Monomad: Cats and coffee

There's a cafe I have been spending more and more time at here in Tbilisi as of late, and it's the first cafe I have found that has managed to have a really cozy atmosphere. Both in the people that run it and the aesthetic of the place. It's a cafe that doesn't operate full time, but throws a series of events throughout the week that helps it make a little extra money. It's an incredibly artistic space to the point in which it offers various crafts and materials to its customers: want to sew? There's sewing material available for free. Want to draw or paint something? Yep, there's material for that too! I haven't been to a cafe before quite like this one, and it is no surprise that it became a quick favourite of mine given the rest of the cafes in Tbilisi are either large franchises or just incapable of matching the right sort of environment people really want. Either too noisy with too many people, too loud in its music, or poor coffee quality and customer service. The customer service side of things being a major problem here in Tbilisi; you're likely to end up with some zoomer that just makes so much noise and barely pays any attention to you when you try to order. Sitting on their phone the whole time.

This cafe not only has a much more quiet atmosphere to it, with a better music playlist than everywhere else, but it has a fun cat that is sort of the cafe mascot. It'll sleep anywhere in the cafe, from the various beds it has had made for it, to laying on the seating or even on the customers that spend their time there. It's a pretty friendly cat, and I say that as someone that isn't much of a cat person. This isn't to be mistaken with a cat cafe, as it definitely isn't that. And it's kept incredibly tidy despite there being an animal that basically lives in that environment. I mentioned before that it's an incredibly creative space that offers materials to people, as well as events with markets and such where people can buy various themed items. It also offers board games and puzzles if you're willing to spend quite a bit of time there that day. Oh, and the mugs they bring you are homemade. Did I even mention that the coffee itself is some of the best I've had in the city? I didn't? Well it's some of the best coffee I've had in the city! To move on from just praising the cafe and writing about its features. I've really been enjoying these little outings to the cafe as of late, not just because the atmosphere is suitable.

I have noticed that I find my interest in reading is increased there. I'll get the coffee and happily dive into a book, and I'll sit there for a while just browsing through a story that I have been somewhat putting off back at home with all the other things I've had going on: working towards rent, dealing with Hive obligations, or the art side of things that I have been pursuing. Sometimes it feels hard to juggle all of these interests all at once and I can tell that sometimes my other interests tend to get neglected as a result. As if the days feel a bit too short to fit them all in. I don't think I've really done this before. I don't think I've ever had a space that I can actually just go to and peacefully sit in to read. It's something that actually makes the days feel much longer and more relaxed; where all those former obligations and interests and don't feel like they need to be jumbled together, and that I can approach them one at a time. Reading is something that genuinely does end up feeling more like a method of therapy to me, that immersion that pulls you out of the surroundings you have and into a world that doesn't exist.

Anyway, even photography has been something that I have been neglecting quite a lot recently. I haven't been getting out much aside from to the cafe. And I don't feel all that motivated to pick up the camera like I used to. Perhaps it's a bit of stagnation and lack of interest in the surroundings. I still have fun with the drone, but I think autumn's arrival is still a little new, and the scenery around just hasn't quite caught my attention just yet. It was nice taking a few snaps today and not feeling like I had to go crazy with it. Just pointing the camera at the things that stood out to me for a moment. I tend to forget that photography can just be that way sometimes. Not everything needs to be well thought-out and planned in advance. Sometimes it's just fun to capture simple moments of life.