Restoration

Tonight was the fourth of July. I missed out... again. This year, it was simply a matter of scheduling; Thursday happens to be the night I always go into work early, which precluded me from attending any fireworks displays, and since Juliet had an evening gig anyway, I pretty much just did nothing before work. The day before, I had watched Return of the Jedi and Independence Day, so I'll call that a consolation prize. Driving to work tonight, I did catch a few glimpses here and there of fireworks, and I was listening to the patriotic action music extravaganza Air Force One by Jerry Goldsmith. I have ways of participating in spirit, if not in body.

But I was still bummed. You see, I am constantly feeling left out. I always feel like I am missing out on life, and I always feel tired. Yeah, I'd say the night job has definitely run its course. It is slowly killing me, both physically and spiritually.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how badly I wish the Scooter's Coffee in Cedar Park hadn't closed last year. For a town that boasts incessantly about how cool it is, Austin sure could use a boost in the coffee department. Most of them are too hipster for my tastes, unless it's Starbucks. And I don't care for Starbucks, either.

There were a few things about Scooter's that make me miss it. First, obviously, it's Scooter's. It's a chain from up north, so every time I would go, I would be subconsciously connected to Kansas City. I could trick myself into thinking I was just minutes away from seeing close friends. Second, obviously, it's Scooter's. I know, I already said that, but in this case, I mean that I like Scooter's Coffee, specifically the flavored grounds. I'm sure Scooter's can be beat in many areas by other places, but they had six great flavors of black coffee in addition to the Scooter's Blend.

So, familiarity and favorability. Two good reasons. But third, because of its location. It was kind of a pain to reach, honestly, especially when coming from Round Rock. But it is because of Scooter's that I initially discovered Brushy Creek, which is where I occasionally go hiking (it's really more of a bike trail than a "hike" trail in that there is no challenge, but it's still very scenic). So I would turn Scooter's into a ritual of sorts: it was the journey there and back again that made it all the more rewarding. A sanctuary. A destination coffee shop, which was also a little slice of home. There was nothing quite like listening to The Return of the King on that winding, tree-packed road, before and after sitting at Scooter's Coffee for a spell. That was a place where I could get some thinking done. That was where I could "regroup and recoup," where I could brainstorm, reflect, and aspire.

It was already difficult enough after taking a night job, because Scooter's was only open until 9 PM. My ritual required about two hours to sit there. Sometimes I would even watch a movie on my laptop in one corner of the screen while I had other windows open. And then their business started to wane, and they reduced their hours. Closing at 7 PM on a weekend was a bad omen, and it meant I could hardly go at all anymore.

And then they closed. I was bereft, without a base of operations. There were other places, sure, but they didn't satisfy in quite the same way. Mozart's is awesome, for example, but located in the opposite direction, almost downtown, and they still close at midnight. And none of the 24-hour joints are particularly pleasant experiences. I would use them, but that's all they were to me: midnight changes of scenery for a desperate man who has no Internet of his own. They were certainly nowhere to call a getaway.

Austin finally got a Dunn Bros. franchise downtown, but I haven't been able to go yet. That, at least, is a "slice of Kansas City"--possibly more familiar than even KC is now, because the Dunn Bros. at Red Bridge and Holmes is apparently not there anymore! In Kansas City, the Dunn Bros. at Red Bridge and Holmes was a common hangout for me, a real sanctuary. As was the locally owned Oak Street Coffee Shop. Now, both of those locations are out of business, replaced by something else. Kansas City as I knew it is no more. But there's still Scooter's... just not here in Austin. If only.

And so, tonight, I once again got on Google Maps to scout possible new places, trying to fill a void. Already feeling nostalgic and left out from the holiday, I put on some music that I would typically have in a playlist on iTunes for sitting at Scooter's. For example, some of the more sentimental tracks from Lost, Final Fantasy, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. Oh, how I wish I could sit there and scheme again, charging my caffeine batteries while glancing out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

With the keyword "coffee" entered, I saw the red dot where Scooter's used to be and rued the day it became out-of-date information. I moved the mouse over the dot, for no other reason than to indulge in bitter regret, and the box popped up: Cuppa Austin. Whaaa--?! A new, locally owned coffee shop?! In the exact same location as where Scooter's used to be?! Can it be that my sanctuary hath been restored?! And a beam of golden sunlight illumined my brower screen, and in that instant, the king had a crown again.

Judging by the photographs online, they didn't even change the interior design from Scooter's! It still has the same layout, and even the modern chic hot-air-balloon design of the barista's counter. Wow. And their hours are until 9 PM, just as in the halcyon days of Scooter's, long ago. They appear to be Scooter's in all but name. So, the only thing left to determine is how good their coffee is. I don't see a menu online, but I hope against all odds that they have at least a few flavored grounds, putting them on par with Scooter's menu. If they have Highlander Grog, I am going to move to Cedar Park.

In any case, I feel I am back in business. With this crucial element restored, maybe it's a sign my luck will turn around. Maybe next I can find a new job and a better apartment. And I can use this momentum to get back into shape, and reconnect with my martial arts assets in Kansas City. All that and a bottle of Scotch. There is only one question you must ask... What am I going to do when I am not drinking coffee?

Well, I could be getting ahead of myself here; it's just a coffee shop. I hope it's good...