The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Good:  Coffee + a newspaper on the first flight, dark chocolate on the second

Bad:  Laying off 6 undeserving people

Ugly:  Having to break the news to one of them over the phone

 

This morning I flew up to one of our offices to tell 6 people that they were losing their jobs.  I’ve been dreading this day for over a year.

Since there is no Starbucks at Love Field, I usually get my coffee at Cinnabun.  It’s not great coffee, but it’s good.

This morning, there was a sign in front of the kiosk that said “Cash Only”.

You had better bet I wasn’t the only half-asleep business person frantically searching my pockets and briefcase for cash.

Fortunately, I found enough to make the ridiculously steep price of $2.26 for airport kiosk coffee and my early-bird flight was made much more pleasant.

I find it really amusing how people talk about the extremely outrageous prices Starbucks charges when a drip coffee this size at Starbucks is about $1.50 and way, way better.

Do you think Starbucks coffee is overpriced, comparatively or otherwise?

After single-handedly ruining the day for 6 people, I had a Larabar to console myself.

(and to fill my growling tummy)

This was one of the samples I received from Larabar last week.

I love this one even though I’m not all that into tropical fruit flavors.  It’s different and really good.

I had a second Larabar, also from last week’s stash, not too long after but it escaped a picture.  It was the Cashew Cookie flavor and I think I like it least of all Larabars, but it’s still a Larabar and I have yet to meet one I wouldn’t eat.

We grabbed lunch to go from a deli near the office while coordinating shipping files and computers.  Simplicity is key in getting something safe.

Spinach + fruit salad.  Typical fruit salad:

• cantaloupe
• pineapple
• honeydew melon
• strawberries
• grapes

And I definitely like baby spinach better than… what do you call non-baby spinach?  Grown-up spinach?  Adult spinach?  Whatever you call it.

I partook in my typical nightly vices at the airport/on the plane:

A rather unmentionable Cab.  I have found that good wine is nowhere to be found at a bar in an airport.  Shocking, I know.

And my daily dose of antioxidants from cocoa:

Which made the flight much more enjoyable, particularly since I’d had the glass of wine on an empty stomach.

Since we still have no groceries, I made a pit stop at Freebirds on the way home.

Bird salad with:

• chicken
• roasted veggies (tri colored peppers and onions)
• lettuce
• pico de gallo
• red onion
• guac
• a little shredded cheddar
• Tabasco 

Today was really hard.   I don’t have a huge problem feeling like crap whenever I have to fire someone for performance issues, but laying someone off for something that has absolutely nothing to do with them, in this economy, is awful.  Absolutely awful.

And now I think I deserve another glass of wine.