This morning I’m at Cafenation, the Brighton Center coffee shop that has become by go-to work place in the mornings. I’ve been coming here 2-4 times/week since late January and it’s become an important part of my writing routine. Most mornings I’ll check my email briefly after breakfast and then suit up to get on the road. I slide my computer and a few books into a laptop backpack I bought recently to make with my computer more comfortable. I jump on my 8-yearold Creststone mountain bike to and ride one mile west on Cambridge St/Washington St. until I get to Brighton Center at the intersection of Washington St. and Market St. The ride is just far enough to get warmed up and awake but not long enough to get too sweaty.

I park my bike in front of Jim’s Restaurant and Deli and Blow-Out Hair Design and walk across the Street to Cafenation. I greet Alvin, the manager and walk toward back of the shop where my regular table sits just past the end of barista’s counter, not far from the crepe skillets. This table has proved to be the best spot because it gets better wireless reception (for free) than the front tables and is has the best outlet position of the back tables. After firing up my laptop, I grab a drink of water and cool down while checking my email. When I feel settled, I’ll get my $1.35 small light roast coffee, add a dash of cream, and get down to work.

For a while, the music was all 80’s channel, all the time, but now it’s diversified a bit to include Louis Armstrong, Nora Jones, and Diana Krall. They have all become familiar backdrops to my work, a part of the place like hardwood floors and photographs on the wall. This morning I notice that a new artist has her photos on display, images of the French countryside.

Cafenation has begun to feel more local lately, now that I’ve run into Paula, Alex, Robert and Bob on random occasions. It’s also become a meeting stop for our composition reader team, and we’ve put in many productive hours to the sound of lattes being made and the smell of crepes on the skillet.

Well, it’s 9:27 and now I’ve settled in enough now to get my small light roast. Time to get to work