Open Wardrobes

When I sit down to write, the environment is important. Perhaps because I'm easily distracted (having easy access to the Internet when I should be writing, for example, is usually not a good thing) I try to go someplace other than my living room. The front porch, for example, can be good: I don't think as much about the dishes that need to be done, that I need to sweep the floor, pay the bills, etc. The hammock in the backyard is another of my favorite spots around home (con: not in the winter). There is a certain inertia factor about laying in a hammock that helps prevent me from hopping up and doing something around the house instead of buckling down to work. Being outside on a beautiful day is a nice plus too, watching the cardinals and so on does help put one in an artistic frame of mind (but not squirrels).


Often though, if I have several hours, I like to get away from the house and ensconce myself at the local coffee shop. We have a nice one, the Coffee Grounds (where I am right now), that is in easy biking distance. I usually prefer the independent places as they have a better atmosphere (not to mention free wireless, though again, an easy distraction) and of course I'd rather support them than have it turn into another Starbucks. On the whole I have nothing against Starbucks, except when they obviously open a location to take business from an independent shop.


Anyway, sitting at a coffee shop often helps me get into the right mood and settle down into a nice stretch of the writing work. The main con is that it is more expensive that sitting at home (again, the hammock also works well), but writing at the coffee shop has become one of my small pleasures in life, one which I will not easily give up (despite the prevalence of tea at my own house; I don't actually drink coffee).


I took the scooter over to the Coffee Grounds today (Kelly and I recently bought one of these in coffee and white), as I had a few other errands to run, and it's becoming just a little chilly for biking. Besides, the scooter is just plain more fun (again, small pleasures). So I've been sitting here for a few hours chipping away at "the one man physics show" idea in a calm relaxing environment, watching other regulars come and go, and I've actually made some progress. And now I get the fun of zipping back home on a practical-yet-really-cool scooter. Really, you can't ask much more than that from a sunny, fall Saturday.