A Little Bit of Reflection

It's slightly (read abundantly!) overwhelming to think through everything that I've been through in the past five days. I've come into existence, tried out a few career options, met a relative, and feel like I've constantly been on the move to experience things. Thankfully, the last day and a half has been quiet. I've been able to have some low-key moments and really enjoy my surroundings!

Yesterday, my time in the lab was so crazy that the girl decided to treat me to some ice cream and to take me walking around downtown Zionsville. It is such a quaint little town...we even sat on a bench and watched some kids play baseball in the neighboring park for a few minutes. It had a cozy feel to it and I would really love to spend more time there!

After that, we met up with Jon so I could go back to his apartment since that's where I've been all week. Once we got back, I went straight to bed and had what I categorize as the best night's sleep I've had in my entire life! It was amazing!

The biggest thing that happened today was to go to the gym for the first time. I'm pretty sure everything in there could either squish me or send me flying across the room! My muscles were not built for this display of strength. I mean, I AM a cup - my muscles are little bits of plastic melded together.  Let's be real. Cups are not supposed to work out. I'll admit that nothing will change! Oh, and me on a treadmill was an utter disaster. It was rather amusing for others, I'm sure, but there is no possible way for me to use one of those devices one can only assume was invented for some evil purpose. I also was less than amused when a new game was invented to see how far a treadmill would throw me at various speeds. It was a good thing I didn't have much to eat!

Other than yet another near-death experience, today has been quiet. I've gotten to hang around the apartment and reflect on this week. I still have no idea what I'm going to do for a job. Coffee slinging was no good....science is too complicated and detailed for my brain capacity...my only hope could be shadowing Original Ian. I have no idea what he does yet but I'm trying to believe that it will be a perfect fit!

Someday, I might have this whole thing called "life" figured out a bit more. I'm still confused about so many things. I just want to know that there IS actually a place for me in this world! I've been trying to read a little today and start to educate myself on many topics. This is only the beginning. My head feels like it's in a constant fog of emotions. My first goal is learning to control these emotions since I still don't know how to deal with them most of the time.

Rumor is, Original Ian returns from his great travels tonight. I cannot wait to meet the person after whom I was named! This seems almost as important as meeting Randy. I can only hope he likes me and looks past the craziness of his two friends. Who else would be so kind to take in a strange cup?

I'm quite thankful for the uneventful day I've had today! I'm sure that won't last long...but you know what I say to that??

Bring it on.

Exploring Zionsville

This place is so quaint...I love it

She Blinded Me With Science

Why hello again! I have to say...the last 36-ish hours have been jam-packed full of more new experiences than one could count. Randy and I spend all of yesterday morning hanging out with Jon. After lunch, we had to drop Randy off at the bus stop. It was time for him to go back home, but we are going to stay in touch from here on out. Who knew when I came into existence four days ago that I would have been through so much in such a short amount of time! I went to work with Jon again, but this time I decided to just hang out in the back room. My public coffee slinging days are over - I needed to figure out another career possibility.

I like sports!

At this point, Jon told me that the girl was coming to pick me up. I was going to actually spend the night at her apartment and would shadow her at work the next day. This sounded like a fantastic idea to me because I knew her job is so different from Jon's! I honestly didn't know HOW much, though...

The girl is a scientist. Specifically, she is a chemist and works in a lab. I had zero clue what I would be in for...but I shouldn't jump ahead! We'll get there soon enough.

 Spending the night at the girl's apartment was a great deal of fun! Once we got back, there was another World Cup soccer match on. The girl was much more subdued this time - presumably because the US wasn't playing this time. It was still a fantastic time watching and we totally bonded! The match ended in heartbreaking fashion for England and I learned how much of an emotional roller coaster sports watching could actually be.

I'm ready for camping now

Bedtime Stories are the BEST

Now it was time for bed - I was in a sleeping bag on the floor next to her bed and it was surprisingly more comfortable than I had expected! It wasn't as comfy as the bed that I've been privileged to occupy for the last few nights but so what? I was having a grand old time and was proud of it! The girl even tucked me in and read some bedtime stories. She started with Paradise Lost but that was a bit to heavy for me. She switched to Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy and now I feel like I always need to carry a towel...and I really related to the poor Sperm Whale and the flower pot!!

