There's this little town near where we live that I love. It's small and artsy and has the sort of small town, artistic and beautiful vibe that I want to embody someday. We went there recently, for the sole purpose of walking around.
We visited a tiny farmer's market that was filled with wooden sculptures, healthy foods (like eggplants. Do people really eat eggplants?), and the creative craftiness that makes me want to PAINT ALL THE THINGS. There was a stand that specifically sold jerky and long horn skulls; another that sold everything bee related (including wax chapstick); yet another that made bird houses out of dried out gourds.
As we walked along, we passed an old, falling-to-pieces shop that I've had the misfortune of seeing fall into ruin over time. It's still the gem of the place: pop art painted over white bricks, a garden scattered with rusty old chairs. A picture of Madre Teresa so faded that she looks like a zombie. It used to be a cafe or a boutique, I think, and people were always resting their feet in the garden. Now it is abandoned.
Further on, we passed a tavern, which, despie being in the middle of the day, was already full of life. A lady in a black crop top caught my eye, leaning against the wall. She paused between texts to take a swig of her beer, then a cigarrette. Wattresses brought laughing tables their food and the place smelled like BBQ and something else pleasent I couldn't quite place.
We stumbled upon an antique shop that I instantly fell in love with. If I could, I'd take my laptop and just sit in that shop, writing the day away. Maybe one day I will.
The halls were lined with boxes, and the ceiling was so high that a ladder was required to reach the top shelves. The instant you walked in, you could smell the dust and the haunting familiarity; I couldn't shake the odd sort of feeling that everything there once belonged to a somebody, a somebody with a story and a life and a smile.
Boxes upon boxes of old nick knacks and gadgets. Baskets of cookie cutters in odd shapes. A yellowed wedding dress that I so wanted to buy, even though I may never marry. A patterned jacket that I very nearly bought (and am now wishing I did) that probably walked straight out of the 80s. Old candies with names I've never heard of before. Paintings that should be in a museum, they're so beautiful. A telephone with a curly black cord; a video camera that required you to turn a crank to work it; five working typewriters that made that soothing clicky-clack sound!
Gosh, I can't wait to go back to that shop, even if nothing has changed. I just want to go back and see it all over again.
Where did you go today?
Listening to: this soothing piano music
Showing posts with label Places. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Places. Show all posts
13.7.17
30.5.17
Barnes & Noble
My family go to Barnes & Noble a lot. And by a lot, I mean enough that people have started to recognize us, and in return, we've started to regconize them.
I usually write these posts after-the-fact, looking back on my memories of an occasion. But I didn't feel much like reading tonight, so when we made our weekly trip to the bookstore, I decided to bring my laptop and do a bit of 'live' posting. Of course, I'm not really posting this live; you're reading this through the magic of the internet and writing. Cool, isn't it? So let's harness that magic a bit:
I'm sitting in the back corner of the cafe, and from here, I have a lovely view of the sleepy people that trail in on a Tuesday evening. To the right of me is my father, back against the wall as he types wildly (looks like he's writing an imporant email, judging by the way he keeps sighing and rubbing his forehead). There's a pretty girl a couple tables down with her headphones in and a highlighted book in front of her; she looks like she's been here a while. A water bottle, mug, and laptop are strewn across the table in front of her. Her bangs keep falling in her eyes as she reviews the pages.
To my right is a guy with a coffee and a stack of books that he's not reading. He's scruffy, a bit of beard sprinkling his chin as he focuses on his phone. I'm not one to judge; I'm surrounded by thousands of books and I'm writing, not reading
There's a busty woman with hair like a volcano made of fluff walking off, a lanyard in hand, and another man ordering at the cafe (hopefully he's not trying to use a starbucks giftcard. PSA: B&N doesn't accept starbucks giftcards. Save the card, save a barista's life)
A man with silver hair, librarian glasses, and shorts that are just a bit to short just lumbered down the side aisle. He looks friendly, like he just came from the beach (his flip flops attest to that. Life that party life, man). He crossed paths with a woman with a ponytale and gum I can hear her chewing from twenty feet away.
The only other occupied table is claimed by a tutor with the patience of a rock and a student whose study habits are so bad they simultaneously horrify and impress me. They've been here multiple times, and as far as I know, no studying has occured yet, though they seem to be getting along well, dicussing politics and facts. Still, the tutor remains patient, calm. It's honestly impressive. If I were a little bald guy with bifocals and a student like that, I'd have strangled them long before today. The student and I have chatted a few times, just the normal 'hey how's it going, have a nice day now'.
Those are the only people in the cafe, but more people are filtering in as the evening picks up speed; there's a few more hours of business time, after all. This is my world, right now - and you saw it all, through magic.
Who did you meet today?
I usually write these posts after-the-fact, looking back on my memories of an occasion. But I didn't feel much like reading tonight, so when we made our weekly trip to the bookstore, I decided to bring my laptop and do a bit of 'live' posting. Of course, I'm not really posting this live; you're reading this through the magic of the internet and writing. Cool, isn't it? So let's harness that magic a bit:
I'm sitting in the back corner of the cafe, and from here, I have a lovely view of the sleepy people that trail in on a Tuesday evening. To the right of me is my father, back against the wall as he types wildly (looks like he's writing an imporant email, judging by the way he keeps sighing and rubbing his forehead). There's a pretty girl a couple tables down with her headphones in and a highlighted book in front of her; she looks like she's been here a while. A water bottle, mug, and laptop are strewn across the table in front of her. Her bangs keep falling in her eyes as she reviews the pages.
To my right is a guy with a coffee and a stack of books that he's not reading. He's scruffy, a bit of beard sprinkling his chin as he focuses on his phone. I'm not one to judge; I'm surrounded by thousands of books and I'm writing, not reading
There's a busty woman with hair like a volcano made of fluff walking off, a lanyard in hand, and another man ordering at the cafe (hopefully he's not trying to use a starbucks giftcard. PSA: B&N doesn't accept starbucks giftcards. Save the card, save a barista's life)
A man with silver hair, librarian glasses, and shorts that are just a bit to short just lumbered down the side aisle. He looks friendly, like he just came from the beach (his flip flops attest to that. Life that party life, man). He crossed paths with a woman with a ponytale and gum I can hear her chewing from twenty feet away.
The only other occupied table is claimed by a tutor with the patience of a rock and a student whose study habits are so bad they simultaneously horrify and impress me. They've been here multiple times, and as far as I know, no studying has occured yet, though they seem to be getting along well, dicussing politics and facts. Still, the tutor remains patient, calm. It's honestly impressive. If I were a little bald guy with bifocals and a student like that, I'd have strangled them long before today. The student and I have chatted a few times, just the normal 'hey how's it going, have a nice day now'.
Those are the only people in the cafe, but more people are filtering in as the evening picks up speed; there's a few more hours of business time, after all. This is my world, right now - and you saw it all, through magic.
Who did you meet today?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)