Seattle's Latte Land

Today was the first day I have ever been almost completely unprepared (and it was a 90 minute period). Needless to say today was painful, in many different ways.

The most interesting way it was painful was also the only one that I can now reflect on as being funny (actually, I did at the time too...).

After a wonderfully awful day at work and sitting in traffic forever because of a power outage, I realized that I had to go get groceries. Argh!! When I walked in I was tired, and considering stopping at Starbucks before heading home. As I went to grab a cart, I noticed a strange attachment to the cart. There was this black attachment to the child seat...and then I discovered what it was!!! It was a drink holder! Immediately I started groaning. About two weeks ago when I was shopping I had stopped at Starbucks first, and then gone shopping. It was difficult to do! I had to steer the unruly shopping cart with one hand, pull things off the shelf one-handed, or lodge my cup in a corner of my purse to make it stand up. It seemed to me after seeing this attachment that others must have had the same problem! Around here, practically all the grocery stores have Starbucks in them, so it wasn't all that surprising. However, it was still very sad.

I shopped.

When I finished, I decided that, yes, I would get a Starbucks. Much work awaited me at home and after the day I had...I deserved a pumpkin spice latte. Plus, I secretly wanted to try the holder. I ordered my drink and happily placed it in its proper spot. Right as I was rolling out the door I discovered that Seattle still has a lot of work to do before their grocery carts will be fully latte-ified. As I rolled out the store, my latte came alive!! It started jumping and bouncing, with hot coffee flying everywhere!!! Horrified at the mess I had just created with one push, I froze in my tracks, gazing at the mayhem. I had successfully gotten coffee all over the front of my work clothes, it had spattered all over my cart and the bags, spotted my hands, and left me staring dumbly at the mess, only to look up to find a Microsoft employee veering out of my way! I grimaced at him and then shrugged. I thought it was done...but no. Customers behind me, trying to get through the single door I was exiting through, caused me to move forward and then stop in haste again, as the coffee took another flying leap from the cup. This saga ends with me crossing the street holding my coffee cup in one hand, steering the unruly cart in the other, and laughing out loud at the irony of the whole scene.

That is my story. It was painful, but very funny. One moment I was a clean Seattlite pondering a latte-utopia and with one step I became a jaded, latte-soaked, realist.

Reflection: I wonder what that Microsoft guy was thinking as I almost soaked him with my latte...

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