the end is near...

so, as my last week in my current bux winds down, i've thought a lot about my different experiences here. i've learned a lot, i've laughed a lot, and i've wanted to throw hot coffee on people - a lot.

and just because i've loved all this reminiscing, i will share my most memorable moments with you.

my top favorite moment was when our loyal customer came to our rescue. not only did he defend us baristas against a crazy complaining customer, he picked the guy up in a bear hug and physically removed him from our premises. yeah, that loyal customer is golden!

my least favorite cleaning moment was when a kid got sick in our bathroom. instead of throwing up in the toilet, he thought the sink would suit him better. when he realized his chunks were too large for the sink drain, he ran hot water over his mess trying to melt the chunks. so by the time he called a barista over to help him, the bathroom stank of hot puke. ugh. the sink was full of hot water and chunks so i had to get a fork to extract the chunks from the drain. of course i had to take many breaks just to clear my lungs. by far the most disgusting experience i've had at bux.

my least favorite moment on bar wasn't when we were understaffed and had a line out the door (this sort of thing happens at least twice weekly), nor was it the time we were out of espresso beans, soy milk and vanilla syrup. no, my least favorite time on bar was when i steamed a large pitcher of extra hot nonfat milk and one of my fellow baristas knocked it over, drenching me with the scalding liquid. oh - and we had a line out the door at the time.

my favorite holiday moment was the first christmas my bux was open for business (previously christmas was the only day we were closed). not only did our regular customers bring us gifts, muffins, cookies and gingerbread men, but business was so slow that it felt more like a bunch of friends hanging out rather than a bunch a baristas working during a holiday.

my favorite manager karma moment was when a particularly horrendous manager was fired. yeah, he only lasted a matter of weeks in my store, and really - he should have known better.

my favorite customer karma moment was when a bitchy customer (who made our lives hell while she was ordering and re-ordering her drinks) put her frappuccino on the top of her car while she strapped her kid in the childseat. of course the drink slid of the roof and fell onto her, drenching her in the process. i admit - i loved it.

my favorite tipping moment was when a guy called and asked if i could order gift cards over the phone and have them ready for pick-up. normally we don't do that, but the guy was buying 50 gift cards and i realized it would take forever if we did them while he was in the store. the guy was so happy that they were ready by the time he got to the store, he put ten bucks in the tip jar and tipped me an additional twenty bucks. of course i shared the twenty bucks with my fellow baristas, but it was cool the guy was so appreciative.

thankfully the good memories out number the bad ones.

barista rant: how many times do we have to go over this? hang up the damn telephone when you order your drink! if you refuse to hang it up, at least tell the person on the phone to hang on while you talk to the barista. don't continue your phone conversation, then mouth something totally indiscernible to me, expecting that i'll know whatever the hell it is you want to drink. don't get pissed at me when i try and clarify your order. don't toss your money at me because you can't be bothered to hand it to me like a civilized person. excuse me if i didn't hear you whisper "make it decaf" while you talked about your manicure to your phone friend. if you put down the phone, i'm sure i'll better understand you next time.