Quest for the Perfect Place to Write

Dr. Jim Kepler at The University of Texas at Dallas Starbucks.

Morning Writing

Hello to my awesome friends and acquaintances. It’s Friday morning. The Starbucks on the northside of  The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)campus is where you’ll find me this cloudy morning. The coffeeshop is located at 800 Synergy Boulevard. I’ve been looking for  a less crowded location for morning writing.

Epiphany

I had an epiphany when I saw the parking lot full and cars snakes around the drive through at my usual Starbucks. No, I didn’t see a diety but I did have a sudden insight. College students don’t like to get up early. Maybe the Starbucks on the UTD would be less crowded. 

The miles drive to this location was worth the drive. As five of the nine indoor table are empty. There’s a group of four ladies who look like they’re in their forties in on corner of the store visiting and having coffee. All in all, yea for me; I think this location may work. 

A Study Carrel

The recent ice storm and cold weather found me very unproductive in my writing. For decades I’ve written my first drafts and did my creative work while sipping coffee or tea at a coffee shop. My creative hours and highest productivity is between 6:00 AM and 11:00 AM. These are the hours I write a first draft, write something new. During afternoons I have no problem editing, creating memes, or researching. Even decades ago when in university and seminary, I wrote my papers and did my homework in a study carrel I booked (or had assigned in graduate school) in the school’s library. 

My table at the coffeehouse serves the same function. The distractions of being at home don’t exist. I focused get my writing or research completed with a laser focus.

So, it’s time to get to writing.

Trimmed My Beard

Today’s selfie shows my trimmed beard. An inch of whiskers were cut off. I also am using a new beard soap and using beard oil on it daily. The whiskers were about as soft as steel wool. The oil makes them softer, shinier, and maybe causes the to look a little darker, at least in photos.

Photo Source: All photos and videos were taken by the author unless noted in the photo caption.
Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase using the links in the article I receive a small commission.

The North Texas Ice Storm of 2023

The North Texas Ice Storm 2023

Sunday evening January 29, 2023 at 7 PM is the last time the temperature was above freezing. It’s 9:30 AM on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Too many hours have past with the temperature too cold. – Click on the picture, it’s a 44 second video with my commentary.

Freezing Rain

Freezing rain has fallen for 48 jours. The local weather men and women tells us that freezing rain occurs when the layer of freezing air is so thin that the raindrops do not have enough time to freeze before reaching the ground. Instead, the water freezes on contact with the surface, creating a coating of ice on whatever the raindrops contact.

I have between one and two inches of ice on the ground. Yuck! It’s as if the yard, drive, sidewalks, and paved areas are and ice rink and the Zamboni has driven over it making it slicker.

What’s a Zamboni?

A Zamboni is a mechanical ice resurfacer. It works by scraping the ice surface and collecting the snow (which is later discarded). Next, it “cleans” the ice, by putting down water which flushes the grooves deep in the ice, loosening any dirt or debris. The excess water and dirt is then collected. The ice becomes shiny and very smooth as well as slippery. It’s great for ice skating or playing ice hockey. It’s nearly impossible to walk on in shoes.

Coffee and Tea

As I hunker down inside again today I’ll enjoy a pour over coffee. The kettle is calling me even now. Later, I’ll have my green tea.

For Christmas I received an Ember temperature control travel mug. It’s a stylish mug designed to keep hot beverages hot. It allows you to control the coffee or teas temperature. Fully charged it will keep your coffee the exact temperature you desire for three hours. It will do it longer, if on the charging stand. It’s revolutionized my coffee and tea drinking as I now always have my drink at the perfect temperature.

Photo Source: All photos and videos were taken by the author unless noted in the photo caption.
Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate. If you purchase using the links in the article I receive a small commission.

My Monday Moments

Hey there friends!

Just wanted to check in and remind you all to be extra careful with the freezing rain around. I’m wearing a black turtleneck sweater to help chase the cold away. Stay warm!

Guess what, I rescheduled this afternoon’s dentist appointment for mid-February, so I won’t risk sliding off an icy road or slipping and falling on ice. I confess, at sixty-nine years old I fear falling and all the bad things that could happen if I take a tumble.

This morning, I had the best start of my day with my daily Bible reading. I love underlining the meaningful passages, and I’ve got a picture to prove it! It’s the above photo I posted. Yes, that’s me in the picture.

Today is all about cozy moments at home with my coffee bar. I’ve got the best kettle that lets me brew tea, coffee, hot chocolate, you name it. And I’m a total tea/coffee snob, as you can see from my coffee beans, grinders, and multi-size pour over coffee pots in the below photo. Yes, that’s my coffee bar.

Don’t feel sorry for me being stuck in the house today. Oh, no, please don’t. I’ll be spending my day writing from home and staying safe. And as fun as I find writing, I’ll also get to sit in the recliner and read for a few hours. Few things give me more pleasure than reading and enjoying a hot beverage.

