Usually when I'm writing, I'm at home. At home, I've got this one desktop computer named Ivan. I went through and built it
piece by piece, so he's quite the monster. My awesome bro, Bucky,
just installed a solid state drive in this beast, half because I wanted it,
half because he seems to get a weird amount of pleasure in upgrading computer
hardware. Ivan, in short, is the computer that competes with my son
for both my love and my attention.
 |
| Ivan is short for Ivanzypher. Love this machine. Darn heavy to take with me everywhere, through. |
But as fun as it would be to stay at home day in and day out, sometimes I find myself wanting to actually be somewhere else. So, because the laptop I had for college is all out of whack, I have to use Cooper. Cooper is my wife’s old lappy; the kind that when you dust it off, you think, “Oh hey, I wonder if this old thing has Space Cadet pinball?” And yes. Yes it does.
Now let's talk about the places that DanPar, Cooper, and I like to go. There are four places in particular that we go to get some serious blogging done!
The atmosphere is all sorts of: hushed, family-friendly and studious.
It's a good place if you really need to crank out a blog post. (Yes, because some people "need" to blog.) Plus, Arapahoe libraries are really nice, and there's even a nice water feature on a wall here.
Ooh, check it out, there's free: books and music!
It's a great place to take a stroll through and look at all the "how should I actually be parenting?" books, ignore most of them, and grab some ideas that you think would work well. And you can nab some easy listening music, check it out right there, and listen to it while you work! This is good for me, because YouTube doesn't work on Cooper. (He's an old laptop, give him a break.)
Nice, they've got a: dedicated family restroom!
Just because you're out and about doesn't mean DanPar's biological processes are gonna take a break. And it's hard when you're tucked away in a small corner of the men's room, with dudes coming in, listening to your musical rendition of "Who's a poopy little baby?" Having a full room reserved for parents and their stinky children benefits everyone.
Here's how it usually goes down:
The library I go to is within walking distance. You'd be surprised how close your nearest library is. It's a wonderful way to stretch out those legs and start the day! I feed him there, he conks out, and I check out all comic books that I have on hold. Usually I get through two of them before I remember that I actually have other errands to run.
The atmosphere is all sorts of: calm, spacious, and thought-provoking.
Even just walking to the cafe area with outlets and tables takes you past board games, travel books, and comics.
Ooh, check it out, there's free: WiFi!
You don't need a receipt, and honestly, you don't even need to be inside the building! But you should at least wander the shelves a little bit. C'mon, you know as well as I do that everyone has a bunch of gift cards there!
Nice, they've got a: huge variety of contemporary books!
Barnes and Noble has all the stuff that kids these days are into. From paranormal teen romance to Minecraft crafting guides, if you want insight into what today's culture digs, B&N's already done all the footwork for you.
Here's how it usually goes down:
Digging through our coupons, I'll come across our personal stash of B&N gift cards, and think, "Oh, man, maybe I'll buy a book today! Awesome!" I never do. I'm even a pretty avid reader, there's just not many books worth owning. So, I'll end up at the cafe, hammering away on Cooper.
The atmosphere is all sorts of: active, fun, and fast-paced.
Believe it or not, Five Guys is a great place to get some writing done. One big part of this is that it doesn't offer any Internet. Even on Cooper, I'd find some way to distract myself. So, when you know what you need to write, and you want it to be uplifting and entertaining, go to a place like this. The staff's fast and friendly attitude is contagious. (Also, burgers.)
Ooh, check it out, there's free: peanuts!? Score!
Before you even reach the line to order your food, you're confronted with scores of boxes brimming with peanuts. Free refills on soda is one thing, but for peanuts, something that actually has some legit nutrition to it?! I'm in. Thankfully, they're in their shells, so you have to take your time stuffing your face.
Nice, they've got a: Coca-Cola Freestyle machine!
I've decided that there's absolutely no food in the world that I wouldn't add either vanilla or basil to, given the chance. These huge honking machines might not have basil flavor, but luckily, Basil Sprite rarely sounds like a good idea! I even add fake vanilla to sodas I have at home. IT'S SO GOOD.
