Local Bar Review

There is a watering hole that is, at most, 25 steps from my back door. This feature alone would most likely catapult it to the pinnacle of my all time favorite hang outs. There's a lot to be said for being able to walk back to your house to hit the head during times of crisis. However, the bar is actually pretty cool as well.

I bought my house in November of 2006. Until July of 2007, I did not realize that the bar had a name. There is a sign that is mounted vertically above the door, but it is the same color as the fabulous form stone exterior and is quite easy to mistake for a lack of proper maintenance. One time, after a few Chartreuse (what is the plural of Chartreuse? Chartreuse's?), I made the blunder of asking if the bar had a name. I was taken outside and shown the sign. I was also reminded that I had walked under the sign about 75 times in the past year and that I should really pay more attention to what is going on around me.

So what is so special about Idle Hour? What draws me in time after time? Other than the proximity to my own toilet, of course. I've read on other blogs that are about blogs that what makes a good blog is lists; so here is my list:

1. The bar does not have a working television. They have one in the corner, but it is out of commission. It's only about 13 inches. So, even if it did work it would not be of too much use.
2. The bar does not feel pressured into offering its patrons both male and female restrooms. The restroom is shared by all. As such, the line for its access can get out of hand. The location of my own restroom is pivotal to a good night at Idle Hour.
3. The bar is a self proclaimed Chartreuse bar. They have bottles of the stuff lining the bar area. They probably have more Chartreuse in there than all of the other liquors combined.
4. The bar plays jazz/hip-hop fusion at almost deafening volumes at all hours of the day. My girlfriend and I frequently have to scream at each other to be heard over the Miles Davis v. Q-Tip. I don't know where they find some of the stuff they play, but it's pretty cool.
5. There is no cash register/cash drawer. There is no credit card machine. There is no fancy computer to keep track of tabs. These have been replace by the almost as effective combo of bartender's pocket, 1970's CC imprint taker (if they feel like breaking it out), and sheet of paper that has tally marks to keep track of how many drinks he thinks you've had.
6. The tally system is employed with great inconsistency.
7. There is a great pizza place across the street (also 25 steps from my back door) which will deliver you a pizza that you can eat at the bar.
8. There is apparently no attention paid to health code regulations. While you're eating your pizza brought from outside and using the unisex restroom, you can also play with your dog. Dog's are allowed. Or perhaps no one really makes the effort to keep them out. They have been known to wander behind the bar. One night, a Golden Retriever that belonged to this guy who had been cornered by this Cougar (who was flying solo and hitting the Cosmos hard) had made his way behind the bar. He kind of just hung out back there and was feed ice by the onlookers. This was noticed by the bartender but no action was taken. I think he was enjoying watching the Cougar take down her prey too much.
9. The bar closes at 2am. The bar stops serving drinks at 4am.
10. The bar is decorated with local art. This is not done in an artsy/highbrow way. This art sucks.

Wednesday Night

It seems like every time my girlfriend and I go out for drinks we end up arguing over something absolutely ridiculous. I like to argue. She gets drunk pretty easily. So it's really inevitable that arguments over things like when to cross the road ensue. Last night went like this:

Her: "I'm hungry."
Me: "Ok. Do you want to see a menu?"
Her: "No. My foot hurts."
Me: "Ok. Do you want to go home?"
Her: "Yes."

***Jump ahead 10 minutes to the final two blocks of our journey. Inserts five or six of the identical exchanges from above into that journey. Remove the questions about the menu and replace it with just an, "Ok."***

Me: "Let's cross here. We have the light."
Her: "No, my foot hurts. Don't touch me. I hate you."
Me: "Ok."

It was a great night out. It made me think of all the things I could have done instead of engaging in the intellectual discourse of the evening.

1. Play GTA IV for like six hours

I have to stop the list because as I write this, two things are happening that need to be described. First, I realized that my list really does end after the bit about playing GTA. Second, the guy who sits three cubes behind has been audibly belching for a few minutes. They're the kind of mouth farts that you get when you've had too much soda with your dinner or when you've eaten just a little too much buffalo chicken pizza. They're not really loud, long, or resonating. They're just little guys that I'm sure he thinks the people around him may or may not hear. We hear them.

One last thing: As I went to type in the awe inspiring title for this post, my browser's autofill gave me "A Barracuda Eating Neil Armstrong." The Bill Brasky Family Crest.

Film Review; Kind of

Often, my film choices are limited to movies that have won, or have been nominated for, Academy Awards. This is because my girlfriend really only likes to watch films that have won, or have been nominated for, Academy Awards. With the exception of Spanish language films, it's really all we watch.

There have been a few exceptions. These are usually films that she really wants to see but that suck. A few from recent history are 27 Dresses, Enchanted, Date Movie, Epic Movie, Scary Movie 4, The Water Horse, and Mrs. Potter. So, we really don't only watch Oscar winners. But, you get the idea I suppose. There is great excitement whenever I can produce a DVD that has "8 Academy Award Nominations" emblazoned on the cover. I do sometimes get to pick some of my own films. These choices usually result in me making a comment about the events of the film only to find out that she has fallen asleep. She then immediately wakes up, pretends that she was not asleep, and asks what has happened in the past 1.5 - 2 hours.

One such incident occurred last weekend as we watched There Will be Blood. I realize that this film fits the Academy Award criteria, but I really wanted to see it as well. I found out after it was over that Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead composed the soundtrack. Very cool. I really liked the film, but I think what most blew me away was Daniel Day Lewis' portrayal of Daniel Plainview. The film was good, but the Plainview character study was spectacular. I'm not sure how Daniel Day Lewis contorts his face into some of the expressions he gave to Plainview. He was almost cartoonish.

The best part of Daniel Plainview was definitely his moustache. I'm a bit taken by 'staches. this year I organized and participated in Movember; a moustache growing competition that spans the duration of the month of November. I won said competition as a result of the other participants dropping out in fear and awe of my own moustache. Which by the 16th had taken over my upper lip and presented itself in a bright red that was disturbing given my dark brown hair.

Anyways, Plainview's moustache is a classic. It is a 'stache for the ages. It is thick, but not burly. It is groomed, but not manicured. It is grizzled, but it is not without refinement. I saw a man at the Towson Town Festival on Sunday that had a similar moustache. He was in Old West period costume and was working a mini-forge that he used to make crap out of scrap iron. It was probably 85 degrees that day and he was standing next to a forge in long pants and sleeves, with a leather apron and a bandanna and a friggin' huge moustache. It was almost too big. My girlfriend and I stood and watched and pretended to care about whatever crap he was making for a few minutes. Then we returned to the Beer Garden.

Union Expresses Concern

The MLB Player's Union has expressed concerns over Barry Bonds' lack of offers during his free agency. Would you want your favorite team to sign him?


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