Getting Older

We rolled out to the Power and Lights district for my birthday last weekend. It's a very cool setup around a protected courtyard with multiple bars accessible from the inside.

We arrived pretty early, so the big screen was playing college football in the main courtyard. It dominated the atmosphere which wasn't what we were looking for. We wandered into Angel's Rock Bar in search of a dance floor.

This bar really confused me. The music was excellent, but it was entirely too loud for conversation. We found a table with no reservation sign, but we were quickly kicked out anyway. Apparently all the seating was by reservation only. The final letdown was the absence of a dance floor. No dancing, no talking, and no seating, I was at a loss as to the purpose of being there.

Then we found out there was an mechanical bull next door.

The bull was a blast. I have to say our group really stepped up and represented. The vast majority of riders were quickly thrown, while our group managed to last much longer. So much longer that we earned accolades from the crowd and the bull's driver.

I went twice, the first trip up I lasted a good while, more than 10 seconds. I was ultimately kicked lose by my own fear of being impaled on the bulls horns. My second attempt was much shorter, and I was clearly thrown off. This was probably due to inebriation, but it begs the question. Is it possible for a rider to outlast the bull's driver, or do the bull's controls allow the driver to toss a rider at whim?

My guess is that your time on the bull is entirely up to the driver.

We did eventually find a dance floor in the courtyard to cap the night off. All and all a very fun night, and I'd like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with me.