the following is from a letter to bryan:
lately i’ve been sharing awkward moments with strangers. i’ll be minding my own business, spacing out, and suddenly make eye contact with someone in a store or other random public space. i’ll stare at them a moment longer than is socially acceptable before i realize that yes i don’t know them and look away, shyly. i suppose it would be easily forgotten if i had just left it at that, but, when i look away i think “maybe i do know them and didn’t look hard enough” and look again. the 3 times i’ve done this in the past 2 days the people i’ve been sharing this experience with were still looking at me, so, in my shock of making a second round of eye contact i’ll actually say something to make the experience even more awkward and memorable like “hello” “good morning” or, the most embarrassing, “were you just sending me psychic vibes?”
one would think that i don’t have much contact with the outside world, but, really, i just need to take the advice of all my teachers and friend’s parents and not talk to strangers.
anyway, here are some recent black and white photos that my buddy ben just processed for me:
its warm here, 70 outside right now, and my screen door and window are letting the breeze blow through my apartment. i feel as though i haven’t been here in a while, and i suppose its true, since i usually work and sleep until i hit the road to another city. i’ve decided to take my days off this week in austin, a vacation at home, since my room is a mess, my car is filthy, and my floors need a little bit of love.
other than cleaning, though, i need to spend time in the city at my favorite haunts in my neighborhood that i have been neglecting. i live in the north loop area, far enough away from campus to have lighter traffic but close enough to accommodate the graduate student crowd. there are several coffee shops and bars that are a quick bike ride away, a few of which i favor.
1. thunderbird coffee – koenig
a great place to get a coffee or beer with a friend for a quiet conversation. their patio is spacious and cozy and the interior is lined with large windows, so on days that i don’t want to stay outside but want to feel outside, its perfect. the breakfast selection is good, with breakfast pastries and sandwiches.
2. pacha – burnet
since this place lacks wireless internet, it keeps the business and student crowd at bay and harbors the paper and pen folks. its a converted house with friendly baristas and a warm atmosphere. when i read on the back porch, sipping my mexican chocolate mocha, i feel like i’m at a distant relative’s house. their empanadas are wonderful and, if you don’t feel like having coffee, they have beer and wine to choose from.
3. taco shack – medical
the smiling faces that greet me at this taco shack keep me coming back. the food, of course, is an amazing indulgence. i always get a bacon, egg, potato, and cheese taco and ride up to the park down the street to eat it. there is really only a few picnic tables outside and one table inside, so eating down the street is really the best option. the bacon is always the perfect amount of crispy, which, since i’m a big fan of bacon, is a monumental accomplishment. consistently good bacon is the key to my heart.
4. flightpath – 51st and duval
i used to live across the street from this coffee shop and would walk their every morning to check my email and sip coffee. what i loved the most about this place when i first encountered it was the decor. the colored windows splitting the larger seating area in half struck me as genius. they also serve beer for those nights i want to avoid the crowds, but still have a brew.
5. draught house – medical
this place has a great beer selection with plenty of outdoor seating. if the seats are all taken, though, feel free to pull out the lawn chairs, its all normal at this place. be careful pulling into the parking lot, there are dogs and people everywhere.
it seems i spend a lot of time hopping from one coffee shop to another, but, sometimes i want to wear blue and sometimes i want to wear black.