cubicle coffee thanks to Starbucks

Ubiquitous Starbucks needs no free advertisements but when I stopped in one day for a latte on the run, a well-designed vessel caught my eye. "Cubicle coffee," I thought. "Perfect, and my birthday is next week." I got my wish, and now the Bunn-O-matic has been turned off. Since I'm the only one in the office who requires a constant flow of brewed coffee to keep me going, I have been feeling guilty about keeping the Bunn on and throwing out half a pot of coffee twice a day.

The Starbucks travel coffee press has lessened my guilt. I draw water from the water heater/cooler that everyone in the office enjoys, add a heaping spoonful of coffee, answer a couple of e-mails or write a couple sentences, then slowly plunge down the press. I wait several minutes for the mixture to cool and then enjoy a fragrant, rich coffee.

Since this is made of stainless steel, I don't worry about breaking glass as I would with a traditional coffee press. Since the brewing container is also the imbibing vessel, I don't have to worry about spilling hot coffee on anyone as I decant. I do feel a bit guilty, however, about washing a few coffee grounds down the bathroom sink as I rinse. I have warned the custodian that I have been pouring the dripping dregs into the bathroom wastebastket, where, hopefully, the enormous number of wadded up paper towels will aborb most of it. I told him, however, that I was the cause of any brown sludge that may drip from the liner when he removes it. He just shrugged and said he'd double line it if it were a problem and not to worry. "They drip all the time,' he said.

When I was in high school I remember writing a speech for speech class about how McDonald's was evil. They were taking over the world, producing bland, greasy food and turning a nation into obese morons. I thought of this when I came across the website "I hate Starbucks dot com."This site collects comments from the many people who oppose the proliferation of this successful corporation. A typical comment, this one from "Megan:"

Starbucks coffee is horrible and so expensive! All you losers out there who feel the need to show your status by marching around with those cups...run your numbers through this calculator I found on the web and realize how much you are throwing to the corporate pig.

Since a Starbucks shop just opened up near campus, across the street from a family-owned coffee shop/cafe, all of us in the Bradley University community neighborhood should think about which we will support. I have decided to support both. The family-owned shop, One World, has the best food in walking distance to campus. At One World, nutritious salads, hearty, healthy sandwiches, and wonderful soup are always on the menu. You will always be served by a friendly person. The coffee is good, but not top shelf. The best drink they serve is their hot spiced apple cider. Superb. If you feel weighted down by the world or a bad cold, stop in at the corner of Main and University in Peoria and order the hot cider. Just breathe it in and you will feel better. You can also order any wonderful coffee drink for here or to go.

Starbucks sits across the street in the Campustown shopping center. I do pop in there for a coffee on the run because it's fast, effecient, and friendly. The staff can get health benefits, something only a large over-charging corporation can offer part-time employees.

So, I feel comfortable supporting both places. For food and drink, One World. When I need a coffee before running errands on Saturday, Starbucks.

And, if you need a great vessel for cubicle coffee, go get the travel mug coffee press. Of course, maybe One World or your local coffee shop will start coming around to our cubicles with a coffee cart of fresh brew every morning and afternoon. That would be great too.

humbled by the hoopmasters

I have worked in Bradley Publications for over seven years, producing newsletteres, catalogs, development pieces, president's reports etc. I felt humbled on Sunday afternoon as I watched a group of tall college kids finish off their second upset of the NCAA tournament. That evening, my in-laws came over for dinner. After I finished eating, I looked at the clock and grabbed my coat. They all looked at me rather surprised. "Take care," I said. "I gotta run." They were surprised to learn that I, who could never be called a sports fanatic, was heading to the airport to greet the team as it stepped off the plane. They looked at me with quizzical expressions.

I explained that I had realized this afternoon that these often ineloquent, but incredibly talented young men had done more to advance Bradley University in one week than I could do in a hundred years of hard work. I had also attended the send-off party for the team a few days earlier, and I decided then that these seemed like really sweet guys. They truly appreciated people coming out to wish them luck, they gave high fives and hugs to little kids, they signed whatever we asked them to sign and just seemed to appreciate the attention.

