Friday Nights

We were out last night with the Herd again. At the usual Watering Hole. We have two we generally use. Much to the chagrin of the Original. But then again the Original has asked for it.
I, along with the rest, remain in awe of how an establishment can do what they do and still remain in business.
Often the restrooms are; well they ARE, and we ladies must go request some amenities such as a little TP. The temperatures will fluctuate wildly area to area. The service unless Bar Wench is on duty will suck, frankly. Half the TVs don't work or the screens are fuzzy, the volume is skewed, the remotes are missing and they are all analogs and so will soon be obsolete anywho. The food is OK, but just OK.
And it's the only Gig in town. There's the secret to its holding power. That's what pretty much keeps it in business. That and most who go there haven't had that much experience with living in other areas of the Country that have local bars/pubs that have a family feel, etc. So they haven't anything to compare it too. Plus, sports bars have only recently begun their encroachment into the Municipalities around this place.
As the commercials go, hopefully one is coming this way soon.
For now, our 2nd spot is a bit of a drive. Which means, one of us does not get to imbibe. Fair or not, we have to err on the side of safety; ours as well as others.
2nd spot has better food, TVs, temperatures - for the most part, and cleaner restrooms. Service can be tricky, but the Staff is fun.
It's the drive that gets to you. It's out in the middle of no where. So we can take back country roads or the Interstate with - and I can say this 'cause I was raised here - rednecks on heightened top heavy trucks bouncing about lane to lane; cell phone/blackberry addicts oblivious to the happenings of life around them; teenagers who don't know what a car is about yet racing their and our lives away; and truckers who are switching lanes at any whim with loads listing like sail boats in a stormed sea.
Everybody mad at me now? And you all know it's true.
And that just takes the fun out of going out for or returning from a relaxing afternoon/evening with the Herd. Although, if I'm the DD, I tend to take the back country roads. They are narrow, but calm. More my cup of tea after chatting and laughing and visiting. It's hard to get into the mood to zoom; zoom; zoom after you've spent hours whiling away the time giggling and sitting with elbows on a table.
On the drive there.....well, if you take the Interstate, you at least have a conversation starter. You can make fun of the drivers, or blow off some stream. Our Group doesn't do the cell/blackberry thing when driving. We've helped out at too many accidents.
Chisel a child out of a van that crunched from a Mom who was chatting and you'll be cured, I promise you.
But back to the subject.
We are hoping the Original will come up to code, come into this century. Especially as gas prices climb. I know the owner has been doing a few little things. Maybe he wants to keep our business. I know, he knows, that the - ouch - older demographic has the real money to spend.
We'll continue to assess the situation, as we gather and visit and laugh. But civilization is encroaching where we live. A new shopping center has opened just a few miles away. There is hope we might have some adventurous entrepreneur will decide he wants to grab some of the bucks in this area.
If so, he might just see us stampede in and spend away our money and our time. And who knows, it could be a regular Friday night stampede. You never know with the Herd.
OnceAgain