Writing in Coffee Shops (004)

A coffee shop is the ideal place for me to get some writing done while still maintaining an acceptable level of sanity. I get out of the house, I sit in a comfortable chair, and I make intermittent eye contact with attractive strangers. On a good day, I spend the entire afternoon at an outdoor cafe. I wear tight jeans and a v-neck t-shirt. I sip an endless latte and jot down brilliant musings in my moleskin notebook (the kind that Hemingway used). As the sun sets I pack up my belongings, say “cheerio” to my fellow coffee shop loiterers, and walk home pleased with my hard day’s work.

Nothing in the above paragraph is true (except the v-neck part).

I’m at a coffee shop right now. I hate it here. Why? First of all, I don’t drink coffee, so there’s that. Also, I’m a lousy multi-tasker. I can’t concentrate on writing AND drinking a beverage. As a result, I choose to concentrate on drinking whatever drink I just ordered. If I choose to concentrate on writing then my drink will get cold. Today I ordered an overpriced chai latte (sometimes I get an overpriced hot chocolate). I’m stressing about how much that drink just cost me. The same scenario plays out every time. I finish the beverage in about five to ten minutes. I then get paranoid about sitting in a coffee shop without a beverage. Is the barista watching me? Does she think I’m hanging around too long, poaching her wireless Internet? Caving under the pressure, I get a second beverage or I just pack up and go home. If I get the second beverage, I’m far too stressed about wasting money on drinks to get any good writing done.

Parking and going to the bathroom are always an issue. I most likely parked in a one-hour only parking zone and I’ll have to move my car. If I leave the coffee shop to move my car, do I have to pay for another drink when I return? What if someone takes my seat while I’m moving my car? I can’t leave my laptop in the coffee shop unless I have someone with me. Of course, if I have someone with me, I just talk to that person and don’t get any writing done. I can ask the dude next to me to watch my computer, but how do I know that I can trust him? If I wanted to make a quick buck, I would travel from town to town and hang out at coffee shops until someone asked me to watch their laptop.

I’m going to the library.