A Certain Type of Bar

After I am done with my particular brand of labor for the day, I engage in the popular and ancient tradition of the after-work beer. Many things go into the selection of "My Bar." Location is important, and mine is a 1-minute walk down the block from the shop where I work. Friendliness is paramount, so I know the names and basic stories for all of my bartenders. Selection, best taps in town, no lie.

It is a special brand of therapy, the after-work beer, taking frustration, time-endowed form, and depression and easing it through the respected act of drinking. As the cold libations sink into us, we engage in rigorous fellowship with our fellow man. The bar is a social center, a place to catch up, get the news, and enjoy your community. The unnamed force that opens our wallets and gullets to over-priced beer and liquor must be that of ancient potency, as it is as regular as a clock. Many drag themselves to church once a week out of duty but happily stroll into their favorite pub, drafthouse, brewery, lounge, club, restaurant, cafe, or old-fashioned salon and consume the blood of alcohol and the body of pub mix.

To be seen and to see we move in droves to the establishment meant only for socializing but lubricated with brilliant potions, brews, and concoctions. Favors, given and returned, move effortlessly among the acquaintances and contemporaries. Jokes, bawdy and cheesy, mingle with the smoke and dim light, a more than appropriate biome for the tired and disenfranchised. Glances, nervous and suggestive, creep around and tie invisible strands between compatible people. Anthropologically significant is the bar, but fleeting is the drink. This place is a garden in need of tending. A dedicated hand will pull blooms from the verdant soil and fruit from the brick-patterned vines.