Coffee and Chess

There's a coffee shop in the town where I live that's practically close enough to walk to. It's actually an old grain warehouse that's been converted into a business but I love the atmosphere there. It's never empty, but big enough to never feel crowded, with plenty of room to spread out and read or study or surf the net (if I remember to bring a computer) yet the people there are always friendly and chatty enough that sometimes you just have to sit with a group of regulars and talk about whatever is on anyone's mind. Good food, great coffee, wonderful people, and completely unpretentious - it's the exact antithesis of Starsmucks. It's one of the few downtown locales I know of that actually reflects the demographic makeup of the town proper (one-thirds black, white, and latino) whereas the majority of the downtown shops and resturants cater to the uber-rich equestrian types that live on their estate farms outside of town. I love it, because to me - the coffee shop is the town - and by going there I feel a part of a community again.

Today, in one of the upstairs nooks was a group of old men playing chess at a handful of tables. They invited me and a few of the comparatively younger patrons to join them. It'd been a long time since I'd played and I'd never played too seriously, but thankfully there were a few of us from about every skill level imaginable. After winning or losing a few games you were likely to get matched up with some honest competition. I lost two games and won one, but had a lot of fun and learned quite a bit in the process. Apparently Thursday evenings has been consecrated as chess night. I'll be back.

Donnie Darko

In Silico tied me down and forced me to watch Donnie Darko, a movie I'd missed seeing when it came out because I was overseas, but is exactly the sort of movie he knew I'd dig. Now I can't stop watching it.

Produced by Drew Barrymore (who also plays a minor role) and directed by a complete nutjob, the movie did some clever things. I especially liked a lot of the simple yet sophisticated cinematography, and I loved the kick-ass retro-80’s soundtrack. [I even fed the entire soundtrack into the Pandora music system just to see what I’d get. Of course my brother won’t introduce me to Pandora for another 28 days – but that doesn't stop me.]

The movie would be difficult to describe even if I wasn't concerned about spoiling the plot. I could say it’s a spooky Halloween-time movie, or that’s it’s a clever psychological thriller, or maybe even an insightful commentary on mental-illness - but no matter how I described it, five minutes into the movie you’d still decide it’s not the sort of movie you were expecting. It’s unique – and I guess that’s what I like most about it. It's a movie that spurs you to think and adjust. I certainly wouldn't describe it as incredibly deep, but it does challenge the audience to search out the meaning behind it all.

I still can't beleive I hadn't seen this one sooner (especially considering it's endorsement by my evil-wonder-twin Wil Wheaton.) F.Y.I. - I'd discovered Primer months earlier than him but this continues to piss me off.