"Where is our Empire, Momma?"

Killing time before Regency Branch library opened the other day, I stumbled across an interesting little place in a new and nearly empty strip located kind of behind Home Depot and kind of in front of Regency Square Mall and kind of beside the Regency AMC 24. Empire Coffee is a new, independently owned coffee house that's been open for just over three weeks. Neil, a co-owner, told me that they are desperately looking for amateur artists to fill up their bare walls and live performers to fill everyone's hearts with vanilla flavored syrup. More or less anyway, I might be paraphrasing. The coffee's good, the people are nice, they have good magazines on the table, and I'm all about this over Starbucks for a change. Their specific address and hours are located on their MySpace.



This got me thinking about the lack of independently owned whatevers in my area. Okay, no, that isn't true. The lack of interesting, well-kept, worth my time independently owned whatevers. All I'm saying is that I can't think of anywhere other than Five Points, San Marco, the Beaches, and the Urban Jungle where I can go to directly support someone's business in style. Sure, you've got your used bookstore (smelly piles upon piles of bad condition romance novels) every once in a while, a CD store (with 34 copies of Britney's first album and a poster of Yanni on the wall) here and there, and maybe even a 'unique gifts' shop (potpourri filled wicker baskets on tables that even your creepy sixth grade English teacher would despise) around every other corner, but what good does this do me? How are these places even still in business? The exception, as to be expected, are little hole in the wall restaurants and such, but that is IT, folks.
Do something about it, because I'm too broke from paying too much for gas to get me to the good stuff.

-Apathetic Arlington

Yee-Haws and Hells Naws Folio Weekly "Best of Jax" Edition

Yee-Haws:
Best Thing to Happen in Northeast Florida in '06: The completion of 9A
Mandarin to Arlington in under 30 minutes, not half bad.

Best Reason to Avoid Club Paris: Roofies. Paris Hilton sucks. It's gay. Etc.
I can't think of any reasons not to avoid Club Paris. Unless of course, it's teen night.

Hells Naws:
Best Local Trend: "Salt Life" Stickers
Lame!

Local Hero: John Peyton
If John Peyton's greatest contributions to the city have been the unconstitutional Daith of Faith and his ability shake it at Club Paris, I'd say he's more suited for Local Zero.

Best Place to See a Movie: Cinemark Tinseltown
Though not the worst place to see a movie, definitely not the "best". Incompetent employees, minimal selection of "alternative" (aka GOOD) films, and stale over buttered popcorn....Tinseltown is not quite up to par. San Marco Theater will always be #1 in my mind, showing the perfect balance of big budget blockbusters, independent films, and classic (eerrr.....pre-1995) favorites.

-Mopey Mandarin

And the winner is...

Mazel tov to The Urban Core for its new status as "Best Local Blog," as noted in Folio Weekly's latest "Best of Jax" edition. Way to go! Here at Suburban Jacksonville, we consider Tony a "blogging machine," due to his incredible ability to post interesting and relevant blogs, virtually everday.
As for us "newbies," who haven't quite gotten our acts together, it is often easy to get out of "blogger" mode, and slack off once in a while. Though be assured that SuburbanJacksonville is here to stay; we are determined not to "lose steam" or "run out of stuff to say." There is still much more for us to rant/bitch about. And of course, there are always the occasional yee-haws. In order to avoid falling into the abyss with the other forgotten, burnt out blogs, Mopey Mandarin has so diligently devised the Suburban Jacksonville Road Map to Success:

1) Blog, blog, blog! Obviously. For the time being, blogging will take place at least once a week, as life is currently extremely hectic and stressful. Once life slows down, blogging will resume to a more acceptable rate of 3 to 4 posts per week. And will eventually occur every day.
2)The Illustration Revival Initially, the goal of SuburbanJacksonville was to include an illustration with every post. Due to recent phenomena beyond our control, the scanner responsible for this task has become ill. Therefore, the Illustration Revival is contingent upon the future condition of said scanner.
3)Horizon Expansion We need to get out more. Too many nights are spent at home bitching about how boring Jacksonville is. By expanding our horizons, and trying new activities, there should be a directly proportional increase in the number of blogs we post. (Think chemistry. Charle's Law: V₁/T₁=V₂T₂)

On the Road Map to Success, all signs point to globalization and complete domination of the local blogging community. (Can you guess which one of us is Pinky, and which one is the Brain?) Suburban Jacksonville is on the rise, and there's no turning back from here.

Forever Yours,
Mopey Mandarin and Apathetic Arlington

Coffee Crisis

OHNOOHNOOHNO

Go save Uncommon Grounds!

(See Joey's article)

Full of Grace

Your Sunday Plans:

1. You are going to wake up early and put on a sweatshirt because it is COLD out in the morning. Smell the coffee.

2. You are going to go to get in your car and drive to the gas station where you are allowed to jump up at down at receiving one gallon of gas for $2.05. Still consider bio-diesel.

3. You are going to drive out to Bruce Park, in Arlington, and take in the lack of sights before next week's beautification project. Imagine oak trees.

4. You are going to go home and shower so you don't look like a slob, then you are going to head to the Beaches Branch Library for their annual book sale! There is absolutely nothing better than spending your Sunday afternoon, from 1-4, buying very very inexpensive old library books by the bag load. Breathe in the words.

5. Utilize free will.

6. You are going to go to the Children's Home Society's Caring Chef's event at the Avenue's Mall. Life is better when someone else makes your food for you. Enjoy it. Don't exercise when you get home.

7. Count down the days until you get to try this bit of Heaven in a bottle. Hell naw?


-Apathetic Arlington