Flashback Friday (Part 80) - The College Watering Hole
February 4, 2011
Going away to college has to be an experience like no other in your life. You’re living within a three mile radius of all your friends who don’t have jobs, are getting money from their parents and the only real responsibility is to show up to class a few times a day and get good passing grades.
I had the best college experience at Virginia Tech and am still friends with many of the people I met including my roommates (not) from hell.
At the beginning of my senior year, I made a pact with my best friend CC to never miss a drink downtown on a Thursday night our senior year. This pact was to be anything alcoholic consumed any time before midnight.
Thursday nights were the best ones downtown because of the happy hour specials, live music and in general, everyone was out on the town and not at parties or passed out at some frat house.
CC and I had another partner in crime, our friend Kevin who was in my major. Kevin was a junior but because of an early birthday was 21 before most of his buddies.
He lived on campus so I would pick him up, drive the whole ¾ of a mile downtown, park behind one of the bars, meet CC, we’d lock our coats in the car and go to Sharkey’s. It was our favorite watering hole. At the end of the night, we'd walk back to my car, retrieve our coats and walk home.
Showing up early to Sharkey's - me, Kevin and CC.
Since we were Thursday regulars, we knew the bouncers, bartenders and everyone there. The supermugs were $2.50 each for 32 oz of Miller Lite. After purchasing the first of three rounds for $10 which included the tip, we would make our rounds around the two-story bar. Upstairs were pool tables and often times, CC and I would lay our quarters down to wait our turn against the drunk college boys. We would often win which infuriated them. If CC lost focus during a game, I’d whisper to her that our opponents just said girls suck at pool and the Philadelphia attitude in her came out in a rampage. She’d usually make several shots in a row at that point.
One time late in our senior year, we were playing pool against a college guy and his dad. They had won several games in a row and were feeling drunk on their success. CC and I were feeling quite drunk on our supermugs. I laid down the quarters and we waited our turn. Halfway through the pool game, CC and I were struggling. Then I channeled Tom Cruise in The Color of Money and shot several balls in a row including the eight ball. We had won.
It was then that the dad approached me, asked me what I was majoring in and when I was graduating. I told him and he handed me his business card and said to give him a call. He was so impressed with my pool skills under pressure that he wanted to hire me.
He didn’t hire me.
It may be because I never contacted him.
Now it's your turn.
Find an old picture like and share a story about it and then email me so I can add a link. Flashback Friday has no real rules other than to have fun.
3 Comment:
Yes college was a blast. Wonder if the old guy was looking for a pick up not an employee
Those mugs are certainly super..
That photo just goes to show you how much older I am than you: my college photos are laughable for the hairstyles and eyemakeup. Just look at that photo again in 10-12 years and you'll see what I mean!
Ah, the good ol' days!
We never drove to the bars. We would always walk even in the freezing weather. And we would usually leave our coats at home, they were such a pain to carry around in the bars. I never said we were smart!
I liked to think I was good at pool when drunk. I was not.
Post a Comment