Tales from a Haight Cafe...

People’s Café 6/29/10 1-2pm

1419 Haight Street
Notes:

As I enter I feel suddenly relaxed. Warm colors, an open but cozy vibe. I stand in line behind only a few people. Most of the tables are taken. I snap a quick photo making sure not to capture anyone’s face.

An attractive guy behind the counter wearing a bowler hat appears. I order a Philly Cheese Steak and an ice tea.

I grab one of the last available tables. Centrally located but not ideal for people watching.

I scan the room and am pleasantly surprised. I figured the place would be full of dreads and patchouli because of its location but am happy to discover all walks of life.

The tables are glass with coffee beans inside. Clever.

I am sitting next to a group of three young guys. They have known each other for years. They use familiar tones and body language. They even dress alike. Skinny jeans, t-shirts, chucks. They talk about fishing, wake boarding, and how they should quit smoking. The one closest to me smells like cloves. The clove smelling one starts telling a story. It involves the EPIC summer of 97 and Zephyr Cove in South Lake Tahoe. After the 3^rd “dude,” I tune out.

My sandwich arrives and it smells amazing. Full of onions.

The spots along the walls are reserved for the hard-core laptopers. The only places with plugs. Mac’s rule the space. Lined up. Silver-plated glistening in the sun.

The tables in the middle are more social. Lunch dates between friends and colleagues.

To the right a girl in her mid 20’s sits playing with her new iphone. Uggs, blue blazer, she looks like she’d rather be somewhere else.

One of the hard-core laptopers sits frustrated, head in hands. Writer’s block? He stands up, stretches, and orders more coffee.

The man next to him looks exactly like Ray Romano. He types with purpose on his Mac, as if each letter is telling a story.

Some guy is complaining loudly about how he got the wrong sandwich but it didn’t stop him from eating half of it. The attractive barista, (Nathan) isn’t phased. He just smiles and tells the difficult guy he will replace it.

Two young guys enter. More skinny jeans. They look hung over. They order and sit next to me. The EPIC boys have thankfully left. They talk about how great it is to finally be able to order the “hangover special.” I was right. I am curious. I go up to the counter and look around. It doesn’t take long to spot the sign. Hangover Special – 10oz steak & eggs served with hash browns and toast. $10.95

I sit back down and smirk.

Two locals enter. Nathan knows them by name. Tattoos, messenger bags, nose piercings, sunnies clipped to their jeans. They order off the Vegan Menu. They sit directly behind me.

I get up to use the bathroom. It reminds me of CBGB’s. All red with graffiti. Made me feel angry. Too much red.

When I sit back down I discover that the locals behind me are talking about Nazis. Not sure the context. Not sure I want to know.

The lunch rush is over. Can finally hear the music. Distracted by Vampire Weekend’s, “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance.”

I hear Nathan tell someone about the Happy Hour specials from 5-10 pm. Make a note to come back for it.

My phone buzzes. Words with Friends. I am now distracted. I take that as my cue to leave.

For more interesting cafe observations from talented writers/storytellers please go to:

http://hoodmapped.com/

Tales from a Sausalito Cafe

With inspiration from Grant McCracken and Russell Davies, a friend of mine has embarked on an interesting mission. He is starting a series of café observations by neighborhood and has invited others to pIay with him. He has also started a blog about it and I will provide a link at the end of this post. Please email me if you would like to participate.

I am really excited to collaborate on this café observation project. I relish any opportunity to people watch. I realize this is what I normally do anyway in my head; the only difference is now I am putting my thoughts to paper. I decided to go old school and leave my laptop at home. I figured the free Wi-Fi would be a distraction and I would be drawn to play on facebook or twitter, instead of focusing on what is going on around me. Scribbling my thoughts with a pen and paper while sipping my cup of earl grey, made me feel like a 50’s beatnik jotting down introspective poetry. Anyway here it goes…

Taste of Rome Cafe formally known as Café Trieste

6/24/10 1-2 pm

Notes:

I hear the mind numbing sound of hundreds of vuvuzelas.

I glance up at the counter and see two HD TV’s tuned loudly to the World Cup (Japan vs. Demark).

A man with a thick Italian accent stands behind the counter. He calls me Bella. I smile and order a cup of Earl Grey and Insalata Caprese.

Café is crowded, everyone seems glued to the game.

Bikers riding through town stop in. Sweaty and wearing too much spandex. They order iced coffees and grab a table outside.

