There’s nothing like Starbucks on holidays and birthdays- UPDATE~
Current mood: busy
Category: Life

The past two weeks kinda put my weekend Starbucks on overload here.

First my only kid turned 17 and that is quite depressing because it's hard for me to imagine I have a kid that old!

Her birthday was spent on the patio of my weekend Starbucks… with our Starbucks family and some friends who just know where to find us.  The workers sang happy birthday to her when she walked in and they all signed her cup…

"Happy Birthday Dawn's Daughter"! 

Starbucks workers and random people stopped by all day saying Happy Birthday-

The guy from CVS dropped by...  and you all know Justen-

Dustin came out on his break-

Bob from the Boys and Girls Club stopped to say hi-

Ahzeez (spelling guess) always stops-

Toni and Yao-

Grace and Starbucks manager Jen came back for cake too-

We had cake on the patio and made a big mess… it was a fun day.

Here are some of the pictures.

Kait hat to get the messiest cake created-

and now I know why!

Carlos and Kait thought it was cute!

Kmar had fun with her colored teeth-

Rikea tried not to get messy-

Sangeeve thought he was in the clear too-

Jane stayed far away and Vickie wouldnt look at the camera-

you all know it wouldn't have been a Starbucks birthday if one of my random people didn't stop to say hello-

Then 4^th of July started on that same patio and even though we ventured to the park to have a cook out we did end the day back on this same Starbucks patio to watch the fireworks and do sparklers…  

Carlos and Kait watched from the curb-

John lit the sparklers and Jordan was Jordan-

Sangeeve got a little retarded and Jordan kept the sparklers lit!

Jordan flirted with Amber, even with her mom there!

Kait and Carlos seem to always hang in that corner there-

Yao was a trip too, a Jordan in progress!

Hope you all had a great 4th!

Until next blog,

S.G.

11:59 PM - 25 Comments - 30 Kudos - Add Comment

He parked his ambulance on my table... and made my head go woo-woo-woo!
Current mood: amused
Category: Life

The day before yesterday, I as I sat talking to a comedian friend, about important things like South Park episodes... and you know life… a strange man walked up to me at my weekday Starbucks and simply placed a toy ambulance on the table, looked at me pausing for a second …and asked if he could sit down.

"Sure" I said as he sat down… we sat quietly for just a minute, then I asked him what was up with the ambulance? And here began what I would call a circular conversation….

He started to tell me social security owes him lots of money and the ambulance and each letter on it represents the money… OK , OK… you get it too… he wasn't making much sense to me either, but he was serious and spoke with determination like he made all the sense in the world. So I listened.

Meanwhile Starbucks people get a kick out of the people who talk to me and always seem to find a reason to be out there to witness these encounters… see Jose trying to hand out samples of iced coffee…

He asked to use my phone to make a call about the money … the first call was to a lady named Kim who apparently was not too happy he called her!

His name was Tyler… this video from my cell phone should describe the conversation with Tyler, and why I describe the conversation as circular. This was after the conversation I just mentioned and supposedly to this call was to the police…

Now you've seen a snippet of a circular conversation… circular right? Lucky for you the cell only records 15 seconds at a time!

When I got too dizzy to keep up with him, I told him I had to go and... .left.

Untill next blog,

S.G.

3:57 AM - 36 Comments - 58 Kudos - Add Comment

What a day! My day at a glance~
Current mood: overstimulated
Category: Friends

3:58 AM - 2 Comments - 14 Kudos - Add Comment

So much to show and tell you guys... (3 weeks worth)
Current mood: amused
Category: Life

People come and people go all the time when I'm at Starbucks…  people I see all the time, people I haven't seen in a while.  It never ends… fire men, cops, kids, grownups and my family track me down … here's my photo blurb of the past few weeks…

First the kids…

Jafar- he drops by to borrow my phone from time to time.

Corny- he stops to say hi on his way to the basketball courts.

Jonathan- he came by to say hi and was texting the entire time.

Sanjeve (hell if I know how to spell his name… sound it out) and his friend Tim – stopped to eat their ice cream and chat…

Nitin- was done with his finals and stopped by to chat and text …

And one of my grown up kids
Willy- stopped to have a frap and chat for a bit too…

my kid has to be at all Starbucks with me...
at one point or another…

her boyfriend  is not far behind- rain or shine~

They're so cute... you could vomit, right?

My kid and my Goddaughter chilled with me one evening-

Then you all remember the firemen who stopped and hung out with me, Vickie and my boss man one evening, right?

