Zen Monday: #210

Welcome to Zen Monday. It's the day you write the copy instead of me. Tell us, in your heart of hearts, what the photo means to you.

Coffee Gallery on a Steep Hill

I was at the Coffee Gallery Backstage earlier this month to hear Will Ryan and the Cactus County Cowboys and write an article about them for Altadena Patch. (It was a really fun assignment.) I get to the Coffee Gallery pretty often.

The Coffee Gallery and Coffee Gallery Backstage are two separate but, shall we say, conjoined entities operating out of basically the same space. Both entities are institutions around here.

When John and I first moved to the San Gabriel Valley we rented a house in Altadena. We got married in the back yard there. We called the Coffee Gallery "Awake and Open" because of the sign hanging outside. It's always been part of our lives here.

Right now, both Coffee Gallery entities need to raise $20,000 by February 15th for their Conditional Use Pemit (CUP) and parking variance in order to keep their entertainment license.

They're having a fundraising concert on February 8th. Tickets are $18 and the artists, bless them, are donating 100% of the proceeds to the Coffee Gallery. Timothy Rutt wrote a good article about it on Altadenablog. If you can't make it to the show you can still make a donation.

$20,000. My god, that's steep. I think the Coffee Gallery will do it, but jeez louise, how's a small business supposed to survive in LA County with fees like that?

Onward, Christian Soldiers

Have you heard any of the press about "the war on Christmas?" I heard about it on Patt Morrison yesterday on KPCC.

Apparently some people are up in arms (it's a war after all) because they prefer to hear "Merry Christmas" instead of "Season's Greetings" or "Happy Holidays." They want to see red and green--none of this blue stuff (that's Jewish!) or orange (what is that, Kwanzaa?) or--does Ashura have a color? What color signifies fasting? I think that would just be clear.

Okay now, hang on a second. I think we have enough things to get freaked out about. Do we really need to get upset over this? We're talking about Jesus Christ's birthday, here, so let's ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?

I think Jesus would wish us a happy Chanukah.

If someone wishes me a merry something or a happy something, they're wishing me well. It doesn't matter if it's something I celebrate. I don't celebrate Kwanzaa, for example, but if you wish me a happy Kwanzaa, I'll take it. It's almost Kwanzaa whether I celebrate it or not, and I might as well be happy.

And as for that holiday parade in Tulsa, as a certain friend of mine would say, "Oh, for the love!" Calm down. It's Tulsa. It's not like we're talking about the liberal hotbed of America. We're talking about a town like every other town in the U.S.--a town where not everyone is a Christian, yet everyone's invited to the parade. At least that's the America I live in.

And I might just point out that when folks are worried about parades and lights, Santa and shopping, they're missing the point of Christmas anyway.

There's no war on Christmas. The only war going on in these quiet towns at this time of year is an imaginary war inside a few teeny, tiny minds.

Weekday Afternoon

I've been to the Coffee Gallery, oh, about a thousand times. But I've ceased to be alert for photos in the places I frequent, which may be why this one showed itself--because I wasn't looking for it.

I was struck by the contrast of black against blue: the stencils in the window, the chairs against the light, the man's silhouette.

I like the photo precisely because it's not spectacular. Just Altadena, going about its business.

Altadena Party Down

I don't get out much after dark so I'm no expert on night life. But I think we can all agree that Altadena is not known as a party town.

The Coffee Gallery stays open for live music in the back room. The Rancho Bar stays open for - well, for being the Rancho Bar. And...what else? Most nights Altadena's downtown is a sleepy place. That's the way we like it.

But this Friday night, May 15th, downtown Altadena (there's a downtown?) is gonna stay up 'til 9:00! Yes, I said NINE O'CLOCK! Don't call the cops because they'll already be there. From 4-9 PM it's an open house of the North Lake Avenue Business District between New York and Altadena Drives, sponsored by the Altadena Arts Coalition, "a coalition of local artists and business owners dedicated to improving Altadena's economy and culture," so says their flier.

The flier also promises an art opening at the Coffee Gallery, an antique car show at Ronnie's Automotive, twenty minute portraits at Altadena Junction and more. Webster's will be open in all of its parts, and rumor has it that Amy's Patio Cafe will be open for dinner (like I said, that's a rumor--hope it's true).

Oh--and I'll be there. Several bloggers have been invited. Confirmed blogger attendees include Debbi of Altadena Above It All and Altadena Daily Photo, Karin the Altadena Hiker, Tim of Altadenablog and Susan C of Open Mouth Insert Fork and Cancer Banter. (If/when I know of more I'll post them here.)

So I'm excited to be going out after dark. In Altadena. Heck (or should I say shucks?), I have a feeling that once us bloggers get loose up there, Altadena's going to be famous for its night life.

The Coffee Gallery (#7 in a Quest)

The Coffee Gallery on North Lake Avenue is as much a part of the Altadena community as is Altadena Hardware or Webster's. Every morning the locals hold round table discussions at (where else?) the round table in front, where local, national and international issues of the day are settled over coffee, pastries and a decent egg and spinach croissant. There's a conference room you can reserve for your writers group and a back room for musical performances or stand-up comics. Everything you need to know about Altadena is pinned on the community bulletin board, and everyone you want to know, or just about, will stop through at some point during the day.

I'm quite familiar with the Coffee Gallery. When John and I first moved to Altadena we thought it was called "Awake and Open" because of the sign that hung above the sidewalk, alerting us to caffeine. We liked the coffee and the laid back atmosphere. It was a good place to hang.

The photo above is of barista Fly in a rare moment of peace after last Friday's monumental morning rush. That day the local chapter of the Independent Writers of Southern California met at the Coffee Gallery, in addition to the usual regulars, and the cook didn't show up. Fly was on his own. He handled it with grace and even humor. Mid-morning was much quieter.

I like the food, when I can get it. At any another place if the cook hadn't shown up, the manager would have been in the kitchen cooking, making sure the customers were fed. At the Coffee Gallery, well, we all had to make do with bagels and muffins. And to give you an idea of the vibe of the place, we were fine with that.

I stayed after the meeting and sat with my laptop near the front to enjoy an extra cup of coffee. The huge picture window views Lake Avenue and lets in a lot of light. I got some work done, but I was too hungry to stay long. Still, I'll go back. For me, the key with the Coffee Gallery is to go at a time when it's not crowded (and when I'm not hungry). It's a great little place with free wifi, and guess what: no music! They don't play any music! Eureka!!!

The Coffee Gallery marches to its own drummer. After all, its website url is funkylittlecoffeehouse.com. But as long as those drums are silent, hey - I'm there.