New Starbucks Logo

Gag me.

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho...

Today I am going back to work after two glorious weeks off. Back to agendas and alarm clocks. Back to the confines of a structured schedule, to the demands of the daily grind, to the rigors of the real world.


So, it's off to work I go.

But first...coffee.

Evil

Man, I Love Starbucks

No big deal, but I gave up Starbucks for Lent. No perfect oatmeal, iced teas, or soy chais for forty days. I’m not going to lie…some days were rough, but I persevered.

And now…Lent’s over.

So Monday morning, I went to my Starbucks for the first time in forty days, and the manager, Mark (who looks like Ben Linus from LOST), said, “Lisa! How are you? So good to see you!”

“You too! I haven’t been here for forty days! But I’m back now!”

Mark came out from around the counter, gave me a hug, and said, “Good to have you back.”

Yes, Ben…I mean, Mark.

It’s so good to be back.

Life is a Chaiway

I go to Starbucks all the time. I suppose it could be considered a vice. (Go ahead and judge me.) I generally don’t spend my money too extravagantly, and when I get a $4 drink I skimp on the next meal or eat in to cut costs (Cream of Wheat for dinner? Oh, yeah!). I could justify going to Starbucks at any time. The people at ‘my’ Starbucks know my name, greet me with a smile, ask how I’m doing, and are always fast to make my drink. And they never mess up an order. I love starting my day at Starbucks!

I don’t think you’ve fully actualized life until you’ve tried an iced soy chai. I don’t drink coffee, so I was always stuck with having to order hot chocolate or iced tea before I discovered the amazingness of chai. My friend Jeananne introduced me specifically to iced soy chai. Starbucks’s description of it is the following: A spicy drink of black tea infused with cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper and star anise added to fresh soy milk and ice. Yum. (The ‘yum’ was added by me.)

Spicy. Sweet. 230 calories and 3 grams of fat. Perfect. A Venti can substitute any meal. A Tall goes great with a book or a half-hour TV program. A Grande will get you through the first half of your workday.

If you’ve never had it, just chai it! And tell me what you think…

Just like crack but socially acceptable

From the new "Starbucked: A Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture" by Taylor Clark:

42
Percentage of employees receiving health insurance from Starbucks

46
Percentage of employees receiving health insurance from Wal-Mart

$4.05
What the typical Starbucks customer spends per visit for coffee

$4.34
What the typical fast-food customer spends per visit for an entire meal

$677,334
Amount Starbucks paid in 2003 to provide its founder with bodyguards and personal security

Which of the following places does NOT have a Starbucks?

A) Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba
B) A Christian church in Munster, Indiana
C) Beirut, Lebanon
D) The town of Starbuck, Washington
E) The Great Wall of China

(Answer: D)