Later, I’ll be joining the Writer’s Guild of Texas meeting via Zoom from 7 to 8:30 PM, so that’s something to look forward to! By the end of the meeting, I should know if Mother Nature encased North Texas in ice, as some are forecasting.

Take care and enjoy a cup of your favorite brew. Maybe even crack open your Bible and see what insights you can find.

Cheers, 
Jimmie

Photo sources: All photos are by Jim Kepler.

What Do I Do on Sunday Mornings?

Saturday Morning Musings

It’s Saturday morning, October 23, 2021 as I type.

Florida Christian Writer’s Conference

Several of my dear friends in Christ are attending the Florida Christian Writer’s Conference at Lake Yale, Florida. They arrived early in the week and will be there through tomorrow. How I wish I was there! They’re all being obedient to God’s call on their life to write.

Why not join me in praying for them as they seek instruction, direction, an agent or a writing contract, and for safety for them and their families as they are at the conference and travel home.

Can you guess where I’m at this morning?

Can you guess where I’m at this morning? Wrong, if you said Lake Yale. You’re right if you said with confidence, “Starbucks!” That’s right, I’m at Starbucks. I’m such a person of habit and routine. Some of you know me so well. If I asked what am I drinking, most – you’d shout COFFEE, which is the correct answer.

But if we add to the question “what type,” some of you will give a smarty-pants answer of Starbucks, which is correct. However, I’m asking what type or flavor of Starbucks coffee am I drinking. Then the answer is harder. Yes, I know I need to ask better questions.

You have a fifty-fifty chance to get the correct flavor of Starbucks coffee I’m drinking. The answer is “Pike Place Roast” or “Blonde Roast.” Today I’m enjoying the Pike Place Roast coffee.

Prescriptions and More Prescription Medicines

Getting ready to drive to the coffee shop sometimes is a small adventure. This morning I choked down my morning prescriptions. I current take twenty-four per day with forty percent in the mornings and sixty percent in the afternoon. For the math geeks, I took fourteen this morning and will take ten tonight. I know that’s not inexact 60/40 split, but it’s close enough. 

Friday, I started another six-day round of steroids yesterday. I took six steroid pills on Friday. Today I took five. I’m also taking Amoxicillin. It’s another sinus and ear-infection. No, these RXs aren’t in my daily count as they are short term, not maintenance prescriptions.

How Does a Guy Make a Ponytail (on Himself)?

You’ll find my below the shoulders length hair in a ponytail this morning. Over three decades ago, I had trouble putting my young daughter’s hair in a ponytail. I never mastered the process. So, how did I ever learn to this skill set? YouTube! If you’re ever bored, Google how to make a pony tail for men. What a challenge. What an ordeal. If you’re female, this is where you laugh.

Well, it’s time for morning writing. I’m working on the transcript and show notes for doing a video blog (vlog, video, whatever the correct term is). It will be on my YouTube channel and on jimmiekepler.com in the next few days. 

Houston Astros American League Champions

Congratulations to the Houston Astros Major League Baseball team for winning the American League Championship series. They will play in the MLB World Series vs the winner of the Atlanta Braves vs Ls Angels Dodgers who are playing in the National League Championship Series.

Comments on the Coffeehouse Culture

Are you part of the coffee house culture? I confess I am.

What Is The Coffeehouse Culture?

The coffeehouse culture describes a friendly environment of associated common practices that depend upon coffee. Coffee is used as a social lubricant much as alcohol is in a bar or pub setting.

Coffeehouse culture also relates to the dispersion and choosing of coffee as a broadly consumed stimulant by society. In the late 20th and early 21st century, particularly in the Western world and urbanized cities around the globe. Espresso has become a more favored form.

Formation of Culture Around a Coffeehouse

I am a historian and religious educator by university and seminary education with a bachelor of arts, master of religious education, master of arts, and doctor of education degrees. With my classical liberal arts education, I developed an inquisitive mind. My curiosity had me research coffeehouses. I found the formation of the culture around coffee and coffeehouses dates back to 14th century Turkey. Coffeehouses in Western Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean were traditionally social hubs, as well as artistic and intellectual centers.

Examples of famous coffee houses include Les Deux Magots in Paris. Now a popular tourist attraction, it was once associated with the intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, coffeehouses in London became favorite meeting places for artists, writers, and socialites. They were also the center for much political and commercial activity.

In the United States, the New Orleans French Market tourist destination Café du Monde which is as famous for its powdered-sugar-coated beignets as it is for its chickory-flavored coffee., according to the popular social check-in app Foursquare, is the most popular coffeehouse in the Americas.

Coffeehouses Today

Elements of today’s coffee houses, the slower-paced gourmet service, tastefully decorated environments, or social outlets such as open microphone nights, have their origins in early coffee houses and continue to form part of the concept of coffee house culture.

