The Things We Do For Our Kids

Thursday night, I was at the bar. Again. I've been to more bars in the last year than I ever went to during my youth. And I'm going to the bar for my children.

Last spring, Kristen's volleyball team had a fund raiser at "The Bicycle Club." While the athletes themselves were all too young to go to a bar, the parents had the opportunity to sell tickets to a "Bud, Spud and Steak" dinner. So, I invited 10 or more friends (actually, they were almost all family and we forced the 18 year old nephew to come too). I was so unsure of how to act at the bar, I had to ask Frank how to order a glass of wine. I know, I'm a cheap date. One glass of wine. It was fun because I was with a group of people that I liked to be with and most of us hadn't been to the bar in years.

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself at Coyotes, a bar in the south end of town. I, along with Wes and about 100 people who were young enough to be my children were there to cheer "our" band, Focus, in the "Battle of the Bands" competition. Did I feel out of place! If you ever want to experience feeling old, frumpy and totally out of your element, I suggest you go to a place like Coyotes. While I am not the kind of woman who has go to the washroom with someone else, I had to ask Jae to accompany me. I was afraid I would embarrass myself as I made my way to the washrooms. I needed someone young and hip to walk with me. She was happy to assist. Coyotes was loud and I had to endure 2 bands before Focus came on at 11:00, way past my bedtime. The good thing about that though, was that they were great and advanced to the next stage of the battle. They will play again on the 21st of December. Another good thing is that I actually like the Focus guys (especially my son, the cute drummer) and I enjoy their music.

So on Thursday, once again, I was at the bar. This time it was "Academy Bar and Grill." This was more my style. It is more like a funky restaurant than a bar and there weren't too many people there to make me feel old. The ocassion was "Academy Idol" and, you guessed it, Focus was playing. They had a great set. This was one show Kristen could attend so she was there along with CJ. Alvaro came along too so we had a bit of a family event.

So, 3 times at the bar in my 49th year. That's a record for me. I thought I left my bar hopping days behind me when I got married (although you could hardly describe my teenaged/young adult years as bar hopping years. I can remember 2 bar experiences from those days).

So, if you're looking for a place to go some evening, check out the Focus website. If they're playing somewhere, there's a good chance you'll see a 40 something couple looking like they just don't quite belong there. Come over and say hi. I just might buy you a drink.