As a fellow DC intern myself, I was out for a coffee run this morning at the Cap South Starbucks. After ordering a plethora of drinks, I stepped aside to wait the typical 15 minutes it would take to sort out the chais from the lattes and the quad venti mochas.
As I waited I spotted a fellow intern (obviously sporting his scarlett letter proudly around his neck) looking around hoping someone would be impressed by his presence among the mere mortals. When his turn came, he ordered 4 or 5 drinks that he read off of a post it note. When he had finished (after getting very frustrated when he had to repeat the order a few times) the cashier told him his total. His face twisted into a snarl of distaste- "No, it's for my Congressman" he replied. The cashier didn't seem to understand what he was getting at and simply repeated the total. "No really, (grabs the scarlett letter and thrusts it in the face of the cashier) see? I work on The Hill... it's for my Congressman." He's now speaking slowly and loudly as if the cashier were either deaf or foreign.. or possibly both. "I don't really care who it's for.. your total is $16.04" "They didn't give me any money. This is for the Congressman X. I'm sure you understand that he needs his coffee." The cashier then laughed out loud and told him there was nothing she could do. After a few more futile attempts, the intern was forced to leave, empty handed.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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I'm not sure which makes me sadder, the story itself or that 4 drinks cost $16!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Clearly he is already despised in his office for being a complete and total douche bag.
ReplyDeleteNot credible... sorry
ReplyDeleteGood story. And I have full faith in your disclosure that you yourself are an intern. For two reasons:
ReplyDelete1) Someone who wasn't an intern would never claim to be, and
2) Your use of 'plethora'. That's a dead giveaway. I hear an intern try to work that word into a sentence at least once a day.
DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT A PLETHORA EEEEEEEES???
LOL... ROFLMAO... Do congressmen really expect free coffee?
ReplyDeleteI've been a fan of this blog for a few weeks now, some of these stories are pretty great... but, come on... this CAN'T be real... could it??? I'm in college right now myself, and despite the many silly antics I've encountered I don't think I've met anyone who would actually think that they could just walk into a Starbucks, or any business for that matter, and get their order for free because of who they work for. Wow.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't do the secret congressman free coffee dance clearly. Kind of sad that an intern believes that free Starbucks is a perk for working for government - if he ever grows into a politician himself I wonder what other free kickbacks he'll be expecting.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading these posts since the beginning. As for truthfulness, they have a certian "Penthouse Letter" quality to them ("Dear Spotted: DC Summer Interns, I never thought this would happen to me, but ..."). But I like them anyway. Who cares if they are real?
ReplyDeleteI don't really understand the attacks on people who use good words the way they are supposed to be used.
ReplyDeleteA plethora is an excess of something. In this case, the intern is conveying the ordering of an excessive number of lattes or whatever. But he/she's using it correctly.
A) It's prolly fake but I've heard interns talking it up just as dumb. So in that sense, I'd believe it.
ReplyDeleteB) I knew I should've got to work earlier today and stopped by that Starbucks in stead of later.
@anonymous on comment about "plethora"
ReplyDeleteI can tell that you are not an intern because, at least in my office, individuals can communicate in a way that renders no need to accentuate "is" as "EEEEEEEES?" in order to amplify a point. In addition to our proper usage of the english language, and words such as plethora, we find it easier to use our intelligence to prove a point, as opposed to CAPITALIZATION. Perhaps one day you can learn how to write properly by interning here in D.C. too, or maybe someday when you grow up and are in high school you can take an SAT prep course and learn about big words like "plethora".
It's under the 50 dollar limit, so why couldn't the Congressman get his free coffee?
ReplyDelete@anonymous who commented on my comment about using 'plethora'...
ReplyDeleteI wasn't using all caps and 'EEEES' for emphasis. It's a Three Amigos reference, dumbass. And anyone over the age of 25 would've gotten it.
@anonymous who is afraid of big words
ReplyDeleteSomebody's getting a little a defensive...
the office should have given him money to pay for the coffee. also, i am an intern for a senator and he has accounts at some places that i am told to just charge things to. maybe this intern thought the congressman had an account? it's possible...
ReplyDeletewhy didn't they give him money? did they expect for him to pay it himself?
ReplyDeletenot defending him here, clearly an idiot, just wondering about office etiquitte
@anonymous, again
ReplyDeleteChill out, my post was just making fun of how picky you obviouslly are about word usage.
And trying to make fun of me for being under 25 isn't really insulting. It's obvious that you miss interning (and being that age), since you spend enough time on this site reading posts by interns. Judging by the fact that you mentioned 25, I'm going to guess that you are a 26 year old. And judging by the fact that you are on blogspot at 9:34, I'm gonna guess that you aren't exactly working in an important government office. So you probably miss the good old days of having few responsibilities and getting to work for your big name congressman.
Oh my -- be more defensive! Calling names? Dumbass? Really...?
ReplyDeleteIn reality, it only proves the your critic's point further: you would rather call them a dumbass and try and make them feel ridiculous for not immediately recalling your movie reference than use intelligent language to argue your perspective on the matter (which is, I assume, that you find the use of the word "plethora" slightly pretentious).
Not to mention you could have just taken the high road and not posted a second time -- which actually would have made them look a bit silly when someone else clearly, given the popularity you claim the movie had, would have posted such a comment clarifying the reference on your behalf...
Seriously, how do you not get the 3 Amigos reference? That is just sad.
ReplyDeleteA SWEATER
ReplyDeleteGood lord...
ReplyDeleteYou got called out for using a $10 word when you didn't have to. It doesn't call for multi-paragraph rants.
Wound a little tight, are we? Try finding the humor in it next time.
LOL @ all the other anonymous' arguing with each other about something completely insignificant...on an intern blog. Way cool.
ReplyDeleteEven if it isn't real, I believe it could happen. I use to be a cop in a town that was home to future senators and politicians. I got a call to help a "stranded" motorist who had called 911. I show up at the dorm parking lot and the girl tells me that her car won't start. I asked her if she had called campus security and she said "no, what for". I asked her what she expected the police to do for her. She stated "I thought maybe you could fix it." I asked her if she had called 911 and claimed to be stranded. She replied “I am stranded, my car won’t start.” Yet another example of a sheltered, privileged life with no concept of what happens in the "real world".
ReplyDeleteAnother reason why I am so glad I moved away from D.C. The summer interns can be a monstrously annoying. The only upside is that they cart in lots of loney girls from around that country that will only be around for 6-10 weeks...
ReplyDeleteI am over 25 and have not memorized the dialog to the Three Amigos movie. I read this blog for laughs. The (almost) correct but show-offy use of 'plethora' gave me a little chuckle. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDelete