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St_Arbucks
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Name: Rick
Country: United States
State: Kentucky
Metro: Louisville
Gender: Male
Interests: Jesus, Music, Poetry, art, theatre, books, and um...books, coffee, thinking about stuff, latte art, and many various other things.
Expertise: I'm pretty good at putting my foot in my mouth.
Occupation: Student
Industry: Nonprofit
Message: message meEmail: email me
Member Since:
4/29/2004
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| I wasn’t ready to die. I thought I was. I had played the theoretical reels in my head a number of times before. I think perhaps that the problem was that I did not know what certain events would bring about. That is, I did not know they would bring about death.
Death is what connects us. Well, birth and death, the only two unavoidable occurrences in a person’s life. But death, unlike birth, is a bitter bedfellow: Birth gives life while death takes it away. Birth comes with the promises of many moments, significant moments, mundane moments, joy and sorrow, good and bad but moments all the same. Death ceases those moments from happening. And yet, this is a reality that we must face.
I do not remember some of my relatives that have passed away. They were stolen from the world before I was born or when I was too young to recount the moment with much detail. My life has not been punctuated by the terse reality of the death of dear loved ones, until now. And this unwelcome and yet necessary companion floods my mind. I would like to ignore my cerebral guest, but it incessantly knocks, so I relent and open the door.
We live in a reality of meaning. If this were not so I would not be able to write this, you would not be able to understanding the words, the construction of the sentence, the clauses or ideas, and we would be stuck staring in awe at one another; seeing but having no sight, knowing but having no knowledge. However, as it is, we do live in the reality of meaning.
Objects have meaning. They are important to our perception of the world around us. We take in information from these objects with our sight and with our hearing, smelling, tasting and touching. We learn about them, interact with them and though most objects are inanimate I would dare say that we develop a relationship with them. Take for instance a building. It can be wrought with significance to an individual or to a group. I am fortunate enough to have grown up in the same house my entire life. Despite the dilapidation that has set in the many years of it’s existence, a shadow of the newness it once was, it holds significance for those that grew there as people.
If that house is ripped from the world the tangible representation of our experiences that grew us, place of certain emotions, the sight, smells, and feeling that accompanies that place and transports us to all those relational moments is taken away. This is true of any object. Objects can be destroyed, or removed from us and our relation is taken from us and it can even physically hurt.
But people are different. Houses do no respond to our attitudes, and actions, except to say that they might be physically affected. People however do more than provide a place of representation for those emotions and life experiences. People help shape those moments. They are the living embodiment of their moments, both alone and in conjunction with others. You may stare at a painting but the painting does nothing. But when you look at the woman next door she looks back; and not a blank look but a look with a knowing eye. For she feels as you feel, experiences the same moment that you experience and in that you are forever bound to her, because you are for each other the living representation of that moment.
Now our family is so much more than this. They are the living representation of much of our life, both for ill and blessings. They remind us of where we’ve come from or a moment we’ve had, but they volitionally help shape those moments, grow and change with them and remind us whom we are. I am my Father’s son. He is his Father’s son. But I am my Mother’s son as well, and my sister’s brother. But since we are living in the reality of meaning we must see that these clauses define much more than proximal relation. They are in fact the embodiment of many moments that shape those that follow. Something like this: The decisions of my grandfather are passed to my father are passed to me.
So when a family member dies and is taken from this world there is a bitterness that accompanies that moment. For even in torn relations there is still reaction. It’s not simply that an inanimate object has been removed from your temporal experience. But the living, reactionary embodiment of so many moments is taken away. A person who responds, that feels as you do, with whom you share more than experience but understanding. Understanding has been taken from you so the schism is deeper and more painful. Those moments for good and bad have made you who you are, and that person with feeling is a representation of whom you are. For better or worse we are tied to those that raise us, they interact with us. And this is deeper than biology. A biological parent has very little meaning in life of a child that they have never seen. No, what makes death significant are those bound moments of knowledge and mutual relation.
So death is hard because in death we see part of ourselves ripped from this world. Pieces of us go with the person that has passed. That knowledge of those experiences, that understanding of those mutual moments has passed on and so that part of us has passed on. With each death we experience a little death, which is why to most of us it is a bitter moment.
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| Well,
It has been a while. I haven't written a blog, I haven't written and update, I haven't written....much of anything except worksheets for 7 year old students. Weird.
I've been going to Starbucks here. Mainly because you can get a good cup of brewed coffee (most places just serve Americanos) and because I own stock. But also because the people there are much more friendly than at other coffee shops. This is training that must get taught at every Starbucks in the world. When I first arrived I tried a different place that was pretty good but after a week of coming in everyday it was like they hardly recognized me. However, I started going to a Starbucks and in a couple of days they knew my face and now they know my name. It's nice.
