Starbucks wifi virgin (no more)

So, the fam and I are in Wichita for the weekend for Thanksgiving.  It’s been a long day with the trip and all. In fact, Ivy informed us shortly after 8pm tonight that she needed to go to bed.  This is not really unusual, but it was before her normal bed time of 8:30.

It feels like it’s been a long week even though it’s only Wednesday.  We waited around this morning waiting for the Johnson inspector to come inspect our house.  He came while I was in the shower.  By the time I got out of the shower and got dressed, he was already gone.  No prob.

So, then we drove to Wichita.  I know there a lot of musicians who’ve logged way more hours on the road than I ever have, but I enjoy road trips less than ever.  And driving across the bleak, desolate terrain of Oklahoma reminds me a lot of where I grew up.  That doesn’t help matters, either.

Anyway, so we get to Holly’s Grammy’s only to realize that her phone’s battery is nearly dead and I forgot to bring a charger.  I realize that with the borrowed laptop, if I installed the phone’s software/drivers, I could charge our phones from the laptop’s USB port.  (Why did I bring the phone’s USB cable and not a charger?  I have no idea.)  The only problem is that I don’t have the software of an internet connection.  I thought I’d heard that Starbucks had free wifi, but I’d never done it before.

So, I ask the friendly Barrista about wifi, and she starts telling me I can pay for a card that I can add money to and get more time etc. etc.  which I was about to do, but then she tells me that people have been having trouble with their connection lately.  I ask if she knows any place else that might have wifi and she tells me that I might be able to pick up wifi here in the store from any number of local businesses.  So, I decide to give it a shot.

Sure enough, there’s 3 different unsecured signals and I just chose the strongest.  Turns out it’s Starbuck’s.  Then I find out that their wifi ATT and since I have ATT DSL at home, I can just log in with my regular account.  No big woop.

So, here I sit, writing a blog at Starbucks.

I didn’t even buy anything.  Take that, Starbucks!