Has Starbucks gone to pieces? Starbucks today and the Starbucks I worked at in Chicago and set my historical fiction novel Tripio in, would have a hard time recognizing each other. For one, there are about 25,000 more stores and 200,000 more employees around than when I wore the green apron. Those numbers tell the …
A while back I read How Starbucks Saved my Life by Michael Gates Gill. In the interest of full disclosure, I read it out of curiosity, as opposed to organic intellectual interest. In other words, I read it to see how that memoir compared to my historical fiction novel, Tripio. I may offer a full …
. Thoughts on Barista to Boardroom “It felt like the circle had softly closed, like it was all meant to happen exactly that way. I could now let go and move forward, embracing life as a former partner.’ These couple of sentences conclude Christne McHugh’s’ memoir, From Barista to Boardroom. In my historical …
. ‘He reminded us that the ambitions for Starbucks were focused on large and global company growth.” – from Barista to Boardroom recounting Howard Schultz announcing Starbuck’s IPO “I look down the now quiet tree lined street and wonder why it wasn’t enough? Why wasn’t a record breaking weekend at store …
When my sons were much younger they loved dinosaurs. And so they loved animated series of movies starring a group of singing dinosaurs called The Land before Time. I watched those movies with my sons those twenty plus years ago on prehistoric format known as VHS. I had just left a career at a burning …
Some writing with your coffee? It is not yet seven a.m. on Sunday morning. And I have been up for close to ninety minutes. This is my schedule. I have come to the conclusion that sleeping in is overrated. This is my day off and one hears a lot about how others relish the chance …
The search is on It is seven a.m. in Columbus Ohio. I am strolling with intent through a gentrifying neighborhood towards my first cup of coffee of the day. My oldest son is still asleep a few blocks away. I am in town to visit him. A few days ago, I texted …
A troubling thing has been happening since I published my historical fiction novel, Tripio. I have been getting asked quite a bit the question: “What is a tripio?” This question was first asked me at a class on memoir writing at the Indiana Writers Center. No one in the class with me knew what …
“This can’t be happening.” It was nearly dinner time when the realization struck me. There would be no coffee available tomorrow morning. But, indeed it was true. You see, I was visiting my family in Ohio and the house I was spending the night in was being renovated. Not in a …
“Just dash something down if you see a blank canvas staring at you with a certain imbecility” Painters block? I take this blog seriously. I know I have come to use humor more frequently as the blog goes on. However I believe that is an indication of growing confidence in the blog itself. The humor, …