I think people here are much more polite as customers. There doesn't seem to be the same attitude towards the workers as in the States. Perhaps it is because I don't speak the language and don't know when people are complaining, or perhaps its because I don't see the customers everyday. It is nice to know that the blank stares are international.
It doesn't seem to matter where you are in the world, people are people. If they don't know what they want they just stare blankly. They don't move, that don't notice anyone else around them, they just stare as if they are afraid to move so as to not break the concentration and make their decision longer. The problem for me is that they don't have all the flavors they have in the states, so I have to make modifications to what I order. And since I worked there, my favorite drink is quite complicated and annoying for anyone else to make besides myself. I will say that soy milk is less expensive here than regular milk, and that's cool.
I must say though that I sort of miss some of the crazy customers. Like the guy at my first Starbucks at Mason and Clayton in St. Louis who got mad at the rich lady who always parked in the place that wasn't a parking spot. He told me that we should dress like ninjas and repel off the roof (10 feet) in the middle of the night and spray paint the parking lot so she knows it's not a parking spot. I just looked at him and said, "You're sorta weird you know that?"
Or the guy in Louisville that would order coffee through the drive through and ask for 20 packs of sugar. No really, 20. We figured it up one day and in one year, at five coffees a week, he would ingest 3 lbs. of sugar from his coffee alone. The thing was though that if we made it too quickly he would tell us we didn't do it right. He was afraid we used the liquid sugar and not the grain sugar. He would then insist that we make it again.
Or, The lady a 291 in Lee's Summit, whom I will never forget. She orders a latte though the drive through with like 7 raw sugars. She also ordered a 1/2 pound of espresso ground for an espresso maker. Once she was at the window she asked for a several more packs of sugar. Guessing that she liked them for making lattes at home I said,
Me: "Are you sure? I don't mind putting some in a bag for you to use at home."
Crazy Lady: "Excuse me?"
Me: "Um...I don't mind putting some in bag for your house if you want."
CL: "What are you trying to imply?"
Me: "Er...I wasn't implying anything, Ma'am."
CL: "You've got a lot of nerve you know that!"
Me: "I'm sorry, I don't understand..." (at this point I have an extremely confused look on my face)
CL: "I don't think I like your implications! What I do with my sugar is my own business! I come in here all the time and I don't appreciate being have you imply anything about me!"
Me: "Ma'am, honestly, I wasn't trying to imply anything. I just thought you might like some extra sugar..."
CL: "I can't believe I'm treated this way, you should just not say anything else to me. Just give me my coffee...Just Give Me My Coffee!"
Me: "Ma'am I can't make them grind it any faster, I'm sorry."
She then took her coffee and drove away. I saw her at church on Sunday morning. I don't think she noticed me. :)
Or the Oblivious lady from Louisville. She pulls up in the drive through talking on her phone. She had already yelled her order at the speaker after telling the person on the phone, "I'm so sorry, just one moment....(yell, yell, yell order at speaker) and then she drove away before I could respond. So, anyway, she drives up to the window still on the phone, with a file in her lap, a briefcase open on the passenger seat and files everywhere. She doesn't look at me as she extends her free arm out the window clutching cash in her clammy palm. I don't bother repeating her order I just take the money and ring her up. As I count back the change to her I notice she is still not looking at me, still talking on the phone, still reading files, and simply puts that same grabby hand out the window again. So I start to hand her the money back and she turns and looks! But not at me, she only looks long enough to notice her hand, and grab the cash and then straight back to the files. I then promptly hand her the drink and she places it in the cup holder, still hasn't looked at me, and then quickly ends her phone call and starts going through the files on her lap.
Now...abooooout 40 seconds passes (and in a drive though line that feels like about 3 minutes) and I politely ask her if there is anything else I can get her. You know sometimes people think they ordered something and just forgot, that sort of thing. She then, in a strange sort of Micheal Bay slow motion moment, turns her head to me. But she has sunglasses on so who knows. Anyway, she says in a very very sarcastic tone, "Yeah, you can get me my drink", leaving her mouth open a little in disbelief on that word. I then very pointedly point to her cup holder. She turns, looks, sighs, and throws her car in drive and almost has a wreck on the way out.
I'll leave you with one more conversation. This isn't exact, but probably close.
Confused Customer: "Okay, what do I want?"
Me: "um...I think I'm supposed to ask you that."
CC: "Well, how much?"
Me: "Excuse me?"
CC: "How much?"
Me: "How much for what?"
CC: "What I want."
Me: "Well, I suppose that depends on what you want."
