Party Protocol

Beer in the morning, beer in the evening, beer at suppertime.

Saturday night, we met up with Shawn (from the Sausage Chronicles) and Chrystyna, the publisher of Cigar Lifestyles Magazine at the Toronado to have a first beer before heading out to a party at Marcus’ place. Boy damn, it was hot… so we stuck with light German beers (I had a Pilsner and Janet had a Hefeweisen).

So, we head out to the party… and it was a blast! It was a lounge party, so velour and fedoras were everywhere… as well as the ubiquitous Cosmopolitans. Would I ever order a Cosmopolitan at a bar or restaurant? No. But, when you’re at a party, you tend to order a “Whatever’s in the shaker” Cosmos were in the shaker, and that’s what we had.

So, 12:30 rolls around… and Janet and I turn into pumpkins because we had to get up early this (Sunday) morning… so we grabbed a cab and bailed.
However, no night would be complete with out a final visit to the Toronado to see how everything was going, and to have a final beer… so we made a quick stop off to the Toronado to have a final round. My last beer was the new Lagunitas Ipanator… one of the best beers that I have had in the last year or so.

I feel sorry for those people who don’t establish themselves as regulars at a local bar. There’s a great pleasure that I get when I head into the Toronado and see the same faces, the same bartenders… the fact that there’s a group of people that you recognize and that they recognize you back. The fact that you are part of a community, bound by your enjoyment of a specific place… the commonality of enjoying TV over a beer with a group of people that you never talk to… never see outside of the bar, but become your family for a few hours a week. That’s the pleasure of being a barfly.