St. Patty Has Left the Building

You know how for a few years there St. Patty's day really kicked ass? It was the holiday of the year that you could have an excuse to celebrate - nothing. At least for most of us anyway that was the case. It was sort of fun to wear green, drink beer, and have a day to just be a holiday for no reason.

What's with all the past tense you ask? After last night I realized that's all gone away. I went to a local "Irish" bar and was absolutely bummed. First, I was charged 10 bucks to get in this bar. The band was a flute with a few other instruments playing Irish music. They took more breaks than they did songs. Then, where the ATM used to be so suckers like me could get cash out to pay the stupid cover, were four bolts sticking out of the floor. After that, I was forced to go to the over-crowded bar, and wait 20 minutes to pay 5 dollars for a dixie cup of Guinness. Arrrgh. As I was waiting I looked around at all the jackasses in the place wearing green hats, green leis, green shoes, wifebeaters, watches, jewelry, sunglasses, green everything. After the 20 minute wait for my Guiness in a dixie cup, I went back to the table where our group was sitting. My wife still hadn't even gotten her beers from our server by the time I got back from the search for 10 dollars in cash from the bar. When the server did come by about five minutes later she brought her the wrong beer. Then she went back and got the right beer, but she brought two of them out at once - and no that was not to make up for the long wait and incorrect order.

Long story short, after all that crap, the server put two beers we don't even drink on our tab, then argued there was no way she could have made a mistake. After a smart-ass comment about one of the girls at our table only leaving her a dollar tip, I asked to speak to the manager. In the end everything was resolved, but I was left with a negative impression of a holiday I used to love.

I heard a friend say St. Patty's day has become amateur night for beer drinking. I think I'm beginning to agree. It seems it's become amateur night for service too.