Drinking Liberally Bakersfield Chapter Blog

Hello Liberal Drinkers!

As the heat outside begins to subside a bit, the political heat is only beginning to build as we ramp up for November elections.

Some questions to ponder this week:

Will Meg Whitman have enough cash to really buy the Governor's Mansion for 4 years?

Is Glenn Beck really an alien from Mars, sent down to brainwash middle America?

Are the Muslims planning to build a cultural center near Ground Zero really hiding a much bigger plot: to add salt to the wound and blow up the rubble that remains?

Does FL Governor and Senate hopeful Charlie Crist really swing both ways?

The answers to these questions and many more will not be available at our meeting this Thursday, 6PM at Rusty's on Ming and Wible, but I'm sure that we'll definitely be talking about some of these characters in great detail....

In other news, we had a record breaking night last meeting - if my math was correct (but don't count on it), I think we had close to 30 people! If you haven't been to a meeting at all, or it's been a while, NOW is the time to come and show your support for the left-of-center counter culture we have here in Bako! Let's prove that Kern county isn't so much a Red county as it is a liberal county that tends to hide out of fear of the conservative backlash. Let's prove the pundits wrong! COME TO DRINKING LIBERALLY!

-Andrew

Hello Liberal Drinkers!

I'd like to start by commenting on just how awesome our last meeting was! We had a solid group - 25 people showed up! Our meetings have shown a consistent improvement in attendance. We began with a mere handful, and we've grown to include what I'd estimate as about 40 active members, with an additional 20-30 inactive. We've been getting a consistent turn out of 15-20 people per meeting. I'd like to take this past meeting's attendance, and make that our goal for EVERY meeting!

If you're one of the active members, you're responsible for our success - thank you! For those who are inactive, I realize that for many, life is crazy and hectic, and our meeting time doesn't always work with your schedule. Please do not be discouraged - we understand, and we welcome you back whenever you can make it, even if it's rare!

Last month, I proposed that we begin meeting on the 5th Thursday of the month, when it so happens to.. well.. happen. The response I received was overwhelmingly in support of this. I'd like to make our "5th Thursday" meetings something special and different from the norm. One suggestion was to go to a wine bar. I definitely like the idea, but the one concern is price. September 30th would be our first "5th Thursday" - so we have some time to brainstorm ideas. If you have one, let me know. We can vote on the ideas at our next meeting (not this week's, but the first of next month).

Anyway, back to this week - I'd love to see 30 of your faces on Thursday, 6 PM at Rusty's on Ming and Wible. Make it happen!

-Andrew

Hello Everyone,

With talk of wikileaks, Sarah Palin's latest "cojones" gaff and all the other ridiculous and yet somehow interesting tidbits of political news, we've got plenty to discuss this Thursday night, 6 PM at Rusty's Pizza on Wible & Ming.

I want to see some fresh faces, as well as some faces of those who haven't been to a meeting in a while. We miss you!

So far, Rusty's has been treating us very well, so if you've been hesitant in the past, now's the time to join us! We won't bite!

See ya'll soon!

Andrew

Good Morning Liberal Drinkers!

The month of July almost fooled me, did it fool any of you? Here, I was looking forward to this Thursday, and lo and behold, I realize that hey... there's 5 Thursdays this July!

We've always tried to keep our meeting dates simple - 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month. I'm beginning to wonder, though, should we maybe include that 5th Thursday, when it does happen? Of course, that means that occasionally we'd be meeting back to back weeks, but some people just might enjoy that.

Please do me a favor and respond to this email to let me know if you'd like to start meeting on these "5th" Thursdays..

Maybe we could make them extra special somehow..

Let me know your ideas!

Thanks,

Andrew

Hello Liberal Drinkers!

With Spain's defeat of The Netherlands comes much celebration, and also much sadness, depending on which team you were rooting for. Of course, you could be like me - rooting for the spirit of competition in general!

I have some good news for everyone, regardless of your care, or lack thereof, regarding futbol: we have another Drinking Liberally meeting coming up this Thursday evening!

We'll be meeting at Rusty's Pizza Parlor on the corner of Ming & Wible (Target shopping plaza across the street from the Valley Plaza Mall), 6PM, in the back room.

Hope to see ya'll there!

