books vs bars

So a "friend" of mine had a little hissy fit the other day basically to address all of my shortcomings in order to discourage me from showing my face in public, which was fun, really. No one's perfect, for God's sake, and no one can be in a perfect, joyful mood all the time, make the right jokes at the right time, know exactly when to talk and when not to, wear the right outfit, say the right things, drink the right drinks, hang out at the right places at the right times...oh, you get my drift. I can be a pain, I know, but I'll tell you, I can't think of one friend that doesn't regularly piss me off for one reason or another. But those aren't the reasons I call them friends. There are all the wonderful little quirks (and the big ones) that make people friends. For me I particularly appreciate someone who can laugh at something stupid, for example, a friend of mine claimed that the word "hello" wasn't invented until that dear little invention by Mr. Bell stating that until the phone, people had no need for a word to address an unknown caller. I guaffed at this and asked, sarcastically,

'well what did people say when they met on the street, then?' to which he replied,

'pleasantries.'

'oh yeah,' I continued, 'so I guess they would have to have said un-pleasantries, since good-bye probably followed the invention of hello. '

So ensued more of the same conversation, and the kind of laughter that hurts. It remained a private joke even in e-mails after that for awhile.

A good friend can laugh, a good friend isn't afraid to cry in front of you, or shout or hold you when you cry and put you off when you shout.

Anyway, I guess the point is, there are a lot of good qualities in people, and if you only see the shortcomings, you'll never appreciate the things that really matter.

Well, I have gotten off track from my title, which is books v bars because that was one of the shortcomings brought up to me. Actually I think what he said was

"and you always show up with your pathetic little books" Ok, I admit it, I bring books to bars. So what?
I'm a girl, I get unwanted attention in which case a book can act as a shield. I don't always know everyone at the bar, so a book is a good thing to have over a pint before that liquid courage can open conversation.

People read newspapers, and the Memphis flyer at bars, so why not a book? Especially when you are single, and go alone to a place, where you're friends may or may not be, or may or may not be involved in other activities, a book is a perfect distraction when no one is around to talk to. Besides, it looks better to have something to do then to stare off into space appearing bored and lonely.

So, basically Fuck Off Dr. K, books are cool, and I'm not perfect, so what, I screw up regularly, but so do you, oh, so do you, particularly with the 2am drunk dials!!!! If I put up with that, (even when I'm otherwise engaged) then you can put up with a book in a bar, a sad or foul mood now and then, because I'm a good friend, and I've never let you down. I've been there when you needed to be picked up, emotionally and for a ride. I've done my best, sorry if that isn't good enough.