Where was I? Oh, yeah, I was growing...

I have to admit that this is a little personal and embarrassing, but I have realized that I've been playing it a little safe lately.

I have lived my entire life in Texas, which is sometimes called the "buckle" of the "Bible Belt" (does that make Mexico the crotch?).

Living in this area, many, if not most of the people in the circles I grew up in, oppose drinking alcohol. It is really looked down upon. Additionally, at our church, I would conservatively estimate that 95% are openly opposed to drinking alcohol. So, bars are typically considered to be completely inappropriate places to be.

There is a rationale behind this which I understand but do not embrace--people feel that drinking leads to drunkenness which is immoral. The safest way to avoid drunkenness is to avoid alcohol completely, so we are subjected to Puritanical lectures discouraging us.

I've even caught myself looking down my nose at people drinking in the wrong situation--you know, breaking the unwritten rules. One time we were at "guy's night out" with our church group and we went bowling--Up walks one of the guys with a Smirnoff Ice, and I was outraged. I thought it really went against the values of our group...Now how hypcritical is that?? It's really difficult for me to justify except to say that it is firmly ingrained in my subconscious.

I grew up in a family where there were alcoholics--I rode with my drunk relatives, careening all over the highway as they reached back to get drinks out of the cooler that they usually kept in the van. Several times they were expected for birthdays, etc. but somehow never showed up. Luckily, so far at least, I've dodged that bullet and am able to limit myself to a drink or two without going overboard. But I see how alcohol can get you into trouble pretty quickly.

Obviously, the bar scene is also condemned by our local critics, and I've never felt comfortable in places like that. When we visited England 10 years ago, I was a little apprehensive about going into a pub. I know, I'm an idiot.

So, a few years ago, when I was in New England at a workshop, I got into a discussion with one of the instructors and he suggested we head for the local pub, called The Captain Kidd. It was the heat of the New York/Boston baseball rivalry, and the locals were out in force to cheer Boston--this is where I somehow morphed into a Boston fan (my theory: when you're a Texas Rangers fan you have to pick another team, too, so you have something to cheer for in playoff season). The atmosphere was unbelievable, and we had a couple of drinks, enjoyed a nice discussion, and even took a couple of minutes to meet some new people. Over the next few days while I was in town, me and a few of my friends would gather at "The Kidd" to enjoy ourselves after working all day (one of my buddies got drunk every night and actually missed the bus to the airport because he was hung over). The funny thing was that the bartender hated everyone from out of town and he was very surly toward us the whole time, but somehow we didn't mind.

The nature of my job brings me together with guys from all over the country, and I think it would shock them to know that going into a pub with them really shakes me out of my comfort zone. If they knew what I was up to, it would shock my friends and family and cause people from my church to erase my name from their personal version of the Book of Life (the same people offended by that joke). I really hate hypocrites--I certainly tell anyone when it comes up, but don't go out of my way to mention it (like my own personal "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

It got a little tense one time when I went to my doctor, who happens to go to my church. The funny part was--for HIM, the "turn your head and cough" part was nothing compared to asking me "Do you drink alcoholic beverages?". When I told him "yes", he just smiled and somehow seemed relieved.

Last week, when I was in San Francisco, we would all get together every night at a place called Foley's. It would get swamped with trendy out-of-towners, but there were plenty of locals, too. The pub is clearly quite old and has tons of atmosphere--live music some nights, and the floor plan is a crazy maze of partitioned rooms. I actually looked forward to going there after work, and had a great time with my friends.

Feel free to tell me how goofy I am...