So Bradley is now in the Sweet Sixteen. The phones are ringing off the hooks. We're all over ESPN and the upcoming Sports Illustrated cover. Reporters and film crews are on campus. Prospective students are getting more interested. Suddenly, the country is curious about this little school with a big heart in Peoria, the town with a funny name that few people can find on a map.

So, I'll keep cranking out printed pages, but I have a new perspective on my work.

Follow Bradley's wonderful players at www.bubraves.com.

coffee unwired

Of course when you work in a basement cubicle and the power goes out, you feel for a flashlight or try to make it out to the hallway that is dimly lit by an emergency light. You get to go home, where, hopefully, you do have power and can make that afternoon cup of coffee.

I am sitting here in my cubicle, formatting the schedule of classes, a tedious task, and thinking it is just about time to head for the Bunn-O-Matic, which makes a tolerable pot of coffee in seconds flat. Before I get up, however, I have to relay my mother's recent plight. She lives in Rochester, a tiny town about 5 miles outside of Springfield, Illinois. As you may have heard, Springfield sustained heavy tornado damage Sunday night. Most of the city—and the surrounding towns—were without power for two days.

So mom thought about driving into Springfield to find a cup of hot coffee, but that didn't seem reasonable. The entire town of Rochester had no power, so a trip to the gas station for a cup was out. Ever resourceful, mom went out and built a fire in the Weber grill. Once she got it going, she put a pot of water on it. Since I heard the story second hand from my brother, I'm not really sure if this method worked. Sounds like a lot of trouble, but when you really need a cup of coffee, especially after two days with no power, you'll try anything.

Personally, I would have braved the streets and driven five miles to the outskirts of Springfield, where Starbucks recently opened a new shop. (I'm sure they would have found a generator, sensing how desperate the whole town was going to be for a good strong cup of joe.!) But a trip into town for one cup of coffee would seem quite wasteful to her, I am sure.

More power to you, Mom!

melt aweigh pounds - but not with Spam

Bradley installed last year a "spam quarantine firewall" to prevent our inboxes from being inundated with unwanted, disgusting, and even x-rated e-mail. The filter generally does a good job, although occasionally it does filter legitmate e-mail, especially if it contains an attachment. One day I found an e-mail to myself (from my Bradley account) in the quarantine box. Because of this, we are forced to scan the quarantine box regularly.

This morning I realized that this has become one of my least favorite tasks—right up there with adding toner powder to the copy machine.

The messages are often from xcvxqwkdjf@jlk.com or some other address that is completely indecipherable. Or they come from "Doctor" or "Angel" or maybe from just plain "Bill." I suppose they try to avoid filters looking for common spam words, so several words in the subject line are always misspelled: Nexican Phamacy.

The spammers assume that most of us want to boost our sexul performance, take drugs for anxity, get the inside scope on an invetment deal, or lose wait. Many of us also evidently fear that we forgot to pay for the Canon printer we bought on ebay and are sure our account is about to be suspended or that an identity thief has discovered our PayPal or Citibank password.

I am tired of it and no longer wish to check this list of come-ons for legitimate e-mails. Not sure what I will miss by neglecting it, but it won't be Angel.

a bright yellow office!

I may work in a cubicle, but when I take work home in the evenings or on weekends, I get to spread it out in an office that has two huge windows and a door to the outside (the door doesn't actually open, but it has windows, and maybe this summer I will fix it). This office is one of my favorite rooms in the house, because I can look out onto the yard and the street and watch passersby as I work. Recently, I decided to paint the floor. Even though the floor is hard wood, it is in disastrous condition (from a leaky radiator and a very sloppy paint job). I didn't discover this until I tore up the carpet a few months back.

So, I decided to paint the floor, as I hate to part with the cash to have it refinished right now.

Somehow, the idea of painting the floor led to visions of transforming the semi-gloss white walls to a bright color. I was looking through a "cottage living" magazine and kept seeing yellow and blue as a very pleasant combination. As I looked at the walls, I realized that the crack that stretches all around the room must have been caused when someone removed a chair rail. So, I decided I would try my hand at the mitre saw and restore the wall by adding a white rail.

As I was shopping for a new printer on the Epson website today, I found a playful link that I couldn't resist: "Create a Relaxing Work Environment", which uses Feng Shui theory.

