Goodbye February

You Rat-Bastard.

With your cold, snowy rain and slush and sleet. With your stupid Valentine's Day and fewer days (except every four years, ya pretentious freak). With your got me drinking more than I should, alone, again...I'm bladder-deep in Jack Daniels as I type this, practically seeing ddoouubblle. With your no one goes shopping, so my hours get cut and my checking account gets smaller and smaller; I'm this close to utter ruin, you parasitic month. Your like an emotional vampire, sucking my soul, my happiness, my will to live. You scumbag! With your cloudy days and chilly nights, making my pathetic, broke ass hibernate indoors, missing concerts and shows. You miserable, soggy sponge!

Good-bye, cruel and unforgiving and bitter month, and Hello! to March. With your Spring Break attitude and warming days/nights. With your Kerouac Birthday and My Birthday (the Ides of March). With your Saint Patrick's Day full of Guinness and cheer, covered in my favorite color of green. I'm just a dumb Mc, you see. Ah, March, come to me like a lover. I wrap my arms around you in glee.

Another Hunter S. Thompson link

An opinion piece by Clarence Page, who I believe went to my beloved Ohio University.

Newsday.com - Opinion

Ahhh, there's nothing like that rewarding feeling of a slow day at a dead end job

DEAD KENNEDYS/Alternative Tentacles gives a go at summing it up. And I'm sick of people I barely know asking me what do I want to do when I grow up. I realize they are just asking to make conversation to, you know, get to know each other. And they are asking in a nice, actually seem interested, way, but it drives me crazy. Why? Because I don't know the answer. And that's pissing me off; or, maybe I do know the answer, but am unable to figure out how to get there, to that point, to the goal.

And that infuriates me more because, for fuck's sake, I'm going on 40 (sorta)...I should have more answers now than when I was 25! (For Reals)

But I don't.

I have an unfocused Blog, an apartment I'll soon be unable to afford, fewer friends each year, no dates/interests to ask out, and my underpaid/no hours/no benefits/part time job:

At My Job

If your machine might slip a gear

Push this button to help it clear

Your time card says your name's Joe

But we'll call you 6-3-0

[Chorus]

I'm working at my job

I'm so happy

More boring by the day

But they pay me

All that time spent going to school

Just to end up following-rules

[Chorus]

Now it's time to take a break

Don't stray too far or you'll be late

Thank you for your service and a long career

Glad you gave us your best years

[Chorus]

Enjoy your Monday.

I wish I could follow this guy's changed thinking. He pretty much repeats what my Primary tells at our sessions. I need to work on my "twisted thinking"...and get more sleep and vitamins. Good night.

An Incomplete/Still Growing List of all the Bars, Clubs, restaurants, Dives, or Memorable Hotels where I've either had a drink or got stumble-y drunk

(Since maybe age 17(?). Enjoy)

