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Drunk Again on the 4th of July
Liberty and Libations
It is 2016. I am on a sober experiment, maybe 14 days in, and it is the 4th of July. We are out of town, spontaneously visiting friends. One of them works in hospitality and got us a beautiful hotel room in a nearly sold out city. When we check in, there’s chilled champagne for us, a sweet note, and milk & cookies for the kids. It was such a sweet surprise! We felt like VIPs. I have never had this kind of service upon arrival. I am really touched, but I don’t touch the champagne. I’m doing a sober experiment after all.
We have lunch at a famous Wisconsin staple. I get the biggest, baddest, extra spicy, Virgin Bloody Mary with all the fixin’s on a skewer poking out. Celery, pickles, bacon, shrimp. I took a picture for Facebook. Sober. Easy peasy. I am not missing out on anything. I see everyone with their beers around me, but I am okay.
We have a few sets of friends that live in the same town, and we want to introduce them to each other. We met at the perfect place: a walk-up brewery with an outdoor playground. It’s like a huge park with playground equipment, and then you can walk around with a beer in a frosty mug. It sounds like heaven, but that’s Wisconsin for you. I just have water. I don’t mention anything about it, as everyone else casually sips beer. Beer adds to the vibe.
