cafe_blather Strideo An ant can lift 50 times its own weight. ... 040303 ... white_wave we only serve the finest calorie-free scones here. and the brazilian coffee here puts you to sleep faster than a pill. and everything here can put on a charge card that doesn't have to be paid for until 2009. 040303 ... Doar Ahhhhh....le ambiance. 040304 ... Friendly French Blather Spell Check l'ambiance 040304 ... ambermoon ill have a tripel shot mocha with wip and one of those calorie-free scones please. dose this cafe have a good book i could stick my nose in? *flops down on the over stuffed lazy-boy picks up a book by Scott Cunningham* 040406 ... jane i think i'd like to be a watiress at café blather 040406 ... jane or waitress because i dont know what a watiress does 040406 ... i dont spell well either lol! hehehhe 040406 ... Strideo if you know the barista's cousin's uncle's boss's brother's roommate's twin you can get a free coffee. ... 040412 ... goatse haha lame 040413 ... Strideo just because you don't know the barista's cousin's uncle's boss's brother's roommate's twin, don't take it out on everyone else. ... 040503 ... kookaburra aww, i only know the barista's, cousin's, uncle's, boss's, brother's, roomate's, twin's boyfriend. maybe i could have a scone? 040503 ... Strideo well, sense its you . . . okay. ... 040503 ... Strideo "since" whoops ... 040503 ... oldephebe okay so i'd like a large latte whipped to a frothy crest, with just a hint of vanilla flavoring, 3 modest shakes of cinnamon, just a suggestion of nutmeg and some erudite and yet subservient banter from the waiter, with of course a lowfat, sugar free scone... ... 040504 ... jane i'll make it with love 040504 ... kookaburra yay! scone for me! yummy for the tummy 040504 ... Borealis I'll take someone up on a scone..but its off to the corner to scope for me.. I'm watching you... 040504 ... magicforest this was MY idea, I want credit 040505 ... kookaburra |^^^^^^^^| | Credit | payable only to magicforest |________| 040505 ... Strideo |^^^^^^| think |thisis| out |thebox| side |______| of it ... 040505 ... ST Hmmm |^^^^^| think |thisis| outside |a box| of it ... 040505 ... kookaburra hmmm, but that looks like a paper bag, o well. |^^^^^^^^^^^| | | | BOX | |___________| I'LL DO MY THINKING HERE ---}. o, i answered your question :) 040505 ... Strideo now that I've played with that . . . I want a shot in the dark with room please. ... 040505 ... Strideo I can't make the box work ... 040505 ... kookaburra yea the box is stupid... but i answered your question on ask_kookaburra, because i am just that cool 040505 ... minnesota_chris [] keep your little boxes 040505 ... kookaburra i dont want a little box!!!! hmm that sounds dirty o well... I WILL MAKE THIS BOX WORK! |^^^^^^^^^| |---------| |---------| |_________| awww, but it looka like b-day cake 040505 ... Strideo |^^^| a small |___| box ... 040505 ... kookaburra hey, how come yours worked??? awww poo. O a circle (i rock da sox) 040505 ... smurfus rex I'd like a halfcafdoubledecafextramochalattechino please... and a vanilla biscotti too... 040505 ... endless desire i'll drink hot chocolate because i dont like coffee at all. 040505 ... jane free tequila shots today 040506 ... Zantic Tequilla (Cuervo) http://www.ianchadwick.com/tequila/ 040506 ... trial _____ | | | | |___| 040506 ... optical chiasma The little box worked because it had fillers between the | symbols. If you make it three | symbols tall, it doesn't work, because the middle space has no filler. See: |^^^| |___| VS: |^^^| | | |___| has many inaccurate theories 040506 ... minnesota_chris all your boxes are crushed and lifeless 040507 ... magicforest weeps 040507 ... lilmomma today id like coffe, black and hot. and a bagel w/ cream cheese. *sits in a booth next to the window and starts on her newest short story* 040508 ... lilmomma coffee* 040508 ... shivers i want hot chocolate in a bowl with lots of whipped cream the real stuff thank you 5$ tip 040509 ... iNsEcUrE_GoTh_GiRl *stares out of the window into the murky sky* could i have a crumpet please? and a small chocolate milkshake, to match the sky outside. 040509 ... when darkness falls something with caffeine... anything will do. and oh, do you have outside tables so i can smoke my cigarette with my coffee? let me check 040510 ... jane it's a beautiful day turning into a warm night - there are some tables outside - i'll take my cigarette break 040510 ... kookaburra gimmee eighteen cappacinos!!!! thats not how you spell that!!!! gimmee twenty cappacinos!!!! 