A few baristas (you'll learn more about them later)

I would have named them one by one BUT… one of the guys I can't remember if he's Justin or Jason… so I didn't name them!

I will end this  with this little slide show of my kid at the Dupont Starbucks, on a cold rainy day, where I figured out … it's not that she doesn't like feeding the birds, she's actually scared of birds !

Until next blog,

S.G.

11:59 PM - 8 Comments - 20 Kudos - Add Comment

Weekends at Starbucks… It’s like church…
Current mood: amused
Category: Life

Weekends at Starbucks…

It's like church…

I always get to Starbucks early on the weekends. This way I can read or write or whatever. As you might know by now, Starbucks Girl is never left alone for too long…

Saturday was rainy when I arrived and I took a seat inside but really never got a chance to sit… I had a parent venture by to chat and several others flow through… all before I could sit and do anything constructive inside…

Vickie came and sat when the patio opened up and she was cold because she believes me when I say it's nice out~ for the record it was not cold when she asked…

Sunday

was nice for the most part. I took my seat out front and began my Sunday ritual…

Welcome to The Church of Starbucks Girl!

I sent text messages wishing everyone in my phone book happy mothers day, and then Jane came out to chat. It started getting colder and colder as time passed and Jane tried to keep warm…

It was while I was talking to Jane that Felix showed up and rudely interrupted by handing me his notebook of drawings and then ventured inside to get himself a hot chocolate. I was in charge of the notebook because he left it in my care.

Jane and I laughed as she remembered the stories I would tell her about the unusual visitors I meet just sitting. She has a clear view of all of this from the window seat at my weekend Starbucks. This would be the first time she experienced this first hand. But Felix wandered off and I placed his notebook safely on my table knowing he would return.

Vickie arrived and as she went to sit she recognized the notebook from my blogs and asked "is your friend here?" and she took a seat kind of away from my table.

Blaine (my hairdresser) dropped by for a chat with me and Jane and I couldn't help but notice all of "normal people" keeping far from the table just because of a notebook.

The kid showed up and got all goofy when she saw the notebook, she secretly loves my people adventures… 

Felix came back and I sat on the wall I usually have my feet on, just so I could see all the people around me and not ignore Felix.

I wish snapped a picture of the way my normal people shifted and stood all because all because of a notebook.

Eventually Felix left, followed by Jane and Blaine. So Vickie the kid and me all ventured to Dupont circle to visit Starbucks 2~

Where as you can see... I make myself at home here too~

I snapped a pic of the Starbucks bird who I think might be one of my crazy people reincarnated or something, because this bird comes real close each time I am at this Starbucks.

When we left I forgot my purse. when we got to our Dupont destination I realized I did and ran back to Starbucks to find, it exactly where I left it untouched.

This concludes my not so eventful weekend…

Until next blog,

S.G.

11:47 PM - 7 Comments - 16 Kudos - Add Comment

I actually sat and spoke with him (before he went shoplifing at Payless)~ OMG!
Current mood: distraught
Category: Life

It's not always good people who stop and talk…I actually sat and spoke with him...

before he went shoplifing at Payless~

OMG!

Ironically today was a gloomy day, raining and kinda cold. I was busy earlier this morning handing out flyers for a comedian friend. When I got to my weekday Starbucks I took my seat out front,  like always the other table was empty.

Shortly after I sat down I had my first visitor. His name is Ricardo and I have seen him many-many times before he just never stopped to talk.

Now keep in mind I do see a lot of people, and this guy was always drinking and yelling at someone when I would walk past. Not really someone I would look forward to getting to know... but when people stop to talk, I sit and listen.

Ricardo sat with me and finished his 5^th of vodka he was drinking when he walked up… he wanted to share. I was there to listen.

He started by telling me he wanted to work with kids, he was 42 years old and had a rough life of drugs and alcohol he thought his story could teach kids what not to do.  He told me how he was a thief and how he picked peoples pockets.

Ricardo told me how some guy that was across the street thought he stole some crack from him the other day, and might come over and start something. He went on to tell me if the guy did come over, there was gonna be a big fight. Then he told me not to worry because he would make sure I was safe. 

The guy walked down the street and never stopped…

I was a bit put off by that because I like some good action from time to time.  I sat and listened some more… then he decided to tell some high school kid he needs to get to school because he will turn out like him…

Then he told a group of high school kids how he turned out and "say no to drugs and alcohol".

