2.8.2009

Just the other evening, the Good Doctor reminded me of a conversation we once had on 'the speed of enjoyment.'  As some of you may have had the good fortune to witness firsthand, Doctor Truth can spend up to three hours drinking a single cup of coffee, while in the same period of time, over casual conversation, I might consume four slices of pizza, two very large cherry cokes, five garlic rolls, a glass and a half of red wine, a cannoli, another slice of pizza (as an afterthought) with onions and crushed red pepper, two cappuccinos, a biscuit, three chocolate mints, and a wooden toothpick.  I might add (a somewhat curious fact) that the Doctor's coffee will not grow cold during this shameful display of gluttony, whilst the wispy steam plays over his cup the whole time, as if to taunt me.  I insist that, should the same cup be set in front of me, it would surely grow cold within five minutes.   Why?   I am, simply put, unable to enjoy things at their proper speed.  Perhaps one day I will learn this intricate art.

Someone was asking me if the physical location of our cafe was in Norwich, England.  No... despite the title of the picture in the previous post, we are not in Norwich, nor in England for that matter.  For those of you familiar with Paris, you can visit us (in the afternoon only, please) by walking down the Boulevard Montparnasse until you see this place...



... then, turn left on the following street, Rue Notre Dame des Champs.  You will find us six blocks down, on the left-hand side.   And please, any more vitriolic telephone messages about standing out in the cold and waiting for a drink will be cause for a temporary local verboten.  We are open when the wind is suitable, and only then.

The first winds of Spring have necessitated a soiree in April... two cosmic weeks of surfing, first in Malibu, then at Hanalei Bay, Kauai.  Every time I go out west, it seems like another of my friends has made a name for himself in the film industry.  One of them, Kyle Newman, a young director and friend from my New York days, debuted his first major motion picture this Friday.  The Doctor and I are quite proud of Kyle, and anxious to see Fanboys when it first opens at the Cinema Montparnasse.  Another friend and surfing buddy, Chad Callner, won a 2008 primetime Emmy for editing Justin Timberlake's HBO special,  and faithful Truth Compatriate Victor Kubicek has worked his way up the production ladder, becoming one of Hollywood's 'mint elite' with his film, Terminator: Salvation (yes, Trixie, the one where Christian Bale explodes into a thousand f-bombs at the D.P.) due for release this summer (which might well prove the grandest coup of all...)

For those of you interested in the more ancient art of fiction writing, I've finally edited my first draft of Love in Armageddon (an apocalyptic sci-fi satire) and I'm floating in that comfortable phase after one task is complete and before the next one begins.  Meantime, I've been writing short stories for literary journals and local color pieces (under an alias) for The Beachside Resident.  I've also been pondering something Mark Twain wrote, which strikes me as relevant enough to mention here.  He said, "it is easier to manufacture seven facts than one emotion."  This is as valid a description of the goal of fiction as I've ever heard.

And for those of you more inclined to financial worries, or political musings on how the government plans to prop up the country, you can skim over this article about the three legs of the "economic stool."  To be honest, I haven't read it myself, but I do appreciate the term "stool," as it relates to the state of the economy... quite appropriate, I think.

Thanks for offering your comments, both the insightful ones as well as the pitifully dull.  I encourage more of you to 'lay it on the line' by clicking on the 'comments' link below this post and grasping for truth straws with me.  Suggestions for future menu items or topics of conversation are also much appreciated.

Well, it's off to Mougin tomorrow, to purchase some more Egyptian Chamomile (there is a small tea shop there that supplies me with the finest chamomile and peppermint teas known to mankind.)

 which leads me to the menu of the day:

Fruit crepes with fresh cherries, peaches, pears, and lemon
Inniskillin Icewine, Riesling, 2006
Egyptian Chamomile tea

Enjoy... at the proper speed, of course.

8 comments:

  1. Is Fanboys only out in limited cities? I heard this movie was coming out a long time ago... what happened to it? That's amazing about your friend Victor. Sometimes it is just the right connections to make it out there. The cafe is tres superb... keep up the good work, and the good food, too!

    PS - interesting article about Cocoa Beach, would love to visit sometime

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  2. It seems like many of those around us are doing well these days. Interesting article, interesting blog, and interesting cafe. . . Thank you Truth. Have a nice trip to Mougin. I hear it's lovely.

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  3. Ah yes, the speed of enjoyment is a matter very close to my heart. I'm afraid I'm with you, my humble proprietor. Nothing like walking into your favorite cafe or, better yet, your favorite fine dining establishment, ordering a fantastic meal, finishing it, and leaving the establishment in less than the amount of time that all the patrons surrounding you took to order their appetizers or drinks. Think about the upside though, people like us get to enjoy exponentially more food over the course of our lives. Viva gluttony!

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  4. Allow me to suggest une assiette de fromage... merci

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  5. Surfer dude stuns physicists with theory of everything...

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/science/sciencetopics/largehadroncollider/3314456/Surfer-dude-stuns-physicists-with-theory-of-everything.html

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  6. These noble rants on this blog and the Beachside Resident just serve to tease me about the release of Love in Armageddon.

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  7. Dear sir,

    Again I find myself saddened by the 'ferme' sign on your doors. Please open up, as some of us are growing cold.

    With heartfelt thanks,

    Jacques

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  8. The doors will be open tomorrow afternoon, my fine friend. Don't forget to bring that book we talked about. A demain.

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