April 2011
1 post
Star Bar
April seems to be the month that time forgets. It is March and it lasts forever, slogging through the final days of winter, each day taking 48 hours. May is filled with fun as the sun shines, but not with too much heat; everything is green and fresh and vibrant. April just is. My birthday is in April, so it should be the best month ever, but somehow April usually comes and goes without much...
March 2011
2 posts
Star Bar o-Rama
Where do I begin? Let’s start with wieners. That is where it all begins anyway, isn’t it?
Two questions in the opening paragraph. My English professors would not approve, unless I was able to justify it as creative license.
On to the serious matters of this blog. If you are smiling, stop. We are serious now. I am in the business of being serious after all.
I am glad that...
A Bar, Not Just Another
To assure you all that neither myself nor the blog is not dead, also to assure you that am I am a zombie (although that is the latest craze), I thought I would update the blog.
I also realized that with my last post, I am that guy. I am the guy who not only leaves his Christmas lights up year round, but can’t seem to haul his brown and dried Christmas tree carcass to the curb. It is...
December 2010
3 posts
Star Bar
The holiday itself does not matter to me. My significance, my personal designation of what the holiday is to me does, however, have meaning to me.
And that meaning, for me, is the amazing beauty and completion I feel because of the friends and family I have.
Physically, I am not around many of my friends and most of my family. That being said, I am nothing without them. I am who I am because...
Star Bar
Oh blog. You coquettish little vixen. You sultry minx. You devilish little fiend.
What can I say that I have not said already? Do I speak of the changes? Do I write about the past? Do I use you as my diary or Dear Abby or Scientific Journal?
Or do I write a 100% non-biased account of the facts as they happened, through my completely biased version?
How about all of the above?
For the...
Star Bar
The inaugural Star Bar karaoke has come and gone. It is but once that you have a first.
And much to my surprise and chagrin, I enjoyed it. People came in, sang and enjoyed themselves. A very simple and honest reason ingot into this business is because I like to be there to help facilitate a good time. I like to see people smile. I like to help people crawl out from under their overcast skies...
November 2010
11 posts
Star Bar
I have another chapter in the already too long of my plumber situation. We are going to arbitration.
Sigh. The reason the plumber feels he should not have to compensate me for the second plumber is because, according to him I have vandals.
While I don’t discount the possibility of drunken mayhem, I do not think that vandals typically come equipped with pliers to loosen plumbing...
Star Bar
There are things that one does in life that one never imagined one would be doing.
For example, I never thought I would work in a bar with karaoke, much less run one and have the offering of karaoke be my idea.
Star Bar is officially doing karaoke every Sunday starting in December.
But this is not your normal Portland karaoke. Just like this is not your normal Portland bar. The karaoke,...
Star Bar
Where was I? Oh yeah, I was just sending blogs accidentally, spilling beverages on myself, and trying to remember what the hell I was talking about.
I got as far as dreams and can’t remember the rest. I had a point. It was lost.
I got my ass kicked today. Work filled up. And then filled up. Then settled in to being full though we, my cook and I never settled into being that busy.
The...
Star Bar
Dreams.
It is odd to mention the smoke filled tendrils of unconsciousness because that means I have them, again. And to clarify, this is not dreams of what I want to be when I grow up, as we have all determined I don’t want to grow up. This is dream of sleep. The labyrinth of muddled thoughts and false memories of an unedifying future.
While on the subject of clarification, I would also...
Star Bar
And so it goes, and so it goes, and so it goes.
There is the good news and the bad news.
I will give you the good news first because quite honestly, the bad news is more comical if you are able to step back and look at the situation as a whole.
The first news is that the we were a stop for a party bus. A party bus, for those of you not familiar, is exactly what it sounds like. There is a...
Star Bar
Remember that last blog? The one where I used a lot of French words like ivre and arrogant?
I do.
And I will kindly ask that everyone dismiss that blog. Thieves piss me off.
A drunk man who steals and has the courage to bring back the stolen object two days later and apologize, restores one of the reasons I love doing what I do. People are pretty rad, in general.
I once hung out with a...
Star Bar
Of the many frustrations one might experience in the bar life… the unsavory tales of vomit, urine and feces… there is nothing that sets afire the cockles of ire like a inscrutable little thief.
