The Life of a Southern Girl

I didn't want to write anything here, but I have to. Write something. I'm so fucking sad today. I'm sad that this is our life. Yours and mine. Ours. This is our life. As it is today. In this time. We live in a time where someone can set off bombs during a time when people are accomplishing things that are so fucking great; they will set goals for themselves & others after them. But, it won't be remembered for that. It will be remembered for the terrorist that blackened the day by killing & maiming. There will be families & friends that remember this day as the day that their brother, sister, mom, dad, niece, nephew, FRIEND died. Died while running or watching someone they loved run. How freaky is that???? "Yeah, I was watching my friend run, & then the guy next to me died." I can't even wrap my brain around it.

I don't know about you; but, my heart is broken today. Just, broken.

It's no secret that I adore John King. To be honest, I'm not completely up on his politics. I just know that whenever he's around; there is peace & harmony. And I like that. It's a rare thing in these parts. He's at my bar sporadically. Usually with a crew heading to the next big story & sometimes alone. He's a nice guy. An unassuming guy. My latest convo with him: JK: I really like this DUNKELWEIZEN, but I think I like the Marzen better. Do you think you'll have it next week? Me: We have it now; it's just too warm to serve. It was a late delivery & it's a little shook up. Like Elvis. JK: Which Elvis? Me: Early Elvis. Pre Gold-Lame. JK: Before the weight gain & wings. Me: Exactly!

This is what I have to say about this tragedy: If I were told by law enforcement to stay put & I didn't & then some kid in a hoodie started throwing Skittles at me; I would just say "Thank you" because I really like Skittles.

Forgive me, but, I have to make light of this situation because if I think about it too hard; my head will fucking explode. The bottom line is this: Zimmerman was told not to follow. He followed anyway. Case closed. I liken this type of profiling to what I experienced post 9/11. I live in the DC metro area. At the time of 9/11 I was living in a high-rise apartment building which housed people of all nationalities. Alot of which were middle eastern. The day after 9/11, there was a posting in the lobby which stated that the residents of said building should report any persons that appeared "suspicious". WTF does that mean? As far as we knew at the time; the only "suspicious" thing the men that hijacked the planes did up to that point was be middle eastern. Was I suppose to report all my neighbors that were middle eastern? Anyway, I am a white woman in one of the most diverse cities in the world; but, if I were a black teenage male right now, I'd wear a tie & carry a briefcase every time I left the house just to feel safe. Every single day something happens that makes me say to myself, "Thank God I didn't have children because I fear for the state of the world". On February 26th, Trayvon being murdered was what made me think it that day.

This was my post 3/04/05....FUNNY...Well, funny to me...I NEVER drink Sangria now. And I was pretty sassy 7 years ago...

Friday, March 04, 2005

Sangria...
should present itself truthfully. It should just say, "Drink Me! But just to let you know; I'm Death in a Glass!".

Whoever decided that red wine & brandy should be mixed together was either a} Really smart because it tastes good or b} Really stupid because it makes you feel like killing yourself or someone else the next day.

I had 4 Sangria's last night. And one shot of Grand Marnier. It is now 11:00pm THE NEXT EVENING. My eyelashes still hurt.

And I am a Professional (bartender, that is) so trust me when I tell you all that sugar leads to nothing but heartache.

(Disclaimer: I am not a Sangria novice. I just got stupid & went pass my 2 drink max where that drink is concerned.)

__________________

I can't even think straight.

peace
4/05

Rush! Sooooo... I thought to myself: "Self, you should do some research on Rush before you write what you're really thinking about him. You can't go off half-cocked on this recent hoopla about a person you listened to, ummm, 15 years ago without having a good, solid background on where this person is coming from. I did it & came up with nothing. In My Humble Opinion: The guy is a fucking idiot & I don't even understand why he has a forum. I'm asking this question in all seriousness: Who is listening to him???? Are there actually people out there that are taking what this guy says as truth & forming opinions on where they stand on the issue of women's health?

Sandra Fluke, I applaud you. Rush had his 2 minutes of fame on this issue (I am not going to sully the great Andy Warhol by giving Rush 15 mins) but, Sandra will be remembered for generations for her knowledge, grace, and eloquence in handling what for most would be a limelight they would choose to sidestep.

peace

I am a woman. With that being said, I have alot of opinions about all the issues being brought up about women's health care in the Presidental election. In a nutshell, this photo represents what I think about it all.

