That Guy

I've become something I never thought I would be. I'm that guy who knows everyone everywhere he goes. You know the type. At the bank, the grocery store, the mall, the gas station, there's always a familiar face waving a friendly hand. For those of you who have known me for a long time, you know that this is very uncharacteristic of me. I have never been one to go out of my way to talk to people I don't know or even people I do know somewhat. Being a barista, however, has totally changed that. Every day that I go out in public, I see someone who is either a regular at the coffee shop or at least partially regular. Most of the time the interactions are relatively harmless; a simple "hello, how are you?" On increasingly regular occasions, however, the interactions are very friendly and sometimes even go beyond the surface level questions. On the other hand, there are some encounters that are just completely and incredibly awkward. I've been grocery shopping and I see a customer and they say, "oh, what are you doing here?" Well, I thought I was grocery shopping, but does it look like I'm doing something else? My personal favorites are the interactions where I have no clue what the person's name is but I can spout off that they usually order a skinny sugar-free vanilla latte with an extra shot. "Oh yeah, you're the person who orders that drink. What was your name again?" Melissa is quite amused by my newfound network of social contacts, and I have to say that I do in fact enjoy knowing people everywhere I go. There is something rewarding and fulfilling about being "that guy."

The Cubs

I really wanted to give them a chance to win over my heart. I opened myself up to them and all I received was heartbreak and anger. Unfortunately, after this baseball season, the Chicago Cubs will never ever again hold an opportunity to win my affections. Everything about this season was working perfectly until the Cubs started winning a few games in a row and then climbing in the standings. My beloved Brew Crew was finally getting their shot at a division title and maybe even the playoffs. But the Cubs ruined all of that. In two short months, the Cubs were now the hot team with the division lead, and I was left by the wayside questioning my own existence and how the tide could change so quickly. I'm sorry, most of my family, but there is no way I can ever root for the Cubs again. The Chicago Cubs are dead to me. They've plucked out my heart and not only mashed it to little bits but then reconstructed it and mashed it into little bits again. Needless to say, I will be heartlessly rooting against the Cubs, if they make the playoffs, with a gaping hole in my chest where my heart was so cruelly ripped out. I guess I won't be so quick to lay it all out in my next relationship.

New Semester

It's that time of year again when school gets in full swing and everything about life cranks up a notch. It's been forever since I've had a chance to sit down and blog because the past month has been so incredibly busy. We took a week-long trip to the Midwest to visit family and our brand new niece, Olivia. She was absolutely beautiful, and we couldn't get enough of holding her. We got to see a lot of family and friends, but ended up spending much of the trip in the car or traveling in some manner. The trip culminated in a furiously frustrating trip to the airport that resulted in missing our flight and sitting in the airport for 4 hours until the later flight. Fortunately, we got home, but much later than we ever hoped or intended. Many thanks to I-55 and the wonders of closing down entire stretches of the freeway.

It's been non-stop since we got back, and I have a feeling it will be non-stop until December. Both of us are applying for grad school this semester in addition to working and taking classes. This weekend has been a nice little break, but I'm sure it will only get harder until the end of the semester. I will try to blog as much as possible, but we'll see. No promises. The last few hours of my Labor day weekend are quickly slipping away, and I need to take advantage of all the relaxing I can.