Too Country For Cosmopolitan Coffee

Working in the service industry you notice an awful lot strange trends and patterns running through the population. People can be fun to watch, but when it comes to actually dealing with them it can feel like you’re stuck in a level of hell Dante forgot to mention. 

One of the more humorous things I’ve noticed is the strange attitude men from outside the city take to ordering coffee; especially if they’re with a female. They eye the menu as if it’s been written in a foreign language, all the while huffing and puffing over what to order.

Would the ‘laddy’ read: latte (those from outside an urban area can’t pronounce ‘t’ sounds apparently) make them look too fruity? Not if they get a large one, a man sized one.  Or maybe they’ll just have one of them there cappuccino things.

You can just tell they think that you’ll think them ‘less of a man’ if they know what to order straight away.

The other thing you notice are the cheap bastards who think they’re being crafty in some way. You take their order and they pay, then change it slightly. Oh sorry I meant Vanilla Latte! Or sorry I meant medium! Usually I let it slide, the queue is too big to start fucking around putting in 35p for syrup and shit. You’re not being clever or anything, you’re just being cheap. Not as cheap as the woman who lifted her 10p out of the Tips Cup after her daughter put the change in, but still cheap.

The other major thing you notice when dealing with high volumes of people everyday is the sheer stupidity, ignorance, indecisiveness and selfishness of most people. In fact, I think it’s fair to say this is a rule of thumb, and it’s the polite people who are the nice exception.

The other thing you notice is the shamelessness too. The amount of people who come into our coffee shop asking for directions to a rival shop is completely mind-boggling. It’s like going into Tesco and asking for directions to Asda!

I could probably go on indefinitely ad nauseum but I think this is sensible point to stop at before I completely go off on one.

And I'm Sure His Name Was Bill, Billy Or Mac Or Buddy

After many years of wanting a laptop but never quite getting 'round to buying one, I finally did.

A [Macbook White] no less.

After an initial hiccup regarding some network problems (which I have no doubt would have made themselves apparent if I had of been trying to establish a wireless network using a Windoze laptop) and adjusting to the one-button clicking and trackpad everything has been running smoothly. 

I hope that someone will give me a kick if I start to morph into a total Mac fanboy who heaps praise upon the Mac and Steve Jobs and lauds the greatness of Macs over PCs at every opportunity. (Also if I start to sit in Starbucks with it - 1. Because I don't want to 'that guy' and 2. Because I hate Starbucks.)

That being said as I use this more and more it becomes more and more of a pleasure to use. The software the Mac comes with is great, nearly everything you could need - and it's all fully licensed, no 30-day free trials before you're tortured every hour to upgrade and whatnot.

Downloading and installing applications is easy and the idea of the dock is good if you wish to keep your desktop clutter free (and indeed free of anything - files or folders).

That being said there are a couple of minor points which I'm wasn't happy about but I'm starting to adjust already.

There's no 'delete' key, just back space. Cmnd + Backspace for a forward delete or to delete a file. For some reason the keyboard is American with the @ being on the 2. These are minor inconveniences however.

One thing that will take a bit longer getting used to is the fact that you don't really 'Maximise' or 'Minimise' and if I have Safari running and it's covering most of the screen, MSN windows will be open underneath it; again this is something that will just take a little getting used to.

The last one is right-clicking, maybe it's just because I am so used to it, I don't know. You can still 'right click' on a Mac, it's still easy enough (although sometimes when I'm using the touchpad to scroll it can open the right click menu - maybe I'm not doing it right) but not as easy as having dedicated button.

All-in-all they're more personal annoyances rather than glaring faults, all of which I'm sure will not seem so annoying once I've become accustomed to the layout of the land.

Raiders of the Lost Art?

While I was in work today I noticed something peculiar, something which I’ve probably witnessed a hundred times before but paid no heed to – people, usually couples, sipping a cup of coffee (or tea or whatever) in silence.

I noticed two people, one of which was wearing a set of headphones and reading a book while his friend (she may have been his partner) thumbed through the Sunday newspaper.

This particular couple were there for a quite a while and when the lady had finished reading her paper she continued to stare blankly into space, I thought this was rather strange until I noticed another couple sitting comfortably away in the corner of the shop, again one reading the paper and the other staring blankly into space. Oddly enough there are people who come in and order a drink and just sit and stare at the walls if not at each other.

I have to wonder if these people are enjoying comfortable silences or if they’re helping usher what some would call a ‘dying art’ towards extinction.

Is the art of conversation dying? I must admit that most of the people I have come across are capable of holding a conversation, there are a few who aren’t so great but I’m not entirely certain if it is because of a timid disposition or something else altogether.

I must also say that I like to think I can hold a conversation myself (maybe I can’t and I’m just deluded) and I tend to think that if a conversation is getting nowhere it’s because the other participant(s) aren’t giving me much to work with or I just don’t like them.

Certainly the advent of certain technology hasn’t helped. Ironically enough, communication technology; e-mail, text messaging, instant messaging and to a lesser extent the mobile phone. Walkmans, personal radios and MP3 players too may possible shoulder some of the blame as well as changing way of life.

It’s a common sight to see a bus or train full of people, a majority of which will be listening to, or reading something – possibly even both. I can only go on ‘anecdotal evidence’ to suggest that some years ago this was different. Today it’s usually only the old ladies at the bus stop or in the supermarket that we see chatting away to each other.

More often than not (and I’ve been guilty of this too) when someone approaches us (the old lady on the bus, or the gentleman on the street) to ask a question, or to make a comment, we usually eye them with such suspicion and contempt that we come to the conclusion that they’re either senile, a raving lunatic or just ‘weird’.

The chance of a conversation (or even small-talk which surely is the stepping stone to conversation?) is soon removed altogether.

What about everyone that’s on the bus listening to their iPod or the radio via their mobile phone? The earphones slip in as the front door closes and all the way to work or school we have travelling music. Then they come off in work or school and we start our day. Where is the chance to just sit and mull over the stupid little thoughts and ideas that lead onto other bigger and better things? Things we’d like to discuss?

The arrival of mobile phone replaced the doorbell. Before it was perfectly acceptable to have a friend turn up unannounced, now by many it’s seen as rude. It seems that gone are the days of “I was just passing by so I thought I’d call in and say ‘Hi’”. Now it’s all text messages to meet up, come over, does it suit, no not today, I’m just going out. I would love to have someone just turn up at my front door, I can’t imagine anything more fun than a friend turning up at my front door and saving me from the television or internet.

I had better stop dead in my tracks now before I go on for another 700 words (which I have no doubt I could and probably will tomorrow at some point in the future). Essays for college never come this easy.

And the irony of posting a blog about the dying art of conversation online rather than talking about it is not entirely lost on me.

It’s 1am and there’s no one to listen anyway.

It Is Too Cold

I have absolutely no idea why I’ve decided to start another blog, I usually lose interest after the second post, and probably because when there’s no one reading it’s just like I’m talking to myself, which is a bit weird…

Anyway…

Fucking freezing still. The house better warm up soon (or at least my room). I don’t think I’m going to be sleeping anytime soon anyway due to all the coffee I ingested in work. : (

I’m counting down the days until I purchase my new shiny Macbook White : )