http://www.wjla.com/articles/2012/02/local-bar-gets-tv-makeover--72717.html
My stint at Piratz Tavern as a fortune teller lasted less than six months. (Work, school, and a relocation prevented me from settling down into real routine at the bar - don't get me wrong; lots of good things were going on in my life to cause all those changes so I can't complain...)
My only point is that I barely knew Tracey at all, but it didn't take much knowing to discern how caring she is. It turns my stomach a bit to see her bar described as "infantile" and to hear of her being the butt of some dingbat's "tough love" approach to economics.
I know it sounds cliche, but Tavern seriously was a place where I felt like I could just be myself...a version of myself wearing a black dress, scarves, and gypsy jingles, but myself. Of course it was escapist, and of course there's something a little goofy about that, but it was FUN. Just fun. I'm not the most outgoing person in the world, and so I loved having the chance to be a character - to laugh and sing and tell fortunes. (Oh, and drink...)
My first time telling fortunes there, all of my clients were Tavern regulars. Some of them were merely curious, and some of them were sniffing me out. It didn't feel like they were doing it out of malice; I felt like they were basically telling me, "Look, Tracy is a good person. She's seriously a really good awesome person. She's been good to me and if you're going to try to be a part of her life I'm going to make sure you aren't going to screw her over. Cool?" And because I agreed that she is a good person, it was cool.
Thankfully, I passed the tests, and at the end of that evening (after I had read a handful of fortunes, largely successfully, and was more than a little intoxicated), Tracy came over and toasted me: "Welcome to the family!"
I went home buzzing.
Every time I went to Tavern after that, I left at the end of the night with the same feeling. The place had the energy of folks who were throwing down to have a good time, who were indulging their imagination and sense of humor to blow off steam from whatever the rest of their life had pelted them with. It was good.
I'm sorry to see it changing, but I'm even sorrier to see Tracey being dragged through this. My deepest hope is that everyone she has stood by will reciprocate her loyalty with support for the new establishment. I honestly believe that the best way to honor what Piratz was is to fill the new place with the same energy of enjoyment that was experienced before.
I know that I'll be going in that spirit to show my support in the very near future.