The first suggestion is:

Red flowers placed in the upper left quadrant of
your office or desk can bring financial success.

I doubt that, but I was greatly pleased by the second tip:

Yellow is the best color for the home office because
it is peaceful and cheerful.

Now, I can't wait to get this painting done (it has taken quite a while) so I can relax in peace and cheer as I proofread!

The tips also include this:

If you don’t have a view outside from where you sit
at your desk, hang a plant or a picture of a plant in
your line of sight. It promotes peace and tranquility
which will make you more relaxed and productive.

My cubicle here at work does have several plants, but I sit with my back to them. I am going to start looking for a bright riotous picture of yellow flowers to hang on the wall in front of me.

I also learned that:

Round-edged furniture stimulates creativity;
squared edges promote assertive negotiations.

All my cubicle furniture has sharp angles. Not much I can do about that, but perhaps I should trade in the library table I use at home for a round table. That would be fun and would go with the happy look of the yellow paint.

By the way, Epson lists as its source for these tips: Marilyn Zelinsky, Practical Home Office Solutions, p. 142-143

paper

"An oral contract is not worth the paper it's written on."

"Paper Jam." "Open Tray 1 and remove the jammed paper."

"I have to write a paper for Psychology class tonight."

"Jumbo Sized GEM Paper Clips."

I have been thinking a lot about paper lately. On one of the listservs I belong to the discussion of moving to web-only university catalogs or schedules of classes has come up again. I can understand this for class schedules because the information can change on a daily basis and they have a short shelf life. I think for catalogs it's a bad idea. If they exist only online, will people be able to access them in 25 years? Will they have the software to read the files?

I was cleaning out some office files yesterday and came across a banana yellow 3.5" floppy disk that must have contained some important information at one time, as it had been carefully put in a plastic envelope and filed away. Before throwing it out, I thought briefly about hanging it on my cubicle wall for decoration. I have no idea what was on it because I doubt there's a computer on the entire Bradley campus that has a drive that could read this disk. Whatever was on it has been lost. Since this is the Publications Office, however, its contents probably are printed in a catalog or newsletter somewhere. A copy of it most likely still exists.

At the doctor's office the other day, I watched the nurse carefully write down my weight and blood pressure on a neat little form for the doctor to review. She signed the bottom of the form before leaving the room. The doctor came in and wrote more notes on the form and he too signed it. He handed me my file to take with me to the front desk. Of course, I had to take a few minutes to look throught it while I slowly put my shoes on. It chronicled, in several different people's handwriting, my health for the past ten years. It contained xray readings and lab reports. All on paper! Perhaps some doctors have gone paperless, but it's probably more time consuming to make sure computers are available (and working) in every room and that people know how to use them. And that you can find what you need on them when you need it.

For many things, paper just makes more sense. I'm not giving up my job in the print world that easily!

some peace and protection

I was having lunch with a friend who works at a nearby medical complex. One of her coworkers was robbed at gunpoint last year. Recently, another person in her small office was held up a knife point. "If you're going to walk, carry protection," she told me firmly.

"I need Banjo to walk with me," I said.

Banjo is my tall, black, year-old Lab. He's a sweetheart - just a great well-balanced personality. To enjoy his company and his protection on my walk home at night, however, I would have to have him with me at work in the afternoon. He would be a gem in the office. I would bring him if we had a policy that allowed it.

I know there are many potential problems: allergic coworkers, people terrified of black dogs, someone bringing an aggressive dog to work, dogs barking while you're on the phone.

But I think there are many benefits too. The relaxing feeling of a dog curled up at your feet as you write. Not having to worry that your dog is home alone chewing up the sofa because he misses you. The feeling of well being that a dog brings to any environment.

I have written before about how wonderful it was for one week when we were selling our house and I brought my chocolate Lab, Lucy, to work with me.

According to a recent online survey, two-thirds of dog owners said they would put in longer hours if they could bring their dog to work.The poll, conducted by the online dog forum Dogster and the job search engine Simply Hired, reported that nearly one-third of those surveyed said they would go so far as taking a five percent pay cut if their dog could come to work with them. I would do that too, just for the peace of mind.