Just as with jefbot in the strip, whenever I go to Starbucks, I order my coffee, they ask for my name, they write my name on a cup, and then, when my order’s ready, they never call my name but instead call out the type of coffee, even though my name is right there. On the cup. It doesn’t matter how many customers are impatiently waiting for orders. It doesn’t matter if the orders are similar or identical. I swear, they take names for some secret, internal use known only to Starbucks. It’s maddening, and I must get to the bottom of it.
Oh, and my middle name’s “Scott” which is most likely why jefbot opted for that surname when the barista questioned “Schuetze.” JEFbot trivia!
Woot!
most people can’t spell my name, so when they do spell it right I get really happy. And I like them a little more
hey, congrats on the Firsting, DJ! that makes two in less than a month, i believe!? nice. and these just happen to provide an instant caffeine rush when worn. enjoy:
😎
Indeed it is. But this one is because I can’t sleep, not cuz I’m up for work.
I prefer my caffeine in 1 of three ways: with cream and two sugars, mixed with a packet of hot cocoa mix, a Mellow Mellow from Beaners, or in RedBull form. Take your pick. Depends on how much money I have at the time
ugh. sorry you can’t sleep, DJ – i know what a sucky feeling that is. hope sleep takes you soon.
and i’ll sometimes do the hot cocoa mix at work. and i have to at least have the cream and sugars (two packs is about a right for me, too.) i don’t know what a “Mellow Mellow” is, though. not sure we have that over here. and i haven’t had a Red Bull in a loOong time. those things will definitely keep me up all night!
A Mellow Mellow is a marshmallow flavored latte from Biggby. They’re sinfully delicious.
mMMmm… sounds good!
My friend Steph and her coworkers has the same problem.
She finally decided after her name was written as “STAP” that she needed a blog about the stranger errors the Baristas make.
-j
Its J-A-I-M-E. Its not that complicated. Not Jamie or Jamey or Jackie or Janie. Jaime. >.<
Jame-E?
ha! cuz we all know people who are named, “STAP” right, JasonNYC?
Awww pooor JB. (I was soo close of being the first >.<). I also have problems with people spelling my name, my last name to be more specific. Hmmm, strange, there are a few Starbucks here and they don't do that sort of thing.
you were only a few minutes off, nicobot! looks like DaughterJudy can be sneaky and quick when she wants to be. 🙂
and while my last name’s hard to spell for some, the more annoying part is why do they ask in the first place when they’re just going to call out the name of the drink anyway?
Yeah Daughter Judy is quite sneaky…still i’m not mad, I mean, second place on the first try! what do you think about that! Just wait for the next update >:D
People have trouble with my last name not because it’s difficult to spell, but because of the meaning. My last name is “Travieso”, that’s naughty in spanish XD.
And yeah, if they are just gona call your name, why bother writing it!
i agree – second place is nothing to sniff at, nicobot. competition can get fierce around these parts!
and i love that your last name means “naughty” in Spanish. heheh. that’s awesome.
What I hate is when people do call my name, they say it Jeffery rather than Jeffrey. I know, its not a very big screw up, but still, its like fingernails on a chalkboard.
By the way Bot, did you know the name Jeffrey means peace?
For some reason I really expected some antics from the first strip. Then again a starbucks employee would fix you with a glance given usually only by the dead, no matter how great the antics 😀
Out of curiosity, are you an Ender’s Saga fan?
^_^ Guilty! I first read Ender’s Game almost 8 years ago, still re-read the entire series every now and then and enjoy it just as much! Though I had to get a new copy of Ender’s Game last year (CURSE THOSE SILVERFISH!)
i’m an Ender’s Game fan, too, DJ & Des, though i’ve never read any of the newer novels, only the first four (Ender’s through Children of the Mind.) are the new ones any good?
and: AAAGH! SILVERFISH! they broke the truce and are fair game for bug sprays and/or heels of shoes.
They’re ok. I still like them because they’re in the same universe, but Ender in Exile was a bit of rehashing of the stuff from the end of Ender’s Game, with a tie in to the series that begins with Ender’s Shadow. A War of Gifts was a little focused on religion for a science fiction novel, but worth reading if you like seeing how compassionate Ender could be.
If you liked the short but spunky character of Bean, the Shadow series (starting with Ender’s Shadow) is fantastic, it also has the occasional insight into Peter.
