Smoked out, again.

I do not go to smoky, seedy bars for a very good reason, for several very good reasons: a) I cannot abide smoke; b) they are always too loud; and c) I can�t stand drunks. So, what did I do tonight? Yes, that�s right, I spent three and-a-half hours at a smoky, seedy bar in L�ville, namely the Planete-�-Pub, which has gone through many incarnations since we moved to this town, the first one I remember being a doughnut shop, then a restaurant, then a video lottery bar, and now a raunchy local pub where the locals go. Needless to say, I didn�t know very many people there.

Why did I go to a smoky bar you�re asking? That�s a very good question. I�m not entirely sure myself, since I surely knew this is what I was in for. Nonetheless, a group of middle-aged rockers, I guess you�d call it a band, comprising my daughter�s highschool science teacher, Hubby�s retired-physics-teacher/squash-buddy and two guys I didn�t know were playing a gig there and they asked Hubby if he would join them, which he did. So I, being the good wifey that I am, accompanied him, along with Little Princess and her BF. I let them off so he could bring in his guitar and amp, put gas in the car and then parked it.

When I entered the bar, I felt like I was immediately going to choke, the air was so thick with cigarette smoke. More friends of my daughter arrived, and I actually did have some fun dancing with them. There was a very festive atmosphere, it being a Christmas party of sorts, and free shots were handed out at one point and a buffet spread was laid on the pool table. But that doesn�t change the fact that my eyes are burning and I smell like an old ashtray, my throat is raw and my ears are ringing from the sheer volume of an amplified band playing in such a small space.

So, I left somewhere in the middle of their third set, being assured first that Hubby actually had a ride home, taking Little Princess (whose leg is hurting rather badly tonight) home with me and dropping off her BF. I sit here reeking, drinking hot chocolate with a splash of Irish cream, dreading putting my stinking body between the sheets of my bed, but it�s too late to have a bath. They can�t pass that no-smoking law soon enough for me.

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