[Monday October 13th, 2008] baristas [a_demain] [ mood | sad ] I've worked at Starbucks coming up on three years in November. My life is crazy at school this year, so my manager was awesome and let me stay in the system at my store and home so that I can cover shifts whenever possible out at school. Because of this, I've been a little out of the loop at my store out here at school. I just found out today that they're replacing our entire management team. One of the ASM's last day was today, and the other's is next Saturday.  :( I'm super sad, because I love them all and they work so hard with the situation that they've been given. When half of the equipment doesn't work most of the time, and a long-term manager who was at the store until like April who was a total noob and ran the store like an idiot, I don't feel like they should be the ones taking the fall for this. They know the store, and I think anyone that they try to put into this situation is going to find that it's not as easy as replacing one management team. I'm really sad--your store becomes like your family, like your home away from home. Oh, well. Such is life, I guess. Let's keep in touch.

What Breed of Dog Are You? [Monday October 13th, 2008] blogthings http://feeds.blogthings.com/~r/blogthings/NewestQuizzes/~3/419171556/ What Breed of Dog Are You? - If you were a dog, what breed of dog would you be? 11 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

COBRA [Sunday October 12th, 2008] baristas [crashfancy] Really random question and maybe no one knows or it varies, but I'm wondering how much it costs to continue your benefits through COBRA once you are dropped from insurance for not enough hours. Partner only, routine care PPO with Aetna? I was 30 hours under this quarter and also happen to be 8 weeks pregnant! I need my insurance for the first time ever and of course I get dropped. If I can continue it for a reasonable amount of money I definitely will, but I'm afraid it's going to be like $300 a month. 5 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

pick pick pick! [Sunday October 12th, 2008] brand_new [jellypus] [ mood | accomplished ] okay. top three. ( pick your favorite! )</div> 71 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

Of Republicans and The Gays [Sunday October 12th, 2008] stupid_free [mylaptopisevil] mccain_palin08, otherwise known as an infinite source of hilarity, had some great gems as of late. One post about a bunch of first graders going to the WACKY GAY WEDDING of their first grade teacher because their parents thought it would be a nice gesture is clearly met with ire, as this response by aries8402 (WHO IS ALSO THE GAY) shows: "Well, being gay myself. My culture def does not represent me. Taking a class of children to a gay marriage ceremony.... thats nutty. They are nuts out there! I've never been for same sex marriage. It was given by God for a man and woman. That's what I've always believed. It's not given by the government at. I wish the gays would just except it. But they strive so hard to be equal. Maybe God made you the way you are to be unique.... Whatever. the whole gay marriage thing is lame. I wish they'd void those certs. Especially Rosie's!" SEE? BEING GAY IS BEING UNIQUE AND YOU WANT EQUALITY BUT REALLY YOU'RE RUINING HOW UNIQUE YOU ARE. netbug009 also chimes in with, "I thought there were laws against political bias in schools," because as we all know going to a wedding is a political statement. In another post showing how WACKY INSANE SCARY Obama supporters are, zom_b brings up that there is an organization called Os for Obama. While the entire concept is hilariously dumb, the level of discomfort shown is even more entertaining. qob declares it is "idolatry" while monchhichi points out that it is taking place in "the hotbed of homosexuality and sinful lifestyles." theclamsman tries to defend where he lives, but goes on to say "it's much the Boston of the West Coast (only with a Hell of a lot of gays and homeless people). Lots of ravers in this area, too. ... Lesbians make their home in Oakland (unfortunately) where I live. I think that Oakland has the highest concentration of lesbians in the Bay Area. =__=." lady_j_usa continues the cavalcade of idiocy with, "Only in san fran gay err bay area," while expanding_x_man chimes in with, "lots of Obama people appear over the top about him, as many on here know. This sort of thing leads to Fascism -- not that Obama is going there right away, but there is a potential for something -- crazy here." shezan, in a few spots, really wants someone to tape it and put it on youtube, because that'll bring down the Democratic party. As we all know, people on the Internet hate things that are sexually driven. edit: [Bad username: expanding_x_man"> <a href="http://community.livejournal.com/mccain_palin08/314976.html?thread=3722592#t3722592">doesn] when he says, "As people out on the internets are noting (on stupid_free) this IS hilariously DUMB! Show this to middle America and a few may realize just how moronic many Obama supporters are, and yes, how "hilariously dumb" they can be. Might cause a few to think twice before they pick his name on the ballot," especially since someone doing something that comes off as ridiculously silly (but otherwise harmless) isn't going to scare people away from voting from someone who has no involvement in it. But thanks for the plug! 386 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

