How Many E-mails Does it Take to Get Donuts to AWG Meeting?

I can't go into the previous months of conference calls and e-mails it first took to get the donuts to the Alameda Writers Group meeting but here's what happens when writers order donuts for their monthly meeting:

1. From Volunteer organizer Sue cc:ed to President (Marc) and V.P.

Hey Lynn,

I know you are the wonderful person who arranged for the donuts to be delivered to the AWG GMM's, but I'm wondering how it all works (a little late in my job to find out, but I'd like to know none the less). Actually my interest is peeked due to the unusual Sat. that's been chosen for the July meeting. It's the second Saturday (7/10) instead of the first. Does the bakery automatically show up or do you remind them? If you are the one that's in touch with the bakery, I guess this is just a reminder that the meeting is on July 10 next month.

Could you let me know how the donut connection works for future changes, or if I need to call the bakery directly?

Thanks,
Sue

2. Response from Lynn:
Hey Sue;

As far as I know, Christina’s Donuts receives a check before the meeting with the date of the meeting on the check. The treasurer mails the check.

I have told her that we usually we don’t meet in July, but that was last year. Please note: everyone dealing with this topic has donut issues, so we try to deal with it delicately. I used to call the donut place and e-mail the treasurer but then some sort of donut system was set up.

I do not know how the system works during leap months…

If someone so pleases you may call the donut place to remind her/check on the order. It’s open 24 hours a day.

The donut saga continues.

C’ya at the meeting.

Lynn

3. From Sue the Next Morning:

Lynn,

Would you have ever thought donuts could be such a mystery? I'm assuming that you set up the initial order a long long time ago and they just keep sending the same thing. What do you think?

Sue

----- Original Message -----
From: Treasurer, Bruce
To: Sue
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 9:34 PM
Subject: Re: Donuts


Hi Sue. I will order them for July 10th. I will send them a check this week and I will also call and make sure they understand the meeting is a week later than usual. The question is however, who does order the donuts? Sure, I make sure they are paid for and delivered, but who actually tells the donut place what donuts to bring? Since I never make it to the meetings, I have no way of knowing if the members are getting the kinds of donuts they really like. We should look into this. Bruce.


On Monday, June 28, 2004, at 10:51 AM, Sue wrote:

Hey Bruce,

Just a thought, but do you order the donuts or just pay for them? I have asked Alan Miller the same question, because I want to make sure that the are delivered on July 10th and not this weekend.

Did you receive the checks I sent you? Sorry they were so late.

Sue

4. Response from Lynn cc:ed to Sue, Bruce, President Marc and V.P. Travis

Hi y’ all:

The standard order is two dozen fancy and two dozen regular donuts.

The fancy include fritters, filled (like jelly and custard). I personally like a custard donut once in a while.

She makes them fresh just for us. I noticed the apple fritters didn’t go too well last time. You can suggest she substitute something else.

If you put the type of donuts to a vote, we may not decide until next year.

Just say two dozen fancy and two dozen regular….forget the fritters.

LW

5. Response from President Marc

RE: Donuts, Donuts, and More Donuts!

I love donuts!

Donuts are the most important part of the entire AWG!

And I'm fond of the custard ones, too.

Who needs fritters? I sure as hell don't. Donuts are an American obsession. Fritters doesn't sound American!

Sue, thanks you for handling this.

Lynn, thanks you for getting back to her so promptly, and for being so helpful.

We'd hate to have to pay for donuts to be delivered on the wrong day (7/3), and then not have any on the right day (7/10).

Sue, let me know if you are able to make contact with the donut person and all is good.

M.

#####
Comment from Lynn:
That's why we voted against bagels.....

Invasion of the Suppermarket Attention Snatchers

It was a busy day, I didn’t have time to go to the market until late at night. I figured I’d miss all the screaming kids in the lines, skate through the aisles, get all my staples, then fly out of my local Ralphs with ease. However, when it came time to checkout, all the lines were backed up like a bad freeway at rush hour. My patience was wearing thin, and it totally disappeared when I saw and heard the latest addition to the checkout experience. Perched above the magazines, breath mints, and astrology guides was a big-screen color computer monitor, with MTV-like videos of supermarket fair spewing out advice, commercials and recipes through crummy speakers in every aisle.