Last night an ivre mother fucker, and I pardon my French, waited until I went into the kitchen to do dishes and stole a velvet painting. He did not steal a small bird or a cartoon-like turtle,...
Star Bar
The slow times are killers.
You see some rain for the first time after many sunny days and, as a bar, you know you will be slow.
You see some sun after a cold, wet winter and, as a bar, you know you will be slow.
You have this knowledge and yet it still hurts.
Ignorance is bliss.
And yet knowledge is the key.
I want to defy. It is in my nature. But I know I can’t change the...
Star Bar
I love it when a plan comes together.
I love to see how people react when challenged. Some hold their heads high and brace themselves. Some don’t. I love to see what people can accomplish. There is a point where the wheel became a wheel not a round object without purpose. That point probably came when somebody was challenged. I probably came when some guy or gal was trying to get away...
Star Bar
The new menu went live today.
We weren’t entirely ready. But what else is new? Launching a new menu, opening a bar, tweaking an existing menu, getting a promotion, birth… with all of these things, when are you totally ready?
I am excited about the food. We have brought two things in from my previous bar… marinara and chili. I love these menu items. Hearts and souls were...
Star Bar
Routine, that charged electron of perseverance, can be elusive.
My routine is almost entirely based upon other people’s routines. If I am not a part of the people’s day-to-day, then I pretty much adrift.
This does not mean that I am not busy, however. In fact, it means I am probably busier. Think of it like looking for work, really looking for work… not just responding to an...
October 2010
3 posts
Star Bar
Every part of life has an ebb and a flow.
A bar is no different. A good bar has a life. It is like the flame that confounded scientists for so many years. Meaning that it has all the same characteristics of the definition of life… but we know it is not alive.
My bar lives. And does not.
I am not trying to get all philosophical on your ass, I am just trying to state what is. I am trying...
Star Bar
I would officially like to rename this blog.
It is no longer the building of a bar.
It is no longer the building of a bar business, though that will be covered at length I am sure.
This is Star Bar, a day in the life.
From this point forward it will be the story of the bar, as articulated (or not) by me. This will, of course, allow for a lot of biased opinion and conjecture… and I...
The building of a bar (business)
You are my crack. My heroin. My speedball and my marijuana.
I try to kick the habit.
As much as we all do, really. There is no try. Only do.
Yoda.
You knew that (hopefully).
I haven’t written because of time and energy. Time, well, open a business that is your life. Your soul. The only thing you know, really. The thump. Thump. Thump. The heart.
I know my girl. And my pup. And my...
September 2010
15 posts
The building of a bar business
I have been negligent in my updates.
Right now, I feel like I am waiting for a storm. I have my rubbers (boots), my umbrella, my life vest and I can see the dark clouds rolling in the distance… but the breeze is still.
If my euphemism was not clear, it is slow and not getting busier. We have repeat customers. We have new customers. We are doing roughly the same amount of business each...
The building of a bar business
We have been open, officially, for four nights.
Thursday was great. Friday was slow for a Friday but great for it being the second night we were open. Saturday was lackluster near the end and Sunday was pretty much awful, as Sundays tend to be.
That said, we have had several repeat customers already. And that is a good thing.
I forgot this process, the building of a business.
When I worked...
The building of a bar business
So, I like my job.
I am a bartender again.
There are several loose ends to tie up and many hundreds of projects to complete, but I am behind a bar and in my element. I don’t get hungry. I don’t get thirsty (so much). I am in rhythm even when I am out of sync and I do what I love to do.
I forgot that drunk people are fun. Drunks are not. In three months so much can be...
The building of a bar business
The doors opened today.
There are kinks.
But it was rad. It was really, really awesome.
I will be behind the bar for the first time since June 12 2010.
I can’t wait.
If I can not be modest for a minute, I have to say that my bar is pretty fucking great.
It all came together. I am grateful for those that helped. I could not have done it without the tremendous amount of...
The building of a bar
Sadly, I believe that I may have to push back friend’s and family night to Wednesday.
The hood that I spent ever so much money on, is not functioning properly.
My chef has still not been able to cook.