1. Ten56 Club (Chicago)
2. Tony's (Athens)
3. 6 Penny Bit (Chicago)
4. The Union (Athens)
5. Abbey Pub (Chicago)
6. Beach Club (Athens)
7. The Junction (Athens)
8. O'Hooley's (Athens)
9. Alumni Club (Chicago)
10. Screwhouzer's (Athens)
11. Elbo Room (Ft. Lauderdale)
12. Summer's (Ft. Lauderdale)
13. Random slashy on highway (Florida)
14. Random country bar on highway (Florida)
15. Sloppy Joe's (Key West)
16. Cute and quaint bar (Fel's Point, Baltimore)
17. Augenblick (Chicago)--gone.
18. Event's (Athens)
19. Some bar in Northbrook, IL
20. Random Rural Bar/Grill (outside Arlington OH)
21. Some bland Bar in Oak Park, IL
22. Casa Cantina (Athens)
23. Another bland Bar in Oak Park IL
24. The Nickelodian (Athens)
25. Third bland Bar in Oak Park, IL
26. Uptown (Athens)
27. The Dugout (Athens)
28. Beat Kitchen (Chicago)
29. The Newport (O.S.U.)
30. American House of Beers (Chicago)
31. Stache's (O.S.U.)
32. Outer-Inn on Frambe's (O.S.U.)
33. Big Chicks (Chicago)
34. Frambe's (O.S.U.)
35. Big Horse (Chicago)
36. Mean Mister Mustard's (O.S.U.)
37. Big Joe's (Chicago)
38. Melody Bar (New Jersey)
39. Black Cat (Chicago)
40. Algonquin Hotel (NYC)
41. Bleacher's (Chicago)
42. The Spring Lounge (NYC)
43. "Blue Collar" Bar @ Damen/Addison (Chicago)
44. 3rd Ave. Irish Bar (NYC)
45. Blue Note (Chicago)
46. Weird Russian Bar (NYC)
47. Bluebird Lounge or maybe Betty's Blue Star Lounge (Chicago)
48. B.L.U.E.S. (Chicago)
49. Small bar in LES (NYC)
50. Bootlegger's (Chicago)
51. The Pyramid (NYC)
52. Border Line Tap (Chicago)
53. Nacho Mama's (NYC)
54. Bowling Alley @ Harlem/Grand (Chicago)
55. Charlie's Blind Pig (Toledo)
56. Bowling Alley above Douglas TV (Chicago)--gone.
57. Bowling Alley near Irving Park/Ravenswood (Chicago)
58. Breaktime (Chicago)
59. Bucktown Pub (Chicago)
60. The Sty (Toledo)
61. Cabaret Voltaire (Chicago)
62. Murphy's (Toledo)
63. Cafe Ashe (Chicago)--gone.
64. Frankie's (Toledo)
65. Celluloid/ Liquid Kitty? (Chicago)
66. The Barking Spider (Cleveland)
67. Champs (Skokie)
68. Checkerboard Lounge (Chicago)
69. Euclid Tavern (Cleveland)
70. Chicago Joe's (Chicago)
71. The Grog Shop (Cleveland)
72. Claddagh Ring (Chicago)
73. Clubfoot (Chicago)
74. Claus's Tavern (Chicago)
75. Random Gay bar after B.C.'s wedding (Cleveland)
76. Cody's Public House (Chicago)
77. Circus Circus (Cleveland, The Flats)-- naked ladies, yay!
78. Corner of Racine/Addison (Chicago)
79. Random Irish Bar (Cleveland, The Flats)
80. Some big-ass bar (Cleveland, The Flats)
81. Coyote Joe's (Chicago)
82. Dillon's (Findlay)
83. Crobar (Chicago)
84. Nine of Clubs (Cleveland)
85. Cunneen's (Chicago)
86. The Jim Dutch II (Hometown)
87. Daily Bar and Grill (Chicago)
88. Danny's Tavern (Chicago)
89. West End Tavern (Hometown)
90. Deacon Brodies (Chicago)
91. The Party Bar (Hometown)
92. DejaVu (Chicago)
93. Oler's Pub (Hometown)
94. Delilah's (Chicago)
95. The Oiler Pub (Hometown)
96. Dirty Nellie's (Palantine, IL?)
97. Wesley's (Hometown)
98. Dome Room (Chicago)
99. Woolley Bully's (Hometown)
100. Double Door (Chicago)
101. G. Willickers (Hometown)
102. Drink (Chicago)
103. BW3 (Bowling Green, OH)
104. Duke of Perth (Chicago)
105. Uptown/Downtown (Bowling Green)
106. Edgewater Lounge (Chicago)
107. El Jardin (Chicago)
108. Howard's (Bowling Green)
109. Elbo Room (Chicago)
110. The one with the deck (Bowling Green)
111. The Empty Bottle (Chicago)
112. Some English Pub @ Diversey/Ashland (Chicago)
113. Fricker's (Hometown)
114. Estelle's (Chicago)
115. Some dive bar (Kent State U.)
116. Excalibar (Chicago)
117. Ozzie's (Kent State U.)
118. Farragut's (Chicago)
119. Fireside Bowl (Chicago)
120. Stoney Ledge (Hometown)
121. Fireside Restaurant (Chicago)
122. Nick's Bar (Athens)
123. Get Me High Lounge (Chicago)
124. The Walnut (Hometown)
125. Gingerman (Chicago)
126. Gulliver's (Chicago)
127. Luckey's (Hometown)
128. Ginger's Ale House (Chicago)
129. Inck's (Hometown)
130. Glennway Inn (Chicago)--gone.
131. Gold Star Bar (Chicago)
132. Charlie's Hideaway (Hometown)
133. Great Beer Palace (Chicago)
134. Miss Cue's (Hometown)
135. Griffin's Public House (Chicago)
136. Dominick's (Hometown)
137. Johnny O'Hagan's (Chicago)
138. Hard Rock Cafe (Chicago)
139. one in Mall (Hometown)
140. Harry Caray's (Chicago)
141. 950 Club (Washington DC)
142. Heartland Cafe (Chicago)
143. Tourney on the Green (Washinton DC)
144. Holiday Club in Wicker Park (Chicago)
145. Holiday Club on Sheridan (Chicago)
146. Planet Hollywood (Washington DC)
147. Holiday Inn @ Rosemont (Chicago)
148. Hard Rock Cafe (Hawaii)
149. Hopcat (Chicago)
150. Hard Rock Cafe (Baltimore)
151. Hopleaf (Chicago)
152. Noisemaker's (Cleveland)
153. Huckleberry's (Chicago)
154. BW3s (Columbus)
