MobileThoughts

Sunday, September 24, 2000

Forget StarBucks... there is a better white chocolate mocha. The Cornerstone Coffee and Espresso Bar at the southwest corner of the intersection at 54th and College does it better. Sure, it is a bit more earthy... fewer suburban cool-people wannabes, but there is definitely more character here! The patrons and baristas talk with one another, nothing is too strange here. In a conventional StarBucks these people would be profiled, entered into a national "character" repository, and each time they walked toward the entrance, the video cameras would capture a facial image and plot a feature vector-graph for reference against this database in order to lock the door if there is a match.

Ok, in a pinch a StarBucks will do.... I'm exaggerating. I'll even admit to being a reforming Einstein Bros junkie... "toasted Asiago, plain cream cheese, and skinny mocha, no foo-foo, please."

The reality is, I am beginning to get good at this coffee house thing. Literally, my mother used to serve us coffee when we were very young, 2 or 3 - mine was in a silver cup, no kidding. Java has been a staple in my life ever since. Usually no more than 3 cups, though, in a given day. Lately, I've become very discriminatory of the atmosphere where I will allow myself this simple pleasure.

It started in Hilton Head, SC, at Java Joe's. Quiet morning, early sun and a day that would heat up to 100 degrees further inland. But, I was there on the beach. Everyone else was asleep in the beach house and I had to get outside. So I hopped on my bike and wandered south on North Beach to the square. Early mornings bring out the best of every culture. People seem much more tolerant. Today was another validation of that.

As I rode past a few shops, the simple message "Java Joe's" stood out. It was the only store open and well before their store-front posted hours. The aging, long haired British looking gentleman with whom I had exchanged a courteous head-nod earlier was now standing in the coffee shop, java in hand, staring out at the waking beach village. A cough from behind jolted me back to the bike, as I hit the curb and initiated a late attempt to hop it. Fortunately, the bike cleared and I was now heading straight for Joe's shop. "Who the hell is Joe anyway", I thought. "Oh well."

As I reached for the door and was checking for video cameras, it opened. No one touched it. Figured I was cleared-to-enter and now "buzzed-in". With my delusion of the whole yuppie coffee-house conspiracy in my mind, I became aware of the uniqueness of this place and time. Before the day begins in most communities, there is someplace like this everywhere.

My Dad must have discovered this many years ago. Early to bed, early to rise theme irony. We used to zing him among groups of family and friends about his habits, but here, on this day, I actually understood it. There is a certain freshness, even on a cold cloudy day (like today), when one embarks out into the world and gets a chance to watch it wake up. There is a narrow window to make it here - too early and you burn out, too late and you miss it.

Now, with every day, I cannot wait to get up and check it out. I'm beginning to feel childlike again.

Most people never even realize that you have been up way before they wrestled themselves out of the Old Navy t-shirts they wore to bed. When they arrive at work, they think you just got there... or just a few moments before. What they don't know is, WE are watching. We want to see what is coming and see the doors opened without being judged... to see people just as they are, before they work into their masks and roles... how we are when the Earth wakes us, just past the dream-state we are shaking off... but before we play such social games.
posted by mknowledge 9:55 AM