Confessions of a Barista, Pt. 2

Though I'm sure it sounds to most that I'm only complaining, I honestly point these things out because they make me laugh and I hope it'll make things clearer and easier for both the customer and the guys and gals behind the counter. I've said before that if I didn't work there, I'm quite confident I'd be more than guilty of all the funny and annoying things that happen to me now! Hope these are helpful!

Top 10 Things I'd like to but Can't Say to Customers at Starbucks®...
(again, the following do NOT represent the feelings or attitudes of Starbucks Coffee Co.®)

10) Ma'am, it's 11AM on Saturday morning, why do you think it's busy?

9) God doesn't charge for water, we don't either.

8) I can hear you without the cell phone.

7) Yes, that is a grande, we're not cheating you, there is NO conspiracy.

6) Are you kidding me?

5) To any group of 14 junior highers, usually around 3:01PM, "We're out of frappucinno... hahaha! Just kidding."

4) Trust me, I'm a professional.

3) We heard you say "decaf" the first time.

2) How many "decaf quad venti sugar-free vanilla non-fat extra hot no foam with whip and caramel sauce lattes" do you think were ordered in the last 45 seconds?

1) There's no A in "Venti."

Now, y'all go get a cup of coffee and have a great day! Jude 24, 25

One More, yet Slightly Less Random

"One thing you have to know about LSU fans: they'll find the party, no matter where it is. And if the party is attached to a ball game of some sort, all the better...You could argue that a dozen different locales in America care as deeply about college football. But there might not be any that care as crazily." - ESPN.com on football in the State of Louisiana

Laissez les bon temps roulez!

As Random as it Gets

Here are a few extremely random thoughts that I wanted to share, yet none of them were important enough to make into a full post. Hopefully these won't bore y'all...

(In no particular order)

1. All my life I've grown up morally opposed to country music. Maybe it's because I grew up mostly in Texas where everyone is expected to love it. Or maybe it's because many of the lyrics sounded like my neighbors, or sometimes even worse, my own family! Nevertheless, I've come to admit that I really like two specific songs, Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts and Something Like That by Tim McGraw. Don't sign me up for an Alan Jackson concert anytime soon, but I'm starting to think that all country ain't as bad as I thought.

2. It's amazing how many people ask me, "is there anything that people do when they come to Starbucks that bothers you guys?" Yes, there most certainly is. So for the benefit of both customer and "partner," here we go!

Confessions of a Barista: things that drive us crazy (though I absolutely do not stand alone on any of these issues, the following do NOT reflect the opinions and/or attitudes of Starbucks Coffee Co.®)...

- people that hold up the line deciding what they want, when they've been standing in it for the past 15-20 minutes.

- people that take 10 orders from their cell phone while standing in front of 5 or 6 other customers who have actually come into the store like everyone else.

- people who do this: 10:22PM, "RING, RING... hi, what time do you guys close? '10:30.' Okay, we're in Hollywood, we'll be there in 10 minutes!"

That's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm confident there's more to come!

3. I'm pretty much convinced that the Resolved Conference is the absolute best use of $125 that anyone can spend (obviously with the exception of medication or something in that category). I don't mean this is my opinion, I'm pretty sure this is objectively indisputable. If you're thinking about coming to Resolved, don't. Stop thinking and just do it. I PROMISE if you're a Christian, you won't be disappointed!

4. The Master's College is the best school in the world, period. Visit sometime over the next two days and I don't think you'll need any further explanation!

5. I'm debating over whether I should miss 3 days of school and go to a Bible conference that I want to go to VERY badly. This is one of those times when my dad refuses to say, "Go for it," or "No way." He just says, "you're 19, it's your call dude." I love my dad, he actually did use "dude." haha.

6. I highly recommend downloading Real Player® so y'all can listen to streaming audio sermons preached at Grace Bible Church of Brandon, FL. Most of the time they come from their senior Pastor, Chris Pixley; but recently my dear brother Paul Shirley delivered one of the most clearly articulated messages on James 1 that I've ever heard. I pray it edifies your heart and shapes your worldview Biblically as it has mine. Sola Scriptura!

