It was an ice-blanketed, painfully frigid Monday. Snow was jam-packed into every inch of earth possible, surrounding stop signs and blocking driveways. I’d just finished my day helping ridiculously rich customers decide which set of cooking pans to buy or perhaps which set of towels from a seemingly identical display of dozens. After scraping off what I deemed a sufficient amount of snow, I climbed into my Toyota Corolla and drove through the streets until I saw the beacon in the snowstorm. There it was – the cure to my mundane Monday. No, it wasn’t a pair of Lacroix black-jeweled stiletto heels. No, it wasn’t even a black Prada purse. It definitely wasn’t a Vera Wang designer dress. It was the happy green sign of Starbucks and the wonders that it held inside, mainly the Grande Vanilla Bean Crème Frappuccino with whip. It didn’t matter that it was 10 below because I was at Starbucks. The outside world is a dull memory when in the presence of comfortable couches, a sweet-sounding menu, and baristas who always seem to leave me with a giddy sense of delight. The siren song of the majority of the female world is supposedly shoes, but mine is the sweet aroma of Starbucks.

As do many Generation Y obsessions, my addiction to Starbucks began with an introduction from a few of my friends. Hannah and Emilee were already hooked on their own Starbucks siren songs and wanted me to enjoy life more fully as well. Alas, they recommended the vanilla bean. (Most Starbucks regulars shorten their drink names for their convenience). Four years later, it’s my cure for a mundane Monday, my celebration of a fantastic Friday, or the pick-me-up on a lackadaisical Tuesday. Since Starbucks always seems to brighten my day, I have added “work at Starbucks” to my long list of random life goals. Perhaps I subconsciously believe that doing so will enhance my coolness factor. I’ve done this simply because I’ve talked to a few Starbucks baristas and they have such great ideas about life and therefore seem so intellectually in tune. Recently, while concocting my wonderful vanilla bean, the barista accidentally hit the whipped cream dispenser on the counter, spraying the floor with delicious goodness. Afterwards, she simply laughed and asked, “Did you see that?!” and continued to fix my delicious drink. First and foremost, Starbucks is amazing because of its menu of delicious drinks. Bumper stickers proudly persuade folks to avoid Starbucks with phrases such as, “Friends don’t let friends go to Starbucks.” Such disdain is based on the fact that Starbucks is a corporation.