Famine, Poverty, Death & Whole Milk

I am saddened by a story I saw today on the news.

No, it wasn't anything to do with animal cruelty, natural disasters, gang violence, diseases or orphaned children in Africa. (Though, those things DO make me sad, of course.)

Nope. The news item that caught my eye, and then turned my stomach, is reproduced below from MSNBC.com. Instead of linking you, and taking the risk that you'd not read the article, I've reprinted it here. It's short. Then we'll discuss.

Olsen twins’ Starbucks scandal
By Courtney Hazlett, The Scoop

De facto Starbucks spokes-twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen might have a scandal on their hands. A former barista from the Olsen’s oft-frequented Starbucks in New York’s West Village allegedly used to swap out skim milk for the full-fat variety when the girls came by for their caffeine fix, reports OK! magazine.

The twins regularly ordered Grande nonfat lattes, but according to the Starbucks snitch, “the barista thought the Olsens were too thin, so whenever they ordered their usual drink, he would replace the skim milk with full-fat,” the source told the magazine.

The Olsen’s rep responded to the latte lunacy saying, “This is ridiculous.” Yes, it is, but one fellow latte-lover close to the Olsens (who requested anonymity) said that she sympathizes with the twins—to an extent. “It’s also my worst nightmare—that and getting a huge diet fountain soda that is mistakenly regular Coke—but I can def(initely) taste the difference, so it’s their own fault if they fell victim.”
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Ok. Let's dissect. Several key words stand out to me, making this "scoop" item utterly and completely ridiculous:

-Scandal. Uhm, really?
-Snitch. Are we in high school?
-Allegedly. What? Is this going to trial?
-Victim. Of what, being fed?

But, my absolutely favorite part is the quote, from an anonymous "friend" of the Olsens, who claims that her "worst nightmare" is getting a diet drink from a soda fountain, only to realize, the shock, the horror, that it is regular Coke.

I'm sorry. If THAT is her WORST NIGHTMARE, I want to live her life.

At the very least, I'd put Mary-Kate and Ashley's fashion choices up there in the list of nightmares, but that's just me.

Ask Not What Chicagoans Can Do for You

A crazy homeless lady that I see pretty often trolling the tourist briagde on Michigan Avenue stopped me this morning. Not unusual. She asked me for a dollar. Also not strange.

Her approach, or strategy, was totally unique today however.

She said, "Can you give me a dollar for JFK's birthday?"

Uhm...if it is JFK's birthday, why do you get the money? Shouldn't I be sending one of those little dollar bill cards to his family trust or something? Pretty sure you don't have any affiliation to the Kennedy clan. But, you clearly are crazy, so maybe there's the link?

JFK was a Democrat, and therefore supportive of providing funds for the disadvantaged, but I was left wondering how the request made any sense at all. And, when I said no, she mocked me for half a block. Loudly.

Should have tossed my $2.15 Starbucks at her. In honor of JFK's birthday, that is. I'll show YOU what Chicagoans can do for you.

Life Lesson

This morning I went out to get a coffee at Starbucks, and on my way back to the office, a guy on the street stopped me and asked for $10. TEN BUCKS? I don't even have ten dollars in my wallet right now (I know, the coffee habit could help that issue), but come on!

That sure raises the game from "spare a little change?" I mean, I know times are tough, and the recession is bound to hit us all, but I don't walk up to people on the street and ask them for things.

And, frankly, I want a little whitewashed house in the Greek Islands, nestled in the cliffs of Santorini, but we don't always get what we want.

I know. I'm a cold-hearted person.

But, a realist.

*This is my 100th post! Happy anniversary to me. Thanks for continuing to read and comment on my crazy life here in Chicago. Please keep up the support, and I'll do my best to keep the hits coming.

Easy Target

It doesn't take much to put a smile on my face.

I was at Starbucks this morning, and a girl complimented my new boots. I mean, she wanted to chat about them. In depth.

Admittedly, this is the first time wearing them and I like them too, but the real story is this:

I know that women dress for other women. Period.

We choose our outfits based on our environment, and if women are around, we know that the choices will be recognized.

That's probably why the compliment made me smile. It was like an acknowledgement of the obvious—new boots are not going to be noticed by men, but women will see them, and make a remark. Strangers, even. I work in a very female-dominated, creatively artistic, casual and funky environment. And, they kindly notice.

It isn't going without my notice that this is my third post in so many weeks about boots.

Am I that shallow?

I prefer to think that it is just that people have been behaving themselves on public transportation, rendering me utterly blank, without issues to report, or stories to tell, or people to hate.

Or, maybe I just like new shoes.

(And, speaking of shoes, does anyone notice how the Google ads hilariously shift content to match what I write about? Yesterday they were all about politics because of my lame reference to Obama. Today they are shoe ads. I find this funny, even though I know this is the entire Google ad business model).