In the United States, the term is often used to designate the everywhere presence of hundreds of espresso stands and coffee shops in the Seattle metropolitan area and the spread of franchises of businesses such as Starbucks and their clones across the United States.

Other aspects of the coffeehouse culture include the presence of free wireless Internet access for customers, many of these patrons do business in these locations for hours on a regular basis. The patrons of the coffeehouse usually do one of three things. They either are on Wi-Fi surfing the Internet with their smartphone or computer, are meeting with a business client or friends, or are reading. The location is popular for meeting someone for the first time, especially when dating is being considered.

Some countries, like Australia, have a strong existing cafe-style coffee culture. The strong cafe-style coffee culture explains the poor performance of Starbucks there.

Yes, I am part of the coffeehouse culture? Are you?

I would love you to leave in the comments section the name of and info about your favorite coffeehouse.

The picture is of the Starbucks at 1356 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California, USA. I frequently visited this location during the summer of 2012 while working in Southern California. I was employed about 8 miles away just across the street from Howard Hughes Center, Center Dr. W, Los Angeles, California.


Source: Some material adapted from Wikipedia

Photo: Starbucks,  1356 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California, USA

The Coffeehouse Culture

Are you part of the coffee house culture? I confess I am.

What Is The Coffeehouse Culture?

The coffeehouse culture describes a friendly environment of associated common practices that depend upon coffee. Coffee is used as a social lubricant much as alcohol is in a bar or pub setting.

Coffeehouse culture also relates to the dispersion and choosing of coffee as a broadly consumed stimulant by society. In the late 20th and early 21st century, particularly in the Western world and urbanized cities around the globe. Espresso has become a more favored form.

Formation of Culture Around a Coffeehouse

I am a historian and religious educator by university and seminary education. With my classical liberal arts education, I developed an inquisitive mind. My curiosity had me research coffeehouses. I found the formation of the culture around coffee and coffeehouses dates back to 14th century Turkey. Coffeehouses in Western Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean were traditionally social hubs, as well as artistic and intellectual centers.

Examples of famous coffee houses include Les Deux Magots in Paris. Now a popular tourist attraction, it was once associated with the intellectuals Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, coffeehouses in London became favorite meeting places for artists, writers, and socialites. They were also the center for much political and commercial activity.

In the United States, the New Orleans French Market tourist destination Café du Monde which is as famous for its powdered-sugar-coated beignets as it is for its chickory-flavored coffee., according to the popular social check-in app Foursquare, is the most popular coffeehouse in the Americas.

Coffeehouses Today

Elements of today’s coffee houses, the slower paced gourmet service, tastefully decorated environments, or social outlets such as open microphone nights, have their origins in early coffee houses and continue to form part of the concept of coffee house culture.

In the United States, the term is often used to designate the everywhere presence of hundreds of espresso stands and coffee shops in the Seattle metropolitan area and the spread of franchises of businesses such as Starbucks and their clones across the United States.

Other aspects of the coffeehouse culture include the presence of free wireless Internet access for customers, many of these patrons do business in these locations for hours on a regular basis. The patrons of the coffeehouse usually do one of three things. They either are on Wi-Fi surfing the Internet with their smartphone or computer, are meeting with a business client or friends, or are reading. The location is popular for meeting someone for the first time, especially when dating is being considered.

Some countries, like Australia, have a strong existing cafe style coffee culture. The strong cafe style coffee culture explains the poor performance of Starbucks there.

Yes, I am part of the coffeehouse culture? Are you?

I would love you to leave in the comments section the name of and info about your favorite coffeehouse.

Source: Some material adapted from Wikipedia

Photo: Starbucks,  1356 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica, California, USA

 

Starbucks at Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans

revista-magazine-retail-desing-escaparatismo-visual-merchandising-design-mannequin-starbucks-new-orleans-vishopmag-01

Today’s pictures show there’s a little magic brewing at the corner of Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. Starbucks recently opened a new store in the historic French Quarter.

starbucks-new-orleans-3

It is inspired by the city’s rich history as a coffee trading port and its unique artistic spirit. The store is the latest example of Starbucks ongoing approach to creating locally relevant designs that honor the culture of the neighborhoods they serve.

 

new-orleans-starbucks-2

This location looks like a writer’s paradise.

new-orleans-starbucks


Jimmie Aaron KeplerJimmie Aaron Kepler is a novelist, poet, book reviewer, and award-winning short story writer. His work has appeared in over twenty venues, including Bewildering Stories and Beyond Imagination. When not writing each morning at his favorite coffee house, he supports his writing, reading, and book reviewing habit working as an IT application support engineer. He is a former Captain in the US Army. He holds BA, MA, MRE and EdD degrees. His blog Kepler’s Book Reviews was named a 100 best blogs for history buffs. He is the author of seven books and collections available on Amazon. You can visit him at http://www.jimmiekepler.com.