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Jeepers, the cops!
I didn't meant to linger so long at work, but y'all did have to go and update your journals right before I was about to leave, didn't you? B-tards. Oh, well, as long as I'm still here, I might as well fill in a little more of Saturday night.
Ottr and Monshu started feeling a little crowded after a while in Touché and suggested a shift to Jackhammer. This sounded fine to me. Besides, I wanted Monshu to get some eye-candy, too, and his chances were much better over there. At first, it was quite enjoyable. But, after a while, the conversation began to sputter and my buzz began to die down. Before long, I was thinking, What am I doing standing in isolation at the bar when I could be catching up with old friends and making new ones over there? After an hour, I was only waiting for my companions to get tired out and head home so I could have some fun again.
On the street, I ran into the two younger guys who Bill the Actor introduced me to that other time. (I've had it with pseudonyms. They're fun to come up with for people I know well, but I can barely remember my bar buddies real names, muck less keep pseudonyms straight.) They had were stepped outside for a little air and we had a real nice chat about music programmes and libraries and I don't know what else.
Almost immediately after they headed in, Don of the South Side came out for a breath. He said he did remember meeting me in North End all those years ago after all, which gave me a bit of a thrill since he's OWGA. After a few minutes, he said, "Well, I told [my other half] I was getting him a beer, so I guess I better do that."
At this point, a cop car had just pulled up in front of the other bar and I hung around to see what was up. A single officer entred Jackhammer. Time passed, he didn't emerge, and I was getting chilly without my coat, which was in Touché. However, the next guy who left told me that it was "one in, one out". I waited for another person to leave, but the doorman stopped me and told me--and the other people milling around at this point--the same thing.
We formed a neat little line; one of the two guys next to me said, "This is the first snow I've seen in 20 years." Turned out he was from LA and had flown in especially for Margaret Cho's performance that night, the opening stop on her new tour. Another bear overheard this and started chatting with them about the concert.
It was all very pleasant; I was still drunk, surrounded by handsome friendly men, and no longer noticed the cold very much. Then two more squad cars stopped behind the first one and at least four more officers went into Jackhammer. We naturally assumed this was fallout from the E2 disaster; that day or the day before, I had heard about spot checks at other Chicago clubs looking for violations. In fact, the bouncer was telling people, "Have your heard about the E2? We're at capacity, so it's one in, one out."
Except no one was getting in at all. The LA boys and I, at the head of the line, counted at least a dozen people leaving while we stood there. Finally, the bouncer asked how many of us there were and let the three of us in. Once inside, I stumbled upon the bear artist couple. When I filled them in on what happened, one of their friends pointed out that, clearly, the bar was over capacity. I said I thought they were just putting on a show for the police. Later, a friend of theirs named Kelly came up and informed us that the police had spent at least a half-hour in the other bar checking IDs and talking to the manager. When they finally left, the bouncer just waved everyone in, confirming our previous suspicions.
Much later in the evening, while I was in line for the john, someone said that Jackhammer had closed and I heard a panicked twinkie-bear say, "But my coat is in there!" "Is there anything important in it?" "Just the keys to the house!" However, when I finally left and was talking to Rocky, I noticed people going in and out, so I suppose this was just a rumour.
Ottr and Monshu started feeling a little crowded after a while in Touché and suggested a shift to Jackhammer. This sounded fine to me. Besides, I wanted Monshu to get some eye-candy, too, and his chances were much better over there. At first, it was quite enjoyable. But, after a while, the conversation began to sputter and my buzz began to die down. Before long, I was thinking, What am I doing standing in isolation at the bar when I could be catching up with old friends and making new ones over there? After an hour, I was only waiting for my companions to get tired out and head home so I could have some fun again.
On the street, I ran into the two younger guys who Bill the Actor introduced me to that other time. (I've had it with pseudonyms. They're fun to come up with for people I know well, but I can barely remember my bar buddies real names, muck less keep pseudonyms straight.) They had were stepped outside for a little air and we had a real nice chat about music programmes and libraries and I don't know what else.
Almost immediately after they headed in, Don of the South Side came out for a breath. He said he did remember meeting me in North End all those years ago after all, which gave me a bit of a thrill since he's OWGA. After a few minutes, he said, "Well, I told [my other half] I was getting him a beer, so I guess I better do that."
At this point, a cop car had just pulled up in front of the other bar and I hung around to see what was up. A single officer entred Jackhammer. Time passed, he didn't emerge, and I was getting chilly without my coat, which was in Touché. However, the next guy who left told me that it was "one in, one out". I waited for another person to leave, but the doorman stopped me and told me--and the other people milling around at this point--the same thing.
We formed a neat little line; one of the two guys next to me said, "This is the first snow I've seen in 20 years." Turned out he was from LA and had flown in especially for Margaret Cho's performance that night, the opening stop on her new tour. Another bear overheard this and started chatting with them about the concert.
It was all very pleasant; I was still drunk, surrounded by handsome friendly men, and no longer noticed the cold very much. Then two more squad cars stopped behind the first one and at least four more officers went into Jackhammer. We naturally assumed this was fallout from the E2 disaster; that day or the day before, I had heard about spot checks at other Chicago clubs looking for violations. In fact, the bouncer was telling people, "Have your heard about the E2? We're at capacity, so it's one in, one out."
Except no one was getting in at all. The LA boys and I, at the head of the line, counted at least a dozen people leaving while we stood there. Finally, the bouncer asked how many of us there were and let the three of us in. Once inside, I stumbled upon the bear artist couple. When I filled them in on what happened, one of their friends pointed out that, clearly, the bar was over capacity. I said I thought they were just putting on a show for the police. Later, a friend of theirs named Kelly came up and informed us that the police had spent at least a half-hour in the other bar checking IDs and talking to the manager. When they finally left, the bouncer just waved everyone in, confirming our previous suspicions.
Much later in the evening, while I was in line for the john, someone said that Jackhammer had closed and I heard a panicked twinkie-bear say, "But my coat is in there!" "Is there anything important in it?" "Just the keys to the house!" However, when I finally left and was talking to Rocky, I noticed people going in and out, so I suppose this was just a rumour.