In Which a Day Is Saved by Breakfast at the Corner

It was a day that began as ordinarily as any other. It was morning. I had strolled over to catch the bus, as my car has broken down (you can read the car story in yesterday's blip). I was thinking fondly of a hot breakfast at the Corner Room as I stood there waiting. And waiting. And waiting. And waiting.

The bus stop is about five minutes from our house, and soon my husband came by on his bicycle, like that cute guy from your teenage years, showing off, trying to get a gal's attention, hoping to steal one last kiss.

The bus was already 15 minutes late at that point. "How long are you going to wait?" he asked. "About another 10," I replied. "So much for breakfast," he said, as he pedaled away. "Yeah, we'll see," I replied.

But then the bus finally showed up, and as we sat in construction traffic for 15 to 20 minutes at the corner of North Atherton and Park Ave. by the Nittany Lion Inn, I knew why it had been late. Almost every road in this town is under construction right now. Wherever it is you think you're going, you can't really GET THERE from here. Or at least, not anytime soon.

So I arrived on campus VERY late and VERY cranky. Nothing really bad had happened, except that the bus ran late and I stood there a long time and then we sat in traffic and fumed. There wasn't really any extra time for it, but I decided to seize control of my day and do something fun anyway.

I threw caution (and my schedule) to the winds, and headed to the Corner Room for a nice, hot breakfast: the early bird special. When your mom and/or grandma told you to "Eat something, you'll feel better," they were right on track.

I've waxed eloquent on these pages about the Corner Room's French onion soup, and how good it is, and the lengths I'll go to get some. I wouldn't put the breakfast quite in that esteemed category, but it was very good. And fast. And hot.

Better yet, they seated me in one of the best booths in the joint, straight across from the campus gates. As I was enjoying my breakfast, a huge Pepsi truck came and parked right in front of me, blocking my view.

I laughed to remember a story that Emma, the elderly woman who is usually there seating people (but somehow wasn't on this day), told me. One time, she had a couple waiting for the best booth, the one I was in.

The man planned to "pop the question" to his girlfriend, and he wanted them to have THAT VIEW while he did it. And of course, a Pepsi truck showed up just at the most inopportune moment and blocked their view, just as it did to me. Ha-ha, and so it is that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry!

The wait staff were hanging flags all around the venue, in honor of the upcoming July fourth holiday. And so I took a few minutes when I was done eating to snap some interior shots. You've seen a few here and here. So let's add the one above to my collection, shall we?

I arrived at work quite late, thankful that I didn't have any meetings on my calendar, with plans to mark the extra time I'd missed to vacation. My husband called me at work later in the afternoon to check in. He said he had made me a cup of tea when he left me, and then brought it out to my bus stop on his bicycle, juggling it on the handlebars as he rode.

But when he got to my stop, I was already gone. "What did you do with the tea?" I asked. "I drank it," he said; "It was brisk, and very, very good." "Thank you for the tea," I said; "I appreciate it, even though I never got to taste it."

And so this day which began quite crankily was saved, indeed, by breakfast. And by a cup of brisk hot tea, which was made with love by that cute guy on a bike (who was probably hoping to steal just one more kiss), even though I never got to drink it.

Here's a soundtrack for a cranky-making morning. I think I need more of this. Maybe you do too? Guns N' Roses, with Patience. Oh, and here's some more good advice: eat something, you'll feel better!