"i want a green iced tea. that comes iced, right?"

no, ma'am. we've defied physics and managed to make our iced tea hot. slàinte.

as i walked toward the register, i discovered a boy (i say boy as he looked to maybe still be in his mid to late teens) in a strange beige almost-mesh sweater over a vibrant tie-dye t-shirt wearing a cap side-ways on his head. the odd thing of this (i exclude his clothing because i've seen far worse at work) is that he was circling his nipple. or, well, his peck, but other way it was incredibly off-putting and i'm near certain my eyes were the size of baseballs as i tried to remain calm and collected and take his order. it was just simply peculiar.

my favorite customer is ali. he's, fantastic. there's no other way to say it. he's simply the sweetest human being ever and really, makes everyone smile. he always comes in the early morning and either gets a small coffee or a tea (usually a tea). morning tea is the green tea with coconut (our thai tea) and evenings he comes in for his refill, which is almost always without fail an african autumn tea. always two tea bags, for potency purposes.

every night he comes up, around ten-fifty (we close around eleven) to get extra hot water for his depleted cup of tea. tonight he seemed to be occupied, so i moseyed over and took his cup and asked if he wanted extra hot water. he made to stand up and follow but i waved him off and refilled the cup and walked it back to him (we were near finished with closing and i really had nothing more important to do, and besides, i love the guy, he's a sweetheart) then went back to work.

a few seconds later, as i'm wiping down the counters, i see him standing near the pick up area leaning on the marble top. he smiles and tells me that the very action i'd performed, which in my nature is instinct to do considering i know his regular needs come tea-drinking time, was why i was so special.

see, i hate my job. i do. but when it comes to my regulars (ali, sue, john, james, other james, wayne, mike, etc.) i can't help but neglect the desire to get a new one. it's harder to explain than it would be if you just worked there, and trust me, i had never dreamed i'd still be stuck in a near dead-end retail job making barely a buck over minimum wage while still in school at twenty-two, but i'm glad it's this job, with these people, because i don't know if i could handle the beige of the real world.

well, i need to study, unfortunately. i plan on finishing up the book i need for tomorrow's class, re-reading some sparknotes for the book ceremony so i can recall it all to memory as needed, then off to the fair with hobsbawm, arnstein and the ohsofabulous levy's book for notations and hopeful comprehension of the ways of the brits from world war i to world war ii. huzzah.

oh, mob wives is terribly good, i love drita, my shoes are getting ruined due to dish-washing and constant wear, i can't wait to be able to read once finals are all said and done, i think i incomprehensibly lost weight again, and i realize i say 'i love you' at the end of nearly every phone call (baring a few of the occasional creepers i am made to put up with.)

i also need to note that, even though we still barely know much about each other, i'm happy with mike. we get along great and we have fun together, and he's sort of like a gay best friend that i actually get to date. it's a lot of fun. i'm in a good mood most days now. which is pleasant.

i can't wait for texas. it's going to be amazing.

also, strudel, i love you, you make my world go round.

right. studying. OFF.