Althouse: When the café opens at 6:30 a.m....

May 26, 2018

When the café opens at 6:30 a.m....

54902714074__9D49921F-E471-4757-AF6B-19755866FD6C

... and you had to wait 5 hours to be the first person in the door.

77 comments:

Wince said...: Althouse: Taking distressed and rough-hewn to the extreme.

And for god's sake use a coaster - you'll leave a ring!; 5/26/18, 9:39 AM
MayBee said...: Your getting up early has almost lapped going to bed late.; 5/26/18, 9:41 AM
traditionalguy said...: Covfefe addicts.; 5/26/18, 9:48 AM
Etienne said...: That chair gives me Gastroesophageal reflux. Urp...; 5/26/18, 9:49 AM
Bob Boyd said...: Looks like they're cultivating a crack house vibe.; 5/26/18, 9:51 AM
Sebastian said...: How much did they pay you to enter?; 5/26/18, 9:56 AM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: I love coffee houses like this. Remind me of my youth. I have to travel miles to find a similar one. I usually just settle for Starbucks.; 5/26/18, 10:06 AM
Narayanan said...: Crack house vibe ... Starbucks is going for it also.; 5/26/18, 10:13 AM
Rob said...: I get that threadbare Oriental rugs are a sign of old money, but there's no excuse for those chairs. Where's the Board of Health when you need them?; 5/26/18, 10:23 AM
Etienne said...: That chair looks like it has a lot of sperm and vaginal discharge... Brrr....; 5/26/18, 10:32 AM
Sam L. said...: WHY would you have to get there at 1:30 to be first in the door at 6:30? WHY would you WANT to? Can't you make some coffee for yourself?; 5/26/18, 10:39 AM
Hagar said...: Political discourse was equally unhinged in the early years of the republic. Back then I think the spectre of slavery becoming outlawed lay at the bottom of it.
Today, the uneasy sense that the FDR alphabet soup uni-party system is unraveling?; 5/26/18, 10:42 AM
HT said...: Here’s what we’re talking about at our table. So often it seems to me the world is divided into those who think a great deal about their health (read about it, write, go to talks, watch videos and so on), are in a position to do so - not too much financial and emotional stress (usually) – and usually with the education and background to more or less understand the information as it moves to deeper levels. I realize such information is subject to change of course. Then there are others who are for lack of a better word victims of unhealth – they smoke, drink, eat too much of the ‘wrong’ thing. These are, in my mind, two very distinct camps and I spend a lot of time thinking of this sort of thing in my work. There are many things I could say (at bottom, health disparities are driven by wealth disparities) but sometimes at the end of my day I think we need to radically change how ‘healthcare’ is dispensed, to say nothing of our commercial food market which is oversupplying calories of the ‘wrong’ type. Without the patient’s (sorry for this word) buy-in, we are more or less just putting humpty dumpty back together again over and over, playing a losing game of whack a mole. Think of the patient(s) who resume smoking just after recovery from a COPD exacerbation. Anyway, I continue, possibly uselessly, searching for answers and today’s is that the problem is the camps themselves. Today at this hour I think that those of us in a position to, are perhaps a bit too obsessed with our health while those suffering from chronic so-called lifestyle diseases are very very very generally barred from that privilege due to lack of time and resources. And stress. Quite possibly – originally stress. The following is a wholly unoriginal thought that I expect to be roundly rejected here, but the solution is for ‘us’ to cede some of the resources and time in order for us, as a populace, to come together more and lessen that division. These chronic diseases are sapping our collective resources, and the thing is – they need not do so. While or after this happens, being more demanding of the patient himself makes more sense and there is less shouting into a wind tunnel, there is more ‘return’ on investment so to speak.; 5/26/18, 10:45 AM
Loren W Laurent said...: Weird Habits of Old Boyfriends.

When you get the time to know someone better you get to learn their quirks and peculiarities. When the relationship is good these quirks and peculiarities can have a special charm; when the quirks and peculiarities become creepy then you know the relationship isn't going to last. Unless you find creepy to be charming, which might work in some strange Willem Dafoe way. At least when Willem Dafoe isn't Bobby Peru.

