Pool is my drug of choice.
But not just anywhere. No, when I get the craving, I grab a buddy and
head
over to the best poolhall in town: Rick’s Pub. They have free pool, and
Good Food ™ to
boot.
Should I say where this new local hotspot is? I dare not to. As a news
editor, I realize there’s only maybe, 5 percent of the student body who
reads articles I
write on a regular basis. And maybe 1 percent of those actually care or
take any action (I’m
being charitable here.)
Still: 1 percent of 20,000 people is 198 more college kiddies than
Rick’s
can comfortably hold. Did I mention the free pool? Or the $1.50 Rick’s
special? Mmm…
lite beer… but when it’s at Rick’s, those 7 calories taste mighty
good.
There’s also the
popcorn: Right next to the pool table there’s this old greasy movie
theater
popcorn
machine, always with just a tiny bit of popcorn inside. It says
“donations
kindly accepted” on
the outside. I haven’t donated yet, because I don’t know what the money
would go to. I
guess that’s why God sees fit to lodge popcorn kernels deep in my
throat.
My buddy from the Pulse department, Mason, was the one to first get me
hooked on Rick’s: There’s something about walking into a bar in West
Eugene
on a Sunday
night and seeing nothing but grungy 40- and 50-somethings, all singing
their lungs out to
some oldies tune on the karaoke machine.
We’re known as the young’uns of the place. The bartenders stopped
ID’ing
us months ago, but that doesn’t stop the older guys from sauntering up
to
our table and
asking us if we’ve seen any Jackie Gleason flicks recently. I haven’t,
but
I plan to.
Until then, I’ll save my $1.50 and practice up on my Billy Joel. Sunday
night will be here soon, and there’s no better way to spend it than 5
p.m.
to 8 p.m. at Rick’s.