Tag Archives: starbucks

Autumnal Equinox

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Two-ish weeks until it’s official, but autumn is basically here. If you don’t know that I love fall, well, then you don’t know me very well. I love fall. I love crisp air, orange and red foliage, back-to-school shopping, wearing warm sweaters and scarves, sitting by a fireplace, hot cocoa, pumpkin-flavored everything, and Thanksgiving. Autumn is my absolute favorite time of year, but I also love winter for many of the same reasons.

These pictures are from three different days, fyi.

Today when I woke up the weather was so glorious that, for the first time in Philadelphia, I could not stay inside. Low 70s, no humidity, clear sky, fresh air. I didn’t even bother to shower before grabbing a book and heading out to the university area. I stopped by Starbucks and got my favorite seasonal beverage, a pumpkin spice latte. So good. 

B. and I were musing about this being the first fall for both of us that we’re not headed back to school. I will admit that it makes me very sad and I’ve sulked about it for a week. For those of you who aren’t aware, I had to defer my admission to Penn until next fall, and that’s all I’m going to say about it or else my words will turn mighty wrathful.

That’s about all that’s going on now, – oh, except for the fact that I inadvertently walked through a drug deal today – but stay tuned for a weekly series that will début on the blog this week.

What’s in Whitney’s Bag?

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I loathe purses. Never have I seen a purse and thought, “Oh, hey, I like that.” It’s not surprising, really; I’m hardly a trendy person. I own one dress for formal occasions, two pairs of dress slacks, and zero skirts. I like jeans, cords, and the occasional pair of shorts. My shoe collection, if you can even call it that, is one pair of dress shoes and two pairs of Toms. So it’s only fitting that the first bag I’d fall in love with is a utilitarian men’s messenger bag. When I saw it in the Fossil store in fall 2010, I almost immediately purchased it. Then I looked at the price tag. $160. What the eff?! That’s more than I’d ever even considered spending on any one non-electronic item. I left the store, a little sad, but proud of myself for not spending so much on a messenger bag. A few months passed, and my mind kept going back to this bag. Then one day in December 2010, I was back in the Fossil store, and there it still was: the bag that was tantalizing me in my dreams. I bought it, without a moment’s hesitation, and I’ve never regretted it.


I have romantic fantasies of one day passing this messenger bag down to my child as he or she goes off to college.

I thought this blog could use a lighthearted post, so I present to you: What’s in Whitney’s Bag!


I’m just an asthma inhaler away from being the nerdiest person in West Philly.

So, I have:

Obviously, my wallet, which is also Fossil. After I got robbed the first time I came to Philadelphia, I consoled myself by buying whatever wallet I wanted, even if it was stupid expensive.

California magazine, the official publication of the Cal Alumni Association; Atonement, which I have started and not finished more times than I can count – (I’m going to finish it this time, damn it!); The Russian Reference Grammar because I never get tired of studying declension and cases (ha!)

Two sets of lanyard and keys: the Penn Law lanyard is Bobby’s and has our house key on it; the Cal lanyard is mine and has the keys to my mother’s and uncle’s houses on it, along with my Cal1Card mini-light and Berkeley key chain. Have you figured out where I went to school yet?

Hand sanitizer because everything, everywhere is disgustingly gross and I always feel forever unclean; hand lotion so my obsessive-compulsive need to sanitize my hands doesn’t dry them out; Chapstick because my lips are perpetually dry; pepper spray because no way in hell I’d go anywhere without it. Funny tangent about the pepper spray: I forgot it was in my bag and got through airport security with it on my flight from California to Philly. Yeah, the TSA is really doing its job.

My driver license which entitles me to all the booze I can handle (and even the booze I can’t); my Cal1Card which is probably my favorite card in my whole wallet because, while it doesn’t get me booze, it’s a testament to my hard-earned degree; my Cal Alumni Association membership card, which you’d think would be a little less flimsy considering I paid $30 for it; my FAMSF member card, which I love because I love museums, which is obviously why I got a membership in the first place; my very poor check card; my awesome lion credit card; and the Best Buy card that financed my computer interest free for two years

Starbucks card and a coupon for a free Refresher; Refreshers are some new concoction that Starbucks was giving away for free on Friday. It wasn’t that great – I definitely wouldn’t pay for one – but hey, the coupon gets me another one for free, so I’ll take it.

There’s also my Berkeley water bottle, which I am rarely spotted without; a stray cherry Jolly Rancher from my doctor; 8 leftover stamps I had to buy just to send one letter; my iPhone and ear buds, and (out of shot) my Clipper card for BART and Zipcard for, uh, Zipping?

I Should Have Gone With the Lattes

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I haven’t had a cup of coffee in weeks. I haven’t made a cup of coffee in months. It’s been an unwelcome change in my life.

When I moved, I had to ship whatever belongings I couldn’t stuff in my suitcases. This meant leaving any “inessentials” behind. While it was good news for the family members who inherited my Ralph Lauren towels and satin sheets, it was a bummer for me. Sadly, the “inessentials” included my one-cup coffee brewer. Ol’ Mr. Black & Decker got me through hundreds of too-early mornings and too-late nights. He could get me from sleeping to sipping in under three minutes. True love. 

But, alas, he could not come! Fortunately, or so I thought, between holiday gifts and graduation gifts, I arrived in Philly with $70 in Starbucks gift cards. Instead of slowly drinking away that $70 in tall, non-fat, sugar-free, cinnamon lattes, I decided I’d buy a French press. I felt so hip and cultured carrying home my new press and fresh beans. At first, I used it daily, but from boiling the water to steeping the coffee, it was a full 20 minutes before I had a cup to drink.

Hell no.
That just would not do.

The novelty of pressed coffee wore off damn quick. I stopped making coffee and instead became a pathetic coffee beggar. Now, I sneak down to the kitchen after my housemates leave for work (don’t ask why I sneak when no one else is home) and abscond with the last pitiful drops left in their pot.

I’ve also made a daily habit of going on Amazon and almost buying a new Mr. Black & Decker. I try to convince myself that it’s only $20 for a lifetime of caffeinated happiness, but then I look at my bank account and take an Advil to quell my raging caffeine headache instead.