Like a row of porcelain dolls, they stared blankly at me. Rows upon rows of people stood motionless in awkward positions in front of the bar. Neither drunk or sober, their blood was the equivalent of driving down the center of the road. I genuinely wanted to help them but they were beyond help. They … Continue reading
It was only a matter of time. The pushing and shoving was getting too intense, too personal for it to continue before it escalated to the next level. I had been watching it unfold since the beginning and years of doing the work, I knew it was a matter of when not if. If your … Continue reading
Dear Bearded Pizza Cook: I probably have nobody to blame but myself for stepping foot into your Whole Foods supermarket at Sugarhouse today. I was running errands and needed to get a quick bite to eat after buying dog food at Petco and scented candles at Bed, Bath and Beyond. For the record, I have … Continue reading
His name was Ross Taggart and he was my college roommate for almost two years. We shared a room above the garage at this crummy house in downtown Reno. Ross was working on a master’s degree and I was finishing my bachelors. He was older than me by three years and congenially molded himself into … Continue reading
Ever want to know how good sleeping till 10 am and not wetting the bed feels like? Try not drinking for a week. I took a hiatus from pounding cocktails and draining DABC beers for a week and felt…great? Well, in fairness, my sinuses were as compacted as an untreated stray dog’s backside and I … Continue reading
Funny thing happened at G. Ray Hale Fieldhouse on Tuesday. Serving at the pleasure of my editor, I went to cover West High’s last home game of the season. They were hosting the lady Lancers of Granger in basketball. I went to the game expecting a blowout. Granger handed West their lunch the first time … Continue reading
The fee for having a successful night behind the bar is found on my forearms. They should be sticky. Covered in the remnants of shaking countless cocktails and shots, my forearms with their Irish red hair catch all the flying booze and mixers that make the diesel fuel of a great night. I power through … Continue reading
Did you know that Pleasant Grove was originally called Battle Creek? The sleepy little city in Utah County was called Battle Creek to commemorate a skirmish between a band of Utes and the Mormon pioneers. There isn’t a score card for the fight but presumably the pioneers won the day because winners rename historic places. … Continue reading
Happy New Year’s, y’all. I want to wish everyone a very happy 2013. 2013. 13 is not just a great number, it is my lucky number. It’s the day in March that my father was born and one of the few squares on a roulette table that always gets a chip. It is the number … Continue reading
I am pickled. After two days of non-stop boozing pausing only to shovel cheese into my piehole, I am done. I am done eating. I am done drinking. I am done. From the homemade ginger liquor to the margaritas that temporarily gave me the power to speak fluent Portuguese to the whiskey highballs to the … Continue reading