Not only that, but also there’s the fact that while Europe was rebuilding its city centers after the war, we were destroying ours with freeways and parking lots.
I’m sorry about your dog.
And I generally agree with your perception that corporate greed is out of control.
And for many decades everybody was poor. There was no postwar boom for Europe. Germany and England sure look they are making up for lost time and paving whatever they can. The United States is the worlds only remaining hegemony so we are ground breaking in decadence, but any nation talking shit about us should strap in cause the future will meet them as well.
I poured a can of Bud Light into my dog’s bowl, and the next thing I knew he was on my couch licking his balls.
We had our friend euthed at home last August and the paw print was included. It was polymer clay, no frame, but his name was stamped into it and we had to bake it ourselves.
This phrasing makes it sound as if you are writing from an alternate and slightly futuristic timeline about your buddy the werewolf—either way, I’m sorry for your loss.
I am glad to hear about this “service” now: I love my cats so much, and I will not react well to any upselling when the time comes. Best be prepared.
You were trying to get him drunk so he’d lick yours instead? 
So on the subject of breweries, I learned something that totally made me doubt the direction of society, when in a brewery in San Fran last year.
Apparently people are having kids birthday parties IN BREWERIES. This is coming from someone who has no problem with kids in breweries, thinks people who do have an issue with it need to get a life, and in fact had his kid with him in the brewery when I learned this. But seriously WTF!? In what world is a brewery the right venue for a four year old’s birthday party?
The one where I have to be drunk enough to attend a four year old’s birthday party.
If I went to a brewery for a pint or two and a child’s birthday party was happening there, I’d turn right around and go somewhere else. Fuck that noise. It would be like drinking at Chuck E Cheese.
Devil’s Advocate time: Do you remember your fourth birthday? I don’t remember mine. So, maybe the parents wanted the party in a place they could have a good time. The kid would have a good time anywhere, it’s his birthday.
(Fuck that noise, too.)
It’s a little odd, but it might make sense in a strange way. I assume this was a microbrewery/restaurant sort of place. The ones near me have tables, chairs, and plenty of room. You could bring in a clown, or a face-painter, or a photo booth, or whatever you have for a four-year-old’s birthday party these days. They probably aren’t very busy during the day.
You’ve got parents who need a space, and a space that’s not being used, so why not?
You also have adults drinking alcohol and having fun, occasionally dropping a loud F-bomb. If you want your kids in that environment, sure have at it. What? You want me to modify my behavior? Not gonna happen.
Naw, there is nothing for 4 year olds at a Brew pub. Nothing. And every reason for everyone else to leave. If this is about the parents good time rather than the birthday boy or girl I hope they get all the crying from the kids and dirty looks from adults they deserve. This moment is not about them, regardless of the age of children
I also went to a baby shower in a NASCAR themed diamond plate bar. Strange to be sure, but not as bad as this as there were no birthed kids involved and the mom didn’t drink.
I don’t understand why that environment would be inappropriate for children. Surely that’s just… life?
The main reason I don’t want kids in normally adult venues is because they’re just not able to enjoy themselves while behaving appropriately: they tend to want to run around and (depending on their parents’ tolerance for such things) shriek. I do not want running and shrieking when I’m out sitting at a bar / table. It’s not because I think ordinary adult life is somehow harmful to children.
I’ve been in bars/breweries where we were being raucous and had a parent come over and ask if we could watch our language, as there are kids present.
We answered “take your fucking kids to a kid’s place” and went back to having a good time. Can’t afford a babysitter? Not my problem.
I grew up in bars thanks to an alcoholic father and it was a pretty depressing experience. I managed to find ways to entertain myself by playing the jukebox and creating characters and elaborate stories out of billiard balls. These were not crowded venues, but really more for the hard drinking sort, but I still hate bars. I would never subject my child to habitually drunk people.
On behalf of all us habitual drunkards, I thank you.
I love dogs, dog owners are often insufferable. Good parents are not the ones bringing children to play in the volley ball sand pit filled with shards of broken beer bottles.
Kids are not the problem here, their presence much less behavior is a symptom of bad parents. It takes a village to raise a child, sometimes raising that child requires the village to shame shitty parenting as well.
Listen, I don’t like kids that much either. I really like my own kid, but most others are a big meh, so I totally get why someone would want some adult time. I want adult time too!
Well, that’s pretty inappropriate on the parent’s part. As is being inconsiderate of your own children by dragging them to bars so you can drink when you’re supposed to be parenting. But neither of those things is a problem with having kids around drinkers, it’s a problem with inconsiderate / inappropriate parents. Which, I will admit, are legion.