Colin's Coffee Update: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - by Colin Gawel

Staring at the schedule at Colin’s Coffee on April 1st I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long month.” I’m sure most folks felt the same way. Thankfully, it’s almost over and hopefully we can get moving in a positive direction in the near future. As far as the coffee shop goes, I’ve got many people to thank for helping us pull through this time.

Thank you to our amazing customers who have been both patient & generous to each other and our staff. We have had zero problems with social distancing and people still find some time for a quick chat or to check in on a friend. If there is anything essential about Colin’s Coffee it’s being able to provide a little human interaction on a daily basis. I know for a fact that for some people, this is the only place they visit all day. And the tips have been off the charts: the staff and myself can’t thank you enough.

Speaking of customers, a couple of different folks told me I should investigate the Upper Arlington Community Foundation and inquire about their Good Neighbor fund. After some prodding, I sent an email to the website, answered a few questions and within two days they offered to pay my rent due on May 1st. WHAT A HUGE RELIEF!!! So one million thanks to the good people and donors at UACF. 

Along those lines, thanks to the #maskedcrusader (Michelle Salsberry), a UA citizen who has been making & selling masks and then donating the profits to local causes and businesses. Colin’s Coffee was lucky to be visited by the #maskedcrusader and receive a donation on her behalf. It was completely unexpected and totally appreciated. 

Thanks to our incredible staff here at the coffee shop. When the month of April started and the lockdown was in full effect, I decided it was best for safety purposes to work completely alone. I didn’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way and I knew I could stay away from other people and not put any customers at risk. Plus, it made economic sense to just go DIY full-survival mode. I can work free and apply what money we made to covering bills and keeping the lights on. It’s a lot like touring the country in a van with Watershed, just covering expenses is a win. Lucky for us, all six of our employees are currently live at home and nobody has mortgages or kids or any serious bills to play. They understood the plan that once we survived the lockdown we could hopefully return to normal. Keeping healthy and keeping the lights on were the top two priorities.

Thanks to my wife for suggesting that we use an extra phone we had sitting around at home to set up a Colin’s Coffee text-line. This has been a game changer. With people sitting 15 cars deep in the Starbucks drive-thru, many have started texting their orders to us. We respond to confirm with an estimated pick-up time. We even offer curbside for those that want to stay outside. Details are at the Colin’s Coffee Facebook Page. With the help of the text-line we have shifts available for employees who are able to work, so that is a step in the right direction. 

Thanks to Mike Dewine, Jon Husted and Dr. Amy Acton for their excellent leadership. Who knew this was coming? I did. Thanks to them. I happened to catch an early press conference before things got really crazy, but I could tell from listening to them (and following the real news myself) that I better get stocked up in advance for cleaning supplies & cups and mentally prepare for what was coming our way. Their intelligent and decisive leadership in the early stages was very helpful to a small business owner like myself. 

Anyway, thanks to all who have helped Colin’s Coffee through this uncertain time. We couldn’t have survived without you. - Colin G 4/30/20

The Quarantine Blues: Musicians Killing Time in Isolation, Part Eight - Joe Oestreich

In an effort to formalize our Quarantine Blues series a bit, we’ve devised a 5-question quiz to pose to the musicians & other media figures sharing in the Covid-19 stay-at-home orders sweepstakes. There will be new entries every coupla days.

Joe Oestreich: bass player & co-lead singer of Watershed, author (Hitless Wonder, among others, co-author of Waiting To Derail: Ryan Adams & Whiskeytown), bon vivant, raconteur and the only guy I ever rode around in a van with for years playing rock & roll shows who is now a college professor and helping to shape young American minds (or at least teach them to construct a decent sentence). Joe checks in from his home in South Carolina. - Ricki C.

Be sure and check out Joe’s website here.

1) How are you getting your live music fix? Any live streams or Youtube clips that stand out?

I’m not sadly. During this time when we've all gone to the mattresses, I'm super busy: teaching my college classes, which have moved online, of course, and homeschooling my kids. I realize that I'm fortunate to be busy. I'm fortunate that I'm healthy, my family is healthy, and I have a job. The time is passing just fine without me having to bump it along.

2) What else have you been watching, listening to and reading to pass the time?

I read the New York Times in the morning, and every other night I watch one episode of Ozark. Other than that, I'm in a total media blackout--especially when it comes to TV news. It's too heavy, man. I haven't seen one second of a Trump coronavirus press conference, so don't blame me for whatever ratings he's getting. Oh, and I read two really good nonfiction books with my graduate students: Priestdaddy, a memoir by Patricia Lockwood, which is almost as funny as Catch-22. And You Play the Girl, an essay collection by Carina Chocano. Really smart, feminist takes on pop culture. Plus I've been playing The Clash for my kids, trying to power-wash that shitty new "Roxanne" song out of their ears.

3) How are you managing (or not) to stay creative / healthy?

Watershed has new songs coming out soon, so that's exciting. I'm also about 200 pages deep into my next book project, which is a novel called "The Transplants." I wake up every morning at 5:30 to write for 1 1/2 hours before my kids get up. This feels like Van Halen-level hedonism, because when they're in school, I have to wake up at 4:30. I try to exercise everyday, after my kids finish their school stuff, alternating between running and riding my bike. Gotta protect the knees. 

4) You have to pick just 3 records to listen to till this is over. What are they?

Since I only get three, I better pick albums that have lots of songs and all of them are great. Unfortunately, this means no Van Halen. Here goes: "So Jealous" by Tegan and Sara, "London Calling" by The Clash, and "R.F.T.C." by Rocket from the Crypt. 

5) Food Time! Have you been cooking in or carrying out? Favorite recipes or restaurants you're supporting? What's in the liquor cabinet? Share your quarantine eating and drinking habits and changes!

Foodwise, lots of cooking, which means lots of dishes. Luckily I don't mind doing dishes (my first real job was as a dishwasher at the Bill Knapp’s in Worthington). My wife Kate does nearly all of the cooking, and she's great. Healthy. Mostly vegetarian. Lots of Asian. Very light on fish sticks and grilled cheese, which is what we would have if it was up to me. Because I get up so early, I'm not drinking much at all. So I'll take this space to give a shout out to PBR non-alcoholic. It's not exactly good, but it's good enough. In fact, I'm off to have one right now. Cheers! To your health!