Full Circle ...

Originally this blog, appropriately titled "Life in a Nuthouse", was to primarily be about the comings and goings of people and activities in The Post Bar. You can get a little background by scrolling through some of my original posts. Of course, over the past thirteen months of writing, just like everything in life, things have changed. What started out as life behind bar drifted down other avenues, from my search for a new job to friendships coming and going to living with a devil-cat. But, like a deep rooted, lifelong friendship, life at the post always crept back into an entry or two every month or so, from talking about mice and the icy temperatures in the bar to photo essays.

My physical time spent at the Post started to dwindle several months ago. I just became bored with the drab walls and dangling electrical cords trying to snake their way into the neck of my beer bottle. Unfortunately, however, spending less time in a place where so many of your friends gather you begin to see how important a dive like that is as a sort of common thread that tie the friendships together, at least from my perspective.

Case in point: I went to the Post this past Saturday to visit with the regs and catch up on things only to discover the clientele consisted of a stranger, myself and a few of the rodents scurrying under the non-working baseboard heaters. The bartender informed me that Stephen, the most popular bartender, was fired the week before for a seriously dumb-ass reason with no other justification other than the manager's jealousy of his own downspiraling popularity with the patrons. This firing led to a massive boycott against the establishment with most of the regulars. There are several regulars who read my blog and, to be honest, I kinda felt slighted not to have been informed of such major news and the way everyone banded together behind a fired bartender, it made me feel like I was left under the heading of "out of sight, out of mind". I know that's not entirely true, however, since it's my understanding that several regs have oftentimes wondered where I've been and how I was doing when I showed up at the bar after a several week absence. According to one: "We didn't even know if you were alive or dead!" That's kind of a hurtful thing to hear, considering that nearly everyone has my phone number, yet no one called. I just put on a brave face and fake smile and say: "As you can see, I'm here and I'm fine.", but in the back of my head I'm thinking: geez, I can slip in the tub or fall down the stairs and no one will know until the smell of a rotting corpse drifts through the open window.

Sorry. As I said to my friends last night, my writings tend to lead more towards babbling.

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled posting...

So, the bartender's fired, the group is protesting and other neighborhood bars are suddenly finding themselves busy with new patrons. When I ran into the group last night, they immediately pulled me aside and said that this would be a great thing for my blog. There will probably be a few more entries after I receive pictures from the upcoming make-shift memorial that is planned, but first, thanks to Ivan, here is the infamous "letter" to the owner. I've been given permission to post this letter and I'm quite honored to be one of the first people to read it. I've also taken the liberty of changing the names to protect the innocent (or stupid), but it won't be hard to figure out who's who.

A great deal of commotion surrounds the termination of Steven from The Post, and Timmy is relieved to have dismissed him. However, you have been presented with only one side of the story. As a businessman, you are entitled to hear the entire truth before you can make an informed decision about his future status. First and foremost, it should be noted that the only reason Steven opened the bar late on Sunday, July 23rd (which precipitated this whole situation) is because the bartenders from the previous night were remiss in their responsibilities and did not clean up. The bar opened approximately 10 minutes later than usual so that Steven was not forced to make drinks while still scrubbing toilets.

Granted, Steven may have ranted to Timmy in an inappropriate manner about the conditions of The Post. His concerns, however, are motivated by a genuine desire to accommodate his clientele. For example, the bar has not been repaired from the flood and fire damage it suffered years ago, there is no heat in the bar during the winter months, and mice run rampant on the floor. These are all legitimate grievances that have yet to be addressed.

What you probably don’t know, are all of the positive contributions Steven has made to the bar.

For example:

* Sunday Lunch and a Movie — on Sundays, Steven regularly prepares light fare to accompany a current movie. (These expenses come solely out of his own pocket, and draw a substantial crowd.)

* Potluck Luncheons — in order to foster a sense of camaraderie among the patrons, Steven will e-mail or telephone patrons and encourage their participation in these special events which also bolster sales tremendously.

* Football Sunday — like Sunday Lunch and a Movie, Steven prepares food (again, at his own expense) offers door prizes, and fosters a sense of community among patrons during football season. This special consideration makes everyone forget the lack of heat during the winter months.

* Birthdays — Steven keep a running tab of all patron birthdays and provides cake and food to celebrate each patron birthday throughout the year (at his own expense).

* Holidays — Steven will also decorate the bar in an appropriate manner for each holiday season (yet again, at his own expense).

Granted, Steven does have his shortcomings. But then again so does Timmy of which you are probably not aware:

* Timmy does not show up on time consistently

* He disappears from the bar for periods of up to 30 minutes alerting clientele, “Someone watch the bar for me; I’ll be right back.”

* He is discourteous to anyone he does not consider a “regular.”

* He has been derelict in his responsibilities (as mentioned above), and does not leave a clean bar for the morning shift

Does Steven have his faults? Absolutely. However, the positive contributions he makes to The Post, far outweigh any minor flaws in his ability to draw a crowd and serve his clientele. To lose Steven would be a grave mistake as his client base is responsible for a substantial amount of income which the bar generates. Furthermore, it seems foolish that a petty disagreement on Timmy’s part is cause for his termination.

My recommendation would be to make Steven a daytime manager who reports directly to you and retain Timmy as an evening manager. More importantly, numbers speak for themselves and it will become apparent in the weeks ahead that the bar will lose more than it will gain by Steven's termination — both in revenue, and patronage.

As I stated above....more to come as I receive.