Category Archives: Ypsilanti

There was a nice piece on/at annarbor.com yesterday, “Ypsilanti’s ex-Bombadill’s Cafe to reopen with new owners as B-24′s Espresso Bar.” I’m not crazy about the name (B-24? I understand the reference, but still…), but I like that the focus here is going to be on high quality coffee, something that was sometimes not always there at Bombadill’s, to be perhaps a little too honest.

Three other requests, which all boil down to one request, I guess:  recognize that a large percentage of the clientele who visit coffee shops nowadays are there to do work and not to just “hang out.”  So toward that end, B-24 folks:

• Make sure you have robust and reliable wifi access.  I used to go to Bombadill’s all the time, but then, for whatever reason, their internets went all flaky.  No wifi=no work, which means I need to go someplace else.
• Don’t play loud and annoying music.  Kind of calming background music to work to, that’s fine.  Bagpipe, surf guitar, or student project techno, not so much.
• Have some fruit for sale– apples, bananas, that sort of thing.  Maybe that’s just me, but I’d like to have that as an option to cookies with my coffee.

Oh, I have other political/voting requests, most of which have to do with voting “straight ticket” for the Democrats.  But on a national level, I think Michigan is actually not really on the Teabagger’s radar– for example, I would be rather surprised if John Dingell lost, and Rick Snyder is giving all appearances of being a “RINO” sort of Republican.  Perhaps appearances are deceiving though.

At a state-level, I just have had a hard time getting too excited one way or the other.  I mean, I’m going to vote for Bernero (even if his first name is “Virg”), I think Snyder will win, I think both of them will have a hard time governing under the current circumstances (which is why I am also planning on voting for a constitutional convention), and I think both will be equally good or bad for funding higher education in Michigan.  Cynical perhaps, but it looks like a wash to me.

But I do ask loyal EMUTalk.org readers and Ypsilanti District Library residents to vote in favor of the millage.  I know, increased taxes are icky, but without increased funding, as this annarbor.com op/ed piece argues, the library system is looking at a huge cut without a funding increase.  In a time where money is short and talk about increasing skills of Michigan workers, the last thing we should be doing is cutting the public library.  So do yourself a favor:  vote yes on that.  You’ll be glad you did.