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So tonight I watched my beloved Arizona State Sun Devils whoops some ass in their bowl game. Which was awesome. And for that viewing, I showed up at one of my favorite bars in a brand new ASU hat and a fantastic-looking Pat Tillman ASU jersey, and I even had an ASU beer coozie with my nickname and favorite number printed on it. (It's one of those cool beer coozies that is actually in the shape of a football jersey, with no bottom, so you can just slam it on to your bottle of beer, which I did. Repeatedly.) But I was not complete. I was missing what my Wildcat friend brought to the bar to watch the ASU-UofA contest last month: a flag. (Not that it helped him, of course: ASU emerged victorious from a wild game.)
Thing is, I SHOULD have had a flag. I bought one. A couple of years ago. And it was hanging from the rafters of a crappy sports bar in town which closed down.
Allow me to digress for a moment. Said crappy sports bar, with all their faults (and there were many) had one neat thing about it that I really liked, and that I have not seen in many sports bars before. Basically, if you brought in your school's flag, they would hang it from the rafters. And they had many, many school flags. And when I saw a University of Arizona flag hanging in there, I knew that I could not let that stand unchallenged, so purchased an ASU flag and brought it in. And they hung it almost directly across from that evil and disgusting U of A flag.
And then, this last spring, the crappy sports bar closed down. Details are unimportant, but I knew the owner, and knew that she not only owned another restaurant in town, but she had plans to turn the crappy sports bar into a fine dining bistro. But neither of these were as important to me as getting my flag back, as I knew that sports flags would not be hanging from the rafters of either restaurant.
So I tracked her down at her other restaurant shortly after the crappy sports bar closed its doors, and inquired about my flag. "Oh yes," she said, "We have all the flags, and will get them back to the people who brought them in, if possible." Great. I'd be getting my flag back.
Several months went by. Several more than were originally scheduled to before the new restaurant opened. But if finally did, and when it did, I again approached the owner about the flag, very politely. She asked for my number and the name of my school, which I provided, and she said she would get her main man to find it and get in touch with me, and acknowledged me when I said I really wanted to have it by December 29th, since that was our bowl game. She said I'd hear from him within a couple days.
Time went by. No word from anyone about my flag. Hmmm. I went back into the new restaurant, and happened to catch the owner as she was coming out, clearly very stressed. She greeted me, and remembered that I wanted the flag by the 29th, but admitted that she had not actually given my information to the guy she had referred to. Great. Wonderful. Why she didn't, I can only guess. I did not, however, delude myself into thinking that I and my flag were high on her priority list. However, as a man about town AND a guy who often advises tourists where to go eat, you would think she might have at least made some effort on my behalf. But she assured me this time that she would definitely get me my flag before the day of the game.
That being said....more time went by, and still no word. I went in to the restaurant again, and again failed to find her, though I left my name, number, and the appropriate information with an acquaintance of mine who worked there.
Still....nothing.
Finally yesterday, fully expecting nothing to be an different, I once again walked into the new restaurant and asked to speak with her. The hostess went back to find her....and a bartender who I know (different acquaintance) came out to talk to me. Either he was the guy she had referenced, or he was covering for her. In short, he told me that he had looked, but had been unable to find my flag. HOWEVER, if I wanted to, I could purchase another school flag and they would reimburse me for it if I brought in the receipt.
This WAS unexpected. So the downside is she was full of shit (not surprising), I didn't get my flag by the time of the big game (not surprising), but they were willing to basically pay me to get a new school flag (utterly shocking).
In short, she's still a lying douche (I have many reasons for thinking this, this story is only one), but at least she's going to replace my flag that she "misplaced."
I'm not happy, but I'll take it. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm off to go flag shopping. GO DEVILS!
Thing is, I SHOULD have had a flag. I bought one. A couple of years ago. And it was hanging from the rafters of a crappy sports bar in town which closed down.
Allow me to digress for a moment. Said crappy sports bar, with all their faults (and there were many) had one neat thing about it that I really liked, and that I have not seen in many sports bars before. Basically, if you brought in your school's flag, they would hang it from the rafters. And they had many, many school flags. And when I saw a University of Arizona flag hanging in there, I knew that I could not let that stand unchallenged, so purchased an ASU flag and brought it in. And they hung it almost directly across from that evil and disgusting U of A flag.
And then, this last spring, the crappy sports bar closed down. Details are unimportant, but I knew the owner, and knew that she not only owned another restaurant in town, but she had plans to turn the crappy sports bar into a fine dining bistro. But neither of these were as important to me as getting my flag back, as I knew that sports flags would not be hanging from the rafters of either restaurant.
So I tracked her down at her other restaurant shortly after the crappy sports bar closed its doors, and inquired about my flag. "Oh yes," she said, "We have all the flags, and will get them back to the people who brought them in, if possible." Great. I'd be getting my flag back.
Several months went by. Several more than were originally scheduled to before the new restaurant opened. But if finally did, and when it did, I again approached the owner about the flag, very politely. She asked for my number and the name of my school, which I provided, and she said she would get her main man to find it and get in touch with me, and acknowledged me when I said I really wanted to have it by December 29th, since that was our bowl game. She said I'd hear from him within a couple days.
Time went by. No word from anyone about my flag. Hmmm. I went back into the new restaurant, and happened to catch the owner as she was coming out, clearly very stressed. She greeted me, and remembered that I wanted the flag by the 29th, but admitted that she had not actually given my information to the guy she had referred to. Great. Wonderful. Why she didn't, I can only guess. I did not, however, delude myself into thinking that I and my flag were high on her priority list. However, as a man about town AND a guy who often advises tourists where to go eat, you would think she might have at least made some effort on my behalf. But she assured me this time that she would definitely get me my flag before the day of the game.
That being said....more time went by, and still no word. I went in to the restaurant again, and again failed to find her, though I left my name, number, and the appropriate information with an acquaintance of mine who worked there.
Still....nothing.
Finally yesterday, fully expecting nothing to be an different, I once again walked into the new restaurant and asked to speak with her. The hostess went back to find her....and a bartender who I know (different acquaintance) came out to talk to me. Either he was the guy she had referenced, or he was covering for her. In short, he told me that he had looked, but had been unable to find my flag. HOWEVER, if I wanted to, I could purchase another school flag and they would reimburse me for it if I brought in the receipt.
This WAS unexpected. So the downside is she was full of shit (not surprising), I didn't get my flag by the time of the big game (not surprising), but they were willing to basically pay me to get a new school flag (utterly shocking).
In short, she's still a lying douche (I have many reasons for thinking this, this story is only one), but at least she's going to replace my flag that she "misplaced."
I'm not happy, but I'll take it. Now, if you'll pardon me, I'm off to go flag shopping. GO DEVILS!