coffee days

if there was a pie-chart made about the things i think about, well first of all it'd be about nine million colors because i can't keep myself on just one thing... but if there was a pie-chart made about the things i think about, there'd be a significant portion of pie in a dark musty brown color devoted to coffee.
it's ridiculous.
i know.
i've learned more about coffee than i've learned in any of my history classes. i've probably mentioned it a time or ten throughout this blog, but i love, no, i just about DIE in front of those semi-automatic la san marcos. they're just so SLICK, you know? and they run like DREAMS. really bad nightmares if you don't know what you're doing.......
one time i saw an entirely manual push-cart espresso machine for sale in renton and i just about gave up my life savings to buy it, it was so beautiful- encased in a rusty rose/faded red cart... oh lord have mercy. i was with my boyfriend that day, too, and for a good twenty-minute span of time he lost me to an ancient piece of machinery.
yup.
i love it.
it might be my biggest addiction.

so there are a handful of coffee shops i go to where i can depend on the coffee always tasting good. two are in federal way, one is in edgewood, and the rest are in seattle. sure.. i mean i'll get a cup of coffee anywhere (pretty much..) but you know how there's places you go to where you can actually depend on things turning out the way you want it to? that's how i feel when i go out for coffee. i like to stick to the same places when i'm not the one making the coffee.
it's bad.
i know.
i really do.
but i'm just picky.
i've been doing this coffee making for too long i guess.

anyway.
today was the first day someone remembered my name.
i can't tell you how long i've gone to the 320th starbucks in federal way (k, i will, since it OPENED when i was nine or so).... and the vivace's? i've spent more money at all three of them than i have at any other independent shop. but i just started hanging out at the elliot bay cafe downstairs from their bookstore... it's nice, and i love books.
but i walked in and the barista looked up at me and said "hi holly!".
i stopped breathing for a half second. she knew my name? i only told her once. last week. nobody has EVER remembered my name before. you have to understand, i'm not writing this like "oh, poor me, nobody remembers me". nonononono not in the least. it's just like... i spend all my days trying to remember my customer's drinks and how they like it and what their names are, and i really hardly expect them to remember me because....well i'm getting paid to remember who they are, if they're nice, it just makes my day more pleasant, but i don't expect much of them, since i'm only about five minutes of their day (three, if corporate is present and timing my speed and accuracy).
but this girl only made my drink once.
it floored me.
and it made my day.