Communication over coffee

One of the most interesting things about work is the customers. Most people come just for coffee, some come to hang out with other people, but a lot are regulars who get the same thing and who know all the baristas. I'm still trying to learn all of the regulars' names; there are a lot of them. Some of my favorite customers, though, are not the people who come every day but the ones who show up once and provide a bit of entertainment. For instance, there are the ones who come through the drive through and make funny faces when ordering (they don't know that we can see them). Sometimes people ask silly questions, like if the oatmeal or the sausage sandwich has more calories. Something funny is always guaranteed to happen.

Wait for it...

Once, a lady came through the drive through while talking on her cell phone. I'm never quite sure whether to be annoyed when people do this or not. I usually try to find things to chat about with people, whether it is the dog they have in their lap, our new drink, or even the weather, but when they are already having a conversation, then even politely asking them how they are feel like an intrusion. At least this lady wasn't one of the annoying ones who hold up the line to finish her conversation. Instead, she handed me her card, and, as I took it, she held the phone away from her head and said, "And I'd like to pay for the car behind me, too."

I smiled, wondering if this would turn out to be another of those Pay-it-forward things, where the whole line of cars would end up paying for the order of the stranger behind them. After swiping her card, handing her her drinks, and wishing her a good day, I excitedly waited for the next car to pull up. When it did, I explained to the woman, who was also on her phone, that her bill had already been taken care of. I thought she would exclaim how nice that was or ask if I knew why or say that she would then cover the cost of the next set of drinks. What I did not expect was for her to sit back exasperated and say into her phone, "I hate you, Misty. Stop doing that."

Apparently, those two women were friends and the way they got coffee was by going to the drive through in separate cars while talking to each other on their phones. My hope of an afternoon of watching strangers perform a kindness for others was immediately shattered and replaced by a touch of disillusionment that two friends would not even get out of their cars for a few minutes to enter a coffee shop together. But perhaps they had just been shopping at the nearby mall and the coffee run was spur of the moment. At least these kinds of "getting coffee" with someone are not the majority.

How coffee shops are like computer games

When I was much younger, I used to play a computer game called Age of Wonders. It's a turn-based strategy game that I very much enjoyed, even to the point of playing it several different times in order to follow different paths and find out what the different outcomes would be. (I would not be adverse to playing it again, in fact.) For probably a full year, it was the only computer game I played. I realized one day that I was spending too much time in the land of elves and orcs and goblins, because I dreamed of the game during the night. In my sleep, I played and beat the difficult level that I had been struggling on. Usually, when something starts to show up in your dreams, you know it's time to cut back.

Thumbs up if you can name the characters

Unluckily for me, I dream of the coffee shop, and I have been dreaming of it for a while. Said dreams are not usually bad; I'm not completely lost in a sea of coffee or being torn apart by angry customers or anything horrible like that. No, the night fantasies only include me working, which, since I do enough of that during the day, makes me not a huge fan of these dreams.

Last week, though, I was lying in bed trying to sleep, but I couldn't. I generally have a lot of trouble sleeping for various reasons, and other light sleepers will sympathize. Often when I share a room with someone, I sleep with earplugs to cut down on noises that might disturb me, and this night I was visiting my best friend. Because she's an early riser, I knew I would need all the help I could get to sleep well.

However, I dreamed that I couldn't sleep because I needed my earplugs to sleep. However, every time I got them settled in my ears, I was forced to take them out again, because I had to answer the ding of the coffee shop drive through. Frustrated almost to tears, I did not know what to do, because I needed to sleep, but I knew that the customers coming through the drive through needed to be helped, and I was the person tasked with manning the drive through. I don't remember if I actually took my earplugs out or if that also was part of the dream, but eventually I ended up sleeping.

When I woke the next morning, though, I was confronted with a horrible truth. I have been working too much. Oh dear.

That time that things went well

Today was the first day that I walked into work and really felt like I could handle it. I knew how things worked, and I knew what I was supposed to be doing. Sure, there were a few times I had to ask questions, and one customer could tell that I was still somewhat new, but I count today a success. I didn't give anyone the wrong drink, I didn't drop anything big or spill milk, and I don't even remember getting orders wrong. Perhaps today was the shift, the time when I start being helpful at work, rather than a hindrance. I could be ok with this.

Two thumbs up to today!

Now I only have to hope I haven't jinxed it for tomorrow.

Cleaning is harder than you think

I wonder if I will ever reach the point of Knowing. I "completed" my barista training on Tuesday this week, so on Wednesday, I was on the clock and official. Finishing training, though, seems to mostly mean that I don't have someone completely devoted to watching over me anymore. I, along with my trainer, am no longer extras on the floor. Instead, I have a job to do, and if I don't do it right, life gets really hard for the other baristas working with me. Everyone has been great, of course. At no time have they put pressure on me or shown any frustrations with my cluelessness. Not one person has rolled their eyes at a question or neglected to help when I needed a hand or an answer.

Last night was my first time staying at the shop past eight o'clock. As pre-closer, my job for hours was cleaning. Cleaning the shelves and mats and syrup pumps and dishes and pitchers and utensils. It wouldn't have been uncomfortable tune if I have known how everything worked and where cleaned tools went. I really don't mind cleaning; rarely do pots and plates tell you that you're washing them wrong.

