By Alex Bottner

Mug Shots

Check out my brand spankin’ new travel mug for next year, Bucky.

I picked him up from Buc-ee’s, also known as the “Disneyland of gas stations” in Texas.

Buc-ee’s does not disappoint.

You can pick up anything from camouflaged camping coolers, to corn nuts, to bird feeders. They do great breakfast burritos, with a side of apple pie or tater tots, and even have a section of their deli devoted to beef jerky!

If Quentin Tarantino has not yet scouted this place for a film location, he needs to check this place out. I could picture the Dude from “The Big Lebowski” feeling right at home in there, stumbling down the aisles in a bathrobe, picking up half and half cream from the fridge with the neon “Milk” sign above it while “Do The Hustle” blasts on the radio.

I am in Texas visiting my mum, who has been living just outside Dallas for the past couple of years. We are from Canada, so the “everything is bigger in Texas” motto has not worn off on us just yet.

This travel mug is the medium size, in case you are wondering.

When I bought it, the guy behind the counter asked if I would like to fill it up for a 70 cent coffee. I sadly had already filled up a large coffee in a disposable cup, but it was very tempting.

I bought this mug because I would like to break my habits of buying coffee from expensive chains, which is not in the student budget, and using disposable takeaway cups.

Having an office job has left me with a Pret addiction and a belief that that’s what busy, successful working professionals drink. I do not even like their coffee that much, but having it right across the road from my work felt like a lifesaver. It was the cure to the boredom and stress of my job, and a mini break from sitting all day.

My addiction will be stunted by taking on creative challenges and developing in an industry that I am excited about, but I know that I will occasionally give into a moment of weakness, and give into a Pret coffee.

In those moments, I can at least feel better about spending money on a watery filter coffee by having a reusable cup, and saving a little bit on my order.

I will be counting on Bucky to perk up my home-brews, to subtly remind SCA’ers that I am North American, and to provide a little distraction when I am in a creative crunch or feeling the stress of a looming deadline.

Do any of you SCA’ers have a mug that you swear by? Share your mugshots!