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I awoke to frost, breakfasted in a restaurant's idea of hot, dry comfort, and binned through the alleys of Fairview long enough to feel the warmth of the sun overtake the earlier chill; I felt positively over-dressed by the time I cashed in at the bottle depot at Ontario Street and 7th Avenue. Later, when I was locking up my bike two kilometres or so west, at Broadway Avenue and Spruce Street, it was raining -- coming down buckets actually, but just on me -- the Waves coffee house was having a power-washing crew over to hose down their awnings, windows, and sidewalk furniture.

That's over and done with now. All of us are sitting in Waves drinking our coffees and playing on our laptops. The sun just glares at us hotly through the windows, as if to admonish us for not being outside on such a nice, sunny day. Click the images to enlarge.

[caption id="attachment_7881" align="alignnone" width="497"] Oh don't mind the bike and trailer guys; they're both used to getting wet.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5045" align="alignnone" width="497"] This is a MLP character called Flutter. Click the image to go to the the YouTube video it's "adapted" from.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5046" align="alignright" width="150"] Can't escape the cuteness! Click to enlarge.[/caption]

Help. There are a trio of way-too bubbly local animation voice actors sitting beside me, here in the Waves coffee shop. There was no warning whatsoever. I've been able to block out most of their treacly conversation with headphones, but now they're talking about their My Little Pony characters -- it's all Princess-this, and Princess-that -- Gahh!. This isn't Japanese cuteness. This is American-style, carpet-bombing cuteness. Like being "tarred" with high-fructose corn syrup, and "feathered" with Gummi Bears. If I ... don't make it ... please, someone ... water the blog now and again?

No llama loaf to be had at Waves coffee today, barista Kiran served up plain old banana loaf, but she more than made her "cute" quota by brew'in up one of her whimsical bruin-topped dark mochas. I'm spoiled.

[caption id="attachment_3825" align="alignright" width="150"] Dark mocha -- pairs well with llama. Click to enlarge.[/caption]

When I go to the Waves coffee place at Broadway and Spruce, I always get the same thing: Large, extra-hot, dark mocha, with a slice of banana loaf. Today a particular Japanese counter person took my order -- which the entire staff knows, she repeated it back as "llama loaf" -- Has she always done that? Ahhh! that is sooo cute, or maybe I should say sooo kawaii. How many times can I afford to go back for another slice, and how many times can I get her to confirm the order before she gets suspicious?

What was brewin' at Waves Coffee? Another bruin-topped Mocha, of course. I think Kiran, the un-bear-ably clever barista, has all but perfected her latte art technique on this one. How quickly the extraordinary can become ordinary. I'm already pining for a panda. Don't forget, it's always delicious, no matter what it looks like. Click the top image to see it larger.

Waves barista Kiran has outdone herself! Usually, when I post a photo of a coffee I've had at Waves coffee, on West Broadway and Spruce, I tag it as a secondary item at the end of some other post, but today Kiran's dark mocha creation takes first place.

Earlier I posted that the new space-themed Canadian $5 bills looked like Jetsons money. On second though, I think they look a lot more like scratch-and-win tickets.

I wrote this on a beautiful, sunny, Spring day, sitting in the Waves coffee house at West Broadway and Spruce while I enjoyed one of barista Kiran's artistic, and delicious dark mochas.

After cashing in bottles, I rode back Westward, my trailer flaunting it's Creamsicle-orange butt in the bright spring sunshine, to the Waves coffee house at West Broadway and Spruce. My coffee order is too predictable: Large dark mocha, extra-hot, with a slice of banana loaf. The owner punches it in, then laughs, "Ha ha! It came out as 'extra-hoot.'"