to the drivers of seattle

i am entirely convinced that over 50% of the traffic jams in the seattle area are caused, not by the amount of cars on the road, but by the pushover, brake-happy drivers. i recently read an article that listed seattle in the top 5 in lowest number of rude drivers. but i don't think it's people not being rude, i think it's people not knowing how to drive. so here are some driving tips for people dring in seattle.

merge is a word i don't think you are too familiar with. both the drivers trying to merge and the cars already on the road have trouble with the concept. it means to blend or fade gradually into something else. if you are trying to get on the highway where other cars are moving fast it makes sense to accelerate your car, not slam on your brakes. if you just keep driving, i promise there will be a space for you. but if you slam on your brakes, it makes it harder not only for you to merge, but for those behind you as well. for you see, they now have to slam on their brakes to avoid hittng you, thus they are left trying to merge at a speed below yours. for those of you already on the road, you do not have to slam on your brakes every time you see a car merging. yes, other cars are scary, but just keep driving. switch lanes if makes you more comfortable, but do not, i repeat do not, slam on those brakes of yours.

on that same note, when there is an exit only lane created from an entry ramp and you need to be in that exit lane, you do not have to get over the exact moment that little white line becomes dotted. you people act like if you aren't in the lane right when it opens you will miss your exit. i know there is a lot going on what with all the merging and you starting to feel anxious about missing your exit, but you have another mile before you need to get off. if you would just wait a little longer the merging traffic would thin, the lane would become free to get into, and you wouldn't have to hit your brakes at all to get over. mindblowing, i know.

in a traffic jam there is no need to drive 20 car lengths behind the person in front of you. i'm not saying that you should get all up on them, but dear god, we are going 5mph, it's okay to get a little closer.

contrary to popular belief, brakes aren't fun to just push for no reason.

the speed limit is 60. if you don't like to speed that is your choice, but there is no need to go below that. move it or loose it sister. did you not learn that the left lane was for passing, not for driving slow in? slower traffic keep right... the signs was made for a purpose. and HOV drivers, you're causing just as much traffic in the HOV lane by poking along at 54. i know other cars are fun to look at and there is just something so warm and fuzzy about being stuck in traffic with other people, but please either speed up or get out.

house v. sumatra

so i just got home from my second shift at starbucks. tonight was another 8hr. shift that i was dreading, but, like the last one, it flew by. tonight i did about 2 hours of computer-based training and got to play quiz games testing my register knowledge with fun tv show themes. my favorite was when i was asked if i could outwit, outplay, and outlast certain coffee themed things. it didn't really make sense, but i was amused. i also got to play let's make a deal where i had to choose a door and then perform the cash register related task behind it. then i was put on the real cash register, where i explained to many customers that i was new and that was the reason why it took me 5 minutes to find the grande white mocha with soy and carmel and a slice of pumpkin bread. i think if i had any knowledge in the coffee area i would be okay, but when someone says triple espresso no foam i just stare blankly at them. i don't even know if that drink i said was even a possible coffee combination.

i also had a coffee and tea tasting tonight. the tea wasn't horribly bad, but i'm not one for the coffee. i tried the house decaf and the sumatra decaf. then my manager tonight, mark (who closely resembles clayton, thus confusing me everytime i see him), proceeded to ask me questions about the differences in the smell between the two. what the hell do i know? coffee smells like coffee. so i made something up about one smelling stronger than the other. then we sipped the coffee and he asked me about the "body" differences. again, what the hell do i know about the "body" of coffee, i've never had a sip of straight coffee in my life. after the blank stare i recieved when i told him i didn't taste a difference, i sipped again and made something up about the sumatra being earthier. what?

i still feel lost in some areas, but i think i'm catching on. a lot of the time i feel like i'm just standing there in the way waiting for someone to tell me what to, but i guess that's what supposed to happen when you are new. i enjoy the people, the process of learning, and i especially enjoy knowing that i am on my way to medical insurance.

my bedroom

so this is my room in pictures. it's a work in progress, but soon it will be complete. i have some pictures i want to put up, but i don't have the frames yet. i thinking of taking my closet doors off like jessica and getting a curtain to close it off. i just don't know where i'd put my africa map if i did that. i'm not crazy about the red, but i'm not about to repaint it. and the desktop computer is out of here as soon as i erase everything on it. when my bank account is a little more plentiful, i'm going to buy a little chair from ikea and make it my reading chair.

save me from myself

as disgusting as it is to some, i love love love peeling skin. i used to sit for hours and peel my grandma's skin when i was little. we would see how big we could get the peels and then proudly display our biggest ones. quite fun actually. thursday night i began to peel. the good peel too, not the boring flaky stuff. since then peeling has taken over my life (i've taken two "peel breaks" since starting this entry). i can get to most of my peeling regions, but my back is tricky. i sit in front of the mirror and try to reach my arms around, but it's not very effective. josh has proved to be worthless in this effort as he gags whenever he sees my skin.

in other news, my first shift at starbucks is monday at 4:15 am. nice and early.

what's 13" and apple-y...

she is. finally after months of wishing and waiting, my little white beauty has arrived.

she came as quite a suprise. i got a call from josh saying he was coming over for lunch because he was hungry. i said come on over. i just happened to be looking out my window when he was walking up the driveway. i saw him put something down... it looked like a computer box. i didn't get too excited because let's face it, i've gotten excited too many times over this 13" wonder and i wasn't about to be let down again. but i've seen enough mac boxes in my day to be 73% sure that what i saw was in fact a mac box. josh motioned me to come outside. i could feel myself getting more excited. despite the burn i ran to the door and raced down the steps. en route he met me and said he had a gift. he reached in his pocket and pulled out an apple. i didn't get the connection. i asked about the box he set down and he told me to go see. i ran to it and there she was. i was so excited my bright red back didn't even hurt when josh hugged me. we went upstairs and set her up. she's as nice on the inside as she is on the outside. jealousssssssssss?


it's a little lame how truly excited i am about this.

welcome to the mac world me.

maybe like a j-o-b

you are now reading the blog of starbuck's newest barista.
hooray, hooray, hooray!
income, income, income.
it's not the best money in the world, but as my bank account nears zero, any money is good money.
i don't know shit about coffee, but oh am i going to learn.
in 9 training sessions i will be a coffee maker pro. natalie will be so proud of me.
starting soon i'll be able to get strep, get a cavity, or get a funky eye disease and be fully insured!

prizes for those who kno where the title comes from...

the commute

the rain and 30 degree weather didn't stop 1653 people from coming to greenlake saturday night. it was a powerful sight.



my $10 sleeping bag from target must have had magical warmth powers because while everyone froze in their rei hardcore sleeping bags, i was all snuggly warm in mine. the night was absolutely amazing even the part when our tarp was shushed by youth kids sleeping two tarps over.

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