My original plan was to stop at Eugene Public Library (which has a coffee shop) to pick up one of their two copies of How Buildings Learn, by Stewart Brand (better known to me as the editor of the Whole Earth Catalog). On my way, though, I decided that I should check for a used copy at Smith Family Bookstore first. Software engineers are fond of (building) architecture as an analogy to software architecture, and How Buildings Learn was recommended by a colleague because of the relation between (mostly unplanned) evolution of buildings and (planned or unplanned) evolution of software systems. I thought it would be handy to have a copy of my own to peruse without a deadline, and to draw from for my spring class in globally distributed software development.
Cyndi called and suggested meeting at Vero Espresso, a few blocks away and not far from where she was shopping. OK then.
But what's this? Paper cups? The barista apologized. Apparently they ran out of real cups. At least it wasn't styrofoam, but still there is a difference in flavor and in the feel of the cup on the lips. A little disappointing.
The coffee at Vero is quite good. Both the steamed milk and the coffee is a bit sweeter than most local places, but perhaps a little less complex than the best. If you think of coffee in voices (I do), it's like a nice consonant blend of tenor and alto, maybe just a bit of baritone, all in a sweet major key. Pleasant, but not something you listen very closely to. Vero is a good place to go for a pleasant cup and conversation if it's the conversation you really want to focus on. If you want to focus on the cup itself, Wandering Goat is probably a better choice ... you get a wider range of voices there, with some interesting and slightly more challenging harmonies.
On the way home I stopped to look at wool and light systems at Arriving by Bike. I'm looking for a mid-layer that's a bit lighter than my Ibex Shak, and planning a generator light system for my daughter Iris's bike.
Randonneuring data: October 19, 2013. Vero Espresso House, 205 E 14th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401-4101 (14th and Pearl). Ordered Caffe Latte. Approximately 9 miles round trip, including stops at Smith Family Bookstore and Arriving by Bike.
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