As for silverfish, after my copy of Ender’s Game and some Shadowrun sourcebooks got munched, I had a vendetta for all bugs, even the spiders who didn’t do their job of ridding my dwelling of the bugs in the first place.
yeah, the “Shadow” series is the only one i think i’d be interested in, as i did like Bean, Descolada. i almost feel like i should read those first four books again – well, at least Ender’s Game to get the most out of that series, though. actually, i wouldn’t mind reading them over again, just for the pleasure of it. 🙂 (sadly, like DJ here, i’ve been put off by some of OSC’s more extreme religious politics, so am hesitant to continue supporting his work.)
I own the original and Bean sagas. Any other books by him, I don’t really have interest in. Mostly because of Card’s religious views. My opinion of the books took a bit of a turn when I foundout how big of a prick he is.
You and me both. I loved his writing and wasn’t horribly annoyed by the religious undertones (or overtones, depending on the novel) until I learned a bit more about him. After that, I haven’t been able to read him since.
On the other hand, the more I learn about Neil Gaiman, the more I love him! Christopher Moore is pretty cool too. 😀
i hear ya, DJ & Laynie – most of the time, i’m able to separate the art from the artist, but OSC has been so vocal with his prejudice lately, it’s hard for me to continue to do so.
and yes: Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer (and person, as far as i know.) i met him a couple times at book signings (i’ve gotten several of his novels and comic books signed) and he couldn’t have been a nicer fellow.
Awww, see that just makes me happy, hearing more good stuff about Neil Gaiman. He just seems so nice, so genuine! Oddly enough, much like the author of a certain webcomic I could mention… 😉
yeah, i hate that “Jeff-er-y” pronunciation too, Descolada. people spell it that way all the time, too. never known a Jeff that spells his name Jeffery, but i know they’re out there.
hmm. i didn’t know about the “peace” thing. or i forgot. good to know, though. thanks! 🙂
and no “BANG! Like a gun!” antics. though i appreciate the reference. heheh. jefbot’s just disgruntled that they’d ask for his name, even though they have no intention of using it, than anything else.
I’ve allowed one person to pronounce it that way (because one must make allowances for cute geeky girls)
Depending on who you ask it either means peace or divine peace. I’ve yet to meet a fellow Jeffrey who embodies such.
My local starbucks (which is really just a starbucks cafe in a grocery store) is never busy enough to warrant asking names. Maybe they’re doing something weird like statistics using names “people with the name Jeffrey like Mocha drinks…” Or they’re going to stalk you later, Be wary bot, best train your toe now while they’re still collecting info!
It’s more complicated than that.
Godfrey means “God’s peace” (or possibly “good peace”), and many sources do claim “Jeffrey” is a variant of “Godfrey”. However, this is by no means agreed upon by all scholars, and some early forms of the name (“Galfridus”, “Gaufridus”) seem to make this dubious. While it seems fairly certain that the latter part of the name means “peace”, there’s a lot of dispute as to the meaning of the first part, with “territory”, “stranger”, “pledge”, and “sing”. It’s possible there were originally a number of separate names that eventually converged together into “Jeffrey”. (Source: The Oxford Names Companion, from Oxford University Press.)
I’d looked into this before because my real first name is “Jeffrey” too — “Read MacGuirtose” is just my stage name. (Also, coincidentally, my real middle name is “Scott”…)
Er… whoops. Left out part of a sentence there; should have double-checked my post before hitting “Submit”. The end of the fourth sentence was supposed to be “with “territory”, “stranger”, “pledge”, and “sing” among the possibilities suggested.”
you’re a “Jeffrey Scott” too!? okay, you’ve achieved awesomeness in my book. although, why would you want to change such a perfect name!? hmm… awesomeness revoked. 😉
It’s not that I changed it; I just… use different names for different things. “Read MacGuirtose” is the stage name I use for my acting. I still use my real name for my music, for instance… (Admittedly for that I usually just use the initials of my first and middle name, but hey, it’s the same first and middle initials as J. S. Bach, so it’s hard to resist…)
cute, geeky girls get many allowances, Descolada, so i understand why you’d let that go in some instances. heheh.
and while i haven’t achieved “peace” or “divine peace” yet, i’m workin’ on it! (damn Nerd Rage…) so maybe i’ll be the first Jeffrey you know to achieve one of those. 🙂
and your theory on Starbucks collecting statistics seems sound to me. toe is in training.
