Second lady’s shoes, first lady’s guest

An Army sergeant assigned to Fort Shafter was among first lady Michelle Obama’s guests Tuesday night at the president’s State of the Union address, having met Dr. Jill Biden during a tour of Iraq.

When Vice President Joe Biden and his wife toured Iraq during the 2010 Fourth of July, Sgt. Ashleigh Berg of Malibu, Calif., said she was among a group of soldiers dining with the second lady. "The whole table, they were all nervous about asking questions," Berg recalled to NBC. "All I could think of to ask was, ‘I love your shoes. Where did you get them?" A memorable conversation ensued.

Berg is assigned at Fort Shafter to the 94th Army Missile Defense Command as the commanding general’s executive administrative assistant.

When a Starbucks coffee is not enough

Starbucks is all about the buzz.

After all, do human beings really need 31 ounces of coffee in one sitting, as in the trenta? Ah, but it’s all so good — and makes the 24-ounce venti look like amateur hour.

Now Starbucks is abuzz with plans to expand its beer and wine offerings beyond six select Seattle and Portland, Ore., outlets, to branches in Chicago, Atlanta and Southern California. So far, Hawaii is not on Starbucks’ liquor list. But give it time. Slowly but surely, the beer buzz might well rival the caffeine buzz at the ole coffee house.