of beauty. They go beyond technique and touch the soul. Which is an awkward way to introduce some photos I took on my cell yesterday afternoon. I’m no great photographer, but I was trying to challenge my process and habits. On my sunset run, I kept an eye out for counterintuitive subjects and soon realized the sewer system along the trail had a lot to offer. This resulted in four photos (and an average pace of 14 minutes per mile — the word “run” may have been overly generous). I call this series “coastal smells” (an expr

Friends, I realize I’ve been on somewhat of a Mars kick lately – three red planet references in as many months*. Granted my fascination with the fourth rock from the sun goes pretty far back. I was notoriously the first (and perhaps only) person to report how curiosity killed the cat in 2012 – and have been guilty of intermittent allusions to Ares’ orb over the years. Unfortunately, as you surely already know, today’s reference couldn’t   be helped. As evidenced by Percy’s ǂ latest (and possibly last) mastcam HD image, it would appear a sandworm has prematurely cut the mission short. On the bright side, if confirmed, NASA is hopeful this could mean Spice Melange is real – which opens-up the possibility of drastic space travel acceleration by enabling safe spacetime folding (leveraging the Holtzman Effect) § . So, in the spirit of the day’s events, I have taken the opportunity to sojourn to Wake and Bake on South Broadway for a cinnamon crumb cake donut – and eleven of its best fr

Friends, Context and experience separate the ordinary from the extraordinary and the mundane from the amazing. If I told you a helicopter flew twice this week, you’d be forgiven for wondering why I even brought it up. Helicopters, after all, take to the air all the time. So ordinary. This particular helicopter, however, happens to be on Mars. Ingenuity (the little drone’s name) took to the very thin Martian air and performed the first (and second) controlled flights ever on another celestial body. Quite extraordinary! Now, if we had a fleet of these machines on the red planet making dozens of routine flights a day, no news outlet would consider it noteworthy (unless it was a for a fluff piece). Similarly, documenting the existence of a fairy or a ghost would be quite amazing. But, if these same mythical creatures were something you could go to the park and see whenever you please, they’d be a rather mundane experience. In fact, if enough of them were out there they might even become

Friends, We tend to think of information as a permanent record of our fleeting passage through time. Yet paintings fade, sculptures erode and pages become moth chow. Even great libraries burn or decline; vanishing out of existence. Granted, a humble basket might survive ten thousand years under the right conditions, still, that’s a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. In this digital age, it’s tempting to think that, freed from the shackles of physical media, our photos, programs and posts will live on. Yet, ones and zeros must be stored on decaying hardware, often owned by private enterprises who may one day go bankrupt, end support or simply walk away from a platform. We may cheat entropy for a decade (perhaps a century or even a millennium). We may even be gifted enough for our artifacts to find relevance with people living in that distant future (relevance, now there’s another sticky wicket). Wow, that came-out a lot darker than I intended. I don’t believe hard work and