My friend Roger plays bass and synth in the band Pretty & Nice. As of today he’s midway through a month-long European tour. I am jealous. I’ve only been to Europe once, about a year and a half ago with my roommate of four years, Nicky. Due to a) a limited number of vacation days at our brand new post-collegiate jobs and, b) a lack of sugar daddy style funding, we were only there for a little over a week. But we packed a ton into those nine days. I’m not sure if I like what this says about me, but it was Roger’s post about the Czech beer Budvar that made me feel nostalgic. I think we only had it once, but signs advertising Budvar are everywhere in Prague, where we spent a few days.

Enjoy this picture of me, sleep deprived and insane at 4 AM, about to depart for Amsterdam from Dublin. Sigh.

Once or twice a week I’ll wake up early and over to Washington Square to have a cappuccino and pastry before work. There are three to choose from: Starbucks, Athans, and the newest, Cafe Fixe. Cafe Fixe has been my choice for the better part of a year. The owner can be a little standoffish, but I assumed this was because the first five times I visited I managed to make a fool of myself by spilling coffee or food on myself, or somehow getting stuck in the door-frame (I don’t want to talk about it). Wanting to redeem myself, I’ve been determined to win him over. That is, until I started reading their reviews on Yelp.

One reviewer was frustrated after being asked to leave under the pretense of a 30-minute limit on internet usage. Other reviewers reported the same experience. This semi-psychotic response followed, via the owner:

“Guess little Johnny B. ain’t gonna be a regular no more…  Good.
More room for people who actually come here for coffee.
Don’t you witty lap-top junkies get it yet?
Perhaps, in the future we’ll follow suit of the progressive NYC and SF shops and simply have a no lap-top policy.”

I’ve been sitting here for 38 minutes. I am terrified.

“Get ready to throw up in your mouth a little: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Singing_Senators”

If you don’t belong to one already, consider signing up for the Shared Harvest Winter CSA! I subscribed to it last winter (my first CSA ever) and it was a great experience. Choose between two or three month shares, pick-up is monthly in Belmont. We split our share between four people last year and it worked out perfectly. I’d sign up for it again, but my current CSA (Redfire Farm) continues into December.

I can’t speak highly enough of this thing. Fresh, local, affordable produce, and in the winter no less! Check it out!

Shared Harvest Winter CSA

“‘All these seeds need to grow are sun, soil and water. If you eat these healthy foods, you’re going to grow up to be big and strong, like me,’ Mrs. Obama tells the Muppets, in the segment that’s already been shot.”

Gah. I love her.

(Sun, soil and water? That’s it?  Don’t tell that to Monsanto.)