punkin ideas? [Sunday October 12th, 2008] baristas [alleh] [ mood | at work...hrm. ] so, we're having a pumpkin decorating contest at my store. (actually, i think all the stores in my district are doing the same thing.) we're all making our own, and our customers are going to be voting on them starting the 17th, so i have some time! i'm not looking for ideas to hijack, i just need some inspiration. the pumpkins are about the size of your fist, but they're not the odd-shaped "mini pumpkins" you see in stores. they're like normal-looking pumpkins that you carve, just 1/4 the size. it doesn't necessarily have to be starbucks-y, just g-rated and no carving, only painting/decorating. i had come up with a pumpkin spice latte - the pumpkin in a mug, maybe with a chili pepper or something, but i don't like that so much after all - AND it's not actually decorating anything. nahmean? so give me your best pumpkin decorating thoughts! i'll post pictures of mine and everyone else's next week. :D thanks guys, happy PSLs :) 4 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

havemyshift.com [Sunday October 12th, 2008] baristas [ilshira_therese] So, I just want to make sure you have all heard of this awesome website. I have a funny story. I was taking dance class and afterwards I walked into the Starbucks across the street and asked the shift manager if they needed some coverage for tonight. She told me no one wanted tonight off, but she was kind enough to let me leave my phone number. Half an hour later I was home, registering on havemyshift.com, and guess what??? There was a shift posted for that very same evening! I called the girl and when I found out where her story was I was absolutely flabbergasted! So spread the word! 1 wish you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

Warning Re: Islip's Pathmark (and possibly others) [Sunday October 12th, 2008] longisland [amandanoelle82] The past week or so, I've noticed a moth infestation in my pantry. I've lived in this same house for 15 years and never had a moth infestation before, so I didn't know what was up. About a month ago, my mom purchased a bag of rice from Pathmark in Islip, and it had moth larvae in it (if you ever see kernels moving, suffice to say, it's NOT rice). We brought it back immediately and complained, and the store refunded our money. We went shopping again at Pathmark, and all of a sudden, there were moths EVERYWHERE. They attacked all our grains, rice, beans, crackers, cereals and even ice-cream cones. There were larvae and moths everywhere. We threw out at least $100 worth of groceries today. And in checking everything, we found the culprit - a box of Milk-Bone dog biscuits we purchased at Pathmark recently. When I opened the box, about 10 moths flew out, and the bones were CRAWLING - there were at 30 moths, lots of eggs and webs in the top portion of the box alone. This was the breeding ground for the problem - suffice to say,  the bones are going back to Pathmark today. So, I don't know if it's a Pathmark in Islip problem or a Pathmark warehouse problem, but I'm just warning you what happened. We've also had some problems with the store in regards to milk going bad fast, etc. We've decided to switch over to King Kullen and Stop and Shop from now on. So, if you do buy grains/cereals/seeds/beans/flours from any supermarket, I suggest you do the following: - Check bags for pinholes (moths eat through bags and leave pinholes), webs, little eggs (they're whitish or yellowish, very small, but always clustered), moving worms or moths. If you even see moths stuck to the outside of the bags, don't buy them. You can also check for holes by squeezing the bag gently. If you feel or hear air leaking, stay away. - Keep the products tightly covered in Tupperware or glass jars - If you're not going to use the products right away, freeze them - rice, beans, flours and grains hold particularly well in the freezer. - If you don't like using moth balls (smelly and carcinogenic), hang sachets of lavender of cedar, because moths hate the smell - If you do have moths, put a 1:3 ratio of boric acid (Borax) to cornmeal in a jar and put it on your pantry shelf. They eat the cornmeal and die. - Buy a pherenome moth sticky trap at the hardware store (one is more effective than multiple in a certain area) 13 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