I don’t actually drink coffee, and whenever I walk into a starbucks with a friend, I don’t see them taking names. Honestly, I always thought it was better to number the tickets and call orders that way, like when I used to work fast food.
they always take names at the Starbucks near my apartment, dchorror. probably because the traffic there is so high. unfortunately, they never actually use the names. yeah, numbers would be way better.
As another (Geo/Je)ff with a weird last name, I know your pain, man. When I went to ECCC, I took a couple seconds before going to your table just to make sure I remembered how to pronounce your name!
The Safeway near me now has the cashiers look at the receipt, if you swiped your rewards car, and thank you by last name. So far none of them has gotten it right.
(In fact, the only people to get it right first time were train conductors on trips I took through upstate New York, because there’s a town there that is named after a distant relative, and we have the same last name; they know how the town is pronounced and therefore get my name right.)
i appreciate you taking a few moments to pronounce my name right, Mephron! heheh. so now i need to know your last name. and if you don’t want to leave it here, then email it to me. (jefbot -at- monsteryou.com) now that i’m doing conventions (can’t wait to for ECCC 2012!), it’s been fortunate that the first strip in the JEFbot archive is how to pronounce my name. many readers know how to pronounce it when we meet, right off the bat, which is cool. 🙂
and i get the same at supermarkets over here, too. they never get it right, but it’s fun to hear them try. heheh.
Ugg i hate when i go to a coffee shop and they ask my name. I usally just make up a funny sounding one.
i do the same thing when i’m at a restaurant, Juggalogeek – i’ll give a fake name, usually from a favorite book or movie, just cuz it’s easier.
I have fun when they ask my name. I’ve given my real name, my nickname, Obi-Wan, Vader, various fictional characters, etc. It’s more fun that way.
They usually misspell everything though, no matter how good I articulate. >>
Obi-Wan and Vader are pretty hilarious, Jaeh. my most often used fake names are Hazel, Fiver and Bigwig. 🙂
Man! Not even when i cease to sleep can I grab your comic as you update. Damn haven’t commented on a comic for a long time.
So I have a similar problem due to my latin name, so I always end up having fun and giving weird names to the poor baristas and have them try to figure out how to pronounce them 😛
i’m tellin’ ya – it’s not an easy task to grab those Shades of Firsting, Aaron, especially since my posting schedule can vary by several hours. makes the readers that have done it several times in a row (like Tiana) even more impressive!
anyway, glad to see your comments here, again! (although since we talk via Twitter from time-to-time makes it seem not so long.) and i support the giving of weird names to the baristas, since they don’t read ’em anyway! 🙂
Having an unusual name does make it harder, doesn’t it? I’ve gotten used to spelling my name whenever anyone asks for it. I’ve gotten used to all sorts of spellings and variations on my name…Tina, Tiara, Tianna, Tianaa, Kate (I kid you not…).
What really bugs me is when people spell my LAST name wrong. It’s Hanson with an ‘O’, NOT an ‘E’, which I carefully specify whenever people ask. And they still get it wrong half the time.
Y’know, I’ve noticed that at Barnes and Noble…half the time, they use my name, and half the time they say the name of the drink (grande white chocolate mocha with caramel syrup). I guess I’ll be noticing it more when I go into the school year and actually have to use the stuff….
ha! So I leave my name on voicemails at work all the time, “hi this is Kiki with YADDA YADDA YADDA BLAH BLAH BLAH!”
They call me back and I swear to God I had someone say “Hi Edith…” Edith?! Who the Hell is EDITH?!
ha! – “Kate.”
and funny, people always seem to spell my last name with an “L” as in “Schultze” even though there’s no “L” sound to my name. methinks the influence of and legacy of the late, great Charles M. Schultz has something to do with that.
thanks to “Jason” “Nathan” and “Caden” I got into the habit of leaving my name as “Conan, party of 3” whenever my name is required.
seems sensible, Maesonic. 🙂
It is pretty funny that they ask for names… Yet half time never say em. In fCt they will just say the drink 9x and even if no one co
Come for it they don’t think to say “Jefbot, your drink is ready” ><
exactly, Joenis! this is one of my biggest peeves and will most likely be addressed in this arc.
