Exhaust Pipes Like Violence (over coffee)
Matt and I try to meet for coffee once a week.
We like to sit outside at J&B coffee to talk about life and literature, teaching and religion, and the need for people to treat others with compassion and understanding. We also talk about things with wheels. We both really like things with wheels. But there're times...
This week, we met on Saturday afternoon. It was beautiful outside. We sat on the corner facing east.
Unlike most Lubbock coffeehouses, J&B isn't situated on a major road. It's in a mostly residential neighborhood near the university. While there's a lot of traffic, there's no high-speed traffic, and the traffic is vehicularly diverse. Everything from Citibuses to Lime scooters rolls past J&B all day long.
More so than usual, this week's conversation was filled with long pauses, but they weren't dramatic pauses or reflective pauses, they were noisy traffic pauses.
The longest pause happened when a window-rattling Harley fired up in the parking lot, idled while the rider put on his gear, then roared away. The award for causing the most pauses went to a young guy wearing flip-flops and practicing high-speed take-offs on a Yamaha dirt bike. Honorable mentions went out to guy-with-really-tall-diesel-Ford and person-in-blacked-out-Mustang.)
On the plus side, several cool bicycles rolled up, a funky off-road electric scooter zipped past, and lots of friendly dogs led their people by.
This morning I found an Electrek article featuring an OSET electric trials bike.
We like to sit outside at J&B coffee to talk about life and literature, teaching and religion, and the need for people to treat others with compassion and understanding. We also talk about things with wheels. We both really like things with wheels. But there're times...
My favorite parking spot at J&B
Unlike most Lubbock coffeehouses, J&B isn't situated on a major road. It's in a mostly residential neighborhood near the university. While there's a lot of traffic, there's no high-speed traffic, and the traffic is vehicularly diverse. Everything from Citibuses to Lime scooters rolls past J&B all day long.
More so than usual, this week's conversation was filled with long pauses, but they weren't dramatic pauses or reflective pauses, they were noisy traffic pauses.
The longest pause happened when a window-rattling Harley fired up in the parking lot, idled while the rider put on his gear, then roared away. The award for causing the most pauses went to a young guy wearing flip-flops and practicing high-speed take-offs on a Yamaha dirt bike. Honorable mentions went out to guy-with-really-tall-diesel-Ford and person-in-blacked-out-Mustang.)
On the plus side, several cool bicycles rolled up, a funky off-road electric scooter zipped past, and lots of friendly dogs led their people by.
This morning I found an Electrek article featuring an OSET electric trials bike.
Yes, I know that electric trials bikes and suburban coffeehouses are not obvious topic mates on a low-rent blog like this one, but take a little time to watch the video below and listen to the soundtrack/voiceover.
The virtues of an electric vehicle are the same whether splashing around the European countryside or zipping over to a West Texas coffee shop - minimal noise pollution and even less air pollution.
We're having some beautiful weather lately. I hope you have an opportunity to sit outside enjoying good coffee, good company, and the ability to enjoy the silence. Be well, my friends!
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