It's downright cold today here in Malibu, big wind bouncing cars on PCH, slam-dancing my mobile home around on its rusty pilings. The weather could be the reason my favorite coffee house, Diedrich's, was jam-packed this morning. Locals and commuters huddled together in warmth and a wealth of cast-off newspapers (the NY Times, the LA Times, the LA Daily News, the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Malibu Times, The Surfside News, USA Today, the NY Observer and a copy of Soap Opera Digest) but that couldn't account for the festive feel on the place.

"Two more weeks - Diedrich's is open for two more weeks!" a man told his group and they cheered. Literally.

Some spanner in the works has slowed the dreaded transition from Diedrichs to Starbucks and the whole place was celebrating. We regulars get two more weeks of great coffee and great pastries and of seeing Henry and Rita and Alma, the morning crew. They know all of the regulars by name. Have your orders ready before you even get to the counter. Save your favorite pastry for you if it looks like it's going to run out before you get there.

Henry and Rita have applied to the new owners and hope to keep working here in Malibu. They're practicing their Starbucks lingo already.

"A medium latte, please, Henry."

"You mean Grande, right?"

"If you say so."

In two more weeks (plus time for Starbucks to dismantle Deidrich's lovely decor and rubber stamp the place into brand name submission), we'll all be saying so.