I’ve got a very Afrikaans name but I work with a lot of English speakers so I’ve become used to them calling me by the English version of my name. Theres also a LOT of ways to spell my name and theres a female version of my name as well :/ Ah well I get used to it 🙂
oh, man – sounds like you have a doozy of a last name, ForceUser! glad you’ve gotten used to the mispronunciations and misspellings of it. i think that’s the only way to stay sane when people constantly butcher it. 🙂
Yes! This! My name is Jed (short for Jedidiah) and all my life I’ve been called Jet and Jeff and Jeb and Judd and… To say nothing of what happens when someone is confronted with my full name (it’s not as hard as it looks people, it’s phonetic. Sound it out.) And then come the Beverly Hillbillies jokes. Soryy sport, you aren’t the first to make that one, not by a long sight. Just give me my coffee, ok? Sigh. That’s why why when I was a barista we dispensed with this nonsense.:)
i get Jed, Jess, and Jett all the time, Jed, even when i try and over-enunciate! i think half the time, people just aren’t really paying attention. fortunately, i never get the hillbilly jokes. 🙂
My husband and I always give silly names like Ichabod Crane in October, Rudolf and Clarice in December, sometimes it is only obvious to us like Linus and Sally. Sometimes, My husband will say, “hmmm, who do I want to be today? I know Rico, Rico Suave.” The barista usually seem to enjoy the randomness.
Dead like me fan?
i love the use of Linus and Sally, Daisy! subtle, yet apparent, once you think about it. heheh. unfortunately, my baristas have gotten to know me now, so won’t buy me going by anything other than “Jeff” at this point. maybe “jefbot.” 😉
Ah yes, I love this one! My first name has a tons of different spelling, but people *really* have a problem with my last name – It’s german/swiss, and has five consonants in a row, so people usually just give up on it. 😀
glad you can relate, ZAD-Man! better that people give up on it than to try (mis)pronouncing it for an uncomfortable length of time.
*sigh* Oh Jefbot Me darlin…I know your pain. For those of you who DON’T know…my real name is not Pixie, or even Kiki…It’s Kionette (pronounced Key-O-Net). And 90% of the time, they get it WRONG! I keep telling them it’s like Janet…they don’t get it.
And GD you starbucks…WHY do you do that! WHat do you need to know my name for? Trust me….no one else is going to have my persnickity ORDER. And they’ve told me that…”What if there’s another Kiki?” Then we will Fight it out to the DEATH! Ok put Pixie on there. “Is that your real name?” No A-Hole! Fine…Put Rosa Maria Tatiana Virginia, De La Noche on there! “It won’t fit on the cup.” GAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
You really want to mess up a barista? Tell them not to make the coffee so hot. They look at you like you are crazy! “It’s 7:30 am I would like to drink my coffee BEFORE lunch time please!” “Can I leave a little space for you to add milk?” “NO GD IT! I’m paying $5 for a cup of coffee…I can mix it myself at home for free!!!!”
*blinks* Oh…my brain had a lil short circuit there. Good Morning Boteers (the ears are Ferret ears…duh) and HAPPY FRIDAY!
i love your name, Pixie – it’s beautiful – and i can see why people mispronounce it. seems people want to make things as difficult as possible to sound out, when it’s actually quite easy. and you should definitely insist on “Rosa Maria Tatiana Virginia, De La Noche” being on the cup. ha!
and the Starbucks on my way to work used to make their coffee screaming hot, but they must’ve gotten sued or something cuz now they don’t make it hot enough. usually, by the time i get to work it’s already gone cold, even with the little plug in it. 😛
ah – ferret ears! makes sense. hamster ears would work, too!
Solution: skip Starbucks.
i would, but when i’m home, the neighborhood Starbucks is the easiest coffee shop to walk to, and when i’m driving to work it’s the most convenient. and i know it’s not cool to say, but i actually like their coffee best. at least out of all the places near my apartment. 🙂
Ugh…. my name is Rhone… sounds like “phone”. “Rhone” “Rome?” “Rhone” “Ron?” “Rhone… like phone” “Oh… R-O-A-N?” “No. R-H-O-N-E” “Is that an M or an N?” “Please don’t make me punch you in the face…”
ha! “Please don’t make me punch you in the face,” is a hard name to forget, Psy! 😉
Ohhh so funneh… Jefbot got jokes lol 😛
Next time just jump the counter and make it yourself. 😛
I was in Michigan for a month and a half ten years ago and had to teach the kids at two or three different coffee shops how to make a proper chai. Behind the counter and everything.
can you give me lessons?
I surely can. It would be my honor.
i’m glad i don’t know how to make a decent mocha or macchiato, TCG, cuz i’d be way to tempted to do just that!
