NEWS: Life Beyond the Bar Scene: 63 Hours

CULTURE: Life Beyond the Bar Scene: 63 Hours

by Laurelin



I enter this week with a heavy heart. Usually I have something to look forward to, some great event that with the passing of each shift at work I can say that I’m one day closer to. I enter this week with a heavy heart because I have no one, no increased heartbeat when my cell phone lights up on the end of the bar because it might be him. There is no him. I enter this week with a heavy heart because when I look ahead I see only the same thing day after day; I see only what I feel the majority of the world sees: plain and boring monotony. My heart is heavy, and it’s crushing me.

This week is my chance to shine at work. With my boss on vacation for one week I am the next in line, so this building and everyone in it is mine to run. My walls, my liquor, my beer taps and kegs, my neon lights and my whole staff. Seven straight days of bartending to make sure nothing goes wrong, to make sure this place looks better than when it was left this past Monday. But with no days off to look forward to I can’t help but feel like I’m in a war zone. No Boston waterfront for the fourth of July, no sunshine in my face at the beach, my tan lines fade and my eyes lose their spark as I adjust to sixty-three hours indoors. Even breathing becomes boring.

I fight the sinking realization that this means for one week I am left alone with my own head, my own abilities or inabilities. I have no time to drink with friends until it’s all numb, until I can only laugh about everything that right now seems so overwhelming. I have only time to wonder if I am really upset about working so much, or if I am upset about being able to drink too little. I know it’s only one week; after this weekend my schedule is back to normal, but for some reason the days seep by slowly like spilled molasses.

To make a change one must desire change and create change. I desire change. I also desire sunshine. I desire men, and I desire sangria. Instead, this week, I get sixty-three hours. This week I get discipline, ruling others, and myself. This week I bitch slap my liver and other neglected body parts so they don’t fall into misuse. This week, it will take everything in me not to fade to dust…


***

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per usual great article, but more importantly wicked awesome photo.

How is this "life beyond the bar scene?"

Hey FreakPirate! It's your favorite item, a Cosmo column.

This bar needs bacon.

I don't presume to know what the majority of the world sees or feels. Not sure why you seem convinced you know otherwise.

Not sure what your monotony-breaker is meant to be either. A new crush/boy-toy every few weeks?

You could stop writing these articles and just submit This Week's Moody Myspace Photo, reflecting whatever your latest state of mind is. At least there'd be some visual stimulation.

God forbid you have to treat a job like a real fucking adult for a whole week. You have all of my sympathy.

+1

+2

Oh, christ, you'll be fine. Calm down.

Otoki, I'm under the impression that Laurelin isn't being strictly autobiographical in this series- there seems to be a fair amount of license taken for the sake of melodrama. Laurelin, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here. If it's true, then it's even more of a shame that the articles aren't better since there's a much wider scope to start with.

I wonder why SG chooses to use their brand and site to promote (and probably pay for) articles like this and the other one that portray young women as drunken, easy, directionless party girls who are largely incapable of making good decisions. To do so seems directly counter to the longstanding message of the brand.

Golf clap.
Thanks for saying it in a way I couldn't.
These are not images of strong women......at all.

THIS

Yup.

I really, really, really hope that SG is not paying for this.
Seriously.
I hope it is just free content for them.

The only redeeming feature I can see here is I don't think any money is changing hands for this. That's about it, though.

first world problems

Exactly. These articles are hugely disappointing. With such a vast pool of members to draw from, why are these the women penning articles for the Lifestyles boards? There are interesting, intelligent, funny women who I'm sure would love to write a piece for SG. There are members who are professional writers, members with an actual viewpoint! Why must the site settle on these trite, aimless pieces?

Everyone gets to have a self loathing feel sorry for me post, though this seems more blog worthy than news worthy.