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Apologies, bitchez! This post is actually from last Saturday, but I forgot to post it. Have at ye!
The Nitty Gritty
The Nitty Gritty
Location: 2925 College, near Ashby
Hours: Every day 7am-10pm
Java: $1.50 (house coffee) - $3.95 (cold fusion: coffee, any flavor ice cream, milk)
Goodies: $2.50 (bars of all kinds!) - $3.75 ("black magic" chocolate cake that looks insanely moist and rich)
Lunch/Dinner: $5.95-6.95 sandwiches
Credit cards: Mm-hm
WiFi: Unlimited, no password required. You used to get only two hours here, which is why I haven't been back in a while.
Power outlets: Search them out; they're there.
Bathroom: You got it.
Seating: Tables and chairs, far as the eye can see. Not especially comfortable, but the patio furniture outside is pretty nice. There are also benches out there, and big umbrellas to block the glare in case you're doing computer work out there. The back half of the cafe is made of skylights, which is also a major plus.
Music: Innocuous Classical music. And I pretty much mean Classical in the time-period sense of the word, not the NPR-genre sense. Some days it seems to be all Mozart all the time.
Ambient noise: Usually pretty quiet, but more of a social place than most other places I've reviewed so far. This particular day we were surrounded by a study group, a chess game, and mother-daughter banter.
Temperature: It was a really hot day, and the back courtyard really holds the heat in. Inside wasn't as bad.
Parking: Paid and hard-to-find on College, but plentiful side streets.
Bicycle parking: Elmwood is usually pretty hoppin', so you might have to explore a bit to find a good spot.
Biggest pro: Plenty of outside seating that isn't on the bustlin' street out front.
Biggest con: Perhaps the innocuous Classical bias...but that's a personal bias.
Recommended for: Short-term working, refreshments
Not recommended for: A whole day working
S'mug Bastard and I had a "cold fusion" with cookies-n-cream ice cream, and a pomegranate Italian soda. At least three people asked us what one or both of these items were, and proceeded to copy us. Yeah, those losers plagiarized our imbiberies. And I will encourage you to do so as well. If you haven't tried a pomegranate Italian soda before, DO IT. I'm yelling for your own good, so don't get scared. It comes out the luscious deep red of an actual pomegranate, but it tastes like apples. Not neon-gree appletini or Jolly Rancher apples; actual "I just picked this from my orchard and now I'm going to go milk the cows" apples. Perfect for this sweltering Autumn that keeps you from craving actual Autumn things like hot cider. [Note: S'mug Bitch is not at all bitter about west-coast Autumns not living up to her standards of Autumn as experienced in the far-superior Midwest]. Seriously though, soon enough it will be cold and rainy, so I am happy to bust out the sundresses for now.
And now for something completely different.
Does anyone else freak out when they hear Beethoven's 5th symphony? You know the one, BA-BA-BA-BUUUUUMMMMMM I WILL BASH YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH THIS MOTIVE UNTIL YOUR HEART EXPLODES FROM THE STRESS OF THE INTENSITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, you don't? Oh. I didn't used to either, but about a year ago we listened to the whole first movement in a class I was teaching. All the blood rushed to my head. My heart raced. Breathing required great intention. I wanted to run the hell away, or scream, or cry, or all of the above. I thought, or hoped, this was a one-time deal, but it happened again last week. I need to make peace with Beethoven, or at least figure out why/how he does this to me. I thought about making a new arrangement of the symphony that would make it sound ridiculous and completely not-angsty. Instead I downloaded a recording and took it with me to hike in the hills. It was just me and Beethoven duking it out in the wilderness. Dust and sweat and fate knocking. I gathered my bearings. Took a deep breath. Pressed play.
Nothing happened.
This interpretation, for whatever reason, has no such power over me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63xPUGpAS-c&feature=related
But this one, oh yes it does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgXUFnfKIY
I haven't been able to pin down what it is. Are there any pieces of music that give you a visceral, uncontrollable, physiological reaction? Does the context or particular recording make any difference?
S'mug Bastard and I had a "cold fusion" with cookies-n-cream ice cream, and a pomegranate Italian soda. At least three people asked us what one or both of these items were, and proceeded to copy us. Yeah, those losers plagiarized our imbiberies. And I will encourage you to do so as well. If you haven't tried a pomegranate Italian soda before, DO IT. I'm yelling for your own good, so don't get scared. It comes out the luscious deep red of an actual pomegranate, but it tastes like apples. Not neon-gree appletini or Jolly Rancher apples; actual "I just picked this from my orchard and now I'm going to go milk the cows" apples. Perfect for this sweltering Autumn that keeps you from craving actual Autumn things like hot cider. [Note: S'mug Bitch is not at all bitter about west-coast Autumns not living up to her standards of Autumn as experienced in the far-superior Midwest]. Seriously though, soon enough it will be cold and rainy, so I am happy to bust out the sundresses for now.
And now for something completely different.
Does anyone else freak out when they hear Beethoven's 5th symphony? You know the one, BA-BA-BA-BUUUUUMMMMMM I WILL BASH YOU OVER THE HEAD WITH THIS MOTIVE UNTIL YOUR HEART EXPLODES FROM THE STRESS OF THE INTENSITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, you don't? Oh. I didn't used to either, but about a year ago we listened to the whole first movement in a class I was teaching. All the blood rushed to my head. My heart raced. Breathing required great intention. I wanted to run the hell away, or scream, or cry, or all of the above. I thought, or hoped, this was a one-time deal, but it happened again last week. I need to make peace with Beethoven, or at least figure out why/how he does this to me. I thought about making a new arrangement of the symphony that would make it sound ridiculous and completely not-angsty. Instead I downloaded a recording and took it with me to hike in the hills. It was just me and Beethoven duking it out in the wilderness. Dust and sweat and fate knocking. I gathered my bearings. Took a deep breath. Pressed play.
Nothing happened.
This interpretation, for whatever reason, has no such power over me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63xPUGpAS-c&feature=related
But this one, oh yes it does: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgXUFnfKIY
I haven't been able to pin down what it is. Are there any pieces of music that give you a visceral, uncontrollable, physiological reaction? Does the context or particular recording make any difference?
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