Month: September 2010

This story originally appeared in the September 9 issue of The Trussville Tribune…

All I wanted was a pack of gum. Jimmie and I had eaten one of those grocery store gourmet pizzas for supper, and a thorough tooth brushing hadn’t eliminated the strong flavor of garlic it left behind. So on the way to my friend Cindy’s house for one of those sales parties cleverly disguised as a girls night out, I stopped at a convenience store.

I was running a few minutes early and had plenty of time. And really, how long could it take? I pictured myself scooting in and out of the store, gum in hand, in about thirty seconds flat.

But I didn’t pay attention as I pulled in and parked at the side of the building; otherwise, I would have kept going. As I rounded the corner on my way to the front door, I realized the gas pump area was overflowing with cars, and the curbside parking places were full. My vision of a thirty-second gum run faded fast.

Inside the store, people swarmed, and the line at the register extended halfway down the candy aisle. I sidled past a woman cradling a six-pack and barely managed to dodge an unkempt and rather – um – odiferous man clutching similar selections in either hand. Realizing this was going to be more time-consuming than I’d thought, I quickly found some gum. Then keeping a breathable distance, I fell into line behind the stinker.

Of the customers ahead of me, most were prepaying for gas, but they were also purchasing items to feed their habits. (Okay, I was, too. I do love a good chaw of Trident.) But by the time one customer paid for a couple of cartons of cigarettes, he’d spent the better part of a hundred dollar bill, which was a lot of money going up in smoke, if you ask me.

As I mentally calculated how many packs of gum that hundred dollars would have bought – no easy feat for this math-challenged individual – I noted my surroundings. Not too many years ago, gas station convenience stores were about the size of a refrigerator box and offered little more than cigarettes, soft drinks and candy. This one, however, was half the size of a supermarket and jam-packed with all manner of merchandise.

Did you know you can buy office supplies in a convenience store? It’s true. Oh, you won’t get the selection you’ll find in one of the office supply superstores, but if you need paper clips or highlighters on a holiday, you can get them. You can also find duct tape, bobby pins, trash bags, and even a few of those “As Seen on TV” items I love so much.

Standing among such treasures reminded me of the time Jimmie and I went out to eat with friends after church one Sunday and learned that one of the kids in the group, Andy, was turning thirteen that day. As a birthday treat, we offered him ten dollars on the condition that he immediately go and purchase a gift for himself in a convenience store next door to the restaurant. He accepted the challenge, and we eagerly waited to see what he’d buy.

Fifteen minutes later, Andy returned to the restaurant sporting a puka shell necklace like the ones you get in those souvenir shops at the beach. Apparently they were “cool” that year, and we were amazed he found something in a convenience store – of all places – with which he was so utterly thrilled. We were also pleased to have hit upon such a simple solution to the age-old dilemma of what to give a teenage male for his birthday.

The memory made me smile, and I was still smiling as I paid for my gum and headed to Cindy’s. Yes, I thought to myself, even with stinky customers, endless supplies of cigarettes, and oceans of beer, convenience stores offer a compelling shopping experience. And if Andy is any indication, they’re great places for buying gifts, too.

I’ll have to remember that come Christmas. It could save me a lot of time in the malls.

This story first appeared in the August 26 issue of The Trussville Tribune…

I work in a great office with a wonderful bunch of people, and I have proof. Based on a survey of its employees, the law firm I work for was recently named one of the Best Places to Work in Birmingham. And who knows better than the employees? I mean it’s usually us, not the bosses, who know the real dirt. So if we deem someplace a great place to work, it really is.

But truth be told, it’s not necessarily the bosses, the pay or the benefits that make our firm such a special place to work – even though all those things are appreciated. And it has little to do with personal fulfillment, the satisfaction of a job well done or the inner rewards of hard work. No, it’s something more tangible, more fulfilling, satisfying and rewarding than operating a computer or pushing papers around a desk all day. It’s the parties.

At our office, no occasion is too insignificant to celebrate, and we do our level best not to let any excuse slip past. In addition to periodic birthday cake breaks, holiday meals and wedding or baby showers, we celebrate National Cheesecake Day, Sundae Friday (an annual firm-created ice cream pig fest the week of Labor Day), We Won a Big Case Day, The Boss Is Out of the Country for Two Weeks Day (umm…maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned that last one…) and We Really Don’t Have Anything to Celebrate But Let’s Eat Cake Anyway Day.

In case you haven’t guessed, food plays a major role in our celebrations. Aw, heck, who am I kidding? Food is THE REASON for our celebrations. If not for the opportunity to overindulge in sugar-heavy, calorie-laden treats (often, courtesy of the firm) with some perfectly sound rationalizations for doing so, why would we bother?

Now don’t get me wrong. Life in our office isn’t a constant series of parties, although we probably throw more than our share. We actually work most of the time, and pardon me in advance for bragging, but we’re all pretty good at what we do.

Our four fine bosses (I’ll take that raise now) have managed to assemble a highly capable team, a mix of folks ranging from seasoned old workhorses to eager young pups ready to take on the world. And most of the time, we all enjoy each other’s company. I say “most of the time” because everybody has their “days,” right? But when you’ve got an overall friendly working environment, it makes for a pleasant place to work.

I like to think the cordial atmosphere has a lot to do with the parties. My personal theory is, you can’t help but get along with others when you’re eating ice cream or drooling over cheesecake together. And try being a bear to somebody with whom you’ve just split a brownie or shared a Krispy Kreme doughnut. It’s impossible.

Seriously, how can you not be sweet when you’re full of sweets? It certainly helps improve my attitude; I’ve heard it’s something about how sugar temporarily boosts serotonin and promotes a sense of well-being. But unfortunately, it’s also helping my hips grow bigger – and several other parts of my anatomy, as well.

So with that in mind, I had to chuckle to myself when, after receiving notice of the Best Places to Work win, I was invited to nominate the firm for Healthiest Places to Work honors. “No way!” I thought, imagining a panel of judges rolling on the floor laughing after reviewing our entry. Then it struck me that being happy on the job is healthy, so we actually might qualify.

Hmmm… I’m going to think that over while I’m making plans for the firm to celebrate National Waffle Day next week. With any luck, we can pull this healthy thing off and reel in another honor before the year is out. In the meantime, does anybody have a good recipe for chocolate waffles? I could really use one about now.

Congratulations to RichardsonClement PC for being named one of 30 metro-area Best Places to Work in 2010 by Birmingham Business Journal.