Did you get your Grand Slam today? I did. Taking advantage of such serendipity was one of the goals for my new life (it’s been 5 months but it still feels new; new every day, in fact). I couldn’t miss it. In case you have no idea what I’m talking about, today Denny’s across the free world were giving away a Grand Slam breakfast: two eggs, two bacon, two sausage, two pancakes, to all comers. Round it out with some juice or coffee and there’s not much more a person could ask for.

We made a family outing of it. We got to the Denny’s at Jantzen beach about 8:00AM. There was a little bit of a line, but nothing horrible. Our wait was 15 or 20 minutes. That is about what I would expect for brunch late on any particularly pleasant Sunday morning. As you might expect, most of the other customers seemed like the conspicuously unemployed: college students either skipping class or lucky enough not to have morning classes, the over 65, and 25-30 year old blue-collar types probably working less with the housing bomb and recession bearing down on the country.

What surprised me were the high spirits everyone, customers and staff alike, seemed to be in. I expected the staff to be tired and frazzled and disdainful of getting so many lousy tips. I expected the customers to be sour, entitled, and obviously only there for the freebie. I was glad to be wrong. At least from 8:00-9:00 everyone was happy, courteous, and patient. Service was very speedy. The staff seemed happy to be busy, and the customers seemed happy to be there. It generally had the feel of a festival or party with positive energy almost palpable. It reminded me yet again how much I love living in Portland.

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In other news, I’m back from the mid-west tour. The kids had a wonderful time being spoiled by their grandparents. As for me and the misses, we most liked the week we were able to shoot down to Florida for a time-share.

And if you need a ride to the mountain, feel free to drop me a line.