Two weeks of small pleasures

The first two weeks of this school year have been especially full with activities and tasks. I recall a few years ago coming home during these two weeks and sitting around, enjoying the final days of the Indian Summer without much to do yet for school. But this year has been different because I have been occupied with the production of the Panther Sports souvenir program and with my online classes for my master's degree. Those activities have sucked up nearly all my so-called free time these past two weeks, and it has been difficult to find time -- much less energy -- to do anything else.

Nonetheless, I have had a couple gem moments in the past couple weeks:
Friday night I went to Yakima for a football game, and I had a chance to make two stops that were wonderful experiences. First, I my driving companion, DrPezz, agreed to allow me to stop in Ellensburg on the way so that I could get a haircut at my favorite barber, The Clipper. It's the best cut around, and he always vacuums the loose clipped hair off the top of my head at the end of the cut. Even today, the clipper cut is just $10, and appointments are required.

One treat of going to Yakima for a sports contest as part of the "staff" (DrPezz takes stats, and I helped tabulate) is the chance to eat at the one and only Miner's Drive-In. The drive-in offers space in the kitchen to coaches and bus drivers and, thankfully, to other "staff" who want to gorge on as much food as can be stuffed in one's mouth. Everything is free, of course, but even better is the service that is unparallelled in the restaurant industry. A worker is assigned to each table in the busy kitchen. As the other employees scurry around to prepare the varied menu items, they demonstrate efficiency and courtesy. "Please" and "Thank you" are as common as shout-outs for french fries, milk shakes and Big Miner burgers. It's the Nordstrom of burger joints. On most occasions, the owner stops by to greet the customers and make everyone feel welcome. She always dresses to the nines, all polished up for her Friday night guests. She's a piece of work. She delighted the Wenatchee coaches with her signature phrase: "If you leave here hungry, it's your own damn fault!"

I've been having a great time in my classes so far this year. I think that I say that every year around this time, before their lustre has worn off, before the truly hard part of the semester has hit both me and them, before I have to be a hard-nosed and finger-wagging disciplinarian and before they start asking if I can provide any extra credit. But I like everyone so far. And we've had some fun -- they usually laugh at my jokes and I at their antics. I've already identified some kids with whom I can joke and who will be the targets of my practical jokes and playful banter.

We've redesigned the newspaper, and it will debut Wednesday with the first issue on Volume 89. It's amazing what a few changes in typefaces and design can do to buoy my spirits; I am so energized for this newspaper. I can hardly wait. It also helps that the content involves guns, race, air quality and a kid who survived a hurricane. Dang, it's good.

Finally, I faced my first incident with a memo from the office formatted in Comic Sans. I deleted it promptly. I knew it must not be important.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.