Friday Donuts

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!