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Thursday, August 25, 2011

My Name is E-L-L-E-N


Every so often I go to the coffee place for a Chai Tea Latte. If I'm early for work or if I just feel like treating myself I'll skip over to Tully's or Starbucks. When the barista asks for my name, I always spell it out, E-L-L-E-N. My cuppa invariably comes back to me with EILEEN, ELAINE OR HELEN written on it.
Being a language stickler, I was really getting tired of this. So the next time I went to the coffee place I said that my name was JOAN. How could they get a simple name like JOAN wrong? When my Chai came up I heard the guy yelling out, "JUAN, JUAN, your Chai is ready." Oy! This sounds like a Larry David bit from "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

From now on, just call me PAM when you see me at Starbucks!

13 comments:

  1. Ha Ha. I rarely go to Starbucks but when I do, I'm just Sue. Coincidentally, I've just started crocheting coasters.

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  2. Pam sounds like the perfect coffee alter ego.

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  3. OK, so I start reading this and one of my biggest pet peeves is being called Joan when my name is Jo Anne and then bam, what do you write but Joan!! I must say that I never get Juan.... How do they get Helen when you actually spell out E-L-L-E-N?? Not listening??

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  4. Sorry for your frustration, but thanks for the laugh! I really needed it.

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  5. Totally understand, you'd think with a simple name like Jean - how wrong could they get, mostly I see
    Gene, Jan, John, or Gee - maybe all the coffee grinding has made their hearing fuzzy. Had to laugh

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  6. My last drink had "Happy" written on it. HAPPY????

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  7. I found out recently that folks are creating unique "coffee names". It never occurred to me that you don't have to use your real name. For a moment in time we can be anybody we have ever wanted to be. Some days I feel like being "Lolita". Today I might be simply "Beautiful".

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  8. Hahahaha! Abby! The coffee people are describing your disposition! Happy is so sweet!

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  9. I wonder why the Starbucks in Seattle don't ask us for our names (at least not the ones I've been to.)

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  10. Anonymous2:20 AM PDT

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  11. My name is Joan, my mother's name is JoAnn, and I answer to anything that starts with a J and has an N in it anywhere - Jean, Janine, Joanne, Jan, etc. I usually just spell it to them.

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  12. Lovely to meet you, Pam!

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  13. My name is Pam and my boyfriend's name is Ellen. Nice! :)

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