Cafe 101

Hiama has his orders from Stradee, he checks all known coordinates for 18th century Sherwood Forest, checks them and triples checks them, the paper is covered with check marks, he scans in the checked map and e mails it to Danon to configure DCP, just then his door bell rings.
Its Diane! Joy and bliss, he feels a song coming on as he ushers her in to his humble abode he is overcome with emotion

" If ever I would leave you
It wouldn't be in summer.
Seeing you in summer I never would go.
Your hair streaked with sun-light,
Your lips red as flame,
Your face witha lustre
that puts gold to shame! "


Just so she knows. They both sit down and chat about Schrodinger and his wave equations and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, just the sort of topics to whet the appetite. Tea is served in the garden under the arbour, where the tulips and daffodils fight each other for space so they can overhear their conversation, they are both lost in time.................

As Diane stumbles into the cafe, her knees still weak from the experiences of the past several days, she sits back in the big chair by the fire before she realizes that the cafe is, seemingly, empty.

It is difficult for her to focus as she keeps remembering, fondly, her dalliance with the mysterious stranger she met by the lake (just before her skin started to get all pruney--thank heaven). A few days with her mystery man has made a new woman of her. She is feeling very limber and flexible and more relaxed than she's been for years.

Then there was the delightful dalliance with hiama under the arbor among the tulips and daffodils. As they discussed wave theory, Schoedinger's cat, parallel universes and spooky science at a distance, as Einstein called it, the tea started working a special magic, sending them to exotic universes found in the cups of the tulips.

I can't believe all this has happened to me, she muses. For someone who has never dallied, these dalliances are becoming addictive. I feel like a new woman!

As the silence of the cafe finally registers in her consciousness, she calls out to Sal, wondering where everyone could be. Soft sounds from the kitchen can be heard as the door slowly opens........

Sal says, "Ah, Diane, we were wondering where you were. We're all in the kitchen having pizza. Care to join us?"

Sal, Lola, Diane and Hiama pig out on New Yorks finest pizza


Hoft joins them as there is enough for 5 in fact there's enough for 25, where are the rest of you guys ?

Cafe 101
Stradee pivots and runs smack into one of the cafe pillars/ < forgetting to remove 3-d glasses > stumbles over a still sleeping Dys/ slides through the kitchen door landing near Sal who says "Hi Stradee ~ have some pizza"

"Hi Diane" looking not the least bit tossled <but in fact glowing> returned from her adventure safely thanks to her good friend Hiama.

Hmmm, scrumptous pizza! Sal offers refreshments and all sit enjoying lunch chatting about the days events ~

When my favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra, was asked if he wanted his pizza cut into eight slices or ten slices, he answered, "Oh eight, I could never eat ten."

That New York pizza is very good, but you haven't had pizza until you've been to New Haven.

Diane,

Oh yeah? Wanna fight? Wassau's pizza stands up to any competition.

Wanna mud wrassle?

Go to Sall's or Pepe's and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven!

"New Haven is often written up in the likes of Gourmet magazine for its concentration of superb Italian restaurants, many located in the "Little Italy" neighborhood of Wooster Square. Food lore has it that pizza, officially called apizza, was indeed invented right here is New Haven's Wooster Square neighborhood. The legend has a continuous debate though: Was apizza invented at Frank Pepe's or Sally's in Wooster Square? Pizza lovers looking for authentic New Haven Pizza have so many excellent choices, Many people make a concerted effort to try them all before designating New Haven's best apizza."

Sop press Diane and Lola please send Hiama large quantities of both pizzas for most urgent quality control audit check c/o Hiama, Hungry House, Rumbling Stomach Avenue, Eatsville, Ye Olde Englande

Hiama, sweet thang, you'll have to come to the States for samples, but you will not be disappointed. Lola and I will see to it that you get the very best samples available in New York and Connecticut. Personally.
In whatever order you choose.
At whatever time you choose.
With some full-bodied chianti.
All that will be after we've finished mud wrestling.
Want to join us?
Better make it quick because I will be away for about a week and a half--in Connecticut and New York, actually, doing some sampling of my own.

Ok arrive on 3:30 flight from London Heathrow, I've packed my loofah !

what is this about why so many people replying to this topic?

Wassau,

My good firends Viz and Diane may be popping in a little later, please make sure that they get a nice welcome and pop some of the Krug champagne on ice, Lola has ok'd this , its to come from the show reserve stock.

Also can you let down two of the beds as they may wish to stay over. Can I have a double expresso and a pain chocloate please.

Hiama! There you are! What an interesting place this is!

And you must be Wassau. Lola has told me about you. Yes, thank you, I'll have a double mocha. My friend, Diane, will be along soon. We'll open the champagne when she gets here....

So, tell me a little about this place, Hiama.....

Well Viz, sit yourself down in one of the comfortable armchairs near the fire and I'll begin. We normally have a dozen or so of the nicest a2k'ers here as regulars, of course they are all barking mad but that's kind of what makes them so lovable.

