I was talking to my brother Brandon last weekend, and something came up about the smokestacks you can see from Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach. He told me when he was little, he always thought it was a hot dog factory. And he decided as a kid that it must’ve been owned by Willy Wonka’s brother, Billy Bonka.

So it’s Billy Bonka’s Hot Dog Factory.

I think that’s pretty much the funniest thing ever.

I remember wondering about those smokestacks when I was 6, too. I don’t think I ever really had a creative theory as to what was going on there, because a friend told me dirty water went there, and there was fire in the smokestacks that were burning off the poo in the water.

Which I guess totally made sense to me.

So the question is: what really goes on at that building? I did hear later on that it was a water purification plant, so my 6 year old friend was mostly right, I guess. When you were a kid, what did you think went on there? Was there a mysterious building where you grew up, too?

LOVE the font on this package of Highbrow cookies from Trader Joes

About a year ago when I was commuting 40 miles south to Mission Viejo every day to a job that was in a less than positive environment, I started doing Fancy Coffee Friday. Instead of drinking the free coffee at work, I’d detour to the Starbucks on the way to the office, get a medium mocha with no whip cream on top, sigh, and pat myself on the back for making it through another week.

Now, a year later, I’ve kept that little ritual going. Except now I’m doing a job I love with zero commute (except for the occasional drive to L.A. for a meeting), and with the prego-ness I’ve made the temporary switch to Fancy Hot Chocolate Friday. It’s nice that the ritual has a happier tone to it now, a more “YAY it’s the weekend!!!” and less “Good god how am I going to do this again next week” feeling.

Do you have little weekly rituals like that, and what are they? Happy weekending everyone!