Published: August 28, 2009 03:56 pm      

MISTY: When your co-workers are as crazy as you

Only at the Kokomo Tribune can you sniff a package of plastic-wrapped powdered doughnuts and it be not only OK, but endorsed by a co-worker.

We’re a Pacesetter again this year for United Way and the girls in the accounting office are selling breakfast as a fundraiser. I stopped in the office to drop off timecards and was accosted by a giant array of breakfast foods.

Of course there were many healthy options on the tray, but my eyes went straight to the miniature powdered doughnuts. Knowing I shouldn’t actually buy or much less eat the doughnuts, I opted for sniffing the package. OK, sniffing is probably an understatement. It’s more like I tried to inhale the white powder through the plastic wrapper. Under different circumstances with a different white powder, I would have been committing a crime.

Anyway, I looked around the room and the accounting girls were looking at me like I’d lost my mind. (Keep in mind this is normal for my visits to accounting.)

I apologized for man-handling the product. One of the girls told me not to worry and went on to tell me she has a “chocolate problem.” She said sometimes she can get through by just sniffing the chocolate.

If only it were that easy. It made me wonder if that would work for other things, and I’m now thinking of going on an all-sniffing diet. I’ll never actually eat anything.

Sure, some will question my sanity as I sit outside Don Panchos smelling people’s breath as they exit the restaurant. That’s a small price to pay, and besides, it’s not like it’ll be the first time my sanity came into question.

But given my history, I bet I would gain weight from just sniffing fatty foods.

I’ll probably have to stick to sniffing boneless, skinless chicken breasts and white rice.

• Misty Knisely is the Tribune city editor. She may be reached at misty.knisely@kokomotribune.com