I believe in freedom of speech. Drinking, of course, promotes this freedom. After way too many years staring at bad TV most evenings, I was ripe for the seduction. There is a whole scene out there that captivated me. I’m not talking table service of Veuve and pounding music, more like can you scoot down a stool and make some room please. I have become a bar dweller. Not in a bad way, in the best way. Who knew? There is a rather large contingent of people who eat at bars. Not just when waiting for a table, or unable to get one, but by choice. At first I was baffled by this. It’s crowded. You cannot peruse the whole restaurant. But service is immediate, bar tenders know you and what you drink, and there are many around town regulars. Doctors and lawyers and Indian chiefs, oh my. They are nice! They are sociable! They may or may not have watched the same bad TV that I did, but dinner is always an experience beyond the food. Not always a good one, perhaps, but always a story to rehash. Last evening, while juggling the whole bar around to accommodate me and my I Don’t Know What To Call Him, I couldn’t help hearing the people next to us. A younger woman introduced herself to a much older Boomlennial type (who needed a bit more upkeep in my snarky opinion), and her husband. I learned. There aren’t a lot of secrets in small bars with loud talkers. Raggedy Boomlennial immediately started going on about surgeries and pains etcetcetc. I wasn’t really listening because my I Don’t Know What to Call Him #checkpreviousblogue, were catching up on our oh-so-fascinating day. I was irritated that Raggedy was giving Boomlennials a bad reputation for being old. Say not! Young one started texting a bit and nodding and aheming and I figured wanted out of the monologue. But soon young ones man showed up and they were all talking and laughing and enjoying the evening. Love that bar scene! There are singles and travelers, but I would say that mainly it’s a contingent of like-minded people enjoying their freedom of speech and a healthy detachment from staring at a screen. I suppose not everyone sees the allure of this lifestyle, thank goodness. It’s like when I told everyone how great my doctor was and then could never get an appointment because she was always booked. Dinner at bars is bad. Very bad.