(I am thinking of the sweet-and-sour of the word 'schadenfreude', so I Googled to find the German words for 'creepy' and 'charming': thus, charmantgruselig.)

I had a boyfriend who, after a few weeks of dating, walked into the bathroom while I was urinating. As a white Jewish woman, I found this to be uncomfortable. As a white Jewish woman, I don't like to be uncomfortable.

He quickly -- but not too quickly -- apologized. He said he didn't know I was in there, then exited the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

It was awkward for a few minutes afterward, but then we laughed about it: couples have their in-jokes, it is part of forming a bond, a shared history.

Except in-jokes usually stay between the people in on them; however, he proceeded to tell this story practically every time we got together with friends.

I told him that I was uncomfortable with him telling this story to other people, but he said I was being overly sensitive. So every time we were at a party I waited in trepidation for him telling the 'I-walked-in-on-Loren-peeing' story. And each time he told the story it go longer and more embroidered with detail: I got a sinking feeling that, soon, sound-effects would come into play.

Maybe a month later I am in the bathroom peeing, and the boyfriend walks in. Again. Okay: one time is perhaps an accident, two times means you want to watch your girlfriend urinating. And I did not want a boyfriend that wanted to watch me urinate.

When you begin to feel like you need to lock the bathroom door when the only people home are you and your boyfriend then creepiness is decidedly a factor.

As a white Jewish woman I don't believe this has anything to do with me being white or Jewish.

LWL; 5/26/18, 10:57 AM
Original Mike said...: “I am sure President Obama had no knowledge whatsoever of an informant,” Clapper said, “

And when James Clapper says something, you can take it to the bank.; 5/26/18, 11:23 AM
Michael K said...: "And when James Clapper says something, you can take it to the bank."

The sperm bank ?; 5/26/18, 11:26 AM
Bay Area Guy said...: Thank you, LWL, for that charming little story. Well done!

Who knows, you might have inadvertently unravelled the mystery behind the Steele Dossier and the urinating Russian hookers with Trump.; 5/26/18, 11:34 AM
Ralph L said...: For a half second I thought that was a Wendy's cup, which was as disturbing to see on Althouse as the demonic VooDoo cup it actually is.

LWL, when he asks you to pee on the bed, it's over.; 5/26/18, 11:44 AM
Ralph L said...: Crap, BAG got there while I was debating my syntax.; 5/26/18, 11:45 AM
Bad Lieutenant said...: The following is a wholly unoriginal thought that I expect to be roundly rejected here, but the solution is for ‘us’ to cede some of the resources and time in order for us, as a populace, to come together more and lessen that division.

Here's a thought : people die, and that's OK. What is it to you? Should everybody be immortal? Ideally they would die as soon as they stop being productive. Smoking for example was perfect for this. Stimulates the user, more productivity, who then (may) conk out quickly of smoking diseases, and doesn't collect pensions.

But noooooooo!

Worry about stuff where people die young, or take a long time and are expensive and debilitating to the families.; 5/26/18, 11:53 AM
Earnest Prole said...: Your story is so vivid and well-told that I confess I too want to watch you urinate.; 5/26/18, 11:57 AM
Rabel said...: I think that's a cockroach sitting in the chair on the left, just below the left hand arm rest. He looks comfortable though, not distressed.; 5/26/18, 12:10 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Jeff Tambour is the greatest TV actor of all time. Hank Kingsley Junior will not, in fact cannot, ever be surpassed.

Still, even after being filleted by his peers, he cannot help but to urge the killing of EVIL GOP HITLERS LITERALLY.

Actors suck ass, all of Them others. Even the best, except Johns Goodman, Turturro, and Mahonney.; 5/26/18, 12:19 PM
Etienne said...: Using two cups for one coffee threatens our landfill capacity.; 5/26/18, 12:22 PM
robother said...: "...at bottom, health disparities are driven by wealth disparities."

If starvation were the main health problem, this might be a legitimate hypothesis. Since it is (increasingly worldwide) obesity, that suggests that both wealth and health disparities are symptoms of another more fundamental disparity. Indeed, spreading the wealth more evenly seems to exacerbate the obesity epidemic.