Here's how it usually goes down:
I still haven't had the chance to mention the biggest plus to being here. Check it. I'm gonna go on the record saying that Five Guys Burgers and Fries makes the best burgers on the planet. I'm making my opinion clear because their food is the only one that has made me so unnecessarily paranoid about losing it. The first time I went there, I thought I overdid it on the free toppings. There were about two salads’ worth of vegetables, mushrooms, and sauces on my burger. But when I took that first bite, I was dumbstruck. It was cooked so perfectly. It was an amazing flavor. The only thing was, I was out of peanuts. I was in college, and I was at a place with free peanuts. However, I was afraid to leave my burger for ONE MINUTE, because I was afraid someone would take it. Not someone who worked there, who decided to bus my table prematurely, but I was afraid that some random person would see my half-eaten hamburger, walk into the restaurant, and steal it for themselves. Now THAT is a burger to contend with.
The atmosphere is all sorts of: mellow, chatty, and bright.
Are you a morning person? If not, do you want to feel like one? Here's your place for you. I've spent hours here before, and the crowd always seems the same (in a good way!). A couple of friends are meeting up over some sandwiches to shoot the wind, some well-dressed individuals are just here for a meal alone, but they're not rushed, so they aren't giving off a "I'm above all of you peons" vibe. A sizable family's around, wrangling their kids around a big table. And in one corner of the store, there's the people who are there by themselves, just drinking coffee for hours on end. (That's me!)
Ooh, check it out, there's free: refills on legit coffee!
Coffee costs about 2 bucks at the Panera Bread near my house. But you've got your choice of dark roast, light roast, hazelnut, and decaf! With half-and-half or skim milk! And there's even a fine selection of teas! I feel a little bad just getting coffee here, so sometimes I get something else...but only when I've got enough points on my rewards card to make that free, as well.
Nice, they've got a: great place to sit and write!
At Panera Bread, there's always a snug little corner of the store for people who need a little table and an outlet. (Cooper's battery life is about 20 minutes.) It's next to a window, and you can just feel the thoughts flow! I think their hope is that one of us coffee-guzzlers will write the next great American novel, and out of sheer gratitude, donate all the proceeds to Panera for being so accommodating!
Here's how it usually goes down:
Coffee's cheap. At our house, we make it in a French press, because the coffee tastes nice, and it makes just enough for Jessi and me. But some mornings, you wake up and just KNOW you're going to need more. That's when I pack up Cooper and DanPar and make my way to Panera. Usually I don't have a blog idea when I get there, but while I'm there, I think "Hey, I should write about all the places I go to blog!" or some other ridiculous idea like that, and get started. On average, I probably spend about three hours there, just drinking hazelnut coffee with milk and honey. Much like the burger at Five Guys, I am wary of leaving my coffee cup there, lest an overzealous employee bus it before I've had my 8th cup. (I hide it behind my computer. I am that certain that no one will steal this old thing.) When I leave, I'm all sorts of jittery, but I feel good enough to take a decaf for the road.
Location #1: Our local library!
It's a good place if you really need to crank out a blog post. (Yes, because some people "need" to blog.) Plus, Arapahoe libraries are really nice, and there's even a nice water feature on a wall here.
Ooh, check it out, there's free: books and music!
It's a great place to take a stroll through and look at all the "how should I actually be parenting?" books, ignore most of them, and grab some ideas that you think would work well. And you can nab some easy listening music, check it out right there, and listen to it while you work! This is good for me, because YouTube doesn't work on Cooper. (He's an old laptop, give him a break.)
Nice, they've got a: dedicated family restroom!
Just because you're out and about doesn't mean DanPar's biological processes are gonna take a break. And it's hard when you're tucked away in a small corner of the men's room, with dudes coming in, listening to your musical rendition of "Who's a poopy little baby?" Having a full room reserved for parents and their stinky children benefits everyone.
Here's how it usually goes down:
The library I go to is within walking distance. You'd be surprised how close your nearest library is. It's a wonderful way to stretch out those legs and start the day! I feed him there, he conks out, and I check out all comic books that I have on hold. Usually I get through two of them before I remember that I actually have other errands to run.
 |
| DanPar loves to blog blog blog! |
Location #2: Barnes & Noble!
Even just walking to the cafe area with outlets and tables takes you past board games, travel books, and comics.
Ooh, check it out, there's free: WiFi!
You don't need a receipt, and honestly, you don't even need to be inside the building! But you should at least wander the shelves a little bit. C'mon, you know as well as I do that everyone has a bunch of gift cards there!
Nice, they've got a: huge variety of contemporary books!
Barnes and Noble has all the stuff that kids these days are into. From paranormal teen romance to Minecraft crafting guides, if you want insight into what today's culture digs, B&N's already done all the footwork for you.
