Dress Code

A new jazz and blues club just opened up in Portsmouth, NH.

Called Jimmy's Jazz and Blues Club. Just opened weeks ago. I am very excited.

This place is no dive. It is classy, clean and beautiful. And the people they are booking are the cream of the crop. I will check this joint out before the end of 2021.

Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against dive bars. I love dive bars. I am very comfortable standing in what I always hope is water when I am in the men's room of a dive bar.

I like scarred bars, uneven tables, mismatched chairs - I love it all. 

I used to love smoke, back in the day when people could smoke in bars. It was a big part of the ambience for me.

But I also love class. Love it. I may have gotten this from my parents. They used to take me and my brother to fine restaurants. Nice places. Refined experiences. I didn't appreciate it then, but it laid the groundwork for the adult Joe who took great pride in his appearance. Especially when wearing fine clothes.

I miss that. I miss people dressed well in an upscale atmosphere. I miss me being well-dressed in an upscale atmosphere.

Jimmy's has a dress code. Business casual. I love that!

That means I will not be dealing with drooling neanderthals in dirty t-shirts and ripped jeans. It means I will get to dress up a little, which is something I have forsaken in the latter part of my adult life.

Once a year my Aunt Dina used to take me and Eddie to a men's clothing store in Winthrop. She would buy each of us a suit. A fucking suit! We loved it.

I always enjoyed wearing nice clothes. I don't do it anymore because I have been countrified, I'm fat and repulsive, and very, very few places require it and we don't go to those places. The only plus to being an accountant was that I got to wear nice clothes every day.

I am navigating my way back to me. 2021 has been solely dedicated to that pursuit. I am picking up pieces of the real me along the way and trying to put the puzzle back together.

Jimmy's could very well be an important contribution to the Resurrection of The Real Joe.

There are two hotels within walking distance. I already checked it out. Very important because Portsmouth is a looooooong drive and I won't allow anything to dampen my enjoyment of the experience.

I will not be going there every weekend because of the distance and expense. I envision Jimmy's as being an oasis of class that I can call upon from time to time to keep that part of me alive.

I imagine my first visit will be like the trip to Nashville. I will be looking pretty, digging the beauty of the place, enjoying the cuisine, listening to top notch musicians, I will have an epiphany and think to myself "Welcome back, Classy Joe."

My favorite bar in the world was The Rynborn. A blues bar 20 minutes from my house where only the most talented musicians played. If I was jonesing for blues on a Tuesday night I would just go. Never checked to see who was playing because I knew they would rock. And they always did.

Jimmy's has the same vibe. It won't matter who is playing when I go, I know they will blow me away. Just a question of what mood I'm in - Jazz or Blues? I love them both. Not much of a dilemma, eh?

The puzzle pieces are coming together, folks. 2022 will be a dangerous year.

Destiny has wrapped her arms around me. I feel safe and inspired.