The Visible Woman...August 13, 2003

One vision I had was of sitting in coffee shops, writing brilliant thoughts in a notebook or typing them into a laptop.

For some reason, I thought I'd explore coffee shops when I was a woman of leisure. I imagined myself sitting there drinking a Cafe Americana (espresso shots in hot water for those unschooled in coffee culture), writing in a notebook with a leather cover with quality paper inside or maybe typing away on a sleek laptop.

I thought I'd write the definitive guide to Austin coffee shops (perhaps only independent ones...no one needs to go into all those Starbucks) and I thought I'd write fiction and essays and columns. And all the while I'd be observing my fellow Austinites getting their caffeine, holding informal meetings and expanding their waistlines with pastry and such. (Would I have to taste the pastries, sandwiches, soups? This kind of thing can get out of hand.)

The truth is that I've only gone to coffee shops with the (recently curtailed by heat and distance) eXtreme dog walking team and, on a few occasions, to hide from the maid or to have lunch with someone.

The truth is that coffee shops and writing have been given short shrift except for this journal, this thing with its own life that requires words and pictures but is not a definitive guide to coffee shops...or any thing else.

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

A Journal from Austin, Texas. A Project of LBFFP Stealth Publishing.
food	reading	writing	time	exercise	health and mood

after aerobics	I thought I'd sit in coffee shops One vision I had was of sitting in coffee shops, writing brilliant thoughts in a notebook or typing them into a laptop. For some reason, I thought I'd explore coffee shops when I was a woman of leisure. I imagined myself sitting there drinking a Cafe Americana (espresso shots in hot water for those unschooled in coffee culture), writing in a notebook with a leather cover with quality paper inside or maybe typing away on a sleek laptop. I thought I'd write the definitive guide to Austin coffee shops (perhaps only independent ones...no one needs to go into all those Starbucks) and I thought I'd write fiction and essays and columns. And all the while I'd be observing my fellow Austinites getting their caffeine, holding informal meetings and expanding their waistlines with pastry and such. (Would I have to taste the pastries, sandwiches, soups? This kind of thing can get out of hand.) The truth is that I've only gone to coffee shops with the (recently curtailed by heat and distance) eXtreme dog walking team and, on a few occasions, to hide from the maid or to have lunch with someone. The truth is that coffee shops and writing have been given short shrift except for this journal, this thing with its own life that requires words and pictures but is not a definitive guide to coffee shops...or any thing else.
JUST TYPING In order to do something We need a vision Of how it will be What will make it worth it This vision propels us To make a change Buy a thing Quit a job When we arrive On the other side Of the decision It's a different vision.
		Food Diary. some raw vegies (green onions, yellow squash, zuchinni), a few (very few) potato chips, about five ounces of chicken breast and spinach dip a diet Dr. Pepper three slice of provolone some red wine a medium serving of tiramisu spinach dip and chips with more red wine
		Time flies.... I was going to read today's newspapers before I went to the club for water aerobics but I didn't get them finished. Suddenly it was late afternoon and I was just getting around to finishing the papers. I started a project of recovering pictures from Mom's old albums and putting them in archival sleeves but I didn't get very far. (This project would get more things off the floor!)

		Reading. From the Journals of M.F.K. Fisher got read on the bike. After the first hundred pages there are actual journal entries. I think that the 'early years' were intended to be reconstructed from the essays written later. Read my three papers. Or, anyway, turned the pages.
		Instead...I read.
		Exercise One hour water aerobics. One hour on stationary recumbent bike.
		Emotionally a little calmer today. Mood good. 113/69 79