Here's how it usually goes down:
Digging through our coupons, I'll come across our personal stash of B&N gift cards, and think, "Oh, man, maybe I'll buy a book today! Awesome!" I never do. I'm even a pretty avid reader, there's just not many books worth owning. So, I'll end up at the cafe, hammering away on Cooper.
 |
| It's not just me, right? Everyone's got these lying around, right? |
Location #3: Five Guys!
Believe it or not, Five Guys is a great place to get some writing done. One big part of this is that it doesn't offer any Internet. Even on Cooper, I'd find some way to distract myself. So, when you know what you need to write, and you want it to be uplifting and entertaining, go to a place like this. The staff's fast and friendly attitude is contagious. (Also, burgers.)
Ooh, check it out, there's free: peanuts!? Score!
Before you even reach the line to order your food, you're confronted with scores of boxes brimming with peanuts. Free refills on soda is one thing, but for peanuts, something that actually has some legit nutrition to it?! I'm in. Thankfully, they're in their shells, so you have to take your time stuffing your face.
Nice, they've got a: Coca-Cola Freestyle machine!
I've decided that there's absolutely no food in the world that I wouldn't add either vanilla or basil to, given the chance. These huge honking machines might not have basil flavor, but luckily, Basil Sprite rarely sounds like a good idea! I even add fake vanilla to sodas I have at home. IT'S SO GOOD.
Here's how it usually goes down:
I still haven't had the chance to mention the biggest plus to being here. Check it. I'm gonna go on the record saying that Five Guys Burgers and Fries makes the best burgers on the planet. I'm making my opinion clear because their food is the only one that has made me so unnecessarily paranoid about losing it. The first time I went there, I thought I overdid it on the free toppings. There were about two salads’ worth of vegetables, mushrooms, and sauces on my burger. But when I took that first bite, I was dumbstruck. It was cooked so perfectly. It was an amazing flavor. The only thing was, I was out of peanuts. I was in college, and I was at a place with free peanuts. However, I was afraid to leave my burger for ONE MINUTE, because I was afraid someone would take it. Not someone who worked there, who decided to bus my table prematurely, but I was afraid that some random person would see my half-eaten hamburger, walk into the restaurant, and steal it for themselves. Now THAT is a burger to contend with.
 |
| And check it out! The lady loved my Nintendo shirt, and gave me an extra patty because we talked about it! Woohoo! |
Location #4: Panera Bread!
Are you a morning person? If not, do you want to feel like one? Here's your place for you. I've spent hours here before, and the crowd always seems the same (in a good way!). A couple of friends are meeting up over some sandwiches to shoot the wind, some well-dressed individuals are just here for a meal alone, but they're not rushed, so they aren't giving off a "I'm above all of you peons" vibe. A sizable family's around, wrangling their kids around a big table. And in one corner of the store, there's the people who are there by themselves, just drinking coffee for hours on end. (That's me!)
Ooh, check it out, there's free: refills on legit coffee!
Coffee costs about 2 bucks at the Panera Bread near my house. But you've got your choice of dark roast, light roast, hazelnut, and decaf! With half-and-half or skim milk! And there's even a fine selection of teas! I feel a little bad just getting coffee here, so sometimes I get something else...but only when I've got enough points on my rewards card to make that free, as well.
Nice, they've got a: great place to sit and write!
At Panera Bread, there's always a snug little corner of the store for people who need a little table and an outlet. (Cooper's battery life is about 20 minutes.) It's next to a window, and you can just feel the thoughts flow! I think their hope is that one of us coffee-guzzlers will write the next great American novel, and out of sheer gratitude, donate all the proceeds to Panera for being so accommodating!
Here's how it usually goes down:
Coffee's cheap. At our house, we make it in a French press, because the coffee tastes nice, and it makes just enough for Jessi and me. But some mornings, you wake up and just KNOW you're going to need more. That's when I pack up Cooper and DanPar and make my way to Panera. Usually I don't have a blog idea when I get there, but while I'm there, I think "Hey, I should write about all the places I go to blog!" or some other ridiculous idea like that, and get started. On average, I probably spend about three hours there, just drinking hazelnut coffee with milk and honey. Much like the burger at Five Guys, I am wary of leaving my coffee cup there, lest an overzealous employee bus it before I've had my 8th cup. (I hide it behind my computer. I am that certain that no one will steal this old thing.) When I leave, I'm all sorts of jittery, but I feel good enough to take a decaf for the road.
 |
| Where's the coffee cup, busboy? Probably nowhere. Please bus another table. |
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