[Sunday October 12th, 2008] baristas [the_amberly] more animals 3 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

Do you agree? lol [Sunday October 12th, 2008] baristas [ashes_to_roses] more music charts 4 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

[Sunday October 12th, 2008] karararara Fuck you. Fuck your arrogant attitude and the fact that you feel it necessary to start shit with me when you're drunk. Let's keep in touch.

Sunday Secrets [Sunday October 12th, 2008] postsecret http://postsecret.blogspot.com/2008/10/sunday-secrets_12.html PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard. -----Email Message----- Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 3:29 PM Subject: elevator secret I take the elevator because I'm afraid of being assaulted in stairwells -----Email Message----- Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 2:16 PM Subject: ~~ the rich life I hope you'll find riches in your life, without the money. -----Email Message----- Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 1:59 AM Dear Frank, I had been looking forward to the opportunity to hear you speak for a few years now. My new friend and I were at the front doors to the art center, just about to walk in, when I received a phone call from my babysitter...she needed me to come home right away. Upon returning home, the gentleman that accompanied me to the event suggested we sit down and share our own secrets with each other. I proceeded to grab a notebook and we each had our own pen. Three secrets each were shared. It ended up being the most incredible evening as we elaborated on our secrets, exposed our soft underbellies, and neither of us ran away - as we all fear will happen when we expose such intimate parts of ourselves. You be well, too... Sincerely, Kristen (2008 Schedule for PostSecret Events) 399 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

Brand new merch for sale [Saturday October 11th, 2008] brand_new [ydtank] bunch for rares like yfw and deja lps sowing season and jesus cds posters http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/mystorysending 10 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

Pay Increase [Saturday October 11th, 2008] baristas [millionbubbles] [ mood | hopeful ] So I heard from a partner today that my manager was telling her apparently there is going to be some huge meeting(?) with the possiblity of discussing a pay increase. Apparently it took Starbucks this long to realize the best way to keep people is to offer them more money. And we seriously deserve to be paid way more considering how much crap we have to know/do/put up with. So I have no idea if this is a North American thing or a Canada thing or an Ontario thing. So has anyone else heard anything about this? Because I really wanna make some more money. 31 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

[Saturday October 11th, 2008] baristas [cherijean] sometimes i wish... that i worked in a drive thru store. it seems as though the label maker would eliminate all of the "but i never have to pay for that syrup!" "i'm only get x number of pumps i shouldn't have to pay!" since every modifier has to be punched in to the register to be printed and the drink made accordingly. i am SO tired of customers deciding what they want to pay for, and having to go along with it. i transferred to a store a few months ago where apparently no one charges for caramel sauce, everyone gets refill prices, and there are quite a few customers who never get charged for syrup because they aren't getting the full amount. i've done the whole "oh, well i'll give it to you for free today, but we really are supposed to charge for it" number too many times... and they still bitch about it the next time i ring them up. and they TALK BACK even when i'm super nice. i had a customer WALK OUT because i refused to charge him for a latte when he always gets a two pump white mocha (this was after i had explained to him a few days before.) it doesn't help that all the other partners are lax on this so it makes me look like a b*tch. i would NEVER go in to an establishment and tell them i didn't feel like paying for (hmm... a side of guacamole, cheese, an extra pizza topping, whatever) ESPECIALLY when i got it for free most of the time when it was supposed to cost extra. i think i'm going to start being passive agressive when i'm floating and not write down whatever modifier they don't want to pay for. 22 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

