Welcome to 2021. We are back at the bar, still engaged in socially distant drinking and chatter and working our way around Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt. Of course, today we get to double-dip and count this post for Just Jot January as well.
“Your prompt for #JusJoJan and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: ‘in the corner.’ Write about whatever the image or thought of ‘in the corner’ brings to mind. Have fun!”
If we were having a beer, we would be off to a good start…at being ourselves.
“If you’re looking for Dan, David, he’s over there. I’ll bring your drinks over in a minute.”
“Thanks Cheryl, I guess.”
“Happy New Year, David. I took the liberty of ordering for you.”
“Dan, why are we sitting in the corner?”
“The bar is full, David.”
“But there are plenty of seats.”
“David, twenty-twenty ended but the pandemic rages on. Anti-socially-distant drinking is still all the rage.”
“Sigh…”
“Geeze, David. I heard that sigh from halfway across the bar.”
“That’s because there are no people between here and there, Cheryl.”
“Dan, can’t you cheer him up?”
“I ordered him a John Howell’s Bourbon Special, Cheryl. I’m not sure what else I can do.”
“And here that special is. A glass of bourbon, a snifter of seltzer, a glass of ice. Cherries in the bourbon, lemon and lime in the Seltzer, and one more lime in a cold Corona for Dan.”
“Thank you both. I do appreciate the gesture. Dan, I might be happier if you didn’t insist on drinking a tribute to the damn virus each week. There are other beers.”
“Cheers David. The tribute is to my late sister-in-law, at least that’s how it started. Then I realized that I really like Corona.”
“Your late sister-in-law liked Mexico?”
“She liked Corona, actually, she drank Coronitas.”
“The pony bottles?”
“Yes, she couldn’t have much alcohol.”
“I don’t think they make those anymore, Dan.”
“I haven’t seen them in years, Cheryl. Fortunately, I can still handle twelve ounces.”
“Listen guys, I have to check the lounge, but keep your eye on the two girls in the corner of the bar. I just gave them their slip; those stools will be opening up soon.”
“There they go, Come on, David. Gather up all your glassware and let’s move before someone else comes in.”
“Just take the bourbon and the seltzer, David. I’ll give you more ice.”
“Um, well, Cheryl…”
“I’ll wipe down the bar as soon as you get there, David.”
“OK.”
“I feel like I’m playing musical chairs, Dan”
“You know, David, for a guy that just wants this to be over, you’re being extra careful.”
“I know Dan. I was so happy to see twenty-twenty end, I got caught up in it. I really didn’t want that year to continue one more minute.”
“How about one more second?”
“Minute, second, no difference in my mind, Dan.”
“Well, it could have been given an extra second. As opposed to ending at twelve-fifty-nine-fifty-nine, it could have continued until twelve-sixty.”
“Dan, how many Corona’s did you have before I got here? You can’t randomly add seconds to a year.”
“It isn’t random, but you can add a second David. It’s called a ‘leap second’ and it can be added to December thirty-first or June thirtieth. They haven’t added one since December, twenty-sixteen, and they decided not to add one to twenty-twenty.”
“They? Who are ‘they’ Dan?”
“They are the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service, a.k.a. the I-E-R-S.”
“In the event that you’re not making this whole thing up Dan, I’m sure those people would rather let the earth be one second off its mark for six months rather than give twenty-twenty another second of life.”
“It’s bad enough they hold presidential elections in a leap year, I wouldn’t want twenty-twenty to have had an extra second, either. Here’s your ice, David.”
“Thanks Cheryl. You’re right about the extra day during big election years. Dan, can that alphabet-soup agency of yours move the next leap year to twenty-twenty-five?”
“Actually…”
“Actually, Dan, that was a rhetorical question. Perhaps you could resolve to recognize rhetorical questions in twenty-twenty-one.”
“Cheryl, could we have another round?”
“Sure, Dan. You boys want any food?”
“We’ll have an order of wings, Cheryl.”
“You want an order of ten or twenty-one?”
“Twenty-one?”
“Yeah, the owner is celebrating.”
“David, are you hungry enough for ten wings?”
“I’m hungry enough for eleven, Dan.”
“You never miss a trick, do you?”
“I do not – Happy New Year, Dan.”
There you have it folks. 2021 is off to a good start. You can join us in SoCS or JusJoJan and, if you’re looking for another creative outlet, step on over to Teagan’s place. I hear she has a mini challenge for you today.
That’s a full bar in 2021.
Early morning in Hartford.
On my way into Hartford, I was skirting the side of a red sky.
Wispy clouds in front of the December full moon.
On that early morning walk with Maddie.
Sunset, contrails and a full moon. That’s a good evening.
Dissipating contrails at sunrise.
Most people get upset when stuck behind a train. I always enjoy it. That’s CT Rail’s Hartford Line on the way to Springfield, MA. I will ride this in 2021.
Hi Smokey.
The flag is in there, as are three contrails.
It was 21°f (-6°c) when we left for this walk.
We opted for the longer walk on the first day of the year. It was cold, but we weren’t feeling it.
Long shadows, still drifting off to the northwest.
Jinx calling to his buddies.
Maddie loves finding love