I checked out the fairly new (I think they’ve been open for 6 months or so) Julia’s Coffee today. The coffee shop and bookstore is part of the Habitat for Humanity Restore off Wendover Road, which is also not very far from my apartment so I did not mind taking the short ride there.
I wasn’t sure what to expect of the atmosphere at Julia’s, other than the free Wi-Fi, but it was nice inside. The owners made good use of Habitat goods by reusing furniture and lighting in creative ways. Plus, it’s split into two levels with an upstairs loft. And the other customers were pretty quiet and absorbed in their books or table conversations – no loud, obnoxious cell phone talkers or families of five in the room.
However, the guy managing the place was a little too enthused to greet this new customer. I don’t know if he could see my bra through my shirt or just thought he needed to over emphasize his welcome, but I couldn’t get my coffee without going through this charade:
“Are you going hiking or are you just here to do some school work?!!!”
(takes a minute to register that he’s talking about my laptop backpack)
“Oh, no. I’m here to work-work. You know, the kind where they pay me to do it.”
“And what kind of work might that be???!!”
*mumble, mumble* “freelance journalism…” *mumble, mumble*
“WOW that’s cool! Do you love it!?!?”
“Um….yeah (*fake exclamation mark*)”
“Well that’s all that matters!!”
Maybe this conversation wouldn’t have been so awkward for me had he actually been making my coffee. But no, someone else was mixing my latte while he stood there bumbling along. When the barista making my drink handed it to me, her face spoke to me: I have to deal with this all day.
Or so I like to think I can read the soul of every barista after having been one myself at Fartbucks for a whole year.
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May 18th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Good Layout and design. I like your blog. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. .
Jason Rakowski
May 19th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
I’ve been so curious about that place!
I’ll definitely check it out now. Thanks, Emiry.
May 19th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
people that are way to over friendly scare me in ways i cannot put into words.
they remind me of mormons… *looks up*
May 20th, 2008 at 12:56 am
*adjusts magic underwear*
May 20th, 2008 at 1:03 am
HI MIKAEL WE’RE SO GLAD YOU STOPPED BY! CAN I DO ANYTHING TO MAKE YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE?
April, pull your pants up and call me next time you think about heading to Julia’s! Bring cash because they have some really awesome lamps and chairs in there, too.
May 20th, 2008 at 3:45 am
april tell me that mormon joke didn’t just go right over your head….
emily, did he come talk to you after you got your drink? or did he find another person to blab at?
SO HOW’S THE WRITING COMING ALONG? DO YOU NEED A REFILL?!?!?
May 20th, 2008 at 4:23 am
no, of course I got it! I’m blonde but not dense!
Although, speaking of blonde moments, I did have to go back downstairs from “the loft” and ask the barista to help me plug in my laptop AC adapter because I couldn’t get it to work in the one outlet next to my table. Turns out the cord on the other side of the adapter wasn’t plugged in all the way. OH I SEEE! I thanked her and tried not to throw myself over the balcony. Fortunately, Friendly Guy was on the phone so he couldn’t come to my rescue.
May 20th, 2008 at 4:24 am
oh you were addressing April. Yes, she got it. That’s where the magic underwear comes from. GOSH.
May 20th, 2008 at 6:29 am
magic underwear doesn’t JUST come from april, but her’s have some mystical powers that no one can quite figure out.
and i’ve fought with AC outlits before. trying to force the negative end into the positive slot. maybe that’s why i suck at sex???
May 20th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
maybe that’s why i suck at sex???
HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA