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Cosmos and vinos and Coronas - Oh my! My poor liver. So much for that cleanse I finished last week. I'm amazed that I managed to recover so nicely the morning after. Of course, I was careful to drink lots of water before bed, and even though the waitress kept delivering a parade of refills, courtesy of who knows?,  I ended up abandoning a couple of them around the bar. When I'm done, I'm done. Praying to the porcelain goddess is not my style.
So, after a few hours at the pub, we thought it might be fun to see what was happening over at the BG, a local blues club.
It might be of interest to you to know that my first job in K-town was waitressing at the BG. It was a gig I held for all of 5 months until I was finally able to trade in my drink tray for a marketing job with a benefits package. Â
While I have many fond memories of slinging drinks at J's back in Ontari-ari-ario, I've never had much nostalgia for the BG. The money wasn't nearly as good, because a lot of people were there for a cheap night out -- nurse their drinks and groove to the band. (They didn't charge cover when I worked there, like they do now.)Â
It was also a pain to work there because at the time the BG had some very newby owners, a married couple, who really didn't have two sparks of common sense to share between them.  She was an accountant with a chip on her shoulder. He was an ass who worked in PR with Air Canada, and used his severance money to buy the bar. As a result of their shitty management skills, they were eventually forced to sell. In only 6 months, they had actually fired every single waiter/waitress/bartender they had -- a total of almost 50! -- present company excluded.
They loved me. I have no idea why? I even insulted them during the interview. I told them that I thought their advertising was absolutely horrible. Then I went on for about five or ten minutes explaining why.
They loved me. I have no idea why? I even insulted them during the interview. I told them that I thought their advertising was absolutely horrible. Then I went on for about five or ten minutes explaining why.
Well.... they asked!! Don't ask if you don't want to know!
The problem was they "designed" all their ads, flyers, etc. themselves using Microsoft Word. *shudder* Â Worse yet, they wrote everything using WordArt! *double shudder* Â And THEN, they stretched each line out so it was super thin n' squished, in order fit more words on the page. *shuddering off my chair and convulsing on the floor* HIDEOUS! All that was missing were a few starbursts. ;)
Anyhow, at the time, I figured I had nothing to lose. Waitressing jobs are a dime a dozen. But for whatever reason they appreciated my honesty, and hired me on the spot.Â
Alright, so the point of this tangent is that while I didn't love working there... I did love the music. It was the only perk to the job. Live blues every single night of the week. Some evenings the place was so dead, that it was just me and the band for hours on end. Even so, I always clapped and sometimes shouted out requests. One group told me afterwards that I was the best audience they'd ever had, because I was so attentive and always clapped after every song. Ha.
Well... if music is good, then I think you should let them know!
I remember that night, because I even had time to sketch their picture while they played. :)
Ah yes, good times at the BG. And now, getting back to more recent good times...
So, L n' I headed over there, and as it turns out, one of the grooviest bands that always ruled the joint was playing.
And, can you believe it (because I certainly couldn't), that the band remembered me!? I worked there for only 5 months almost 7 years ago, during a time when there was a ridiculous turnover with new staff every week. Not to mention, I had blond hair back then...
And yet, during intermission the lead singer stopped me to say hello, and went on about how I always wrote their name on the blackboard real nice. Then, the rest of the band came around and they all said the same thing. I kept saying, "I can't believe you guys remember me!" To which they all replied, "How could we forget you!?"
How could they forget me? I dunno... pretty easily, I would think.
Although, I did take pride in my signs... Â I liked making them all colourful n' fancy. I think I actually complained to my boss when I first started working there because they only had white chalk. In fact, I might've bought that box of coloured chalk myself. I mean, c'mon? White chalk? Boring...
Now that I think of it, even the last time I went back to visit J's, (where I worked for about two years), a couple of the regulars told me that I really needed to do something about the signs. Sure enough, someone had quickly chicken-scratched "Pizza Night" on the board, with no care or attention to penmanship.
Anyhow, I probably always made elaborate signs when I was waitressing because I was bored, and it was the only creative aspect to my job. But, I can't tell you how nice it feels to be remembered years later for something I would've considered so small and insignificant. :)
So, that little moment was kind of a highlight to my night.
Well, that, and dancing. I never get to go out dancing. And it's not like I want to hit the kiddie's club... Even the one bar meant for an older crowd now feels super young. Or am I just at that age where I'm now older than the older crowd? Ha ha.  Actually, I've heard that it's become really hip with the 19 year olds, so I'm sure it's not just me being old.... although I realize that being older still definitely plays a part.
Well, that, and dancing. I never get to go out dancing. And it's not like I want to hit the kiddie's club... Even the one bar meant for an older crowd now feels super young. Or am I just at that age where I'm now older than the older crowd? Ha ha.  Actually, I've heard that it's become really hip with the 19 year olds, so I'm sure it's not just me being old.... although I realize that being older still definitely plays a part.
Finally, a huge highlight was my company. L is such a blast and we're really on the same wavelength. And as everyone knows, a good time is always made ten times as fun when you're with the right people. We'll definitely have to do it again sometime.
Then at the end of the night, I went to grab a cab at the same time as another couple. They were going to let me have it, but I offered to share it with them, if they were heading in the same direction. Â They accepted my offer and the girl gave me an extra bottle of water from her purse, (unopened of course), which I thought was very sweet. They didn't need to go too far, so when the cabbie dropped them off, they each stuffed a bill into my palm when they exited the cab. I didn't bother looking to see how much they gave me. I assumed it was two fives, since their fare was under $7. (More on that in a moment...)
So, I had a wonderful chat with the driver the rest of the way home. Such a super nice guy. He was telling me about how a lot of drivers he works with complain when asked to assist people with their groceries. He sounded very empathetic about how seniors struggle with arthritis and other ailments, and how just a little help with their groceries can go a long way. Most of them can't afford to tip, but that's not the point. It's about respect and doing unto others. He'd rather take the time to do the right thing than leave an elderly person stranded at the curb. Anyhow, I thought he was very sweet. He even waited to make sure I got into my building okay before pulling away.
Again, it's the little things...
But, getting back to my earlier point... when he pulled up to my building, my fare was just under $20. I un-scrunched the bills in my hand to find $25. The perfect amount for my fare, plus tip.
What a great night! :) I really should get out more often.