Fog

there is a light fog obscuring houses at the end of the street as i write this. i kinda like foggy days, especially when they mirror my own mental haziness. fog is REALLY cool when something unexpected emerges from it... like an el camino or a time traveler! i don't know if any studies have been done about it, but coffee consumption seems to spike on a fog-filled day. it just feels right to have a mug with a little steam coming off it when the day is equally & visually obscured by fog. 2010 will come to an end in a few days, and 2011 will rear it's brand new head. i hope it gets foggy again.

The Night Before The Night Before Christmas

it's one night early, but here's a little something from louis armstrong. merry christmas.

Attention Shoppers!

hey all you last minute christmas shoppers, homer's is here for you! if you can get to homer's before 11:30am christmas eve there are still GREAT gifts available for that 'hard-to-buy for' someone:

gift baskets with coffee & sweets
specialty chocolates and/or cookies
a pound of coffee
$5, $10, $20 gift certificates

O (Little) Christmas Tree

when the weather gets cold, and radio stations start playing christmas music early, jenny and i hold out longer than others to put up our tree. some years the commercial holiday experience feels like a black hole pulling us in whether we feel like it or not. when we can't take it anymore we pull the silver tree out of it's box. this is the extent of our christmas decorations... well, this and a gumby stocking under our string of christmas cards.



it's not an un-merry christmas, it's just an experience in moderation. come by homer's sometime and share your holiday stories, 'cause the world don't move to the beat of just one drum... pa-rump-a-pum-pum.

The Night I Followed My Nose

ok... this is kinda random... but it DOES have something to do with coffee. 20 years ago, jenny and i lived in downtown Kansas City, MO... 8th and walnut to be exact. there used to be a banner on the side of the apartment complex that read "if you lived here, you'd be home by now." we thought that was a cool promotion and moved in. my friend chris mull let us borrow his TV (we only had a stereo at the time), and he visited us often. one night after jenny was asleep, chris and i got out, bounced a tennis ball off the sides of parking garages, and explored the neighborhood. after awhile we were overwhelmed by the strong smell of coffee, and literally started walking in the direction it was coming from. we stepped over alot of broken glass, and wondered if we would get blamed for it, but we never saw any police. eventually we found the source of the coffee smell. it was coming out of a building where a certain brand of coffee is made. since that time i realize that there are MANY different coffee smells, even though i can only think of three right now... the memory of that industrial coffee smell will always be tied to meandering the empty streets of KC, while avoiding broken glass.

Mmmmmm!

it's been about a week since homer's added hot sandwiches to the menu... they are awesome. the smell of bacon on the griddle does it for me. right now the sandwich choices include turkey, ham, cheese, avocado, and bacon of course. i remember when drew and i toasted croissants years ago. the aroma of that buttered goodness always pulled someone away from their laptop to ask "what are you making that smells so good?" yesterday, croissants... today, sandwiches... tomorrow, who knows?

Arrivals and Departures

when i find myself in the middle of the holidays (like i am now), i always wonder if the greater kansas city area is more of an arrival destination or a departure point. are there more people leaving here or coming here? could cheaper gas prices cause a mass exodus? sometimes a long absent customer will walk into homer's like a silent movie actor walking onstage. if i don't remember his or her name i'll say "hey stranger!" and the prodigal patron gives me a knowing look. this buys me time to gather my thoughts and retrieve a name from the same mental vault that holds movie and music trivia (i.e. the number of eggs paul newman eats in 'cool hand luke' or the last concert venue buddy holly played).

I'll Have the Usual

routine. standard. run of the mill. what makes up an ordinary day for you? a normal day for me includes surfing the web for a few minutes while mr. coffee does his thing, then getting jenny out of bed so she can do her thing (get ready for work). our membership to the gym expired recently, so in an attempt to feel less flabby we broke our morning rituals and jogged around the neighborhood for awhile. it was good. and thanks to homer's faithful patrons who have favorite usual drinks, i am part of other people's regular daytime routine. when i see them walking through the parking lot, i know what they are thirsty for. jim drinks his moroccan mint tea with a little skim milk, sandy has a small skinny latte, mike brings his own mug for dark roast (and sometimes he buys one for his barber, wayne), john likes his mexican mocha skinny, but with a little whipped cream... there are many more and the list is always growing... who will be the next regular? maybe you.

Get Ready for... Two Ugly Goats!