The hot mamas brigade comes in next, struggling to fit the strollers through the door. There are three of them. They order non-fat lattes and gossip. 2 toddlers and one infant sleep soundly in their strollers.

Biker in a white Nike hoodie sits next to me. He places his sunnies on top of his head. Orders a strawberry smoothie and watches the game.

Buzz…

Older man in glasses and 80’s jean jacket recognizes a beautiful young French woman. They have a brief exchange. The French woman approaches me. Starts to speak French. I remember my new Amelie-like hair cut and respond in English. She tells me she likes my necklace. She smiles and dances away.

I am interrupted by my salad. Nike hoodie biker gets his pasta. It smells delicious.

A group of tourists walk in. SF sweatshirts and cameras blazing. They take photos.

A collective groan comes from the crowd. Japan just scored.

Man at the corner table looks like Bogart. He is wearing a fedora hat. He is hunched suspiciously over his computer. I get up to grab some napkins so I can peek at his screen. Extremely disappointed he is on Facebook.

Local man walks in. He looks like a silver fox. Shoulder length silver hair, white button down shirt, flip flops, age unknown. Everyone knows him. He is a legend here. He doesn’t order just sits down and his glass of red wine is brought to him. Everyone else orders at the counter. He sits down alone at a table for 4. I am intrigued. His name is Robert. I hear the bus boy call him that. I look at him a little too long. Oh no. He catches me. He smiles. I smile back but quickly look away.

A sleeve tatted Irish man enters. He has a shaved head. He is wearing all black. He scans the room for an out of the way table. He glances at his phone. He is waiting for someone.

A young woman enters with brilliant red hair. She is wearing a navy sundress with black converse. She has a Celtic tattoo on her back. She spots the Irish guy he rises to meet her. They embrace and sit down. I stop watching them. Feels like I am interrupting an intimate moment.

Italian man behind the counter is distracted by the game. The natives in line are growing restless.

The game is over. Final score Japan 3 Denmark 1.

The café seems to clear out after. The cool breeze from outside sweeps through the once crowded room.

Here is the link to my friend's Hoodmapped blog:

http://hoodmapped.com/

A Fabulous Non-Networking Event

A few weeks ago my college roommate invited me to a media-networking event. The organization shall remain nameless but their job is to help people connect and make contacts. Being a struggling freelancer seeking a steady gig, I was more than happy to accompany her to this particular networking happy hour. About an hour into the event I was able to make some key insights. The event might not have been the networking Mecca I envisioned but I sure had a blast!

5 Tips to help you realize that the “Networking” event you’re at won’t help you further your career.

You aren’t the only freelancer in the bunch. As you walk by to mingle you notice about half the room and people of all ages are toting the freelance title on their nametags.

Every time someone opens the door a bar full of women hopefully turn towards the entrance only to see more women enter the room.

You are then promptly sent to a dark and smelly basement designed specifically for your networking pleasure.

The only remotely interesting person you have spoken to besides the person you came with is about 22.

The event photographer has not only bought you and your best friend drinks, he has also made sure you are in almost every photo taken for the organization’s website.

Now for some Video

I have been working on this video blog question for months and months. The question is what two-historical/celebrity figures would you like to have a drink with and why? Then the question morphed into what would you be drinking? So many interesting answers so far. Stay tuned for more interviews and my personal picks. Please excuse the video quality the original file was GIANT and I had to sacrifice some pixels to make it load. The important part is what is said not seen.

Old School but Still Ground Breaking

It’s funny how almost a decade after the genius Crispin Mini campaign, I still can’t even conceive of a more groundbreaking campaign. Whenever I am asked that expected question in an interview, I always answer the same. Usually, I am met by recognition but they still expect me to come up with something current, trendy, and more edgy. As an ex-copywriter and a passionate strategist, there is no other campaign that even holds a candle. In a time where BIG meant status, they were able to make small the new big, without using any conventional advertising. Today this would seem the norm but back then it was anything but. The ads were witty and well written. The creative content was new and fresh. Even the tagline, “Let’s Motor”, started a Mini movement. This campaign made people want to drive without even having a destination. This campaign made me want to get into advertising. Even the driver’s manual (The Book of Motoring) was inspiring. To this day I have not seen a campaign that in its entirety has blown me away to the extent that Crispin’s Mini Cooper campaign did. It was successful because it broke all the rules at the time but still came up with a huge ROI. It was creative, imaginative, cool, and EFFECTIVE. It created a counter culture of Mini drivers that is still growing strong almost a decade later.

