Do You Hear What I Hear?

When Kris Noceda interviewed Your Boulevardier for his flattering article in The Daily Review, he started with a few general statements: "You blog about Castro Valley, you have a dog, you drink a lot of coffee ..."

The third comment took Your Boulevardier back at first, but he must admit that it is so. Coffee spots do hold a certain appeal, and make regular appearances in these pages. They're good spots to people-watch, and they hold sentimental value: The Trusty BoulevarDog was a regular habitue of Java Bob's when Hanna Carbone owned it, and her photo was taped up next to the cash register. Your Boulevardier remet Mon Petit Chou at Peet's a little over a year ago. An April 2007 post on the topic of unleashed dogs that garnered a bit of debate began with a visit to Valley Java.

But one digresses. Coffee is on the mind today because Your Boulevardier saw yet another article about the effects of coffee on the human body.

If your cup of joe starts talking to you, chances are you're a caffeine addict. People who drink a lot of coffee or other caffeinated beverages are more likely to report hearing voices or having out-of-body experiences than those who go easy on the strong stuff, according to a new study.

Perhaps the colorful characters Your Boulevardier encounters on the streets of the City of Lite are merely hallucinations.