It’s always so much fun when we run into our kids’ friends downtown at the Oscar Tango or wherever. We ran into Damn Arbor tonight and the Blind Pig came up and I hope I didn’t bend his ear too much.

Although I like the Blind Pig, I have never been a frequent patron there. Actually I haven’t been there in many years. I will guess that my children have been there more times than I have, even though I went there before they were born.

So my favorite story about the Blind Pig happened before I had any children. It was back when I was living in an upstairs apartment on N. Seventh Street and working over at that darn EPA (sigh). The GG was in my life by then but he was working umpteen billion hours a week (*not* at that darn EPA) and had an apartment over in Clawson or wherever it was, somewhere in Megalopolis. My cousin the Mean Old Grunchie Old Grinchie was coming to town and he and I agreed to meet at the Blind Pig.

I got to the Blind Pig before the Grinch did (which I totally expected) and of course I was nervous about sitting at the bar by myself. Of course, a couple of nimrod-type barfly guys sat down and tried to hit me up. I was not impressed by them. I told them I was meeting my cousin. They were all “ooooohhhhh yeeeaaahhhh”, like I was just joshing them or something. Like maybe nobody was really meeting me there and they might have a chance in hell with me. Get a life boyz. Kayak Woman always keeps one foot on the ground and is capable of landing the other one there if necessary. I was “in a relationship” (with the GG) and meeting my cousin for the evening and not interested in them.

And then the Grinch arrived. I introduced him to the barfly guys. This is my cousin. I don’t remember exactly what happened next but they made some polite noises and went their own way. I first [sorta] remember the Grinch when I was three and we were in the back of our Grandaddy’s Studebaker “fighting” over a package of smoked fish. He has always been one of the sweetest people I know but in his adult years, he has always looked like someone you might not want to mess with. I am also sure that he is capable of following through on that kind of look in a non-violent way.

Nowadays when I have occasion to meet someone at a barrooooom, I am not anything close to nervous. This is partly because I don’t really get people hitting on me at bars like I did 30-odd years ago. But also I am no longer intimidated when people start up inappropriate conversations with me. If some old codger starts to get more friendly than I want him to, I am good at nipping it in the bud. Not to mention that I always have my iPhone with me. So I can sit at a bar (or anywhere) alone and text the folks I am meeting (or others) or mess with social media or do the xword or read or whatever.

The Blind Pig is up for sale. I hope whoever buys it keeps it going as it always has but I am not optimistic.

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