Coffee and wifi. I'm a class act.

So I've just been called a class act by one of my colleagues. I'd say thank you, except from his tone of voice I am hazarding a guess he was being deeply sarcastic. Maybe.

So what prompted this name-calling?

We were deep in conversation about the horrors of Frankenstorm Sandy and the total destruction it has wreaked across the ocean to our poor US and Caribbean neighbours. Some of the imagery being shown online is just downright horrifying and it's unbelievable that a 'storm' could decimate so many lives and livelihoods in one single day. Some areas seriously look like a sci-fi movie special effects and my heart is crying for everyone for their horrendous losses.

But then we lit upon this image below.

A huge cluster of people outside a Starbucks...that is closed, mind you.

Why?

Well for the free wifi, of course.

Look I know most are probably accessing the 'net simply to reach out to friends and family to let them know they're safe and well. But I bet you $100 that there's some sad little freak in there somewhere playing Angry Birds and pissed off that the Starbucks isn't open for their coffee fix. Not that I would do that, of course.

So this segued into a discussion with my colleagues of life essentials. Never mind food and water, coffee and wifi are the necessities that would see me through a disaster.

However, give me the choice of standing outside a Starbucks accessing their wifi, or smashing a chair through the window to get at the coffee, I'd be going the coffee every damned time.

Priorities.

My colleague then pointed out that there probably wasn't electricity to generate the hot water needed for coffee, hence the store was closed. I then responded:

'I'd probably just eat it straight out of the tin'.

And therein I received my 'class act' response.

Yeah OK, I probably deserved it. But desperation can do funny things to people. If I was a contestant on Survivor, I'd probably spend the first week curled in foetal position suffering extreme caffeine withdrawals, by which time I'd have pissed off every teammate with my cranky pants and attitude problems that they'd vote me off anyway. And the first thing I'd be going for would be coffee and a bath. In that order.

Now I'm not trying to make light of Sandy at all. I personally have experienced a number of cyclones varying in intensity, but fortunately for me have emerged with a roof over my head and food on the table. So my heart is with you all during this time. I wish you health, happiness and shelter, but most of all, coffee and wifi.

Yeah, I really AM a class act.

xx