Stories From Behind Bars
A Continuation
My Dear Readers,
I have been quite preoccupied lately with my bartending jobs, and I’ve missed you all greatly. My life has been somewhat consumed with work, but I love what I do and I’m excited to share more stories with you :)
I’ve been writing about these unique experiences after every shift, thinking, “Just wait till my Medium friends hear about this…”
I really value this community and just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for being here.
Triple Threat
A few weeks ago, I had a weekend that I want to make a movie about.
I worked the merchandise table for my friend’s band on Friday night, which is always a good time, and planned on working two of my three jobs the next day.
On Saturday morning, I took my dog to the Puptopia Festival downtown to film a promotional video for a company I work with that makes supplements and healthy treats for dogs.
I wish we could’ve stayed at the festival all day, but I had get to a Celebration of Life by 1pm.
I dropped Nori off at home and turned around to drive back downtown, where the traffic and ludicrous amount of construction are guaranteed to cause road rage.
As a contract bartender, I work all kinds of events in all kinds of locations — I’ve worked in historical theaters and museums, exclusive hotels, enormous wedding venues, private residences, rooftops, distilleries, and even film studios.
I work for two different event companies, which requires a significant amount of coordination between two unpredictable schedules, but I enjoy the challenge.
On this particular day, I was bartending in the backyard of a beautiful home in one of the most expensive neighborhoods downtown.
I always feel honored to be a part of family events, but this Celebration of Life was truly special. I didn’t have to know this family to appreciate the outpouring of love that was inspired by the life of a matriarch.
I took backroads home, enjoying the evidence of changing seasons in the red and yellow trees. As soon as I parked, one of my bosses called me.
She was setting up for a wedding downtown and needed another bartender— she asked me to come as soon as possible and offered me double pay for the shift.
After walking Nori and getting tacos, I went back downtown for a third time that day to work a supremely chaotic wedding reception with what seemed like 500 very thirsty guests.
I mean thirsty in every sense of the word.
It was a very different party compared to the one I worked earlier that day. I ended up getting home after midnight, and that was just the beginning of my weekend.
The next day, I left Austin to work a festival in a little town called Round Top. I got to bring Nori with me (she’s an excellent bar-back) and we stayed over in one of the trailers behind the property.
We may or may not have crossed paths with a few cult members, and definitely saw Lana Del Rey casually shopping in the-middle-of-nowhere, Texas. I wonder how she heard about the festival…
The adventures I’ve had in the last few months are enough to write an entire book about.
Reflections
The bartender’s perspective is a unique one. We interact and connect with so many people throughout our careers; I think that connection is so much more important than the ability to make a sensational drink.
I plan to create a sitcom one day about the service industry and specifically bartenders— something similar to the movie Waiting… but with more in-depth characters and less sexual harassment.
“Stories From Behind Bars” may very well become a series based on my experiences and the real-life characters I’ve encountered while behind various bars. I enjoy going to different places every time I work, and the often improvisational nature of event bartending is where I thrive.
While I aspire to be a full time filmmaker, I feel lucky to have a job where I can have fun, make great connections, and be a part of our clients’ memorable events.
In exciting news! I have a potential opportunity to work with Bartender Magazine if I win a certain online competition…
You can vote for free with a Facebook account, and it would mean the world to me if you have a moment to support me in this contest!
Let me know if you’d like to hear more of my bartending stories!
In the mean time, I’d like to acknowledge a few of my favorite storytellers:
Joanie Adams - Sightseer; Conjurer Of Words
Thank you for reading!
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Also follow Thought Thinkers, ILLUMINATION-Curators, & Third-Eye-Gypsy for more stories from myself and fellow creatives ❤
