coffee shop characters

I visited a new coffee shop in hopes of finding inspiration to do work instead of bum on the internets.  It's really easy to get lost on the web when I'm at home by myself.  I've found that I'm usually most productive in a space that has a decent amount of people and noise, but not people I know or noise I need to pay attention to.  That rules out libraries, the cafeteria or student center, anywhere really crowded, or any space where I'm with friends.  So visiting coffee shops by myself is usually quite successful!  There's a nice amount of ambient noise, though I usually plug in headphones, and there's just enough social pressure that I don't feel like I should sit there just browsing BuzzFeed.  That's just the way I am!

Today I visited Arcedium Coffeehouse in Geneva.  I got a pourover of their Tulawesi -- I sound like a coffee snob but I am not.  It tasted like . . . coffee to me.  I was just curious if pourovers really are all they're cracked up to be.  I suppose if you are a coffee connoisseur you can taste a clear difference but to me it was just coffee.  Arcedium is pretty fancy; they roast their own beans and have about twenty different blends available.  Okay cool.

The real reason I was there was to do work.  And I did; I wrote a blog post, studied eleven Duparc songs, and did some job app stuff.  But I also spent snippets of time people-watching, one of my favorite pastimes.  I saw some pretty interesting characters today!

The Unspoken Friend
She sat next to me the whole time I was there and we had a mutual pact to watch each other's stuff whenever we had to get up and/or use the restroom.

The Kindred Spirit
He was writing and people-watching just like me.

The Flirt Pretending to Study
She sat at the bar with open notebook and textbook, but was more often than not glancing around and checking her phone.  Every movement was calculated to subtly attract attention.  She not-so-subtly checked out the new guy that sat down next to her.

The Wandering Musician
He carried a guitar in a travel case and wandered back and forth through the length of the store, smiling at other people and looking about.  He must have passed me at least five times.

The Slightly Creepy Regular
I overheard him saying he always came here and here they had the best coffee.  He tried to hit on The Unspoken Friend - "You're really beautiful, too."  Actually it was kind of smooth - she had just made a comment about what a beautiful state Washington was.  Smooth and kinda creepy.

Then there was Are They Together or Not.  Girl sat down at a high table with an open book, guy sauntered over and stood there leaning against another chair, chatting her up.  Her salad arrived, and he still stood there.  He wandered a couple steps away and came back to say something.  She looked pretty focused on her salad and book.  Eventually he sauntered away and out.  Another guy trying to hit on random girls?  It's cool to see people interacting in a coffee shop, but not if they're consistently guys hitting on pretty girls . . .

A very successful afternoon, I'd say. :)

Thanks for reading.

cheers,
Serfy