The reality of my surroundings

I'm Pullin' a Newman at the neighborhood coffee house, and I've got to describe the current scene. Besides the non-stop ebb and flow of undercaffeinated yuppies:

I've got Newman live onscreen, showing me his new computer and piano. We're doing a one-way video iChat via wifi, so I can see and hear him, and he can hear me. Very, very Jetson's...

there's a homeless woman sitting at the next table, talking to herself while enjoying a hard-begged cup of coffee...

there's a 12 year-old girl (at least, she looks 12) wearing skin-tight black pants, and sporting looooong florescent pink fingernails and toenails, smoking a cigarette by the door. She looks quite nervous, and keeps glancing all around her, like her mom might catch her in this getup (nevermind the cigarette)...

there's a guy sitting at a table outside, wearing these HUGE gold bracelets and rings, and smoking a hookah that he brought himself. Just watching him put this thing together and load it up took 10 minutes!

sitting near him (outside) is one of the barristas that works here -- on a break and stuffing her face with a Subway sandwich. This is a blessed relief because she's been boring all of us within earshot with every bit of minutae about her wedding plans... and her voice is LOUD...

It's amazing what you notice when you look up from the computer once in a while!