The Green Room was packed for last night’s SOB competition. It’s a nice bar but not the best venue for a dance contest. Without an actual stage, if you aren’t seated upfront, you are going to have an obstructed view. I got there early and secured what I thought was the best table in the house for watching the dancers. Then a combination of late arrivals and the GRO employees all gathered around in front of the tables. It got a little frustrating at times, but the girls at least were squatting lower so as not to obstruct the view so much.
There was a large group surrounding the table next to mine. Not sure if they were expats or tourists, but they were spending like two-week millionaires. They had a bunch of the bargirls in their company and bought multiple shots of tequila and several rounds of lady drinks for them. I know this because their “dates” used my table as a drink holder. No big deal. They also threw three or four buckets of balls (at 300 pesos each) to see the girls scrambling on the floor to gather them up (I understand they get 10 pesos for each ball they collect). The guys were drinking Red Horse, a popular local brew not served in the Green Room. At first, I thought, why is the bar allowing outside beverages? Then I realized that with the kind of dough these dudes were dropping, it was prudent to ignore. It also dawned on me that your drinks are free during the SOB, so a customer bringing in their own beer actually saves the bar money.
Anyway, it looked like they were all having fun, so who am I to complain? I kept my old man grumpiness to myself.
(the photos above are courtesy of the event host)
I also attended the Aftermath event next door at Wet Spot. That kept me up well past my bedtime–I didn’t get home until almost 10:30! But now I’ve got a pocket full of discount coupons to use up this week. We’ll see how much those discounts wind up costing me.
Saw this today, and it gave me a chuckle:
My other “big event” yesterday was the Friday group hike. Five of us turned up, and it fell on me to lead the way. I took some mostly familiar trails, including a goodly portion of My Bitch, two climbs, and 6K or so. My fellow hikers seemed to enjoy it, so there’s that.
Here are a few photos from the trek:
So, that was my yesterday. Today there will be a memorial for the recently deceased Don Bullock at IDM that I plan to attend. Not sure what else the night holds in store for me, but I’m sure I’ll have something to say about that tomorrow. Assuming I survive.
Five of us turned up, and it fell on me to lead the way.
I see 5 people in that first hike photo, not including you. So… six turned up?
The hike looks to have been nice. As for the SOB contest… does it all ever blend together and start to feel like more of the same, or is it constantly fresh every week?
Genuinely the funniest couple of opening paras I’ve read on Long Time Gone. Keep it up…
Thanks, Dan. I wasn’t even trying!
Kev, I guess I don’t count. Or can’t count. Yeah, with me, that makes six. Duh!
Yes, the SOB does tend to feel like “same old, same old” after a while. Back in the old days, I’d only attend once a month or so. I’ve been coming out weekly since they restarted the event to show my support for the bar owners. And since I’m not playing darts on Friday these days, there’s not really a better option.
wait
The drinks during the SOB are free? I thought the entry fee allowed a certain number of beers and finger food, not unlimited quantities. But someone who chooses to drink Red Horse when San mig light is available is not one to be trifled with ; especially if there’s a group of them. Red Horse leads to roid rage , and that’s my professional scientific opinion.
Kev is right about SOB being the same old same old routine. u already know who’s in the top 3. How many bars participate in SOB since its return? Fewer than 10?
Your once-a-month idea works great. If they held the SOB once a month, and spent that month advertising and practicing ,and searching for the biggest stage and bar to hold it in ,that would be great.
but I guess the point of SOB is to allow many different bars to make some good money at least once every few weeks.
As a long-time reader, I have noticed the shift in tone. It’s probably corresponds with your habits, in that you don’t spend too much arguing with people on Facebook. This used to have some political memes and putative jokes. What happened to the owning the libs section? There are some 200 Democrats in the house, 50 in Senate, some 20 something governors, and hundreds of mayors and councilors ,and countless media personalities 😳 Surely you can own a lib a each day of the year, and still have time for waffles .
on another note 📝 Condolences are in order. I just heard about the death in your neighborhood. I’m guessing that he wasn’t a close friend of yours, and still you’re attending the wake . Good man
and congratulations on your vaccinations. I guess it’s almost time to fly 🪰
Teddy, yep, you pay 700 pesos to enter, and between 6 and 8, all you can drink for no charge. Yeah, that Red Horse is powerful stuff not to be trifled with.
Seven bars currently participate in the SOB. Of those, only four are really competitive. doing shows and wearing costumes. The other bars just have three girls on stage doing their normal bar dance routine. It’s something to do on Friday night that involves drinking, so why not?
You are correct; I intentionally avoid politics for the most part. There is not much point in preaching to the choir, and nothing I can say is going to change the minds of folks with whom I disagree. I’m disgusted by what is happening back home in the USA and glad I don’t have to be there to see it up close and personal. The other day some guy at the next table in IDM was arguing about how Trump should go to jail for having classified documents. His ignorance was astounding, and I almost got up and moved to another table, so I didn’t have to hear it. The other folks he was with did a good job with the counterarguments, so I didn’t have to get involved.
I knew Don well enough to have spent some time enjoying beers and chatting with him, but other than that, not so much. Gave my condolences to his widow, who was there with their kids last night. She seems to be keeping a positive attitude, so that’s good, at least.
Yeah, I’m thinking November might be my travel month. I’ll give thanks for my freedom of movement.