That's what I get for complaining.

This morning was pretty much a huge fail-whale on my part.  I was supposed to be at work at 4:45 AM to open.  But I didn't wake up 'til 5, and didn't get to the store until about 5:15.  Yeah.  Not good.  I felt TERRIBLE.  Only about a week ago, I was sitting in my truck cursing another opener who didn't show up on time.  I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a huge deal.  The store opened on time (thanks to SUPER LAUREN! MWAH!), my manager wasn't TOO pissed to have been woken up at a ridiculous hour and told that someone didn't show, and nobody tried to make me feel bad for having my second "oops" in four years. 

It made me think about all the jobs I've had since I started working at age 15.  Other than my short stint as a shipping assistant/gift wrapper/sales associate at Williams-Sonoma, my current job is the only one I've genuinely cared about.  (And really, at Williams-Sonoma, all I really cared about was the 40% discount and free key lime cookies.)  So why do I care?  I mean, the Bux is a huge corporation, definitely two-faced at times.  My experience as an assistant manager pretty much sucked.  I've been treated like crap by customers, worked under REALLY terrible managers, had to fire people because someone above me didn't like them.  What is it that keeps me here?  I mean, other than the fear of homelessness.  

I guess what it really comes down to, and this is TOTALLY cheesy, is the people.  I work with some of the most awesome folks I've ever met; I've built amazing friendships with people on both sides of the bar.  People like Linh Hong, who got me to fill out an application because I was a smart ass when she joked with me in line.  I mean, I probably never would have gotten to know Linh if I hadn't taken this job.  And now I think of her as one of my closest friends, someone I can call in the middle of the night, somebody who'd bail me out of jail, somebody who's seen me at my best and my worst.

So every time corporate rolls out some new BS, I deal with it, and think of my friends.  If I have to make Vivannos in order to know people like Linh, so be it.  I would, however, like to tell Howard Schultz to SUCK IT, and shove one of the new iced grande/venti dome lids up his overpaid butt.