November 12
Reminiscence – West Yellowstone Laundromat
circa 1987
During the winter of this year, our ward in Holladay, UT., went on a youth outing to Yellowstone. We went to take a snowmobile tour of the park. We got there in the late afternoon and checked into a motel in West Yellowstone. Then, after dinner, I went out with Eric Rigby to tour around the town a bit. We walked by a Laundromat and Eric said we should go in and take one of the dryers for a ride. I wasnt too excited about that initially, so he said he would do it first. (I recall that he might have done this previously) He said he would jump in and then I needed to shut the door and then he would go around a few times and then bang it open from the inside. I thought he was crazy, of course. I still wasnt sure whether he was serious or not when he stuck a quarter in, and jumped in. I shut the door on him and watched incredulously as he thumped around in a circle about three times. Then he whacked the door from the inside and the dryer came to a stop. It was great to see this fine example and see that he came out alive. Based on that, I figured that I could pull it off too. I was worried as to whether I would fit very well in there or not since I was a bit bigger than Eric. I contorted myself in there and gave Eric the go-ahead to shut the door on me. I remember the first rotation and how it killed my back when I crashed down on the metal blade that tosses the laundry. After coming to my senses and making my second loop, I banged the door open. Definitely one of those things that you only need to do once in your lifetime.
The next day, we had a great ride through the park on the snowmobiles. I remember turning around one corner on the snowmobile and coming face-to-face ( or face-to-knee) with a humongous bison. It looked like there was fire coming out of its nostrils (It was just its cold breath) as it stared at me menacingly. I then slooooooooowly navigated around it and got out of there as quick as I could. Fun trip, but my back still hurts thinking about the laundromat.
During the winter of this year, our ward in Holladay, UT., went on a youth outing to Yellowstone. We went to take a snowmobile tour of the park. We got there in the late afternoon and checked into a motel in West Yellowstone. Then, after dinner, I went out with Eric Rigby to tour around the town a bit. We walked by a Laundromat and Eric said we should go in and take one of the dryers for a ride. I wasnt too excited about that initially, so he said he would do it first. (I recall that he might have done this previously) He said he would jump in and then I needed to shut the door and then he would go around a few times and then bang it open from the inside. I thought he was crazy, of course. I still wasnt sure whether he was serious or not when he stuck a quarter in, and jumped in. I shut the door on him and watched incredulously as he thumped around in a circle about three times. Then he whacked the door from the inside and the dryer came to a stop. It was great to see this fine example and see that he came out alive. Based on that, I figured that I could pull it off too. I was worried as to whether I would fit very well in there or not since I was a bit bigger than Eric. I contorted myself in there and gave Eric the go-ahead to shut the door on me. I remember the first rotation and how it killed my back when I crashed down on the metal blade that tosses the laundry. After coming to my senses and making my second loop, I banged the door open. Definitely one of those things that you only need to do once in your lifetime.
The next day, we had a great ride through the park on the snowmobiles. I remember turning around one corner on the snowmobile and coming face-to-face ( or face-to-knee) with a humongous bison. It looked like there was fire coming out of its nostrils (It was just its cold breath) as it stared at me menacingly. I then slooooooooowly navigated around it and got out of there as quick as I could. Fun trip, but my back still hurts thinking about the laundromat.
