Hi internet! It's a deliriously hot summer day here at Mercury. It is throughout Toronto, I imagine. But I couldn't tell you. We're handling it though, Alice is sipping some basil lemonade, I have a smoothie, we're doing calisthenics, we're making iced coffee, it's getting okay.

Our patio is a real thing now! Before, it was just an imagined social construct based on a haphazard outdoor arrangement of tables and chairs. Now, it has a fence around it. You can come by and sip your cappucino on it and feel all the more cozy and secure. Try it. You'll like it.

Also, I'm officially letting the public know that as self-appointed Mercury Organic Espresso Bar Chess Champion, I am taking on all comers. If anyone successfully contests my title, they will be rewarded with fame, bounties of fresh fruit, and maybe a laurel wreath (or a pigeon trophy if Ben crashes into one that day). Let me know. I'll defend my title anytime, anywhere; and by that I mean at Mercury, when I finish my shift, if I haven't gone skipping off somewhere.

Really, why aren't you stopping by? Stop by.

Love always,
-Sasha