I never made it to Trolley Tour last night. About 6:00 I was at Sleep Out’s, and some of the other regulars said, “Wanna play poker?” (Texas Hold ‘Em poker is an option on SOL’s NTN trivia game). But I was about to head out to South Main to drink free wine and look at my friend Kat‘s breasts, so I said no. A few minutes later, Kat called and said that she and her breasts couldn’t make it because a big project had come up at work. So I thought, hmmm, an hour or so of poker sounds good, I’ll play until 7 and then head to Trolley Tour by myself. So I asked the bartender for a blue NTN box.
I checked to make sure it was not box number 11 and logged in. (One of the regulars at SOL takes his NTN box to the bathroom with him so he won’t miss a poker hand. The day before, he had been using box number 11. So if you get that box, you might want to ask the bartender to wipe it down with cleaning solution)
Before I knew it, it was 7:00. “I can’t leave now, I’m winning,” I thought. It was a two-hour game, which meant it would end at 8. “I’ll play until the end of the game, then run home and change (I still had shorts on, as it had been a warm day outside) and then catch the last few minutes of trolley tour.” I paid my tab, handed in my NTN box, and prepared to leave.
… and then I thought, “They’re starting another game. I’ve missed the best part of trolley tour already. Most of the galleries will be out of wine by now. What the hell, I’ll play until 10 and then go out.” So I ordered another beer and asked for another box.
Turned out to be a good idea. On the first hand, I was dealt a pair of pocket fives, and then a five showed up in the flop, so I went all-in and knocked about half the people playing out of the game. Trouble is, if you run out of money you just log out and log back in again, and you get a new $4000 to start with. (I wish real life worked that way.) Because of this, you’ll get people going all-in when they don’t even have a pair, because if they lose they can just go get more “money.”
Meanwhile, the guy I mentioned earlier walked to the bathroom – and took his box with him again. He was using box 20 last night, so 11 and 20 are the numbers to watch for, although this is a lottery you don’t want to win.
10:00 came, and the bar showed no signs of closing… so I signed up for another game. Finally, as it was approaching midnight they kicked us out.
Afterward, we went over to a friend’s place. One of the SOL regulars just bought one of the new condos on Main next to Smooth Moves, and we hung out on his second-story balcony for a while. Meanwhile, on the street below, a bum saw us and tried to get our attention. “Gimme twenty-five cent.” Even in someone’s private home, you can’t escape the bums downtown.
Then we ended up at Huey’s, where the SOL staff had gone for some after-work cocktails. By about 1:00 I was too tired to keep my eyes open and walked home.
(If any SOL regulars are reading this: Yesterday was Frenchie’s birthday, so buy him a drink if you see him out this weekend)
So now it’s Saturday. The psychic fair I mentioned earlier in the week is going on today, and I’m trying to decide if I have the energy to drive out there. I don’t think I do. Besides, I’m hungry for an order of corn brats from Big Foot Lodge. Corn brats are like corn dog nuggets, but made with bratwurst instead of hot dogs.
Not sure what I’ll be doing tonight. I’m definitely NOT going to Sleep Out’s – those evil blue crack boxes have occupied enough of my time this week. And everyone else’s. I’ve heard from managers there that NTN Trivia has already paid for itself, and they’ve had it less than a month. Not surprised. Due to NTN, Sleep Out’s has become the bar where I spend the most time, knocking the Saucer out of the top spot for the first time in about a year.
The Soul Party is at the Hi-Tone tonight, but I’m not sure I’ll feel up to driving out there. Downtown, it’s ’80s Night at Swig, and I may have to stop by for that. The Tap Room also seems like it will fit into my plans for the evening at some point.
All right. Time to go get those corn brats….