Boiling Lava Hot

It was Tuesday and just another typical day on the job. However, little did I know that today would be the day soy milk would attack me and my poor wrist. Here's the sad tale:

As I said, the day started out nice; just chilling behind the bar (that's barista talk for making coffee). Then it got busy! Dun dun dun. I tried to work fast and keep up with the orders. A line of empty cups was forming. My brain telling me, "work faster, work faster!" So I did (or tried is probably the better word). To work fast behind the bar, one must multi-task. Set the milk to steam while pulling an espresso shot or blending a Frapp, etc. Well, I was doing just that when suddenly I turn around to see flying soy milk. Correction: flying evil soy milk. My brain pauses...what is going on! I go to grab the pitcher, but Brain says, "bad idea Heather, hot liquid is bad! Hit the off button!" I go hit the button, but as I do so a bit of scalding, lava hot liquid strikes my innocent wrist. Burn! However, in the spirit of true customer service, I continue onward to finish off the rush of drinks and serve the thirsty people.

The good news is that the burn didn't turn out to be major (really, I would have stopped if that were the case). With some ointment added, the next day you could barely even see the "sunburn" redness on my wrist and there wasn't any pain. However, remember this: If you are at a coffee shop, be nice to your barista because she's most likely trying to work as fast as possible AND never underestimate the power of soy milk. And now I think I ought to find a better way to work faster.

On an ending note, since I mentioned "boiling lava hot" you really ought to check out Jim Gaffigian. I LOVE his comedy...Click here! (note: at the 1-min 37-sec mark on the video you'll see about "boiling lava hot")

Forget Lazer Tag, Let's go Bowling

Okay, so I wasn't very good at lazer tag. However last night's bowling turned out to be a great success (for me that is). Now I wouldn't go far as to say that I'm a great bowler, but I did in fact win and I was better at it than lazer tag. Also, I would like to say for the record, that although there was bumpers up, I did not in fact hit them or use them in any way, so my win (and score) was totally legit. Below is a picture of the score board for proof.

We didn't just randomly decide to go bowling. Our Starbucks store went to celebrate a good customer review score and have some team bonding time. Josh and I were on a alley with my manager, Rebecca. We had a fun time and it was nice to introduce Josh to all my new co-worker friends. What can I say, just another fun Sunday night with Heather and Josh (and I'll admit it...winning did have some factor in making it more fun than not - wink wink).

Heather's Score - 135

Life's not just Beans

I thought I'd write a quick entry about how work is affecting my life. Let me tell you, it's major. Before coffee was just something nice to have with a scrumptious muffin in the mornings. Now it is taking over my life. It's a muffin with my coffee (exception: the delicious Honey's oat bran muffins from home-home). A recent exchange with Josh make me realize...life isn't all about beans!

Just the other day, I was lounging on the couch in the morning and I decided to ask Josh what I should pick up that afternoon for my weekly mark-out (yes, I get a free bag of beans every week). Josh said, "how about Sumatra?" My response, "well, you know that is going to be more bold and spicy and...." There is was: work at home!

Not only that, but Josh and I are becoming more coffee snobbish. I mean we are flipping through channels and we stop everything to watch Alton Brown episode on coffee. (By the way, if you're interested there is a snippet on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.)

In all seriousness though, I'm enjoying work. In fact, I coming up with my own drink creations (only for myself really, but hey it's fun for me). My newest is a Skinny Caramel Latte with a pump of Pumpkin Spice--sort of a twist on the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte. Also, I'm realizing a job like this makes it tough to keep track the weeks--work weekends, mid-week days off, work mornings but afternoons free (or vice versa), etc. It's a nice change though.

On an ending note, I am drinking tea for a switch-up and in a cup that says, "Coffee isn't just a drink, it's a magic potion that helps me think." I thought it was a fitting quote to end this entry (fyi: it's Josh's cup).



Where is my store located? Valley River Center.

Polos & Pants

There is a dress code with my new job, and the days before my first day I was on a quest for a Starbucks warerobe: white or black polos, khaki or black pants, and closed-toed black or brown shoes. By the way, the first thought that came to mind when I heard this was "wow, this would fit Dad perfectly!" But going back to my quest story, besides the khaki, these items are surprisingly difficult to find. And for some reason all my nervous energy (aka Heather anxiety) about the job decided to manifest itself in finding these items. They had to be perfect--i.e. comfy, stylish, water-resistant, yet inexpensive shoes. Trying to find these items practically drove Josh nuts as we went from store to store. We really didn't find much on our excursion unfortunately. In fact, the real success was the evening after my first "orientation" / first impressions day. My boss recommended Target and that is were I had ended up having the most success. Still need more, but now I'm equipped with something!

All this fun took place last weekend. And with wardrobe set, I was able to head into this week & weekend fully prepared. And now I have a week on the job under my belt. It's really a TON to learn. There are so many different drinks and combinations-- it's craziness. I feel like it's only just starting to click after a week. It will definitely take me some time to get this all down (pumps of syrup, espresso shots, sizes). Plus, the job is more than just drink making, but register, calling out the drink, writing it on the cup, doing in-between time, clean-up, store maintenance, etc etc. Yaaouzzas!

I'll be sure to continue to write updates on my training. I learn something new each day. And fun stuff too. Not to mention, some nice coffee perks. Also, I got to taste some new Via (you should try it)!

Jumping for Joy!

Great news today...I just landed a new job here in Eugene today! And, as the title indicates, I did in fact jump for joy. I will be Eugene's newest barista at Starbucks! I'm super excited and it's something totally different than my past job experiences--not a behind the desk job, but a serve people coffee job. The gig starts on Monday where I meet with my new boss and talk shifts, training, and whatnot. Then on to coffee making! The espresso machine Josh gave me for my birthday this year will soon be brewing a much better cup than my current attempts (that or it won't be making anything since I'll be sick of coffee by the end of the day - hehe).

Someday perhaps I'll be able to get coffee to look like this beautiful cup I had recently in Vancouver...

End to Email

Okay, so it's not really the end of email. How could I ever stop emailing, seriously? I'm one of those people that feels the need to check email at any chance. Must. Check. Email. Now. Sad but true.

Anyway, that's not what I'm saying here. It's more of the end of email from a employment perspective. I started with Acxiom (which was then known as Digital Impact) back in January 2005 and my last day was August 31st, 2009. That's a whooping 4.67 years with Acxiom. It was a great company and I was given many opportunities to grow and learn (i.e. 4 different positions). It's really too bad it couldn't work out & allow me to stay on in the remote capacity permanently, but that's HR policy for you I suppose. I was glad I was able to work the summer from home to help with the transition and move up to Oregon. I will miss working with all my friends, but I'll just have to visit often.

Now I'm adjusting to life with no work. It was weird, but kinda nice. The best part is I can do things I've been meaning to do FOREVER like start a blog for one. Not to mention I can sleep in! Now the quest for the next job begins...

Acxiom Recruiting at SCU Career Fair