the best coffee always comes from someone else's kitchen.

I am drinking the best cup of coffee ever. At home, everyday when I wake up, I have to make myself a cup of joe. I drink it and I drink it all. Every last drop. But, for some reason at home, especially if I have to take my coffee to go and drink most of it in the car, it's just not GOOD. it's satisfying in a unsatisfactory way. like I am just drinking it to get the caffeine flowing through my veins and wake me up out of my 2 hour morning stupor. in fact, I would even go so far as to quote a six year-old and say, "it tastes like chalk." Now, one may just say, stop bitching and go buy some better coffee. Oh, but my whining and bitching goes much further than that my friend.. so ha!

I believe it's the home vibe that makes my coffee less lively and yummy. when I step outside my doors for a cup, it's a whole different experience. it doesn't matter what coffee shop I stop in, who's house I am sharing a cup with, what job I am currently working at, the coffee is GOOD. BETTER. MORE. I drink it and I let out a sigh and I look at the cup with contentment. seriously! I swear this happens. I don't know what it is about someone else's coffee bean or machine or water or cup, it makes it taste better. it makes me get through the day easier. when at my house, I can have two.. three cups of my coffee and still be yawning and tinkering around doing absolutely nothing productive. but with someone else's coffee? productivity to the max for a good many hour. maybe its the company at work. maybe its the environment. maybe its that I am getting paid when not at home so I need to get off my ass and make it look like I am doing work at my job! OR MAYBE, and this is probably it, I am just an eternally unsatisfied person. always want what i can't have, always looking to the past or future rather than enjoying the present kinda gal. Happy, yes. But, always wanting more, always looking for something better, different, and not mine.

I'm not sure if this is how I will always be as a full-fledged Virgo (diva) or if someday my ways will somehow slow down and I will not have these thoughts plaguing my brain and be content with my own. Hopefully there is a balance out there somewhere between the two. I think I could handle that. The hardest part is seeing people that appear (because it really is all an appearance) to have attained this balance. Happiness is always flawed, yes. But, I am also not saying that when people find a great balance in their lives that it is not real and true, but i do believe that part of the true balance that people feel when they are content with exactly what they have is exuded through their insides and their outsides. you can see it in them and their outside appearances. and if they haven't quite reached their own personal balance, maybe you see it a bit too much on the outside... or the inside for that matter. anywho.. babble babble babble on a Tuesday.

Anyway, here is a picture of me drinking a wonderful and powerful cup of someone else's coffee. and right now, i love it.

oh yeah, and I got this cute leather bow headband at art-a-whirl this weekend. I wear it around and look awesome :) haha. If you don't live in the Twin Cities or have yet to experience Art-A-Whirl, it is quite magical. It has to be one of the largest gatherings of local/ non-local artists in the U.S. The greatest part about it is that, unlike "Art Fair on the Square" in Madison, WI, Art-A-Whirl is mostly local artists that are opening the private creative spaces to the public. So, it's not like they set up a tent and then can leave or feel uncomfortable in a foreign space. Nope, they feel right at home and they make the guest feel right at home as well because you are basically in their home... or second home, the place where their blood, sweat, and tears have been spent on creating things that mean something to them no matter what the outside world might say. You are taking a dive into their personal bubble and not only are most of these artists friendly, but they are beyond passionate and personable about talking to you about their artwork. It makes the entire experience inspiring and community-esque. yeah i made that up. whatever.

My mom and I had an AWESOME (yes, all capital letters AWESOME) time at Art-a-Whirl. I will be posting pictures shortly of some of the wonderful people and art we saw during our adventures.