At least mopping is something you don't need to be trained at.

Not that coworkers K., T., or A. told me I was messing up either; they cheerfully picked up the slack. K. offered to wash the floor mats for me, and T. helped show me what needed to be washed. Still, I like to be able to pull my own weight, but lack of experience makes this hard.

The sandwich place where I worked last summer had one day of training, and then I got thrown out into the fray. By the end of the week, though, I was grilling and building subs with the best of them. When I was hired at the coffee shop, on the other hand, my manager told me straight up that it usually takes new people three months to feel completely comfortable. There are a lot of questions I have to fit into three months, then.

The day I got a lunch break

Today was a day of firsts at my new job: I had my first full shift, I took my first lunch break, and I worked the drive through, and only one of those activities was terrifying. I do not have the greatest hearing (you can get testimonials from my roommate), and half of the drive-through communication is through a headset. What with car engines running and beeps from timers and the music coming through the speakers, not to mention all the grinding of coffee, steaming of milk, and blending of ice (have I mentioned coffee shops are loud places?), it's a challenge for anyone to focus on only one stream of sound.

It even looks like a torture device

The true adventure, though, comes when there is a car at the window with someone handing you money and expecting you to get the change right and another car at the menu board with someone placing an order and expecting you to get their customization right. While jumping between each conversation, you have to remember to switch on and off your headset (one time, a coworker had to reach over and turn mine off for me. I was accidentally talking over her with a different customer). Throw into the mix a knowledge of the register and beverages that is only rudimentary at best, and you can understand why I was panting by my break.

During one of the brief calm moments, though, coworker J. told me that drive through is her favorite position, and, as someone who has achieved the level of Coffee Master, she is someone to be listened to. When asked to explain, she said that she appreciates the way the drive through allows her to focus solely and really connect with one customer at a time. According to her, the drive through is its own, separate, little world.

By the end of the day, I understood what she meant to a degree. Each and every customer past my window, and there was usually a little space of time between when I handed back their change and when their drinks were ready. These few minutes provided a wonderful time to chat with people about the thunderstorm that struck around four in the afternoon, the new blended drinks and how wonderful they are, or ask about the dog that the customer had in his or her lap, passenger seat, or back seat (it's a little surprising how many people drive around with dogs in their cars). Occasionally, someone who had ordered sharply and firmly at the microphone turned out to be cheerful and friendly to my face, and most appreciated a little personal interest.

When I took my headset off for the last time today, I felt that I had accomplished something besides improving my register-navigation skills and managing to decipher words through static.

Alas, I forgot! (A companion to The Hunger Games)

One thing that I forgot to include in my previous discussion of The Hunger Games was how much I appreciated the handheld cameras. For most of the intense, emotional, and action scenes, the view is jerky and blurred, much like it would be in real life. The method of photography allows viewers to see the story as Katniss must have, confusing and terrifying. It brings across the adrenaline and fear.

Rock on.

I don't think the spoilers are too bad...

I finally watched The Hunger Games tonight. My roommate read the book last year for a class, enjoyed it, and saw the movie when it came out. Based off of K.'s recommendation, I decided that I should give it a try, although I was determined to wait to see the film until after I read the book. I picked up a copy of The Hunger Games in the campus bookstore on a whim, and six days later, I had purchased and finished all three books. Tonight was the soonest my friend R., who had also been waiting to read the book, and I could manage to go see it.

She literally was shaking in the film

Verdict: Good movie. They stayed true to the book without letting affection for it clutter a movie with great potential. For instance, a part of the story centers around the character of Katniss desperately seeking water. In the movie, said near-fatal search didn't appear at all except for a brief comment by her mentor. "Get to high ground and find water." She found a stream within seconds of the beginning of the game. However, the story as told in a two-hour film was complete without it. That part would probably only have distracted and detracted from the film.

Some may say the film was slow, but I appreciated the fact that it built. All death and explosion is not for me. The terror and horror of the arena would not have been as affecting without the background and preparation. The climactic moment may have been a touch quick and could have been a bit more emotional, but I thought it went well. Jennifer Lawrence was terrific as a terrified but collected heroine, and she did well communicating with the audience. The book is told entirely from Katniss' perspective and from her internal dialogue with herself; communicating that on-screen is difficult without any voice-overs, and Lawrence should be commended. Her supporting actors kept up for the most part. It wasn't Liam Hemsworth or Josh Hutcherson's faults that their characters did not feature as much.

The largest problems for me came from the unbelievableness of the "mutts;" the animation just did not convince me. Also, the romantic tension between Katniss and Peeta (which is very important in all of The Hunger Games trilogy) did not come out as much as I was expecting. It is a key feature of the continuing story, but I suppose that is always something they can enlarge in sequels. 

Greatest things I appreciated: Donald Sutherland playing the bad guy and the film's emphasis on the politics in Panem. After I finished the first book, I was worried that the story would continue in a love-triangle/Twilight kind of way; I saw much more potential and greatness in the politics of the story. Thank goodness my fears were not realized. I was pleased to see that the film's director, producers, and screen-writers also understood where the importance of the story lay. I am looking forward to the next movies in the story; perhaps I'll reread the books in the meantime. It shouldn't take too long.