Ramble On

Alright, I know I need to update on the Darryl situation but that will be a more involved post.  For the time being, in the midst of post-vacation catching up at work I have come across two things that I have found terribly amusing. 1 - I have a student doing research for his PhD out west and have been wading through piles of receipts to reimburse him for travel costs, including fuel.  Through this wading, I have found that gas stations out west have AMAZING names.  Colorado boasts a chain called Loaf n' Jug.  But my personal favorite, Toot'n Totum, obviously hails from Texas.  It begs the question, why have we East Coasters been bothering to write out those conjunctions when you can be folksy AND save signage costs at the same time? 2 - Desperation e-mails.  Admittedly, these shouldn't be as funny to me as they are.  These students are genuinely worried about their academic futures.  Make no mistake, I'm genuinely concerned for them.  Mo...

This just happened at my neighborhood Trader Joe's. I was waiting in line behind a couple who didn't seem to be partaking in the revelry of the day.  They had had a long conversation with an elderly triathlete in front of them because the lines were out of control today.  So the triathlete checks out, and the couple steps up to the register with just a jar of cookie butter and chocolate syrup to purchase.  The cashier looks at them and says with a smile, "I see those sweet treats coming your way." Then she adds, laughingly, "but where's the ice cream?"  The gentleman in the couple responds by putting his arm tightly around his girlfriend/wife, and says, "I'm 'bout to go home and make me a sandwich.  I got some St. Patty's plans tonight." I stepped up to the register after this and the cashier was smiling but also a bit flustered.  We were both trying to get our heads around what had just happened.  I asked the cashier if that w...

Hello friends.  It's rare that I am inspired to blog by a business telephone conversation, but it wouldn't be the first time .  To say that this phone call was about business is using the term loosely.  My business was planning my vacation in Florida for my dear friend Lauren's wedding.  All the big pieces are set: car rented, plane tickets bought, hotels booked, I just had a few holes to fill in.  Namely, spending Sunday exploring the Everglades and figuring out the best way of doing that. On the Everglades NP website, they have links to a few tour companies and Captain Steve's Swamp Buggy Adventures really stuck out to me.  What is a swamp buggy anyway? I had been putting off calling until I had a few more pieces of the puzzle in place, and today it all came together.  So I rang up the outfit.  A fantastic deep southern accent greeted me on the other line: "Captain Steve's Swamp Buggy Adventures, this is Darryl". Instantly, I am excited by...