Yeah, when people ask for my name I always lie and say “John” because it’s easier than explaining my real name, and even though it’s only ONE letter, it always get’s spelled wrong.
Also, stop being a tool with the Starbucks drinking and go to a real coffee stand. Though I’m not sure you have them where you are, you should try Tully’s.
L.A. has no Dunkin Doughnuts. the city must burn.
Dunkin Donuts is a east coast/midwest thing XD
I agree. Dunkin Donuts coffee is the bomb. Unfortuately, out here in Denver, all of the DD’s closed in the early 80’s, and you have to go to Colorado Springs to find the one open outlet. But, thank goodness, DD started selling their coffee in grocery stores.
Starbucks burns their beans.
I’m from Oregon and I never understood the appeal of Starbucks until I moved to Texas for a while. Then I discovered most people around the country apparently have no clue how to make espresso drinks without burning the coffee, the milk, or adding so much flavoring that you can’t actually taste the coffee anymore and get instant diabetes as an additional perk. Starbucks literally became my lifeline for just basically drinkable coffee.
I now understand how they have become such an enormous company.
I dunno about southern California, though… it is West Coast so you’d think there would be decent alternatives.
Well you see, in other parts of the country, coffee =! espresso. Coffee = drip coffee. Plain, simple, straightforward.
the thing is, i don’t really like coffee all that much, jh3 (i still can’t get over the bitterness), i’m just addicted to the caffeine. so the coffee i like has to pretty much taste like a dessert, which Starbucks is great at. the white chocolate mocha and caramel macchiato are my faves. a “good” coffee or espresso would be wasted on me.
He spelled your name wrong, and how many Jefbots are there anyway. Honestly, is it a common name on the west coast?
no, but “jefbot” is a common name in the JEFbot Universe, Anime fan. but even in this universe, you’d be surprised at how many people spell “Jeffrey” wrong.
Man, I just spell my name for people at this point every single time someone asks for it (I’m using my first name here–no doubt you see my problem) before they can ask me to repeat it. That way I don’t get the whole “Sharra.” “Charlotte?” “No, Sharra.” “S-H-A…R-A?” “Two Rs.” “Huh? S-H-R…?” conversation.
omg I love your icon. <3 BeatonLove + TeslaLove = TrueLove.
Kate had the icons up somewhere at some point… possibly on her livejournal. This was the one I liked best, but I think she had some other pretty good ones.
i concur: beating people to the punch on name-spelling is the smartest way to go, Sharra. i must do it (especially when doing business over the phone) constantly.
Loved this comic. Also loved the mombot doomfoot run. Sorry I’ve been lurking and not posting… new job, blah blah blah excuse blah.
Also, my dog ate it.
HA! We missed you, glad you are back
methinks you need to take a newspaper to that dog, 11TN! happy to hear you’re still lurking, and congrats on the new job! must speak to you further about it, over XBOX Live sometime, hopefully.
They do it to make you feel like they’re paying attention to you as a person. I bought a bunch of books at Barnes & Noble yesterday and got a chai while I was there (because I was completely unable to find chai in Ireland) and I was the only person in their coffee shop. And yet the dude still asked my name. I was like, really?
People manage to screw up Kate. And the nontraditional spelling of Kathryn gets them every time.
PS. Do I as I say, not as I do, readership, and support your local, independent book sellers!
there are hardly any independent book sellers near me anymore, Kate! my favorite place, Book Castle in Burbank, closed several years ago. glad to have Book Soup – a cool indie place within walking distance of my apartment – still around.
I can feel your pain. My job requires me to give my full name a lot, and I need to spell out my last name every time. And sometimes, they still get it wrong. Sometimes they forget a letter or replace a letter with a similar sounding one. And when your last name is part of your work e-mail address, it leads to a few missed, important e-mails.
Great comic, jef!
Get that myself, e’mail-wise. Work originally wanted full first name then last name as e’mail address… but my name was too long for the system they had at the time so it became first initial then last name. I’ve had fellow employees just walk to my office because it’s “quicker” than remembering my e’mail.
