Friday Donuts

 Friends, Turning 55 today has me pondering the great philosopher Sammy Hagar's inability to drive my age. As the eighties earworm echoes in my head, another lead-foot comes to mind: the late Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) probe, which was doing 14,000 MPH when it clocked into Dimporphos, a 525 foot diameter asteroid, on Monday, If you missed the crash, google "DART probe." When you do, an animated probe will crash into the results page, tilting it one degree—which was the desired post-impact change in the asteroid's trajectory! (pardon my inner geek, but that alone is pretty cool!).  Watching the last image of the live transmission, it occurred to me that the asteroid's rocky texture would make a great rock album cover (get it?). In fact, the barrage of space images coming-in these days seems purpose built for cover art. Bands of all genres could save a ton by using these amazing pics. To illustrate my point, I've mocked-up a few ideas, using real ba

Friends, Ever have a down day? One of those days when you feel like you're in a deep, dark ,dank, damp dump. Perhaps someone made you feel worth less (or even worthless). Perhaps it's stress or a chemical imbalance. Maybe there's no reason at all, It's just one of those days (or months). While it's natural to want to lick your wounds, I find it's helpful to remember the feeling will pass, It may not seem possible in the moment, but it will pass. I then take stock of the things for which I am grateful. Family, friends, talents, passions, occupations, good health and good fortune. Afterwards, I make a mental list of things I like to do when I'm myself. I fancy myself an early bird —of course, I prefer coffee and donuts over catching worms. I like to run by the churning river while the day is still young. I love to smile, hold hands, and laugh out loud. I take pleasure in finding patterns, solving mysteries, learning about discoveries, and writing stories. I en

Friends, Someday I will wake-up and venture to accomplish the great feats I know deep down I was meant to achieve. Someday I will traverse America’s mountainous backbone on foot from Las Torres del Paine, past Aconcagua, over Denali and through to King Cove. Someday I will make a pilgrimage across the Camino de Santiago to my 4th great grandfather Lorenzo González's native A Coruña. Some fine day I will finally sit down and write that novel that now and again stirs inside me and seeks to escape my head. Someday when the planets align, I'll wake up on the right side of the bed. Someday while I'm still in decent shape and in control of my faculties. That day I'll venture out and visit the four corners of the globe. Someday. Not today. Today I'll kick the can and have a donut with a cup of coffee, biding my time. Tomorrow is not looking good either. But someday. Someday soon! Happy Friday!

Friends, The term "anachronistic" has come-up a couple of times in discussing Queen Elizabeth II's legacy and succession. It seems awards like the  Order of the British  Empire  and titles like  Defender of  the   Faith   may be remnants of a bygone era (one might argue "monarchy" should be on that list). I'm reminded of the trend in the U.S. to rename anything and everything, from sports teams to schools to landmarks. I don't know why this trend irks me so... it's not like I have any pride of ownership in any of the names being changed --and, to my knowledge, nothing is named after me. I suppose it's plain old resistance to change... constant, inevitable change. Today Chuck III succeeds Liz II. Some day Billy V may ascend to the throne --assuming he survives his father, still wants and is fit for the job, and the job is still available. The longer we live, the more change we face. Like a snake that sheds its skin in order to grow, we too must

Friends, As a fully remote worker, I sometimes miss the office. I miss the drive-by meetings, purpose-built space and break room conversations. Surprisingly, I also miss the commute. Beyond the utilitarian getting from point H to point W, the routine served to catch-up on the day’s news, while hitting the mental reset button to get in the right headspace for a productive workday. Lately, I've been thinking I could try borrowing a page from another group who desperately tries to recreate their former habits: Vegans. Don't get me wrong, I think vegans are great. Matter of fact, I have a highly accomplished vegan daughter whose many achievements make me quite proud — a topic, perhaps, for another missive — however, if you look at their menu you'd think they're pretending to be omnivores. From tofurkey to vacon to impossible burgers to fauxzarella cheese (I may have just coined that last one — you’re welcome vegan community!), you’d be hard pressed to find an animal-derived