Thanks so much for reading, even though this was random and maybe a totally unprofitable use of your time! Y'all have a great time worshipping our great God the rest of this week and rejoicing in all that He allows us to experience for His glory in Christ Jesus! (Romans 6:15-18)

Why I Love September!

It appears we're beginning to get that beautiful September vibe again. Maybe it's because I'm only a 30 minute freeway drive from Trojanland, or is it possible that I can still hear the crying of tree-huggers up north over a game they didn't play in because they didn't deserve to be there (thanks Tech)? Or just maybe is it because this might be the year that my beloved Horns may finally be able to turn the tide in the famed Red River Shootout against a team still whimpering from the old-fashioned woodshed spankin' they got in South Florida last January? (Note: the Aggies aren't looking shabby either). In the midst of a freshly paved road, ready once again for a coming Parade of Roses (1/06), the Bayou Bengals from Baton Rouge (for whom we bleed purple and gold) have lost an invaluable teammate in lead RB Alley Broussard due to a knee injury during practice last Saturday. Though LSU still has undoubtedly the best backfield next to "Thunder and Lightening" in the Southland, as long as he's recovering AB will truly be missed in Tiger Stadium. With an arsenal that includes the ESPN/USA Today #1 ranked WR group in the nation, backs Joseph Addai and Justin Vincent, QB JaMarcus Russell, and the most highly pursued high school recruit in 2005, Ryan Perrilloux, there's no question the Tigers will show up this September, and will refuse to conclude until January. With even more "improvements" to the ever-popular BCS and the institution of instant replay in most of the major conferences, this season should surely not go without it's share of suspense. With echoes of a repeat Heisman looming in L.A. and endless accounts of anticipation from campuses coast to coast, let's buckle up - this could get crazy!

"At the team's first meeting in preparation for the 2005 season it was Young who, upon seeing players behaving as if they were in a nightclub still celebrating the win over Michigan, shouted, "Hey, y'all! Rose Bowl's over!" - Sports Illustrated on Vince Young, QB, Univ of Texas.

Savoring the Savior

Soli deo gloria! To God alone be glory in Jesus Christ! Those were precisely the thoughts and words coming from my friend Tyler and I as we left our first Philosophy 220: Comparative Religions class tonight, ending the official first day of school. After spending 3 hours hearing Dr. So and So repeatedly remind us of his numerous degrees, stressing his and his colleagues' supposed credibility in the area of Philosophy and Religion, we were pelted with various smears of blasphemy and heresy to the tune of "my job is not to defend the concept of Truth, only to try and impart various truths that will hopefully aid you in finding your own Truth--if that even exists at all. And quite frankly, when it comes to 'knowing Truth,' that's the least of all importance; what really matters is finding whatever works for you. Regarding the idea of whatever the [expletive] Truth is, quite frankly I don't care in the least." My initial thought of these statements was "how ironic," yet it quickly changed to "how appropriate." The one thing the world needs (tonight being perfectly represented by our professor) is the very thing it claims to care nothing about. Of anything to ask, the most essential question remains constant--what is the Truth? Whether or not your lifestyle "work[ed] for you" is absolutely irrelevant come judgment day. The question should always be, "does your lifestyle work in accordance with the will of God for the glory of God, sufficiently laid out in His Word?" That, beloved, is the foundation of a profitable education. If the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge," (Proverbs 1:7) then what more is education than to learn more about Him for the purpose of greater worship? As I sat there stumbling through all that was being taught tonight I prayed and wrote two words on the top of my notes that instantly calmed my anxiety, "Sola Scriptura." Because of our salvation, the fallacies contrasted with the Truth seem so clear to us, yet only due to the grace of our Savior removing the scales from our eyes and conforming our hearts daily with His Word. As today is my birthday, it's only fitting that God in his grace would use a situation like this to remind me of the abundant life I have in His Son. As the hymn writer said, "O' for grace how great a debtor, daily I'm constrained to be. Let thy goodness like a fetter bind my wandering heart to thee!" While things continue to spin like a propeller in my head, I can only pray that God would use situations like these to draw us closer to a more pure knowledge of Him, granted to us only through the gracious blood of the Lamb nailed to the cross. Praise be to the One true and Living God, all glory be to the Most High!

MP

"Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:1-3a).