Starbucks // Small Town Life

First of all: Pictured above is my first Pumpkin Spice Latte for this season. It happened on September 5th in Bossier City, LA. Thanks for the Fan Pass! I really enjoyed it!

Don't you love Starbucks? Not only coffee-wise, but office-wise? Would you believe me if I tell you I drive an hour to sit down at Starbucks? I do. For various reasons.

I live in a freakin small town (18883 people), and I'd say because of my job, at least 70% of those people either "know me" or think they "know me". That's why I don't really do anything there. If I leave the house, I drive. At least 1 hour. Or even further. You literally can't do anything without being object of gossip. Or just bluntly being watched/observed.

I thought I'm the only one thinking like that, but I was relieved to hear one of my friends (Police Officer) saying pretty much the same thing: If you want to enjoy your life during your time off, get the heck out of town. And I live by that rule. You might bump into "locals" everywhere. But the chances are significantly smaller as soon as you leave the county, or state.

I've tried sitting down at the local coffee shop to do some blogging work a couple of times already, but it just doesn't work. Even if I put on my HUGE BLUE headphones, people sit down next to me, and start talking. And they are nosy. This blog is public, I know. But it's not everyone's business which companies send me e-mails, who sends me e-mails - period, how I tout, or whom I work with.

Don't get me wrong, I love this local coffee shop, but I don't like people overstepping boundaries and trying to crawl into my personal space when it comes to my time off.

At work, I have to be nice to you. Being professional. But when I'm off, I am Annika. Not Annie, the front desk coordinator. I can talk to whomever I want, and refuse to talk to whomever I want as well. And if I let you know politely that I don't feel like talking to you, you should accept this fact.

So lately when I have a few hours of time on my hands, I grab my macbook, hop in the car, drive across the border to Louisiana, and sit down at Starbucks in Ruston, Bossier City, or Monroe, LA. Maybe it's even an unwritten law, but I love the fact that people in there just leave me the heck alone. I can be productive, without being distracted.

So thank you, Starbucks, for welcoming me, and giving me a place to work and hide.