Work For My Words
A Coffee Chat
After my phone call was declined:
I love you but every single human in my life is asleep right now I am not answering the phone and chancing a mass awakening hahaha.
My internet keeps crapping out and every other message I’m holding my laptop up to the mysterious signal like Rafiki lifting Simba to the sun on Pride Rock.
HAHAHA
I am a half a step away from chanting in Afrikans.
My words are worth it.
WORK FOR MY WORDS!
La Taza
If there’s one thing every traveler needs, it’s a good coffeehouse. Mostly because traveling requires a kind of energy I can only get from the best coffee; but even for the non-coffee drinker, a coffeehouse is a one stop greeting center.
Your barista will usually be able to tell you how to get places, what activities there are in the neighborhood, where to find the best music and food. Your barista, equivalent to a bartender in useful information and emotional well-being, will point you in the direction of the best bookstores, the coolest non-touristy tourist sites, and can usually tell you which ones are free and which ones are overpriced.
Find the right neighborhood joint, wherever you are staying, and you will find flyers for things happening while you’re in town that you might otherwise not discover. You’ll have numerous business cards and bookmarks for local indie authors you can check out while you’re in their hometown, and you’ll be able to gather your thoughts and plan your day over delicious less-commercialized foods and drinks.
If that place is La Taza, in San Antonio, you’ll also get to check out the local art scene while your barista warms a heart shaped Danish roll to serve you with your Hazelnut latte. No, I did not take pictures of my Danish roll, I was too busy eating it while it was hot.
I did take some pictures of the walls while he was busy making my latte though, this painting of the horses in the water above the chess table struck my fancy.
There’s also a puzzle table and a slew of board games and books to access. Other decor included a not-so-Christmasy Christmas tree, dressed in flowers for summer.
The shop was about a mile from where I was staying, easily accessible by sidewalk from that neighborhood. If I had had the time to enjoy the walk, rather than flit off to book signings, I would have – walked and meandered to my coffee, that is.
I can’t wait to visit again. Maybe next time I’ll have my book signing there – it looks like they frequently have authors and musicians in the cafe. In the meantime, you might be able to still pick up my bookmark from the table near the entrance.
A Shropshire Morning
Title: A Shropshire Lad
Author: A.E. Housman
Publisher: Penguin (Classics)
Genre: Poetry (English Journeys)
I know I just posted on this very same title yesterday, but I’ve been reading through it over my morning coffee on this cold, rainy day, and I couldn’t keep myself from sharing the best parts.
| A. E. Housman (1859–1936). A Shropshire Lad. 1896. |
| XLVIII. Be still, my soul, be still |
This melted me to my core. Melted me into a state of beautiful stillness, and I couldn’t keep that to myself. It’s so calming, so true, and so utterly gorgeous.
Not just for his poetry itself, Housman is inspiring because his work is so good and back in 1896 he was essentially self-published. Publishers turned this beautiful work down over and over again until finally he decided to publish the title at his own expense. Originally he wanted to call it The Poems of Terrence Hearsay, but was encouraged to change it. Sales lagged until about 1899 when the Second Boer War broke out and profits have surged for Housman’s work during every time of war since – especially World War I. Though this surprised the poet, it is not surprising to me… the entire work is about loss. There is much solace in reading about loss when you have lost or anticipate it soon.
Don’t be surprised if Housman is revisited often on this blog.
A Tidbit from Miss Golightly
A Thoreau quote is a good way to start a novel. Also, sometimes it’s good to choose a book based on its cover, and it’s nearly always good to have coffee and chocolate while reading. (at Cultivar Coffee & Tea Co.)
– Miss Golightly
I will be joining Miss Golightly in reading this book this week. You can join us too and discuss later! – Anakalian Whims
MORNING COFFEE: FRIDAY EDITION
Photo compliments of Hannah from Coffee Scribble. (Formerly known as Musings from the TARDIS.)
Coffee… Starbucks… God… Gospel… What?
Title:The Gospel According to Starbucks
Author: Leonard Sweet
Publisher: WaterBrook Press
Genre: Christian Living
Length: 210 pages
So reading this I realize why I rarely read Christian Living books. I pretty much disagree with most of them. Sometimes they are blatantly wrong, sometimes their nuances are misleading. Sure, I think it’s good to pick one up every now and then, but mostly I’d rather read The Bible, theology, or philosophy, rather than suffer through a water downed less than truthful version of God.
The story of the copy I have of this book is an interesting one, to me. My college room mate’s little sister had it first and her tiny little handwriting (that looks freakishly like my old roomie’s) is peppered throughout. That’s my favorite part about used books – the notes.
Mostly she’s witty… funny little quips from having actually worked at Starbucks creep onto the pages. Cutely reprimanding customers for their silly choice in drink, which I cutely got indignant over because some of those drinks are things I order, seep onto the pages and make my lip curl up. But sometimes she writes something spot on that is exactly what I’m thinking and embodies my entire personal view of this book:
“You can be grateful and enjoy the ‘experience’ but don’t place your walk’s ‘value’ on whether or not you had some ultimate experience.” – Hannah’s note on pg. 51
Indeed. At one point I scribbled a response that said, “Church becomes an entertainment fiasco… the Baptist equivalent of a Vegas Headliner.” Because the Gospel of Starbucks is experience, and Sweet implies over and over that we should be focused on our experience with God. Human beings are kind of crazy and moody… I don’t want my walk with God to be based on my personal experience and how I’m feeling that day. Instead, I’m sorry, but I think we should be focused on GOD… not how we feel so much. Feelings are fleeting. God is steady.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s some good stuff in here. I’d give it a 3 stars “I like it,” but I like it with a shrug. I think I mostly like it for the fun little notes in the margins that Sweet inspired out of previous readers. I like the coffee talk and the Picasso quotes. I like that Sweet encourages people to “live with a Grande passion,” I think living with passion is important. It’s the nuances that get me every time with a book I sort of don’t care for… all those tiny little nuances that leave an after taste. Kind of like Starbucks. I like Starbucks, I do. But everything just kind of tastes like Starbucks after awhile and I’m always eager to find that hole in the wall mom and pop coffee shop that stayed true to the basics. That goes for church too… teach me the word of God, end of story.
The best thing about Sweet’s gospel? It compliments my morning coffee. As it was a hand-me-down title, however, I plan to hand it down to someone else. It’s worth reading, but not a keeper.
A link to Hannah’s blog can be found in my right hand margin: Musings From the Tardis.
My old Roomie writes Coffee Cups in Trees.
But something to take a look at that is a much better view of the world and is quick and to the point is here: http://www.thinkingthroughchristianity.com/2013/08/let-there-be-coffee.html
Latte Art
A Tidbit from Miss Golightly
This is my second attempt at latte art! And it tastes good 🙂 – JJ Golightly
A Tidbit from Miss Golightly
Bliss for Booknerds
Photograph by JJ Golightly
This gray San Francisco morning features a cappuccino, a Spanish manchego mushroom tart w/toasted sesame seeds and chives, and Coffee with Oscar Wilde. Bliss!
— at Four Barrel Coffee.
Anakalian Whims 