155. Hunt Club (Chicago)
156. Backdoor Lounge (Hometown)
157. Innertown Pub (Chicago)
158. Irish Eyes (Chicago)
159. Joshua's (Toledo)
160. Izmir's (Chicago)--gone.
161. J&T's (?) @ Clark/Belmont (Chicago)
162. Jacko's (Chicago)
163. John Barleycorn (Chicago)--sucks
164. Johnny O'Hanagan's (Chicago)
165. Joy-Blue (Chicago)
166. Justin's (Chicago)
167. Kaboom (Chicago)
168. Kerouac Jack's (Chicago)--gone.
169. The Konak (Chicago)
170. Lakeside Lounge (Chicago)
171. Lakeview Lounge (Chicago)
172. Lakeview Links Bar and Grill (Chicago)
173. The Bottom Lounge (Chicago)
174. Lava Lounge (Chicago)
175. The Leadway (Chicago)
176. Lemming's (Chicago)
177. The Lennox Lounge (NYC)
178. Lily's (Chicago)
179. Houlihan's (Skokie)
180. Lincoln Tap Room (Chicago)
181. The Long Room (Chicago)
182. Lounge Ax (Chicago)--gone.
183. Mad Bar (Chicago)
184. Marie's Riptide Lounge (Chicago)
185. Martyr's (Chicago)
186. Charlie's Ale House in Andersonville (Chicago)
187. Matchbox (Chicago)
188. Matilda's (Chicago)
189. Metro (Chicago)
190. Monsignor Murphy's (Chicago)
191. Burwood Tap (Chicago)
192. Morseland (Chicago)
193. Mother's (Chicago)
194. Mother's Too (Chicago)
195. Nick's Beergarden (Chicago)
196. Northside Bar and Grill (Chicago)
197. Oasis (Chicago)
198. O'Hare Airport (Chicago)
199. O'Lanagan's II (Chicago)
200. Penny Lane (Chicago)
201. Phyllis' Musical Inn (Chicago)
202. Poor Phil's (Oak Park, IL)
203. Pumping Company (Chicago)
204. Quencher's (Chicago)
205. Rainbo Club (Chicago)
206. Raven's (Chicago)
207. Raw Bar (Chicago)
208. Ray's @ Damen/Giddings
209. Red Line Tap (Chicago)
210. Redmond's (Chicago)
211. Rock'n'Bowl (Chicago)
212. Rosebud (Chicago)
213. Rose's Lounge (Chicago)
214. Schubas (Chicago)
215. Sheffield's (Chicago)
216. Silver Cloud (Chicago)
217. Simon's Tavern (Chicago)
218. Smart Bar (Chicago)
219. Snicker's (Chicago)
220. "Something" Pig (Chicago)
221. some Sport's Bar (Schaumburg, IL)
222. Stevie D's (Chicago)
223. Star Gaze (Chicago)
224. Stone Crab (Evanston, IL)
225. The Subterranean (Chicago)
226. Ten Cat Club (Chicago)
227. Tequila Roadhouse (Chicago)
228. The Fireside (Chicago)
229. The Gin Mill (Chicago)
230. The Green Mill (Chicago)
231. The Hideout (Chicago)
232. The Lodge (Chicago)
233. Gunther Murphy's (Chicago)
234. The Note (Chicago)
235. Thurston's (Chicago)
236. Grizzly's Lodge (Chicago)
237. Tommy Nevin's Pub (Evanston, IL)
238. Tuman's Alcohol Abuse Center (Chicago)
239. Murphy's (Chicago)
240. The Tiny Lounge (Chicago)
241. Trader Vic's (Chicago)
242. Vaughn's (Chicago)
243. View N Brew/ The Vic (Chicago)
244. The Aragon (Chicago)
245. The Village Tap (Chicago)
246. Wild Goose (Chicago)
247. The Wild Hare (Chicago)
248. Wrigleyville Tap (Chicago)
249. The Wrightwood Tap (Chicago)
250. Hi-Tops (Chicago)
251. Wrigleyside (Chicago)
252. Yakzies (Chicago)
253. The Second City (Chicago)
254. Zodiac (Chicago)
255. The Lamp Post Tavern (Chicago)
256. The Hidden Cove (Chicago)
257. Boomers (Chicago)
258. The Grafton (Chicago)
259. The Uptown Lounge (Chicago)
260. The Keg of Evanston (Evanston)
261. The Ho (Chicago)
262. Poitin Stil (Chicago)
263. Gateway Bar and Grill (Chicago)
264. Mullen's Sports Bar and Grill (Chicago)
265. The Tally-Ho (Chicago)
266. L&L (Chicago)
267. Mark II Lounge (Chicago)
268. Ricky G's (Chicago)
269. Bernie's Tavern (Chicago)
270. Jarheads (Chicago)
271. Gallaghers (Chicago)
272. My Place (Chicago)
273. The Greenery (Athens)
274. The Red Light (Chicago)
275. The Green Eye (Chicago)
276. K's Dugout (Chicago)
277. The Huettenbar (Chicago)
278. The Bitenbar (Chicago)
279. Snicker's Deli (Chicago)
280. E.P.D. (Chicago)
281. Roberston's 37 Bar (Edinburgh, Scotland)
282. Monster Mash (Edinburgh, Scotland)
283. The Blind Poet (Edinburgh, Scotland)
284. Guildford Arms (Edinburgh, Scotland)
285. Subway Nightclub (Edinburgh, Scotland)
286. The Saltire (Edinburgh, Scotland)
287. Bar with five stories [name unknown] (Edinburgh, Scotland)
288. Cask and Barrel (Edinburgh, Scotland)
289. Pivo (Edinburgh, Scotland)
290. The Black Bull (Edinburgh, Scotland)
291. Mansion Bar at the Zoo (Edinburgh, Scotland)
292. The Holiday Inn at the Zoo (Edinburgh, Scotland)
293. Three Tun Cellar (Edinburgh, Scotland)
294. Deacon Brodie's (Edinburgh, Scotland)
295. Clever Dick's (Edinburgh, Scotland)
296. World's End (Edinburgh, Scotland)
297. Dino's (Chicago)
298. Lucky Star (Chicago)
299. Candlight (Chicago)
300. Sonotheque (Chicago)
301. Maggiano's Little Italy [downtown] (Chicago)
302. Fado's (Chicago)
303. Slugger's/Dueling Piano Bar (Chicago)
304. Pint (Chicago)
305. Holiday Club on Irving Park (Chicago)
306. Nick's Uptown (Chicago)
307. Emerald Isle (Chicago)

