b o o m
t w e n t y - t w o - y e a r s
$ $ $ - h u n d r e d s - o f - t h o u s a n d s
a - m i l l i o n - p l u s - m i l e s
f i n a l l y
MY 15,000TH STARBUCKS VISIT
In two decades of Starbucking, I've been mocked, called an idiot, told that my goal is pointless. Yet Starbucking, plus
@dongstreth
,
@timecrisis2000
and
@arzE
, just gave me the best night ever--amazing show, backstage pass, and meeting the band.
Follow your dreams, always.
THE WAIT IS OVER!!!
After enduring COVID-19 testing requirements, a last-minute weekend lockdown, a nine-hour ordeal to change my flight, and now a rainy morning in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, I finally achieve my 16,000th Starbucks.
I do not own a home, nor do I want one, but I am beyond excited to finally get my hands on a much-coveted piece of
@dongstreth
artwork, this limited edition print!
Today I am thankful for
@timecrisis2000
and the TC community.
To all the Crisis Crew, my fellow TC headz, and all the VW fand out there...
Enjoy your turkey, popcorn, and raisins!
From
@timecrisis2000
#35
...
EZRA: Have you heard the Chain Smoker's new single yet?
JAKE: NO.
EZRA: I know you've been waiting for it.
JAKE: WHAT CONTEXT would I possibly heard that it? Office Depot?
Classic.
Our attention is rightfully on the pandemic, but once this crisis is over, people should pay attention to the changes necessary to forestall the dark future depicted in last night's 'Westworld'.
Zoom into the images and imagine your fate dictated by an algorithm.
#Westworld
@arzE
continues to amaze me with his generosity.
Since my first time on
@timecrisis2000
he has offered passes to VW shows, allowed me backstage at MSG, retweeted my Peru post (I gained tons of followers), gifted a rad t-shirt, and shouted out my in-progress book.
What a guy!
@timecrisis2000
When the world gets back to normal and Time Crisis can record in the studio again, we should do an entire Crisis Crew + staff wersus Winter, over an actual Scrabble board, with TC getting 30 minutes on their clock and me getting just 5.
Y'all can even use a dictionary.
I'm not sold on Sanders (I'd wote for him in a heartbeat though), but I respect Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, and other artists who are willing to risk backlash from (fair-weather) fans by getting political.
Today's episode of
@timecrisis2000
will include a lengthy discussion about my experience Starbucking as the company was adapting to social distancing.
Listen live at 15:00 EDT with the Apple Music app, either iOS or Android, or on-demand tomorrow (if you have a subscription).
It's finally out, the VICE short-form documentary about Starbucking!
Though its 10-minute length cannot compare with the 2007 'Starbucking' film (often found on Amazon or eBay), the production walues and views from New Brunswick are spectacular.
@timecrisis2000
It's not about time, dear friend.
Rather, I view Scrabble as a physical game, almost a sport, and the online game is for pikers.
I want to SEE the sweat on your brow as you struggle to penetrate my defense, and HEAR the sound of your teardrops as they hit the ground.
Cool thing about
@timecrisis2000
is how it rewards loyal listeners, those who have listened to every episode, follow the twitter account, maybe even read the TCU Wiki.
Like, when Seinfeld asks Jake if he plays Words With Friends--only the true TC heads got how funny that was.
AMAZING!!!
After SIXTEEN years of tournament Scrabble (my other major hobby besides coffee), and over TWO DOZEN attempts, I finally win a CHAMPIONSHIP, the WORD CUP in Coral Gables, FL.
And I clinched with THREE rounds to go!
Pleased to announce my seventh appearance on
@timecrisis2000
episode 138, which broadens the discussion beyond coffee, to donuts!
Listen live today at 15:00 EST on the Apple Music app, or later on demand if you subscribe.
Thanks to my appearance on the 100th episode of
@timecrisis2000
, my little Starbucks adwenture has been picked up by CNN!!!
'Time Crisis' is awesome, and srsly one of the most interesting and exciting dewelopments in my twenty-two years of Starbucking.
