Off to work...

Back on Monday...

Weekend Quandary

WTF is happening this weekend? Here it is football season, week 2 and the Vols aren't scheduled for a game. Not that we need to get into a football discussion, but usually my weekends are mapped out from September - December watching the games. Sure I'll watch some other games and the US Open wrap up, but I need some other activity to coincide with my alcohol intake.

Let's take a look at some options:

Movies on the Town - Babe, The Gallant Pig. A family outing suitable for the kids! I don't think so. Not only because there won't be alcohol of any kind, but also because I don't feel like stepping around 100 piles of dog shit.

TN Valley Fair - another pass. I used to like the fair when I was 10 or so but can't think of the last time I've been to one. Do they sell beer at the concerts? I think the only concert this weekend will be the Village People, playing tonight. I've heard some people talking about going to see Loverboy but I will not be joining them. If I want to see overweight, past-their-prime, balding singers I'll look in the mirror and sing.

Lord von Lord birthday drinks - this is something I can wrap my liver around. I don't know what day exactly, but 'round here we usually take a week or so to celebrate these things. It's easier to share a drink with a buddy (or have one bought for you) if you extend the time period. Not that things will be much different than usual, except this one time a year we un-clinch our tight fists and purchase a drink for the honoree.

So not too much going on. This sounds like a great weekend to check out some bars I haven't been to in a while, or some new ones. It helps to move around and stay familiar with the bartenders around town just in case you get 86'd from your local, or you embarrass yourself so bad you can't show your face for a while. Plus there are about 10 bar reviews I've had on hold that need to be posted here, so maybe this weekend I can get some fresh perspectives and knock a few of them out.

Drink up beetches!!

Thursday Hangover

Man do I love holiday weekends. Not only do you get that extra day off work, but when you return you have a shortened work week. Of course there is the possibility of extra work that you have to catch up on since you were out a day (or more) so you have to weigh your particular situation. In my case, missing 3 days of work caused a considerable amount of extra work to do this week, which naturally sucks. Enough bitching though.

Looking back over the past few days there were some ups and downs. The biggest disappointment occurred when my beloved keg of IPA went dry at the start of the holiday weekend (not some upset loss on Monday night). Luckily the next best thing was available as backup: growlers of IPA. One of the pluses of hanging around drunks with similar tastes is that you're never too far away from that next favorite beer.

Thanks to Tag Berauscht and King Randall the Insufferable for supplying the beer on Monday. Though we lost the game, it was a good time and booze always helps soften the aches of defeat. Plus we almost had a full house of all the authors, with Scarlett O'Harlot away in Las Vegas probably trying to score a full house at the tables, or more likely black jack.

Lord von Lord already covered our visit to the Southern Graces Skybox. It has lots of potential to establish itself as a trendy, hip lounge if enough people are willing to pay higher prices for the view and unique location. The name could be better, and I agree with the readers who suggested "1982" a few weeks ago. Expect more updates from the authors.

And tonight is the glorious return of live, for-real, regular season, mutha-effin', NFL football. I'm fired up and will be in front of the TV salivating like a hyena over a fresh wildebeest carcass. One of the best sports blogs in the country, Kissing Suzy Kolber, sums it up best here. These guys cover and explain the NFL the way you wish you could see it on TV - not for the timid or PC.

So I'll have my booze, beer and snacks ready to go tonight at 7:00 PM. The only drawback is that it is on at about the same time as the US Open match of Andy Roddick vs. Novak Djokovic in the QFs. Most of you may sneer at the comparison of a tennis match vs. NFL football, but this is the final grand slam event of the year and actually a really good matchup. Still don't care? Think tennis if full of pansy-boys? Well take a look at this muscle...

Yeaaah! Andy Murray of Scotland will whup that ass if you think so. He is serious. And tough. Look at that scruffy beard!! Take a good look, 'cause he's about to lose to Rafa Nadal in tomorrow night's semi-final match.

Drink up!!

Bar Review: Southern Graces Skybox

Not long ago, Mackey regaled us with his prescient skills and foretold the good news that the Sunsphere would be pushing booze. He has that ability apparently when it is booze related. He is Beeradamus. Anyway, the setting:

Last week we took the long elevator ride up to the bar. First one must be patient and take the elevator on the right...Number One. This will only happen after Number Two answers the call five times in a row. At least. By the time you get to the 4th floor you will have found yourself thirsty, needing to take a whiz, and utterly spent of small talk for the ride up. Feh.

ELEVATOR FLIES OPEN

Well, first off you see the bar itself. The best piece in the joint actually. All the little things in the area seem to be well decorated and crisp. The bar looks out over the Fort, and you can really see quite a ways up to the ridge. Same with the other side of downtown and south Knoxville. It's quite bright...swinging back over to The Compound, and UT...the Hill and Stadium are prominent.

It's really dark in here. Like makeout dark. Most folks are trying and failing miserably at any suitable pictures...yours truly no exception.

Some things were curious though. The service is still badly working out the kinks. The cocktail tables to the left of the bar are high tops, and when boozing you get a righteous case of vertigo if you aren't ready for it. That does fade though, and one gets use to the dark surroundings in a hurry to really appreciate the view.

It ain't cheap...no draft beers, wine and liquor are encouraged. I have no problem with either. Especially the latter.

I hope this enterprise can make it...given the logistic concerns, crowd management might be a problem. Then again, I can think of worse issues. Get your ass up there soon, in any case.

NFL in 2 Days!!

Looking ahead to Thursday when we'll have a real season of football to follow. Let's try to forget we're coming off a holiday weekend - a weekend that also featured college football 5 straight days from Thursday to Monday. That's some serious drinking time, but it all amounts to crap when your team lets you down right before you have to return to work the next day. No amount of booze can change a loss to a win, but it can help you forget at least for a while.

Next time I may skip all the fancy snacks and just stick with the booze...

5 Day Weekend

Man this is awesome. Slept in today for the first time in a loooong time and I feel better already. I had some vacation time accumulated that I needed to use so I thought why not make it an extended holiday weekend. Not that I have a single plan to do anything special, but I do plan on watching a shitload of college football and the U.S. Open on my kick-ass TV. And drinking. Of course drinking! I just hope my keg holds up through the weekend, we'll see. I may have to add a bottle of fine bourbon (or more) for the occasion.

So I noticed the SEC will be featured heavily on TV all weekend. I think we have South Carolina and Vanderbilt playing tonight, none on Friday, the regular Saturday lineup, then Kentucky on Sunday and the Vols play prime time Monday night. Awesome!

Amongst all the sport viewing on the telly there are some social circles I plan to visit. A friend of the authors (and longtime bartender at a favorite spot) is moving out of town with his pregnant girlfriend and I plan to attend their sendoff party on Friday night. Plus another close friend just had a new baby this week and they are having people over to visit throughout the weekend so I want to drop by there at some point. What's with all the baby mess?

Not to forget Boomsday, everybody and their aunt loves some Boomsday fireworks!! I won't be attending the street party but may take in the fireworks display if I'm upright and sober enough. Should be a great 5 days of fun if I don't kill my liver or get sensory overload with all the sports. Shit, I almost forgot - I'm supposed to check out the Sunsphere Skybox, or whatever the hell they call it. Damn, I've got to get busy. We'll see if I can recall any of it next week...

Lake Haiku

Typically Labor Day weekend begins a crucible for yours truly. Signifies the end of the summer boating season and heralds the coming juggernaut of football season. In addition, I begin my birthday gauntlet...which gets depraved like ancient Roman times.

So, as one final tribute to the water I resurrect this old number:

On the lake by noon,

Smell of whiskey in the air,

Vomiting by four