There's Lola, the proprietress wo used to be called Ethel but we won't go into that, she doesn't like to talk about it. Wassau is really the owner, then there's Sal who works in the kitchen. You've met Diane, there's Hoft who used to be Helen of Troy, she got compressed when she went from dial up to cable/broadband to HOFt. Blatham is our resident genius, who writes plays, books and is a political specialist and part time bouncer ( throws people out of clubs if they get out of hand) though sadly more pressing matters have kept him away for a while.

Little k is a lovely lady who comes in from time to time, Peace & Love is wonderful has a great head for music trivia and usually brings her border collie Jack in, she likes the program " One man and a dog " made in the Uk and lets me play with Jack since we lost our darling little Nikkei late last year. Gezzy is adorable and has not been in for a while, she may be on vacation. Jespah is a brilliant wit and works tirelessly on a2k and looks after Mr Jespah , has a particular penchant for putting workmen in their place. Stradee in common with Hoft usually flies in and parks her aircraft in the handy hangar that you can just see through this window.

Cheshire is a pussy cat who thinks he is a human, please do not disabuse him of that or Lola will be most upset, though not as upset as Cheshire!.

Cicerone Imposter is a guy for quick wit and repartee, a sort of US version of what I aspire to be. Dyslexia I think you know from the Salon.

Danon is a poet , our ex army guy who has done just about everything and knows just about eveything. Joanne Dorel pops in from time to time.

There are plenty of little nooks and crannies in the Cafe, there's the library and rooms above, most of us sit here at the fire and I have been known to tell a story whilst we all sip something nice and warming.

Is that Ok for a quick tour ?

Wonderful!

I think Cheshire and I will get along very well. I love cats, and they usually warm up to me immediately. See? Here he is already! Here, Chesh...have a sip of my mocha. I'll pour a little in the saucer for you...good boy. Aren't you handsome! Want to curl up in my lap now? Oh, that's a good fella! Yes, we'll just sit here in this chair by the fire and take a little nap together until more of our friends arrive....

Hi Viz,

I see you've already been greeted by HIAMA. Oh, Wassau darling, thanks. Wassau's such a good friend. See, he has brought me a glass of grapefruit juice to help me open my eyes. Would you like something else, Viz? Sal, Wassau's brother and Prissy, Sal's girl friend are in the kitchen ready to serve at any time.

Ohhhh, I see you have Cheshire in your lap. Good morning Ches. Cheshire, why don't you go out back and sit in the tree house for a while? I think I saw a few birds flying about and Betty and Bob need some help with the herring.

<Cheshire opens one eye and smiles at Lola, :-) closes the eye and continues to sleep. Purrrrring>

OK, Cheshire, ignore me. I can see you've found a good friend. (She really doesn't know you yet, I see.)

<Looking away for a minute. Looking out the big window where the sun hits the warm morning table. Remembering P&L working her cross word puzzle there.>

<turning back to Viz. And sitting down next to her on the sofa.>

<whispering> Look out for Cheshire, he's a bit unpredictable.

<then louder, inside voice> Just to fill you in a bit, Viz on a few points I think HIAMA missed. There's the bit about the tool belts. The women here are very interested in men who wear them. And sometimes we need a little drink of zinc to refresh our memories. The baby seals out back were rescued by the patrons of the cafe years back, from a Hollywood big wig type who sought to interfere with Artistic Freedom (with a Capital A and F) But that's a very long story. We'll just enjoy them now and try to ignore history.

Oh, and there's a tree house out back too. It has a slide that deposits any slider straight into the pool. Lots of fun. Time, maybe to break it in for the year.

Don't you listen to her, Cheshire. She just doesn't understand that kitties MUST be unpredictable. It's their nature! Anytime you want to get down, you just go right ahead. I won't hold you.

(Cheshire opens one eye, purrs, and thinks, "Finally! Somebody who understands cats! Too many dog people around this place..." Returns to snoozing...)

A pool and a treehouse, Lola? My, that's a lot of land for a cafe in Manhattan, isn't it?!

Hi Viz, am I in time for the champagne? Now you know how delightful both places are in their own, unique ways.

Lola, here's something that I know you and all the patrons in the cafe will enjoy and appreciate.

Here we go...
Where do Dogs and Cats Come From?

A newly discovered chapter in the Book of Genesis has provided the answer to the question "Where do dogs and cats come from?"
1. Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

2. And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you in spite of yourself."

3. And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal. And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail.

4. And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal." And God said, "No problem! Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

5. And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him. And Adam was comforted. And God was pleased. And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

6. After a while, it came to pass that an angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."

7. And the Lord said, "No problem! I will create a companion for him who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration." And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam.

8. And Cat would not obey Adam. And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being. And Adam learned humility. And God was pleased. And Adam was greatly improved. And Dog was happy. And Cat didn't give a **** one way or the other.

Very, very funny Diane.

But I fear Cheshire is something of a special cat in more ways than one. Shouldn't we warn Viz about him? Or should we let her find out the hard way?