The Hometown Bar

The month of March brings warmer weather, rain, green grass & flowers...ahh, finally! The month of March also brings mine & the husband's birthdays, St. Patrick's Day, Old Town's St. Patrick's Day Parade, March Madness & friend's birthdays, all of this in turn equaling a lot of time at the hometown bar. Bad for the wallet and my liver (yes, I did fall and break it) but great for 'quality' time with friends and a lot, and I mean a lot, of laughs. Hence why when I get a text asking where I am at or what I am doing and I reply "at the 2nd Living room" it's really fairly accurate. The following observations come from the past few weeks at the 2nd Livingroom:

Running out of toilet paper: ok, so this is annoying in your home bathroom, but you can usually stretch and reach down under the vanity and desperately grab for that needed roll and all is balanced in the universe. However, in a bar, this is not the case. You struggle and fight with the dispenser, hoping for that extra roll to pop down, only to discover that it's not there. Dammit! This then leads to the awkward asking of your next door stall mate for some of that sandpaper that you really desire at that moment. You hear the same struggle and fight with her dispenser and unfortunately by the end of the night, it's just a toilet paperless visit to the loo. Remedy for this: just have another shot and you don't care.

Territorial:  After spending a year in the same bar, a comfort arises when you walk in and see the staff and a few familiar faces. However, after spending 48 hours straight (alright, maybe 36) and hanging out with friends and you walk in later on in the week only to find that you recognize the staff and if you're lucky, one other face, you become agitated and a bit snotty to the visiting Coast Guard members who have taken over your 2nd Living Room. Even though they are just as loud and obnoxious as you and your friends were over the weekend, it's your bar and not theirs. A few new faces in the crowd is usually welcomed to add variety, but a whole gaggle--not acceptable. Yes, I know this is irrational, but really, true story and you'd feel the same way if they invaded your house living room.

Lasting Memories: After spending 16 hours drinking with the same crowd, you tend to learn a lot about each other...sometimes more than what you wanted to & other times, well, these lead to moments that will be repeated and reflected upon for years to come--especially with iPhones that can take video and pictures. The catch phrases, the ribbing, the ridiculous 13 year old boy comments (though I'm usually at the lead with them) all lead to cramps in your cheeks and stomach, as well as tears streaming down your face from laughing for hours at a time.

The 80s TV show "Cheers" was popular for it's humor with Cliffy and Norm, as well as the love triangles between Sam, Diane, & what's her name, oh yeah Kirstie Alley, but what endeared that show to so many, was the fact that it reflected what we all have and want from our hometown bar. We all want a place away from home that's comfortable and fun and a place that we can walk into and see people who make us feel good. Yes, you can invite everyone over to your real living room, but that requires planning, cleaning, and effort. There's something almost magical about the hometown bar, but really it's more familial. You create a bar 'family' where you walk in ("Norm!") ask how everyone's day was, watch one of the 6 games going on. It's really not about the alcohol, though it is a lovely accessory, it's about creating and nurturing friendships and moments that can remind us what life is all about---good times, friends, laughing, and the letting go of all that is mentally unhealthy. I know that some people out there say that you can get the same thing from running groups, book clubs, and whatever other group that congregates, but the difference lies in the fact that those groups were brought together by a commonality, which usually turns into an obligation. Do you ever hear anyone say, "Yeah, I have to go to the hometown bar tonight, but I just don't feel like it"? No, you don't. Whether you stop in for one and say hi and go about your life or if you lose feeling in your ass because you've sat on that stool for 12 hours, it doesn't matter--you're there because you want to be and so are your friends.