Happy Thanksgiving

Avant Grande

Avant Grande Partner Art Show
November 17, 2006
7pm - 12am
Merchandise Mart
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Chicago, IL 60654




Starbucks partners (employees) have been creating visually stimulating art in Starbucks Coffeehouses for years. It began with their chalkboard creative. And then - one day a partner had a vision... Create an event where fellow partners could showcase their art for everyone to enjoy!

Avant Grande began in 2003 and features the works of Starbucks Partners in photography, paintings, sculpture and more.

Tickets on sale at the door for $20
100% of the proceeds will benefit our non-profit partners Redmoon Theater and Gallery 37 in support of the arts.

I'm showing a couple photographs as are a couple of my fellow Baristas from the Grand Ave store. So if you're free tomorrow night come on down...the booze is free!

Brush with Barack

Mid-Term Madness has been sweeping the nation. This time tomorrow the Democratic Party may have regained control of the House and/or Senate. Today candidates across the country were pulling out all the stops to secure votes. For Democratic candidates here in Illinois that meant having political superstar Barack Obama stump for you. Being the good Democrat that I am I made my way to the College of Lake County campus late this morning to attend a rally in support of our Congresswoman. Okay, who am I kidding; I went to see Barack Obama. And I wasn't disappointed.

Barack Obama is larger than life! Everything you see on television, the charisma, the intelligence, the genuineness, all of it, magnify it by 100 and just maybe you can imagine what the man is like in real life.

I was able to meet him, shake his hand, and briefly talk to him. Although he was being bombarded in every direction like a rock star our minute long conversation was just that a conversation. We spoke about education and the need to reform No Child Left Behind. When I told him that I had been laid off by two different school districts as a result of NCLB he looked me in the eye, shook my hand and apologized. "Noel I am so sorry, that's not right, we need to keep our teachers in our schools" were his exact words. I didn't know what to say, I was momentarily speechless. I hadn't received this much empathy from my principals when they delivered the bad news. But here I was face to face with a man who could one day be our President. Right then and there he gave me the audacity of hope.

Mid-Term Madness

If you are unaware of the mid-term Congressional elections taking place tomorrow you must be living under a rock. Republicans are in grave danger of loosing control of both the House and Senate. While I'm excited for the Democrats to regain control of Congress I'm also excited for this election to be over. This election season has been dirtier than ever. A majority of the commercials on the air the last few weeks are negative campaign ads. My phone has been ringing off the hook with pre-recorded messages from candidates and those stumping for them. We've even been getting campaign calls at the Starbucks I work at. When is enough enough?

The bottom line is you need to vote. Don't let the negativity of the candidates and parties turn you off. The only way to have your voice heard is to vote!