7-11's Joe DePinto

We caught this episode of "Undercover Boss" last night.
Normally, I abhor reality shows--because while they may be shows, I find them short on reality--but this one seemed different.
First off, it was about a real-life guy who's a real-life CEO of a company (7-11, the convenience store chain). DePinto pretended to be part of a documentary on entry-level workers. In truth, he was popping in on employees at four of his stores. Two worked the graveyard shift, and he worked alongside them.
Second, I was touched by each of the employees. Especially the woman named Dolores, who works the early-morning shift serving coffee to busy commuters. She knows most everyone by name. Meanwhile, she awaits a kidney transplant.
(My skeptical/cynical side is sure the employees were heavily screened ahead of time and these just weren't random visits. And, is there a monetary deal between CBS and the corporation? Because if not, that's a heck of a lot of PR for 7-11.)

The joy of socks

This morning, I stayed home from church to re-arrange my sock drawer. (I know, "Pagan! Sinner!")
And I'm sure our priest has heard that sock-drawer excuse a thousand times.
I used to say, "You can never have too many picture frames or socks." Yet, as it turns out, you can.
The socks had gotten out of control. So many random pairs. Bisquick and I sat on the floor for a good 20 minutes (he helped me sort) and it was like working a jigsaw puzzle, putting like brands together.
For sock reviews, this brand is fine for cycling but not hiking or walking. It tends to creep down my shoe and causes blisters.
This brand is tops for hiking and walking.
What are your Thoughts on Socks?

Spring and Charles Dickens

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
~Charles Dickens

It's spring here, y'all. I'm sure we'll have another cold snap before it's all over. This is a tree alongside the driveway at our church.
Enjoy.

Free time? Make a cool video

This is awesome. Maybe if you and I had more free time, we could do something like this.
Or not.

Medical schools: Heal thyselves

This is an interesting front-page story from the Feb. 14 Times.
And these letters followed.
Several dilemmas: The country is facing a doctor shortage, particularly in primary care (which has long been trending that way). The population is aging, overall, and not many schools offer that specialty training. With numbers of new patients expected to swell with new health care legislation, more physicians will be needed. And, enough students have sought medical school training abroad (when they couldn't get into U.S. schools), to create even more of a doc shortage.
I agree with one of the letter writers who said medical schools are terribly expensive on start-up; why not just admit a few more people at the existing institutions?

When Harry Met Sally: Clips from the 'mature' lovers

Look what I found.
This is so great.
Which one's your favorite? Mine's probably the one where the guy keeps getting the names of the women mixed up, and his wife corrects him.

Beer in the river: Drunk fish

Perhaps I won't do this story justice, but I'll take a stab at it.
This bishop was in town today, speaking for Trinity Episcopal Church's Lenten Lunch Series.
Bishop Sloan is a fabulous storyteller; I could listen to him read the phone book.
After college, and before seminary, Sloan worked on a boat that went up and down the Mississippi River. He had two weeks on, two off. One night, before his midnight shift, the generator blew. Woke everyone up, naturally. The boat captain ordered Sloan and this other guy to go to such-and-such bar and wait on a man from Baton Rouge to come with a new generator. About six beers later (apiece), the guys decided to get a case for their other buddy back on the boat because they felt sorry he couldn't join the fun.
The boat captain was a reformed alcoholic who didn't allow drinking on board, so the young men knew they had to be careful. Sloan sneaked the beer into the refrigerator, way back behind the lettuce and tomatoes. The next day, when he went to retrieve the beer, Sloan opened the door; he was taking out the case but spotted the captain's shoes under the refrigerator before it closed.
Sloan apologized. The captain said he was apologizing only because he got caught. True enough, Sloan said. Captain told him: Throw all this beer into the river and I will never bring this up again. He complied. A couple of occasions later, Sloan tried to apologize again to the captain. But he'd cut him off. "I told you it was done. ... Let it go. Let it go."
What a gift.
Happy Monday.