040510 ... Deomis If its semi-dark and I have some tea or coffee and there is a computer in front of me Then it's good enough To be called a cafe So, I'm in a cafe. 040510 ... lilmomma could you just being over the pot and a large coffee mug? ill bring it back when im done. thanks. *smiles weakly and sits in the conner* 040721 ... cpgurrl this restaraunt is blather_family owned, in affiliation w/ the kill_starbucks commitee 040905 ... aM i DiStUrBeD? 'Evening all! 'Errm yeah I'm ready to order thanks. I'll have a large mug of Yorkshire tea, with a jug of creamy milk as I like to add my own. And I think I'll have a toasted currant tea-cake. I haven’t eaten since lunch! 'Could you possibly get iNsEcUrE_GoTh_GiRl another small chocolate milkshake? She looks a little down. Thanks. 'Oh and can I use my laptop here? I just want to add my own views to a couple of recent blathes. 'Thanks Hun' *sets down laptop and begins to type* 040905 ... TK if its not too much trouble I'd like a gypsy space muffin along with some mint tea please no dont worry I know your buissy, theirs really no big rush just take your time ^.^ *sets her stuff down under a table and meanders over to the water fountain under the sundome with her penny to make a wish* 040905 ... jane you people are so demanding 040906 ... ambermoon today just a warm cap of tea... *sniffles and pulls out a box of tissues* 041109 ... colorful goth oh, i remwmber this place! can i read the mrnu again? 041109 ... mourninglight? are you taking applications? 041109 ... jane you tryin to take my job, sugar? 041109 ... smurfus rex here's $5, jane. whip up something for yourself for a change, you've earned it, with all these orders... 041110 ... iNsEcUrE_GoTh_GiRl *pokes jane* oi! i ordered *thinks* ummmm my....umm....order..yeah....MONTHS ago! Where is it??? *scowls around at the nosy nearby tables and resumes tortured artist pose* 041111 ... iNsEcUrE_GoTh_GiRl *huggles* aM i DiStUrBeD awww thx..... i was feelin a bit blue! i hear this cafe is blather_family owned... that means I OWN *ALL* YOUR ASSES!!!!!!! *gets smacked by [insert older relatives name here]* hm.. better treat y'all with respect then. Not that i wouldnt. Honest. Free absinthe for everyone here! It's on the house ;) *puts on sly tone* if you come talk to me i'll invite you to my birthday party which will be held here... (before i go to the club, that is.) 041111 ... ambermoon after jane takes my order of a tall moacha with wip i sit back in the conner and put my headphones on to listion to some tori. as i people watch i giggel cuz this place gose purfectly with the song im now listoning to. i spot goth girl across the room i smile brightly * hey girl nice to see you again you wanna come sit with me? ill buy this round. * 050108 ... pobodys nerfect *goes to the counter* Hi,can i please have a large green tea & a cinnamon bun? =) *closes eyes for a moment and smiles while taking in the smell of the brewed coffee* 050108 ... iNsEcUrE_GoTh_GiRl ambermoon! *jumps up and smacks her head on the light* owww....... *stumbles towards ambermoons table* hi ^_^ i'm having fun, are you? i think we should have a paaaaaarty!!!! 050503 ... ambermoon oh yeah its time to party!! damn they only serve coffee here :( guess we'll have to hed to the club... after the coffee:) 050517 ... little nothings You should read the grafitti in the toilets... Sabbie sucks WHAT??? 050518 ... megan i'd like a chai no whipped cream no cinnamon just chai and some tiramissou 050519 ... Lemon_Soda Hot Tea, please. Decaff, if you would. *sits and reviews "Just Sold" slide for next weeks send outs* Oh...and a slice of Lemon. 050519 ... . What are you lot on? All I see is a blue screen with words, when I wanna smell the coffee, see the tea, whip my cream and eat all the sticky pastries 050520 ... u24 uh, green tea with apple? (pause) cheers sits down awkwardly 060209 ... falling_alone medium earl grey, please. and if by any chance you have a chocolate cupcake i'll have found my heaven. *smiles at u24 and finds a seat with good lighting to read* 060209 ... . A small girl with an aged expression wearing a flouncy coat too big for her and long brown hair in two braids wanders in, smiles wistfully at u24, snaps her fingers promptly disappears again. I'm closer than you think. poof 060209 ... u24 blinks at the apparition, wonders if it was who he thought it was, and sips