Sorry to mislead the
@timecrisis2000
community, but there are actually 17 corporate Starbucks in El Paso, not 10 as I said on the show.
Apologies to the city as well--no disrespect intended.
On
@timecrisis2000
#110
, Ezra says "Any TC heads, if you've ever felt different, maybe not everybody likes you, maybe people don't take the time to get to understand your quirks, or, you know, you ever felt like an outsider. Well, you're a little like a Butterfinger."
THAT'S ME!
I don't know who needs to hear this, but at this five-year mark,
@timecrisis2000
fandom has already reached such a level of loyalty and passion that, without question, SOMEONE should produce a documentary about the TC community.
Thrilled to receive my
@dongstreth
Wikipedia shirt, courtesy of
@leaantonette
!
I will debut it at my Scrabble tournament this weekend, and I am confident that the Power of Jake will propel me to crack the Top Ten for the first time.
Ironically, Winter and
@getpatrick
decide to "pregame" at a local Montreal coffeehouse, Pikolo Espresso Bar, before beginning a mini-Starbucking tour of the city's newest Starbucks!
Listening to
@arzE
discuss the CONCEPT OF POLICE on
@timecrisis2000
is truly a highlight of my recent memories.
The first step towards solving this problem is for people to even question the assumption that a society needs police to keep everyone safe.
Listen to today's Time Crisis for an update on what the nation looks like during the current phase of the pandemic, as I catch up on Starbucks and other coffeehouses across the country, occasionally joining in anti-police protests as the opportunity permits.
Whoa, how about that new HAIM record!!!
I mean, they were unquestionably good from the beginning, but this time around it feels like they have kicked it up notch and leveled up.
Okay, so if you woke up one morning to discover that Vampire Weekend had just dropped a brand new surprise album, à la Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, how insanely excited would you be, on a scale of 1 to 10?
OMG. I. CANNOT. BREATH.
Listening to
@timecrisis2000
, episode
#53
--Jake, Ezra and Seinfeld are dishing on the 1981 hit song "Endless Love", and their take is one of the funniest things I've ever heard in my life.
This show rules.
I don't think that anybody can claim (with a straight face) that the last four months of pandemic have been wonderful, but they did bring us (at least) FOUR absolutely amazing albums from women...
Fiona Apple
HAIM
Phoebe Bridgers
The Chicks
So, yeah, it wasn't all bad.
MY 17,000TH STARBUCKS!!!
As planned, this long-awaited milestone is exactly the store I planned, the wery first store in the Dominican Republic, at the Downtown Center.
This is Jim, a Starbucker who did not even realise that what he does is a thing!
Jim overheard me talking to the manager at the relocated Starbucks in Ashburn, VA, and he came over and eagerly showed me an iPad with his amazing photos of dozens of Starbucks.
You should always try to view the glass as half-full.
For example, I do not want to go to prison, but if I ever do, I will use all that free time to memorise the lyrics of every single Vampire Weekend song.
****, my legs hurt.
I just ran on a treadmill for the ENTIRE DURATION of
@timecrisis2000
episode 100, and though I had to slow down periodically, as well as switching machines, I REFUSED to stop until the end!
Because Despot had faith that I can lose the gut despite the sugar.
This Starbucks, on the SE corner of Preston & Park in Plano, TX, closed long ago, but it will forever have the distinction of being the cafe where--23 years ago--I first asked the fateful question...
Is it possible to visit every Starbucks in the world?
The rest is history.
Feeling almost wistful, that I've finally worked my way backwards to
@timecrisis2000
#1
, after having heard
#89
, "Winter Returns" then promptly subscribed to Apple Music because I HAD TO HEAR MORE!!!
This show rules.
Starbucking is about the journey, not the destination, and if that journey demands that I wait out a two-day lockdown at some hotel in Bolivia, then so be it.
View ain't half bad, tho.
Hey
@arzE
, you and
@boniver
mentioned Viroqua, WI, during
@timecrisis2000
#102
.
That's actually the home of Kickapoo Coffee, which I recommended as one of my indie coffee faves, way back in 2018 when I called in for the first time.
FYI.
