All I Wanted Was A Beer, Not My Ego Handed To Me

I have always looked younger than my age, a fact that was much to my chagrin in high school. It was horrible in high school when the other girls matured and grew boobs and nipped waists and long, flowing hair, and became, well, women. And me? I looked like I was 12. For a long time. I would cry and lament my fate, that even as a teenager I still looked like a "little kid." (my daughter is going through that now, and I empathize). But.

I got the last laugh. Because now, I just stepped into my 40's and have been told, over and over again, that I look nowhere near my age. I have to admit, I freakin love that. Keep saying it! I was a bit of a late bloomer and am sexier now than I ever was in my younger days. And of course, there is the confidence I have at 40. If I could go back in time and be that little Senior again? I would rock the joint. But, that only happens in Disney flicks, right?

So, all that to say, I am pretty comfortable with myself these days. How I look, the condition I am in, and my age. That is, until last Saturday night. JMan and I went to see Star Trek (in IMAX, thank you, which is another post altogether, about how we went to one theatre, were lied to about the size of the screen, got a refund and hightailed it to a real IMAX theatre) and had some time to kill before the movie started. We ducked into a sports bar to have a pint. We bellied up to the bar, climbed on the stool, flashed some cash, ordered our poisons, (Fat Tire for me, Guinness for him), and this is the part that kills me. JMan was carded! I was NOT carded. I was pissed, and seriously.

Granted, JMan looks like he is 16, and has always looked really young. In reality, he is 42, thank you very much. And the numbnuts bartender carded him. AND NOT ME! Now, it seems to me if he was smart, he would have carded us both, just so he could get a bigger tip. But no. He looked at me, and dismissed me, the jerk. He asked my husband for his I.D. because he doesn't even look old enough to buy beer!

JMan tried to play it off, tried to placate my ego by saying it was due to my confidence in ordering, but the damage was done. I realize that I am not 21 anymore. I don't want to be 21 anymore. But dammit, I also don't want people to think I am some Dixie Wetsworth cougar preying on some innocent (and yeah right!) young man.

So, to the bartender at Champs Bar in Irvine? You might want to have a bit more tact when you card those you don't think are old enough to drink. The more I think about it, the more ticked at you I become. Yes, your tip reflected your treatment of us. If I had more guts and wasn't such a nice person, you would have gotten even less, like nothing. But I can't do that, I tipped you the least amount possible, and it was because of your insensitivity. I get that you are busy, and you are trying to serve everyone and you are just doing your job and all. You have to check those you are unsure about. But for chrissakes, you need to at least card the woman if you are going to card the man she's with! Didn't they teach you that in bartending school?? It's only like Bartending Rules 101. Or did you fail to graduate? And just one more thing?

Bite Me.

T, who will think twice when ordering alcohol in the future

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