his tea thoughtfully. tries to work out what falling alone is reading, trying not to seem like he's staring. looks around for a no smoking sign, doesn't see one, but doesn't see any ash trays either. pops out for a cigarette comes back in and orders another tea. 060209 ... jane i took a years vacation 060209 ... u24 wakes up with a start. drinks the rest of his tea. discovers that it's gone cold. discovers he's been asleep for hours. looks around, waves to jane. orders a coffee and a sandwich and a still mineral water. rolls a cigarette. goes outside and smokes it while the food is prepared. sits back down and gulps gratefully at the water. eats some chewing gum. waits for his coffee. 060210 ... u24 wanders back in after mysteriously dissappearing for a few days. nobody actually noticed him leave, he just wasn't there any more. picks up the coffee that, in a bizarre twist of fate, has been waiting for him for a change. reaches into his pocket and pulls out a USB cup warmer, a wire attaching it to some unknown device inside his jacket. several cafe patrons turn and stare in fascination as his coffee starts steaming after a few moments. packs away his cup warmer. drinks his coffee and orders another. 060216 ... u24 says "meta" unexpectedly, and apologises as if he'd made a rude noise. 060216 ... meta meta 060216 ... u24 pulls out a sheet of translucent film and downloads the latest slashdot, google news, recent and 365tomorrows. the surface of the 'newspaper' shimmers and dances as an AI arranges articles by category, in the background, googling and wiki-ing for terms it doesn't recognise. When he comes across an article of particular interest, the program has already anticipated his interest based on prior reading habits, and relevant articles from the web are already cached for his pleasure. by now, the looks he is recieving have elevated beyond the normal level of 'odd ' to raw intrigue, mixed with a healthy dose of confusion. In other places, he wouldn't dare expose this kind of tech to the public, but at cafe_blather, he knew, anything goes. Besides, skites didn't exactly count as Joe Public. 060216 ... u24 wonders if he should lay off the scifi. 060216 ... u24 The newspaper is, of course, not just a 2d interface. Nor is it non-interactive. The paper is in fact totally interactive. Not interactive like the internet was; back then all interactive meant was that you could click things. the paper was *really* interactive. Data was concieved totally differently to the way it used to be. Before, data was something you downloaded from an original source, you read the text, watched the movie and asked for some more. Today, data was different, data was something everyone owned. When something was published, everyone got a copy. In the beginning, you sorted it all by hand, but now the sheer volume of information made that impossible. Now, each block of data is tagged with various standard categories, and in the background, all day every day, your software sifts through the vast river of information, ranking each block according to your preferences and surfing habits. When you open your net, you get given various lists; what's changed, what's new, who's new and so on. People like u24 liked to keep things tidy, so he manually sifted through whatever the computer showed him. This took about an hour a day. He kept meaning to rewrite his sort functions, just to make his life easier. 060216 ... u24 whoops, slipped into past tense there. decides to browse blather for a while. a switch flips in his brain and the software is allowed in, just as far as the sensory memory. It's like a controlled hallucination. Towering skyscrapers of hazy blue drift into the sky. a body materialises. u24 takes a look around, floating noiselessly past ancient blathes reaching to the sky. At breakneck speed, he swerves around a corner, then flicks another switch and he's propelled upwards to a bookmarked blathe. Sure, he could have had the software check it automatically, but there's something about surfing blather one to one, feeling it directly in your mind. It reminds him of the old times, when technology was simple, understandable. More blathes whizz past, every one contains a memory. Of course some are undiscovered, that's the beauty of it. Entering one he recognises, he slips down through time, flicking over long dead conversations. One catches his eye so he blathes, etching his words immortally into the fabric of the net. He's