Where I work

Let me start off by giving you the background information on where I work because that explains a lot. I work in a place where there are a lot of commuters, where policemen and bomb squads regularly and (not so-regularly) patrol the area, and where homeless people like to frequent. This of course makes for very entertaining people-watching and I mean that in the broadest sense.
On a good day during my shift I will get hit on, yelled at, AND complained to about something or other. But this has actually taught me a lot. Such things as how to treat other people, how to pretend you’re listening when you’re not, how to look interested, how to screen for future boyfriends, and how to befriend all the right people. Right people being janitors, policemen, and other restaurant workers.
Here is a list of a few of the characters so that when I talk about them, you know who I am referring to.
- Francisco: Janitor/Supervisor or so he says
- Jabron: Another Janitor. About 200 pounds overweight and likes to substitute eating for picking up garbage. Jorge dislikes Tyrone because he thinks he’s lazy.
- Alberto: Works at a Mexican restaurant across the way. Sometimes delivers me free food
- Balding Cop: State Trooper. Younger but balding. Gets tired of walking in a line all day so comes into the caffe at least 3 times a day, but not to order anything of course, just to talk. Though he’s pretty bad at making conversation so mostly I just talk and he stands there.
- Judy: pigeon-toed. Looks like she is stuck in the 80s with an interesting hair style. Carries around a rolly suitcase and always orders 3 drinks at the same time…FOR HERSELF.
- Russian: “Engineer” is what he calls himself but I only ever see him standing with a hard hat on watching everybody else do work. And claims to have a “music career”
- Newspaper Guy: Around 50 years old but looks about 75. Sells only newspapers. Speaks English but it sounds like another foreign language. His favorite phrase is “Get Out” but it sounds more like “Gah Ow”
- Homeless #1: Homeless man who claims he can “protect” me. He’s been in the same spot every single day for 5 years except for when he is in jail.
- Homeless #2: Younger guy “trying out” being homeless. I’m not sure how you try out being homeless but at least he knows how. He thinks I am his friend. He also thinks he is pretty smart and has the economy figured out. I think I might need to inform him that he should try reading a book or a newspaper before he makes further comments.

Growing up Coffee

When most kids were begging their parents for chocolate milk, I was begging mine for coffee milk. I used to find it so fascinating that I could eat the beans. My parents didn’t necessarily want me to eat them, but I would give myself a running head start so by the time they caught up to me, I had already popped a few beans into my mouth. I used to pretend they were candies. Maybe that's where my heart murmur came from?... Some might think this is dangerous for a young girl, but I like to think that it was fun, and also I had so much energy! This might seem a bit strange. You might be thinking, how did a girl this age get her hands on all this coffee? And if you're not, then, now you probably are since I just asked myself that question. Well, that is what happens when your parents decide to start a coffee business. I grew up in coffee. I became a coffee connoisseur at the ripe age of 7, a coffee snob by 18, and now most recently, a coffee know-it-all by 24.

I used to think that I would have nothing to do with the coffee business except to drink it. I’m afraid to admit that I thought I was above it. But then life throws things at you and you realize that you could potentially be a barista forever. I started at 14 and no matter what other job I had, I would always come back to being a barista. Maybe it was the family connection, maybe it was my coffee addiction, but nonetheless, 9 years later I am still here. No matter how hard I tried to get away from it, I keep finding myself right back in the caffé working behind the counter. So until that “real” job comes along, I refer to my current position as “research”. Research for the book I will eventually write (even if my piñata is the only thing that reads it). And research for finding my future husband.

I am fortunate enough (tinged with sarcasm) to work in a wonderful location for meeting people (code for great stories). Everyday at work is a new adventure. I see hundreds of people come and go. My friends with office jobs hang around normal people and do normal things all day. I, on the other hand, meet mostly not normal people, and am told what to make on a daily basis by people who don’t even know what they are talking about. Some days I get mostly businessmen, other days tourists, and on my best days, the homeless decide to come in.