Working at Starbucks

I love working from home. I don't have to deal with traffic, can pound out work without interruption, and can remain in my pink flowery pajamas and sporting Stephen Tyler hair until noon and only my dogs know the difference. And as long as I don't get between them and a good bone, they don't care what I look like.

But every now and then I feel the pull to get out of the office. Sometimes I just need a change of scenery, other times I'm avoiding the impending avalanche of laundry. Occasionally I'm just avoiding a spider that's made its way into my house against all measures and launching an attack seems like too much effort. Whatever.

When I want to escape, it's usually to a nearby coffee house. A Starbucks or the like is the perfect foil for procrastination. I never bring my computer charger, so time is limited.  Thus I'm not tempted to read the New York Times online (or, okay, peruse People.com for pictures of a pistol-toting Pippa).

But the last few times I've escaped to the haven of a coffee shop, I have been besieged by rudeness. Once it was a group of college-age kids putting a presentation to techno music without regard to other customers. Another time a lovely, but apparently lonely, lady offered non-stop advice on the utilization of an iPad. I should point out I was not using, nor do I own, an iPad.

But the kicker was the woman who conducted the recitation portion of her online French lesson, loudly, smack in the middle of a Starbucks at a Barnes and Noble. Every time she'd get quiet I'd think "whew, she's done" and I'd settle down to writing. Then out of nowhere she'd holler "Est-ce que je puis aller ..." and I'd have a flashback to getting kicked out of a college French class because my friend and I were laughing uncontrollably at an "I see London, I see France" joke. Let's just say a classmate's pants were not fully functional in covering up their underpants. I digress.

So I got judgy (not a word, but I like 'judgy' better than judgmental) and actually asked Siri to remind me to put earphones in my bag so I could block out the noise next time I was out. So last week, I found myself at a Starbucks where the music was distracting and loud. No problem -- I was prepared with my earphones! But when I popped them in, it still didn't drown out their music. S'okay, I cranked mine up. Then cranked it up some more. I love my music, so I turned it up SOME MORE. Ah, finally ... I hear only my music. I am so happy.

After a good while of me happily writing while listening to my music (I can't hear ANYTHING else! Whee!) I made a horrifying realization.

My earphones were not plugged in. So my music was blasting to the entire coffee house at top volume, with me nodding along blissfully unaware I was subjecting everyone else to Flo Rida rap about the life he livin'. Not a Good Feeling, Flo, in case you're wondering.

There is no point to this post except to say make sure you're earphones are pushed all the way into that little adapter thingy, and to thank the fellow sitting two feet from me who never even shot me a dirty look, and that I am thankful the original version of Cee-Lo's "Forget You" didn't play at top volume, thus inducing the toddler sitting nearby to say rude things to his preschool buddies the next day at school.

Today I am staying at my house while I am working.

Happy Weekend!