Hey
@arzE
, I’m going to dedicate this new Starbucks in Stratham, NH, to Bernie, ahead of his upcoming win on Tuesday.
As I stand here, I’m pretty sure I can feel the Bern, and it’s not just because Starbucks boils their coffee!
THANKSGIVING STARBUCKING
Finally locked down my upcoming travel plans!
* Drive from Rochester to Miami and wisit dozens of new stores across VA, NC, SC, GA, FL
* MY FIRST JAMAICAN STARBUCKING TOUR
* Finish FL, then north thru AL, TN, GA, OH
Follow my Insta for lotsa photos!
Some people hate Mondays, but when you wake up in the morning to learn that Vampire Weekend has won another Grammy, the week is clearly off to an awesome start.
That feeling when I’ve just raced six hours to reach a Starbucks before nightfall, and when I finally arrive the lighting is simply PERFECT.
#Starbucking
Go deeper than the headlines and you will understand that the reaction to COVID-19 is putting many people in economic jeopardy because our capitalist society is structured around profit, rather than ensuring that every person's basic needs are met.
We need fundamental change.
I may not be a Rhodes Scholar, but after two decades of Starbucking and all the miles I've traveled around the world, I might as well call myself a Roads Scholar.
#Starbucking
Any of you TC headz listen to a new song and wonder if...
A - it will hit the Top 5 on iTunes?
B - the
@timecrisis2000
crew will break down the track and related drama?
I sure hope "Lose You To Love Me" charts so we can hear TC discuss the Hailey/Selena "Kill You" beef!
First actual physical threat from a customer, the gentleman in this car, who said he'd come back with his buddies and "take care" of me.
He noticed my photography, and as I walked in to pick up my danish, he asked why I was taking pictures.
I didn't appreciate his tone, so...
Well this is stunning...
The client where I am currently contracting called my agency to say that they were so impressed with my work that they want to INCREASE my hourly rate.
Not only have I myself never seen this in my 23 years of contracting, but neither has the agency.
Just booked my flight to Lima, Peru, where I will wisit my 15,000th Starbucks, either Thursday August 29, or Friday the 30th.
Now I need to identify the best store in Lima and try to drum up some media coverage down there!
Hey thanks a lot
@timecrisis2000
!!!
After listening to episode
#19
, this 47-year-old man was overwhelmed by the urge to listen to One Direction, and as I work my way through their debut album, I'm starting to question my own identity.
FINALLY MADE IT!!!
After missing out on past exhibits at the Nino Mier Gallery, as well as a few months ago in Marfa, I am beyond thrilled to finally catch this latest show by rockstar painter Jake Longstreth.
Unquestionably the highlight of my time in California!
@timecrisis2000
It's been slow going, about one a week, but I'm at that stretch of episodes when Jake and Ezra discuss a lot of corporations, like
#61
and the Diet Coke commercial, and this is brilliant stuff. I could literally listen to those guys discuss companies all day long.
Powerfully ironic, I think, to buy expensive artwork in the morning, then go camp out at night in Skid Row.
I often sleep here when in L.A. because cops are unlikely to bother me, but also because I want this reminder of our nation's great failure, homelessness and inequality.
Starbucking in JAMAICA!!!
This store, at Doctor’s Cave Beach, in Montego Bay, is the first in Jamaica, my 56th country, and my 15,156th Starbucks overall.
Saturday's highlight of my global Starbucking is obvs the 200th episode of
@timecrisis2000
(my NINTH appearance). Towards the end of the discussion, Ezra mentions the possibility of British fans listening, and sure enough, earlier that morning I met Scottish fan
@nickafchain
!
WHEW!!!
Almost denied, because this store sits inside UPC San Isidro, a school that restricts access.
The guards told me to email the administration, but one summoned a Starbucks partner who made a call and authorised my entry, after I presented my passport to security.
VW fans, you gotta listen to this episode.
At 26:30, Michael J. Fox recounts how he thinks about mortality a lot, and one night at a VW concert the lyric “I don't wanna live like this, but I don't wanna die” really resonated with him.
Powerful stuff.