Starbucks

06 – Today I stopped at one of my favorite starbucks locations.
it is usually busy but on Saturdays and Sundays,
it is a total floor clog, one giant traffic jam.

the person with the cup and the pen asked my name.
I said cate and she repeated “cat?”
I nodded yes since it was close enough.
I then waited with the herd at the end of the counter.

The line waiting for the bathroom overflows into the line waiting for coffee,
so the jostling for position in the herd area verges on the extreme.

Several names were called and people claimed their drinks.
I could tell my turn was coming soon -
and then they called out -
kent.
and yes, it was mine.

amazing.

05 – he asked what my name was -
I said cate -
he repeated – “liz”?

04 – At Starbucks they ask for your name and identify the cup
- to personalize your experience (?)
It used to take me by surprise.

In reviewing what was written on my cup one day,
I discovered I’d been named kat.

Over the course of several weeks, my name was changed to,
cassey,
Kay,
ka,
and of course, : )

and then
Katt,
and ?
(I’m not sure if that last one is so good)

Today I went to a different location -
it was a large space and crowded – they asked my name.
The women with the cup and pen knew she had heard it wrong,
but couldn’t bear to ask again for a fourth time.

When I picked up my espresso, the person looked at me like -
“you sure don’t look like a Cassie”

03 – Yesterday at the larger Starbucks, I noticed that they had rearranged some of the furniture. They had also added flowers and it looked like a “parlor ” setting.
I tend to think of Starbucks as a quick stop place but this new parlor setting wants to turns that on its head. It just seems odd.

02 – Today at a different location – it’s a smaller Starbucks, but one that is equally pivotal to the neighborhood. 
The locals are in place, the Wi-Fi is pumping and the internet is percolating throughout. It feels like a sunny day.

01 – Starbucks was different the other afternoon.
There was no Wi-Fi signal, and it was not as crowded. Few laptops.
People were sitting and talking to each other or reading books. It seemed so relaxed.
Two days later, Wi-fi returned. It felt emptier – more people, less talking
and almost everyone wore headphones.