The IT guy plans on putting an address book in the system to make it easier – and I’ve been used as the example why *smirks*.
thank the gods we have a system-wide address book at my job, Wolfox, otherwise, who knows how many emails i’d miss. 🙂
thanks, Striker! and yeah – mispronouncing a name at the coffee shop is one thing, but getting the wrong name at work is another thing entirely! missing important emails would be a bad, bad thing, so now i’m feeling your pain, dude! (actually, now i’m wondering how many important emails i’ve missed, due to misspellings of my last name. hmmm…)
Interesting. I’ll have to pay attention the next time I go to Starbucks, but I can’t even remember them asking me for my name (although I don’t think I visit Starbucks often when it’s very crowded) On the rare occasion they have asked my name and written it on the cup, I seem to remember them calling my order and name…”Mike, your cafe latte is ready.” However, if they’re asking for your last name, they’ve got no shot. If they can’t get Luke right (I’ve seen it spelled Luck, Look, and Luk), they have no chance with Schuetze. 😉
yeah, at the Starbucks shops i frequent, they almost never give both the name and order, SL, but – just this morning, in fact! – the cashier knew my name which was awesome, but the barista called out the name of the order when my drink was ready, which wasn’t as awesome.
Awwwww man. I stayed up to try to get first but I crashed a little before this uploaded it seems
the Shades of Firsting are elusive, Trueblader, but then, they wouldn’t be as fun to get if it was easy to get ’em!
It’s so true! Same coffee house every single day. Same drink every single day. Same name every single day… and in the end they call out the drink as if they’ve never seen me before! Great job Jefbot! P.S. My favorite part is that I tell them my name is Matthew- and they write: Mat Amazing!
ha! now i need them to write “jef amazing!” on my cup, Funnyshaffer.
Gotta love that *Here we go again* expresion Jefbot has in panel two.
I had laughed at *Scott*. Though personaly, I would opt to go with John Smith myself.
Judging bz peoples reactions this is pretty common for them, but I dont have experiences like this. Arround here Zou either cook at home or go to restaurant. Not many fast foods arround.
Oh, by the way, one of our local geek comunity, a terrific gal that goes by the name of Aika is havin a celebratory opening of her own Tea shop / Geek library / Gamer den this Sunday! Eddie was helping there for the last week (and only told me today!) so me and Supersonic Cucumber joined today to help. The place looks amazing! Cant wait for it to open proper, after all its already unofficial club house for local MtG club and pen and paper RPG events are being planned. The place has lots of potential and bright future ahead, mark my words!
Where is “local’? How can we come visit if we don;t know where it be?
Prešov, Slovakia, Midle Europe. Still interested?
If I had a few thousand extra dollars lying around I would love to. But I don’t.
Starbucks is bad enough, but i consider myself lucky that there are no fast food joints (like McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.) within walking distance of my apartment, Maryz, or i would’ve gained the Power of Chub long ago.
ooh, tea shop / geek library / gamer den!!!?? sounds awesome! now that’s something i wouldn’t opening up by me. Slovakia’s a bit far.
My first name is AnnaLiese… I have to explain to people it’s an old German name, no I know I don’ t look German, I’m Mexican, no it’s not a family name, yes there’s a capital letter in my first name, no there’s no space in it, no I don’t have a middle name, yes that’s the way it’s supposed to be…You can call me Anna…
I go through this all of the time. Name badge at work has a small “L”, and I just don’t feel like explaining it to them. Had to explain the origin of my name to a customer today…*sigh*
I feel your pain…
“You can call me Anna…”
Why? “Your Infernal Majesty” sounds so much prettier… 😉
another beautiful name! and i love how you have all the answers to the questions you just know are on the tips of people’s tongues, ESQ. heheh.
and my name badge had the “e” left off the end of my name, which prompted people to pronounce it “Shwetz.” buh.
Haha. Just look at my name. It’s my real name! TAY-KLUH. I usually just make up a name so that I don’t have to repeat myself six times.
glad you sounded it out for us, Takla – i’ve been pronouncing it “tahk-la” in my head for a while now!
