June 30, 2005
Starbucks Complaint

I patronize Starbucks. Yes, I'm sure you find that shocking. I like two of their drinks, but the one I order 95% of the time is the Iced Americano. I always get the Venti because I am a total coffee hound. I finally found the complaint/complement form on Starbucks' site, and here's what I wrote:

The drink I order 95% of the time at Starbucks is a Venti Iced Americano. I've ordered hundreds of these over time, and I can't help but notice that they are not made in a consistent manner and I am often disappointed with what I get.

The cup is filled half way with water, then the shots are added and then there will be a few ice cubes added as an afterthought.

Once in a while, I get one that still has ice in it when I'm 100 feet from the store. It seems to be a problem for me to both get "lots of ice" (yes, I've tried that tactic) and room for cream.

Why do the vast majority of barristas make this drink so poorly? I asked a *former* barrista and was informed that ice and a *small* amount of water is supposed to be added to the cup.

It just seems like there is a training gap here. Since I feel like a PITA for asking for my drink to be remade, I often leave the store feeling slightly ripped off.

Thanks for your attention,
Nicole

The entry with the reply.

Posted by nicole at 08:49 PM

June 14, 2005
Update! Diet Coke with Splenda

I've now found it in 12-packs of cans, my preferred medium for soda. Now that they have come out with Coke Zero (whatever, dude), I have this horrible fear that they will kill this one. Man, I sure hope not. Maybe if they, you know, marketed the stuff A LITTLE people would figure out that it's great.

It's already a good seller in my cafeteria at work. They started out with two rows of it in the cooler, now they've added a third and they still run out before the Coke truck comes back to refill it. This means I can't get it on Wednesday afternoon or all day on Thursday.

Posted by nicole at 11:50 AM

June 13, 2005
WE GOT HIM!!!

This is mouse #2 that we've caught in the house this spring. The first one, we caught in a Fed Ex box by trapping him in the dining room. It was mostly luck that he actually ran into the box. We took him outside and left the box out there, but really, I wonder if we took him far enough because, of course, this could be the same mouse.

Tino and I both have, um, issues with lethal traps. Sadly, I also have some panicking disorder when around mice in my house. I see and hear mice and have actually had them run over my head and hands while sleeping in an AT shelter. This is different. THEY ARE IN MY HOUSE!

This mouse took two hours of our time last night, and we failed to catch him. Eventually, we decided he *had* to be in the third seat of the suburban which was in the house at the time, so we carried it to the garage and set the humane trap.

I really didn't expect anything, but I stayed away from the garage this morning so he'd feel OK about coming out, if we were right about him being in there in the first place. I came home tonight and found him in the trap, amazingly enough! I was so happy I jumped up and down. Seriously.

I will probably have a better picture later. My digital camera is all automatic and I can't get the right depth of field. Before we carry him a few miles away and release him, Tino will snap a few pictures with the Rebel and those will be better.

We are seriously entertaining the idea of getting an inside/outside (mostly outside) cat. We're both allergic to cats, so that would be a big compromise for us, but let's face it -- we live in the sticks and mice are a fact of life. I looked up this little guy and apparently he's a deer mouse. Mouse #1 was the same species, but looked more juvenile. It's possible this is the same mouse, like I said before, maybe just grown up.

Posted by nicole at 08:26 PM

June 08, 2005
Ack! Flip Flops

I realize that since I do wear sandals, and Birks at that, I probably have no right to complain about flip flops, but here I am doing it.

This is from the NYTimes style section that they do on Wednesdays. If you open the picture in a separate window or tab, you'll get a full size version.

This is the text that's too tiny to read above:
This summer, prep school style is seducing fashion followers of all ages in the traditional form of Bermuda shorts and polo shirts. But the most sought-after accessories of the season are ribbon flip-flops, rubber thongs with grosgrain ribbon straps in stripes and patterns. At A. Tierney, multistripe ribbon in sorbet shades is attached to bright blue, pink and lavender soles ($28 at www.atierney.com). Mella's Preppy Trim collection uses wide ribbons festooned with icons of the country club life: little lobsters, crossed tennis rackets, pineapples ($38 at www.mellausa.com. And J. Crew's entry puts grosgrain straps in stripes and critter patterns on black platforms or flat soles with leather fastenings ($19.50 to $22.50 at www.jcrew.com), all in eye-popping shades to bring out the color in even the palest personalities.

I'm tired of flip flops on people EVERYWHERE. Flip flops are for the beach. They are not appropriate for wearing in the office. I recall a friend of ours telling me that all his office mates wore them and he's seen them trip on them because, of course, they stick to the carpet and then roll up. Amazingly, they don't do this ON THE BEACH or at the poolside, where they belong.

I am also tired of shower sandals. Believe it or not, you still see those out here in the sticks.

Someday soon, I'll complain about flares. I am SO sick of flares.

Posted by nicole at 09:14 PM