(in)famous café

You tend to take things for granted in your own backyard. Or in this case, your front yard.

We have a café across the street which is known all over Stockholm. People from the other side of town come here just to go to the café. Personally I love the café because of its roll in our neighborhood. It's the central pulse of daily life and its personalities make my adopted home just that: home.

This is despite the ironic fact that I'm not much of a café person. Mostly because for most of my life I have been unable to have a cup of coffee much later than 10 am if I want to sleep well that night and I'm no early bird. It's been a cruel irony for most of my adult life since I've spent most of that life in European capitals, Paris, Budapest and now Stockholm. Granted, when I first got to Stockholm in 1992, the number of cafés which served anything as "exotic" as a cappuccino were highly limited.

Two kids later, the greatest gift they've given me --beyond the obvious of the wonders of their most precious lives--is the newfound virtuosity to drink coffee pretty much all day long. Additionally, my Bean, is most often very excited to go to the café. Partly because they've made him a cookie junkie (he never gets cookies, candy, ice cream or overly sweetened drinks at home) and partly because he's treated as "one of the gang." So I've been spending more time at the café either drinking a latte or just stopping by.

Turns out the 175cm-tall Barista (if he's 175cm tall, I'm 55kg) has started a blog. I read the first few entries a month ago and then like most of my intentions to read/write, get put off for later. I just spent the past couple of hours reading through all of the posts to date. Damn if I must say it's freakingly hilarious. Most fun is when the anonymous characters, staff and patrons alike, are all too obvious and someone I know. I get the same chuckle reading Francis Strand's blog --still my all-time favorite blog about Stockholm --sorry Barista (but yours is an ever encroaching second;-)