He came back and began showing me the bag full of stolen stuff like these DVD's –

He also showed me CD's and woman's clothing with price tags on them from his shoplifting spree earlier this week. He was planning on taking the CD's and DVD's to the CD exchange place up the street but he didn't have any ID.

These 2 ladies stopped by to chat and give him a few bucks~

Then another homeless friend dropped him off a beer and left.

 He drank it from my old Starbucks cup (so the cops wouldn't bother him.)

Ricardo asked me to watch his bag of stolen stuff and said he'd be right back had "something to do".  This is where this guy (I think is mute) came to sit with me. seen him many times but he never talks he just nods.

The rest happened so quick I didn't get pictures but here's the story….  

Ricardo ran back to the table, took his cup of beer and said "I got to run" remember his bags were right here with me… along with his open can of beer he'd been pouring into my Starbucks cup…

And he ran up the street and there was a Payless worker was chasing him… The Payless lady strolled back a few minutes later and Ricardo was no where to be found. So I sat silently with the mute guy waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Ricardo came back for his bags and beer said "something came up" and ran up the street again. The mute guy and I just looked at each other and shook our heads.

So there goes another morning at my weekday Starbucks.

FYI I did stop by payless and spoke to the worker who chased him up the street to find out Ricardo had stolen a pair of shoes… I sent her his picture on her cell phone because even though it was a good 10 – 15 minutes later the cops still hadn't shown up.

Until next blog,

S.G.

11:24 PM - 11 Comments - 17 Kudos - Add Comment

I guess I have a new best friend?
Current mood: blessed
Category: Life

I guess I have a new best friend?

The plan was, I was going to sit at my weekend Starbucks and write while I waited for the boss man to call and say he was on his way, then hop a bus and meet him at my weekday Starbucks and begin our roadtrip.

I choose the weekend Starbucks to sit becaues it's more peacful there and I figured I wouldn't be bothered as much. My weekday Starbucks is a portal odd sorts and to write I needed some peace.

I sit at my weekend Starbucks all kicked back, shoes off working on my one sided Starbucks tan. Writing comedy or rambling thoughts on a note pad… whatever you call it that's what I do.  

Boss man had me sitting longer than I thought and as I started getting restless and bored, I look up and right above my iced- grande- unsweetened- black- tea, Felix was headed right at me.

He was a little over dressed for the hot day it was but he didn't care. I went in and got us some ice water and sat smoking while Felix told me he keeps getting kicked off the bus because he has no money.

Then I heard a thump! Looked down to see this~

He took off HIS shoes…  and started rambling away. Just in time boss man called and said he was leaving in 5 minutes.

Because my weekend Starbucks just happens to be sitting at a bus stop… and boss mans 5 minutes means an hour… I didn't want to just walk away and leave Felix hanging, so when a bus stopped I got Felix an all day transfer (for free) so he could be on his way too~

There is a shadow here but Felix is sitting on the wall at the bus stop between my espresso and my tea~

Until next blog,

S.G.

11:59 PM - 5 Comments - 20 Kudos - Add Comment

Honestly, It’s not always crazy people who stop to talk and sit…
Current mood: amused
Category: Life

Honestly, It's not always crazy people who stop to talk and sit…

As I was chillin yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) enjoying my "slight unemployment" on the patio of my weekend Starbucks, my friend Vickie stopped by.

There wasn't a lot happening, the usual strip club excitement across the street… (saw a guy get tossed out by the cops)… people getting off work… all was quiet on Wisconsin avenue. (afternoons at Starbucks are not the same as mornings)

After a while of nothing much…

A fire truck pulled up, but not in an emergency kind of way. One fireman got out of the truck and went to CVS. After watching a handful of firemen still in the truck the conversation began…

It started with the lieutenant who first came to sit…

Boss man joined us soon after the lieutenant…

Before too long I had the truck full of firemen sitting with me Vickie and boss man on the patio of Starbucks laughing and joking around. 

 They stayed a while too, it started to get dark as you can see the lighting change in this pic of the lieutenant.

Boss man had to ask firemen how long they had known me.
Only to find out we had just met…

I think it cracks the boss man up that I can sit alone for all of five minutes and have new friends of all walks of life before too long. He watches it happen when we go to Starbucks by the office too… he gets caught up on the phone and leaves me sitting and when he returns… his seat is taken.

Guess it's part of being me…

Until next blog,

S.G.

11:59 PM -