Does this post really have to have a topic?

Because two pints of Smithwicks and a piece of hot pizza burning my mouth tends to distract a girl from a specific theme.

I went to work today knowing that by 7:00pm, I would be presenting my first photo assignment of the year. It's just class as City College, and after all my years of public speaking, shouldn't be a big deal. But somehow it always is. As 7:00pm grew closer, everytime I thought about getting up in front of the class, the more I wanted to skip it. In the end, I made it. But the sentiment was there until about 8:30pm.

After class, I thought I knew what I wanted to do. Go home and proof pictures until midnight, like I do nearly every night. Instead, to even my surprise, I drove past my street and kept going about a mile until I got to the local pub. It's a little Irish-themed place that seems like a cross between a really hip little dive bar and a Claim Jumpers. Yeah, think chain restaurant with a band on a tiny little stage. That's about it. I probably wouldn't frequent it as much as I do, except that there really is nothing to do in Temecula and my spirit isn't broken enough to go hang out at the casinos.

So I went to the pub and ordered a beer. Smithwicks is generally pretty good and tonight did not disappoint. I had no idea there was going to be a band, but I recognized the lead singer as the one from the Disco Pimps and I knew that it wouldn't be THAT bad. (Afterwards, I decided that yes, they really were that bad. But, I laughed at the crowd while drinking beer, so it was still worth it.) Anyway, I ordered my beer, was given a raffle ticket (I still have no idea what the prize was), and settled down behind a bunch of middle-aged men who could have sworn they were at a frat reunion. At one point I pulled the waitress aside, one of my favorite waitresses - we have a rapport - and said that they were cracking me up with all of their crazy drunken dancing and brash comments. She rolled her eyes in agreement.

After the intermission, the band started really getting into it; leaving out all the disco (they are the disco pimps, remember?) and playing top 40 standards from 'jammin' Z90, three years ago. And then, the lead singer said the thing that's been sticking in my head all night. "Let me hear all the ladies in the crowd! This place is full of hot, Temecula, divorced women!"

Yes, he has a way with words. And after that, there wasn't much to do but finish my beer and head home.