Tim Hortens

Aw, man. I stopped at Time Hortens on the way to work today, which, if you non-Canadians don't know, is a coffee and donut shop we're obsessed with. There are literally more Time Hortens' in Canada than there are Starbucks and McDonalds in the US combined. Seriously, I read it in a book of statistics.

I don't know why. I mean, it's not a bad chain, but it's nothing all that special either...

Anyway, people at my work get coffee there and bring it in. I always envied this, but my bank only gives out money in $20 bills, and I never buy anything except cab service, and I always give the remainder of my $20 as a tip, so I never have change. I didn't want to be all, "Yo, I want coffee. Here's $20. Give me change"... I don't know why. My understanding is I'm the only person who feels pressure to hand in an amount similar to what you're purchasing.

Anyway, so I get there, and three people from my work stop as well. When we get in, one of them asks me what I take in my coffee, and he buys it for me, along with the other two guys.

Afterward, two of the guys sit down. There are four of us, they're sitting at a two person table. I don't know if I'm obliged to hang out with them, I don't know if I do, I'll be stealing the other guy's seat, I don't know if he'll sit with them or not once he gets his order, and can't stand around like a moron until I find out.

So I say seeya and head off to work.

But now I don't know whether or not to stop at Timmies again today. I don't know if the guy who buys only felt obliged to buy me coffee because he buys it for the others, and if I show up, I'll sort of be taking advantage of his services by taking and leaving without hanging out with them, but then there's the chair problem...

I know! I'll go, and I'll sit at a nearby table! That way, I'm neither being intrusive nor antisocial. I'll try to angle myself so they won't feel obliged to include me, but I can still contribute without having to raise my voice.

A friend that I hung out with every day in high school, and one of the people who I was hanging out with every Tuesday to play Dungeons and Dragons works at that Timmies, doing that shift. When I got in, he saw me, waved at me, and shouted "Hey, Gryphon!" from the other side of the store.

Well, I would've settled for the hand wave, but since he went thatfar for me, I wasn't about to leave him hanging, so I shout "Hey, Danny!"

So a guy from my workplace turns to me. It takes me a little while to realize that HIS name is Danny too!

With the inclusion of high school Danny, that's FOUR Dannys I communicate with on a daily basis! Too many Dannys!

There was so much to think about just from Tim Hortens that day, I was so busy thinking, I was barely bored all day!