The Virtual Memories Show

February 26, 2008

Naked Coffee-Break

According to this NYPost story, all U.S. Starbucks stores are closing for 3 hours today for “espresso excellence training”. The reactions —

“What am I supposed to do, make it myself?” fumed NYU student Mallory Drew, 18, at the always-packed Lafayette Street and Astor Place location.

“I am shocked. Shocked and appalled.”

Alba Morales, 22, a student at BMCC, noted, “A lot of people come here to make out, read, sleep. I can’t imagine how lost people will be tomorrow.”

— put me in mind of this classic movie moment.

(Thanks, Badmovies!)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Spotify | TuneIn | RSS | More

February 25, 2008February 24, 2008

What it is: 2/25/08

What I’m reading: Love and Sleep, by John Crowley

What I’m listening to: The Lexicon of Love, by ABC

What I’m watching: Breach, a movie about Robert Hanssen, the FBI mole; Chris Cooper is flat-out amazing

What I’m drinking: Red Stripe! Hooray, Beer! (because we also watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode about Jamaica)

Where I’m going: Nowhere! No travel this week, although I will be visiting my accountant in Hackensack on Thursday afternoon to square away 2007’s taxes

What I’m happy about: Taking my Dad out for dinner for his 70th birthday and discovering Latour, another fantastic restaurant in northern NJ

What I’m sad about: I still can’t get the wood-burning stove going without an initial, several-minute smoke-bomb in the house

What I’m pondering: Are those real? (after seeing Kristen Chenoweth on the red carpet at the Oscars)

February 23, 2008February 23, 2008

Sofa, So Bad

NM Governor Bill Richardson may be a kingmaker in Democratic party presidential politics, but I hope the eventual winner doesn’t promise him a position in the Department of Interior Decorating:

credit: Rebecca Craig/The Santa Fe New Mexican, via Associated Press

Seriously: that’s some terrible upholstery (and I’m pretending not to see the “GOV” fur blanket behind him). Good thing Bill Clinton brought his chameleon sweater to this Super Bowl bash.

(Photo credit: Rebecca Craig/The Santa Fe New Mexican, via Associated Press)Â

February 23, 2008February 26, 2008

Good night, sweet Curator of Webster Hall

Almost 10 years ago, when my micropress published its first book, we had a launch party at Webster Hall in NYC. This was facilitated by the author’s pal Baird Jones, whom I met briefly at the event. Two years later, we used the same venue for our second book’s launch. There was no payment involved, which gratified this cheap bastard no end; I assume Baird was just looking for any way to boost traffic at the hall on a weeknight.

Over the years, Baird was often cited as the source of Page Six gossip items in the NYPost (always referred to as the “curator” of Webster Hall). I would feel a little celebrity-by-proxy moment, a flicker of “I met that guy!” even though I didn’t actually know him.

So I was kind of sad this morning when I discovered that Baird died earlier this week. But I think he’d be glad to know that the news made Page Six.

(Update: here’s a long piece on Baird over at Radar.)

February 22, 2008February 22, 2008

Here’s another article on how Starbucks can or cannot reinvent itself, which came out a day before yesterday’s announcement of 600 layoffs. Consultant Geoff Vuleta has gone silent on the company’s initiative to spay its baristas, but he does offer up a smart idea: go small.

Open a chain of microstores devoted solely to making coffee. “No travel cups, no music, no machines, just amazing beans and a narrow range of the best-in-the-world coffee drinks,” he envisions.

I still think their beans are a scorched mess, leading to unpalatable coffee, but hey.

Meanwhile, VM reader and Trompler Foundation curator E. Scharf sends word that there’s a movement afoot to save the breakfast sandwich. I have no horse in this race; my town doesn’t actually have a Starbucks.