http://marketallica.wordpress.com/2006/04/30/collection-of-alternative-mini-ads/

Still Kinda Lost

Lost had its epic series finale last week and as usual my predictions were a little off. The ending is open to interpretation, which comes as no surprise. The conclusion to me felt a lot like Jacob’s Ladder but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Bottom line is it’s all about Jack. It’s Jack’s journey through love, life, and loss. This makes sense because he seemed to be the central character all along. All roads lead to Jack and his functional and dysfunctional relationships. Was it Jack’s purgatory or his psychotic breakdown before he died? Did any of these people actually exist on the island? Those answers we shall never know. We are glad to know that in the afterlife, Claire still looks hot, Sun and Jin are together, and Sawyer isn’t a cop. It was also great to see old favorites like Boone, Charlie, and Juliet. It’s nice to know that in the end everyone got to hook up with past loves, which made it feel a little like Grey’s Anatomy. Anyway thank you J.J. for providing us with entertaining weird television and for still leaving us a little Lost.

I will be a little Lost without it

As many of you know, I am a big Sci-Fi Geek. Although Lost has had its ups and downs in the last six years, it still remained one of my favorite shows. The conclusion of Lost feels like the end of an era of quality weird TV. Networks have tried to duplicate the mystery, suspense, and wackiness of Lost, but have never been successful. This is the part where I lament about what I have learned and make my predictions for the series finale.

Spoiler Alert: I am going to rant about situations from past episodes, so if you are not up to date please stop reading.

What do we know already? Who is even left to discuss? They eliminated some key characters recently. Dear J.J. Abrams, why would you kill both Kwons? The island better not be done with them yet. Jin has never even seen his daughter. This storyline is almost as weak as when Felicity chopped off her hair.

The Players

Jacob: We know that Jacob is no saint. He has mommy issues and a bad case of sibling rivalry. We know that he is responsible for creating the smoke monster, which still remains nameless (maybe we just call him Jacob’s brother or the man in black like, Johnny Cash).

Kate: She can’t make a decision to save her life and never could. She would love to mold her own man that would be a cross between Sawyer and Jack. I have a strong feeling; she will end up with neither. I think she will probably leave the island and finish raising Aaron, since Claire has become a bit crazy.

Sawyer: We all want Sawyer to have a purpose. We love him because he is the bad boy that has learned to let people in. He fell in love with Kate and Juliet. He rocked the Dharma Initiative gear and became a leader. A cooler more sarcastic version of Jack, he is awesome at coming up with nicknames and looking hot without a shirt. He is and always will be my favorite Lost character. I would be happy if Sawyer didn’t have a Hollywood ending. I would love to see him leave the island and return to the con. I would rather see him eaten by the Locke monster than become a cop.

Hugo: Everyone loves Hurley but I have never been that big of a fan. I would choose him to remain on the island and protect the “light”. He doesn’t seem to have much going for him on the outside. He is able to communicate with dead people, so he would have plenty of company on the island. He has loved and lost and maybe remaining on the island as the candidate will help him heal.

Jack: In the past few weeks Jack has been channeling the real Locke. He is all about the island and protecting it. He feels it’s his duty and purpose to remain on the island. It appears that he will because last week he drank Jacob’s Kool- aid. I don’t like this ending for Jack. I think he should be able to find happiness off the island. I understood his motivation to go back to the island and save his friends but making the island his permanent residence doesn’t make sense.

Desmond: Someone needs to help a brotha out. He has been through way too much to die on this island. Hopefully he will be able to finally leave the island and be reunited with his family. Still not sure why he doesn’t blow up, when struck with high voltage.

Side note: Not sure what is going on with the sideways storyline. It seems like it’s just the fake world Jack tried to create, via bombing the hatch site, and killing poor Juliet. It also appears that Desmond is trying to get everyone to remember what really happened. Not too impressed with this world except that fact that Claire is hot again. Can’t stand to look at her on the island. I know they made her crazy but couldn’t they give her a brush or something? But since this is Lost anything can happen. This could be the true world. Btw did we ever find out why there are polar bears on the tropical island?

I have rambled and ranted enough. We shall see on Sunday how this ends, Hopefully all will be explained. Until then let's raise a Dharma Initiative beer and see what happens...