Back at Starbucks once again - the Goddess of Athena has lured me this time to endulge in a tall Caramel Machiatto. I sit in a different spot, this time in a cozy lounge chair next to a natural gas fireplace which at the moment is warming up at least the right half of my body. To the left, a table of adolescent girls dressed in classic private school uniforms and yes murmuring away in gossip-mode about guys and stuff...
The Globe & Mail Tuesday edition declares an Oscar Winner, the director of Crash is indeed Canadian! Ironically, I haven't heard the film nevermind actually seen it. Sitting in this busy coffeeshop on Osborne Street is becoming a ritual for me. Interestingly, I don't recognize any of the coffee dispensing employees from the night before - apparently a lot of part-timers I guess. This place claims to be one of relaxing and lingering but it is becoming apparent that it may be advertising a false sense of community. Yes, the atmosphere is warm and friendly, the music is grooving and inviting, but unless you are with friends it actually is quite lonely. A person may ask if the seat next to you is taken but the conversation will end as quickly as it started. The exception being the classic, "Are you done with that paper?" Shallow. Paper-thin.
"I totally saw that!" "OMG!!!" Okay I'm becoming annoyed with this gaggle of teenage divas on the next table over - ironic considering I'm a youth ministry professor. "SO Creepy!" I can only assume they are talking about someone that doesn't fit in at their school or maybe a flirty high school gym teacher? I am glad the years of puberty are so far removed from me. And as I write this I fast foward ten years and realize my eldest daughter will a teenager as well.
This whole "being away" thing gets old fast. I need the community of family & friends to breathe and admittedly sleeping on a foamie mattress is much harder than the luxury of my bed at home.
Another hazy winter day. It would be nice to see that Manitoba sun again! It has been atleast a week since blue skies. The melt has begun once again and its a challenge to keep shoes or pantlegs dry. I peel away the wrapper of a Ricola throat lozenge and play with it in my mouth, allowing the sweet honey flavor to seep into my somewhat dry and irritated throat. I am tired of this cold virus that has ravaged my body this past week.
A young university student sits down in a seat nearby and plugs in an ancient IBM thinkpad from maybe 1995. It is amazing how archaic it looks, it must be almost 4 inches thick and I think it has a floppy drive? He nervously boots it up obviously prepared for a long wait as the CPU winds up. Another student cautiously waddles to the washroom but finds the door locked. He looks almost panicked by that fact. He is your typical asian preppy type wearing a yellow and grey striped sweater with a pink polo shirt beneath, strangely his shirt collar is unfurled like that of a bad Elvis impersonator. An interesting crowd today at Starbucks - is it really the coffee that brings them all here or the hope for community in a warm place?
And so here I sit, with my faded jeans and black jacket writing the musings of a wandering mind once again.
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