marked it public, so as soon as he's done, a block update is sent to every listening peer, within an hour, every skite will have his amendment on their screen, a small blue icon they can accept or reject. Onwards through random gateways, he flits around blather, finding lies, inspiration and happiness. yes, this is what it's all about. ---- really, i'll stop now. It's 2:30AM 060216 ... jane hey, you can smoke in here 060217 ... u24 oh, i prefer to smoke outside anyway; some people get uppity if there's someone smoking around them (specially in an eatery) so I generally respect their potential comfort and leave. plus I hate t when someone smokes around me (outside of a pub, i mean, you expect it there) 060218 ... u24 looks around. stares into his empty cup. stays where he is. 060227 ... IGG *stops pretending she's doing her coursework* *looks at the sedate skites, then sees u24* hi. gloomy in here, isn't it? maybe a strong coffee would help... that or a JD_and_coke? 060227 ... u24 oh hey! :-) wanders over, buying 2 coffees on the way (it's too early for JD) yeah, i'm supposed to doing work too, what's yours supposed to be on? I'm supposed to be doing a 2500 word essay on Spinoza ("What is Spinoza's view of eternity, and role does this notion play in his philsophy?"). I've done 600 words in the last week. I have 2500 word essays in for the 2nd, 9th and 23rd of March, this being one of them. I also have a presentation to do on the 15th, and several IT pieces for sometime in April, but I can knock those out in no time (well....) sips his coffee 060227 ... IGG ah.... *looks as if she knew that ALL ALONG* of course! i'm breaking out the JD. my coursework is on the Taming Of The Shrew, 1500 words, only a redraft to do. However, i have managed to procrastinate the day away and so have not done a thing except sit in this cafe and zen. sighs 060227 ... u24 i never did that play. good luck with it! read any good books lately? 060228 ... u24 shuffles. 060308 ... u24 i have 700 words to do for tomorrow. should be easy. stayed up till 5 last night. managed 1300 words in one day. not bad, but by no means a record. 060308 ... u24 well, I did it. Now i've got a 2500 word report on networking to do. and a bunch of other stuff. wanders back over to his table and ponders the menu. 060311 ... u24 the lights flicker and then die. the only sound is that of several teacups being slowly put down simultaneously. and some snoring from the corner, but we don't like to wake him. nervous glances around, but only dim shadows can be made out. somewhere, someone knocks their latté over. a few people walk into the cafe, turn around and never return. I manage to fumble across to the deserted counter and try to pour myself another coffee, only to find that the machine is broken. the coffee is there, but the power is out. I slip into the kitchen, but again I find nothing but a derelict ghost town. I feel my way back over to my seat and wait. I try reading, but without the lights it hurts my eyes. I decide there's nothing to do but sit it out and pray for divine intervention. A day and a half later, as suddenly as it died, the place jolts back into life and the patrons start slowly ordering fresh beverages. Life goes on. 060319 ... u24 very quiet in here. 060320 ... u24s imaginary friend but that's because it's not real. we're all in your head you know. i'll have a chocolate brownie, with a mocha, if you're paying. (although really there is no mocha. But here the rates are extortionate and still apply to imaginary beverages.) 060320 ... u24 yeah, right, all my imaginary friends left me. bastards. don't think that now I'm offering drinks it means you can come crawling back to me. when I said you'd made the list, I meant it. storms off in a huff. 060321 ... falling_alone wanders back in after a spring break that made her forget and week of stress. takes out another book (prince caspian of the chronicles of narnia incase you're interested) then orders coffee with a double shot of kahlua. wonders where everyone else has gone to. 060321 ... u24 hey, funny, I was thinking of rereading the narnia series (probably due to the film). what's your favourite one? 060427 ... ambermoon wow this place is still here? i cant beleave it still looks the same after all this time. ill have a green tea *thanks* ;0) 060630 ... jane green_blather tea comin up. 070522 ... j blather_green tea served 071226 ... u24 it's slow in here, but it's sure worth the wait. drinks jane's tea, and orders another. 