I'm going to start off by stating the fact that cool cannot be defined.  Someone might say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but that is not cool........that is also a fact.....look it up.  Anyways at the latest YPAC meeting, (making an acronym of everything, not cool) it was brought to my attention that I need a "not cool" stamp.  Since an actual stamp would be made of rubber, and the third leading cause of raindeforestation is the planting of rubber tree orchards, I say such a stamp would be not cool, (not an actual fact...I made that one up). I would like to start stamping, but this being the first of many blogs on the subject I should elaborate on the definition.  (If you are reading this at home you should get a Jim Beam and cola... it's what I'm having while writing it.  If you are reading this at work you should double check and make sure no one knows you are screwing off.) 

 

So.....Cool....this dirty little coffee shop just east of the north end of Mass St. in Lawrence (notice it's Mass St......calling it Massachusstetts St. would get the stamp).  This place had overpriced coffee with names I had never heard of.  I had to dust crumbs off of the chair I was to sit on, and the chess board (yup, uncool) was missing a piece.  We had to use a penny for my rook for about 30 seconds until my very smart, smart assed friend took my good one.  Anyways, although I'm not a hippie, a beatnick (sp?) or even a democrat (or a republican.....go figure?) I thought this place was cool, because it was....it's a fact....look it up.  Bring yourself to Hutchinson, we have that coffee shop, except it's clean and the chess board has all it's pieces.  The coffee is still overpriced and I can't interpret the menu. 

 

For some reason (don't worry, I'll give you several possibilities) this place is not cool.  I hope it's not the cleanliness, because if dirty is cool I might be any one of Steve Carrell's characters (Steve Carrell references......not cool).  It's not the chess board, or all sets would come without a white rook.  I think what it is is that its charm (yes that word is not cool for a guy to use) was borne naturally.  Our place in Hutch looks like a bad rip off of the "Friends" set.  The place does not have enough uncaring hippies leaving napkins and long skinny cookie thingy crumbs because they are so worried about whales and the ozone and.......stuff.....man.  So what it needs is a little patronage.  (I promise I'm not plugging any particular coffee shop.......I really think they are all great.  All four.....?).  But a lot of business is what I think a place needs.  That is my opinion. 

 

Two weeks ago I asked Rebecca Ryan (look her up) how to make our place as cool as the one in Lawrence (you know, East of the North end of Mass.) and she did not have time to answer me (I forgive her).  No matter the reason, no matter the place, I stamp this particular place not cool.  However I would like YP members to go see what I'm talking about.  I love an argument.  Please prove me wrong. 

 

 

Cool

1.  Volunteering for those in need

2.  Cooking all day on Sunday so you don't have to the rest of the week

3.  Standing behind your man

 

Not Cool

1.  Pretending like you've got nothing going on when you are buying a house

2.  Telling a firemans wife he is getting a 17% raise when he is getting a 2% raise...not cool

3.  Orange Soda

 

Undecided (please Reply and rank as cool or uncool)

1.  Horseback riding

2.  Replying "K"

3.  Grape soda

 

On a final note I want to say Microsoft word is not cool.  I have become very accustomed to my Blackberry and I had to go back and change every > to . every i to I and why does my shift key have no memory!