[Saturday October 11th, 2008] baristas [lilacwine] [ mood | exhausted ] Do you not just bloody love it when you pretty much have to run shift while your new SS sits in the office or faffs about with safe and sound for THE ENITRE SHIFT? Even though you're only a barista and would never for all the god damn tea in china ever apply for an SS position. Seriously, big love to all the GOOD SSs out there because you guys have to put up with SO MUCH crap for not nearly enough money. I nearly wept tears of unadulterated joy when I saw my beloved SS come in at 12 for the close. It was so busy that I couldn't even see the door anymore because of all the freaking people. At least the customers were super nice today. And it's also great when your jerk SM loves the new SS to death even though he's clearly a pile of wank! RARGH. ALSO. Realised that sometime in the next 2 weeks my one year anniversary of working for Bux will have arrived. It's been awseome and it's been shit- crazy times. 2 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

the life and times of h. chiller [Saturday October 11th, 2008] askheychris [ music | pailhead - i will refuse. ] for a dude who chills hard, today was exceptional. woke up and read for a while. it was amazing weather in chicago so i ran a 5k. came home, showered and rode my bike downtown to my old salon. my friend marta and i got lunch at luxbar and i had a chicken pot pie. after that lunch i hooked up with dennis for lunch part 2 at dublins. then starbucks. then off to some new cupcake joint downtown. lunch was about 5 hours in total. rolled home, played a little cod4, watched some history channel then napped from 830-11pm. woke up, met friends up at pick me up and had dinner. afterward, rolled by and visited another friend working at some lame bar. almost got into a fight with a crazy homeless man until i realized if i fought someone on my bike, odds of me hitting a dude in the face with my lock are pretty high so i decided to allow him to rant and swear. laughed it off but felt sorry for the fact that i was pretty certain some bro would probably beat his ass tonight since he was already taking swings at random people in cars. rolled home, more cod4 then chilled with fruity. currently in bed, reading again. - i never pass up the opportunity to write my name in wet cement... then cronin added his little commentary. - i know banksy has been in america for a while putting up stuff in LA, new orleans, alabama and nyc. i need confirmation if hes been in chicago, because yesterday in the west loop i found this. someone verify if this his work (ignore the stuff on the left, its old): - yesterday, cronin, jim and s.kane went to see religulous. not only was it amazing but i think its something everyone needs to see. ok moby, you had me by the end: 17 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

Not listening to reason doesn't mean that you have faith. [Saturday October 11th, 2008] rather_forget [ mood | cold ] Seeing Kevin on Leno last night made me so inexplicably happy.  Even though he wasn't playing his own music (and barely wasn't in the frame), I felt like such a proud parent seeing him on national television.  Not to mention that he was on the same episode with fucking Rachel Maddow, my #1 girl and date every weeknight at 9 PM.  Rachel, Ketih, and I have a pretty steady relationship going right now. But yeah...I was so happy to see him and it made me think of the one day where he may be the one performing on Leno.  So weird. Tonight, I saw Religulous with Lauren, Becca, Kevin, and his friend.  I went into the movie knowing that I love Bill Maher and thinking that a large majority of Christians are bananas.  It obviously wasn't going to, or wasn't intended to, change my mind about anything.  It was almost like watching a movie of my own thoughts during one of Schochet's lectures with Becca.  Like, I didn't learn anything new and nothing was proven to me.  Just affirmed most of my previously held beliefs.  That certainly doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it (I love watching people agree with me); but I also didn't think it was necessarily fair to those interviewed.  During some parts, he seemed anxious to make people look foolish.  They could've done that just fine without his instigation. Considering that I was raised Christian for a good portion of my life, I still find it hard to completely refute the existence of God for similar "what if?" reasons that were presented in the movie.  I don't not believe in God.  I don't necessarily believe in God, either.  The truth is, I don't know and I don't know why some people find that so unacceptable.  I am comfortable with not having answers to some things.  That's what makes being human and being rational such a fascinating journey.  However, I am completely and outwardly opposed to letting anyone's religion (or lack thereof) dictate the lives of others and, most importantly, our government.  That is wrong, immoral, and against what our Founding Fathers and probably Jesus Christ would have wanted.  If Jesus knew how Christians were manipulating and executing his words, he would be outaged.  And if he weren't outraged, that is not the kind of leader I would want to follow and put my faith in.  Any teaching; religious, social, or otherwise, should not ignite the hatred and intolerance that has characterized Christianity as I have come to know it. My mom asked me to watch it to determine whether I think she should see it.  For those who don't know, my mom is a strong Christian but doesn't broadcast it.  She is in it for the right reasons, if that makes sense.  She doesn't look to God to justify the judgments she passes onto people.  She doesn't pass judgment, period.  She has an entirely different spiritual experience and outlook that I, honestly, have a lot of respect for.  She knows the way I feel and she doesn't like it, but she has never seen me differently for it.  I think that she thinks that I am a lot more radical than I actually am.  I want her to see the movie because I think she'd get a better idea of where I come from.  But I also don't want her to be offended by Bill Maher unabashedly refuting, mocking, and denying Christianity.  I hope she understands that Christianity as a religion isn't what made me so disdainful of organized religion -- it's the Sarah Palins and George Bushes of the world who have proven just how dangerous organized religion can be.  Religion shouldn't be used as a crutch or as justification of bigoted hatred.  However, that is the only way I have seen it used for at least the past eight years. Anyway, after the movie, we all headed to Starbucks for some hangs.  I love having a 24-hour Starbucks semi-nearby.  It is the perfect midway hang for when you don't want food but you want to sit and chat for a while.  Good times. I really, really need to go to bed.  Hopefully Red Robin tomorrow.  I've been craving a burger like it's nobody's business. Goodnight! 2 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

