I heart my coffee

With Halloween behind us, and Thanksgiving quickly upon us, the holidays are going to be over before we know it.  Why does the holiday season seem to take so long to get here, and then seem to be over in such a rush?  Oh well, maybe that's why we should stop and savor it as much as possible.

Thanks to capitalism (pumpkin spice latte!  peppermint mocha!), one of my main ways to savor the holidays is through a good cup of coffee.  Denver is great for this, because not only does it have a million Starbucks, it also has a whole slew of independent coffee shops.  Since I do so much walking, I look into the windows and see people curled up with their laptops or books, or chatting with their friends, and it is the coziest thing.  Yesterday G and I went to brunch, and many of the sidewalks were still snowy and icy from the front we got on Saturday night.  We were next to the window and people strolled by (carefully), coffee in hand.  It's just the best thing.  I would drink it all day long - instead of my solo cup in the morning - if it wouldn't send me into an anxious spiral of doom.

I had a meeting in a Starbucks last week, and one of the guys I met with (he was in his sixties) said he remembered his very first time buying a cup of coffee, when a local Starbucks had just opened.  It was the latest fad, and no one was quite sure about it, and he walked up to the counter and ordered a cup.  Just plain coffee.  The barista scoffed at him, rolled his eyes, and said, "Oh you mean like the kind of coffee you get on an airplane?"  The gentleman said he was so embarrassed he didn't know what to do.

And now they serve Starbucks coffee on airplanes.

So funny.

I was reminded of his story when we went to REI yesterday.  Currently my favorite store in the entire world.  After getting some necessary gear, we stopped by their Starbucks on the way out and I just wanted a small regular coffee.  Usually that's NBD but yesterday the conversation went like this:

"A tall regular coffee, please, with room for cream."

"Light roast, medium roast or dark roast?"

"Medium please."

"Hand pressed, cold, iced or traditional brew?"

"...traditional...?"

"K!  Coming right up!"

I can see how this would grate on the nerves of someone who just wants a (*&*(^&*^* cup of coffee already.  I can also see how this would be the beginning of a perfect conversation for a true coffee connoisseur.  Falling somewhere in the middle myself, I just stand there and take in the smell, the music, the hustle & bustle, and wait for my little cup of magic.