I started my blog in between jobs. This meant I was able to write about past jobs without worrying about repercussion. But a month ago I got a new job and well – that’s all I want to write about. However, on week one of my new job I told everyone about my wonderful blog. Well – so … um … now I really don’t think I should write anything inappropriate about my new job.

Today, however, I’m allowed.

One of the women with whom I’ve developed a friendship, brought in donuts for everyone and sent a simple “‘Donuts in the kitchen – Happy Friday’ email to the whole company (25 people).

So I go into the kitchen and preach to anyone who’s listening about how I grew up in a donut shop. Well not in a donut shop, but working in the donut shop. All the time – from the time I was about 12 through 18. Pretty much my entire adolescence. I worked the 3pm – 11pm shift and sometimes the morning shifts on the weekends. I closed the Shoppe and opened the Shoppe. I made coffee regular, eggs over easy, hot open turkey sandwiches, cheeseburgers. And DONUTS. At night, we threw all of the leftover donuts away into bags from 50-pounds of sugar.

To this day, I can smell a donut a block away. Every pair of sweat pants my dad owned (and that’s all he ever wore) had honey glaze crusted on them. “Time to make the donuts” was the theme song to our life and Time Out 4 Donuts was the name of the Shoppe. Yes, with the number.

Back to the donuts in the kitchen. I give a donut lesson to one co-worker. “That’s a French cruller,” I hear myself lecturing. “It’s similar to a brioche maybe – or the texture is akin to a cream puff holder. She tastes and likes; exactly. I’m a one woman donut consultant. Another co-worker comes by and she gets the entire dysfunctional family history. She doesn’t believe me. A donut shop in Staten Island? How Indy film of me.

So I come back to my desk ready to dunk my plain donut (yes, that’s what I settled for— a ‘dunkin donut’ as the customers used to call it) into the regular coffee I bought from the bodega downstairs on 8th Avenue. I decide to send a thank you email to the girl who brought the donuts.