Conjunction junction, what's your function?

Doings I Enjoy:

• Discussing crosswords with Jack, a regular. His suggestion -- save (easy) Monday's puzzle for Friday. Complete in view of lots of people in "record" time, in pen!
• Being a rock star; ie, completing a Friday crossword all by myself! Only took six days.
• Trying to remember how to punctuate that using "ie," which means time to pull out the MLA Handbook. Yay, grammar!
• Football season.
• Thinking of words to replace "things" and "stuff." Mr. Stanaway would be so proud.
• Thinking about writing. The actual writing hasn't been so successful. But I have lots of topics to write about ... about which to write.

:)

Got a couple rips in my jeans.

Holy moly, so much for records. No posts since February? Pathetic! To kick us off, here are some ramblings from another recent journal:

The Fresno summer makes me hate California. Until it's 90 degrees in July and feels like rain. Then I love it but am a little weirded out. It's not supposed to be 90 degrees in July.

Travis is moving to North Carolina as we speak. He should arrive in Chapel Hill this evening. Now all the kids are spread across the country.

(Using the computer at the library can be so interesting, especially in the early morning. There is an older gentleman sitting next to me grumbling under his breath about who knows what, but it's entertaining. A few moments ago, his phone rang and his version of "Quiet Computer Lab" was waiting to answer its catchy ringtone until he got to the lab door then speaking loudly in another language -- Armenian? Russian? Greek? I wasn't listening closely. I love the library.)

A friend of mine wants to write a book about his worldview and has asked me to read his current 100 pages of brain dump then edit and organize it into possible chapters to start the book-process. We met a few weeks ago to talk about his worldview, his thesis, his goals for the end result. I haven't found time yet to get through all of the material (it's a lot of brain dump), and I'm not sure how far along in the process I want to be involved in, but it's a miniscule launch into the world of editing. And he'll pay me something. We'll see.

Also speaking of career goals, I am not a writer. I suppose, I am not a writer of fiction. I hate writing fiction. There are no stories, no characters bumbling about in my head, clamoring to find their ways to a page. The worst writing assignment I ever had was in my college Ancient Literature class with Dr. Wall: Write a 3-5 page version of Purgatorio, with you as the protagonist led by Virgil through the underworld and meeting at least three characters from other literary works studied during the semester. Oh, the agony! I hated it. Still do.

Anyway, my point: I am not a fiction writer. At most, someday I might hope to be a rather uncreative creative nonfiction writer, if enough more interesting experiences happen to me. But one thing I know, I need more writing practice. When I used to write every day, I would see the beauty in the small goings-on of life. I would look for the interesting in the ordinary so that I could pen it later. Therefore, goal: To write something every day because practice makes permanence.

Walk on by.

I'm attempting blog regularity so two posts in two weeks. Everything is right with the world.

It's been a pretty good week. I've been trying to write in my paper journal more regularly, even though it hurts my hand to write more than a half page. Still, I appreciate the opportunity to reflect on the day before going to bed. I need that time to stay cognizant of my life. And writing things down makes them more tangible to me.

Becca and I started walking this week. Tuesday, we spent an hour trekking through Sierra Vista mall. Mall walking is entertaining because you can window shop! We took a detour through Sears at one point and picked out our dream washer/dryers. If we go back with any regularity, I guess we'll eventually decorate our entire dream homes. :) Thursday night, we met at Becca's apartment and walked around the complex while Pat came home and cooked dinner (pizza and salad) then we watched TV. I saw my first episode of 30 Rock, which is a funny show, but I thought the rerun of The Office was funnier. (C'mon, Emmys, let's get those awards right.) We're hoping to make the walking a regular thing, especially since we both noticed that it's much easier to walk much longer with someone to talk to. Walking for an hour with just an iPod gets kind of monotonous (though Becca did suggest listening to a podcast, an excellent idea).