Your statement is an elegant illustration of how the Marxist meme has infected the wealth and health-creating population, destroying first its capacity for clear thought, and ultimately every other defense mechanism. Dawkins is right, memes are viruses capable of destroying entire populations through similar attacks on the immune system.; 5/26/18, 12:23 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: Benedict Cumberbatch/Sherlock Holmes : (quietly) People have died.

Andrew Scott/Professor Moriarty: (starts quietly) That's what people DOOO!; 5/26/18, 12:42 PM
n.n said...: .... you have regrets.; 5/26/18, 12:47 PM
CWJ said...: I mentioned my Egyptian daughter in the Korea thread, but I'll mention my Lebanese daughter Hiba here. We just watched her graduate from university today. They streamed the ceremony live from Beirut. We were surprised that the majority of the event was in English. We saw her both receive her diploma and walk out aftwards. So proud!; 5/26/18, 12:51 PM
Jupiter said...: "The following is a wholly unoriginal thought that I expect to be roundly rejected here, but the solution is for ‘us’ to cede some of the resources and time in order for us, as a populace, to come together more and lessen that division."

Judging by the nature of your preoccupations, I am guessing that I am already ceding some resources to pay you to pretend to improve the physical well-being of people I don't give a damn about. Maybe you should retire.; 5/26/18, 12:53 PM
tcrosse said...: The coffee cup makes me think of El Pollo Loco but they don't have any in Wisconsin. Yet.; 5/26/18, 1:03 PM
rhhardin said...: There's some ham contest, where you get different points for contacts depending on country and continent, multiplied by the number of different prefixes you contact.

The US ran out of call letters and started putting one of the non-location letters in the prefix, so it makes it worth mining the US for contacts to get the multiplier up.

Not wanting to drive the points up but just reach distant interesting place, I'm sticking to foreigners, none audible at the moment.

Unfortunately I'm losing interest in Europe. I just got a bunch of wife-beater countries in eastern Europe whose exact location I'm not sure of (Moldova?).

Fortunately one Australia, 10,000 miles, which is interesting by way of being surprising. I run very minimal power (15w).; 5/26/18, 1:09 PM
rhhardin said...: Moldova, an Eastern European country and former Soviet republic, has varied terrain including forests, rocky hills and vineyards. Its wine regions include Nistreana, known for reds, and Codru, home to some of the world’s largest cellars. Capital Chișinău has Soviet-style architecture and the National Museum of History, exhibiting art and ethnographic collections that reflect cultural links with neighboring Romania.

Wife-beaters.; 5/26/18, 1:14 PM
rhhardin said...: The wife-beater countries are uniformly very good at morse code. Fast and accurate.

It might just mean they're using keyboards, though.; 5/26/18, 1:18 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: I plan to dissolve all failure.; 5/26/18, 1:24 PM
MaxedOutMama said...: Waiting five hours for coffee is what causes the average person to invest in a coffee machine.

They have all kinds. They even sell the old fashioned perk pots that you can even use on a barbecue or fire (power outage), or on the stove. They sell electric drip machines. You can spend hundreds of dollars or $20, but the point is that you will NOT be waiting five hours for a cup of coffee.; 5/26/18, 2:27 PM
MaxedOutMama said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/26/18, 2:27 PM
Paco Wové said...: "the solution is for ‘us’ to cede some of the resources and time in order for us, as a populace, to come together more and lessen that division."

Please be concrete and give a real-world example of what you are talking about.; 5/26/18, 2:27 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: rhhardin said...
There's some ham contest

That's nice.; 5/26/18, 2:36 PM
FullMoon said...: LWL, well done.

Must be the subtlety ..; 5/26/18, 2:48 PM
StephenFearby said...: Andrew McCarthy:

Spy Name Games
May 26, 2018

The Obama administration blatantly politicized the government’s intelligence and law-enforcement apparatus.

‘Isn’t it a fact that you’re a scumbag?”

Our contretemps over the nomenclature of government informants has me unable to shake this arresting moment from my memory. In Manhattan, about 30 years ago, I was among the spectators basking in the majesty of Foley Square’s federal courthouse when we were suddenly jarred by this, shall we say, rhetorical question. The sniper was a mob lawyer in a big RICO case; the target was the prosecution’s main witness, the informant.