Now, truth be told, I didn't know who Sen. Judy Eason McIntyre was from Adam. But, I liked her immediately when I ran across this photo. Because it says what I want to say but can't.

Being a bartender in DC, I am not able to divulge which side of the fence I am on to my customers because I would not be able to make a living. (Bartender rule #1: Never appear to pick a side on the subjects of politics, religion or abortion. NEVER, EVER.) If you choose to, and you win the battle; you lose the war. Which is your tip. Which is 100% of your income in most cases.

This is true for most bartenders that make anywhere from 2.13$/hr to 7.25$/hr which only covers your taxes, ss, etc. There is nothing left over & we receive a check every two weeks with the words "This Is Not A Check" stamped across it. And on a side note: that freaks me out whenever I sit and think about it. What if I wake up tomorrow & I have no personality & hate all people? Most of the people I deal with are very nice; but, what if I lose the capability to stomach the small percentage of assholes I DO deal with & accidentally on purpose stab one of them with my wine key? Sure, it would be a superficial wound; but there would probably be lawyers & lawsuits involved.

peace....for only as long as it takes me to think about what I want to say about Rush.

“Republicans being against sex is not good,” the G.O.P. strategist Alex Castellanos told me mournfully. “Sex is popular.”

Oh My F'ing God! Did he just say that??? Ok. I'll say it. Alex Castellanos ( U.S. Republican Party political media consultant who specializes in television advertising, and was a top media adviser to George W. Bush's 2004 presidential campaign and Mitt Romney's 2008 presidential campaign) Just said that SEX IS POPULAR! I vote that we have an "Alex" day. A day that we all have sex just because. GOP is seriously going to make me stick my wine key in my eye because I can't stand the stupidness of it all.

I meet alot of interesting people. It goes without saying that celebrity sightings are always fun. But, there are alot of other people I meet that don't fall under that category that I find much more interesting. For example, I met one of the cameramen from the show "Deadliest Catch". He was assigned to the boat "Time Bandit". If you watch the show; I know you're familiar with it. He told me about all of the training he had to go through before he was able to be a part of this project. He is a cameraman that never in his wildest dreams thought that he would be part of filming what is known as the most dangerous job. I also recently met the gentleman that is in charge of logistics for Odyssey Marine Exploration. Being a long time SCUBA diver; I was bowing down to him! Last week I met the lighting Director & one of the cameramen for the prequel "Wizard of Oz" that is in post-production. It was filmed in Detroit which I was told is the largest filming location in the US at this time. The old factories are apparently being used. It's also the most expensive film shot to date (according to him) overtaking SpiderMan 3. Just a few examples, but I'm finding that I'm alot more interested in the people "behind the scenes" than I am the ones with body guards.


And, FYI, I don't give a shit about the election 'til two months prior. That's when I start paying attention. Don't try to talk to me about before then.

peace

I have just gone through my 2nd Christmas season as an airport bartender & I have come to the following conclusion: There is a community of people that air travel during the Xmas holidays that ONLY air travel during the Xmas holidays. I may even go out on a limb to say that this is the only time they leave their homes. That is the only explanation I can come up with to explain the mind-numbing ignorance that I have dealt with the last 2 weeks. I work at National & am therefore a snob by default when it comes to the types of travelers I am use to dealing with. To be prepared for next year; I am thinking of a FAQ list I can just hand someone as soon as they say, "What is the cheapest thing you have to drink?"

FAQ:

1. What is the cheapest thing you have to drink?
-Soda: $2.37. ("Do you know that I can buy a liter of Coke for 3 bucks back home?")

2. What is the cheapest beer here?
- $5.45...Heineken, Corona, Mic Ultra ("Highway robbery!! I can buy a 6-pack for that!)

3. How much for your fancy draughts? You guys brew that stuff, right?
- $7.72 / 20 oz...Hefeweizen, Winterbock, Czech Pilsner, Marzen ("That's stupid! I can buy a keg a Milwaukee's Best for next to nothin'")

4. Where can I smoke?
- I'm sorry, but the only place to smoke is outside the airport. ("I gotta cart my ass outside for a cig? And then go back through security? What kinda communist outfit you got goin' here?)

5. What's good on the menu?
- Well, everything on the menu is good. It's not really conducive to running a good business by having bad things on the menu. ("Huh??)


SOOOO happy that holiday travel is over.

peace