Meet the Bitchin' Baristas

This post is a special post because in this post I am going to reveal the characters which narrate the Bitchin' Barista series!

The following is a description of each barista and a very rough sketch (please do not judge me on my drawing ability, I think you can still get a persona out of these sketches):

ELLA


Ella is the most down-to-Earth narrator in the series with a deep and passionate personality, on the other hand she struggles to overcome here timidness and let her true colors shine. Coming from the background of a broken home, she observes different relationships throughout the book always flashing back on her own and wondering, was she really ever in love? Is it possible? And what does it mean exactly?


CINDY

Cindy views the world completely opposite from her best friend Ella. She says and does whatever comes to her mind without giving it a second thought. She has no future plans and does not intend to create them. Yesterday she was a waitress, today she's a barista! Her philosophy on relationships is screw trying to figure them out, let's all just have fun and get laid. There isn't ONE man around that could keep up with her wild ways anyway! She stashes a tiny pink handgun, but where she keeps it exactly is a secret....


TIFFANY

As an aspiring actress, Tiffany is bright and bubbly. She will never forget her cheerleading days in high school. Her sunny outlook on the world has a way of making people sick. She trusts everyone and no guy for her could ever be scum. She became a barista because she believes that prince charming will find her in the coffee shop and maybe he has. Tiffany is in love with Jared, a coffee shop regular with lots of money to spare...enough for an engagement ring perhaps?




KAY

Kay is dark. Kay is cynical. Kay wears ALOT of eye-liner and black clothing. In fact, the only color she has in her wardrobe are the ribbons that hang from her hair. She will not put on a fake face or smile for any customer, unless maybe the boss is around and threatens her job for it. However...there's this one customer that digs the queen of darkness and makes a game out of trying to make her smile. He may even present her with a diamond ring. His name is Jared...oh wait...could that be the same Jared as Tiffany's Jared....


There is one more barista that works with the four of these girls who does not do any hefty narrating...her name is Chinca...she loves caffeine and is constantly shaking from the hype of doing espresso shots straight from the machine.

There are many other characters to be seen in this series including their bosses, their boyfriends and regular customers that come into the coffee shop that is called "Smile in Your Cup Cafe."

But the four above are the ones telling the story...and we all know how important reliability of the narrator can be...

There will be more posts and writing prompts that develop these characters further. I am always open to feedback and suggestions left in the comments.

DETOUR: To Sweetwaters Cafe

It looks like plot #2 from the last blog entry has won the vote! This elevates the idea of writing in a coffee shop as the appropriate atmosphere.

Today I am visiting a friend on the north side of Ann Arbor and so I have taken a detour away from the Ypsilanti coffee shop list to explore Sweetwaters. This means that this coffee shop will probably never be the one I choose to write at regularly, but I do work down the street from it and have thought about moving to this side of town, so you never know in the future it might be.

The walls separating the shop from the outside are all glass windows, which made taking pictures a challenge, but it does add a bit of romanticism to the place when you look outside and see a snowy scene like today. In fact, I'm kinda loving it here right now watching the snow fall on the tree branches as the street light blinks on the corner of Plymouth and Green road.

Also, there is a patio at the back corner of the Sweetwaters that allows customers to sit outside when the weather is nice. I always like to have the option of being outside, this probably comes from all the days I am stuck at work or was stuck in school and am unable to go outside.

I am sitting at a high top table near an outlet today, but there is four arm chairs in front of the fireplace that also look like they would've been a cozy place to become lost in thought.

The drinks taste good and are moderately priced. I ordered a small soy Chai latte for about $3.65, which seems about average for coffee shop drinks. Oh! But did I mention the sweets?! I wish it wasn't right after Christmas and I wasn't trying to be good or I would order what looks like one of the most delectable frosted cupcakes or cheesecake I have ever seen! They also have chocolate cake called "OMG! Chocolate cake," which can be ordered al a mode and looks so delicious it would probably take an entire year to burn off the calories.

As far as the corporate factor Sweetwaters is a corporation, but its a corporation that started out and is only located in Ann Arbor...so it doesn't seem as evil as some corporations which put the little guys out of business.

I also love these cute little tea pots that they have on display. My friend told me she bought one for her sister for Christmas and they pop just enough color in the room, where I can see why they would make a great happy little gift.

Hanging Out in a Basement near a Church: The Common Cup

Starting tomorrow, I will be car-less indefinitely while it gets fixed at the collision shop, but don't worry I am fine. While it was parked in the street someone backed out of their driveway and hit it. Note to self: never park behind driveway EVER again.

Anyway, the reason I am telling you this is because it led me to the conclusion that even though I went coffee shop exploring last night, I decided to go again tonight and I ended up at the Common Cup on Washtenaw in Ann Arbor.

The Common Cup is hard to find because it is actually connected to a church building and the facade faces a church instead of the street. In fact, I think the only reason I was able to find it is I have been here in the daylight before with Carla about three and a half years ago. At that time, we knew where it was because her boyfriend worked here.

This also explains why I was not freaked out or lost when I walked in the doors that labeled the building only to find I must turn left and go down a small set of stairs in order to reach the coffee.

When I walked in I decided this may be my favorite place yet...everything a coffee shop should be....

The music is a bit loud, but it is mellow and seems to be drowning out other people's conversations. They have both comfortable chairs and tables, you just need to be a little careful about which one you sit at if you need an outlet to plug in your laptop. The lighting is just right, not fluorescent, but not too dark either. It is a warm soft lighting.

There is even a shelf of board games and a few books for visitors to enjoy, meaning this would be a good place to hang out with a group of friends or solitary. The internet took a minute to log on, but there was a flawless connection once I did. I lacked cell phone reception, I imagine this is because it is located in a basement, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

As you can see by the mug that they put my hot chocolate in (located at top of page) they are not skimpy with their drink portions..nor is it too expensive. I was able to get a hot chocolate and cookie for a little over four dollars! Plus, the barista served it to me at my table and don't you just love the classic chip on the left side of the dish?!

I think my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE thing about this place is that they exhibit the work of local artists and hang it on the wall as if it were being displayed at a museum! Other coffee shops such as The Plymouth Coffee Bean and The Ugly Mug display local artists work for sale, however the Common Cup is different because here there is an actual wall post about the artist and another one about the work they are exhibiting. The work is hung and lit on the wall in an arrangement that reminds me of a gallery.At first I saw all these pictures of crucifixes and was a little freaked out..."Well the coffee shop is connected to a church after all," I told myself as I silently vowed not to come here where crucifixes are judging me ever again. Then I saw the sign that said "40 Crucifixes" and the name of the artist, Mike Frieseman and realized it was not a hypercritical stare down of Jesus due to the place's location, but instead an aesthetically pleasing visual placed by a local artist.

The barista said they switch exhibits every month. A coffee shop mixed with a gallery? Am I in Heaven? What a very whimsical characteristic, don't you think?

As an article that hung on the wall here said, three years ago when I visited with Carla, the statement stands true: "There is nothing common about The Common Cup."