LIfe @ Starbucks

It's been a week since I started this project in Starbucks and it has been a nice experience at all. The best think is the corporate offices, imagine a 200 000 sq ft Starbucks, same furniture, same environment, same look. Is really good, the people is the friendliest ever and the best thing, the coffee. In every floor, there is a coffee station where you can prepare any Starbucks drink like the new “dulce de leche” (cajeta) haha. Or any white mocha, latte, whatever u want… just follow the manual and you are done.

Working in Seattle also put me back into the reality, my food sponsorship ended, as you guys may know, since I’ve been traveling for the last 6 months, basically I never went to the groceries store, the company was paying my meals M – F and sometimes even in the weekends, so have to pay again for MY food is simply not nice.

Some friends have asked me how is to work at starbuscks, so I will let you know my typical schedule.

A typical “Working at Starbucks” day:
by @rm@ndo @ Se@ttle

6:15 am ==> Wake up @rm@ndo… Gym time… (believe it or not, I’m doing exercise or at least trying to AGAIN)

7:00 am ==> Take a shower, breakfast and read the news @ cnn.com

7:45 am = Start walking to Starbucks by the Waterfront (please refer to the map between English and Spanish section to see my daily walk to work in BLUE)

8:25 am = Arrive to the office and prepare the first triple grande latte of the day

9:15 am – 12.15 pm = Meetings and boring stuff

12:15 pm = Heat my lunch (I usually cook the day before and I bring my lunch to work)

1:15 pm = Doppio Espresso Machiato (double espresso with a small shoot of milk)

1:15 pm – 5.30 pm = More meetings and boring stuff

5:35 pm = Start walking back home, I usually make a stop to any coffee shop and I read, or I do some shopping or I join some friends for dinner to any of the good restaurants we have in the Downtown / Belltown area)

8:15 pm = Netflix time. If I’m not still dinning with friends or getting drunk in some bar, I try to watch a movie. I don’t have cable… I’m so cheap.

11:15 pm = Cook for the next day and then sleep

Well… I love it!!!

Cheers!!!

Yahoo! ==> Seattle ==>Atlanta ==> Houston ==> Portland ==> Seattle ==>Starbucks!!!

Ok, el título de este blog puede sonar como una MUY mala conexión entre 2 destinos no?? (Yahoo y Starbucks) jaja, pero el punto es que así me han traído... después de trabajar como pocas veces en mi vida en Yahoo, y mi semana de vacaciones (ver blog "mom in town"), el sabado que se fue mi mama me fui a Atlanta a un congreso de un día y medio y el martes, regresé a Portland haciendo escala en Houston.

Y la pregunta se vuelve a repetir (si no has leído el blog anterior, no vas entender este chiste), Porque Portland?? esta vez no fue por marro, sino porque estaba ya destinado a un proyecto de 6 semanas ahí. El punto es que me bajo del avión, dispuesto a irme con el cliente, y recibo la llamada de mi jefe... "Armando, change of plans, I need you in Seattle by 4 pm today (era medio día y yo en Portland), you start tomorrow a new Project in Starbucks"

Jaja... y al son de 1 2 3 agarré mi poderosísimo Cooper y a manejar las 175 millas de diferencia entre el Aeropuerto de Pórtland y mi oficina en downtown Seattle. Y así como suena, Starbucks será mi próximo proyecto, para aquellos que no lo saben, me considero el cliente de Starbucks #1 de toda la gente que conozco, así que pensar que voy estar en el HQ 1 mes, con TODO el café GRATIS que quiera... jaja, bueno, que les puedo decir… wordless... :) Ya les mandaré fotos y updates al respecto, así que la aventura Starbucks comienza... 3, 2, 1..... Triple Tall Latte please...




Ok, the title for this post may sound like a BAD several stops connection flight, don’t you think? well, that’s how I’ve been in the last days, after working so hard in Yahoo (as few times in my life), and a week of vacation (please refer to the previous post “Mom in town”), this last Saturday after my mom took her flight back to Mexico, I went to Atlanta for my company’s Spring Symposium. After 1 and a half day in training, today morning I flew to Houston, and then back to Portland.

The question comes back, why Portland? (if you haven’t read the Mom’s post, you wont understand this joke) haha, well, this time it wasn’t because I’m cheap, I was supposed to start my new project there today. Ok, I’m out of the plane, I’m ready to drive with my customer when I receive a call from my boss: “Armando, change of plans, I need you in Seattle by 4 pm today (it was noon and I was in Portland), you start tomorrow a new Project in Starbucks"

Ha ha, and 10 minutes later, I was driving my cooper back to Seattle to reach the 175 miles between Portland International Airport and my office in downtown Seattle. So, just like you read, Starbucks will be my next project. For those of you what don’t know, I’m the best Starbucks customer I know between the ppl I actually know (including myself), so just to think the idea of being 1 month in Starbucks HQ is exciting. All the coffee I want for free aI’ll update with pictures (they offices are awesome) and this is how the Starbucks Adventure starts… 3, 2, 1… Triple Tall Latte please!! :)

Mom in town....

