𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒒𝒖𝒆 𝒏𝒐. 2

Gratitude Coffee Bar in Concord, CA

I’m not sure why I never buy vinyl records during a concert.

I meant to go to the listening party. I’m not over Deftones, yet.

1951 Coffee Company in Berkeley, CA

Spruce Cafe and Patisserie in South SF, CA, Never Too Latte (closed) in San Bruno, CA, and States Coffee, formerly the now closed Farm & Flour in Benicia, CA, were the first coffee shops that made me realize I preferred small, independent cafés over big chains.

When my husband and I lived near Pacifica there was a bit of a spark that came to me to appreciating coffee. That’s when I frequented Saltwater Bakery (closed), which I believe was entirely gluten-free at the time. They had this blue algae latte I was obsessed with. They were also two minutes away from us.

That was also when I started my coffee map, a deeply personal project where I tracked every coffee shop I visited. I stopped updating it for a while because I was moving frequently, and my enthusiasm for social media faded as I slipped into depression. Honestly, I only just updated it again this year.

Here's a list of my favorites:

Chocolate Fish Coffee in Sacramento, CA

Pachamama in Davis, CA

Artis Coffee in Berkeley, CA

Mother Tongue in Berkeley, CA

Damask Rose in Berkeley, CA

Spruce Cafe in South SF, CA

Sana'a Coffee in Oakland, CA

Mohka House in Oakland, CA

Linea Caffe in San Francisco, CA

Artis Coffee in Berkeley, CA

I’m not David Bowie. I can’t tell Courtney Love to keep it down or stop playing Fleetwood Mac. I could never, because I love David Bowie’s music, I adored Courtney Love’s band Hole, and when I’m feeling a little unhinged, there’s always a perfect Fleetwood Mac song to match the mood.

Coffee was good last week. We went to Artis Coffee twice because my husband found a new gluten-free drink to obsess over -- kombucha. Artis is basically where we go to discover gluten-free snacks. Every visit is three quarters worth for parking yet a new discovery.

I know I haven't really posted anything interesting on Tumblr. I was focused using Substack, again. I think I'm used to it by now. Only because I was trying to have fun using the platform.

I made my first public Spotify playlist focused on Bay Area hardcore bands on the heavier side of the spectrum.

Prior to that Spotify playlist, I made a YouTube playlist that doesn't work on Substack but works on Wordpress and Tumblr.

I made an album review for Deadmau5's first album Get Scraped that's been scraped off major music streaming services.

I wrote about listening to Sleep Token and how I will never listen to Sleep Token again.

I listened to a couple of vinyl records for the first time and found myself floored.

After making a few Solo Listening newsletters, I ended up visiting three West Asian coffee shops

Sana'a Cafe in Oakland, CA

Damask Rose in Berkeley, CA

Mohka House in Oakland, CA

Sit and Stay Cafe in Richmond, CA

I have been occupied doing things offline and for myself, mostly for my skin, and partially for my mental health.

I started taking Fish Oil for the OMEGA-3.

I’ve been shampooing and soaping every day, even though it goes against my dermatologist’s advice. The only thing I’ve stuck to is keeping my showers under 15 minutes and on the colder side.

Using the steroid creams as advised -- twice a day -- and moisturizing.

Finally used the humidifier on myself and the pets.

Pursuing hydration even if I suck at it, most days.

I like almost-abandoned blogging clients. There’s something comforting about existing in spaces everyone else has already fled. I’ve spent some time reading on Substack, and let’s just say people seem to love pretentiousness, as long as it’s not academic. Maybe it’s the whole image-as-substance thing. I don’t really care. I just know I don’t want to be around it anymore.

I miss when people were just writing about their feelings, not trying to influence anyone through envy.

Remember when people used bags as an extension of who they are?

And everyone didn't carry the same brand of sanitizer or rob their dermatologist to get sample sizes of Aquaphor to fit in their little containers?

Also it’s not the end of Dom’s Caffeine Map. Not yet, anyway. But we got a moka pot for my husband’s sake. The poor man is slowly dying from the bad coffee at his work. That’s what he gets for refusing it iced, beige, and sugary like a normal person.

At least he’s happy now. And I still have plenty of coffee shops left to explore around the East Bay to keep me occupied. However, as much as I like trying new places and regretting my decisions, I love coming back to my favorite coffee shops.

Hal's Office Coffee in Albany, CA