I had so much fun at Einstein’s yesterday, I decided to come back and do it again. The coffee is perfectly balanced and rich with flavor. This place is wrapped with loose and playful graphic art and that creative vibe makes it easier for me to write. Somehow they’ve managed to capture that “warm coffee on a cool morning”, whether it is 20 degrees outside, or 110. It’s like my own little Boston morning in the middle of the desert.

Yesterday afternoon was a blast. Stephanie and Kevin met me at my apartment. Stephanie had a list of thrift shops in Phoenix and we were off. It was so fun. In between trying on furry Chewbacca vests and Chinese smoking jackets, we talked about the reward of good morals and the importance of prayer. It was unlike any other trip I’ve made to the thrift store.

(Did you know Microsoft Word doesn’t think “Chewbacca” is a misspelled word?)

We had lunch at a hip restaurant in a florist shop from the 50’s. Man, I loved talking to each of them over lunch. The whole meal I was thinking, “and I get to paint with her tomorrow night after Mass.”

Then we dug through antique stores on the block. I bought a weathered tin frame for $7. A crude and colorful painting from New Orleans would be a perfect match for this frame. Then we got lost and found a furniture consignment shop. They had five rose-colored barstools from the 50’s. It’s cool because they stand solid on these big flat chrome platforms. Those would look cool in a new house…

(It’s funny how people still recognize me from the Real World. Every young person in this place has done the double-take and then whispered to their friend. You try not to notice, but how do you ignore when everyone is staring at you? I guess they like my hair.)

Stephanie got called into work and couldn’t join me at a couple parties. But, she got out early and caught the tale-end of Bart’s birthday party. We sat in the front yard enjoying the night.

What a good day.

Wow…I can’t believe I’ve been here for two hours. I am really procrastinating re-writing a talk on “Generation Y” for the conference on Tuesday. There is a lot of work left to do, and it is easier to write a journal than it is to break apart the characteristics of a baby generations. Well, my coffee is cold and it’s time to go. I’m going to duck in the art store next door to pick up some new acrylic paint and maybe an easel for tomorrow night’s paint date.