josh's st. patrick's day paradox

today is st. patrick's day.

i coulda tried to study up on what st. patrick's day is all about, but i didn't. i do know this, i'm pretty sure it has some sorta humble beginnings that has nothing to do with drinking a shitload of booze. i'm sure excessive, blackout inducing drinking is to st. patrick's day as the easter bunny is to easter.

and i'm not here to poop all over the drinking. i get it. i used to be one of those dudes that used st. patrick's day as a reason to go out and get all sorts of fucked up. but it was never st. patrick's day specifically that inspired me to get hammered. i used to be the type that was always looking for a good reason to get hammered. the hangover and shame that comes the day after st. patrick's day is a lot more socially acceptable than that hangover i used to wear to work every tuesday.

and it also ties into the whole, 'it's always better to drink with others than to drink alone.' so being the type of dude that i used to be, how could i not drink copious amounts of booze on st. patrick's day? it was like finally the entire world around me was doing what i always like to do. can't miss out on that, right?

and i'm not gonna try and be all old about this and say that any of what i just said is stupid now that i'm who i am now and just not that into binge drinking. everyone should do their own thing and enjoy whatever it is they enjoy. so go ahead and drink green beer till you puke. i get it. i did it. i even thoroughly enjoyed it.

but now i don't. i don't wanna get blitzed or hammered. i don't want to blackout. i don't wanna wake up tomorrow and immediately the first thought that comes to mind is, 'what happened?'

but in a way, i'm still sorta glad that this holiday is used as a reason for everyone to go out and get hammered. it inspires people who don't go out a lot to go out and socialize. all of the sudden people i haven't seen in weeks, months, and years are out and about. and there's a bar in my neighborhood, the wild rover, and i expect a lot of good people i haven't seen in a while to show up. so i'll go out tonight to a local joint. but it won't really be to celebrate st. patrick's day. i'm going out in hopes that i'll be surrounded by a bunch of good people that i enjoy to be around and who i don't see a lot. so even though i'm not celebrating st. patrick's day, if it wasn't for st. patrick's day, that shit wouldn't happen.

so if anyone sees st. patrick, tell him i said thanks.