Self-realization, violence, and Bond. That's a good weekend.

Okay, so one week into the one drink rule, and here is what we learned.

It’s a stupid rule.

After about a week, I realized that while it was very necessary to call myself out on my drinking of late, this was not the way to deal with the problem. I did indeed need to stop getting drunk, but that did not mean I could not have a second beer at the bar.

The trick was I had lost respect for booze. I had forgotten that booze is in fact a scary thing which can ruin lives. I treated it lightly, and it was taking its toll on me. So after a few days of using it sparingly, I remembered its power, and how to respect it.

I am still riding this out until Thanksgiving, but if I am at a bar having a good time, I will get a second beer, maybe even a third. I just won’t slam the damn thing and follow it up with a chaser of JD.

Alright, enough navel-gazing, onto the goofy.

Not surprising, the week was kinda slow, what with no show and said drinking ban. I did take the opportunity to go to a real cool speak-easy with Brownsox. I had forgotten that there is an art to mixology, and a good bartender can make you a crazy tasty drink filled with booze. I think I may try drinking more cocktails, if I am in the right bar. The problem of course is that I am usually at the wrong type of bars to get a cocktail, as I mostly go to Irish sports bars.

The weekend was far more interesting. After a rough morning at Nevada’s (see other blog) I dog-sat for my parent’s most of the day. That evening, I saw a play that a friend of mine was in. The play, on Broadway, was kinda bad, but not terrible, and my friend was pretty good in it. So there ya go. After the show, I ended up at Playwright’s tavern, to watch the UFC PPV. Both Bourbon Samurai and Slaggard were in town, and they were both pumped for the fight. The overall card was very good, with a lot of technically impressive matches. The main fight did not disappoint as well. During the fight, Teach arrived, and talked us into going out afterwards. We hit off the Bull Moose, where Teach and I shot some pool, we discussed how hilarious the remake of Bengi would be if directed by Chris Nolan (as a dog, I could be run over or neutered, but as an ideal…) and drank several Bud Lights. It was at this moment that I saw the limitations of the One drink rule, and had a couple of beers. Not enough to get drunk mind you, just a couple. We left around 3:45, and I went to bed around 5am. Been awhile since that happened.

I woke up Sunday at 12:30pm, and found no one else close to stirring. I went to the gym, came back, showered, and was still the only one up. I left my barely conscious roomates in their stupor to go see Me of Solace with Teach, his lady, and Arsenal. Honestly, I was in the minority of the group but I was not a fan. The set pieces blew, and in an attempt to update Bond they are losing some of the things that make him a unique character. We do not need a Jason Bourne with an English Accent, we need Bond, James Bond.

After the movie, Teach took us to this new bar, Blackbirds. One of Teach’s co-workers was working the bar, a cool dude named Ely. This bar was pretty sweet, had a great tap, a dart board, and really good barfood (the standout was this Chorizo and Mushroom stuffed pastry). It also turned out that this was a ‘training bar’ meaning that the students from the bartending school that Teach teaches at come and can tend the bar for a half an hour, getting real world experience. This is great, as you can harass them by demanding obscure drinks you made up (you can’t make an explosive badger? How about a crying unicorn? What kind of bartender are you). Bourbon and Hubris came by, and we watched a lot of football, demanded goofy shots be made by neophyte bartenders, and drank mini Michelob Ultras given to us in a bucket. Ely turned out to be a cool guy, and we chatted about how awesome Citizen Cope is. All and all, a good addition to the Astoria drinking holes.

So a good weekend, with a little self-realization thrown in. What more can you ask.

Alright, let's try something new

Okay so a lot has gone down recently

1: America elected a black guy.

How Q spent the event

Went over to Arsenal’s house, spilt a bottle of Wild Turkey with Hubris, left a apologetic message on Uber260’s cell, don’t remember how I got home.


2: Arsenal beat Man United

How Q spent the event

Went to work, went drinking after work, went back to Nevada’s after drinking after work, don’t remember how I got home.

3: The show I have been working on for the last three months closed

How Q spent the event

Split a Heineken from a mini-keg with my boss, had dinner at a famous stage directors house, drank in lower east side, don’t remember how I got home.

You seeing a pattern?

So while the last couple of weeks have been extremely awesome, I have been losing a little too much time and sense. Thus I am engaging in a social experiment. For the next two or so weeks, I will be ‘One Drink Q’.

What does that mean, you ask dear reader(s?)? What it means is I can only have one drink. No more infinite beers or glass after glass of Whiskey. Now when I go out, I can only have a single drink. There are some tiny exceptions.

1: Nevada Smiths acts as a ‘safe zone’ where I can only have one beer, but it will not count for the beer of the day. This way, I can go to the game in the morning, and still go out for a drink that evening.

2: At meals I may have one drink, and again it will not count for the daily total

3: If several hours have passed since my last drink, (like 4-6) I can leave it up to good judgment as to whether or not I can have another single drink.

So what is the real point of this, you ask? I have gone on several enforced ‘dry spells’ before, and while it is good for my health, there is a desire to avoid everyone, and that one inevitable evening when you are swilling seltzer and decide that you hate everyone you know. My hope is that allowing myself a single drink; I will still be sociable and not erupt in rage.

Also, I might start acting like an adult.

I will do some sort of post mortem about the experience when it is done. Right now the deadline is Thanksgiving (no one should have to be sober for a family holiday) which is followed by a two Derby Sunday at Nevada’s (Stanford Bridge is falling down!). After these events, the ruling may be extended or altered (2 drink Q? No Beer Q? Only high end cocktails Q?) depending on how I am feeling and what I have learned from the process. I am excited to see how this goes. It is a chance to chill out, loose a little weight, and rethink some stuff, all while not going crazy denying myself something I enjoy.

This is the kind of shit that happens when you get too old to die young.