Whaddya Mean?!? The GAMES are my friends...

This being my first round table topic, I really thought long and hard about what I was going to write. I went through several different approaches to the theme, and finally had to admit to myself that all the planning in the world wasn't going to make this blog worth a damn. So, as always, let the ramblings begin!!!

Not to sound anti-social, but for as long as I can remember, I have counted my games as my friends. Don't get me wrong, my Mom didn't have to pay the kids $10 to come over and play basketball or ride bikes with me. But there were times when I really just looked forward to sitting at home and playing Yar's Revenge for hours on end. I was comfortable. I wasn't self conscious about being the tallest, skinniest kid in class. I was Yar, dammit.

As I have gotten older, and games have gotten more sophisticated, there are more and more characters in games that I feel I have gotten to know. Over the years, I feel I know Snake from the Metal Gear Series, or Master Chief from Halo, so on and so forth. But it's still the game that I feel the connection to. Even at the heaviest of my World of Warcrack addiction, I still looked at all the NPC's as nothing more than what they were, constructs in a game. Am I the only one who feels this?

I think this may be because of the line of work I do. As a bartender, I am social for a living. And my friends come up to where I work to have a good time. There are times when the last thing I want to do is interact with another human. That is normally when I am warming up the 360, or booting up my laptop.

Before you go locking your doors, I am not always playing FPS's. I spend most of my time playing RPG's. I know, if I don't want to interact with anyone else, why play an RPG? Like I said before, I am deeply aware that the NPC's are just that, and I am not truly interacting with anything other than AI, (which is smarter than some of my real friends,) or, if there is some online interaction, it is by MY choosing, at my pace. Most of my friends I play with online are people I either know in the real world, or people I have met through various forums and gotten along well with. I very seldom play random people online. I have to be either really bored, or have been a shut-in for a month.

That being said, I must say that I love my friends dearly. I have been very lucky to have made a few wonderful friends who have been with me through quite a lot. But, there always comes a time when I hear the call of my oldest friend, the one that's been with me through high school breakups, my parents splitting up, rejection at band auditions, and the like. Doesn't matter which console, or on my PC, but to me, the simple act of gaming is my friend. Or as close as something with no arms and legs can be. Because remember, friends help you move, but real friends help you move dead bodies.

Thanks for staying awake this long. I know I nodded off twice. Oh, and my Mom called. She only had to pay the other kids five bucks a piece. Told you I wasn't a social reject...

The Weekend Update

What a weekend it has been. The band had gigs booked both Friday and Saturday nights, and to be honest, I am worn out. The Friday gig was a new venue for us, a little bar in Old Town Petersburg called The Cockade City Grill. One of the guys I work at my bar with used to book bands for them, and got us the gig. He called in a few favors, and had two guys show up that book for either another club, or the big summer festivals in Petersburg, and both were very happy with the show we put on. We should be getting a few dates with the other club this week, and we will hopefully be hearing back from the festival guy sometime in the near future.

Saturday night was at home, and it was our photograper's birthday. Since we have gotten into the habit of doing theme nights when we play at Rock Falls, we did 80's night in honor of Kyanne ( she was born in 1980... I feel ancient.) The turnout was great, and so many more people dressed up then the other theme nights. I hope this is a sign that this theme thing is catching on.

I guess you could really tell every member of the band's roots on Saturday. Everyone in the band was dressed like they just got back from a Ratt concert, except for me. I looked more like an extra from Pretty in Pink. But a good night was had by all, and we broke sales records for the bar. As a matter of fact, Will told me he found out that we broke the Cockade's record on Friday night as well.

No Open Mic Night tonight, thank goodness. I am tired, and don't think I have it in me to play yet another night. That said, I think I am going to spend some quality time with my 360.

Update...and on music therapy

Okay, now that things have settled down a wee bit, I have come to the conclusion that it is indeed time for me to be the hell out of the bar business. For the time being, probably out of customer service all together. Maybe do something construction related over the summer, and see how I feel after that. But the two week notice is NOT going in until after I have something else lined up. I have this thing about being jobless. I get really hungry, and I don't like not having the eating option available to me whenever I want it. So for now, that is where I stand. I would like to be out of there by May, but we will see how it goes...

On to Music therapy. Sunday nights are Open Mic Nights at the bar. Yes, I know...my night off and I go to the bar to play music. Well, I was part of the house band before I was ever a bartender. How do you think I got the gig? That's right, playing music up there every week. Anyhow, our drummer Craig, is simply put, the best drummer I have ever had the pleasure of being onstage with. Just to give you a rough idea of the calibur I am talking about, he was Carter Beaufort's student for many years. Carter Beaufort of Dave Matthew's fame. The guy is SICK. Anyhow, most of the fare at this open mic is blues. For a bass player like myself, it becomes a challenge just to stay awake. I love blues, don't get me wrong. But it is not always the most exciting genre for the bass player. Unless you have a good drummer you can feed off of. And Craig and I were in the zone last night. Throwing in weird turnarounds, taking a reggeae break in the middle of two guitar players mutually masturbating themselves during Voodo Chile and things like that. I haven't had that much fun at an Open mic night in years. I can't wait for the next one...

Anyhow, Nothing more to really update on. I have only been up a short while, so I have not yet started poking about the interwebs to see what I want to rant about today. Let me make some coffee, and get to reading. I am sure there will be something that pisses me off out there...

Last night's special....my ass on a platter.

It seems I may have been a bit hasty in introducing myself as a bartender. Last night was absolutely horrible. There is no way to put it other than to say I got my ass handed to me for about 4 solid hours with no reliable back up to be had. I have been after management again and again about coverage for the worst case scenario, but again, I was looking down the barrel of a Saturday night with a girl who was literally on her third night there.

Crystal (the new girl,) rocked, by the way. But, with it only being her third night, there were the inevitable questions she needed answered, and I was too busy making drinks to answer them.

Anyhow, I am very tempted to put in my two week notice. After a few months of trying to get this resolved, I can't do it anymore. I think it might be time to get out of the bar business all together. Yeah, the money is good, but I think my sanity is worth more.

Well, I'm beat. And instead of sleeping in my chair for another couple of hours, I am going to actually go to bed. I'll let you know what my decision is after I cool down.

The Opening Line...

Hey, I am Billy, a 35 year old bartender from Richmond Va. I am divorced, and have a 12 year old son. My ex and I have been split up since before our son was a year old. In addition to bartending and being a father, I also play in a band, The Wrecking Krewe.

I grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia, which is a suburb of Richmond. After graduating from Manchester High in 1988, I attended Virginia Commonwealth University for a single semester, then dropped out and pursued a life of pool hustling and card sharking. After meeting my (ex)wife, I gave up my life of "crime," joined the Navy, and had my entire outlook on life changed. In the Navy, I lost my marriage, found Buddhism, and learned that drinking could indeed be considered an Olympic sport. Oh, and learned to swear in seven different languages.

I left the Navy in 1998, and have been kinda going with the flow ever since. I find my less structured life to be more satisfying than the disciplined lifestyle the Navy presented me with. I have been bartending for a little over 5 years now, and although I first loved the job, now it is a means to an end. But, the money is good, so I continue to stay the course.

Presently I am in the first month of a six month vow of celibacy. I am trying to get my head back on straight after a recent breakup, and I am sure that will be the topic of this blog in the times to come. Anyone who might stumble upon this, I apologize now. This blog will be used more as a personal tool than public statement, but I am keeping it open to the public just because I am a glutton for punishment.

With that said, time to start getting ready for work...