From mole patrol to maple bar

Friday I had my first biopsy. I think I like the drama of saying that, but it really wasn’t dramatic - just one of those “let’s be sure” things. Afterward the doctor seemed pretty convinced it was just a wart. Still: needles, gloves, fluorescent lights; it was enough to throw the day off balance.

I’d thought about making a day of it in Santa Monica, but afterward, I didn’t feel like sticking around. I was thinking of where I might stop on the way home and remembered the Too Good To Go app, where restaurants and bakeries sell off leftover food cheap in end-of-day “surprise bags.” There was one available from a donut shop a few blocks away. Perfect.

From the outside, it looked like any strip mall donut shop. Inside, it was very much not: think Instagram-ready gourmet donuts with pipettes of filling, edible glitter, wild flavors. And tons of different varieties. Still, I went straight to the maple bar tray - a favorite I share with my dad, who grew up on them. The tray was empty, but the guy behind the counter said they had more in the back. I told him I also had a Too Good To Go order, and he came back with a giant paper sack. It was huge, and I laughed, realizing I had no one to help me eat them. This might’ve been a mistake. Then he handed me another donut: “This one’s free - it’s National Donut Day.” I guess it was meant to be.

In the car, I realized the bag had even more donuts and wilder varieties than I first thought. Plus three of them were cronuts - another first for me. And even day-old, they lived up to the hype.

Some days just feel surreal, especially when a doctor visit ends in a sugar coma.