Filling the hours…

…however comfortably and well.

It only hurts until the pain goes away.

A full day yesterday. The Wednesday Walkers morning hike was a mostly pleasant excursion. We did the Monday Hash trail in reverse, including most of the parts we had skipped as “sane” Hashers. As is my custom, I’ll share photos from the hike at the end of this post.

Our dart league match against the VFW team was a wipeout–13-0. And yes, we were on the winning side of that equation.

After darts, I hoofed it over to the other side of town to check out John Kim’s new place. Other than an inconvenient (for me) location, it is definitely an upgrade from his old location at The Pub.

It is now known as “John’s Sushi and Steakhouse”. The restaurant is on the second floor, the bar area is on the third floor.
Owner John Kim in front of the sushi bar…
The second-floor restaurant…
The upstairs bar area.
I had a Philly cheesesteak and fries for my dinner.
My view out front…
...and out back.

Good luck to John in his new venue. I probably won’t be a frequent visitor to this side of town, but then again, the food and ambiance make it worth the trip.

After leaving John’s place, I crossed the street and paid a visit to my old friends at The Hideaway bar. I hadn’t been here for months since I was making an effort to be a good boyfriend, but now that I’m “free” I may as well start acting like it again. Some more beers and lady drinks and a belated birthday gift (cash) for Joy. They seemed happy to see me again. Or at least my wallet.

I wasn’t done yet though. I marched myself up the highway and dropped into It Doesn’t Matter. Damn, I’d never seen the place so crowded, a waitress brought a stool from inside so I’d have a place to sit. My favorite, Roan, wasn’t working, so I settled for the company of Agnes. She’s nice too, just not as witty and engaging as Roan. A couple of beers and I was ready to move on.

The next stop was BarCelona. There I enjoyed the company of my waitress, Kira.

She has an intriguing look about her, don’t you think?

Not that it matters. I know listening to my banter in exchange for lady drinks is just her job. Some are better at it than others, and Kira is fun to engage with. I have no illusions or any real interest in trying to make it more than it is. I have no reason to believe she feels otherwise either. That’s the whole emptiness and meaninglessness about the bar life I’ve mentioned before. Why bother at all? Well, none of them have the power to cause me emotional pain, and sometimes it’s simply better than drinking alone.

I always go home alone though. And after nearly 8 hours straight of beer drinking, I was definitely feeling no pain. That’s the problem with dart league, the early start throws me off schedule. Oh well, at least it is only once a week.

Pictures from the hike:

If it looks familiar, it’s because that’s Monday’s Hash hike. We just did it backward.
This week’s Wednesday Walkers.
Leaving Alta Vista.
Off the pavement…
…and onto the beaten path.
One of several moderate climbs.
The grassy knoll.
Near the top of another climb.
A garden fence.
Marching onward and upward.
Through the woods.
A gathering of like-minded individuals.
Look out below!
We got this.
Ups and downs, downs and ups.
Some womenfolk who knew Scott by name. Friends of his gal I suspect.
A little inconvenient to get to, but I reckon the rent is reasonable.
Follow me!
Friendly locals.
Happy kiddies.
Watching and waiting.
Heading on home.
For you Easter mountain addicts.

And that was my whacked and drunken Wednesday. Now I’m off to the dentist. Livin’ large and waiting for the next big thing to come along and slap me upside of the head. Stick around!

7 thoughts on “Filling the hours…

  1. As long as the views remain lovely, I’ll keep a-comin’ back.

    So John Kim moved, yes? It’s not that he opened a second place? I’m guessing he moved based on “an upgrade from his old location at The Pub.” That sounds a bit more like a full-on move than the mere opening of a new branch, but the wording could be interpreted either way. Gotta say, though… his sushi bar doesn’t really look like a sushi bar. I guess what counts, though, is whether the food tastes good. He has a reputation for quality, which is reassuring… but is he a trained sushi chef? Or has he hired a trained sushi chef?

  2. Yes, the lease at The Pub location ran out, so he upped and moved the entire operation over the weekend. I had always disliked the ambiguity at the old location between whether it was a restaurant or bar. I’d go in to eat sometimes and there was a pool tournament going on and nowhere to sit. Those days are over now.

    That’s really a sushi kitchen I suppose. But yes, he hired a real sushi chef. I’m not a big sushi guy but I’m told by others that it is top-notch.

  3. Hello John,

    Long time reader/fan/lurker,

    Maybe you are looking at your situation wrong. I would challenge you to take some personal “me” time and identify what is going to make you internally happy without any external factors.

    Sometimes, I have to take a step back and look at things for what they are. It is too easy to be absorbed into the illusion of life.

    I will always remember my Bar Hopping days in Itaewon with the “Walrus”

    Stay funny and classy

    Nate

  4. New place looks nice, except for having stools as the seats at a table. At a sit down restaurant, I like to have a back to my chair. Sitting at a bar is a different story.

    To each his own I guess. LOL

  5. Thanks, Nate. Good to hear from you! Yeah, good advice. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in the drama you forget to check in with reality. I’m going to try and remember that I have the power to be happy, it doesn’t come from someone else. Wish we could pull up a stool in Shenanigans and talk it over.

    Brian, hadn’t noticed the stools instead of chairs in the restaurant. Looking again, I see there are some chairs with backs at the window counter. That’s where I’d sit anyway to enjoy the view!

  6. “She has an intriguing look about her, don’t you think” Yes, if by intriguing you mean scary. She’s not ugly nor drop-dead gorgeous but I find her look scary. Scary, like i wake up in the middle-of-the-night to find out she has a strap-on ON and is about to enter my No Man’s Land. I’m sure she’s a fine Lass and I know you can’t judge a book by its cover BUT you did ask McCrarey. CumInMyBasement is a different story. Angelic look, Angelic Body. If I found out she’s having your kid McCrarey, I shall Unsubscribe. Peace Out!

  7. Soju, that’s a scary take on the picture for sure. I then I had a thought “what if it isn’t a strap-on?” Ouch! Rest assured, I can father no more children. It is still fun to try though!

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