Nobody Knows Anything

Welcome to Diane Patterson's eclectic blog about what strikes her fancy

Coffee locator

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Ever gone somewhere and said, “Hey, I need some coffee. But I don’t want to patronize the Mermaid. Where, oh where, can I go?”

Well, if you have Internet access (and of course you do, having gotten a list of free Wi-Fi providers before starting off on your trip), you can check out The Delocator for your java fix. The Delocator’s mission:

Cafés are vital social outposts that have historically provided subjective, social, local, and at times, irrational interaction, inspiration, and nourishment to artists, hipsters, musicians, activists, intellectuals, radicals, and others alike. Currently, independently owned cafés around the world are under aggressive attack; and their numbers have been sharply decreasing for many years. delocator.net is a means to preserve these local businesses.

This is definitely not a perfect solution: I typed in my zip code and found the three local cafes I’d mention to visitors, but their list of nearby Starbucks is wrong, wrong, wrong. (Not that I’m going to go out of my way to correct it for them—best to find a local cafe.)

I also can’t figure out what their radius for cafe results is: I typed in my mom’s zip code (in San Francisco) and got pages and pages of cafes…not one of which is one of the cafes within three blocks of her house. She lives near California and Fillmore; there are quite a few there. When I visit Mom, I’m just not gonna stop by Mission Delores for a cuppa. However, if I applied what appears to be the radius in San Francisco to my own area, I should get a few more cafes in my results. There may be a few kinks in the machine yet.

But still! A good start! And you can submit entries for their list and make comments on cafes. Support your local coffeehouse!

(Via The Accidental Hedonist)

Good fences make good neighbors

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Yes, I know that that phrase gets quoted all the time with the wrong interpretation (hint: Frost didn’t think fences actually increased neighborliness). But it’s a great quote.

Okay: the fence between my neighbor and me is leaning over. Way over. Into our driveway. As in, I can’t park next to it, because if I do then I can’t get out of the car. It clearly needs to be fixed, and it isn’t a particularly easy job: this is a big assed fence, with heavy planks of wood.

Anybody know what the rules are in regard to paying for the repair of said fence? Do my neighbor and I split it evenly? Am I supposed to pay, since I’m the one being inconvenienced? Or, since rules may differ from town to town, who do I go to talk to? City Hall?

Man, this “being a grownup” stuff stinks. All the stuff you’re just supposed to know…

Birthday party overload

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I knew when Sophia told me she wanted to invite her whole class to her party that it would be tough. I mean, that’s a lot of prep. That’s a lot of goodie bags (when did that little custom start, anyhow?). That’s a lot of presents.

A lot of presents.

And kids’ presents! It’s ridiculous how much packaging they have! Sophia had what, 16 people at her party, about 16 presents? We filled two dark green garbage bags with the packaging.

Another little custom I didn’t now about: drop-offs. As in, the parents drop their kids off…and then leave. Wish I’d known about that before ordering enough pizza for the kids and the adults (oops), plus enough cake for the kids and adults (double, triple oops). And we have little teeny refrigerator with tons of pizza in it. Pizza for days! Whoo hoo! It’s like off-campus living!

Anyhow: we are wiped. Darin and Simon didn’t even come to Sophia’s party: he took Simon to another birthday party.

I think this is why you’re supposed to have kids as a fresh-faced 20-year-old: you have the energy for this stuff. Fifteen years on you don’t have quite the same energy for it.