-Andrew

Good Morning Everyone,

We had an excellent meeting last night, albeit a little on the small side as far as attendance. Rusty's was an excellent spot for us. We received our food promptly and had numerous employees continually checking up on us. They have a working TV in the party room, and we took advantage of the situation, after a suggestion from newcomer Chris, to turn it to FOX News to get the conversation flowing a bit more.

After speaking with a couple of people that attended last night, I think this is the spot for us - good food, good service and the ability to accommodate our group.

If anyone has objections to changing our meeting place to Rusty's from now on, please let me know.

In other news, some of us were talking about possibly going to a Bakersfield Blaze game, and I thought it might be a good idea to do a "Drinking Liberally Does Blaze Night." This would be separate from our normal meetings, probably the 2nd or 4th Thursday of the month (Thirsty Thursdays $1 Beers). There are a couple of options we have, depending on how many people are interested and what kind of money you are willing to spend.

I think the best deal is the the Picnic, for groups of 20 or more. Tickets for adults are $18 each (kids under 3 free, 10 and under $12) - includes tickets to the game, an all-you-can-eat buffet and we all sit together. If we didn't want to do the buffet but still had a group of 20 or more, we can get Dugout box tickets for $8 each. The final option is if we have a smaller group and wouldn't mind splitting up, we could look at party patios, which seat 6 each and cost a total of $72. This includes waitress service.

So, who's interested?

Let me know!

-Andrew

Hello Everyone,

As we continue to find a new potential home for Drinking Liberally Bakersfield, we'll be trying out Rusty's Pizza Parlor this week, at 1410 Wible Road (Next to the Target on Ming Avenue, across the street from Valley Plaza Mall). Rusty's has a better beer selection than Coco's (thank goodness!), so we'll see how this week goes.

So, to remind everyone, 6PM, Rusty's on Wible & Ming, this Thursday, July 1st, 2010!

Thanks,

Andrew

Hello Everyone,

After much deliberation, it has been decided that we will be taking an indefinite break from our usual venue. A core group of us have been searching for a new place for us to meet, and due to it being NBA Finals week (and as I write this, the Lakers are winning by more than 20 with less than 4 minutes to go..), it's tough to find a place where we know we'll have enough room.

Therefore, for this week only, we'll be meeting at Coco's (formerly Carrows) at 922 Oak Street. They have a couple of beers available, but besides that, drinks are limited to non-alcoholic. We will continue looking for a new spot in the meantime.

If anyone has any suggestions for a place that is centrally located and would fit our style group and needs, please let me know.

I will not be at this week's meeting - I'll be in North Carolina for a wedding and family reunion, so Matt will be holding the fort down.

Please do not hesitate to shoot me an email with any questions.

Thanks, and I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting!

-Andrew

Hello Liberal Drinkers!

This is an awesome week, and I'll give you a few reasons why:

1) Short work week for most of us!
2) This is the week before the Primary Election here in CA
3) NBA Finals starts this week
4) DRINKING LIBERALLY, of course!

Will it be Ken Mettler or Shannon Grove next week? How about Meg Whitman or Steve Poisner - which one is more of a "liberal?" Will Fran Florez beat Mr. Parra? There are many questions, and many more topics for discussion!

So, I hope to see each and every one of you this Thursday evening, 6 PM at Ellis Island Pizza Company - we'll eat good food, drink good libations, watch a little Basketball (maybe??) and of course, have stimulating conversation!

See ya'll there!

-Andrew

Hello Liberal Drinkers!

Primary Season is upon us! From the races in PA to fill Murtha's seat and what appears to be an ousting of Arlen Spector, to Ron Paul's son and the Tea Party's bid to take over the South, we've got quite a bit going on. Of course, on a more local level, we've got such shennanagins as Ken Mettler trying to ban Harvey Milk Day!

We've been getting a GREAT turnout, and I'd like to continue to see a trend towards more people coming out. There are quite a few people we haven't seen in a while.. if you've got the time (even an hour or so), we'd love to see you tomorrow night!

We'll be meeting in our usual place, usual time: 6PM @ Ellis Island Pizza Co on Stockdale & Real Road. If you have any questions, feel free to shoot me a message!

See ya'll tomorrow!

-Andrew