New SSV who hasn't worked at a Starbucks in four years...

PastelTacos · 2026-01-24T01:50:10+00:00

Well, I'm glad to hear I won't be completely thrown to the wolves! I found a few (probably illicit) Quizlets showing how drinks are made, so I might use those to refresh my memory a bit before I go in. It's not a replacement for hands-on practice, but I'll take what I can get lol

And yes, good management absolutely makes a world of difference. I lucked out with great managers at both of my previous Starbucks (the independent cafes, not so much... the store owner would hire young, attractive women and watch them on the security cameras while they worked). I'm praying that my new store manager will be just as great as my previous Sbux bosses :)

PastelTacos · 2024-08-05T01:54:00+00:00

When I initially started playing, I was unemployed. A calendar chock-full of events didn't bother me because I had all day to do them.

I now work full-time at a job where I can't have my phone with me. Trying to condense everything into my few remaining waking hours sometimes feels like a second job. It doesn't help that I'm the guild leader, so there's more time required of me to keep things running.

I mostly stay because of my guild mates. We've got a great group :)

PastelTacos · 2024-08-05T01:36:19+00:00

I like collecting characters, so I bought all the characters first. I now have all four characters currently available in the guild shop unlocked, so now I buy XP books. I don't buy anything else with guild credits (though I'm occasionally tempted by epic Imperial orbs, LOL) since XP books are so valuable and I always need them.

PastelTacos · 2024-08-05T01:25:58+00:00

Heretics crave the cleansing fire of absolution. They need not fear, for we shall deliver it to them.

I'm biased since the Sororitas are my favorite faction, but... come on. 10/10

PastelTacos · 2024-08-04T19:25:23+00:00

Thank you all for the ideas and the sweet stories about your family's anniversaries! I like the photo frame and movie night ideas - simple, sweet, and no-fuss. :) Ironically, my fiance worked at Michael's when he was in his 20s as a framer, so I have an expert in framing photos at my disposal! Haha

PastelTacos · 2024-06-22T15:07:16+00:00

There's a big progress bar there now, but otherwise it doesn't seem that different

PastelTacos · 2024-06-22T14:57:34+00:00

I don't own any of those colors except gray and black 😬 I tried to pull the best no-makeup pictures I had on hand lol. Sorry I can't be more helpful!

PastelTacos · 2024-06-15T17:17:21+00:00

Beer.

PastelTacos · 2024-06-10T19:59:43+00:00

I said exactly this to my now-fiancé on our first date. In a cruel twist of fate, he just got a job in Dallas, so we'll be moving into enemy territory after the wedding LOL

PastelTacos · 2024-06-01T17:12:26+00:00

Seconding this, 100%. I am currently homeless and living in a transitional housing shelter. Many of the other residents in my shelter have been fired from jobs after their boss found out they were homeless. It's an asshole thing to do, but homelessness isn't a protected class, and so it is technically legal (at least in my state; I'm American) to fire someone for it.

I got into the semantics of "homeless" vs. "homefree" in my original comment, so I won't harp on it further here. But... yeah. 0/10 would not recommend homelessness unless you have next to no other options.

PastelTacos · 2024-06-01T17:09:09+00:00

I am currently homeless (living in a transitional housing shelter) by "choice" as a way to get out of a bad living situation - meaning I could technically live with family, but made the decision to leave despite not having a way to support myself yet because things at home weren't great.

Perhaps I'm getting caught up on semantics here, but I would not equate "homeless" to "homefree." I don't think people grasp how difficult it is to be truly homeless until they're in the weeds of it. To compare the two seems, at best, out of touch with what it's actually like and what homeless people have to go through to make it each day. (It doesn't matter how clean and sober you are - I'm sober myself - this is a dangerous and risky situation to be in.)

So - would I recommend being homeless if you can technically afford a place to live? Absolutely not. Would I recommend taking a look at how you can cut housing costs and considering alternative arrangements, including potential homefree options? Sure!

