Quote of the Day

Sadly, for my initial quote of the day, I'm using Starbucks as a source. I don't frequent Starbucks, but every once in a while I grab a quick coffee and take in the "atmosphere." The two Starbucks I go to -- at Christopher and 7th and right by Washington Square -- have absolutely afwul atmosphere. The Christopher location was probably a cool restaurant at some point, a restaurant which has long been pushed out by Starbuck's mission of global dominance. Each morning that I visit, there is a guy there who looks like a certain Robert Van Winkle (who may be better known as Vanilla Ice). I'm not sure what he is doing, but in my story about the guy, Starbucks is his office. Anyway, the atmosphere at this Starbucks feels forced: the space is too big, the tables too random and the lack of couches too apparent.

The Washington Square Starbucks, on the other hand, has plenty of room to lounge (or study, since it is smack dab in the middle of NYU's territory). I've never been to this location when the line was less than 15 people, and on a recent visit, the line streched about 45 people. So long, in fact, that one of the cashiers donned some headphones and started taking orders well in advance of the customer's arrival at the registers (I'm not sure if this was initiative or standard practice, but it was a welcome attempt at shortening the wait). Though the atmosphere of this Starbucks is better, what makes it absolutely unbearable are the undergraduates that see Starbucks as a sort of daytime club, a place to see and be seen. In fact, while I was waiting in a 45-person line, I looked around and found perhaps my favorite "New Yorker" since I moved here. He was a college student, probably 20 or 21, and in the appropiately trendy way, he was wearing a bunch of layered shirts (3? 4? Admittedly, it was cold, but he had way too many collars to pop), two or three chains around his neck, perfectly torn jeans, some retro sneakers and disheleveled frosted spikey hair (a la Ryan Seacrest in the early Idols). But my favorite part of the look, the part that caused me to call my wife to make fun of him, was his face.

Yes, this young man was whipping out Blue Steel. Constantly. And trying to impress the ladies with his flawless turning ability. It was an amazing moment in my life.

Now, let me get to that quote I've been saving. The quote was on my cup the day I ran into Mr. Blue Steel. Normally, these "The Way I See It" quotes are some useless drivel from some Starbucks customer somewhere who thinks we need to do more to save the environment, or be nicer to people, or something else that I don't really agree with. But this quote was different. It was from someone of whom I have heard -- the former lead singer of Soul Coughing, at that. And it was a quote with which I agree:

The Way I See It #158
"It's tragic the way extremists co-opt the notion of God, and that hipsters and artists reject spirituality out of hand. I don't have a fixed idea of God. But I feel that it's us--the messed-up, the half-crazy, the burning, the questing--that need God, a lot more than the goody-two-shoes do."--Mike Doughty, Musician

At the newly-turned age of 27, I'm still working on my definition of God and spirituality. I believe in higher power, but I make fun of my share of the "Oh My, the Lord has truly healed me!" believers. I believe the best way for some to find their spirituality is to quest for it, to discover it for oneself, and to discover it within oneself.