25 posts from 2008

Hating your hobby

Oct 23, 2008
Post a comment

Yesterday I felt sick. So jacked up sick. I was at work, and everything was fine. Then around noon, I started to not feel as well. I told Bruce just so no one would be surprised if I ran to the bathroom or anything. Ilissa said I looked bad, and Kris said I looked pale . . . not good signs.

I'm not sure how I got home. It was all a mess to me. I had a massive headache and felt a little dizzy standing up. Oh dear, it horrible. Looking at the TV didn't help, and I really didn't have an appetite for food. I was upset, but I was too sick to be upset. I was upset that what is one of my favorite activities - eating - was out of question. It was one of those times that I knew it wasn't safe for me to drive. I knew I should eat something, but I also felt like puking anything in me.

Enoch happened to feel kind of sick too, but he was good enough to get around. He made some soup that I was able to down later. I ended up sleeping 9 hrs - a record for me in awhile. Working in the morning, usually I get 5-6 hrs. Not working, I usually can't sleep more than 6 hrs. So this was amazing.

But I must say,it's torture when you enjoy food but can't. I couldn't watch the food network. I couldn't even look at the magazine of cooking classes that I wanted to attend. It's sad when not only can you not eat, but the thought of it disgusted you. Talk about being delirious.

I'm really happy to be healthy today and to be able to eat. Health is a very important thing . . . It truly allows you to enjoy other things in life.

Same name different song

Oct 12, 2008
Post a comment

So the other day, I went to watch Jocie. I knew it was going to be different than watching the boys, but I was amazed how amazingly simple it was. My niece was hard to put down months ago just because she was more attached to my sister in law. It wasn't necessarily me because Gen would even cry herself to sleep when it was my brother (her dad) putting her down.

So instead of trying to "shoot the bad guys," Jocie would go art - drawing on paper, using some stamps (Ariel of course was her fav). There was plenty of reading - Sleeping Beauty - which is a messed up story, Pinnochio, Three Little Pigs, Beauty and the Beast, The Rescuers. You really can just set her up on an art project and she can take care of herself. Of course, we had conversation over her favorite princess Ariel. We talked about Sesame Street - Jocie not only has colors and shapes down, she also can count in Chinese. i think she prefers counting in Chinese rather than English.

Jocie did an awesome job riding her tricycle. At the park, we ran into Noah, Zachy, and Joshua. There was this funky ladder that is curved that Jocie started climbing. I asked if she needed any help. She replied no. Then, Noah looked up and gasped, "WHOA Jocie!" Wey asked, "Noah, can you do that?" Noah still in astonishment goes, "No. Oh no. I'm scared."

I love the Jocie-isms. "Can I watch just a little bit?" - hand in a small fist. "Hey, I have something I want to show you." "Hey, look at this." Once again, little kids can bring an entire world into perspective. Doesn't matter how many hours I worked, who said what in the election (or what's even true), or who won or lost any football game.

Aside from the blessing of being personally challenged to be more generous, loving, caring, wise, etc at Vox, I enjoy getting to know other people's stories. But on top of all that, I'm grateful for the opportunity to not just be a casual observer in the growth of the kids - I get to be hands on every once and awhile. Cosmo is a special name I have a Starbucks, but Uncle Bri is a name that means so much more.

Being an uncle

Jul 17, 2008
Post a comment

The best days of being an uncle are now. Of course I can always spoil my niece, but it's something to spoil your niece in person. I'm not sure if Gen remembers me from a few months ago, but it didn't take long for my wonderful charm to work on her. It's interesting that for some people, I'll shave to be respectful - i.e. some weddings. For Gen though, I thought she might like my goatee.

It's all about hanging out with Gen. 1st thing in the morning, I peeked into her room to see her - head buried in her bed, butt sticking straight out. Gen has this cute shy little smile. She's so tiny. Almost 2 years old but 18 month clothes are still a little big for her. She's got this quiet little voice - kind of like Jocie. Instead of just running in circles - which is much easier for me since I got longer legs, I decided to slow things down. We played around with Photobooth. Then, instead of just the books, I decided to do image searches on google for various animals - duck, dog, cat, cow. I even included a part of showing Gen was steak and brisket were.

So far I've taught Gen fingers and toes - she moves her fingers or wiggles her toes. I've been trying to teach her words like "awesome" and "obey." Kids are so cute at this age. She loves chatting it up on the phone with her gibberish. I'm sure that in a few days I'll be sick and tired of the Winnie the Pooh song from her little toy car, but until then, it's just part of the wonder and amazement of seeing Gen smile, dance, and laugh. It's the simple things that make me treasure life.

*Special props to Rachel and her good clothing finds. My niece saw the new clothes that I (more like Rachel) got her. She immediately reached for the dress and tried to put it on. She pointed at the Keds and immediately went, "Shoes!" It was like seeing Christmas morning. Kids are amazing.

