It must be Happy Hour somewhere

How many of you look forward to a Friday Happy hour?  There is nothing better than after a tough week grinding it out in the cubical then getting out of work, and heading to your favorite tavern, bellying up to the bar in your favorite bar stool, and having that iced cold beer; poured with such care that you salivate just staring at it and you recall how the last time you were here it happened the same way.  Then your crew rolls in, because you always have a crew together at HH and you enjoy happy hour with more iced cold beer, tunes from the juke box, and maybe a game of snooker or arrow toss.  Happy hour is a great way to spend time with friends, family, and strangers that also enjoy a good happy hour. 

                Well, just think if that was ripped away from you without warning.  Your expectations of enjoying happy hour dashed without a letter, fax, page, or signal.   You get out of work and head to your favorite tavern, like it always is and has been – it’s open, the same bartender is working, your chair is open at the bar, but when you sit down, there is no iced cold beer.  You can see the tap handles right there in front of you and the tall boys chilling nicely in the ice box.  What is going on?  You franticly wave the barkeep down and ask, “What gives? Why won’t you serve me my favorite frosty beverage?”  His reply, “Sorry, we don’t serve beer anymore.”  What, huh….why?  The barkeep then proceeds to tell you that the owner, despite being the nicest owner, feels it isn’t necessary to serve beer at this time.  He isn’t comfortable serving beer, instead he says, “We have one brand of local chardonnay that you can drink, it’s a young vintage, but it is lovely.” He then promises to start serving beer again, but not until 2012.

Some customers do like chardonnay and have been drinking it for a long time and you can’t change their minds, but I and many other patrons who love this bar don’t like chardonnay.  We like our beer at happy hour. 

Mike Riley has stolen our Happy hour.  He is forcing us to drink chardonnay. 

I don’t want to wait to 2012 when he decides to go to work.  Let's fire Riley now.