This morning, we headed to the laboratory. I figured there would be a lot of cool stuff happening but was completely overwhelmed! First of all, everything was bigger than me. I kept getting lost and left behind in places. The girl had to be super precise with everything and there was SO MUCH paperwork! She also had to deal with a lot of numbers - so many, that it would probably be an accountant's dream if they had any semblance of a clue what those numbers meant. I loved my day at the lab but I'm totally NOT a science cup! I had to have two Lysol wipe baths just to make sure I got all the weird science germs off myself.

 Wearing gloves is important - and I clearly can't do that (as seen above)! I also got lost in a forest of graduated cylinders and forgotten in a cabinet! It's also terrifying how many biohazard and flammable signs are around that place. There are also a lot of instruments that make loud sounds. The girl assured me that it all seemed a lot more complicated than it actually was. Honestly, I don't believe her! As for me, I have no idea what I'm going to do for a career at this point. What can a little styrofoam cup actually do in this world? I thought I might be able to find something quickly, but it seems that more experimentation and introspection is required. And so...the journey continues!

I got left in the walk-in freezer. I mean, come on...

The Ballad of Starbucks Randy

As promised, I'm going to detail for you Randy's story and how we came to develop a strong bond in quick fashion!

Recall that I went to Starbucks to shadow Jon in order to evaluate that particular option as a career path. Randy had been visiting from his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. Jon thought it might be nice to have another fellow cup as a friend, so he made sure to introduce us straight away. We started off with the usual pleasantries and small talk but then we both mentioned how we had a particularly crazy relative. I started to tell Randy about crazy Grandpa Ebenezer, who was well known for his sarcastic nature and rambunctious antics. Randy's eyes grew wide. He asked if Ebenezer was known for throwing mashed potatoes up against a wall then blaming his kids for it. It was my turn to have a wide-eyed stare. We had the SAME Grandpa Ebenezer!

Grandpa Ebenezer, in his prime

Technically, Ebenezer is our Great Great Grandpa...but he is a family legend. He is of the Red Solo line of cups but married a lovely crystal goblet named AnnaBeth. It was a major scandal! They had ten children and were the happiest little family of cups one could imagine! One was Jerry - a founding member of the Starbucks corporation. This is Randy's Great Grandpa. Another was Ray - MY Great Grandpa. All he was known for was "rediscovering" a Swedish inventor's idea; an idea for which his company managed to procure the rights. Many people outside the family think he's a genius...but the family gave him all sorts of grief. Anyway, back to Randy...

Growing up, Randy knew all about the family legacy and knew he had a trust fund worth a crazy amount of money. He lead a really charmed life as a kid and has many fond memories but as he got older he found himself always in the middle of arguments and fights. He started to realize that his friends were just hanging around because of all the exclusive events and places they got to go to because of him. He started to spiral into a depression and cut off all of his family. He left all of his possessions in Seattle and became a nomad, hitchhiking around the country trying to find himself. He traveled for three years before ending up in Kentucky. He met a nice homeless man named Frank and ended up being his change cup for six months. Frank was influential in helping turn Randy's life around. He told Randy to make the most of every moment and take nothing for granted...but he still needed to take chances and realize that life isn't all about himself - help other people and continue to learn every day. Be humble and aware of how your actions affect others. Randy decided in that moment that he needed to change course. He found a job at a local independent coffee shop and worked his way up from Tip Jar to Supervisor of Animate and Inanimate Cups (he tried to change the name once...thought the distinction was weird...they refused). He never wanted to try to get a job at any Starbucks because he knew it would be way too easy and was determined to make his own way in the world. Once he saved up enough money, he opened his own Starbucks location which is where he still is today. Oh...Frank works for him now and is no longer homeless!

We met because he was in Indy for a Midwest Starbucks Owner's meeting. He was visiting a friend at Jon's Starbucks which is how we ended up being in the same place at the same time. He actually extended his trip because of me and it has been so amazing to learn his background! Randy has since reconnected with the rest of his family and promised to take me out to Seattle sometime in the near future. He was so open and honest - more real than I could probably be with someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a perfect stranger. We had several deep discussions about life in general over the past few days and I know my life has forever been altered by the wisdom Randy has imparted on me. I will forever be grateful for those lessons! I would say it's a fair bet that we've both made a new friend for life. We ARE distant cousins, after all!

Everyone knows that cousins are the best.