071226 ... u24 realises he's drunken ambermoon's tea. orders a third realises he's just ordered two more green teas, and that he's supposed to have given up caffeine. annoys jane by cancelling both orders, not paying for ambermoon's tea and ordering a decaff latte. is offered a cigarette by a dreamlike girl called Sydney. She's not been here in so long that she didn't even know I'd quit... sits in a corner and starts flicking through a little notebook, waiting for his latte. 071226 ... u24 casually asks when jane finishes her shift. 071226 ... jane i'm always here. 071226 ... u24 is still not smoking or drinking caffeine. wonder why he's here.. In the corner, he slouches into a sofa in such as way as to make oestoepaths cringe. He starts reading a new (to him) murakami book. Starting a new book by an author you know you enjoy is rather like sinking slowly into a soft duvet. It's somehow warm and comforting. You feel at home there. The pages catch the light in a way that evokes thoughts of autumn. The soft brown paper, crisp at the edges reminds him of fallen leaves. They make a satifying crackle as he turns them. 080225 ... u24 -such-a-way- 080225 ... Lemon_Soda *Comes in out of the snow and stomps his feet, flecks of snow falling from his pants cuffs. Attired in black slacks, a pressed blue shirt, red tie, and grey jacket, Lemon_Soda checks his slicked hair in the mirror after remvoing a navy blue fedora. Looking around he spots U24 and waves a bit, then orders a lemon tea, decaff, with cream. Taking his tea and a scone to a corner table, he pulls out a copy of "Mans Search for Meaning" and digresses into the literature. 080225 ... Arwyn enters silently, orders a cup of chamomile and finds a quiet corner to observe everyone else. Dressed in brown and black, she blends in well, even her brown hair rippling past her shoulders blends. As she sips her tea she ponders who is coming in next. 080225 ... falling_alone finally looks up after realizing u24 asked her a question ages ago... i'm a sucker for happy endings, so the last battle ranks pretty highly. the horse and his boy is also another favorite in the chronicles of narnia... oh look it's time for tea... mmm, a fruity scone and clotted cream, with a large pot of cream tea sound like a delight right now...*wanders closer to the shop front window for some people gazing* 080225 ... u24 writes a note that reads: "ah the delight of receiving an answer to a question long forgotten. horse and his boy was, as I remember, my favorite." on the back of his cafe_blather receipt. curiously, no prices are printed on the front of receipt, leading you to wonder exactly what purpose the receipt serves. 080225 ... jane in case you ever have to prove in a court of law that you were here, & ate something. 080225 ... u24 why thankyou. notes this fact in a small black suede book with a pencil attached by means of a light hairband wrapped horizontally across said book. 080225 ... u24 isn't "orders" such a facist word. requests? ...still a little formal. well, in any case, I would like a small mug of rooibos earl grey please. How are you doing anyway? tips good in here? 080225 ... u24 makes the receipt into a paper aeroplane and glides it gently towards falling_alone. the plane performs a slow, breathtaking and graceful loop-the-loop before striking lemon_soda on the nose and bouncing off it, to land within 7 millimeters of his lemon_tea. 080225 ... IGG rather quietly, a girl with brown hair with a vivid kingfisher blue streak in it wanders into the friendly cafe. she orders a mocha and sits at the table closest to the window, so she can people watch both inside and outside the calm blue cafe. she rolls a cigarette in preparation to go outside, and catches sight of the familiar face of u24. fancy seeing you back in here! she exclaims, smiling then glancing back outside the window. 080226 ... u24 hello! how did your taming of the shrew essay go in the end? nice to see you :) 080226 ... Lemon_Soda *Starts slightly from his reading when the plain bounces off of his roman sniffer. Glancing at the plane, then U24, he smiles and spreads the receipt out again. Folding a chunk of the edge, he lightly traces his tongue across it in a quick motion, allowing for a smooth seperation, leaving a square of receipt behind. His fingers working with the skill and speed of someone who has wasted time inumerable doing this very thing, he produces an origami paper crane. Seeing IGG enter, he smiles, waves, and tosses the crane too her. It lands facing her just to the south of her tea. "Isn't it great that this place is in the US as well as England? We never get to hang out!" 080226 ... u24 teacups rattle, customers nervously look up. the door shakes. u24 jolts awake and realises abruptly that there is an earthquake and his tea is about to be spilt. mercifully, the quake ceases before further non-caffinated damage is done. that was quite scary actually. 