i just threw away 8 bucks.

and i'm hella pissed about it.

see, i came in really early to work today due to circumstances of my life and the inane scheduling of the LIRR trains. so to kill an hour and inject caffeine (which i normally don't do...) i figured i'd sacrifice my better judgment and head on in to Starfucks.

also against my better judgment, i decided to get a coffee derivative. usually i forgo all such nonsense in favour of the blended lemonade with raspberry (which is the only Starfucks thing i'm currently not cranky about), but i figured, of all mornings, today was a mocha frapp morning.

i had memories of high school. when they used to be good.
or when i was stupid enough to think so.

for real. do they burn everything? even cold stuff? i don't get it. I JUST THREW OUT a frapp. that's right. i couldn't even swallow it. i tried. i had a moral dilemma past FOUR trash cans. it was so expensive to throw out. but i could not. could not drink it. strike two?

those fruit platter bullshits. strawberry kiwi mango. the kiwi was weird, the strawberries were glazed with i have no fucking idea what, and the mango wasn't even ripe (read: edible). needless to say, didn't eat that either, and threw it out. oh, and the barista was a bitch and had her own deal going on.

I AM CRANKY ABOUT MY MORNING EXPERIENCE.
is it too much to ask for some sensible caffeine?? clearly.
at least i'm not the only one. the sad thing? they gave me a coupon for a $2 cold drink provided i use it this afternoon. i may do it. just so i can get this godawful taste out of my mouth. how in the hell this came out of Seattle and into the rest of the world, i will never know.

is there a person in the house?

NO. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. AND... NO?

"In other words, if everything else in a consumer's life is connected through digital, shopping should be, too."

if i want to be alone and not interact with people when i shop, I SHOP ONLINE.
i don't need to get on a car, in a subway, on a train, to go visit a store without people. granted, it's "less employees," not "no employees," but what's the difference? those people who still are employed will find better ways to "use the time" they're being paid for than to perform customer service, which requires patience, effort, and understanding. why do that when a computer can do it for you? besides, it's not like we need more jobs available anyway...

can i keep saying NO any more?

how many times do you call a phone of a company now and get into an endless automated loop about some stupid thing you never wanted to tell them just because you can't get a HUMAN on the phone? a human who could have answered your question in 2.5 seconds? i don't want to stare at a screen to discern my purchasing protocol. if i'm not doing it online i a) want a personal opinion about the product or b) i procrastinated and need said item NOW, at which point i'm not asking any questions anyway: my mind is made up. removing employed people from stores is a surefire way to lose traffic to said store. they could just buy online.

we are already disconnected. we are seeking connections via pixels. welcome to the age of mass communication. mass disillusionment. mass isolation. and you're just making it worse rather than fostering those connections. if anything, this technology should be a tool used by employees to help customers. like the computers in Borders or Wawa or your local tech-savvy deli. but for the love of interaction and humanity, don't lose the people. sometimes i leave the house just to see another face.

beware the stone gods.