August 2010
25 posts
The building of a bar
I will keep today’s blog simple and short.
The tile in the kitchen went in today. It is funny at how big of an impact that has on, well, my sanity.
Things, it seems, have a way of costing more and taking longer than expected in this project. But if you
have read this you know that.
The record is broken.
The horse is beat to death.
The grass is greener on the other side.
Every...
The building of a bar
Today brings to mind one Walter Fielding jr. Walter Fielding jr. is played by Tom Hanks in the glory days of Tom Hanks… post ‘Bosom Buddies,’ pre ‘Turner and Hooch.’ Walter Fielding jr. would be the protagonist of the movie ‘the Money Pit.’ This piece of cinematic history also features Shelley Long, best known for her work in Cheers. But I digress.
Back...
The building of a bar
Well, I bought a new toilet yesterday. I also bought a new wax ring.
It doesn’t get anymore exciting than that. Okay, maybe when I install the toilet, it will get a little more exciting… but not much.
I did buy what think will be the lights for the sconces, as well as for above the bar. They are very non-descript, which is what I was looking for because the other lights will steal...
The building of a bar
I find that the hardest thing about writing this blog is that I have days, like yesterday, where I have nothing to report.
Yesterday I bought some dishes from a place changing ownership. I filled out paperwork for a loan. I sent a frustrated email to my contractor. And for the grand finale, I faxed off 103 pages to the loan officer.
I guess the exciting news in yesterday’s events is that...
The building of a bar
My self-indulging dropping of words onto a screen nearly escaped me today. Just as I was drifting off to sleep I started to, as I usually do, think about what I accomplished today and what I need to accomplish tomorrow.
Something was missing.
And that is when I realized my documentation of these events were not put on record.
And so, at 3:30am I am now putting down the events as I see them....
The building of a bar
I have to say that the frustration is mounting a little bit.
Right now, I have a bar that is filled with a million things to do and I can’t do anything until the kitchen is finished. They have not even started tiling yet. It has been two and a half days since any work whatsoever was done by my contractor or his crew.
Signing on to this, I was under the impression that the work was going...
The building of a bar
What can I say that I haven’t said already?
My back hurts today. I am pretty sure I haven’t thrown that one out there. I am, apparently, not in painting shape.
The bar look good. I really like the colors I have chosen and I am liking the feel of the place.
I loaded the juke box with good music. It is still nowhere near full, and there are many duplicates, but each an every CD on...
The building of a bar
We finished painting today. And by finished, I mean we ran out of paint. The walls were thirsty, which I hope is a good sign.
We went through five gallons of Siren, one gallon of Casa de Oro, and one gallon of Remaining Embers. We also went through a lot of black and a quart of some color with the word “cat” in it, which I realized at the end of using it that this paint with the...
The building of a bar
It is now 11pm, I have just ordered pizza and today has kicked my ass.
I should not talk about the day in the past tense. We are in the middle of painting. Per usual, demo has taken up most of my day thus far. I had to destroy a five by fifteen foot mirror that was framed, screwed, nailed and glued to the wall. There were over 200 screws.
First I had to break the glass. I, admittedly, did not...
The building of a bar
Yesterday was not about me nor was it about the bar. It was about somebody else.
It was her birthday and the day was about her.
Today we paint and there will be an update to follow.
Star Bar, week four
July 2010
20 posts
The building of a bar
It is good to have somebody who is a strong voice of reason and knowledge, even if you have to pay a high price for it.
Let me start by saying that I have an uncanny ability to wake up early and not be able to get back to sleep. The waking is not my ability, but my ability is that on these days of waking early, without fail, they do not end up being the best of days.
This morning I was told...
The building of a bar
Today the Maiden sailed its last voyage.
The back bar came down. The shelves came down. The light fixtures came down. The liquor bottles were cleaned and boxed. The glassware has been pulled from the shelves. The random remaining tchotchkes were ferreted from their hiding.
The fruit flies watched, mortified.
The dust bunnies reared their gnarled fangs and attacked with both an effective and...
The building of a bar
It is weird.
The more the contractors do, the less, it seems I can do.
I feel like I should be doing everything I can to get the bar built out, but at the same time, now that the wheels are in motion, there is a step-by-step order of which I can’t really interfere.
Tomorrow, I will buy boxes and pack up every glass, bottle, knife and muddler and take down the shelves for the bar.
...
The Building of a Bar
Today I woke to a call stating that I am the proud owner of one bar, not two. Which is the best news I could have hoped to wake to.
Thank you for everything Lottie’s Lounge.
Other things of note that happened today was that I believe I have submitted all of my paperwork to the City of Portland and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. My architectural drawings and pinpoint accuracy were...
The building of a bar
As it turns out, sleep and me don’t have too much in common. We tried hanging out last night and it just felt weird. I ended up going to bed around 5am. I got up at 7:15 so that I could get to the bar by 8 to meet the contractors and let them in.
Turns out, they were running a little late and didn’t even get there until 9:30.
In that time, however, I put a nice coat of primer on...
The Building of a Bar
For the most part, I took the day off today. I met a couple industry people earlier on and will finish up some paper work before I spend a little time with my long, lost pal… sleep.
Sleep and me used to be such good buddies. We drifted apart I guess. Things changed and we went our own different directions. But tonight I am hoping that me and sleep can hang out, like old times.
I hope it...
The Building of a Bar
A NoDak is one who comes from North Dakota. For some reason, many NoDaks have moved to Seattle. For some other reason, they seemed to all gravitate to Columbia City. I knew several NoDaks in my old neighborhood, but oddly, most of them didn’t know each other.
NoDaks, in my experience, have an incredibly strong work ethic and an even stronger play ethic.
I know that is a generalization,...
The building of a bar
I got my kitchen manager. I got another NoDak boy as well, so for now my kitchen is set.
I sold my fridge and my freezer.„ only problem is my freezer isn’t working even though the repairman came out and said it was fine. He obviously was pulling the wool over my eyes. Wool puller.
I got my business cards. They are on the wrong card stock, but they are temporary and will have to...
The building of a bar
I would like to note that today for possibly the first time since I sold Lottie’s, I feel like I own a bar again.
Today, the Star Bar felt like my bar.
All it took was a juke box, a sledge hammer and fruit flies.
The battle of the fruit fly and the bar owner is one that has spanned the centuries. People have tried traps, chemicals, voodoo and swatters. While they all have their charms...
Building of a bar
I am beginning to see how this social networking thing works. I am not giving into it yet, which is like Jim Baker not given into Jessica Hawn, though this may take me a little longer.
The force of Twitter is strong and I am weak. Facebook’s cyberspace gravitational pull is that of a black hole. My blog is self-indulgent, so that doesn’t count.
Today was frustrating. But I have a...
