SB: portrait

I was not a very social child when I was younger. I had trouble talking with adults, especially at parties. I would play chess at these parties, sometimes with an adult who was there, sometimes alone. I have a memory of a party visitor playing me in chess at one of these parties. He complimented me on my chess ability, as if I were some chess prodigy. Chess allowed me to be social.

Consider Coffee For Two an experiment in how people interact with each other. Coffee has become a sort of social lubricant for me, because two people can sit together for an arbitrary length of time sharing coffee and experiences. They can be close friends or meeting for the first time, but regardless, the time that they spend together becomes part of their shared history. The finite time of a chess game conflicts with the indeterminate length of coffee, and serves as an activity for when conversation ebbs. So please, sit down, have a cup or play a game.