A mystery meal

Jul 10, 2008
1 comment

So I got a call to be a mystery guest at Cheesecake Factory the other day. So Pete and I met there for lunch. He got the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta and I got the Hungarian Beef Goulash. Both pretty good dishes. I thought our server was pretty good - Melissa. She had a good cordial humor along with professionalism. I couldn't put my finger on her accent - NY/New Jersey like. Being Mr. Productivity, I thought they were pretty efficient. Everything was pretty good until the end . . .

There was only one downside. So I had to go to the bakery and ask a question to test their knowledge. So I asked how fresh the cheesecakes were. I was thinking something like a day or two. So the guy tells me that they're all made in California and then sent to all these locations frozen. When they arrive, they are 2-4 weeks old, but frozen, they can last for 6-8 months. I was shocked. I'm not sure I can get another cheesecake there. I am so much more drawn to the smaller mom and pop bakeries now . . .

I am a monster

Jul 2, 2008
2 comments

Why am I a monster? I simply had not eaten all day. It was a crazy day - constant work. But even more, it was emotionally draining to hear that 600 SBUX stores were closing - some potentially in my region. I'm 99% sure that I'm safe. So I'm driving home after too long of a day. I decide to redeem my free Papa John's pizza. - free medium 1 topping.

You only hear about this in sit coms of pissed off girlfriends/wives eating an entire carton of ice cream or something. Me - I ate the entire pizza. I just started going at it while I was watching TV. Before I knew it, I was asking Matt if he wanted the last piece before I devoured it all. My stomach is like the pit of despair.

The little role you play

Jun 24, 2008
Post a comment

I wasn't "supposed" to be at work again. I was there for a shift supervisor meeting, and then I wanted to spend some extra time with my ASM. As we came back from lunch, one of my partners was sitting on the patio. She told me that the group of people inside the store were the family of one of our regulars that passed away. I put up my stuff and got my assistant to tend to the 1:00pm interview as I went to talk to the family.

I simply introduced myself and told them that I was so sorry to hear about their loss. I asked if we could do anything for them - take care of coffee and pastries at the funeral or anything. Stephanie's mom almost burst into tears. She gave me a big hug. She was struck by the gesture.

You see Starbucks was one of this things that Stephanie just did all the time. I could tell because her husband and friends all had Starbucks tumblers too. Stephanie's husband said that you'd sometimes see him more than her because he would go out and get Starbucks for her. Her mom showed me a button with Stephanie's picture and their dog. They would swing by Starbucks and Petsmart.

So why were they at my Starbucks? Because they were trying to ease some pain, and they remembered always going to our Starbucks with Stephanie. We were a piece of that healing process. Something to bring back some good memories. Stephanie's mom and I got to chat a little. I thanked them for coming in and letting us be a part of their lives. She thanked us for what we mean and the simple gesture of offering and asking if we could do anything for them. I told them how it was an honor to get to meet them and to get to serve people like Stephanie every day. We talked about how at the core, it's not the coffee and all, but rather the people - and we would miss Stephanie as well.

I can't begin to express how that entire conversation felt. Instead of "the manager" at the Starbucks, I felt like part of the family. I practically lost my composure with the family. I have a series of stories I share with partners during First Impressions and the Customer Care module about how we're in the people business serving coffee. This is definitely something that I add in there. We get a few people at our store that are visiting relatives at the hospital or going to the funeral home up the road. But it's another thing when your every day regular passes away - even more when their every day job is saving other people's lives . . .

I didn't expect any of that today when I was going to work. I was just expecting some great development conversations with my ASM and giving some good energy and excitement to them. We talk about our customers and what they're saying or thinking of us in our customer voice surveys. Sure that's part of what I'm rated on, but today's experience reminds me once again of the real reason it matters how we connect with our customers - that human connection.

Simplicity and Honesty

Jun 22, 2008
Post a comment

As I look back, I really enjoyed Harmon and Jennifer's wedding. It was really indicative of our community. I loved seeing the village of support up there for Harmon and Jen. That's what we are - a community of normal people. I loved seeing how honest and genuine everything turned out to be. The kids were just running everywhere - during pictures, during the ceremony, etc - but it's normal - that's us. It's not the crisp organized presentation - it was the beauty of life - a little unpredictable, a little crazy, and very cute. I got to be around for the rehearsal and pre-wedding pictures. It was awesome seeing Harmon and Jen's family - very happy people.

I was very pleased with the food. At your typical wedding, everyone gets served at the same time, but all that food has been cooked and has been sitting awhile. Instead this wedding, we got our pasta made fresh to order. And who can say no to pancetta?!? Spinach, strawberry, and walnut salad is prob one of my favs as well. The gelato was awesome as well.

There was just this cool sense of Harmon and Jen doing things the way they did - not because they had to - i.e constraints of society on what a wedding should entail. But they did things because it was them. Gotta love the couple and their style.

