Last Call

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There's a debate going on here in New York State about whether or not the bars should close at 2 a.m. or 4 a.m.

Back about 20 years ago I might have been interested in such a debate.

Not so much anymore.

In fact, I can't even fathom staying up until either 2 or 4.

There are nights when I've already gotten out of bed twice to pee by 4 o'clock.

Yet I'm sure that there are people out there who still actually do care about those extra two hours.

Is it possible that a bar can make a lot of money in those 120 minutes? Aren't people already pissed to the gills by then?

I wonder if they could research how many people found their one true love in those two hours. I'm thinking that the next time it happens will be the first.

"What were you doing until 4 o'clock in the morning?" Mom would ask us if she ever found out that we were out so late.

"Playing darts. Falling down. Those kinds of things."

I'm not quite sure how much of a fuss anyone is going to put up if the state sudden;y says that 2 a.m. is enough.

I have noticed that most people don't even go out until nearly ten o'clock now when they are ready to socialize.

Hell, by ten o'clock Columbo is already over on ME Television.

I never really got that whole going out late vibe.

In fact, I never really was much into the club scene where I suppose that the extra two hours make a difference.

My 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. periods were spent at a dive bar...the jukebox on high...the bartender standing there matching us drink for drink.

No girls waiting for us.

No good reason to think that we wanted or needed one more.

But having one more just in case.

Two o'clock seems to be plenty late for me now.

I'm certain that you could probably wrap up your evening activities by then...

...but what the hell do I know?

Now I'm usually getting up around the time that the guy is crying 'Last Call.'

That is when you know that you're officially an adult:

When you're getting up at roughly the same time when you used to get in.


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