paintedlines

Like Gorillas In the Mist - I watch the bar-goer in their natural habitat - lets hope I don't die in a bar brawl

For a large portion of my life, over 23 years, I basically went without alcohol . Its not a moral issue or that of addiction. It's something along the lines of: "I don't really hate it, but don't really like it." Just like the concept of iPod/iTunes - I can live happily without it.

I tent to pin it to a pyschological thing. Maybe a psychosomatic tick. In any event, for the sake of time and not seeming too odd, that topic is for another post.

So why did I finally break down a order a drink or two? Simple. Once again it wasn't an issue of falling to peer pressure, although my friends had been damn near relentless. And I have not, nor will I ever go a on bender. I just wanted to shut them the hell up! In the grand scheme of things, spending some money on a mostly god-awful liquid served w/ a straw is worth it.

I love my friends, like family, conversely, just like family they can bug the hell outta you.

Well, since I'm no longer holding to my "Sprite only" policy, and its way too late to reverse course, well at least around friends, less I be harassed a hypocrite - I end up at the bar. What the hell else is there to do for people in my age range? Yeah, thats what I thought.

In celebration of my birthday, I spent 6, yes, SIX hours, over the weekend, down at the "gun club." In honor of that, the breakdown:

• six hours in a bar
• one order of chicken strips - cuz, chickens, as I have become aware, do not have fingers
• two jack 'n cokes
• who knows how many pretzel sticks
• six or seven shots - too damn small the keep track
• one piece of jerky - don't really like the stuff but after six hours I was hungry again!
• oh yeah, and some almond-flavored-thingy, that wasn't half bad, but at the moment the name escapes me.

All in all it was fun, then again I don't go the the bar for the booze , I go for the people, or at least to watch them. (It also happens to tbe the place thet Tim drives to - I'm along for the ride as always.) Thats me: the sociological barfly. The drink is secondary, although my curiosity is getting the better of me. As I sat there passing the last hour, I began to ponder the idea of trying something different at every visit.

Why not, I'm not a regular drinker and I don't really have a preference - the same thing sorta bores me. Vodka and cranberry juice , Vodka and cranberry juice , Vodka and cranberry juice ... So why not take a sampler tour of the spirits behind the bar? Then it hit me. The only reason I was even having that thought was, besides the bar tender, in her flip-flops, I was possibly the only other person there that was sober at 1 am.

Although its is a rather novel idea...

Drinking for self-betterment!