Ordinary Times

Jun 19, 2008
Post a comment

Been lots of in and out lately. I was in San Fran for awhile. Matt went to Boston. Gid, Wey, and Sam's families were in and out. Teddy got married. The Power family finally moved to Austin. The last month has been full of transitions seeing people here and there. It's been refreshing to travel here and there, but its also really refreshing to have people back.

I had not seen Jocie for about a month. So it was cool to see her smile and give me a big hug. Props to Sam and Carol for raising her to be a meat eater. Wey tells me stories of Zachy and Gabby, and I can't wait to see them. Wey tells me that it's harder to get a smile out of Gabby - she knows you want her to smile, but she'll make you work for it. Zachy has turned into Aquaman with his newfound goggles and skill of swimming.

I'm pretty excited about this summer's series. A bunch of speakers from our community. Hearing different styles and voices. Melinda, Thomas, Teddy, Ashlee. I love our community. They are so rich in life. I was talking to Heather as she cut my hair yesterday. She and Thomas just have a wonderful story. Sure things started off as the typical what do you do, but we also got to talk about how our passions in life don't really have a job title, but more about how we want to be in community and influence those around us.

In a summer where there aren't new TV shows, ordinary time is about right. No distractions so you just do what you do - be it lazy or being active with friends, family, strangers.

Review of Young@Heart

Jun 6, 2008
Post a comment

I've always liked documentaries. I don't know if it's because you get a more direct angle from the director or because there's more "truth." - don't include Michael Moore's opinionated Fox news/entertainment stye. There was this heart warming/inspirational feel from Young@Heart.

The small Arbor theatre had no more than 15 people in it at the 2:30pm showing. So you heard people laugh, cry, etc more. At the same time you felt like you could just be you. The film introduces you to a few specific seniors in the choir as well as the director. Their average age is 82. You meet some people that have left the group due to medical reasons, but they've been asked to come back for one more performance. Most of the people prefer opera and classical music, but you're amazed to see how they embrace other music like Sonic Youth's Schizophrenia and James Brown's I Feel Good. Each song has a few seniors having lead parts. They have small music videos too - like Fred's Stayin' Alive. As older people, the words are clearer and have more/different meaning. - i.e. I Want to be Sedated

Should I Stay or Should I Go from an old lady is hilarious. It's an emotional film as the choir works on songs for a performance. During the course of time, some of their members pass away. You move from laughing and being inspired by their gusto of life at their age to respecting and learning from their perspective on the everyday reality of life and death. They would joke about being read your rights, or almost seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but choosing to look the other way. Fred talked about his eulogy that he made up already that was a poem. In his words - I'm come to terms that whether you're going to heaven or hell, you're not leaving this world alive. They push forward and sing together knowing that that's what their friends would have wanted. Regardless of being sick, they try to make practice together. The song Forever Young comes in perfectly to mourn/celebrate a lost member.

The most emotional moment came with Coldplay's Fix You. Although people have always liked other songs like Scientist, Fix You has always been important to me. Not only that, I got to see them perform it live at ACL several years ago - closing song. In the movie, Fred and Bob veterans of the group were supposed to sign a duet of it. Both of them left the group awhile back due to their health,but they were mustering the strength to do it. Bob tried his best but couldn't hit the notes higher on "reverse." Bob was practicing til the day he died - a few days before their scheduled big performance. Fred ended up being the lead and singing both parts, and it really struck me as he also sang Bob's part.

Regardless of the action movies this year or the nice animation films coming this summer, this movie is definitely one to be remembered. I am reminded of the resiliency of my grandmother after she got hit by a car, and how she amazed the physical therapy with her determination to walk again on her own. I am reminded of Bruce - the guy that works with me. He sings. He laughs. He connects people and readily makes this hilarious bewildered old guy look. All this while he still explores the world -traveling, hiking, running, etc. I've always been friends with people slightly older than me and I've learned from them - how to fix things, how to raise kids, etc. I think I learn life stage lesson from them. The senior citizen though - they teach you life lessons. It's not a sit down scheduled one on one mentoring. It's more of living around them, watching their decisions, and just them being themselves.

So yeah - for a great movie to walk with your parents or grandparents or your close friends. Young@heart. Look up some of their youtube videos as well. You'll be touched.

Young@Heart

Jun 4, 2008
Post a comment

There's something about old people. I saw some cool old people in SF. One old grandfather chasing his grandson around. An old dude just hanging around at a bench for his friend. There's always this sense of calm from them.

IMG_6171

So on Sunday, I'm driving Becky to the drag and she just starts singing with the radio - some 80's song What I Am. Cute and hilarious at the same time.

Trisha, her partner Ann, and I were grabbing some drinks and food at Trudy's today. We started talking about movies and she brings up this movie Young@Heart. It's about this old senior citizen choir that start touring singing more "modern" songs. Supposedly some Coldplay. They sing some James Brown too. They hit up a correctional facility for one of their gigs too. Old people can be so inspirational when they are so active at their age. 88% from Rotten Tomatoes, so definitely something I plan on checking out. Go old people!