The Office

Monday morning. Sitting in Busboys & Poets, my "office" for the day. Job hunting in the apartment got old. Today I'm doing my work to the sounds of world music and some good people watching.

I mentioned Busboys & Poets in a previous blog entry. It's named after Langston Hughes who, when busing tables at the Wardman Park Hotel, placed a few of his poems in front of renowned American poet, Nicholas Vachel Lindsay. The next day Lindsay told the world about the "Negro busboy poet" he met. Busboys has been open for about 4 years and has been embraced by the multi-ethnic, artistic and literary crowds that frequent the U Street corridor. They host poetry slams, movie screenings, author talks and musical performances here throughout the week. All in support of dialogue, progress and peace. It's always packed, the vibe is great.

Today I am sitting in a broad circle of communal couches and overstuffed armchairs filled with young people sipping coffee, typing, orchestrating their lives. The energy in here is extremely productive. Notebooks receiving frantic scribbles, upper ear cartilage balancing ballpoint pens, hands bringing phones to ears, greasy fingers punching and staining keys in between bites, mugs collecting on the low coffee table I'm sharing with 1, 2, 3...7 other people. We form a circle of strangers united by the fact that, for one reason or another, we are free to be sitting in this cafe, working on something. Working on getting something to work on, or working on that thing already? If they're like me, it's a little bit of both.

I've had my loveseat to myself for a bit, but just got a neighbor. She smells of smoke and the cold air from outside. She's sitting here, fighting back sniffles with her coat still on, allowing her body to acclimate. l'll do my best to make her feel at home. Let me slide my plate over and put away my sweaty yoga gear. Shouldn't have been out any way, I know. Her breath pattern just synchronized with mine, she's warming up.

A quick gaze over my Macbook reveals a sea of silver and chrome. Compaq, Dell, HP. Where's the bright white or the flashy ebony of another Mac? I guess DC is a PC town. Noted.