Thursday, August 4, 2005

DISASTER AVERTED....whew!

Last night was supposed to be a nice, cool evening with IPOD NIGHT taking place, as well as a party for a group of triathalon participants who recently completed the Lake Placid Triathalon. I arrived at the bar at around 5:30pm to help prepare for the evening when I noticed that something wasn't right. There were the usual cast of characters hanging out at the bar as well as a group of young ladies congregated near the back of the bar. The air had a heavy feel to it, and once I sensed that, I immediately went to the thermostat to check on the A/C.. The temp reading was 80 degrees and I went into panic mode. I asked the bartender if he noticed anything different with the A/C and he mentioned that it did seem to get a bit warmer. I went to inpsect the unit and my worst fears were realized: the A/C stopped working! I frantically tried to fiddle with the controls and with the unit itself (like I knew what the hell I was doing), hoping and praying that it was a momentary lapse and that the unit would kick in. All I could think about was the groups of people expected at the bar and them having to endure a hot and sticky bar. I made several calls to various people but when it was all said and done, we were screwed. No A/C for the evening.

That being said, as the saying goes: THE SHOW MUST GO ON. So I ran to my apt, changed into something lighter and loose-fitting and jumped into the fray of the evening. You always have to be prepared for the unexpected; it's just the nature of the bar business. We had a few groups show up for the festivities and I have to say, I give these people credit for hanging out as long as they did. We did all we could to make the place as comfortable as possible; opening all the windows, bringing up fans, giving out extra water, etc. stop short of waving a large fan in the faces of the customers.

ANGRY BLACK met a bunch of people there for his birthday and they stuck it out for an hour or so before moving on. I apologized for the inconvenience and he was cool about it (surprisingly calm, actually). The Triathalon party really surprised me in that not only did they stuck around and endured the stifling heat, a few of them actually closed the bar at the end of the night!

Speaking of the Triathalon Party, one of the participants qualified for the famous Ironman Triathalon in Hawaii and he was singled out by the rest of the party for a job well done. He was also presented with a couple of rather interesting "gifts" by the crew. Who else but loved ones would make you dress like this? Definately good natured fun, albeit in a slightly bizzare way. So even with all of the glitches that took place, most of the people had a good time.

I am happy to announce that the A/C is back up and running and the bar is feeling cool and crisp! And not a moment too soon as today feels worse than yesterday. Tonite is NURSES/FDNY NIGHT at the bar. Something for everyone tonite: For the females, scores of FDNY are scheduled to be in attendance if you are into the uniform thing, while for the males, there should be quite a few ladies on hand as well; don't think you have to defer to the FDNY boys to get your groove on. There will be $4 Coronas, Michelob Lights, Sangria and Margaritas on tap all night- and don't forget to say hi to SEXYBLONDE and H.B.E. behind the bar; All this adds up to an evening of fun and of course, good stories i'm sure!

I'll be back to update everyone on tonite's festivities, so until then....stay cool!

NUFF SAID