I don't get out much (by my own choosing) and rarely ever venture out at night except for a quick dinner at one of our local/neighborhood favorite restaurants. All non chain places. We have a great family owned Italian, a great ramen place, a Chinese restaurant, excellent pizza place and a favorite Mexican spot. All less than fifteen minutes from our house unless traffic is horrible.
Last month my daughter talked me into going into downtown Orlando one night with her for trivia night at a pub on Orange Avenue. Orange Avenue is the equivalent of Peachtree Street in Atlanta or the main drag that runs through any big city. I tried to back out but she refused to let me. It was going to be "The Office" trivia night and her boss from work along with his wife were going and needed back up knowledge. I have watched the entire series at least ten times if not more. The Office is right up there for me along with Parks and Rec, Schitt's Creek and Seinfeld. Every episode of every one of those series is epic, repeatable and classic.
She had me when she told me we were going to a dog bar. Her boss and his wife always take their cute rescue pup, Peggy with them. It was quite the experience, right from the jump. You go in, there is a wooden gate you go through and shut behind you, with another wooden gate in front of you. Beyond that is the wonderful controlled chaos of fifty to seventy five off leash dogs making the rounds, chasing tails and sniffing butts. I'm talking big dogs and tiny dogs and all in between dogs. All the floor is covered with AstroTurf with a drainage beneath it so they can spray down the floor after the occasional poop pick up or more frequent marking/peeing. It has an open air area in the back so isn't a closed in environment and all they serve is beer and wine. You are welcome to bring in your own pizza, snacks or wings and also have a food truck in the parking lot that will deliver hot cheese steaks, salads or chicken nuggets directly to your table.
I was pleasantly surprised when I came up with several (correct) clutch answers when others on our team didn't know the answer. We didn't win but we had fun and placed decently as opposed to being blown away.
So a month goes by and Massey tells me it's going to be "Harry Potter" trivia night at Pup's Pub and wanted me to go with her again. She is a HP know it all and binged the movies and books for years. Her boss and his wife are HP fans as well.
Me, not so much. When I was a lunch lady at the kids elementary school back in the early 2000's (hardest job I ever had) I was also still waiting tables at night and every weekend. Those were long years. If they don't get you on a PTA committee they'll get you as a room mom or a volunteer at every field day or fall carnival. So when the books first came out I went to my younger sons' third grade classroom every weekday after I got off my Lunch Lady gig (around 2:00) and read the class the first Harry Potter book for thirty minutes before school let out. Let me tell you, I mispronounced about every name in the book, especially Hermione. I pronounced it "Her-Moin". No one (even his teacher) ever corrected me. I'm not even sure if the first movie had come out yet so I was safe idiot...especially in central Georgia where we have our own southern spin on every word in the English language.
Anyhoo, back to Harry Potter night. I was just there for moral support and dog pets. Very popular night at the ole Pup's Pub. There were dobermans, great danes, rottweilers, Bernese mountain dogs, Aussies, Dachshunds, retrievers and labs. Heinz 57's, toy poodles, boxer mixes and terrier after terrier and of course doodles. It was awesome.
We got there early to get a booth for the rest of our team. We sat down and this little girl hopped onto the seat and plopped down on the top of the table like it was hers and only hers.
I just love this place! Right after this a little dachshund wandered over and jumped into my lap for a ten minute nap.
The one and only answer I knew was the first question about what a non magic person is called. I knew muggle and that was about my extent of my HP knowledge and the questions got harder with every one so I refocused on making dog friends and meeting as many as I could.
After I took a video tour of the place with my cell phone I returned to our table where our (their) team was hunkered over the table trying to remember what the incantation spell was for (I believe opening doors?)
My suggested answer was "Abracadabra" but when my daughter rolled her eyes at me I quickly changed it to "Bibbity Bobbitty Boo!"
At least all of them chuckled at that one. They are all such good kids. Yes they are in their mid to late twenties but hanging around them keeps me young at heart as well.
I told them if they ever held a General Hospital trivia night we'd walk out with the grand prize easy peasy.
I don't watch GH on the daily anymore but thanks to streaming catch up with it at random times. I loved 'All My Children.' I called it All My Kids. I can remember being in third or fourth grade and running down the hill from our elementary school to watch 'Another World' with my mother at 2:30. Ray Liotta got his big break on that soap. He played Joey Perrini, a troubled kid who lived next door to Ada Hobson, the matriarch of the show, who's daughter (Rachel) was a dumpster fire. Soaps were great in the sixties and seventies. Someone coughed once...they were doomed to die. Then after they died they'd come back as an evil twin...maybe twice if the writers twisted the storyline enough. You gotta love a soap.
So at least I'm getting out of my homebody state and visiting the real world every once in a while now. What makes it even better is that it involves all the dogs I could possibly want to be around. Talk about an enjoyable evening.
They don't know each other or each others story but all manage to get along. They have a great time and learn how to mingle with same breeds, mixed breeds or mutts. They don't care about anything other than sniffing booties for dog intel, then playing, chasing, sometimes resting, other times looking for love from peeps they've never met and simply just living the good life.
We could (and should) learn a lot from our four legged friends.
Oh I will be a patron of Pup's Pub for life.
Til next time, COTTON
No comments:
Post a Comment