Starbuck Musings--Cahuenga Way

1/2/2010 6:56:45 PM
Another Starbuck musing.

Betty Page Plays On Her Pink DS
This time I sit out in the corner of Cahuenga and Barham off ramp. It’s a bit breezy. Cars whiz by. A lady sits to the side playing her DS. Pink in color. Kind of funny. Must be in her mid- to late-20s. Dressed in Black. Grey boots. Black and white checkered jacket. Short hair. Sitting away from people. Off in her little DS world. Pink stands out because she reminds me of the Pinup girl Betty Page with black hair. Short Mod hair cut. Fingers racing away on her game.

I notice a glint by her face. Glasses. I wonder what is her deal. Sitting in Starbucks lounge playing DS. Is she waiting for someone? Is she getting away? She just sits, sits and plays. Wait, she looks at her blackberry, Curve, I think. I have a similar phone. No text. No IM. No ring. She sits back and again her fingers are ablaze. Leaning back on the chaise chair. Her foot taps unhurriedly. An Venti. No, it’s a Tall. Tall means small in Starbuck speak. Tall is really not that tall. Venti is large. Whatever. Her drink is done. A crumbled napkin sits inside.

I see no book. I see no sign that her venture will be that of reading exploration. Dressed nice (kind of) Probably waiting for someone is my guess. A date, possibly. Her legs cross and uncross. . .and cross again. She twirls her foot and her feet tap reservedly to the beat of Starbuck music.


Couples Dress Alike: Why?
A conversation walks by. An athletic couple. Both dressed in workout clothes. She in tight spandex leggings and form-fitting white nike athletic shirt. He’s wearing the same. Starbuck cup in hand. She is 5’5”. He’s 6’, perhaps. He’s maybe a runner. Former football player. Muscular, kind of. He turns to answer her question. They turn the corner as cars pass by.

It’s a little past mid-day. It’s a lot past mid-day. Precisely, its 3:13pm from what my laptop states. Shadows from the trees and power lines blanket the patio of the beloved Starbucks.


Jamie and Pat: Asian Couple Converse
An Asian couple walks by. The black haired girl turns her head expectedly. A sigh comes out. Not him, I suspect she is saying to herself. She turns back to her pink companion. Not the one she is waiting for. This mystery is getting to me.
Korean, maybe? Thai? I know it’s not Filipino or Japanese. Asians, just know these things.

The Asian lady glances my way. I avert my eyes. She is not my type. No eye contact. Look away I say to myself. Look away. My urge to get up and grows. Is it the cool breeze or is her stare. I don’t know. Her companion speaks in a gutter-ish. Chinese. I bet they are Chinese. “Shey shey” I hear one say. I thinks that’s Mandarin.

Oh, oh. The girl in the checkered coat gets up. She readies herself to leave. Takes one last puff on her cigarette. She gathers her bag and she is gone. She wore all black, except for the red belt, maybe. Went too fast. She gathered her stuff and she took off. Gone like the athletic couple. Mystery remains a mystery. Was she stood up? Did her batteries die? I am troubled. My questions unanswered.

The Chinese girl sitting in the far chair speaks, but I don’t understand her. She’s wearing a pink, no. Red and white shirt with Flower prints. She has a Tall drink sitting in front of her. (Small in Starbuck speak) Her friends drink requires a heat-thing. A cover coat. I don’t know, but that is what I will call it, a Cover coat for her coffee. Her friend gets up and leave. Initially, I thought it was guy with short hair. But, it looks it girl with a Flock of Seagulls hair cut. Kind of Dike-ish. The girl in pink coughs. She wears Black rimmed glasses. I wonder what her conversation was about. Her friend went back inside the café.

They are playing that song from the movie Nine. “Be ITALIAN”.

Her manly girlfriend is also wearing a plaid hoodie. She drinks, or is it a he? I dunno. He/she glances this way. Little do they know they are part of my Starbucks musings. Let’s call the pink friend Jamie. She reminds of this heavy girl in the second grade that had I had issues with. Her lips move, but nothing comes out. She scratches her face. It looked like she was picking her nose.

Anyways, her friend, lets call him/her Butch. Crosses his leg like a man. He/she shakes his/her head in a masculine way. I hear his/her voice. Sounds feminine. Its gotta be. Well, he/she pulls on his cross leg closer to him/her. I still don’t know if it’s a girl or guy. He/she dresses like a guy, but kind of looks like a woman. Body frame is svelte, in a husky kind of way. Maybe, Pat is a better name. Very Androgynous.


Jason Calls for Warmer Climate
Alas, their interactions no longer interests me. I think it’s time to go in. Jason, my cousin, has had his head covered for awhile. The breeze from the car and the cool winter day has made sitting here a little. . . It has me wanting a more warmer climate. Must run. This exercise in the Starbucks Cahuenga musing is over.