Boulderites: 5 Ways People Spot You in Denver (Lunchtime Edition)

You ask to sit with strangers.
While everyone else during lunch rush hour stands around and glares at everyone who is seated, you walk right up to two business ladies and ask to sit with them. They don't hear you at first—it's like that first time someone asks you something in a foreign language you are learning, and although you know the words, they're strung in a way you haven't heard before and you need to have it repeated. You repeat. They say yes, and you sit with them and get up once for your veggie sandwich, again for your vegan soup, and a third time for your organic vegetable juice with just a touch of ginger.

You take your Chinese herbs with no shame.
At the crowded water bar, you patiently scoop out one, two, three, four teaspoons of your Chinese medicinal herbs that your acupuncturist gave you and pour a few ounces of water over them. Then you must drink them and re-pour water once again to get any remaining herbs (don't want to miss any Dong Quai), drink, then re-pour a full glass one final time, while everyone waits.

You ask too many questions at the coffee shop.
What kind of milk do you have? Oh, you don't have almond? But you have coconut... interesting, does that foam well in a latte? If I were to get whole milk, would it be Morning Fresh? Um, yes, Morning Fresh is locally produced... And, where does your coffee come from? And your espresso beans? I'll just have an 8-ounce.

You leave thousands of dollars of electronics unguarded.
You go to the bathroom down a long hallway and oh, how cute, a little art gallery is attached to this coffee shop! Let's just look inside. And do some email and texting in the loo. When you finally come back the girl next to you stares at you, horrified that you left your Macbook Pro alone, without it even being attached to a plug, for seven whole minutes. Then you realize you forgot your Conscious Loving book in the car and go get that—taking your purse, of course.

You do all of this in the middle of the day on Thursday.
You're an independent entrepreneurial freelance start-up professional. You have time for everything.