INTERESTING WEEKEND UPDATE

It's a gorgeous Monday in NYC and I'm at the bar, recovering from a pleasantly busy weekend.  For starters, I finally got heat & hot water back in my apartment over the weekend, which pleased me immensely.  Living like a caveman for the past two weeks did not do well for my demeanor, let me tell ya.  It made me appreciate the hardship that everyone who's still suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that much more.  My bit of misery doesn't even hold a candle to what they are dealing with.

The weekend started out with a bang when the bar was invaded by a large contingent of staff from NYU Medical, looking to start the weekend out right with their own happy hour.  Within minutes they packed the place and enjoyed blowing off steam after a long week of getting themselves back in order, thanks to Hurricane Sandy.

That happy hour set the tone for the rest of the evening, as the bar staff found themselves slinging drinks at a steady pace all night long.  I can't complain about that!

Saturday was more of the same, starting with a relaxing afternoon of college football, leading into a busy evening of debauchery.

Sunday was an especially long day, starting out with a TV taping at 8am by a French Canadian film crew.  It was for a show called "Les Francs Tireurs",  which (I think) is a news magazine show.  It's always interesting to see how TV shows set up for a shoot.  This one was pretty straight-forward and the crew was in and out within a couple of hours.

That led to our usual Sunday FunDay antics, with the Sunday Brew Crew holding court in front of the bar and the DOLFANS NYC crew cheering on their team in the back.  Unfortunately for everyone involved, they had little to cheer about as the Dolphins, Jets and Giants were soundly beaten in their respective games.  Not a pretty day for the football fans.

As busy as the day was, all of the strangeness took place in the evening.  For starters, we ended up tossing out a drunk Patriots fan.  He kept harassing fellow patrons until it got to the point where either he got tossed or he would have gotten beaten up.  So.. see ya!

Then later in the evening, this elderly gentleman came into the bar, sat at the corner and ordered a pint of Bud.  Seemed harmless enough... until he struck up a conversation with members of "The Corner" and decided to go "Archie Bunker" on them, sharing his "Good Ol' Boy" views on the world, to the point where he ended up annoying and upsetting the group.  Let's just say political views in a bar usually doesn't go over well.  See ya!

So overall, it was a busy and fun weekend.  This week promises to be more of the same.  And then in just over a week, it's already Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season!  Where did the time go?  Wow.

AND FINALLY: My update wouldn't be complete without my weekly rant about the NHL Lockout:

To the NHL & NHLPA: It's going on 8 weeks since the lockout (give or take a day) and you still haven't found the resolve to settle your differences and get back on the ice.  You've found a way to sacrifice games, including the Winter Classic.  The All-Star Game is probably a lost cause at this point.  You've already alienated the majority of your fan base, hurt businesses (both large and small) that depend on your on-ice product, made life difficult for individuals who earn a living working at the arenas, bars & restaurants.  And incredibly enough, you are about to shoot yourself in the foot yet again by not being up and running in time for November 23rd, better known as BLACK FRIDAY.  The day where everyone shop-til-they-drop for Christmas.  Do you think hockey fans will be thinking about spending hard earned money on NHL-related product when you aren't even on the ice?  Each day you spend sniping at one another and not trying to fix your situation, is a day that you become more and more irrelevant.  And as much as it pains me to say it (being a hardcore fan), that is the last thing you can afford to do.

C'mon boys.  From a guy who wants to see the sport succeed, get your act together and make a deal.

TONIGHT: STEELERS vs CHIEFS highlight "Monday Night Madness", where you can watch the game and enjoy 2-for-1 Wine by the Glass or $2 domestic drafts ALL NIGHT LONG!  And for you NCAA hoops fans, the annual Tip-Off Marathon (24 straight hours of LIVE college basketball) starts at midnight!


Cheers!