how i was both stirred and shaken

i have trouble working when i have close proximity to the internet. so i usually find a coffeehouse nearby, and my productivity soars. and it just so happens that there's a coffeehouse across the street from the agency i'm freelancing at. so, this morning, i took off with my sketchpad and checked it out.

i work in soma towards van ness, which is a haven for motorcycle shops, tattoo parlors and car service centers. this coffeehouse, however, was just like any other coffeehouse you'll find anywhere in the country. that is, if you don't count the burly biker dude behind the counter, adorned with a long beard, bald head, multiple earrings and wearing black from head to doc martens. his shirt had the logo of a thrash metal band i'd never heard of.

and he asked me, "would you like whipped cream in your hot chocolate?" and later, "would you like your turkey sandwich to be heated? it would only take a minute."

huh?

he was also in charge of the music, and i gotta say, it took a thrash-metal biker dude to find the best soundtrack possible for a coffeehouse, and it's probably not what you're thinking. as i kept my notebook open, concepting and writing, i listened to cds of emmylou harris and lucinda williams playing on the speakers. seriously, they're absolutely perfect for a coffeehouse, singer/songwriters with voices of character, music that's comfortable, eloquent and timeless. i'm shocked that no other java place has picked up on this.

then again, this guy did.

it was actually a fantastic session for me.

then some average looking guy came in. he's a regular, and began talking to the biker dude, who asked how his son is doing.

"fine. he just started a band with his friends."

"no shit, a band of ten-year-olds?"

"yeah."

"what type of music do they play?"

"ah, classic rock. you know, the eagles, zeppelin, the chili peppers..."

wawawhat? the chili peppers are classic rock?

then i thought about it, and yeah, actually, they are. how scary is that?

i'm planning on giving my cousin a ten-pack of cds for when she goes to college. they're just ten indespensible and influential cds that every college student should have heard just once - from "abbey road" to "exile on main street" to "ok computer" to "it takes a nation of millions". and, in that list, i'm gonna include "nevermind" by nirvana. when i told my friends about its inclusion, everyone told me, "nah. she knows it". yeah, but does she appreciate it?

think about it. that album came out 16 years ago (holy crap). when she hits college, it'll be 18.

18 years before i hit college, the bee gees were popular.

nirvana is classic rock. so are the chili peppers.

damn, perspective's a strange thing.