Hot off the Press!

8 - count 'em - 8 Triad Coffee Shops have concerts tonight! Check out the Events Page and take advantage of these great times at low cost. Several are fundraisers, too! Why stay home and write a check when you can have fun and spend some greenbacks for a good cause?

Do You Get This? Hellooooooo?

Listen up, coffee fans. If you've been paying attention to the blogspot, you know that I advocate saving some coins all week long so you can get your coffee shop fix & entertainment on the weekends. HAVE YOU SEEN the entertainment values on the Events Page? Am I kidding? No way!

Concerts for 0 to 8 bucks at Triad Coffee Shops. Count 'em! That leaves you plenty of dough for a beverage, snacks, and tips to the barista and band. Why pay 100 buckaroos for a big fancy celebrity at the coliseum when you can see big talented celebrity-to-be at a Triad Coffee Shop?

Bypass the ringing in your ears and enjoy some ear-saving, volume-controlled, family-friendly (most of the time!) and culturally enriching entertainment at Triad Coffee Shops.

'Nuf said?

(p.s. If there's a big fancy celebrity playing at the coliseum who started out in coffee shops, let me know! I'd like an exclusive interview for the blogspot!)

Life in Forsyth: Phonophoto of the day

Life in Forsyth: Phonophoto of the day

Aha! The photo to go with my post written at Krankie's.

Start with a blender . . .

add espresso, strawberries, milk, ice, spiced chai latte, and a shot of caramel. Oh, yeah, and some of those things from the Events Page. What would you get, besides a bizarre smoothie? A blogspot scavenger hunt!


Here's what came out of the blender for me:

1. a game of Scrabble en français
2. an ox playing ukulele under a magnolia tree
3. fruit smoothies with Dr. McDreamy (pause here for daydream)
4. Tony Buckman trivia open mic
5. Dr. McSteamy poetry slam (sonnets, anyone?)
6. wolves do the Gallery Hop (kinda like the Lindy hop, but post modern)
7. free book tasting with gelato on the side
8. green bean jam (is this sold at the Farmer’s Market?)
9. High Water on the patio (who cares if we're wet, we've got coffee!)

Now you try it, fans. Blend your own coffee shop adventure!
By the way, if anyone has tried my smoothie recipe, let me know - is it safe to drink?

Autumn, a.k.a. Heaven on Earth

Mocha Mutt has been on the loose lately, enjoying the crisp autumn air, sunny days, occasional rain showers, the snifferific (dog speak for "awesome") smell of newly fallen leaves, and the crunchiness of older, dried leaves beneath my paws. In short, it's autumn, my favorite time of year, and I just can't resist sharing some great parts of it with our readers.

The best season of all is also showcased indoors, as Triad Coffee Shops mix their magic to take advantage of the best scents and tastes of autumn.

Be on the lookout for baked treats featuring pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel.

Pumpkin spiced chai latte is a great spin on my usual standard, a chai latte. Ask your friendly barista to add a sprinkle of cinnamon to the foamy top and lookout - you will be in tea-lovers paradise!

On a recent evening, a friend and I had the rare chance to go to a Triad Coffee Shop together - no kids, no co-workers, no phones ringing. To make it even better, it was just cool enough for me to order and enjoy a steaming hot chocolate, made with dark chocolate syrup. I am so glad for that crisp autumn chill that evening! I was a little worried that my caffeine-avoiding, lactose-intolerant friend would not find a drink to enjoy, but, alas, he found an old favorite - - hot spiced apple cider. Talk about the perfect autumn beverage!

So, coffee shop fans, whether you love coffee or hate it, thrive on caffeine or avoid it, shun milk or lap it up like a CoffeeCat, you will find a creative, soothing fall beverage to your liking at any of the Triad Coffee Shops. So, don't let autumn fade away without a visit to a friendly, locally owned coffee shop.

Another Reason to Go to the Coffee Shop

A little to the right, please.
No, my right!

Imagine that you sometimes work from home. Imagine that your pet likes to sit directly in front of the computer monitor for some reason - to get warmth from the electronics? - to get your undivided attention? - to supervise your blog posts? to finish off your breakfast or lunch? to read the Howls & Meows page?

Oh, now the pet has moved away from the computer onto the desk, and wants to chew your freshly printed documents. What's a dedicated writer to do?

As much as I hate to say it, sometimes you've got to escape the pets and find a place to work. This weekend, I enjoyed working at Tate Street and Juicy Java, sans felines. It's great fun to write about coffee shop musicians while sitting in a coffee shop listening to live music. It's also great practice in tuning out the extraneous background noise that makes coffee shops so lively. It's good to stay in practice tuning out distractions, yet being aware that there's life going on around the solitary act of writing, rewriting, and rewriting some more.

It takes discipline to write (or for some coffee shop patrons, to study chemistry and Shakespeare!) and thankfully, our coffee shops welcome people who do both. Just be sure to make your stay worth their while - buy your sandwich, snack, and beverage at the coffee shop, and never forget to tip the barista. Green is the right color!

I've written in many Triad Coffee Shops, and it's always been a pleasure! Whatever your distractions, your deadlines, and your caffeine desires, there's a coffee shop for you!