CC: "Well, it's not for me."
Me: "Oh..."
CC: "..."
Me: "..."
CC: "Well"
Me: "Sir, I'm not sure what it is you want me to tell you."
CC: "Well my wife always gets it."
Me: "um...Ok. Is it sweet or not sweet?
CC: "Forget it, just give me a Mocha, non-fat, with whip, stirred, with a sweet and low."
Me: "....Oh...not a problem, have that for you in just a moment."
So really, if you are a Starbucks employee and a former employee, feel free to share your favorite Starbucks moments with me. Or, if you're a customer, feel free to share your favorite story as well.
Until next time.
Rick
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They were once the bastion of sodas, the fort of convenience, the 24/7 with locks on the door, always there to provide the jolt cola and zebra cakes that you crave. But what has become of our beloved store of convenience, place of shopping pleasure, emporium of buying ease?
That's right folks, look no farther.
Farther than Taiwan that is.
Low and behold, 7-11 is a staple here. That's right, I may miss Cheese and Pizza without corn, but I don't have to miss
The Slurpee is here my friends.
It turns out that while 7-11 may have abandoned the quaint shores of North America, it has found a home where it may thrive.
7-11's are everywhere! I think they may secretly own Taiwan. In fact, they run a wireless network that is available city wide in Taipei. Who knew.
But there's more folks.
I little Cali cuisine! That's for Varner.
The world's tallest building is here and I got to hang out with an Asian Ronald McDonald. Beat that.
But the best thing was last night and today.
Erin bought me a Dr. Pepper, and today I went to the grocery store where I bought milk, cheese, peanut butter, bread and some chocolate spread. I had a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk, I can't tell you how beautiful it was.
Till next time...
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| Well my friends the time has come, To raise the roof and have some fun... er...wait...scratch that. I gathered my things and headed to Taiwan. That's where I live now. It feels really strange. I don't think it has set in fully that I live here. I'm not sure how to feel. It's still a bit surreal. Packing to come here was probably about the hardest thing I've had to do in a while. And to those of you that have to put up with the items that got left behind (Sarah and Jordan and Mom and Chuck) Thank you soooooo much for your patience and kindness towards me. It's difficult fitting your life in two 50 lbs. pound bags and two carry ons. I ended up with 1 85 lbs bag and one 55 lbs bag and one 35 pound bag, a guitar and a 20 lbs back pack. bummer. They charged me extra. It was kinda like buying a ticket just for my luggage. Before the actual packing commenced I had grand plans for all of the items I was going to take. I had about 50 books I planned on taking (final count around 20), and then clothes and the like. I had the vaccum seal bags for my clothes to make more space, which worked great but when you shrink down a bunch of clothes they are much heavier than one tends to imagine. Of course the bottle of scotch and bottle of Bourbon didn't help anything either.  So in the end the 15 lbs of coffee I wanted to bring with me didn't make the final cut. You know, when you really don't have a desk to keep stuff in, you tend to have several boxes with just a bunch of junk in them. That didn't make the cut either. Did I mention its humid here? I know, I know, you are probably still stuck on the "So in the end the 15lbs of coffee I wanted to bring with me didn't make the cut". Weird, huh? But when you have to pick and choose what you will need, deoderant wins every time, as does stomache medicine and Arrested development (which I'm about to watch to make me feel better). So today: I got up and went to breakfast with Erin. We had the omelette things with sweet soy sauce on top. Really good. Walked around, I signed up for Chinese class around 11:30. The class started today at 1:30. There are six Japanese folks, myself and one other American. Chinese is...well...difficult. I'm getting the tones down (there are four) and it's kind of like singing. Sometimes I'll will say something in class that to me sounds exactly like what the teacher said, but alas, I am wrong and the teacher promptly corrects my poor pronunciation. Tomorrow I am going to try to get a cell phone I think, and perhaps a gym membership. Thats really I want now. I splurged on myself right before I left. I think partly because I was freaked out I was leaving. So now I've got to really watch my money so I don't over spend here. It's difficult because it's hard to think about the exchange rate and remember how much you are spending. Very tempting to just buy stuff because you don't feel like your spending real money. Tonight I have dinner with Pastor Moses and his wife, Erin and her roommate Bethany (who is pretty cool by the way) and a couple of other people. Poor Bethany will be alone though, we need to find her a man! Culture shock hasn't set in yet. I was going to go order coffee after class but it was starting to sprinkle and I didn't have an umbrella and didn't want my computer to get wet. Oh, I forgot, when I got in Sunday night it was pouring rain when we got to the apartment. That's was fun! So now i'm sitting in the apartment thinking about all the things here. Stay tuned for more updates... | | |
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