080227 ... jane thine cup overfloweth, u24. worry not about glasses breaking. neither coffee nor tea ever run out. 080227 ... µ runs up, vaults over the counter and hugs you tightly, before letting go, grinning and just as suddenly vaulting back to his seat to continue reading "neverwhere" by neil_gaiman 080313 ... u24 Thought I'd pop in for a drink, but I accidently walked into "cage_blather", the fetish shop next door. whoops. finished neverwhere, though and t'was excellent. pours himself a decaf latté and sits down, tiredly. 080502 ... u24 remains sitting at his table and listens 080502 ... u24 does not even listen, simply waits. 080502 ... u24 is quiet, still and solitary. 080502 ... florescent light I'll have a caramel macchiato please, with extra caramel. 080502 ... when darkness falls Wow, I haven't been to this place in years, literally, but I'm glad it's still here. *Sits down at a table closest to the door and lights up a cigarette. After the first drag, looks around and sees a few familiar faces. It feels right at home once again. 080502 ... when darkness falls *A few minutes later walks up to the counter and orders a triple mocha with lots of foam. 080502 ... u24 I went to cafe_matrix the other day for a coffee but I had to complain because there was no spoon ;) 080504 ... Lemon_Soda LOL 080505 ... margaux here's a few spoons for you to practice bending, on the house(trix). 080505 ... u24 aw great! thanks. Concentrates *really* hard on the spoon. 080506 ... Strideo can't you just bend them by hand? ... 080519 ... u24 watches Strideo bend a spoon with his bare hands and runs around yelling "(s)He's neo! (s)He's the one!" like crazy. 080519 ... fucked up fool Neo is gay because he's not in Hello magazine every month. and he like turquoise. 080519 ... Lemon_Soda I'd retort but your name says it all. *goes back to his blueberry tea, and , strangely enough...a Wall Street Journal* 080519 ... ambermoon wall street ? no thank u i dont feel like killing myself today jane honey think i could get something cold and sweet 090420 ... jane *i'm* cold & sweet (smirk) 100709 ... Armchair Lottery Why don't you guys get a life? No one cares about this crap. Try doing something important. 100709 ... Grady while you were typing that, i was fucking your mother 100709 ... Deathofarose Ah the new, with patience. It is so long ago. 100710 ... REAListic optimIST The dark, earthy aroma of the Peruvian beans we share underscores the intricate lattice of our verbal camaraderie. A ritualistic porcelain kiss yields liquid enthusiasm to familiar avatars here. 100710 ... IGG A young woman wrapped snugly in a long purple coat peers through the dusty windows, through the faded cotton drapes, perhaps looking for old friends. she opens the door and smiles to hear the chiming bell. tidying a few loose strands of brown and vibrant blue hair out of her eyes, she scans the occupants of the snug cafe. she smiles to see u24 asleep on his laptop, a cup of green tea long cold at his side, and a clean, untouched ashtray on his table. hi jane, good to see you still here! could i get a cup of yorkshire tea, and another cup of green tea for u24 as well, please? that work has taken it out of him. armed with liquid_reinforcements, she takes her favourite window seat, dropping off u24's tea and giving him a gentle nudge on the way. that essay went well, thank you. i've finished my degree now. how are things with you? oh! i almost forgot. lemon_soda, i have something for you. she takes out an intriguing object, with 12 points and 12 curls, forming a sort of ball. this is an origami wotsitdehedron. i apologise for the lack of technical terms, but i didn't make it, my boyfriend did. i thought you would appreciate it, so i brought one here for you to analyse. it's made out of playing cards, that's why there's an alternating red/blue pattern. i hope you like it. she drops it on the table in front of LS and returns to her tea. a perfect drinking temperature. she pulls out her writing book, one side written in with bills and tedious finance lists, the other, when turned upside down and around is filled with drawings, pictures, ideas and story ideas from dreams. time to think. 