I started out January 4, 2023 with the intention of blogging 90 days straight, then I figured six months would be a good stopping point, but after that I thought “Why not just go for a year?” …And just like that a year has sped by. I missed a few posts here and there and so decided to quit at 365 posts total. At times it’s hard to believe this is the only thing I’ve been writing for a year. It’s public which is intimidating because I have a feeling most of the people who read it know me in some way, so they see the days when it’s a struggle to get anything down on the page. But shit, man, 365 posts in 375 days ain’t no joke. Of course, the OCD part of my brain wishes it had been done as a clean 365/365, but there’s no way I’ll attempt it again.

By writing the blog for a year, I’ve put off a number of other projects. My writing time is limited in the mornings and can be anywhere from a measly half hour to a full two hours. I have to say, it’s going to feel a little weird waking up in the morning not thinking about what the hell to post on this damn blog. There were a few tough weeks in there where I had to come up with something from nothing. There were also really easy days when I had pictures and a plan. I think both sides are obvious in the writing itself.

The last few months have been difficult. It’s hard to do anything everyday for a year straight, especially trying to say something about bartending which I have a very terse, hot/cold relationship with in the first place. When I first started out doing this I wrote a lot about my years spent in kitchens and I was able to tap into some distant part of my mind where I remembered all this stuff that happened so long ago…And how it all led to this point.

I think about those types of things quite a bit. Fate, kismet, whatever you want to call it…The roads, paths, journeys we take that lead us to certain places. For instance: I kept a bunch of plants over at my sister in law’s place and a couple of months ago she asked me to get rid of a bunch of them (there were over 40 at one point). As I tried to find ways and places to put all of them, I asked her next door neighbor if he wanted a few, I’m friendly with the guy, he’s a personal trainer, I knocked on the door and got him over to the place, gave him some plants, and then between the two of them they decided to get her some personal training sessions. So in my mind, it was the plants that helped her get back into the gym…

The blog will continue…Albeit less often…Definitely not everyday…From now on expect a new post when I come up with a new bar hack or a new cocktail…which is sort of what it should have been in the first place…I think it’s a good resource for recipes and techniques…If I ever figure out how to get all my categories lined up for people to view…

The Aging Bartender will continue…