Clem has healed up quite well. She was spayed a couple of weeks ago, and everything was going fine until she started licking at the last part of her incision, caused it to open, and then licked out suture! I know, gross. When I took her back to the vet, they said she was fine, cut the suture, and put a hood on her. It was hilarious -- watching her scooch around trying to pull it off her head (to no avail). But twenty-four later, she'd figured out, and luckily, the incision had already healed completely. I'll post some pictures when I remember to bring my camera with me.

Work is going all right. Starbucks recently changed the management review process, and it's freaked me out a little bit (I spent Wednesday making myself feel like an a-one failure), but further review shows I shouldn't be freaked out. Plus, my boss's new boss and his boss are touring next week (without my boss, who is on vacation), and I"m 99% sure they'll be in my store, and I super nervous about it. We just still have so much work to do; I feel like we're not making the progress that we should, and that ultimately falls on my shoulders, good or bad. Sometimes it's lonely at the "top."

Looking out on a vacant field.

A record -- almost three months without blogging. Let's dive right in. Since Dec 1, I've:

• Had my car towed for registration irresponsibility.
  
• Bought a newer car. It's a 2008 Pontiac Torrent from Enterprise. The first car (technically, a small SUV) with my name on the title and the bill. I love it (the car, not so much the bill).
• Enjoyed holiday fun with the family.
• Bowled left-handed.
• Not paid any attention whatsoever to the inauguration (sorry).
  
• Twice been sick enough to warrant taking time off from work.
• Missed Ohio.
• NOT missed Ohio.
• Gone to see Bride Wars at the theatre.
  
• Resolved not to see movies in the theatre again (TOO EXPENSIVE SERIOUSLY).
  
• Learned the horror of a cat in heat.
  
• Had Clementine spayed.
• Missed the Super Bowl.
• Read a lot of books.
• Worried about Starbucks.
  

I think that's about the gist of it. As I've already told too many people without doing something about it, life is sort of dull right now. But I'm going to try to go to a new church on Sunday, and start walking with Becca, and the store is all right, and do more to be better. As in, more blogging. And more interaction. And more journaling. I think part of it is that I've allowed myself to hide behind not paying attention to my life. No mas, just can't keep doing it. Hope you are well, too. Love.

I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart.

This Thanksgiving, as I reflect on the year, I am and continue to be, in no particular order, thankful for:

• God's enduring grace, unfailing love, and utter lack of dependence;
  
• Parents who would do anything because they love me;
  
• Customers who are patient and kind, despite tough times;
  
• Sunshine, rain, and nostalgia for snow;
  
• Starbucks -- the company, all its people, and my store;
  
• Doing things I've only ever talked about;
  
• Growth -- in my definition of success, my confidence, and my understanding of myself;
• Forgetting the date of what would have been six years;
  
• The kittens who give me love, entertainment, and frustration every day;
  
• And being at a place in life where I don't have anything I need to say to anyone. Except, "thank you."
  

And, always, much more.

Make them wonder what you've got.

Do you notice the difference a smile makes? Dour faces light up with any grin. On my way out of Wal-mart yesterday afternoon, I passed an especially unpleasant-looking "greeter," posted at the exit. I thought twice but flashed a toothy smile and said, "Have a great day." The change was immediate and impressive, like a lightbulb flicked on with the recognition. She grinned, returned the salutation, and stood a little. As I walked across the parking lot, I took a moment to learn the lesson -- we never know another's situation but judge them every moment based on our own expectation. God has another idea about how we should treat each other. We should notice each other. We should love on each other. And a smile, that fits into His plan. It will brighten your day and someone else's.

But if push comes to shove, and you need an instant pick-me-up, watch this
(Kudos to Jake for spreading the hilarity):

Trust me, you want to watch this video!

Way down yonder in New Orleans.