101016 ... jane 2 teas. y'all's tabs are getting huge. 101208 ... u24 wakes with a start, his cheek bearing the imprint of the keyboard like a brand across his face. With an understandably stiff neck, he casts his gaze across the cafe, but his eyes recoil at the unbearable brightness. In point of fact, the cafe prides itself on a subdued hue, a dull gem among gaudier neighbours, but u24 has been asleep for a *very* long time and his eyes are not accustomed to any light at all. The blurry cafe gradually comes into focus. The clock on the wall has stopped (or perhaps it never started). The lady who's name both is and is not jane is sitting at the counter looking like the personification of spring while she idly reads a book. Lemon_Soda's table houses quite a menagerie of origami receipt animals, he is currently folding a delicate elephant. IGG sits staring into space, legs crossed, teacup empty. She could be thinking about anything, or nothing at all, it's impossible to tell. There's a faint scent of perfume hanging in the air in the cafe, in the entire neighbourhood. It catches you unawares, suddenly filling your mind with the memories of autumn, rustling leaves, orange sun shining through the trees, and just as suddenly it's gone, like a kiss on a platform, a moment of sweetness that quickly dissolves into the surrounding engine grease and smoke and she's traveling far away and there's nothing you can do. In the cafe, a teaspoon clatters onto the floor, and like the girl on the train, the moment passes away. 120118 ... dafremen Malitol and sorbitol give me the runs. No sugar free scones for me, thanks. I don't drink coffee either. WTF am I doing here? Oh yea. L'ambience. 120118 ... jane i'm sure we can find something for you, sugar. (personified spring! le_sigh!) 120118 ... IGG IGG sits up with a start. The breeze coming through the cafe's open window is chilly and smells of dusty autumn leaves mixed with a luxuriant hint of nag champa. This, then, is why she was having strange dreams of burnt orange sunsets and a nagging feeling of not having paid someone...for something... Jane, is that your incense? IGG finally settles her bill as she asks, stuffing the remaining unfamiliar bills into her purple and black purse. She wonders why the bills don't seem to have any national symbols on but simply have a maze pattern on their surface with the tiny inscription sage_and_dallas in the maze's centre. it must be normal round here, she thinks, although she doesn't recall where she obtained the money. U24 my old friend. Nice to see you. I have a book for you - if you like Murakami and Gaiman then perhaps you might like the book 'S' by Doug Dorst and J J Abrams. IGG carefully places a slipcased black hardback book on the side table next to u24. At first glance, after the book is removed from its case, it appears to be a fabric backed library book, complete with a Dewey Decimal sticker on the spine and the pages of the book are yellowed at the edges. Upon closer inspection, this tome is carefully imitating a library book with a running dialogue of annotations around the 'original' story (the_ship_of_theseus) between two individuals who are writing to each other in the margins - they leave the book in the library when they have finished. This is an amazing story, says IGG. It seems like a cross between house_of_leaves and BBC's The Code. I thought you might like something to get your teeth into as you've been waiting here for so long. IGG asks jane for a chai latte and something for herself (tips don't seem that good here....) Drinks also for u24 and lemon_soda please! IGG's been living in another city for some time and isn't sure whether they're still into the same or fancy something entirely new. The cafe seems to be very different since IGG was last awake. The couches look like they are made of soft emerald moss with tendrils wrapping themselves around the sides and any nearby chair legs. The bar is surely an immense fallen log with ice-cream cones resting in the evenly spaces knots on the counter, and racks of vegan and gluten free cakes cocooned in the branches at one end. IGG blinks and rubs her eyes. Must be the smoky incense. 151025 what's it to you? who go blather from