And I realize many "names" aren't correct (or aren't even names but locations). I tried. Hell, looking over this list I compiled one day when uber-bored at work (JC Penney's@ The Brickyard back in, like, 1997), there a few that I have no recollection of who, what, where, or when on the matter. And some of the bars no longer exist.

Ever been to any of these? Comments? Memories? Updated links for me? Whoo-weee, need a drinky-poo. Start a blog-meme: Do your own list, then link to me, like this.

Sometimes it's not where you drink, but what you drink, that matters most.

I'm soooo 2003

I just got invited to join Friendster... and I did.

And what is up with the constant need to reload, refresh, and get around Error messages on this site?

Bret Easton Ellis book coming in August!

Thanks to Not An Exit, I see that you (too) can pre-order Bret Easton Ellis' latest novel Lunar Park, with a projected date of August 16th. Sweet! I feel like I'd been waiting forever since Glamorama. Like a fool, I'm going to splurge for the Hardcover ("a fool and his money...").

This is good; I don't remember the last time an event got me a little excited, touched by anticipation. I wonder how much is going to be auto-biographical, and if there are any recurring characters (i.e. Victor Ward doing a photo shoot in D.C., Patrick Bateman imagining killing Georgetown co-eds while there on business, or Paul Denton sleeping with a congressional intern. It'd be nice to Sean Bateman or Clay again).

Okay, I need to rearrange my bookshelves to make room for the new one...ha ha.