Belated Five Senses
Happy Humpday, Daily Deacdom! Have a couple of quick hit items and then we’ll get to the main part of the blog, which is a much-overdue Five Senses.
First, the weather has been really grand the last couple of days – up in the 70s and sunny. The fall leaves are about at their peak. It’s a great time to get outdoors and enjoy, because we will soon go back to more Novemberlike temperatures. For those who enjoy this meme, I would say we are in Second Summer but probably heading towards Actual Fall. North Carolina is fun like that.
One update from Residence Life and Housing: the following message was sent to all resident students about the application process for students who have a need for housing during the Winter Break.
On Monday of this week, I needed to be in the ZSR Library first thing in the morning, and had a few minutes to sit and enjoy Camino Bakery (one of my favorites). Because I had a few minutes to kill, I thought I would do a Five Senses post, as I am overdue. Here goes:
I see…
Four female students are in various seats/tables when I enter Camino. All four students are sitting on their own – maybe doing final prep before a class? Each has long, straight hair.
A female student in what I guess would be termed high waisted mom jeans. As a mom, I must admit I am tickled by this 😛
A male student comes in and orders a skim latte.
Very casual clothes on most of the students. A lot of sweats and yoga pants on both men and women. It almost looks like finals week, which seems odd for a Monday morning.
A male student enters and skips the food/drink line and goes straight upstairs to the loft seating area. I guess he is here to study, not eat.
A female student in jeans and combat boots. Then another in Gucci sneakers. Later, I see a student wearing sparkly high top sneakers, then one set of silver lamé sneakers. The footwear game is strong this morning.
A very tall male student in line. Speaking of the line, it is never more than 5 people long during the time I am observing. Things move quickly.
A female student in a sleeveless shirt with no jacket, which seems surprising given the cold morning air. Perhaps its at a seat somewhere else in ZSR.
What looks like an older student (maybe a grad student) or a young faculty member. They have a lunchbox with them, suggesting this is their first stop on the way to the office/grad school lounge.
Most of the time when I see a male student, they have a baseball cap on.
A couple of students in puffer jackets.
A male and female student come in. They stand closer to each other than I would expect casual friends to. My Spidey Senses think they are a couple, but they don’t hold hands or have any obvious PDA.
A student comes in and opens their laptop; I can see enough of the screen that it looks like they are doing reading for class.
Another group of guys who go straight to the top/loft area.
I hear…
Jazzy music when I first enter ZSR Camino.
Baristas calling out drink orders: “Hot chocolate.” Then a few minutes later, “Mocha.”
The sound of water being sprayed into the tiny pitchers to steam milk, cleaning them between orders.
Laughter from the loft seating area upstairs.
Chairs scraping the floor as people come and go on the main/lower level.
A barista telling a student “Have a good day” as they pick up their drink at the end of the bar, and the student replies “Thank you so much!” with great warmth.
The squishy sound of milk being steamed.
The squeak of the door when it opens, and the metallic clack when it shuts and the latch clicks.
The music shifts a bit – sometimes its mellow and moody, sometimes a little jazzy and soulful. I whip out my Shazaam app to see what’s playing. While I am there, I hear The Wilhelm Scream by James Blake, Living for Today by Terrell Hines, I Feel Good by Pink Sweat$, and Wade in the Water by Ramsey Lewis Trio. One of the songs has a fair amount of tambourine and horn section.
Ice being scooped into a cold drink.
The clink of metal spoons as the baristas hold back the foam as they pour steamed milk on the top of the drinks they are making, then they spoon some froth on top.
Many more call outs for hot drinks vs. cold. Probably because the morning is chilly.
Footsteps behind me. A student (who I didn’t realize was there) steps out of the nook at the back of Camino where I am seated. They walk out of Camino, presumably to use the restroom. They return pretty quickly.
I smell….
Coffee, of course!
Faint smells of spices – pumpkin, cinnamon, chai spice. But mostly coffee.
A slight whiff of cool air when the door opens.
I feel…
Comforted. A good cup of coffee and a pastry does wonders for my mood on a Monday morning.
A certain warmth whenever I hear a student say “Thank you so much” as they pick up their drinks. Your Deacs are very polite to the baristas, and as a mom I feel by-proxy pride in how you raised them 🙂
The smoothness of the tabletop. I am at a little two seater table and it is a surprisingly comfortable chair.
Grateful to have this terrific local coffee shop (with WF connections no less!) on campus. This is a win-win for everyone.
I taste…
A delicious flat white. My favorite.
A pumpkin chocolate chip muffin. It’s so moist that it easily breaks into bite size pieces when I pick it up. Delicious.
The final bits of chocolate as I try to lick it off my fingertips.
That’s your Five Senses of Camino Bakery First Thing Monday Morning, delivered on a Wednesday 🙂