coffee

I had thought about experimenting with some sort of fictional story beginning with a person having his/her coffee. I know what you might be thinking. It is an incredibly vague premise, lacking depth or direction. Well, since I choose to be honest in this blog, the truth is, I really was indeed playing with a rather underdeveloped idea. To the writers out there, this may not sound like a terrible start. Unoriginal most likely, but salvageable, perhaps. Makes for an opening sequence for the beginning of a film, at least, doesn't it? Black and white, with smoky lighting if it's noir, throw in a donut or two and you might have your cop film, with one detective rushing through the morning paper, waiting for his partner to finish "breakfast". It is typical, but it is a start.

But I need not worry about replicating some over-used film sequence. Neither would serve as the premise of my story. I just wasn't too sure what it was going to be. All I had was a few beginning "scenes". Just some still images in my head, really. Took a chance to snap some shots since my friend, Charity, was kind enough to volunteer her time, as we caught up over some coffee...

In retrospect, often times, it's not so much about the coffee. Don't get me wrong, a mere whiff of some freshly ground beans already starts my day right, then the lingering aroma of a freshly boiled pot of joe puts me in good spirits, bright and early. While I will proudly defend java's honor in the midst of those who desecrate its true value (you know, the casual coffee drinker types, a frapp here, a latte there...my apologies), fact is, the act of "having coffee" is incredibly loaded with meanings that delve beyond the luring addictiveness of its caffeine-induced flavor. it means quality time with friends and loved ones, it means "Let's go out but spend little", it means "I would like to get to know you", it means happy hour hasn't arrived yet...?

Clearly, it means a lot of things. Essentially though, at its root, at its core, at its most boiled down, I think they really translate to "more time". To kill, to spend, to waste, to wait. The coffee could be terrible, and yet it still can successfully fulfill its societal purpose.

The following is a documentation, not about coffee, but something else. It is a story I didn't know I would tell. A story that you choose to see. A thing that fills the blanks. A thing that reminds you that it really isn't about the coffee. That it's about what passes in between the first and second cup, or third...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(sequence shot with Nikon D60 and 18-55mm lens, by Miguel de la Fuente
model: Charity Bernardes)

cup in hand

dusk

warmth

inside

still