I wouldn’t pronounce Takla’s name like that Bot… especially not in the Philippines… different meaning and all that. I’ll pm you what it means in your facebook since it’s NSFW and very politically incorrect
*Argh I make up a name for when baristas ask for it. I should probably learn to be clearer.
i don’t blame ya, T – sometimes making up a name is just the easiest course of action.
move to germany
the name “schuetze” -or “schütze” in german grammar- is very common here…
and i don’t think that anybody wonders if you call yourself “jefbot” nowadays…
but on the other hand, starbucks are very rare here (mc donalds coffee-bar is maybe a valid simile…), and it is also kinda unusual to ask for your name if you order something “to go” (you need your name and address only if you order a deliver-service), cause we prefer anonymity and hate it if somebody yells our name through a store (even if it’s a friend)
even if a store is overfilled, they just would give you a number to identify your order…
good to know, Malkav – i’ve been wanting to visit Germany for a while, now. (made it as far as England and Scotland, but stopped short of Germany when i was in Europe many years back.) my dad used to have a bottle of “Schütze” beer on his bar, but i don’t think he ever drank it. now i’m curious if it was any good. i might have to import some, now that i’m thinking about it. 🙂
and even without a Starbucks over there, as long as i can get a lot of cream and sugar with my coffee, i’ll be happy!
I am fortunate in having a relatively simple name that you would have to either be an idiot or not paying attention to forget. I am also spared this trouble by not liking coffee, therefor not giving Starbucks or any other expensive coffee maker a dime. HA HA HA HA!
*begin rant*
May I mention that I hate updates for things like Firefox? Because I do. I especially hate them when the update gets rid of features that you liked and jumbles EVERYTHING up. I updates yesterday and it went into effect today. Some of the changes are okay, but there is one that is REALLY PISSING ME OFF! You know the little side arrow that’s usually beside the back and forward buttons that lets you quickly go to item recently visited on that tab? Well I no longer have that. F%#@ you Firefox, F%#@ YOU!
*end rant*
I would like to say that I have found that I still have the feature that I thought was deleted, but the fact that it was hidden still pisses me off. B(
yeah, i hate when they update software and “fix” something that wasn’t broken to begin with, Fijiman! i sympathize.
Don’t forget some of the promises they make with them like “is __ times faster than before.” Faster my butt. If anything it’s even slower than before AND everything is all jumbled around. Of course, we all know that they only do it because one of their big executive buddies wanted it. YouTube has also recently undergone several strait unnecessary and retarded updates. I could rant about this kind of s#%@ all day, but I don’t want to take up everyone time nor take the time to type it.
you are lucky, Fijiman! i used to hate coffee, but i started drinking the white choc mochas at Starbucks and now i can’t stop! been trying to ween myself off for some time now, but (especially with the late hours i keep) haven’t quite been able to, just yet.
Aha! Jefbot’s credit card reappears! I’ve never had that problem at Starbucks… because I’ve never been asked for my name. Starbucks during the day is not that busy where I live. Could also be that I live in the UK.
Pronunciation could be a difficulty if I was though – it is May-a not My-a. Lots of people make that mistake though. I’m used to it.
It’s really just a case of knowing if people are talking to you or not, isn’t it?
good eye, Maia – i was wondering if anyone would notice/remember jefbot’s Japanese credit card! 😀
Starbucks is a secret front of a black ops cryptology unit of joint operations of the US Army Delta Force, Air Force Black Operations Air Wing and the US Navy Seals Team 6. All of the current code names, operation security pass codes and phrases are generated through the collection of the type of drink, ingredients, order size, number of cups, name of clerk, name of town, name or purchaser. The trick is that all of the collected data is not used for one week, then each hour’s block of data is culled in such a manner so as to stymie the normal foreign spy network, person calling a phone company, and anyone who comes in the next day to order another Starbucks cup of coffee.
*stares while very confused at what you just said*
“Starbucks is a secret front of a black ops cryptology unit…”!!!??
…
i knew it!
Hey Jefbot, thanks for the reply. I loved it, and even went and laughed out loud. Not bad for a sports bar/restaurant.
I’ve learned to just spell out my name(s) instead of saying them – first name’s simple (thom) but have yet to have it spelled correctly if I don’t do so initially. Last name’s impossible – having a hard enough time teaching my daughters how to spell it, let alone grown adults. Being 3/4ths-1/2 Polish is (almost) a curse.
I may not frequent Starbucks often, but there’s other local places that do it as well – including restaurants.
i think you should just go by “Wolfox,” thom! might make things easier (or possibly worse. but you won’t know until you try it.) 😉
i have a simple last name brown but tons of people ask me to spell it or put browne or bron
Unless they’re from another country, how ON EARTH could you screw that name up?
ugh. i bet you have to say, “Brown. No “e” on the end,” all the time, drakeye!
my family has this same problem all the time… we even spell it out and they stilll get it wrong O_o
good job as always, Bot!
(i’m back from my holiday! yay!)
