Personable Bartenders

It's been a few weeks, I know. And since then, I have still been partaking of the single life, albeit in smaller doses as I recover financially from my vacation. But I must say that I am a tad discouraged. There is not that much encouragement out there for single people, especially in the summertime, or even in the winter, that's why we drink a lot. In drinking, you always think you'd be consoled by the company of the bartenders, or the awesome restaurant staff, that it would make you not feel so "single" after all. However, if your drinking is occurring in Atlanta, trust me that will not happen.

I find that Atlanta is lacking (one of the multiple things it is lacking in) in what I choose to call "personable bartenders," wait staff in general but that's a whole other story. You go to these places, hoping to strike up a chat with the bartender about anything, sports, the weather, current events, anything remotely interesting as you down your drink but that is not the case. Especially for me being a woman. It's always so... cold. There's a little bit of shock in their demeanor first of all as they try to digest my presence - what's a nice looking lady like you doing here in a bar by herself. They never quite get over this before I hit them with another mystery, I ask for a beer. Then it's - what's a nice looking lady like you doing here in a bar by herself, drinking a beer. It all doesn't add up. They trouble themselves by thinking I am there to meet someone, that I will soon be joined by a nice lad. No, that is not the case. They wait and wait and no one joins me. Then, I pay for myself, or use my own credit card to open my own tab. This is just not adding up. So they immediately think I must hate people, this causes them to shrink to a corner and NOT EVEN MAKE CONVERSATION WITH ME.

In between that time, other people join me at the bar, single men, single women, everyone's paired up. They instantly start conversing with the single men, about sports, the weather, some nonsense, and before you know it, they are offering them drinks on the house, shots on the house, sampling of their new wines, all of this on the house. While I am just sitting there watching all this "bromance" take place. Then, the single women are teased and heckled and generally given a good time. They treat them like the Sex and the City ladies just stopped by, play with them, offer them drinks they didn't order, while I am still sitting there in my corner watching all this flirting take place.

The only other time I hear from them is when my glass is almost drained and they bother to ask if I want another one and once I refuse (on account of my diet and the lack of company) they immediately present the check. What makes you think that I may not want another drink later, not right now, but later? But why would I after the lacklustre reception you've given me? I would have been better off drinking this at home in front of the TV, not sweating the small talk. And I could and lately I have. The fact that I have chosen not to means I want to talk to someone asides from myself when I drink. I want to see what the outside world looks like. What restaurants and bars don't understand is, the fact that I've chosen not to stay indoors means, I am here to be entertained by you and if you can't entertain me with a simple chat then, you don't deserve to have me here, drinking your overpriced alcohol and you bloody well don't deserve a tip.

So this is the cross we bear as single women no less in a town filled with coupled up (some of them because society has forced them to) people.

If you are one of those lacklustre bartenders, it's time to set yourself apart from the pack, embrace the single woman and bring some strut to your work. Make some damn conversation with her. That could be you someday.