The sound was worse then a six-year-old’s birthday party where all your friends have given your kid, the latest battery powered electronic toys including guns, guitars and a piano/drum machine before the batteries run out. Each aisle had the tinny, bad speakers playing different static pitches out of sync with each other in a cacophony of irritation.

My head screamed in defiance with an instant headache of manic proportions. How dare they invade my personal time in line checking-out. I use my line time to observe how the rest of the world lives and eats. Mmmn, this guy must eat healthy, lots of vegetables. She must be throwing a party look at all those chips and dips. With the massive amounts of daily stress in my life, I need some time to relax, escape, read stories about alien invasions, celebrity break-ups or sneak a peak at the latest fashions. Maybe I want to take a look at my love-life astrology and know that my good life is improving. What I do in the market line should be my choice, not what the market decides what I should watch and hear.

Ouch, my ears hurt, the sound of screeching nails on a chalkboard would be better. What ever happened to that lovely supermarket music where I used to escape the hot summer air and dance around the cool aisles in delight? What am I supposed to do--- see the advertisement for quick bake biscuits, leave the line, run over to the refrigerator section and be so compelled to buy biscuits because they’ll be fresher? While watching the lovely couple smile and kiss to bad transistor radio music… I’ll be so enticed by their teeth…I’ll switch toothpaste brands? The only ads they should show are for earplugs or a headache remedy that works on headaches caused by your supermarket ruining your shopping experience.

Finally my groceries moved on the conveyer belt to the checker. As he scanned my order, I stated sternly, “I vote NO to that!” as I pointed to the monster monitor.

He stared back at me with piercing eyes, as if I insulted him personally, “We’ve had no complaints before,” he blurted back.

“You should at least be able to turn down the volume,” I said wanting to punch out both him and the screeching mechanical nemesis. He sneered back at me and gave me my change.

Fuming, I went home, booted up my PC and e-mailed customer service to the
supermarket.

“We’ve had no complaints, about this before,” the e-mail said as well as the woman on the toll-free customers service line.

Have people gotten so immune to technology that no matter what they get blasted at them they can tune it out and ignore it? Or am I crazy? I will never return to that market, even if they gave me triple coupons and neck massages for my headache. They say we’ll be seeing more devices like those in the future. It does not make sense to me.

I’d like to see the supermarkets actually do something to improve my shopping experience not hinder it. They already put in computer monitors on my line, give me a keyboard and wireless mouse, and let me surf the Net at my leisure, set the volume on the computers, check my stock quotes, bid on an online auction, e-mail Grandma. Put in cable or satellite TV and give each supermarket club member a remote. I don’t have time to go to the movies at least I could get a few minutes of the latest flick. Better yet, give me a remote to the market, I’ll drive up, push a few buttons, scroll through some menus on the monitor in the parking lot and a cute friendly bag-boy will come out smiling with two bags full of groceries and tell me how beautiful I look (even though I have more bags under my eyes then he’s carrying.)

I e-mailed Grandma about my extra special service idea. She said that’s the way market people used to be when they believed in customer service. They were always smiling and very polite. Except, she didn’t use a remote, just a phone and a good relationship with the grocer who cared about his customers.
********
Lynn Walford has been a freelance writer for over 13 years. Her work has been published extensively. More information is available at http://www.freelancewriternow.com

Women's Ageless Strength = Beauty

I just found out this poem lost the Oil of Ollay poetry contest--- I guess my view of beauty is way different than theirs...

Women’s Ageless Strength = Beauty


A mother lifts a car to save a baby.
Teacher/grandma/friend, shows children how to sing, dance draw, ‘n’ be free.
Girlfriends go from Go-Go Girls to “You Go! Girls.”
Women make gardens grow, offices greet, dresses sing, and homes nurture.
We turn personal tragedy into opportunities to heal.
We talk it all through ---surviving losses, herassment and pain greater than birth.
We learn from our experiences, then lightly share our wisdom.
Taking good care of ourselves first, spreading care out to the world,
We pile up love, hope, faith and bring inspiration; making us unstoppable.
You don’t have to ask us how old we are,
Our beauty defies age, and time.
Our loving strength emanates beyond all dimensions.

Hot Pant Memories

Why I Can’t Throw Away My Suede Hot Pants c. 1974

They still fit.
I bought them on sale for $12.99, an incredible value.
They have flattering stripes on the side.
They remind me of Disco.
We’ve been through a lot together.
They’re irreplaceable?
They signify a transition in time when women finally got to wear pants,
Even though they were hot as hell.