An Appointment for Next Election Day

Last night I had dinner at TGI Friday's (I'd not had their fantastic French onion soup in a long time), and since I wanted to follow the election results, I decided to eat at the bar where the TVs were.  (I also tend to eat at the bar when I'm eating alone...there's something uncomfortable about sitting at a table by yourself; I'm fine eating by myself, but sometimes you get a server that seems to pity you for eating alone, and that I can't handle...)

The gentleman sitting to my left seemed to be paying particularly close attention to the results, so I asked, "So...do you have a dog in this race, or are you just watching for the entertainment value?"

What resulted was absolutely wonderful.  In a manner that I'm most familiar with in small town barber shops, the gentlemen I asked my question to and another gentleman sitting at the bar began to share their perspectives on politics, the world, and life in general.  It was just great to hear some not-necessarily-intoxicated-but-definitely-relaxed men share their honest opinions on the state of the world and the solutions to all our problems.  All I had to do was ask a question when the conversation began to die down.

I'm definitely going to make it a point to find a bar the next time there's a major election; regardless of whether I agree with what is discussed or not, I really enjoy hearing people talk about whatever they're passionate about.  I can't think of a better intersection of passion and relaxed inhibition than a bar on election day!