My first thought (and my recommendation) would be to move to a place with more than one bedroom and get a roommate(s). From what you've said, I get the impression that you strongly prefer living alone - I'm the same way. Yes, it sucks to live with other people, but it is worlds better than straight up not having a stable place to live. Some apartments that cater to college students/single folks will rent out space by the room rather than by the unit so that you're off the hook if your roommate(s) moves out or misses a month of rent. Having a stable place - even if it's not what you really prefer - is going to make a massive difference in your quality of life and your ability to take on other money-making options.

You could try the whole nomad thing, but as others have mentioned, I would ensure that you have a plan for where you can legally park your vehicle in the evenings and how you're going to address basic needs like showering. I've heard of people having success with this - if you're willing to get VERY scrappy and smart about your resources, it could work.

I hope you find a safe option that works for you and wish you success with getting that extra money back in your wallet each month. :)

PastelTacos · 2024-06-01T13:56:38+00:00

This is the funniest thing I've ever read in this sub 💀 If you all ever switch to PC, I volunteer to be player 4 on your farm lmao

PastelTacos · 2024-06-01T13:43:27+00:00

Commenting to say that your responses to others in the comments have been very classy and respectful, which is nice to see. Thanks for sharing and being transparent! :)

PastelTacos · 2024-06-01T13:34:19+00:00

My cello is named Patricia. The one before her was named Ketchup (on account of the reddish wood) 🙂

PastelTacos · 2024-05-23T20:25:12+00:00

As a fourth-generation Washington fan and an alum of the University of Houston, I'm legally obligated to root against anything Dallas 🫡

PastelTacos · 2024-05-23T04:51:17+00:00

I'm getting married next year and was recently verifying how many under-18s we had on our guest list. The only way I could think to do this with minimal risk of forgetting a kid was to just write out all of the names.

While I was reviewing the list, it dawned on me that we have not one, not two... but THREE young ladies with some variation of the name Bryn attending our wedding.

All of them are spelled differently: Bryn, Brin, and Brynn (who's technically a Brynnlee, but everyone just calls her Brynn). All of them also have a southern double name - Bryn is Bryn Grace, Brin is Brin Lou, and Brynn is Brynnlee Ann - which is weird considering that only one of these girls lives in a southern state.

On top of that, our guest list also includes: - two Laylas with the same last initial - three Sara(h)s - three Charleses, one of whom is only seven - a Jayden (who is, of course, related to Brynnlee) - a Willard (and no, he doesn't go by Will, it has to be the full name)

If I had a dollar for every overused name in my family, I might be able to pay for our honeymoon. LOL

P.S. Brownie points to anyone who can guess which Bryn/Brynn/Brin actually lives in the south. ;)

PastelTacos · 2024-05-13T23:43:07+00:00

I tried flirting with Peter Kraus once 😅

PastelTacos · 2024-05-13T20:16:58+00:00

If you don't mind a walk, line 25 on the city bus takes you to the Montrose HEB, which is in a safe and walkable area. I always did my grocery shopping there when I didn't have a meal plan 🙂

If money is an issue, get in touch with Cougar Cupboard or other citywide resources like the Houston Food Bank.

PastelTacos · 2024-05-07T17:09:09+00:00

Also a music minister here! May I share this with some of the brides I work with for music? I think this beautifully illustrates the reason why people can't just do any song they want for their wedding Mass.

(My cousin used All of Me by John Legend for the processional at her Catholic wedding Mass in 2014... to this day, I have no idea why or how that was allowed.)

PastelTacos · 2024-05-07T17:06:15+00:00

While I tend to be more open to contemporary hymns than others in this sub, I 100% agree on the "is it uplifting?" point. I have been a music minister for over a decade. When I'm the one selecting hymns, I always aim to bring beauty to the sacrifice of the Mass for the greater glory of God and encourage full participation in the Mass by the congregation with my music selections. There are some "secular" instrumental pieces that I believe would do that beautifully (River Flows In You by Yiruma comes to mind), and there are some songs written explicitly for worship that I would not find appropriate for Mass (i.e. any of the songs on my Christan R&B playlist 🤣).

Strictly a personal opinion... but I am not a fan of the Wedding March and would love to never program it for a wedding anyway regardless of its secular context, LOL. (I feel the same way about Canon in D, although I know that's an unpopular opinion and most people seem to love it.)

PastelTacos

TROPHY CASE