Well, for a short update, I just got a job. It’s actually at the same place that I wrote about in my last blog. Yes, another coffee shop job. I’ve always loved working with coffee, but the other environments I worked in left something to want. Whether it was the fact that the employees didn’t really want to be there (and neither did the managers, mind you) so work ethic was down or because they didn’t seem to understand that the people they were working with were actually people. So often we turn people who work around us into mere employees instead of human and I think that that even cheapens their work ethic as employees. People were often not free to make mistakes and I remember often work feeling like a prison. I think I see the difference now. If you open a company and hire workers simply because you want to make money and find something unique merely so people will pay for it, then everyone is merely there to think about green sheets of paper.
I’ve been a barista twice. But I’ve never been trained by watching a dvd of a man who has a PhD in measurements and studied coffee in Italy, while all of the people who were training with me watched and laughed at his obsession while getting involved in what he said because they loved coffee too and wanted to learn how to represent the best in the world. On top of that, as I’ve said before, this is a place where artists gather… and the more people hear about it, the more people from all different backgrounds will come here, most of them what I call “an extreme version of themselves,” a term I dubbed New Yorkers with a while back. This place is good for the soul; I’m yet to wrap my mind completely around the why’s yet.
The management consists of Jane and Tom. Tom is Polish; I really know nothing about him. He smiles at you though, which is a given good indication. I know a bit more about Jane though. I had a class with her my sophomore year. Specifically, Animal Biology in Dr. Jenkins’ class. Dr. Jenkins was one of the funniest men I’ve ever known in my life. He died almost exactly a year ago and was the kind of man I hope to model my life after because he literally ate up all this world had to offer in the area he loved every day; which, given that it was biology, meant everything alive. It was a perfect area for him to love, because he too represented how alive I think God means for us to be. Once he found what he loved, his entire world was about that thing and he didn’t just obsess about it and have a party where only he was invited. He would tease all of us at 8:00 class and poke me with sting rays and sometimes even call role just to humor the dean, who I think was one of his best friends. One morning he took two dead squids and held them up simultaneously to show what the male and female distinctly looked like and, when he was done, proceeded to turn their heads towards each other and made a lip smacking sound. Then he giggled and walked off. On a rare morning when he was calling role once, he called a guy’s name that had been absent several times who he never had the heart to count absent. This morning, he giggled to himself and said, “I know!! Let’s mark him absent! That’ll show ‘im….” He laughed at his own joke for the equivalent of a fourth of a second and proceeded to pull out a power point presentation with a picture of
Long story short, several people showed some true colors in there. I did. I couldn’t even begin to fake how uninvolved I felt in the subject. Of course, until we got to the mammal chapter. I passed that one with flying colors, to my recollection. Unfortunate there’s more than them in the tree. I would always look at Jane and be scared of her. She was such a sincere person and I never saw her smile because I don’t think she humored a lot of people. People like that have always been scary to me because I figure they can see right through me. Since then, God’s refined me to the point that I can lean more towards sincerity, otherwise I think I would have been nervous working around her. I still am a bit but not for the same reasons. If anything, she makes me feel quite at ease, because she seems to take people as they are. She would come up to me my first day of training and put her hands on my elbows and ask how I was doing. It was so sweet. Yeah, I pretty much love it here. I keep forgetting what I’m getting paid too because it doesn’t matter. I just want to be here.
Well, that’s my update. FYI, things concerning grieving over Emily are going better, but there are still times that can feel so strange. I found a golden bunny from Easter to cuddle with so that helps me to sleep. I never thought it would come to cuddling with an inanimate object when I was an adult, but you do what you can to process and transition, ya know? Love you all.
Comments
Apr. 8, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by baruch117
Neat post. It's been a while since we last talked (ever since the Missions Conference). How are you doing? I'm doing good over here, school, piano, etc are going well.
Matt/Eragon
May. 3, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by Sheila
Enjoy serving others at your work; that is rewarding in and of itself. And though you can enjoy watching others there, remember that they are also watching you and your witness. It can make for GREAT opportunities to share the love of Christ! God bless. Love you, Sarah!
May. 5, 2008 - Untitled Comment
Posted by aliveagain13
Hey!!! COFFEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!! SWEET!! Well, I hope you are happy with your new job.
LOVE YOU
Katy
May. 22, 2008 - WOWZER.
Posted by IRONMAN
Hello this is Andrew or IRONMAN,
I'm glad that you are enjoying your new but Great smelling job! lol. I hope you got that joke. Theres no teasing involed in this comment. Any who, I hope You have a great and wonderfully day. GOD BLESS YOU!!
Andy the man out....
May. 30, 2008 - award
Posted by aliveagain13
Hey! I awarded you the "Nice Matters Award" on my blog! If you have any questions about awards, ask me!
Luv Katy
Jun. 4, 2008 - award
Posted by aliveagain13
Scroll to the the entry called "a bunch of awards" and it will be the last one...its pink. :) It is the bottom one.
When you get an award, you post about it and give the award to other people who you think deserve it. AND, if you can, you put it on your side bar.
Sorry about the confusion. ;)
luv Katy
Jul. 28, 2008 - hey
Posted by aliveagain13
Hey! Percy is home now and he's already talking about where he's GOING TO COLLEGE... it seems he is desprate to get back to Mississippi again. ;)
How's it goin' over there???
luv ya
Katy <3
Dec. 20, 2008 - hey
Posted by aliveagain13
I can't wait to see you in a few weeks!!!!!!
xoxoxo
Katy <3