Waiting for Godot!

The average American spends 159 hours in a lifetime waiting. OK, I just pulled that number out of my hat. As I spent much of today "lying in wait," I came up with a lifelong timeline of detainment. Here goes...

In utero: We spend approximately forty weeks waiting for our arrival into this world. Starting as a fertilized egg, we slowly develop from a tadpole into the more humanlike fetus. And then we wait...

Infancy: Much of babyhood is spent waiting. Waiting for a bottle or feeding. Waiting to be burped. Waiting to be changed. No wonder babies cry with so much frustration! It is almost worse than the DMV!

Toddler Stage: We have made it through infancy but are still waiting....Waiting for mom or dad to pick us up. Still waiting with the dirty diaper. Waiting for the next spoonful of mushy cereal. Waiting to eat something that doesn't resemble paste from a jar...Waiting for that first tooth to erupt...

Pre-Scho0l: The official home of learning to wait. Wait your turn on the tricycle. Wait for the purple crayon. Wait for the juice and cookies. Wait for your turn to talk...

Kindergarten: Still waiting. Waiting for the bus. Waiting for mommy or daddy to pick us up. Waiting for our turn in the bathroom. Waiting for the ball. Waiting for Susie to be finished with the doll.

Elementary School: Waiting for our turn as flag or office monitor. Waiting for the teacher to notice we are raising our hand. Waiting for our turn at the handball court or jump rope. Waiting to write the answer on the chalkboard. Waiting for the bus...

Junior High/Middle School: Waiting for our crush to notice us. Waiting for our friends to notice our new haircut, shirt, jeans. Waiting for an invitation to a big party. Waiting for our teacher to grade our essay. Waiting for the most popular school lunch. Waiting to get to high school.

High School: The waiting continues....Waiting to get a grade back. Waiting to find out if we made the team or got the lead part. Waiting to find out if that cute boy in Spanish likes you. Waiting for your friend to find out if he likes you. Waiting to see if he'll ask you to Homecoming. Waiting for your license. Waiting for a car. Waiting for your SAT scores. Waiting for your thick college acceptance letter. Waiting for your prom date. Waiting for graduation.

College: Waiting to register. Waiting for a bid from a sorority or fraternity. Waiting to sign up for a popular course. Waiting for an internship. Waiting in line at the keg. Waiting to talk to the professor. Waiting to talk to that guy or girl in your Psych 101 class. Waiting to find out if he or she has a girlfriend or boyfriend. Waiting for to find out a grade. Waiting to see if you got into Junior Year Abroad. Waiting for an internship. Waiting for graduation. Waiting for interviews. Waiting for a job.

Adulthood: Waiting. Waiting in line at the DMV, at the market in the express line in back of someone with 12 items. Waiting at the doctor's office/dentist's office/any office which only has year old "People" Magazines and "AARP." Waiting for test results. Waiting to hear about a job. Waiting for a returned phone call/text/e-mail. Waiting to pick up an accident report which isn't yet ready. Waiting at the pharmacy, both when you drop off a prescription and pick it up. Waiting for bread to rise. Waiting for something else to rise. Waiting at the cleaners, the bank, the post office. Looking back and noticing the line behind is now longer than the line in front which is the most fulfilling part of waiting.

Waiting for the bus. Waiting for a cab. Waiting for our outgoing or incoming flight. Waiting for someone else's incoming flight.

Waiting for the proposal. Waiting for the ring. Waiting to find out if she accepts. Waiting for the wedding. Waiting for the honeymoon. Waiting to find out if you got the house. Waiting for the movers. Waiting for the cable guy/electrician/plumber or anyone else with a four-hour window. Waiting for the home pregnancy test. Waiting for the doctor. Waiting for amnio results. Waiting to tell everyone. Waiting till the sixth month. Waiting for labor pains. Waiting for the epidural.

And then it starts all over again!

Sanka for the Starbuck's Crowd

Please say it ain't so...

As a Starbuck's junkie who looks forward to my daily fix, I have adjusted my coffee consumption during this economic downturn/recession. Unless I am meeting a colleague or friend, I brew at home. To me, the Starbuck's experience has always been part cappucino/part social. Sort of like the Cheers of the 90s and beyond. "Where everybody knows your name..." Well, at least the barista who may also know your usual drink is a 2% dry cap.

When I first read Starbuck's would be selling Via instant coffee, my stomach did a backwards flip. I am old enough to remember my grandparents ordering Sanka from crusty diner waitresses. I can even picture the orange and brown packets. The only thing worse than Sanka might be Sanka with two packs of the "pink stuff." I also recall those little glass jars of Nescafe. Now, I have been drinking java since my pre-school years. While chocolate milk might have been a treat for my friends, I preferred a touch of my mom's coffee in one of those little plastic creamers. It wasn't a huge leap to my own cup of coffee. In fact, in high school, my breakfast was a glass cup of coffee (with skim milk, ycch!), 1/2 cup of Friendship cottage cheese, and a few orange slices or handful of grapes.

I can even remember my very first cappucino, at Fisherman's Wharf during a family trip to San Francisco. Creamy, whole milk, a foamy head. I was hooked.

During college, my friend Adam and I took turns brewing gourmet beans in our mini Krups so when we returned from class, a cup of joe would always be awaiting us. Unfortunately, the 80s were a hey day for flavored blends. We would unvariably purchase Southern pecan, Seville orange, or some other oily beans which would leave us nauseated, dumping the grinds into the trash can.

Adam who later worked his way up the ranks of both Starbuck's and Seattle's Best turned me on to Starbuck's venti iced latte's during a trip to visit him in Chicago. Living in L.A. at the time, I was thrilled when Starbuck's in Pavilion's, my local market.

I currently go back and forth from Starbuck's to a local coffee house which roasts its own beans. But, there is a certain level of comfort derived from being able to grab a venti cap at the airport or in a distant city. I know I will at least have a good, "bold" cup of coffee.

Which leads me to the Via. Why? Certainly not the price point, at approximately a dollar per cup. Convenience? There is still a Starbuck's on almost every corner and most of us own those little thermal carafes.

I think I was most disturbed by the airline/Via connection. Although airplane coffee is a pretty abyssmal brew, second only to those little "coffee-bag" contraptions found in hotel rooms or at the carwash. The best thing about it is that it's free. Well, until now. United Airlines will be selling 3-packs of Via to its in-flight customers. Wonder if they will start charging for the stale pretzels or honey-roast peanuts?

According to Howard Schultz, Starbuck's CEO and my personal rock star, most folks won't be able to tell the difference between freshly brewed coffee and its instant counterpart. I remain a bit skeptical. But, what have I got to lose? I can always sprinkle some into my espresso brownie batter and call it a day!