Ruling out vice

I hadn’t seen one of my colleagues for a while, so I stopped by his office yesterday for a chat. While catching me up on the scuttlebutt, he mentioned having listened to some of his colleagues bitching “at the happy hour.” He’s in a department that’s been hemorrhaging staff—I think he said they’ve lost 17 people in about as many months—so I asked, “The happy hour for [latest guy to leave]?” He confirmed.

I said, “Man—with all the leaving-related happy hours, y’all are on your way to becoming drunks.”

He laughed and countered, “Except for the cost!” Seems an ex-colleague had shown up for this do and my mate magnanimously offered to stand him a beer. Ex said he fancied a Guinness, and Marc said he’d have one, too. Jolly conversation; then the bill came. All $19 of it. And that was at “happy hour” prices.

I did not think to ask where this event was held—if it was at the bar of a hotel, I suppose $9.50 per beer is the going rate, even at “happy hour”. Because no matter where the hotel is located—out in the country or smack in a city—there’s always the hotel markup. (I’ve written about this before, and it pisses me off.) But I certainly took his point: if two beers run you $20 (yes—he left a $1 tip; as he told me, “I have three kids!”), you’re not likely to sink into Repugnant SCOTUS-nominee territory. (Unless, like the most recent Justice, your massive debts are suddenly made to disappear. I’m expecting news footage of a Coors truck backing into the SCOTUS loading dock pretty soon.)

Well, this caused me to remark that, while in Houston a couple of weeks ago, I indulged at a Tex-Mex restaurant that had been recommended to me by having a quesadilla and a margarita. The former was okay, their chips and salsa didn’t quite make it to pedestrian, but the margarita was absolutely fine.

It was also $13, and about 70% ice.

I marveled that the last time I had a margarita it cost about $6 (and had more actual, you know, margarita in the glass). If they’re now $13, I’ll not be frequenting any bars, happy hour or not. Which may or may not disqualify me from SCOTUS.