Starbucks

October 4, 2021

Starbucks Logo

So, the first ‘real’ Starbucks opened in Falkirk this week. I call it a real Starbucks as it is not in a Cineworld that doesn’t allow you use your Starbucks card (and therefore doesn’t give you stars for free coffee). There is another Starbucks near Falkirk, but it is in a hospital, and recently they haven’t been keen on people popping in to the hospital for coffee, something to do with a virus.

It’s a fairly typical Starbucks, people meeting for chat, hipsters (yes even in Falkirk) writing on their MacBook’s and girls looking like they have just left a yoga class. Maybe you can answer this; do girls go to yoga classes to burn off enough calories so they can go to Starbucks afterwards for the 600 calorie frappacino? As a coffee purist it pains me waiting on coffee while people in front of me in the queue order drinks that take what seems like an eternity to make.

It is 10 degrees outside and their coffee has ice in it, like seriously, do they know what country they are in?

I digress.

This location started out as a Sony Store, which turned in to a Carphone Warehouse and is now a Starbucks. I can already tell there are probably more people in this location now than at any time in the two previous incarnations.

I find the seats here lacking comfort, am sure they are designed to maximise customer turnover. The hipsters are unbothered by such things like comfort, as long as there is a WiFi connection and a mirror somewhere to groom their beard.

So what brings me to Starbucks on a repetitive basis? It is the knowledge that I know exactly what I am getting and how it will taste and the comfort and memories that are rejuvenated with it. Every skinny triple shot grande latte that I have ever bought has tasted pretty much the same.

I do not care that 99% of their beans are ethically sourced.

This is not to say that I am not adventurous, it’s just sometimes you want a taste of what you know. So welcome Starbucks, to Falkirk, may your water run hot and your beans grow plentiful.

Village Idiots

November 9, 2020

So, some poor village got their idiot back. My fear is that the village might be Scotland. It was obvious to all that Trump was never going to go quietly or to be gracious in defeat. He can’t even bring himself to concede yet, sending out a salvo of litigation later today.

Boris now has his hands full of trying to negotiate a trade deal with the European Union and now the US also. It has been reported that a good trade deal might be a tough sell with Biden due to the Irish border dispute with the EU. While Biden was Obama’s VP he warned that the “UK would be at the back of the queue over Brexit”.

2020 has been bad, but at this point I don’t see 2021 being any better, even if there is a vaccine for the coronavirus. Needless to say there is already an anti-vaccine movement, because we need to make sure there is a steady supply of idiots for the villages.

The Hague

November 28, 2017

I travelled back to The Hague last week to take care of some administration and to catch up with friends. It's getting harder to meet with friends there of late primarily because they keep leaving to pastures new.

The city is changing, every time I visit I notice these changes, cafes disappearing, new shops appearing and of course new tram routes just to confuse me. It makes me wonder how much changed during the time I lived there that I didn't notice. Change, it seems to me, is more evident when you don't look for a period of time.

I had a lot of time to think while walking around the city (roughly 16km each day I was there) and I was able to bring my attention to the present instead of rooting around in my mind at things I have experienced in the past in The Hague. It was nice to be there and to have a still mind.

I still love this city. It almost defies explanation. I feel so comfortable there. There is no single thing that I can say that makes it such a great place for me, but when it is all combined there is no place I would rather be. Perhaps, I just haven't travelled enough. Of course, there is always a difference between travelling to new locations and living in new locations.

I didn't get much time to take photographs but these are the ones that I like when I did manage to get time. These photographs are from Scheveningen, a modern seaside resort with a long, sandy beach, an esplanade, a pier, and a lighthouse. Click on them for the full size if your on a desktop or tablet. Oh, the photograph of the fishing vessel, I have almost this exact shot from 2013. I think I like the shot below more as you can see the industry of Rotterdam in the background.

So much change, yet so much the same.

Clean Slate

September 18, 2017

The past few weeks have presented problems personal and professional. Although my slate may not be entirely clear right now (such as the the one above), I feel that it is getting there, primarily using interesting solutions.

In handling the personal problems I have found myself analysing different philosophies, but have resorted to the "shoot first and ask questions later" approach. This has yielded the results that have confirmed what I already knew. Although Schrödinger would disagree with me (having not opened the box), you can still get a sense of whether the cat is alive or not.

I have allowed other professional commitments build up a little over the last few months and have started clearing them in the most optimum way that I can with the current work commitments that I have. It's progressing as best as possible and starting new projects while clearing old ones has also been good for focusing my mind.

What have I learned from this?

Start: there is no go point or good time.
Commit: Forgive yourself if you fail to reach a target, but recommit each day.
Quit: Know when to quit. There is a lot of philosophies regarding never quitting, but it's important to know when to quit, some things are just not going to work/happen.
Energy: Positive thoughts are not enough without positive actions and positive feelings.
Trust: If you get a bad feeling about a person or situation, trust it.

Perhaps, the most important lesson of all - "Is what I am doing today getting me to where I want to go tomorrow?". The answers can be quite revealing, both the destination and the method. I feel like i am not now stuck between "Fuck it and What if".

The Hague

May 20, 2017

Two interpretations of The Hague. Much like my thinking when I am here.

I always enjoy being here. I enjoy spending time with my friends and hanging out in Huppel de Pub, 't Ogenblik and of course getting my hair cut in Studio Noordeinde. Much of my time here is now spent meeting clients or taking photographs.

I spend a lot of time thinking about past people, events and places when I am here, things that are never to return. I have realised this week that it is time to move on and forward and to make new memories. Essentially moving on from the past.