Two Ugly Goats is playing for the first time at Homer's tomorrow night. The band members are Danny Williams and Rob Guy, both of whom work at Homer's... conflict of interest? I think not. When a barista works at a coffeehouse long enough to know the customers on a first name basis, and see how an audience responds to different bands on the weekends, it gives them an edge & puts them in a good position to please a crowd. Homer's baristas who can sing and play have been doing this for years. Rob and Danny are simply carrying on an old tradition, and following in the footsteps of other bands with Homer's baristas in the lineup. Jim Mathis (who started Homer's in 2001) currently plays with Sky Blue at Homer's on a regular basis. I have played with at least 3 bands on the Homer's stage over the last 9 years. Another band with mostly Homer's alumni, The Coffeehouse 5, wrote and recorded a song called I'm A Barista that gave people a good idea of what it was like to work at Homer's in 2006. Those are just a few bands I can remember, I'm sure there are others... anyway, back to Rob and Danny: if you have other plans for tomorrow night-- cancel them. I haven't heard the songs they are going to play, but I have heard genres and artists that they are influenced by... the Kinks, Cloud Cult, the 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' soundtrack, Iron and Wine, and MANY others. Seriously... if you miss out tomorrow night, you better have a good excuse.

Halloween Aftermath

ok... halloween is behind us, thanksgiving looms up ahead like a scary gargoyle, and i've heard that some radio stations are already playing christmas music. these last two months of the year always seem to build up speed with each passing (shorter) day. as an employee at homer's, i never know if overland park and kansas city are arrival destinations or departure points for friends and families. what i DO know is that every friday and saturday night live music at homer's draws a crowd. tomorrow night red tree will return, and saturday night my band (the subs) will show up with enough songs to choke a horse. we hope to see you there!

Video No. 3 for Halloween

Video No. 2 for Halloween

Video No. 1 for Halloween

Songs in Your Head

music is a big part of the homer's experience. local artists have been performing onstage every friday and saturday night since homer's opened in 2001. during the summer there is an open jam session called pickin' on the patio where artists are encouraged to show up, plug in, and play along. when jim mathis designed the coffeehouse over 9 years ago, he specifically put a stage near the front for the purpose of showcasing live music. so it was no surprise when i was working with kyle yesterday and he said, "dave, you ought to do a blog entry about songs that you can't get out of your head during while you're at work!" i think he was trying to stay awake (sometimes kyle has problems sleeping). when i asked him what song he couldn't get out of his head he said, the superman theme song. so we did some dishes, made some drinks, and cleaned the counter... and after 20 minutes passed he said, "now i'm thinking of the james bond theme." later he mentioned an outkast song that i didn't know, then he mentioned another theme song, "final fantasy," which made me think of the final countdown by an 80s band, europe (i think). one of the last ones i remember him randomly saying was "rachmaninoff elegy #9." we were listening to some swing/jazz/blues music over the house system, and he heard something that made him think of that. of course hearing anything followed by #9 made me think of the beatles and revolution #9. then an hour later he said "amazing grace." apparently there were alot of songs fighting for superiority that day.

Josh & Christy's Wedding

Last night Jenny & I attended Josh Frierdich and Christy Janouschek's wedding. Christy used to work with me at Homer's. The chapel for the ceremony was full, and probably breaking some fire codes, but everyone was able to fit into the American Legion Hall later.

Saturday Morning

it's 7:35am saturday morning... this used to be the time and day that my sister and i would willingly wake up early while our parents slept in. we would veg out to cartoons that were only interrupted by cereal and toy commercials. well... that was the 1970s... a lifetime ago. Now history is repeating itself 'cause i woke up earlier than my folks did again (they are visiting this weekend), but instead of watching bugs bunny and the roadrunner, i made coffee and decided to write about it instead. i usually don't work on the weekends, but saturday mornings are one of the busiest times at homer's. customers will meet with so many friends they have to pull tables together... some people just like to watch the morning unfold at a table or a bench outside... the coolest thing to see is when strangers start talking to each other as they wait to place an order or wait for their drink. if you want to feel connected to something, saturday morning at homer's is the time and place to do it.

The Omega Man

on tuesdays i wake up a little before 5am to work the morning shift at homer's. tim andersen used to work this shift and when he left, i offered to help out. it's the only day i'm scheduled to work before sunrise. i don't mind because it keeps my week from being too predictable. i don't usually encounter other pedestrians that early... but when i do, i try not to think of them as flesh eating zombies. the omega man or night of the comet feeling (that i could meet the undead) reminds me of another pre-dawn job i had years ago, delivering doughnuts for a local pastry shop. back then my alarm went off around 4am, and i drove a red van full of doughnuts to gas stations, break rooms, and grocery stores in the greater KC area. the folks i saw then looked red around the eyes and didn't say much, but they posed no immediate danger to me. the people that ran the doughnut shop paid me five dollars an hour plus all the doughnuts and coffee i could consume. when i found out they worked all night i asked "when do you sleep?" and they answered "same time the vampires do... during the day." again, there was no threat, but i could never be sure. the only serene thing about that job was driving to the beat of an old rock station, and watching the pastel colored sunrises and knowing that once the sun rose, i was safe.

