It is another night of listening to soothing jazz, specifically this live stream on YouTube, entitled, New York Coffee Shop Ambience. I turn to my companion and speak "of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing-wax, of cabbages and kings." In a deep discourse of sips from my elixir, we whittle the night away; the world's problems are discarded shavings...

It is a 2003 night: I'd listen to a jazz station in my 900 square-foot, Midtown apartment. I was surrounded by books, so much that I'd have to pull a TV out on a cart to entertain guests. It was a two-bedroom place for one. I kept a drafting table in one of the rooms so that I could express my thoughts in another medium. And when I wanted to spend the evening in shared company over espresso and perhaps shoot some pool, I'd head over to Republic Coffee on Madison and see my barista raven, Lauren, the music now WEVL.

Those nights numbered too few as 2003 slipped out of my fingers.