La semana pasada me desconecté completamente del mundo (incluyendo este blog). La razón?? Mi madre... vino a verme dos semanas. Estuvimos muy contentos. Les cuento el viaje.

La penúltima semana de mi proyecto en Yahoo!, manejé el domingo a Portland y volé de ahí, el jueves en la noche regresé y mi mama llegó en el vuelo de Mexicana. Porque en Portland? porque soy un marro tacaño y para no comprar boleto, la traje con millas, y lo mas al norte de EU que llega Mexicana en el West Coast es Portland. Anyway, nos venimos a Siarol el viernes y la llevé a cenar sushi. El Sábado la llevé a la NIEVE; vean las fotos, pasamos muy buen tiempo.

Luego el Domingo nos fuimos a San Francisco, hicimos un poco de tour el domingo y yo a partir de el lunes, pues ya era trabajar como enfermo de sol a sol, mientras ella se divertía de lo lindo, básicamente conoció todo San Francisco mientras su hijo descifraba los enigmas de la programación en JAVA en Yahoo!.

El viernes regresamos a Siarol, y nos retrasan el vuelo, así que el tour empezó el Sábado. A continuación una lista de las actividades realizadas por los dos.

- Viñedo y Fabricación de Vino (si soy miembro de un club de vinos)
- Tulip Festival (entiéndase como Festival de Tulipanes),
- Downtown Seattle (aka Siarol), Public Library, Starbucks #1 y Pike Place Market (la atracción turística #1 de Siarol, un mercadito asi todo pintoresco)
- Vashon Island.. (vean este link: http://www.tvicr.com/) y West Seattle
- Otra vez al mercadito
- El Parque de la esquina de mi casa (Atracción # 3 de Seattle),
- EL Space Needle (atracción #2 de Seattle) a 3 cuadras de mi casa
- EL mercadito nuevamente
- Caminatas por el malecón (waterfront como lo llaman los gringos)
- Mercadito nuevamente
- Planta de BOEING (si, la de los aviones no de los refrescos, vimos la línea de producción del 777 para Air France y Japan Airlines)
- Tour de café por todos los coffee shops de Seattle (nota… es la ciudad cafetalera # 1 de USA)
Y el último día, adivinen… mercadito (creo que le gustó la idea de ver hueritos de ojo azul despachando la fruta y con sombrero de granjeros como menonitas)

Nos divertimos muchísimo…. Un abrazo!


In the last couple weeks I have been completely out of this world. The reason? My mom was in town. She came for a couple weeks and we had terrific time 2gether.

Let me tell you about the trip 2 weeks ago I drove down to Portland instead of flying from Seattle to San Francisco, the reason was my mom’s flight. Since I’m a cheap guy and I flew her using miles, the northern west coast city they flight in the US is Portland, haha…anyway, we came to Seattle that Friday and did absolutely nothing rather than going out for diner.

On Saturday we went to the snow, it was awesome, first time for my mom (check the pictures). Next Sunday we flew down to San Francisco, we did a small tour (cable car, golden gate and Alcatraz) and then, during the week, while she was having fun, I was working sun to sun to finish my project on time.

The Friday arrived and we went back to Seattle. I took 1 week of vacation to be with her and this is the list of all the things we did:
- Winery Tour (yes, I’m a Columbia Winery Club Member)
- Tulip festival (check the pics)
- Downtown Seattle (aka Siarol), Public Library, Starbucks #1 and Pike Place Market (small market very nice which is the tourist attraction #1 of Seattle)
- Vashon Island (check this link: http://www.tvicr.com/) and West Seattle
- Pike Place Market again - Olympic Sculpture Park in the corner of my apt… (Attraction #3)
- The Space Needle (Attraction #2 just 2 blocks from home)
- Pike Place Market AGAIN
- Walking the entire at the Waterfront “n times n” times..
- Pike Place Market AGAIN and AGAIN
- BOEING factory (yes, the planes, we saw the 777 production line for Air France and Japan Airlines) - Coffee tour to the best Seattle’s coffee shops

And finally, guess… YES, PIKE PLACE MARKET, haha (I think the idea of blonde & blue eyes people selling fruits and vegetables in a market caused certain impression on my mom) It was a great week, it deserved be away from my cyber world… but I’m back 

@rm@ndo recomiend@ / @rm@ndo recommeds

Hey guys... Sorry I haven't updated this site, working for Yahoo the last 3 weeks has been the most demanding project in my life. Anyway, I'm done with that, now I'll have more time to update this much more frequently.

Today I will like to recommend one site for those who love the graphical marketing. Is really funny and interesting. Just CLICK on the image.... Ross recommended it to me and is really good



Una disculpa por no haber actualizado este sitio, el proyecto que tenía en Yahoo en vdd me desgastó, nunca haía estado en un proyecto tan demandante. AHora voy a un nuevo proyecto y tendré más tiempo de dedicarle a este sitio

Hoy quisiera recomendar un sitio que Ross me pasó, si les gusta el marketing gráfico, tienen que verlo.

Disfruten... (DENLE CLICK A LA IMAGEN)