Until this week, I’d always thought the most noteworthy thing about this obnoxious bit of theater was the reaction of the judge, a very fine, very wry trial lawyer in his own right.

The prosecutors, of course, screamed, “Objection!”

The judge calmly shrugged his shoulders and ruled: “He can answer if he knows.”

Did he know? I don’t remember. I was laughing too hard to hear any response.

The court’s deadpan was not just hilarious. In its way, it was trenchant.'

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/obama-administration-politicized-intelligence-law-enforcement-apparatus/

Also, a snippet from Edward Snowden's recent Intercept interview on Trump:

'...MH: What is your take? I mean you’re someone who’s out there in Russia, you have criticized both Trump and Putin, what is your take on this whole, did he/didn’t he collude with Russia?

ES: I think people are asking for too much when they hope that the Mueller investigation is going to come up with kind of a smoking gun and say, “Yes! Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, in the hotel room with the piss tape!” You know that’s not how the world works; life is not that simple.

And to be honest, everyone who has heard Trump speak for three minutes knows he’s a wrecking ball. This does not sound like the kind of person that you would want to engage in some kind of complicated Manchurian Candidate, when, you know, the guy can’t even remember what he was going to say at the end of a sentence.

MH: That’s a good point. He’s not great at keeping secrets, or shutting his mouth.

ES: Right, right, right. But that doesn’t mean that he didn’t want to cooperate, that doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t do anything to achieve an advantage. I just think we just need to be realistic about what an investigation can possibly find.

MH: Now you might say that’s Edward Snowden bending over backwards to be ultra-fair to a man, to a president, who hasn’t been very fair towards him – in fact, Trump wants to kill Snowden and says so openly.

DJT: This guy’s a bad guy. And, you know, there is still a thing called execution.'

https://theintercept.com/2018/05/25/deconstructed-the-edward-snowden-interview/; 5/26/18, 3:10 PM
Earnest Prole said...: The more I think about it, LWL, if you're commenting in Althouse's back pages the chances you're an attractive white Jewess are slim to none. In other words, Finkle is Einhorn, and Einhorn is a man.; 5/26/18, 3:21 PM
Original Mike said...: ”In our democratic republic, there is an important norm against an incumbent administration’s use of government’s enormous intelligence-gathering capabilities to — if we may borrow a phrase — interfere in an election. To justify disregarding that norm would require strong evidence of egregious wrongdoing. Enough bobbing and weaving, and enough dueling tweets. Let’s see the evidence.” (emphasis added)

https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/obama-administration-politicized-intelligence-law-enforcement-apparatus/

Amen.; 5/26/18, 3:28 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: HT said...

These chronic diseases are sapping our collective resources, and the thing is – they need not do so.

There is a simple fix. Stop treating my wallet as your collective resource. Problem solved.; 5/26/18, 3:33 PM
robother said...: "These chronic diseases sapping our collective resources" include AIDS and venereal diseases, obesity, amphetamine and opiod addiction, alcoholism....
There seems to be a common pattern there, something I just can't quite put my finger on. Oh well, maybe in another hundred years we'll discover the rat flea or other source of these seemingly random disease patterns. In the meantime, I hope the shrinking part of our population producing our "collective" resources can keep on keeping on.; 5/26/18, 4:18 PM
madAsHell said...: WHY would you have to get there at 1:30 to be first in the door at 6:30?

When do the bars close in Madison??; 5/26/18, 4:37 PM
Jersey Fled said...: Simple question.

If you are an American being held hostage in a foreign jail, who would you rather have in the Whitehouse, Trump or Obama?

Follow up question.

How about if you are a terrorist sympathizer?; 5/26/18, 4:40 PM
Rockeye said...: Looks like regular houses across the street. Is that just a neighbor's fancy garage pop-up party?; 5/26/18, 5:25 PM
Michael K said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/26/18, 5:46 PM
Michael K said...: Trump in simple visual terms.; 5/26/18, 5:46 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Believe it or not, poor people actually know that smoking and eating junk food are bad for you.

