CHARACTER PROFILE: Dis one's for "Sober Steve"

In an effort to get myself back into the swing of things here on the good 'ol blog, I'm going to share a quick drawing with you of a fellow I met back in Milwaukee named "Sober Steve." Its not really all that great of a drawing or anything, in fact, Sober Steve was probably a bit younger and more handsome then he looks in my crude rendering, but I haven't been on the blog much lately and its time to start shoveling some content your way. I've found myself drawing a lot more recently as a result of not having any other outlets in visual art at the moment, so I may start sharing more of the drawings with my character profiles. Anyhow...

Peep the "I CLOSED WOLSKI'S" sticker we rocked all along the West Coast
during last years travels! Milwaukee Represent!!

"Sober Steve," was a gentleman who I was lucky enough to have become acquainted with just last Sunday when I used my vacation days to spend the week in Milwaukee, and take a break from the trails. After two blurry nights of partying with friends in Portland, I caught my plane to Milwaukee in less then respectable condition, and resumed what became a liver-bruising bender wrought by excessive alchohol intake, fried chicken wings, football games, and hearty mid-western values. Put another way, I had one hell of a time. 

After arriving Saturday night and responding to my hangover and jet-lag with a disgruntled entourage of booze including Carlo Rossi, Jaegermeister, and Schlitz, I awoke seeking ibuprofen and water. I was still feeling drunk, and somehow not nearly as hungover as I should have felt, so I did what any sensible midwesterner would do- I grabbed my long time friend Binnee, and we went to a restaurant for bloody mary's, appetizers, and football. After eating and getting some bloody mary's in my system, I was ready for the next step in our path to self-destruction, which was to keep gettin' our drank on. Binee's friend Jo suggested we stop in at her work, so we ended up at Wolski's Tavern- a famously known little polish bar on Pulaski street. Though I barely remembered it, Jo said I had apparently closed Wolski's the night before. The locally famed "I CLOSED WOLSKI'S," bumper sticker I found in my back pocket was proof that this did indeed happen.

Those of you who may not know me as well, might not know that I am a Chicago Bears fan through and through, and thus forth, I absolutely despise anything having to do with the damned Green Bay Packers. For the most part, a bar in Wisconsin is not a great place for me to be during a Chicago Bears game, so I was definitely feeling ballsy when I went to Wolski's to watch the Bears, and to root against Green Bay. It just so happened that my day, and my sanity were saved by none other than the heroic Wolski's Bear Fan that went by the name"Sober Steve!" He quickly identified me as a fellow Bears fan, and in no time flat we had each others company to insulate us from the sarcastic Packer super-crowd we were surrounded by. We laughed, we cried, and well, we drank a whole hell of allot as we cheered our team on and spoke knowingly of the upcoming season. As it turned out, Sober Steve did not live up to his name.

I pegged my friendly-faced Sunday hero to be a mid twenty something like myself, and either I didn't ask him what his life entailed outside of Wolski's Tavern, or the ensuing flood of alcohol that wiped out the rest of my memory that day also took these details from me. I cant say, I'm not a doctor. What I do know though, was that he was one hell of a kind fellow, and he was wearing a blaze orange hat. I also know that despite the slanderous hopes of colleagues amongst us there at Wolski's, The Chicago Bears managed to pull off a win that day. Though the Packers unfortunately didn't lose, it was still a quite happy day for me and Sober Steve, and the bartender was good enough to even indulge us in the old Wolski's tradition of pouring shots of chartreuse for the winning team's fans. I'd say thats pretty generous considering he lost some money to Steve on the game.  

Unfortunately for decent, god fearin' Bear fans such as myself and Sober Steve, we can't win 'em all. Thats why I decided today after Chicago's pre-season loss to the undefeated Detroit Lions, that I'd put out a quick CHARACTER PROFILE for Sober Steve, in hopes to think about the better games. Bear Down "Sober Steve," dis' ones for you!               

QUICKIE STATUS UPDATE:

As the seasons are changing out here in Trout Lake WA, and our trail season is coming to a close, I'm feeling myself retreat back to a more thoughtful sort of mind set that is generally more conducive to my writing. I'm also due to hit the road again by November, so I should probably get y'all up to par on my direction before that happens. Considering I've got practically 6 months worth of stories and characters backed up, I'm hoping to get cracking on my posts, so be sure to stay with me here at TLGAJ. I'll have some posts coming about what trail work actually entails, as well as many characters, photographs, and hopefully some of the music me and Sean O'Neill have been working on this summer for our album "The Whiskey Economy." If you haven't already subscribed as a follower, I implore you to do so. It costs nothing, and knowing who's keeping up with me out here among the vast inter webs is quite comforting. More to come soon my friends!

Until We Meet Again...

Regards,

Joseph R. Reeves