Alcohol-Free Delights

For the first time since starting this blog, I've been derailed. Have I been felled by some horrific illness? Am I suffering from writer's block? No. What I've done is commit the cardinal sin of nightlife and event blogging: I've given up drinking for Lent.

Amazingly, I didn't realize the negative effect this would have on my posting. I actually thought, going in to this 46 days of horror (that's right, count the calendar, there are 46 days in Lent), that this period of clean living would actually increase my output. Surely, the lack of boozy evenings would clear my mind and leave me with the time and motivation to create. Sadly, however, what it has done is to make it very hard to find activities and locations that seem worth doing.

Some friends have said, rather bluntly, that if I don't have any interests in my normal activities when I'm not drinking, it means I'm an alcoholic. Well, I plead guilty, but not in the normal sense. Physically and emotionally, I have no need for booze, but I'm a social alcoholic. I like to go into situations where people are drinking, have a good time, and throw a few back myself. When I go to a bar to see some live music, the beer I drink is integral to the experience. Last weekend, I went to the Wild Colonial to play some pool and was bored out of my mind.

So I ask you to forgive me if my posts are a bit less numerous or less inspired. But, in the interests of serving the public and anyone else crazy enough to make a lenten sacrifice similar to my own, I endeavored to pull together a few nightlife options that don't necessarily involve drinking.

1) You haven't lived until you have partaken of extreme rock and bowl at the Bowling Academy in East Providence

2) If you are trying to avoid the typical movie experience, your best bet is the Cable Car Cinema in Providence

3) The second Friday of every month, the RISD Museum is open for music, art, hors d’oeuvres (and also drinks, but I don't think anyone's chugging.) It's only $8 to get in.

4) I haven't done this yet, but the Ladd Observatory, on the East Side of Providence, is open to the public every Tuesday from 7:00 to 9:00. Maybe there's a comet out there with my name (to be put) on it.

That's all I've got, sadly. (I decided to leave theater and concerts off, because those take more commitment and planning than I have in me right now.) I think the non-drinking members of our community would appreciate if anyone with other ideas could post them in the comments.