And everyone finds people who obsess about their health, whether they're monied or not, annoying.; 5/26/18, 6:02 PM
Rabel said...: If you, Althouse, were to petition the collectivists there at that coffee/beer joint for a Reparations Happy Hour I think it would go over big time.; 5/26/18, 6:07 PM
mockturtle said...: Well, I just finished reading Noble House last night and, though thoroughly enjoying it, I wish I could rewrite the ending. Lame.; 5/26/18, 6:16 PM
FullMoon said...: Every year there is a new "superfood" that becomes all the rage. Kale, chia seeds, almonds and even wheatgrass have been superfoods that were once very popular. But a new superfood has stepped into the spotlight, and it is possibly the most unusual superfood yet: cockroach milk.

In 2016, an article on sciencealert.com said that a team of international scientists sequenced a protein crystal that is located in the midgut of cockroaches. Although it was sequenced two years ago, it has become popular just recently.

But what makes this a superfood? It has to do with the fact that it is four times as nutritious as cow's milk, and many researchers think this could be a solution to feeding a "growing population in the future."; 5/26/18, 6:56 PM
steve uhr said...: Nunes has been quiet since the briefing. Could it be he now understands the FBI acted appropriately?; 5/26/18, 6:57 PM
Michael K said...: Blogger steve uhr said...
Nunes has been quiet since the briefing. Could it be he now understands the FBI acted appropriately?

I suggest you wait until the OIG report and then the indictments will answer all your questions.; 5/26/18, 7:01 PM
Michael K said...: Blogger mockturtle said...
Well, I just finished reading Noble House last night and, though thoroughly enjoying it, I wish I could rewrite the ending. Lame.

Have you read "Tai Pan" and "Gaijin?" You should.

I assume you have read "Shogun."; 5/26/18, 7:03 PM
walter said...: Kudos to whoever managed to miniaturize milking machines to that level.; 5/26/18, 7:03 PM
gadfly said...: When the cafe opens at 6:30 A.M ... and you had to wait 5 hours to be the first person in the door ... and that is because you were out of Keurig K-Cup Brewers at home?

From the picture, I guessed the coffee place to be Cafe Zoma, but their ad says they open at 7:00 A.M.; 5/26/18, 7:21 PM
mockturtle said...: Michael K, yes, I have read the others. There were some interesting characters in Noble House that were left hanging while the main players were dull, for the most part. Of course, Clavell, like most male writers, doesn't really understand women so his female characters are weakly portrayed even when they are 'heroines'. Even so, a mostly enjoyable book and I still think Noble House had the most interesting subplots. A very complex--and very long!-- novel.

Next on my kindle: Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era. As you can see, I tend to explore one genre at a time. Like a year or so ago it was the French Revolution. And I read one or two of your recommended books. Bought them, in fact.; 5/26/18, 7:24 PM
HT said...: Are you saying the problem is Medicaid?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

There is a simple fix. Stop treating my wallet as your collective resource.
5/26/18, 3:33 PM; 5/26/18, 7:45 PM
Michael K said...: Of course, Clavell, like most male writers, doesn't really understand women so his female characters are weakly portrayed even when they are 'heroines'.

Have you ever read any Neville Shute novels? He is my favorite and has several with female characters.

If you read one, I'd be interested in your impression.

Two favorites are "A Town Like Alice" and "The Far Country" both with female characters.; 5/26/18, 8:45 PM
mockturtle said...: Interesting, Michael K. Many years ago my husband and I watched the PBS series A Town Like Alice and liked it very much. Perhaps I'll read the novel. While I seldom read novels, I've found several that held my interest of late.; 5/26/18, 9:53 PM
Original Mike said...: Blogger steve uhr said...”Nunes has been quiet since the briefing. Could it be he now understands the FBI acted appropriately?”

I’m sorry, but the whole country now needs to know that “the FBI acted appropriately“. The democrats raised it to this level.

So let”s hear it.; 5/26/18, 10:03 PM
mockturtle said...: The FBI neither acted appropriately nor legally. Their infiltration of the Trump campaign was purely political and makes Watergate look like a child's tea party.; 5/26/18, 10:07 PM
Original Mike said...: Blogger steve uhr said...”Nunes has been quiet since the briefing. Could it be he now understands the FBI acted appropriately?”

