Friday Donuts

Friends, Did you watch the debate last night? Yeah, me neither! The prospect of decrepit vs. deceitful was as appealing as walking barefoot over broken glass. Watching paint dry wasn’t an option (I’m 3,333 miles away from my freshly painted house) so I spent a quiet evening at home pondering random ideas. Thoughts such as the fact cheap steakhouses are booming thanks to cheapskates leaving their houses in search of cheap steaks. Or, throwing a third party for the third party responsible for my text message failures — or perhaps writing them a verse, after all their name is Syniverse. Or how cool it is that donuts only have one surface. If you had the misfortune of watching Statler debate Waldorf last night, I'd love to hear your take on it. If not, I'm proud of you. Happy Friday! Key debate moment. Photo credit: The Jim Henson Company

Friends, Summer has officially arrived, its long warm days a harbor of carefree outdoor activities. And while adulting gets in the way of summer vacation, I will be spending a good chunk of it in Ecuador --albeit working from home. I guess technically that means it's winter for me... however, this close to the equator, we don't get four seasons. This solstice, I was reminded there’s nothing colder than a hot summer day in Houston. Seriously, what’s with the inverse correlation between a locale’s weather and how high they blast the AC? Such blatant overcompensation hints at a special kind of bravado. Wearing my bomber jacket at Houston Intercontinental Airport, I pictured the HVAC team going “You can’t store ice cream at room temperature? Watch me!" Brrr... fortunately there's a Dunkin' in Terminal E so I was able to enjoy my final northern hemisphere donut for a while. Here's hoping you have a fun summer ahead of you and that your plans include a donut (or more

Friends, Time disguises us with old age, Whether or not it makes us sage. Mirrors lie, Strange reflections look us in the eye. Ringing ears, wrinkles, gray, Stiff, tired, small aches here to stay. Could it be? In my mind I’m twenty three. As each instant flows through me, Like a stream I cannot see. Not confined, There is more to us than space and time. In five dimensions I believe, Our whole life is within reach. Always there, Every moment that we’ve shared. And now I know I’ve gone too far, Too long winded, too bizarre... Donut time! Thank you for putting up with my rhyme. Happy Friday!

Friends, National Donut Day feels like a good time to look back. Not on the 20+ years I’ve been writing these notes, mind you, but to a time when I was 11 at my grandfather’s ranch. Flying, tethered to a rope I had attached on a high branch of a eucalyptus tree (before the rope snapped and the ensuing fall broke my friend’s arm). Building a straw lair up against the mountainside (before the adults burned it down to keep away the lovebirds who had “nested” there). Simultaneously peeing and walking up the trail while helping carry fresh water to the adobe abode (before city living, mores and social conventions made me self conscious). Molding little swans from the wax dripping off the candles lighting the dinner table (before the absence of electricity was unthinkable). Collecting rusted bullets and grasshoppers, making whistles from orchid leaves and eating the bead-sized pink fruits growing on the fields. Pretending to fall asleep so my parents would let me sleep over — again. Don’t ge