Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Ms. CRANKY'S HAT, well, one of them

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Ms. CRANKY --- COSI WAS COZY


Ms. Cranky had a wonderful day yesterday and wants to talk about it before she gets, err, cranky again.  First there was a recital in the Bronx of some students she and her friends taught, a storytelling recital, like true stories and it was beautiful and touching and funny and the students shone and there were cookies and good strong coffee.  So, Ms. Cranky was on a roll and she had had a roll earlier that morning but now it was lunch time and she was in Manhattan trying valiantly to avoid spending $8 on a sandwich (!) when she remembered that Cosi sometimes had a chili special on Wednesdays that was reasonably priced and filling so she stopped by --- but she wasn’t prepared for all the other neat stuff that happened to her.
The staff was wonderful --- welcoming and helpful.  When she asked a young man where she could get water (usually they give you a cup and point you to a machine you can’t figure out and the water tastes like iced tea), he quickly smiled and said --- “I’ll bring you a glass” and he arrived at her table with this huge cold glass of water.  Then the waitress delivered her order and refused to take a tip from Cranky --- “no worry” she said, “give it to someone else.”  She too was all smiles --- had Ms. Cranky died and gone to heaven over night?   --- A reasonably-priced healthy lunch, a huge glass of icy water, smiling help and someone in NYC who didn’t want a tip??? 
The whole experience was lovely.  No one rushed her, she could take her time and do her crossword; people at the next table entered into a conversation with her --- was she in Dallas, maybe?  They’re real friendly in Texas, she’d heard.  Or, maybe, Oklahoma?  Somewhere West?  Then, when she went to the counter on her way out to get a take-out carton for her left-overs, another delightful young man took her bowl from her, whirled it away and brought it back all ready to go home. 
Everybody was helpful, everybody was smiling.  Something was right with this establishment and Ms. Cranky can’t wait to go back which is why she will not divulge which Cosi it is for fear of ruining a good thing.  These victories are not won every day.  They need to be cherished and protected.
Have a great day everybody, 6 more weeks of winter but at almost 60 degrees, that’s not bad.  And, this is the time of year Ms. Cranky suddenly brushes up on her football information and becomes a huge fan.  After hours of watching her nephews and now grandnephews scrimmage and play, she can ‘talk the talk’ with the best of them but only chooses to do it once a year because she loves parties.  But, this SUPERBOWL is really exciting; she has never seen her town so giddy.  And, it’s fun to be part of it.  Too bad she has a dentist appointment the next morning; bad planning, so, she’ll have to tone down her celebrations ---- GOOOOO GIANTS!!!!

Thanks, as always, for stopping by.

Ms. CRANKY, February 2, 2012, Groundhog Day