Actual Blog

It's been another action-packed week at the Cafe. Lots to report, less left to do.

We're fully staffed for the moment. We got (and continue to get) lots of great applicants, and I think we've got a really great team coming together. In addition to Katie, Sarah (who's now going by Curly), and Donna, we've got Sara, Daniel and Julian. We've all been working in the Cafe all week, and we've made a ton of progress.

Our kitchen is now pretty much completely outfitted, and we've even got some food that we've been cooking, testing recipes. The place is now almost completely painted (next time, I'm hiring a painter), and mostly clean. Yesterday, we got our stools and outdoor tables. We've got dishes, glassware, silverware, and even some decor.

Some fun things:

Sparkle Motion has arrived at the Cafe! Our bicycle-powered video jukebox is ready to blow your mind! Pics coming.

We're starting a book and magazine exchange. I seeded it with a bunch of stuff from my personal collection, but we can use more books - if you've got some you want to contribute to the cause, bring 'em by (only decent condition things that people might actually read, please!). We'll give you some coffee and snacks as thanks. Also, if you've got a magazine or newspaper subscription that you'd like to donate to the Cafe, let's chat.

Our community bulletin board is a big 'ol piece of sheet metal, and we need some awesome fridge magnets to make it feel lived in. Again, if you have some and want to chip in, bring 'em on down.

Under our bike parking, there's another big piece of sheet metal that needs some cool stickers. Got any?...you know what to do.

We've been testing our menu since yesterday, and it's really coming together in a pretty awesome way, I think. We've got a delicious breakfast sandwich with spinach, egg and cheese, and a little french toast plate that we'll do on weekends. We made some pickled veggies for salads and sides, and although they still need some tweaking, I think they'll be really good. Today, we'll be testing lunch sandwiches, and making lots of hot and cold drinks. If you're in the neighborhood between 11:00ish and 2:00ish, stop by. We'll probably have something for you to taste.

My flu symptoms are now almost entirely gone, and I feel like I might actually be able to ride a bike again, if I didn't have to spend all day picking up car loads of dishes, furniture, food and equipment. I brought my town bike to the Cafe to test our bike parking several weeks ago, and it's got a flat tire, which I haven't found the time or energy to fix, since I've been too sick to ride anyway. Maybe I'll fix it today. Definitely no later than tomorrow. Also, the Radish is coming out of the garage for normal Cafe operations.

I am so excited. You have no idea. I have been working on this project for about a year now, and the transition from making to doing is just days away now. I don't sleep much.

Really, really soon now. I mean it. You'll see.

-sal