The Wisdom of Starbucks

I have never been a huge Starbucks afficianado, but starting last year Haley and I would go once a week before school and it was kind of a lovely, non-confrontational time for us and since such times are rare when one's child is 13, one tends to want to maximize them.

This school year, we are going even more often because on the first day of school I boldly approached a woman at Starbucks who had a cute baby with her under the auspices of promoting Haley's babysitting business. But as it turned out, Laura is a kindred spirit whose friendship has enriched my life (and shrunk my wardrobe...she is brilliant at purging clothes, some of which I've had since the Reagan administration) and she has a wicked caffeine habit that forces her to Starbucks every morning after dropping off her older child at elementary school. I can't say that I have even approached the echelon that Laura has reached where the "Baristas" (I didn't even know they were called that until yesterday morning) see her walk in and start making her "usual". (What does that say about our generation? Our parents "usual" was a martini straight up with two olives or something and our "usual" is some caffeine-containing thing that requires us to use more words than the Pledge of Allegiance to order it?) It is only because I have known Laura for just a few weeks that I am not posting 20 year old embarrassing pictures of her...but I think her best friend Tracy and I might be soul mates and I could probably get her to send some...so watch your back Laura!!! Maybe I'll let Tracy be a guest blogger next month when we are out of town!

In addition to soothing but funky 40-something-friendly ambient music, Baristas with piercings in places that just really shouldn't be pierced and the occasional celebrity sighting (well, if you count our local state rep Irv Slosberg as a celebrity) Starbucks offers pithy nuggets of wisdom on its cups. So I will leave you with the nugget from today's grande skinny latte with two Equals:

"Life's too short to read a book you don't love. At age 50 or younger, give a book 50 pages to see if you like it. Over 50, subtract your age from 100 and that's the number of pages to read before you bail on a book you're not enjoying. And when you turn 100, you get the right to judge a book by its cover!"
-Nancy Pearl- Librarian and Author of Book Lust

Keep in mind that this weekend I probably won't be blogging because I will be fishing, vegging out, reading and boating my way to relaxation nirvana in Merritt Island. Hope to have lots of books to report on after Labor Day!
Di

Comments

[Laura]

It makes total sense to go every morning to Starbucks with Haley. At that age, they do not want to cause "scenes". Thusly, I recommend essentially living there for the next few years. It is probably wise, starting now, to never be alone with your daughter.