The Coffee Shop

For those out there who are frequenters of this blog, (all 2 of you) you may be wondering why I've been posting a bit more regularly lately. This is in large part due to the fact that I have found a new coffee shop. Well, OK, it's not really new. I've gone here off and on for a few years. Only recently has it become a part of my routine.

A regular coffee shop is something that every creative person needs. While I do a lot of work at home and in the basement studios, a coffee shop provides a certain something that is not really available at either of those places. I've been a regular at a few places here in Fort Collins, and finding a new one can be a challenge.

The perfect coffee shop for me has been quite elusive. Great places often change management, coffee brands, or little elements that can be hard to define. One great shop downtown recently changed owners, and the overall feel of the whole place has become much less of what I want. For a while recently, I was hanging out at a place that was very close to where I work. While it's location is great, the atmosphere and coffee were not exactly perfect. I still go there if I need a quick cup of coffee, but I find myself in there less and less.

This new place is much more to my liking. While it's a little out of the way, it feels like more of a destination spot. The atmosphere and coffee are top notch. Listening to the music here is like listening to my ipod. Since I don't have internet at home, this place provides me with the ability to check my email, update this blog, and do the web surfing I really don't have time for at work.

I can't say that I'm a regular here yet. I've been coming quite a bit lately, but I still don't really know the employees well yet. I've started to establish a regular table, so I guess I'm off to a good start.

There's also a really cute girl who works here. I see her infrequently, but the possibility of seeing her will probably continue to be a good motivator for frequent visits. ;)

More on that as the story develops...

Grammy Nominated?

Yes, you heard me right. vee device's newest CD is actually in the running for a Grammy this year! 2 in fact! We are currently up for "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Vocal Album."

It's still the very early stages of course. Here's how the process works according to the Wikipedia:

The Recording Academy and record companies are responsible for entering the works that they deem most deserving. Once a work is entered, reviewing sessions are held by over 150 experts from the recording industry. This is done only to determine whether or not a work is eligible or entered into the proper category. The nomination process requires that members vote only in their fields of expertise. They may nominate in the four general categories (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist) and in no more than nine out of 31 fields on their ballots. Once the nominations are secured, Recording Academy members may then vote in the four general categories and in no more than eight of the 31 fields. Ballots again are tabulated in secrecy by the major independent accounting firm, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

Basically, we've made it past the 150 experts and now the ball is in the Recording Academy's hands. I believe that we have to make it to the next round to be offically "Grammy Nominated," but it still feels pretty good to be on the list.

How did we receive this honor you might ask? All I can say is that sometimes it pays to have your own record label. :)

If you know anyone in the Recording Academy, let them know about the album. Hell, we'll send them a copy if they want to hear it! Tell your friends, write your congressman, shout it from the rooftops!

VD is spreading!

Lesson Learned

I learned a valuable lesson the other day that I'd like to pass on to everyone:

"Don't ride your bicycle while listening to your ipod and drinking a cup of coffee"

I learned this one the hard way...

I was riding home from my new favorite coffee shop the other day with a to-go cup in my right hand. Mulberry is massively under construction right now, so I had to wander around the back streets for a bit to find a place to cross it. One would assume that the unevenness of a road construction zone would be the cause of a horrible cycling accident, but no! I made it past that with ease. About a block past the construction was where I actually had my downfall. (pun strongly intended)

I was slowing to a stop at an intersection, but had not really intended to come to a full stop. Most of the time when I bike through an intersection with a stop sign , I slow down considerably, but don't put my foot down and make a full stop unless there are other vehicles at the intersection. I saw a car coming in from the left a little bit late, so I applied the brake. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have stopped just fine. Unfortunately, with my coffee in my right hand, I applied the front brake, which has a tendency to stop my bike quite quickly. That, coupled with the fact that my right hand was not on the handlebars, lead to a situation that physicist Issac Newton describes in his first law of motion...

I not only fell of my bike, I literally flew over the handlebars, arms outstretched, music playing and coffee still firmly in hand. My memories of this instant are fuzzy, but I seem to remember the bike flipping over it's front wheel, which means that I was probably launched into the air by the seat.

I landed on my left side. The heel of my right hand, my chest and left knee taking most of the impact. There was really no skidding to speak of, and since I was wearing long pants and a thick wool coat I manged to escape this episode with no blood spilled. In fact, there was very little liquid spilled at all since I manged to keep a firm grip on my coffee cup. Besides a few drops on my coat and a small line on the pavement, I spilled practically none of it.

The car made a right turn at the intersection, which means it would have missed me entirely anyway, and the driver seemed to take no notice of what had just transpired. It took me a little bit to gather my wits and get back on the bike, cross the intersection and make my way back to my house.

It's been a few days now. The heel of my hand seems mostly fine, my knee is quite bruised, and my chest hurts. There's no bruise there, but it hurts a bit when I laugh or talk too loud or move too quickly. Hopefully I'll be back to tip top shape soon, but till then, any sympathy I can mine from the depths of your pity would be quite comforting. If you want to lambaste me for my utter stupidity, you are welcome to do that as well.