yet another weekend without plans brings me to this: [Friday October 10th, 2008] brand_new [prelife] ( CAN YOU SEE THE SIMILARITIES?! ) 43 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

ch-ch-ch-changes [Saturday October 11th, 2008] baristas [luvlygator] I've been really unhappy at my store for quite some time. The leadership sucks, and I feel as though I'm one of only a handful of people who care about things being done correctly. I just don't even know where to begin with everything that's gone down the toilet in the last few months, so here it all is in bullet format. ( lengthy rant on why my kiosk sucks ) And I don't really have any backup on this. One of my shifts is AMAZING (she also happens to be one of my closest friends), she's always on time/early, follows standards more closely than most other people do, cleans the store and ROCKS closing, and even she says I need to loosen up. But why do I need to loosen up, when it's the rest of the store that needs a good ass-kicking? Customers are taking notice, too. Our CV scores have NOSEDIVED in the last few months. In ALL areas. Cleanliness, beverage quality, customer service, everything. I feel like we're in a free-fall, and no one cares. I've tried to talk to my SM about a couple of things, and she always has some excuse or BS answer, or she'll agree with me and then nothing gets done about it. So, I'm just freakin' DONE with this place. For the past couple weeks I've been saying, "if I weren't so hell-bent on trying to get a job elsewhere, I'd be trying to transfer. But after F was 15 minutes late, hungover, and just blatantly disregarding standards, I left work so furious that I went right over to the store by my gym (Shoppes of Carrollwood in Tampa) and asked to talk to the SM there. As it turns out, he's looking to bring on another barista! I told him that an added advantage of transferring me in, rather than hiring new, would be that he didn't have to train me ;). I went in to work today with the intention of bringing it up to my SM... only to find out that one of my fellow baristas already told her that I want to transfer. I was told that my SM said she would be okay with me transferring, if I really felt like I'd be a better fit at that store and that I'd be happier. It really surprised me to hear that, especially with the holidays coming up, we need some strong partners at the kiosk (especially on bar... I'm one of the few who's pretty good on bar)-- I figured she'd be reluctant to let me go. My SM was already gone for the day, so I think I'm gonna stop in on my day off tomorrow to speak with her. If she's okay with me transferring, I want to start the paperwork ASAP. I know there are a couple people here who either work or have worked at the Shoppes of Carrollwood store... what else can you tell me about the environment of the store, and such? Any info would be great... and for the rest of you, if you got this far, thanks for letting me rant. I haven't written in a long time, it's been a LONG time coming... 21 wishes you'd grow up.      Let's keep in touch.

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