Goats who dance

On any given day of the week, you will find me hard at work on AGMA in my favorite coffee shop, Dancing Goats Coffee Bar.

Seriously, how can it be anything less than awesome with a name like Dancing Goats?

When I decided to start AGMA (the blog) in December of 2013, I knew I couldn’t write at home. Home was not the place to birth AGMA – too much cat hair.

I needed excitement.  I needed inspiration. I needed a place full of diverse, interesting people. I needed the stimulation of hipster surrounds.  Because AGMA – the blog and the person – is nothing if it isn’t hipster.

But most of all, I needed great coffee.

Not sure how I found Dancing Goats. It’s about 4 miles from my house so I must pass at least 6 other coffee shops on the way here. But it’s located in Decatur, GA which is a liberal enclave in the very red area surrounding Atlanta. It’s also close to world class Emory University and the all-women Agnes Scott College. DG is quite large inside with lots of seats, natural light and great wifi.

And they have great coffee.

Many a time, AGMA has come to Dancing Goats write with no clue as to what I was was going to write.  And many a time, DG has come to the rescue, providing the most interesting source material in the world – human beings. Something I see or hear will flip a rusty switch in my brain.  Actually, they’re all rusty.

Dancing Goats has provided many ah ha moments.

And did I mention they have great coffee?

My favorite seat at the high counters by the windows. On the wide end. There are 4 of them in the shop. It’s hard to explain….

During the school year, it gets really crowded. Sometimes I have to sit somewhere else. This is very definitely a 1st world problem.  But AGMA can’t seem to write as well as I can in one of the four favored seats.

Today I’m in one of the four.

This could be a Freshly Pressed post in the making.

I’ve met incredibly interesting people at DG. College professors, graduate students working on their doctorates, film industry folks, foreign visitors, business types, harried moms with their toddlers… All ages, colors, shapes and what ever else you can think of. Like I said, human beings.

…who all love great coffee.

And today, I was reminded just how much I love the staff here.

They’re normally stellar and recognize their “regulars”. AGMA tries to come once a week so I think that qualifies me as a regular…

And did I mention they make great expresso drinks?

Today, as I was ordering my mocha (fyi, AGMA is a mocha whore), the young lady behind the counter asked, “Is that a Tour de France shirt you’re wearing?”

I was stunned.  This woman was my very favorite person in the world at that moment!

“Why yes!” I said excitedly, “It starts tomorrow you know!” And I proceeded to show her the Tour de France logo on the sleeve.

“It’s official Tour de France merchandise.”

Yes, boys and girls… YES!!!

It’s what AGMA longs for 48 weeks of the year. It’s 21 days of sheer joy and delight. It’s the time of year where you will find me glued to the television (or my phone if I have to be out and about) every morning for 3 hours. It’s the biggest, most grueling annual athletic event in the world with the best athletes in the world. (Yeah – I said it…)

It’s the Tour de France!!!

(crickets)

For those of you who are relatively new to AGMA, I have this recently acquired inexplicable passion for professional men’s elite cycling. I just LOVE watching it. And it’s not the tight spandex suits these very fit young men wear.

Butt it doesn’t hurt.

I had the thrill of actually being there twice in the past 5 years, and it’s an experience like no other. It’s pretty much the best party ever!

Imagine that you are a fanatic football fan and get to go to the Super Bowl, or a crazed college basketball fan and get to go the the NCAA finals. Or (very timely) a serious soccer fan and get to go to the World Cup finals.

SSSSSSCCCCCCOOOOOORRRRRREEEEEE!

That’s what it’s like for AGMA.

They guesstimate that, in 2016, between 10 to 12 million fans lined the roadsides in France over the Tour’s 3 week duration.

It’s really a sad that, once Lance Armstrong fell from grace (as he should have),  American interest in cycling shriveled up like Cadet Bonespur’s winkie.

But that’s another post (on the state of American cycling, NOT CB’s winkie…)

AGMA will try very hard to find time to post over the next three weeks, but I’m making no guarantees.

I’m going to be very busy managing my four – countem’, FOUR – TdF fantasy cycling teams. I’ll report how well my teams did in August.

AGMA knows you’ll be holding your breath until then.  Naturally.

Watch out world, the SpandexAvengers are on the loose!!

I need a cigarette…