Coffee…Coffee…Coffee

June 2nd, 2005 | Filed under Rant

So, I just got back from Hutchinson for the weekend.

After a week of life in the “real world” I’ve voyaged back to the home-front to return my brother’s jeep and get the truck. The clutch appears to be fixed, but it is very weird driving a car that supposedly “works.” I’m so used to my work arounds for making the thing work, that doing things the correct way makes me a little uneasy.

Anyway, now that I’ve graduated the dreaded “w” word has come into play as to where I’m going to “work.” Well….Edge Enterprises, Inc., the company that I’ve worked as an intern for has offered me a full-time job. Needless to say I think this is fantastic in that it gives me to the opportunity to continue to help push the boundaries of what we (notice I can say we now) do as a company. I already started working on the music for the next CD, and needless to say I’m pumped about the direction it is headed in. More on that in future posts.

Enter tangent.

I love coffee shops. I love the invention of a destination in which you can escape the comforts and confines of normal every day life to sip on your beverage of choice (yes there are some in Lawrence that even serve alcohol be-it your beverage of choice) and read/study/write/surf/discuss any number of things. Do I spend a little to much time in my self-created sanctuary….probably, but it is something that has allowed me to re-energize and re-vitalize myself in some dire moments.

As much as I love coffee shops there are a few prerequisites for me to truly enjoy the atmosphere.

1. Free wifi (you never know when you are goint to need the ‘net)
2. Lack of annoying house music (I know the baristas need something to listen to as well, but lets be honest everyone else has on headphones)
3. Good coffee (and good baristas who can whip up the crazy concoctions the girlfriend tends to order :)
4. Friendly staff who recognize you after the hundredth time you entire the store, and know your order by heart….and if they don’t recognize you at least they pretend too.

That being said, I have yet to find a place in Lawrence (or Hutch) that has the ability to cater to all of my needs. Milton’s, my personal favorite comes very close, but it misses out on the wifi…not a huge problem but it does put a cramp on my blogging from non-house related locations.

Now comes the real beef of this post…if you are going to go to a coffee shop and use the wifi buy a freakin’ drink. I don’t care if it is a soda…buy something. Recently there has been an article bouncing ’round the blog-o-sphere about a coffee shop in Seattle that is shutting down the wifi on the weekends because ‘net surfers are camping out in the store for 6-7 hours and never buying a drink! Come on people, where did common consumer courtesy go? You are not paying for the wifi, so what are you giving the business in return for services rendered? Trust me, your presence isn’t paying the bills!

Now, this is not just cheap-skate kids and dorks who have nothing better to do than chill out in an climate-controlled internet heaven…I see this perpetrated by adults all the time! I’ve mentioned before how I’m on the board of directors for my local MUG (macintosh/apple user’s group) and we hold our monthly meetings at a local Lawrence coffee shop (thanks again Signs of Life…who has good drinks and good wifi).

Now we get our meeting space, and free wifi each and every month with absolutely zero hassle from the staff of Signs of Life. What do they get in return? Nothing, except for the would be patronage of our group members every month. The girl friend (when she attends ) and I make it a point every month to at least purchase something, even if it is just a juice when I’m not in the mood for caffeine, but there are adults with real people jobs who can’t put forth the effort to purchase a $2 drink when they come into the store and receive the infotainment that is LAUG. It is not like we charge dues for the group, the lest they could do is toss some bank Signs of LIfe’s way. I mean come on, where else can you get the witty banter of a bunch of Mac-zealots for free!?!? :)

Anyway, I just thought I’d toss that out there. It has been bugging me for a couple of months now and I just wanted to list the Matthew Kappenman for coffee shop etiquette.

1. Buy something.

That’s it. I don’t care what, but purchase something. It is hard enough owning and maintaining a small business so…help a brother out.

Coming soon…what Hilary bitched at me about for not posting sooner…my thoughts on star wars.

I know the film has been out for a over two week…but I still have somethings I’d like to say about the movie franchise that was.

Until next ridiculously long rant…courage.