Jaylin Smack Talk
Last night I was in the office when Jaylin comes in and hands me a small picture frame and a note. I read the note. It is always funny to read Jaylin’s writing as she is picking up more and more and spelling better now that she is in first grade. It reads (in Jaylinese):
“This feLL DoWNe. nOW Wut Are you going TO DO abawD it!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I look at her questioningly and she starts laughing maniacally. I think my six year old was trying to pick a fight with me! I handed the note to LeAnn, and she joined Jaylin in the laughfest. My little girl is a comedian. :)
“This feLL DoWNe. nOW Wut Are you going TO DO abawD it!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I look at her questioningly and she starts laughing maniacally. I think my six year old was trying to pick a fight with me! I handed the note to LeAnn, and she joined Jaylin in the laughfest. My little girl is a comedian. :)
November 07
Reminiscence – Krispy Kreme Fiasco
2002
One morning, before I went to work at Microsoft, I was scheduled to pick up about 100 boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts for our Wards Scout troop. (My van was filled to the brim with doughnuts!) They were working on a fundraiser, so I went early before work to pick up the goods. I had gotten there at about 6:00 a.m. and was listening to KJR AM sports radio. At that time, the announcer, Mitch in the Morning was ranting about Krispy Kreme. I guess he hadnt tried the doughnuts and was wondering what all the hype was about. After I made the pickup and got back in the car, he asked the radio audience if anyone was going to Krispy Kreme that morning. He wanted a guinea pig to tell him if anyone was in line for doughnuts at that crazy hour of the morning. He said that if someone would go and scout it out and tell him how crowded it was, that he would buy them a box of doughnuts. Although I had just left and was back on the freeway, I thought it would be fun to help with the experiment. I called in and talked to the program manager. I told him I was just there and could tell them how busy it was. He told me not to tell Mitch that I had already been there, but that if I turned around and went back, they would get me a box of doughnuts. Nothing like free food! – so I turned around and waited to be put on the air. A couple of minutes later, I was talking with Mitch on the Radio. He asked what I was doing out at that hour and why I was crazy enough to wait in line for doughnuts. At that time, he brought another caller on the line, and it turned out to be a manager of the Issaquah Krispy Kreme that I was going back to. Mitch asked him to explain the KK phenomena, to which the manager explained they were always busy because the doughnuts were ‘that good’. I then explained to him that I was (had been) there picking up doughnuts for the Boy Scout fundraiser. He asked how many doughnuts I had gotten for them. I told him that I had got 100 boxes. “ONE HUNDRED DOZEN!!!” He yelled, –“If you already got 100 DOZEN doughnuts, there is NO WAY I am buying you another box!!!” Then he hung up on me. I was stunned. This was just about the time I was pulling back into the KK parking lot. I saw another guy pull in who was still talking on his cell phone. He had on a KK uniform. It turned out it was the manger who had called in. I talked to him after he hung up and asked him if he was talking to Mitch—He said, “Yep. Are you Todd?” (He knew I was driving there to get my ‘free doughnuts’) He said that Mitch was a big Jerky for hanging up on me, and asked me to come in with me and he would give me a free box. I went in and he also ended up giving me a free t-shirt as well. This is now my trophy for having put up with Mitch in the Morning on that particular day. Ahh. The best things in life are free…
One morning, before I went to work at Microsoft, I was scheduled to pick up about 100 boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts for our Wards Scout troop. (My van was filled to the brim with doughnuts!) They were working on a fundraiser, so I went early before work to pick up the goods. I had gotten there at about 6:00 a.m. and was listening to KJR AM sports radio. At that time, the announcer, Mitch in the Morning was ranting about Krispy Kreme. I guess he hadnt tried the doughnuts and was wondering what all the hype was about. After I made the pickup and got back in the car, he asked the radio audience if anyone was going to Krispy Kreme that morning. He wanted a guinea pig to tell him if anyone was in line for doughnuts at that crazy hour of the morning. He said that if someone would go and scout it out and tell him how crowded it was, that he would buy them a box of doughnuts. Although I had just left and was back on the freeway, I thought it would be fun to help with the experiment. I called in and talked to the program manager. I told him I was just there and could tell them how busy it was. He told me not to tell Mitch that I had already been there, but that if I turned around and went back, they would get me a box of doughnuts. Nothing like free food! – so I turned around and waited to be put on the air. A couple of minutes later, I was talking with Mitch on the Radio. He asked what I was doing out at that hour and why I was crazy enough to wait in line for doughnuts. At that time, he brought another caller on the line, and it turned out to be a manager of the Issaquah Krispy Kreme that I was going back to. Mitch asked him to explain the KK phenomena, to which the manager explained they were always busy because the doughnuts were ‘that good’. I then explained to him that I was (had been) there picking up doughnuts for the Boy Scout fundraiser. He asked how many doughnuts I had gotten for them. I told him that I had got 100 boxes. “ONE HUNDRED DOZEN!!!” He yelled, –“If you already got 100 DOZEN doughnuts, there is NO WAY I am buying you another box!!!” Then he hung up on me. I was stunned. This was just about the time I was pulling back into the KK parking lot. I saw another guy pull in who was still talking on his cell phone. He had on a KK uniform. It turned out it was the manger who had called in. I talked to him after he hung up and asked him if he was talking to Mitch—He said, “Yep. Are you Todd?” (He knew I was driving there to get my ‘free doughnuts’) He said that Mitch was a big Jerky for hanging up on me, and asked me to come in with me and he would give me a free box. I went in and he also ended up giving me a free t-shirt as well. This is now my trophy for having put up with Mitch in the Morning on that particular day. Ahh. The best things in life are free…