Also, there was a misunderstanding with the meat we will be using. The misunderstanding being that we did not get our meat delivery today.
My crew, most of my entire new crew came in...
The building of a bar
D-day approaches and I am not feeling too good.
I am too exhausted to be excited and that makes me a little sad. My body aches, not in the “I just worked out or did manual labor” ache, but in the “my mind and body are broken,” ache.
I am doing a thousand things every day and I feel like I still have a million more things to do before I am ready.
But will I ever be...
The building of a bar
I have mixed feelings about today.
A lot got done, but at every turn it seems like there is even more to do.
My electrician was back on track today. He is still what feels like days behind, but he is at least putting in 8 hours at a time. For the last week, he’d come in for an hour or two, shut things off or unhook them, not tell me, then leave. It was very frustrating.
But...
The building of a bar
It is getting close, very, very close… but it seems so far away. I know it will come together, but there sure is a lot to do.
But.
But.
Butt.
Butte.
But.
My bartenders met each other today.
I had a meltdown. It was only my second, so I feel I am doing pretty good.
Oh, and I never have meltdowns.
If one hasn’t been able to gather, this is a bit of a stressful process....
The building of a bar
How does one combat rumors?
I really don’t know the answer to this.
The Star Bar is not a chain. I am not corporate.
I am going to rant, briefly, about rumors.
Rumors are fucked up. Why do people start rumors? Spite? Insecurity? Malice?
I heard recently that there is a rumor going around that the Star Bar is a burger chain from California and Seattle that has claimed the spot...
Th building of a bar
I have copper tops and they look glorious.
I have eight taps installed and they look glorious.
I have my bar shelves and they, too, look glorious.
I interviewed many a person.
Tomorrow I will hopefully hang the last of the lights.
And again, cleaning is in store for my future.
Star Bar, counting down, six
The building of a bar
Well, well, well… look who is coming around.
Let’s see, where do I begin?
Huh. Let’s see. How about with, “Jesus, I am tired!” Oh, don’t confuse tired with exhausted. I have been exhausted for more than a month now. I am tired because I have had to wake up at 8 to 8:30 for the last four days.
“Oh, Boo Hoo!” you say. “Poor him,”...
The building of a bar
Oh blog, what happened to you? You have fallen apart. You have let yourself go. It used to be that you were updated and maintained but now, now you are sloven and disheveled, appearing late at night sporadically and not letting anyone know where you have been.
What happened?
While you were away interviews-a-plenty took place, a couple of hires were made, lights were hung (will they never be...
The building of a bar
Ding! Ding! Ding!
In this corner, coming in at just under two months old, we have the new-comer Bridgetown Star Bar!
In this corner, coming in strong we have the contestants, er, the interviewees.
It is round 1 of the future of the Star Bar’s front of the house.
That was more complicated than necessary. To sum it up, we spent all day interviewing people today. All day. Every half...
The building of a bar
Tomorrow morning I will meet with the OLCC.
Tonight, I have to go in and make my bar look like a bar and this is no easy task.
The bar is there, the tethered bones of what will be are shining through, but it does not resemble a bar just yet.
My tables are not screwed onto the stands. My kitchen is still a mess… but a new, shiny, nearly functioning mess.
There is a large walk-in...
The building of a bar
I am not the best blogger it would seem. Apparently, yesterday came an went without me noticing. Oops.
First, I would like to salute my general. The general manager who has taken over is really quite good at his job.
The Star Bar is a mess right now. It seems to go through phases. Two days ago, when things were moved into the kitchen, the bar looked like a bar. For that brief second it felt...
August 2010
25 posts
The building of a bar
Today I hung more lights.
This is getting old, even for me… but not really.
It is getting old talking about hanging lights. But every time I ha g a light, I get off the ladder, put a bulb in and turn them on. Not only do I feel like I accomplished something, I feel like I am one step closer to a complete bar. Oh, and I really, really, like the way they look.
Also, my booths are done....
The building of a bar
I hung lights today. Go figure.
That said, I finished one room with the lighting. Neon. Five fixtures. Three bar lights. And a center light.
Also, the booths were installed. Not only do the buttons look great, they are perfect. I am pleased. Very pleased. By this time tomorrow, my couch will be done. It is an expensive couch, but it is also 23’ feet from edge to edge and that...
