My favourite barista won my heart today

My favourite coffe shop is right outside my home office. The coffe is great but not better than at other places. The best thing about this coffeshop is the barista....or whatever he deserves to be called.

Once upon a time I asked for a heart decoration on top of my cup but the barista failed utterly. Last week he did this attempt.

To me it is a really beautiful garlic. On top of my coffee.

Today he came with this cup to my table.

This time I could trace the shape of a heart.

I heard him grumble in the kitchen and a few mnutes later he arrived with this one.

But the best part was his lovely smile.

I presume he never got any education as barista. But he surely has the happiest smile and the friendliest approach among all coffee shops I ever seen. I wonder what happens if I wish a leaf next time....hmmmm...let me try that next week....

Playing with light and shutterspeed

In all these pictures I am experimenting with long exposure time and a short flashlight. It may look like double exposure but isn´t. It is fun and I find it very creative but it is hard since very often the motive moves out of the frame during the exposure time. When I succeed I find it catch the dance much better than ordinary flashlight pictures.

Bachata - a very close dance

Salsa is more extrovert

More bachata

A salsa dip I presume, The couple actually moved out of the frame but the dip in right position made a great picture

Some look almost normal despite my little games. Bachata.

Oh where did he go? Stupid man, I can never trust my partners

Girl bachata

The black panther is dipping his lady (one of my fav dance partners)

I like this picture because of the blue dress to the red background.

There are many spooky pictures a night like this one. I really like this one despite missing lower parts. The laughters are there and contact between leader and follower (one of my other favs by the way)

If you care to follow my creative work join my fan page at Facebook Bettina Braesch-Andersen´s creations. I will show pictures, videos and perhaps even some watercolour. Sometimes I add friends work there too.

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Transition management - to get through the transit hall

My bus was late to the railway station so I had to wait 25 minutes for the next one. I went to Espresso house to get a few quality minutes with myself this very depressing morning. I saw the train for Öresund leaving and I recalled one stupid memory - a hope of a meeting and a nice cup of coffee.

I need dreams to manage life right now. Dreams as escapism. Dreams as drivers & motivators. Without dreams I am like a fish stranded on the beach. I struggle to get new dreams. I really engage myself in 'here & now' things to make me feel good. I do enjoy current life - I have heaps of fun. I meet people who makes me feel really good. I improve at the gym. I am finally "defeating gravity" thanks to gym results. Dance is improving as well.

But still I am in a transit hall. I have been there for over two years. Dreams became my way of managing the pain and breathing in the vacuum.

I need dreams and I want to know when to give up the old ones because then I need to create a new one. Impatiences is one of my characteristics and probably charm as well. And I truly am a person who prefer to say good bye before starting up new projects & dreams.

To start up something new something else has to end
I was at a great lecture in transition management last week. These theories is about the human side of organizational changes but they are all easily applied to private life as well.

Quotes from Strategies for managing change, Professor William  Bridges and Transition Management theory

"William Bridges' theory involves a three-phase process of:

1. Ending, Losing, Letting Go - helping people deal with their tangible and intangible losses and mentally prepare to move on
2. The Neutral Zone - critical psychological realignments and repatterning takes place. This is all about helping get people through it, and capitalising on all the confusion by encouraging them to be innovators
3. The New Beginning - helping people develop the new identity, experience the new energy, and discover the new sense of purpose that make the change begin to work."

One a-ha moment was when we spoke about reasons not to change and not saying goodbye to the past. If you not say good-bye you never reach the Neutral zone and will be late for next phase.

Some reasons may be:

1. People tend to dislike changes
2. People have other targets for the moment - busy in life with other agendas
3. People do not understand the idea/message and its consequence
4. People do not trust the one who is delivering the message
5. People are afraid losing something (socially, power, friends etc)

That day gave me a lot to think about (thoughtful as I am very often now a days).

I am not sure if I should give up that old dream of that special cup of coffee. Not yet. But I will try to replace it by a new one.

Preferably involving travels far away.
Preferably on firmer grounds than previous stupid ones.
Together with a friend or alone - I do not know yet.
New York, Montreal.or Cuba - I do not know yet.

Time will tell me. I know.
I am a fatalist whenever it suits me