Lisa and The Beasts

Happy Mardi Gras!!!!!

But alas I am not in New Orleans or Mexico or Brazil or the Caribbean and therefore there is no real celebration of Carnival. Instead I am studying for a lab exam I have this evening and nursing a cold wishing Jinx could walk himself. It is about 34 degrees here and for me that is COLD!!! For Jinx I think it is heaven.

This morning while having coffee I looked around, through my puffy, watering eyes and watched as the place filled up. Noticing just how negative energy seems to float in a place, I can't stand it and it takes so much work to change it. But I try and I would rather give up the energy than revel in the pit of less than neutrality. I understand from working in a coffee that some people are picky.....I don't think I am one of those but there is a basic level of service that I like, hot coffee. That is it. I don't think it is asking too much but see at this shop they have lots of competition from bigger places, but I think if you skimp on quality you are going to loose business. There are times that I would rather walk the four blocks to another shop and get an Americano, because I know it will be hot. So, here is the deal, I can usually tolerate my coffee not being piping hot but if I am the only one in line or a particular person is working I will ask for my cup to be preheated, a few of the girls do this for everyone, it is a great gesture and is well rewarded ( I tip fairly well because I know what it is like). But there is one thing I can't stand and I don't think it is good for a person to do is act like a pain or fill the order incorrectly just because someone asks for something a little more than what they want to put in to it. I understand everyone has a bad day and I am no expection, but I don't want my bad days to be contagious. My coffee was good and hot but there was one thing it lacked, pleasant service. Which is a shame considering I am in there all the time, but this morning the whole coffee shop had this energy. The people that work at the coffee shop often come to be customers there. Students fill tables for hours sometimes without ordering anything at all. I try not to stay too long during these rush times, everyone wants to enjoy their coffee and they are paying to be there, so I figure they should at least have to opportunity to sip and sit. Upon watching the one male employee of the place (he lives upstairs) snag a table, larger than the one he had been sitting at, right out from under an older gentleman I was ashamed to be young and ashamed that I had a book opened with half a cup of coffee and no extra chair to offer the man. I can't say for certain if morally this was a wrong move on either of our parts, the boy or me. But I can say that at that moment, 10 mintues after I got there I was determined to finish my coffee and leave, hoping that my table would be well appreciated. I put my book away and quickly drank down the rest of the hot liquid and a man was standing about 3 feet away, waiting. I asked if they would like my table. Of course. Why do we fear talking with strangers? I talk to some people in the coffee shop that I don't know, but some have a wall that sends vibes about not talking. How do we get that way in life, how to do send messages that we are not accesible, why do we? All I can say for certain is that ..............well I don't know that I can say anything for certain but I can say that New Orleans has magic about it that allows people to pass words back and forth without any weight, just conversation, everyone one someone front porch kind of feel. I miss that.
And today is Mardi Gras........I think I just miss New Orleans.
But there are things that I love here too.
More on that later. I do have to study.