Wednesday, June 11, 2008

THE HEATWAVE: EPILOGUE.

Going into work yesterday, there were several things weighing on my mind. First off, I had some serious concerns about the weather. The forecast called for record-breaking temperatures, with many meteorologists calling for temps to break the 100-degree mark. That meant that we had to worry about our A.C. unit and whether or not it would be up to the task of keeping not only the bar and its patrons comfortable and cool; but more importantly, whether or not it would keep me comfortable and cool as well.

Add to those worries, was the fact that I was doing a rare appearance behind the stick during the day, which meant that I would be on my feet all day long, which wouldn't bode well for my still-sore leg injury.

What I had to hope for was for the A.C. unit to last through the day, until the expected thunderstorms came through and break the stifling heatwave. The last thing I needed was for the system to meltdown during the day, which would have been disastrous.

Luckily for us, the system managed to hold up through the day, and even as the bar filled up for DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS, everyone was comfortable enough to enjoy their beers without having to fan their faces. By the time my shift ended, you could begin to feel the temps dropping to more comfortable levels. Disaster averted.

In the meantime, the Interns were back at it again, rolling in and flexing their intern-spending-power (or I.S.P.). Yesterday I'd mentioned how frustrating it was to have to deal with penny-pinching interns and their infrequent tipping patterns. Well, today I came across a guy who took things to a whole new level. This guy wasn't an intern; as a matter of fact, far from it. If I had to guess, he was probably in his late 40's-early 50's.

This guy would come up to me, look around at the various beers on tap, then place an order for ONE MUG OF BUD. Yes, boys and girls, ONE MUG OF BUD. While that in and of itself was no big deal, what he did afterwards really burned me up. As he would go to pay for that ONE MUG OF BUD, he'd shove a dollar bill in my hand...with a quarter wrapped around it.

Yes, boys and girls, a twenty-five cent tip.

This guy not only had the balls to shove a quarter in my hand, he did it on at least three different occasions. WTF??? Each time he did that, I'd give him a "look", then let the quarter drop onto the bar. THE MAYOR OF MURRAY HILL (who happened to be sitting nearby), got a kick out of it and laughed at me. I almost rather you didn't tip at all, than to have to accept a quarter. For some reason, accepteting a quarter as a tip, rubs me the wrong way.... Bastard.


EURO 2008 UPDATE

SPAIN showed everyone why they are a force to be reckoned with in the EURO '08 tournament, by crushing RUSSIA like a roach, 4-1. The Spaniards were buzzing all over the pitch, almost scoring at will, while the helpless Russians could do little more than keep pace and back-pedal for most of the game.

SWEDEN surprised more than a few patrons (myself included) by dispatching of the former EURO champions, GREECE, 2-0. While this match wasn't all that exciting (compared to some of the earlier matches), at least this one was much more competitive.

Now that each group has completed their first set of games, we now go back to GROUP A for game two of the three game series.

PORTUGAL vs CZECH REPUBLIC (12 noon). Both teams won their first game and now face each other with the winner almost assured a berth in the knockout round. Should be a pretty good match.

SWITZERLAND vs TURKEY (2:45). This is already a "must-win" for both teams as the loser will almost certainly be eliminated from the tournament once group stages end. This should be a tight, close-to-the-vest type of matchup and it wouldn't surprise me to see this match go to a draw.

Don't forget to catch all of the matches HERE!!!


WEDNESDAY NIGHT: "Ladies Night" tonight with $3.00 Mixed Well Drinks (for ladies), $5 Cosmos/Appletinis and $1.00 off ALL IMPORTED BEERS, all night long!


That's it for now. Got another LONG day ahead of me. Catch you later!



Nuff Said