Random Thoughts: Things That Annoy Me at Starbucks



Photograph by Carlos yo



This is a new series composed of random thoughts that I have. Maybe you'll find them interesting...or extremely sad. Don't know which but here it goes...

Things that annoy me at Starbucks:

1) The guy who treats the arms of his comfy leather chair like a drum set, mindlessly going BANG BANG BANG. Is the name Ludwig or Gretsch listed on the front of that frickin' chair? No? Then it's not a set of drums!!!!! Respect a nice piece of furniture would ya?

2) Girl on the phone who's next in line and who is standing in front of the barrista and who is clueless that she's holding up the line because she's on the phone and we're waiting for her to order but she's too busy and the people behind her are thinking evil thoughts. Should we download a nasty virus to her phone? Should we use her phone to play the game, how deep is this water well? Should we just drown her in a vat of steaming Sumatra? Word of unsolicited advice? Love the people around you. Not your phone.

3) The person who blocks the entire electrical outlet because they have a mini-brick for an AC plug yet chose to use the top plug. You could plug that into the bottom one and leave the top one open for others to share. Related gripe: The jerk who uses all the plugs to power his laptop, phone, I-Pad, and his electric car parked just outside. Don't be an outlet hog.

4) When a particular location has cheap, wimpy chairs made of thin metal and plastic. You can be comfortable for maybe 15 minutes if you're lucky. Good wooden chairs are the way to go and the locations that have them are my personal favs. Extra points if they have comfy chairs to read books in!

5) The lady who came up to me as I was writing and asked what I did. She had seen me almost every day at this particular Starbucks working on my little laptop and was just curious. With a courteous smile, I informed her that I was writing a novel. Her reaction? She turned away and left without a word. I'm serious! It was like she was thinking, A writer? Oh, I thought you were doing something important. Well lady who-thinks-writing-isn't-a-real-job...Let's get something straight....When I write, I can travel to any place in the universe or go back to any time in history or create things that don't even exist yet. I can experience the triumphs and failures of hundreds of lives. Now, what did you do on that day? All you managed to achieve was to buy some coffee and then insult someone. Lady, I hope that cup of delicious Pike Place Roast burned your tongue. And by the way, the fictional teen girl whose life you think is trivial? She flipped you off when your back was turned.

*Side note: The one thing that keeps me going BACK to Starbucks are the barristas! Most of the ones I've dealt with are friendly and bust their butts to make coffee. So I salute all you wonderful barristas! You guys always rocketh with me.

What do you guys love/hate when you visit Starbucks? Or any cafe in general?

The Art of Asking

I love music and to be honest, I never heard of Amanda Palmer or her group The Dresden Dolls. But a friend on Facebook posted this TED talk she did about "The Art of Asking" and how this approach not only benefits musicians, but artists of all kinds. It's a different approach on how artists should deal with online piracy of their work and a fundamental change surrounding the basic thinking of "selling" your work. I found her talk inspirational and fascinating. And I'm going to try and adopt her philosophy as much as I can because it suits my personality. I urge you to watch this and let me know what you think! Do you agree with Amanda? Or do you think she's being too naive about people?

Happy Book Birthday to Nancy Bilyeau!

I'm so excited that today is the official release date for THE CHALICE a historical thriller that's a sequel to Nancy's acclaimed debut novel THE CROWN which is now available in Paperback from Simon & Schuster. Here's more about THE CHALICE...

In 1538, England is in the midst of bloody power struggles between crown and cross that threaten to tear the country apart. Joanna Stafford has seen what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting the King. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lays at the center of these deadly prophecies…

What I love about the first book in this series is that it reads like a fast-paced thriller but with great historical detail that strikes a perfect balance that never slows down the book. Here's a excerpt from my Goodreads book review of THE CROWN:

THE CROWN moves at a fast pace like a good thriller should. I would almost compare it to the concise pace of young adult novel. (Which is meant as a compliment.) The pace keeps you turning pages and never lags.

The historical setting of Tudor England feels so authentic on the pages and helps to ground the reader into the time period. Ms. Bilyeau does a nice job of sprinkling details here and there, using it to spice up the chapters rather than making them bland under a mountain of endless historical detail that would slow a novel down to a crawl.

I think if you're a fan of English history or just like to read a thriller that doesn't take place in some gritty, modern-day setting, I urge you to take a look at both of Nancy Bilyeau's books in this wonderful series!

I've already pre-ordered my copy through my local indie bookstore and can't wait to pick it up. If you support your indie bookstore, give them some love by stopping by to pick up your copy of the book or by ordering THE CHALICE through Indiebound.

Here's a complete list of online links to buy the new book if you're more the buy-everything-on-the-internet-type.

Still on the fence about this book? My recommendations aren't good enough for you, huh? :)  Okay, then check out this cool book trailer for THE CHALICE...