Why I Write in Starbucks

I'm writing in a Starbucks today. Yesterday I wrote in a Panera Bread Company. I haven't worked in a library in over a week.

Why? The truth: it's not the coffee, it's not the food.

It's the bathrooms.

I often work in public libraries. In fact, I prefer it: they're a lot quieter than commercial establishments, and they have books for research.

But, when I work in a library, the bathrooms are usually far away. At my favorite library, the distance from the work tables to the bathrooms has to be the equivalent of a full city block! So, when I go to the bathroom in the library, I leave my laptop unattended for a much longer time.

This battered MacBook of mine would cost about $1,200 to replace. I get nervous leaving it unattended for any span of time.

At the Starbucks where I'm at, the bathroom is just five steps away. I'm in and out of the bathroom so fast, the screen saver doesn't have time to come up! (Yes, I wash my hands.)

When my business writing partner is back in town, I'll be back at a library. She can't work in commercial spaces, with their distractions and piped-in music. But until then, I'll be at a Starbucks or Panera.

Another coffee, please!

My New Fragrance

I've decided on the composition of my new fragrance:

part old books,
part dead silverfish,
and a tang of ozone from a sputtering fan trying to cool off an aging MacBook.

It's called "Bookworm."