The Girl Who Learned To Kneel

One of my favorite coffee shops in Toronto is Manic. It feels nice inside. Lots of wood. And the beans they ‘pull’ are mostly Intelligentsia, which deals in direct trade. Direct trade pays above the fair trade price and is more respectful of the farmer.

Today I had a Mexican coffee with hints of raspberry, cranberries, sugar, honey, roasted nuts. I tasted…none of that. But the jolt was powerful and that’s what counts.

Not to mention the short little guy (is that offensive?) behind the espresso machine is hilarious—not hilarious funny, but hilarious unsettling. You know. Hilarious unsettling.

Hilarious unsettling in that he overwhelms you with his friendliness. You haven’t even fully entered the establishment before he is asking you what you want. It’s startling.

Today I almost burst out with ‘Settle, Short Little Guy. I need ten seconds—’

But then I remembered how I was scarred years ago while playing a rousing game of Life at a social gathering. A fellow player told me to ‘settle down’ in a scornful tone. It seems he was disturbed by my enthusiasm, my zealous participation.

Now I have a complex when I play board games. That I might be getting a little too interested in the outcome. I find it helps if you get up and start doing the dishes. That pulls you right out of the experience, and then you don’t really care. Even if you do win with a Yahtzee score of 320!!!!

I ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m so chilled. Win. Lose. Work. Don’t work. Get that job. Don’t get that job. I am the picture of chill.

(Stop laughing, family.)

Fine. Even if I’m not exactly the picture of chill, I am certainly not in the business of giving other people complexes if I can help it. That much is true.

Happy Happy Weekend.