Drinking Liberally 8.23.05

Pat and I got to Drinking Liberally a little late last night and missed speaking to Joe Hoeffel. We were busy making some improvements to our closet. We got there just as Joe was leaving. We both shook his hand as he was saying his goodbyes outside. He was talking to Chris when we went inside. I was hoping he'd remember me from the interview, but I guess not. Maybe if I had introduced myself as dragonballyee? Eh. I have a feeling he'll be back sometime anyways. He was very approachable though. Didn't seem to be stand-offish as many politicians can seem to be.

We grabbed some seats by the window and started talking it up with each other when two newbies turned around and introduced themselves. Let's call them Mike and Nick. I forget where the conversation started, but I recall it getting interesting with the Democratic Senate race here in PA. I'm a big Chuck Pennacchio fan/supporter/believer and I make a point of saying so right up front. I say how he lights a fire under my ass and makes me want to vote for him. I say that Bob Casey Jr. doesn't stand for everything that I stand for and that I can't support him in the primary. The conversation went on for a bit and Nick defends Casey saying that he's not Santorum-lite as many label him and that the politics of Santorum and Casey are different. That along with his body language and a few other comments lead me to believe that he was not only a Casey supporter, but probably worked for his campaign. I expected some people from Casey's camp to show up at DL with Joe there.

A few minutes later, a girl who looked familiar walked over to us and sat down next to me and introduced herself as the girl with whom I got into an argument [along with Chris] at the Philly for Change Picnic two months ago. Let's call her Amy. Amy sat right between me and Nick. I think I said something along the lines of, "Ah, you're the one who works for Casey" and she said yes and said that Nick did as well. Nick made a face and Amy said, "You [Nick] didn't tell them?" and I said that he didn't have to. I don't think he needed to disclose that he was working for [paid or not paid], but I think he was not being completely truthful which Amy was from the getgo at the picnic. They had to leave soon after she sat down, we didn't get into it, they weren't going to convince me to come on board any time soon anyways so they saved the air.

Mike had a pretty cool job, he worked for a company that, how I understood it, profiled companies on their sustainability and social responsibility and advised their clients to invest accordingly. Similar to what Al Gore is doing with his Generation Investment Management LLP. This kind of investing has been around forever Mike said, but it just didn't have a name until recently and now, there are people and companies doing the research to make the decisions easier.

The conversation meandered through bio-diesel and alternative energy, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Freaks and Geeks, racism, the normal DL fare.

As we were leaving somegirl from All Spin Zone commented on my cargo shorts and asked where I got them. I told her that they were 5+ year old shorts from Structure which is now called Express and they don't make them anymore and the new store sucks. Too bad though, I do love those shorts. I had another pair [that sounds weird, it's only one] of greenish shorts that ripped about a month ago which was very sad as I know these shorts's days are numbered.

Susie's recap.

Comments

[phedrang]

On DL,I have "Nick" and "Mike" mixed up I think. Jack heard that Joe was there and was disappointed he didn't come in for it. He wanted to meet him.

The new Express does totally suck! In 1997 - 1999 I used to go to the Chestnut Street store whenever I had a theater opening to buy a new outfit. Now, all their clothes fall apart or shrink and I can never find anything classy to buy. I had a Structure and an Express card. What happened to that company? I currently have an Express gift certificate from xmas that I am having a hard time actually using.

[albert]

Joe only stayed until 7p, I thought he'd be there longer, oh well. I'm sure he'll be back again.

I used to have a Structure card around '99 or so as well. Structure was part of the company that also owned Express, I think that's how it was. Structure got swallowed by Express and their lines of clothes became very similar. Structure was on the way to the shitter anyways, their clothes just started to suck in 99/00 or so, right before the switch.