Coffee Society

I don't know why I don't spend more time at the library. Every time I go, I always have a good time and I love the atmosphere. I remember walking with my brother from our house to the library with a bag slung over my brother's shoulder filled with his science fiction books and my picture books. The minute we stepped inside the doors and the counter clicked twice, we always headed down the slope to the children's section (until I got to the Sweet Valley High phase). I spent hours sitting between bookshelves, choosing which Encyclopedia Brown I would read next and which Junie B. Jones would accompany my growing selection.

To be honest, I wasn't too happy when the library went under construction. I put my foot down and refused to accept the fact that the library I spent hours in would no longer look the same. But the new library has grown on me. I may not spend hours on end sitting and reading like I used to, but I always love the moments I spend there people-watching, sipping coffee, studying, reading, or listening to music. There is just this great laid-back atmosphere that comes with being at the library. When I am there, it's as if time stops and the world just feels right.

I took this photo on one particular visit to the library. I borrowed some books, ordered a cup of coffee from Coffee Society, and settled myself down by one of their metal coffee tables to do some schoolwork. A couple guys kept walking in and out of the shop, talking to the baristas and smoking cigarettes against the wall. That day, I ended up staying at Coffee Society until the sun set and the lamps turned on, listening to these guys play a short set of songs. Moments like these are what I live for. The moments that just happen, not according to plan. The moments of being, not doing.