Old Slang and Blank Stares

"when a mocha comes along, you must whip it"
"no time for love dr. jones!"
"i can't tell you what's in the forbidden fruit smoothie"

...these are just a few things i've said to customers over the last 6 years at homer's. if the customer is close to my age (44) and has the same pop culture background, i might get a smile out of them... but if it's someone under 30, they just look at me funny. yesterday i quoted some obscure line in a movie to kyle as his shift was ending and mine was starting. the look on his face made me feel like i was quoting an ancient proverb. then i said something like "i should stop making references to old movies like this" and he said, "no dave, don't stop." and i believe he was serious. oh, and if you are remotely interested in where those three quotes came from, just leave a comment and i'll get back to you. if you don't care, i'm not surprised.

When Time Stood Still

even though it's a known fact that time never stops, sometimes it feels like the laws of nature are seriously altered... like when there's no clock on the wall, and everything slows down like a buffering video on a bad internet connection. right now there is no clock on homer's wall, and some folks are a little disoriented by the lack of a "time" gauge. when they ask me what time it is, i look at my cell phone and give them an "ish" answer if i can't make out all the tiny numbers (1:30-ish has a long hang time). yesterday, heather and i were talking about the concept of time standing still. for me, time stops when i'm NOT thinking about what is happening later, and i'm absorbed in the moment, and when i'm only concerned about what is presently at hand... like right now. i wouldn't know what time it is if a clock wasn't on the lower right hand corner of my computer screen (it's 7:35am by the way). right off the top of my head i can think of a few instances when the normal passage of time is irrelevent:

-when the sky is overcast and it feels like 7:30am all day
-when i'm in a place that feels removed from time like metcalf south mall or sam's tastee treat
-when there is a full moon
-when i'm drinking my first cup of coffee in the morning

i'm going to eat some breakfast now. i'll leave you with this.

Tatooine: The Coffee Colored Planet

The Night Shift

kyle asked me to work his shift tonight... i figured it was only fair since he worked my shift this morning. i have only worked the night shift a handful of times at homer's. those 4 hours definitely have a certain vibe. it's also cool to watch the sun set on the rio. sometimes it goes fast, other times it looks like a careful senior citizen easing himself into a recliner... and before you know it, he's lost in the trees.

First Week in the New Digs

hey everybody... dave cedillo here... i'll be your blogging buddy 'til someone pulls the plug. it's 2:08 saturday morning, and i thought my eyes were tired an hour ago, but i'm still here. homer's re-opened after being closed last week. the work that has been done is amazing. i'll shoot a video next week and post it. i am in a band with chris mull called THE SUBS. we played surf, swing, and spy tunes earlier tonight (yesterday technically) to a decent crowd... probably another reason i'm not sleepy. ok, back to homer's and the new look. i work the afternoon shift and i've seen folks walk in this week and say "am i in the same place? is this homer's?" and they take it all in, the new bench booth where the sofa used to be, new tables and chairs, and ICE CREAM! there are other things to see, and if you come on a weekday in the afternoon, there is a good chance i'll see you and we can talk about it.

Almost Done!

Homer's is looking amazing!

We are almost ready to
re-open.

Get excited...

Making Progress

Things at Homer's are progressing quickly. Get excited to check it all out this weekend!

Homer's Remodel

Homer's is currently closed for renovations and we are super excited for the unveiling this weekend! Here's a sneak peek...

Charles David Smart

Charles David Smart has been playing regularly at Homer's for more than a few years now. He's one of the most versatile guitar players in the city. Every summer he hosts a camp for young aspiring guitarists, this year the KC Star posted a photo gallery online of him in action.

Check it out http://www.kansascity.com/2010/07/02/2059416/guitar-camp.html

Summertime

I'm the most inconsistent blogger ever. I working on it ok!!!

Anyway, it's summer time.

Summer is the time to get out. Baseball games, swimming, lake weekends, mowing the yard, backyard grilling, lemonade, and the 4th of July are a few of the things I think of when I think about summer.

But around downtown Overland Park, one thing it means is the Farmers Market. We are extremely blessed at Homer's to be so close to the Farmers Market where local farmers sell fresh produce, flowers, and all kinds of homemade products. It's a great addition to the downtown OP community for a few months a year.

The Farmers Market is open on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Come by Homer's, grab a latte, and head over and check out what they have.