The People of Berkeley

Specifically, the people that I come across on a day to day basis.

My favorite person is the owner of the cafe I go to every morning. About 4 days a week, I walk in 9:12 and he says, "small coffee, seniorita?" Him and his family own the cafe, which is attached to a hotel called The French Hotel. It's a cute little building and there's lots of seating inside and out. I really love it. He knows half the people that come in there and is always smiling. Sometimes I get a free upgrade and he always likes my earrings. Don't get me wrong, the man is old enough to be my father. In fact, I think the other guys that work there are his sons and probably a few years older than I am. They're a great bunch though and like clockwork, I walk out at 9:18 and continue to work.

Another of my favorites, is Mario. He works at the grocery store. He's very jolly and when he checks my ID, he always puts out his hand and says, "nice to meet you, Elizabeth." And we shake hands and then chit chat while he scans my groceries. He never remembers that he's met me before, but I think that's part of the charm of the whole thing.

Then there's the homeless man who only repeats the phrase, "anything you can. anything you can" as his way of asking for change. He also likes to stand sort of near the ATM machines on Shattuck

As far as characters at work, our vice president, who comes in for about an hour a week is a reverend who curses more than any man of God I've ever met. He calls my boss, "the oracle of justice" though, which I think is cute. He's a hilarious guy though and teases my boss (who is in her 80s), so it's fun to watch her get all fired up.