Am I the Don Corleone of ActiveRain?
Jason Crouch
The title above references a conversation that I had yesterday with Adam Waldman. You will understand later in this post what it refers to in this case. Please understand that this is a tongue-in-cheek remark, and not to be taken seriously in any fashion. I have a lot of inside jokes with friends around here.
I have been here on ActiveRain since last August, and I have been blessed to have made some awesome friends across the country, many of whom I have never met face-to-face, but we have spoken on the phone. Some of them have become a regular part of my week. In fact, I am frankly surprised at how close my friendships have grown.
I was very pleasantly surprised back in December when Adam sent me a bag of Christmas blend coffee along with a customizable coffee mug from Starbucks. I also felt a little bit guilty, since I am really terrible at giving gifts and sending cards. I am good about phone calls and emails, but a little remiss in the gift department, with the exception of my immediate family, so I am always impressed when someone takes the time and makes the effort to send me anything: a handwritten note, a present, etc.
In Adam's case, he covered all of the bases, with a note AND a gift. The jist of the note was thanking me for my help and friendship here on AR, and he referred to me as "Keyser Soze", which is a very long story indeed. If you are familiar with the film "Usual Suspects", you may understand this reference better. Adam, you are a class act. There is no photo of the mug here because someone placed it in the dishwasher and messed it up.
A couple of months ago, I wrote about my friends who had a package of goodies delivered to my doorstep, including a 12-pack of Shiner Bock, assorted Pringles, and a pair of socks. Rather than rehashing the entire post here, I will let you check it out if you are curious:
Who's at the door? Oh, it's a gift of some sort!
Melissa Grant, Amanda Hall, Elaine Hanson, Lisa Heindel, and Paul Slaybaugh coordinated this gift for me, which was exceptionally thoughtful. Thanks to all of you again! Incidentally, I listed your names alphabetically, so that no one could get upset. :-)
Last month, I was touched when Andrew Lenza sent me a book from his collection since he and his family were moving and downsizing the library a bit. He sent me a devotional book for dads with a very kind note indicating that he felt I could have written this book myself. Later that week, he also sent a very nice package of foods for my family, including chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate peanuts, and trail mix, known as the Nuts n Stuff Goodie Tower (see actual photo at right). This was done because of a perceived slight from a comment on a post awhile back.
I am still overwhelmed by how incredibly nice this gesture was, and my kids LOVED the snacks. Mr. Lenza - You and your amazing writing skills are already sorely missed here on ActiveRain. I hope we can talk again sometime soon.
Lastly, there is Jesse Clifton, the eternal joker. My nickname for Jesse is Thurston, like Mr. Howell from "Gilligan's Island". Jesse had hinted that he was going to send me a bottle of "the good stuff". Needless to say, I had no idea what to expect, but I was certain that it would be good. When I got to my office today, I saw a long rectangular package from Jesse sitting on my desk.
Along with the terrific note, which read, "Never let it be said that I forgot my friends", I received a bottle of......Boone's Farm Strawberry Wine. I bet the postage to send this package from Alaska cost several times what the "wine" did. Jesse - You, sir, are a practical joker extraordinaire, and I thank you for sending this. It made my day!
For the record, Jesse also included a nice paper bag for carrying said bottle.
By now, you are probably wondering three things:
- Will this post ever end?
- What wonderful gift can I send to Jason to make him write a post about me?
- What was the Don Corleone reference in the title all about, anyway?
Well, here are your answers:
- Yes.
- Be creative. I am not hard to please. I will be enjoying a bottle of "the good stuff" tonight, after all.
- This came from Adam, who said, "Look at you, you're like Marlon Brando. You're the Don. People just send you things", or something along those lines. Contrary to popular belief, I do not record my phone conversations anymore. :-)
Thanks for reading!