Good to see you back.
woo! hope you had a great holiday, Leithal! and glad (yet sympathetic) that you can relate to this one. 🙂
I’m not used to this Starbucks thing… kinda weird callin’ you with your first name even if them clerks don’t know you at all.
Well, I would love to see how would they handle this guy 😀 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDPqB9i1ScY
And I like seeing, that you moved from that Toe theme.. fear of the Mighty Toe didn’t let me leave any comment 😀
Good God! I feel sorry for people that have long names like that. Although the video was hilarious. 🙂
ha! sorry you feared Mombot’s killer toe, but i think that response is appropriate, all things considered, supersonic cucumber. 🙂
sadly, the video you linked is blocked at my work. will have to check it out later.
and yeah, even weirder than them calling out my name is taking my name, then not calling it out!
Whenever someone asks me for my name in a situation like that (which obviously no name is actually required, if you can’t remember a face for 5 minutes you need help) I use the fake name “Josh Whedon”. It gets them every time =)
heheh. “Josh Whedon” is a good fake name, too, Twigus Maximus – sounds familiar, but not quite right. i could see it leading to confusion, which is nice. 🙂
I absolutely loathe telling people my name. It’s rare for someone to pronounce it right, let alone spell it. Both my first and last name. If I ever had to tell someone my middle name, I’m sure they’re mess that up as well.
Here’s a hint: My name is not Sharla Mary Andrews.
hmmm… i’m intrigued, Aelyrin. so do you have a fake, backup name that you use?
Nah, I’m not creative enough for that.
Still starstruck from comicon! It was way to badass to meet you and the cornfather. As for my thoughts on the SB coffee name thing….I feel that it matters not when a guaranteed frap is on my horizon, we are all nameless when receiving that first cup of caffeinated heaven
woo! thanks for stopping by and meeting us, Ranmarru! Emerald City and Phoenix totally got me jonesing to do more cons, so hopefully i’ll be back on the road, soon. 🙂
and yes, frapps are awesome. have you tried that new mocha/coconut concoction? delicious.
Awww how cute! (: You use that when you get coffee? I love it.
sometimes, Nat! just makes things easier. 🙂
I think the best thing to do in such situations is to come up with the coolest or most ridiculous name possible. You could be:
Patrick Stewart
Han Solo
Peregrine Took
The Doctor (that will likely get a good “Dr. who?” response)
Max Headroom
Dimple Brockhouse of Loamsdown (this is apparently your hobbit name according to the hobbit name generator: http://chriswetherell.com/hobbit/index.php)
Fëanáro Séregon (your elven name)
etc.
You are a super creative guy. Use your powers for good fun and laughs!
So I just got back from what is essentially a Fiber Con. I was at the Estes Park Wool Market where I got to take a spinning class and buy cool yarn and see fiber animals. Woohoo! I look forward to it all year! Now I’m revved up to spin lots of cool yarn. 😀
HA! I tried the name generator and my Hobbit name is Till Brandybuck of Buckland (my brother got Mungo), and my elf name is Elessar of Dorthonion. That is awesome. 😀
yeah, “Elessar of Dorthonion” is pretty badass, Fijiman.
Yeah, but my brother was disappointed that there was no dwarf name generator.
ooh, thanks for my hobbit and elven names, shanna! hard to choose which one to go with… probably Dimple Brockhouse of Loamsdown, cuz i can’t say it without smiling. heheh. 🙂
and awesome news about the Fiber Con! can’t wait to see what you end up spinning!
Haha, that’s really cool! My Hobbit name ended up being “Ponto Bramble of Willowbottom” and my Elven name is “Camthalion Palantír”. =)
It wouldn’t let me choose to reply to a previous comment cuz there were too many other comments but if you would like to reread Ender, I have the first four in pdf form on my pc.
This is a classic! As I’ve said before, you have a real flair for observational humor.
When ever I go to Starbucks, they tend to call by last name, which would be fine but thanks to a grandfather who wanted to Americanize, I happen to have a last name that is also a size of drink they offer there, so I tend to wait there for a hour before realizing that someone else took off with my drink.
O_o
Now I learned that they ask your name is Starbucks. Here in Puerto Rico they don’t… or perhaps my glare of doom scare the hell outta them and they never ask.
*evil grin of doom*
I hear ya, dawg.
A great strip and an even better point. 😀 Next time, I’m gonna tell them my name is Large Mocha.