Welcome to November, folks! I'm so glad it's chilled and rainy outside -- no complaints here (well, I could do without the drizzles that only smudge dirt around on my car ....). Friday afternoon, I spent a little time in downtown Fresno and couldn't believe how pretty it was. You know the people who tell you not to live south of Shaw and to avoid downtown at all costs? I am of their ranks no longer. Our downtown is clean, diverse, and interesting. Have you ever really looked at our skyline? I hadn't, but it's beautiful. Maybe not as tall or wide as those of larger cities but full of interesting buildings and trees. There are so many trees in downtown! I've been halfheartedly thinking about moving out of north Fresno, but now my mind is made up. I want to live somewhere with personality and life, and the paved stucco world of north of Shaw doesn't fit that bill.

Wow, end diatribe. Has everyone had a good month? Mine's been great. The two biggest things: 1) I'm transferring to another store; and 2) I went to New Orleans. Let's dive in.

1) This Saturday, I will officially take over as store manager at Starbucks @ Riverpark II. I am super-excited about this for several reasons.

1. I was hired at the original Riverpark store (Riverpark I) over six years ago. This is a move home for me, and I can't wait to reconnect with old regulars I haven't seen in ages.
2. Riverpark II is a cafe-only store, which means it has no drive-thru. While a drive-thru has its perks and I enjoy it as much as the next gal, cafe-only is my preference. It always for a singular focus and purpose; no one has to make a choice about which set of customers is more important. It also allows for more interaction with all customer and, because there are two bars side-by-side, baristas get to work together on bar -- my favorite thing to do at Starbucks.
   
3. The change means more responsibility for me in a few ways. The newer store is busier than my current store. It employs more partners (employees). Most exciting (and daunting) of all, it was built and designed as a flagship store. A flagship store is designed to be the premiere store in a given area and to replicate and represent the experience one might have in our first store at Seattle's Pike Place Market. That's a lot of pressure and a lot of visibility, but I can't wait to get started. We have a lot of work to do to be ready to meet those expectations, and I can't get ahead of myself with big plans.
4. But I do have plans! Art shows, storytime hours, evening concerts -- fun ways to connect with our community and highlight our beautiful stores. All in due time.

2) Starbucks holds an annual Leadership Conference in Seattle, but for various reasons, there hasn't been one in three years. This year, it was important to commit to our Transformational change and ensure that all 10,000 North American store managers, field leadership, and senior leadership came together to learn and grow together. While it would have been great to honor our history and regroup in Seattle, leadership made the decision to hold the conference in New Orleans, and I'm so glad they did. We had an amazing time enjoying the city, experiencing its people, and working in the community. While the five days I was gone were exhausting (I've slept at least nine hours every night this weekend -- delicious), the time was wellspent and well worth it. Let me share some highlights:

Cool architecture around the French Quarter.




Antique gun store Dad would like.


Door across the street from our hotel, and Fresno-State-marching-band-esque sign.


Hotel -- Pere Renaissance Marquette, outside and in.




Bourbon Street. To imagine the full experience, picture five or six more blocks of this, full of partying people.


Starbucks donated over 50,000 hours of community service during our three-day conference. Us easily-sunburned peeps got to stay at the convention center and paint artwork to be displayed at local schools ruined by Katrina. While I was disappointed not the have the opportunity to go out into the city, we met a teacher from one of the schools and had a great conversation with her about how the educational system has been, and continues to be affected by the storm.

Jodi, Julie, and Tricia hard at work.


The community came to us via a local marching band!


Works of art -- Keith, Erica, a joint collaboration with Rose. It took all three of us to finish the third picture.


10,000 people eating lunch in the Superdome. We were right on the 50-yard line!


Arena for General Session. With Howard Shultz!


And Project Red! And Bono!


New Orleans was a wonderful experience. I got to have my first beignet (and hopefully not my last), rediscover a love of crawfish, visit with Cleveland peeps, better get to my fellow District 482 managers (whom I've missed hecka much weekend), visit a beautiful city, and reignite a passion for the company I love. Now it's time to dive into a new store and an exciting holiday. Hope you're as happy as I am.