Friday, January 13, 2006

BLOOD DRIVE UPDATE (1 day to go), and other tidbits...

In addition the blood drives that are taking place this Saturday January 14th from noon to 5:30 at Third and Long (523 3rd Ave @ 35th Street 212-447-5711) & Turtle Bay Grill and Lounge (987 2nd Ave 52nd -53rd Streets 212-223-4224), The Uniform Firefighters Association is hosting a blood drive this coming Tuesday, January 17th at their headquarters:

UNIFORM FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION
BLOOD DRIVE HONORING FIREFIGHTER MATTHEW LONG
204 E 23RD STREET 4TH FLOOR
3PM TO 8:30PM

PLEASE CALL 212-683-4723 ext 15933 to make an appointment. WALK-INS ARE ALSO WELCOME!

Please bring ID and eat before donating!

for further information about donor requirements and restrictions go to the NEW YORK BLOODCENTER website.

The weather forecast calls for RAIN tomorrow, so plan accordingly! Don't let a few raindrops stop you from doing a good deed!

LAST NIGHT was an interesting night for me in that I was working. Working at the bar instead of being at MARK MESSIER NIGHT at Madison Square Garden. Now, before I go on, let me take you back to early Summer, 2005. Tickets for New York Rangers games were due to go on sale early one Saturday morning. So yours truly, after working until about 4am the night before, instead of going to bed, went to Madison Square Garden to stand in line with the hopes of getting tickets to MARK MESSIER NIGHT. That was the only game I was interested in. JANUARY 12 vs EDMONTON. So I wait in line what seemed like an eternity, until they finally start to let people in to buy tickets at 9am. The anticipation that I felt as I inched closer toward the ticket window, my prized tickets within my grasp. THEN the unthinkable happens: As I walk to toe ticket window, credit card in hand, the ticket rep places a sign in the window indicating that the game that I wanted, MARK MESSIER NIGHT was now sold out. Imagine the crushing feeling that I had, waiting all those hours for nothing. So, not to be deterred, I put out an all-points bulletin to all of my contacts that very day to get me tickets, somehow, some way, for that game. I told everyone that they had six months to make it happen. Some people were honest about not being sure if they could come through and I was okay with that; Others, namely our beer reps, were more convincing in their tone, assuring me that it would be "no-problem". I guess it's my fault for taking that "no-problem" assurance as gospel.

Fast forward to this week. As I called around to my contacts and with each one coming up empty, I was holding out hope for my beer distributors to come through. They did say to me "no-problem" when I made the initial request. So imagine my surprise when I called to remind them of my request and the loss of memory they suddenly had of such request. "I don't recall such a request being made" one guy told me. Another guy didn't return my calls. A third guy, whom I see at the bar practically every day, all of a sudden can't be found. So needless to say, I spent MARK MESSIER NIGHT at the bar, working, instead of being at MARK MESSIER NIGHT, basking in the glow.... Shit happens, I guess. But as they say, an elephant never forgets.

The night itself went really well; we had two going away parties of sort going on at the same time. One group was celebrating the last day in NYC for a girl who was relocating to another part of the country for a new job. This group had a lot of hot chicks, which of course, is always nice. The other celebration involved one member of the W.B. MASON clan, DA MOOCH. He was celebrating his last day at the job before going to the Fire Academy on Monday to begin his quest to be a fireman. Ironically enough, my barback, MR. LIFEGUARD was also celebrating his last day at the bar, as he will be going to the Fire Academy as well. We wish both guys well and much success in their new endeavors. There was a lot of laughter, ceremonial toasts and all around good fun for all.

TONITE: After-Work Happy Hour (5pm-9pm) $3 Domestic Drafts, $5 Cosmos/Appletinis/ Margaritas. And if we are lucky, we'll have a DJ tonite too! Stop by for a quick one (or a casual one). And don't forget about the Blood Drive tomorrow!

NUFF SAID