the 51st week

the 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab.
Proudly serving Tazza Mia coffee.

Monday. I went to The Anchor before work, and after a solid close I went over to Brandy's. She just got back from Bonnaroo Music Festival, was pretty exhausted. We hung out for a hot minute, talking 'bout what kind of bacteria we would be based on our personalities, and her roommate Erin stepped barefoot into her Chipotle and ruined it. Back home the evening was spent hanging out with Blake, Amos, Isaac and Andy while watching "Game of Thrones." The final episode of Season 1 is awesome. 

Tuesday. Work was preceded by The Anchor yet again, and after we closed, Amos and I hiked over to the Chipotle on Fountain Square for dinner. The evening was spent smoking pipes, reading on the front porch, and hanging out with the roommates. It was a lot like a mild Georgian summer night, ripe and humid and the insects all abuzz.

Wednesday. I did some writing at The Anchor before closing with Amos. I cleaned out my car after work and ran to get gas and played video games with Amos. Yeah, exciting day.

Thursday. I worked 7:30-3:00 with Stephanie and Tiffany. While putting away the order I found an old unopened growler from Rock Bottom, and I drank about half of it during my shift. I was feeling pretty good during the lunch rush. Brandon and I had a meeting about the role I'll be filling at 600 come autumn: an "official" shift manager and "unofficially" Amos' bitch. "You and Amos will make a great team," he said. After work I took a short nap, and then I grabbed City B.B.Q. for dinner: ribs, baked beans with brisket, and hush puppies. The evening was spent hanging out with Amos, Andy, Isaac, and Josh A., and I went on a few late-night drives, the usual route: up 50 & 'round through Eden Park.

Friday. I covered Ana's F.P. shift, opening with Tiffany and Sarah. After work I jetted up to Dayton, did some shopping with Mom & Dad (finally found iced animal crackers!), and we got dinner at Wendy's. They went to bed early, have to get up way before the crack of dawn, and I followed suit a while after, once I finished watching Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card-Counting Christians. Some old college buds--Pat H., Ryan, James, and Mike F.--were in it, and it was a damned good story. I finished reading Gods & Generals while curled up in the guest bedroom: next up is The Killer Angels.

Saturday. Mom & Dad left around 3:30 AM for the airport: they're spending the next week doing missions work at a Navajo Indiana reservation in Arizona with a bunch of folk from Southwest, including Joe & Cindy. I woke much later and got an iced soy caramel macchiato from Spring Valley, got to see Kyle, Leslie, Ben and Joanne. I spent the afternoon reading and writing, made a trip to Barnes & Nobles but couldn't justify spending money on anything. Ams rolled in to house-sit through Tuesday, so I jetted back down to Cincinnati and spent the afternoon hanging out with Amos, Andy, Isaac and Josh A. Andy and I went to the 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab on Vine Street, sat out on the patio in the cool evening drinking ethiopian harrar and talking about life and all its trimmings. Frank was working, and Bobby Bonder came running down Vine and stopped to chat with us for a hot minute. When we got back Eric and Tiffany were at their mom's house, their kids blowing bubbles, so we milled around with them for a bit, and then Amos, Isaac, and Josh joined us for dinner in Oakley at a place called Noodles, Inc. It was pretty good--I got Pad Thai with grilled chicken and snacked on Amos' edamame--and their fire alarm kept going off. Andy and I went joy-riding to the tunes of Pedro the Lion, and when Isaac and Josh headed home, Amos and I played Call of Duty late into the night. We went out onto the front porch to find Andy drunk off Meade and wearing nothing but his boxers, smoking cigarettes and writing. He lent me three cigarettes and I went on a drive west to Indiana and back, The Black Keys the overture.


Sunday. I went to The Anchor for a hot minute in the morning, and after a round of Call of Duty, Amos and I did lunch at Dusmesh. The afternoon was spent reading, and Brandon came over to hang out for a bit. It's good hanging out with him outside work, when he's not so stressed out about the finite business details. I went for another drive out to Indiana, all the way to Lawrenceburg, and then I went the opposite direction down Route 50 to the Starbucks in Mariemont to do some writing while enjoying an iced soy caramel macchiato and a pumpkin scone.