Easy Breezy Afternoon

                Today is a packed house at the shop.  It’s a very active vibe, very lively.  The coffee shop workers are singing songs off the 90’s classic pump up CD “Jock Jams.”  They are playing the alternative rock station which is a little out of the ordinary for this place. 

There are four people to my left working on what sounds like math homework.  There are three woman and one man at the table.  One lady with short hair and a nose piercing seems to be the individual who is taking charge of the group.  She is talking loudly over everyone, and seems to have the assignment requirements down without having to look at her paper.  The rest of the group seems very content about the nose pierce lady having control.  They began laughing in agreement on how complicated the question was relative to the answer.  The nose pierce lady says “5!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”  The group seems slightly irritated about the problem, but are still happy at the accomplishment. 

                One table down from the math group, one of the shop workers is sitting with two girls.  They girls seemed to have started out on some homework, but were easy to avoid it with conversation.  They did not seem at all annoyed to be chatting with the shop worker, seeming to be a few of his friends. 

                The next table down the line is what I find the most interesting and rare to see.  There are two much older men sitting together.  Both are sipping on coffee with their electronic tablet glued to each of their faces.  From seeing one of their screens, I can see that one of them is fixed on an article.  I have to assume that the other man is doing the same.  The only interaction I have seen between the two men is when they got up to get a fresh cup of coffee.  Now that I think about it, I guess it isn’t that much different to them reading newspapers.  I just figured there would be more interaction between the two. 

                My attention is disrupted from the shop workers jamming out to a punk rock song.  Singing the lyrics loud without care of who is listening.  They then voice their opinions about what lead singer of what group sounds the best, and what bands belong in what genre.  I personally feel that they are setting the vibe for the shop.  Besides one guy that is glued to his computer with earphones in, the rest of the shop seems relaxed and not worried about who can hear what they are discussing.  It’s a happy feeling to me.  The door to the shop is propped open, with a slight breeze flowing.  I was not annoyed at all.  It made me smile as I tapped my feet to the songs playing. 

                At the very last table, there sits a group of five girls, all in college from what I see.  Two of the girls are huddles around one computer, with another girl on her own.  The other two girls without computers and glued to their phones, occasionally looking up to talk among the group. 

                A man in his forty’s wearing glasses just walked in the shop.  He hesitantly sits at the table closest to where most of the shop traffic is.  He starts up his computer and starts working on a word document.  With every drink of water he takes, he shoots a glance over his shoulder to see if anyone is behind him.  Hopefully he starts feeling the vibe of the shop, because he is starting to make me feel a little edgy.  

                Back to the math group.  They are on a new problem that involves calculating water pressure.  Nose pierce lady still has control of the group, while the only man at the table cracks the occasional joke to keep the mood interesting and semi-serious.  Nose pierce lady continues to explain to the group the steps involved to solving the problem.  While she does this, the remaining girls at the table look a bit confused, continuously flipping through notes and shooting glances at one another in hope that one of them understands what’s going on.   Although nose pierce lady is in control, it seems to be benefiting the group. They seem to start understanding how to get the answer on their own with a little help from nose pierce lady.  The frustration of the group is lightened with one last ditch effort joke from the guy in the group.  In a voice that sounds like hero from a Shakespeare play, he says with encouragement, “WE CAN DO THIS! WE CAN GET THIS DONE!”