The building of a bar
I tried. I really did. I tried to write this blog. Last night, I fell asleep with my head on the keyboard (and by keyboard, I mean phone as I haven’t actually used a computer to write this at all). The night before I got home at 3:30am.
My tank was empty.
I interviewed people for the first time in a long time. It is exhausting to be honest and make honest conversation, the same honest...
The build of a bar
Well. Hell. I had to shit-can my general contractor today. I have now officially switched horses mid-stream. Instead of calling this the building of a bar, I should call this the over-use of idioms.
This had been in the works for awhile now, and truth be told, it should have happened awhile ago… not the renaming of the blog.
My contractor couldn’t hit a deadline. He didn’t...
The Building of a Bar
Yet another full dumpster of crap removed. I would venture that several tons of trash and/or items which are no longer needed have been removed from this space. That doesn’t factor in the removal of the old hood or kitchen floor.
At present time, I am trying to figure out my juke box. This is not an easy task. The user manual was written before the days of technical writers. In all...
The building of ra bar
Okay, now close your eyes and come with me on a little journey. Hmm. You probably didn’t get past “eyes” if you did what I said. Scratch that.
Let’s just pretend that it is still Sunday. I am writing in this blog on Sunday as I will be putting another post up later tonight.
On Saturday I drove to Seattle to get some bar stools. The stools themselves are nothing...
The building of a bar
So not only do the buttons work, they look great.
Chairs, chairs, and more chairs. Hopefully, without putting the ricksha before the ricksha runner, I have gotten rid of all of the chairs from the bar that was. They, the chairs and stools, will hopefully find a happy resting place in a more deserving establishment.
In return, the Bridgetown Star Bar, will get the bar stools it deserves.
I...
The building of a bar
Today was a bit of waste overall. It was poor planning on my part.
Today was bakery day. I was going to go to bakery after bakery sampling buns and rolls for my menu. Then I was going to find out more about wholesale prices and options.
Turns out, a lot of the bakeries in this town are full-up on their wholesale customers. Also, it turns out that calling these bakeries first saved me a lot of...
The building of a bar
I did not forget about writing my dear diary yesterday, I just found that I didn’t have the time.
At my house, when I was going to cook myself dinner, I smelled the unpleasant odor of wires melting. Shortly thereafter there was three consecutive blue flashes and pops that came from behind the range.
No more cooking for me for now.
I spent a lot of time in traffic yesterday....
The building of a bar
I would like to take this time to thank the Nissin company. Salt. Flavoring. Noodles. Hot water. Hail the almighty Ramen. Chief Ramen. Master Ramen. Top Ramen.
I have eaten this delectable dish two times in one week for the first time since my sophomore year in college… and I am pretty sure that even then, I put mushrooms in my bowl at least one of those times.
How things have changed....
The building of a bar
It’s just me and bloggy mcgee.
It’s not that I didn’t want to write; that is the furthest thing from my mind. It is that I really didn’t have time to write.
My painters didn’t show up. I am not paying them, so I can’t complain, and it was a family emergency which takes precedence regardless, it just altered my plans somewhat.
Last night, about an hour was...
The building of a bar
Okay, minus the hood installation… Which will be a messy, messy job, my kitchen is done.
Tomorrow, my tile will be set and coated and I will move everything back into the kitchen. I will also get all of the lighting ready to hang.
Sunday I will paint again, but this time without a million things in my way.
Monday my hood comes down. My electrician starts hanging lights. Plumbing goes...
The building of a bar
Nothing says dedication like pulling out somebody else’s toilet.
I could never be a plumber. It is not that I mind water, rust, sludge or even the crap of another (though, admittedly, the latter does rate pretty high up there in why I couldn’t be a plumber). The main reason I couldn’t be a plumber is because nothing in the history of plumbing has ever been right. Plastic is...
The building of a bar
“As we go up, we go down.”
Thanks Bob Pollard.
Today I met my landlord. He came in to check out the hood saga.
Turns out, he has a hood from another building that he would sell me for cheap. I will still have to pay for the ducting.
Then I find that the hood may not work.
But then I find that the installation of a new hood and new ducting will come in much, much less than the...
