Never go to Starbucks without your headphones!

This afternoon, around 4:30, I ventured out to Starbucks in hopes of buckling down and focusing on my type & image book. I lasted a good four hours of straight type setting and image placement fun. However, these four hours did not go without some noteworthy observations! I should mention, that all of the following observations could've gone unnoticed, had I remembered my headphones!

At around 7:00 a homeless man sat down across from me. He kept to himself but just starred through me. I wouldn't have minded as much if he hadn't smelled so bad. But, it wasn't too intolerable. I actually think he may have been entertained by my expressive facial responses to the frustration I felt while working on the book. I understand that's a pretty narcissistic thing to think, but what can ya do! The oddest thing about this man, was that he looked like my old therapist from VA. I swear, if old therapist was homeless, he would look JUST like this man. It was odd.

Perhaps the MOST noteworthy thing of the evening was the gathering of 5 loosely aquatinted individuals who sat behind me at the handicapped table. They were all pretty socially retarded, at seemed to have probably met via craigslist. They "broke the ice" by exchanging quotes from the second Austin Powers movie --"do I make you randy babey?"--and they all laughed. Loudly. They continued to talk over each other as if this Friday night was the most human interaction any of them had all week. I'd been more annoyed with them, if I wasn't so familiar with this plight. They eventually focused their conversing to board games of the past, and how much they loved them. This conversation lasted about 45 minutes, and seemed to have covered every single board game from UNO to Hungry Hungry Hippos. Then, a latecomer to the group arrived. She was a woman who was probably in her late thirties to mid forties? I assumed she was single--I assumed they were all singe! She surprised the group (and the entire Starbucks) with the board game of the evening: OPERATION. As the presentation of the board game continued, I began to connect their dots: This was their weekly social event: Friday night board games at the local Starbucks. I'll admit, I could relate a bit to the group, as I don't really go out much on the weekends, as I usually spend my time with my school projects. By the end of my time at Starbucks, I was ready to smash that fucking board game through each and every one of their faces. As the game intensified, so did the volume of their sad victorious cheers.

By 9:45, I had packed up my laptop and was on my way out the door. Don't get me wrong, I have played many a board game on the weekends throughout the past year. They usually involved alcohol and my own set of rules. But nothing like I experienced at Starbucks on Friday night!