Urban Bean Bryant

Weather: 29°, Cloudy. Grey. Windy.
Coffee Shop: Urban Bean Bryant • 3255 Bryant Ave. S. • Mpls • First Time
Drink: Miel ($3.50 S)
Book: In One Person by John Irving


Coffee
The theme for today was comfort. I woke up with no desire to be adventurous. Urban Bean Lyndale is one of my favorite coffee shops to work at in my neighborhood, so even though I've never been to the original location on Bryant, I knew I'd feel at home. I also happened to be meeting a friend in Uptown afterward, so it was convenient. My second nod to comfort was splurging on a miel. There is something so wintery about a miel to me. It's spicy and warm and creamy and if only the coffee shop had a fireplace, I think it would be perfect. (Also "miel" always reminds me of this little defunct honey hut that stood outside my school in Poland and I think this is also why I find the drink comforting. Although the Polish word is "miod" I tend to get my French and Polish confused and thus they become interchangeably nostalgic.)

There's not much to say about the drink itself because it's undeniable that Urban Bean pours some of the best cups of coffee in town. The miel is special; they make it generously spicy and I like that. The temperature was perfect, et cetera. Like I said, I knew what I was getting myself into, and I knew I wouldn't end up disappointed. The space itself is larger than Urban Bean Lyndale and a little more conversation-friendly, and the front room has excellent natural light and hipster watching from the big windows.

Book
If I were left to my own devices I would probably read almost exclusively non-fiction. However, I make sure that I read as close to 50% fiction as possible (I'm usually reading one non-fiction and one fiction book at the same time). Today was a fiction day (another concession to comfort—I didn't have to think too hard). I've never read John Irving before, although I've seen the film Cider House Rules. I'm not sure how In One Person made it onto my reading list but I would guess either from MPR or Magers & Quinn's newsletter.

I'm not terribly far into the book right now so I'm still trying to get a firm grasp on what is going on. It's written from the first-person perspective of a man/boy and follows his life. The timeline jumps around a lot, so it's difficult to keep straight how old he is in any given paragraph. He's recounting the story as a 70-some-year-old man, but telling of being thirteen, fifteen, twenties—and not necessariy in that order (or any order). The underlying subject is sexual identity as the narrator is a bisexual discussing how he deals with it throughout life (starting in the mid-50s as a teenager). I'm finding it very easy to read and quite entertaining, albeit not so much exciting as it is thoughtful and laid-back. The characters are well-written, which I feel is expected from a recognized storyteller like Irving. I'm looking forward to really getting absorbed into the story; I haven't found a way into it yet, but it's still fairly early and I've a long way to go.

People Watching
Not very exciting. A girl in the group near me was saying that she just finished watching all of Dawson's Creek. She didn't think she could do it, but she succeeded—not without tears. The best people watching was out the windows: cyclists, bus-stop waiters, runners with baby strollers...much braver people than I on such a cold day.

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