It’s been almost three weeks since I hopped a train in Emeryville for my 9 week sojourn on the banks of the mighty Mississippi. While it’s good to see old friends and to be working on a theatre project, I’m feeling pretty lonely for my sweet Anna. We talk every day, of course, but it’s not the same as knowing the love of your life could appear at your side any moment and give you a squeeze. So, to help pass my days and to feel a bit more connected to my Oakland home, I’m committing to a little Back To Oakland blogging activity for the next six weeks.
We drank some swell Oakland coffee here in Moline for about a week and a half after I arrived. We started with The Sermon by Verve which I picked up at Modern Coffee just before I hopped on Amtrak. (I brewed several cups of The Sermon on the train in my little french press.) Once the Verve beans were gone we tore in to the two different bags of Blue Bottle beans: Hayes Valley Espresso and Roman Espresso. All three coffees were tasty, tart, fruity, and worth carrying across country in my suitcase. Jon and I enjoyed trying them in cappucino and ristretto. When we ran out we moved on to an African bean from Intelligentsia, delivered by one of Jon’s music faculty friends, straight from Chicago. We agreed that the African beans in this particular roast could have benefitted from blending with some of the South American beans that balance out the three blended coffee’s I brought from Oakland.
Now that the coffee is gone I’m looking for other Oakland diversions to keep me happy. I’ve enjoyed following several Oakland twitterers. I feel like I am generally in touch with what’s going on in the neighborhood when I see tweets from @vsmoothe, @oaklandbecks, @dto510, @davidcolburn, @moderncoffee, @danapalooza, @farleyseast, @katymurphy, and @egratto. They provide an eclectic POV that satisfies my need to know that Oakland is still humming. I had a fun twitter conversation that I’ll share a little more about tomorrow, involving a famous Oaklander from Anna’s class at Skyline High.
Till then, keep your coffee warm.