“So, how many “informants” targeted the Trump campaign? Were they being paid by the U.S. government? What are their names? What were they doing?

Under whose authority were they spying on a political campaign? Did FBI and DOJ leadership sign off? Did FBI director James Comey and Attorney General Loretta Lynch know about it? What about other senior Obama administration officials? CIA Director John Brennan? Did President Obama know the FBI was spying on a presidential campaign? Did Hillary Clinton know? What about Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta?”

http://thefederalist.com/2018/05/25/code-name-crossfire-hurricane-evidence-fbis-russia-cover-story/

These are all “appropriate” questions, steve. Do you know the answer to single one?; 5/26/18, 10:20 PM
Ken B said...: CNN is a for profit company. It isn’t the press, what’s good for CNN and what's good for the press aren’t the same. This should be obvious. Why isn’t it?; 5/26/18, 11:21 PM
Ken B said...: Nice video Michael K. You see the 1100 handshakes in the hot sun? Honey badger don’t care, honey badger don’t sweat, honey badger motors on.; 5/26/18, 11:36 PM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: I looked into Sling as a cord cutting idea, and the lowest package has the channels I mostly wanted to dump. CNN, three ESPNs, no Fox News. It’s like an exit tax with these people.; 5/27/18, 5:31 AM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: Blogger steve uhr said...”Nunes has been quiet since the briefing. Could it be he now understands the FBI acted appropriately?”

That’s all the evidence the Trump haters need that Trump is guilty. It’s like a kind of paranoia. Paranoia is where you interpret everything in a way that comes out that they are out to get you. In TDS, they interpret everything as “Trump is guilty!”; 5/27/18, 5:33 AM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: Here’s what we’re talking about at our table.

Wow, Pajama Boy is posting here!; 5/27/18, 5:39 AM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: “I am sure President Obama had no knowledge whatsoever of an informant,” Clapper said, “

Not a smidgen of knowledge. He had to wait until it came on ESPN.; 5/27/18, 5:44 AM
Now is the winter of our discontent made glorious summer by this son of New York said...: Picture; 5/27/18, 6:00 AM
HT said...: "Wow, Pajama Boy is posting here! "

Girl, I have no idea what you're talking about.; 5/27/18, 3:54 PM
wildswan said...: HTsaid
" the solution is for ‘us’ to cede some of the resources and time in order for us, as a populace, to come together more and lessen that division. These chronic diseases are sapping our collective resources, and the thing is – they need not do so. While or after this happens, being more demanding of the patient himself makes more sense and there is less shouting into a wind tunnel, there is more ‘return’ on investment so to speak."

1. Equalize resources through socialism so that 2. we can expect people to equally good then deny resources to the badly behaved since there isn't enough. But how can we 1. equalize since 2. there isn't enough? And anyhow, are the resources that make a person or a country rich the same thing as money. That is to say are they of such a nature that they can be spread around smoothly like peanut butter?; 5/27/18, 6:42 PM
HT said...: I think there is a typo in the first sentence, so I don't want to guess at what you mean.; 5/28/18, 4:41 PM
HT said...: (Second time I'm trying to post this!)

I think there is a typo in your first sentence that's why I haven't responded.; 5/29/18, 3:55 PM
Ann Althouse said...: @HT Your comment was stuck on the "awaiting moderation" page that has been malfunctioning. I finally got it to work (temporarily).

Anyway, I don't think there's a typo, just a statement that isn't fleshed out enough for everyone to picture correctly. I did not go stand at the door for 5 hours. I was up 5 hours before the place opened. That is, if I'd wanted to go to the cafe first thing, I would have to wait 5 hours for a place that opens at 6:30 to be open for me. Normally, a person arriving at an opening that early would have just gotten up. It was intended as an enigmatic way to say I got up way too early. When you've been up for nearly 5 hours and arrive at a cafe, it's weird to find it's not open, and then you see that opening time is 6:30 and realize what a weird time line you're on.; 6/8/18, 5:14 AM