Joan Crawford vs Charlton Heston

Pretty much every afternoon I visit the starbucks(yeah, yeah, I know)that is sort-of midway between the hospital and the little franciscan church. I get the same thing every time--a double espresso, which is a habit I brought back from Italy.

I like this particular starbucks--the people who work there are friendly and talkative, and always make me feel like they are happy to see me. I sit at one of the tables, sip my espresso, and write a few words in my journal.

At the counter of this particular starbucks is a little whiteboard where they post a different trivia question every day. If you get the question right, they toss in an extra shot to whatever you're getting. So, if you order a soy mocha half-caf iced latte with caramel and seven packets of splenda, you'll get a soy mocha half-caf iced latte with caramel and seven packets of splenda, with an extra shot of espresso!

Or, in my case, a triple espresso.

I would say that I know the answer about 50% of the time. Of the other 50%, I can usually make a correct guess fairly often. If I have absolutely no idea, I make something up.

The question today was something along the lines of, "Who was Charlton Heston's rival in the famous chariot scene in Ben Hur?"

I had no idea, but a startlingly lifelike mental image came to me of big intimidating eyebrows staring at me from the next chariot over, and so I guessed, "Joan Crawford".

The "barista" looks at me and says, "Who is Joan Crawford?"

That's ok. One time, at another starbucks, the "barista", after taking my order and standing there for a minute, whispered to one of his co-workers, "what's a double espresso?".