so this bartender in williamsburg killed the king of pop

so i had my final today in organic chemistry, and it went pretty poorly. but the class is over, and that's what counts (as everyone has been telling me, and i'm not necessarily sure that's the case. isn't doing well in the class the most important part about taking the class?)

anyway, to celebrate, I headed over to sweet ups with joe, and met jeff and adam there, to hang out and drink $1 48 ounce pitchers. after 5 o'clock, the deal become buy-one-get-one-free pints of beer. you buy a pint, the bartender gives you a poker chip that's good for another free beer whenever you want it. pretty sweet deal.

so i drank a few pitchers, hung out with my pals, tipped a buck on each one, which i consider ample tip, when the drinks are $1 each. standard fare. (STOP ME IF I'M WRONG, PEOPLE).

after 5, i order a beer, and the bartendress forgets to give me my poker chip for the free beer. No big deal whatsoever. She gives me my change, I pocket it, and ask for my chip, reaching into my pocket to get my dollar for the tip for the beer, thinking to myself "she gives me the chip, I give her the tip, we both walk away happy". When I ask her for the chip, she says "YOURE NOT EVEN GOING TO TIP ME, HUH? ARE YOU SERIOUS??"

and then goes on this ENFLAMED diatribe about how she's been bartending for 10 years, and she's sick of people not tipping, and all day people haven't been tipping her and etc.etc.etc.

blown away (and tipsy from my nearly 100 ounces of beer in a half hour), i apologize, remind her that i've tipped her for every drink that i've received all day (TALLY: TWO), and that she was the one that erred, ripping me off for a free beer, and that I was planning on putting a dollar on the bar when she did her job, as advertised on the chalkboard out front. it was an honest mistake, much like not giving someone their free beer. we all make mistakes. there's no reason to get bent out of shape. just do what you're supposed to do, and we'll both be happy.

i didn't even go into details about how she's been a mediocre bartendress, at best, and i thought tips were supposed to be for exemplery performance, but i've worked in service before, i know you make your living off tips, and i appreciate that she's working a crappy bar in william s. burg at 4 in the afternoon, so here's your dollar. i didn't do that. i gave her my dollar and said sorry.

a few minutes later, i went up to the bar, and asked if she was okay. i reiterated that it was a mistake, i meant to tip her, just plum forgot, and we're fine now, right? and she was still a little attitudy, saying "i'm just having a bad day. people don't tip on drinks and that upsets me" or some such rot.

---

a few minutes later, i get text-blasted with "CAN YOU VERIFY THAT MJ IS DEAD??!?!?!?!?!"

i go to bitchy macgoo behind the bar, and say "holy crap, michael jackson is dead?"

all strife is put aside. she flips on cnn, pours shots of tequila, and we put on joe's ipod, rocking out to the king of pop for a half hour or so.

---

at the end of the day, one of my three favorite musical artists have died, right before he planned on a comeback tour. but hundreds of people are dying in iran, and as joemsak puts it: "thousands of people are waiting in line for 1 toilet in south africa". priorities need to be put in order.

i will always remember where i was the day MJ died. getting berated in a bar with my three best friends, playing gin rummy, doing tequila shots, celebrating the moment where i finished a class a year before i go to west virginia to be a doctor. it'll put it into perspective, i feel.

also, every fifteen seconds someone dies of hunger. where were you when that happened?





how about when that happened?







and that?










and that?










and that?











and that?












and that?