There was an article in yesterday's campus newspaper about "the secret life of bartenders." It talked about the various roles that bartenders can play, like babysitter, peacekeeper, and even chauffeur; the drama they get to see; and the pros and cons of attending a professional (and expensive) bartending school.

It was a very timely article because when I came home from work yesterday, Dave made a comment about how he's had lots of people walking in lately and asking for a job.

Two girls stopped by and asked for applications, and Dave started to hand them something to write their name and number on, when Joe- yes, Joe!- had the presence of mind to say "You know you have to be 21 to work here."  Score one for the Factor- the girls didn't know, and weren't.

The article mentions how most bartenders in town have worked their way up from other less glamorous jobs in the bar. That's definitely true in some ways at The Sandbar- Dave has never hired someone he's never seen before who walked in and asked for a job. Attending a fancy bartending school doesn't impress him either.  Pretty much everyone who works at The Sandbar was a regular customer first, and a customer who wasn't a pain in the you-know-what.

It was interesting to read about some student bartenders experiences with their jobs. You can read the article here.

I was amused, though, by the author's characterization of bartenders as "mysterious" and "charismatic."