I'd been on the fritz since the cold onerous months before this winter started to catch up to me and put a permanent itch at the back of my esophagus. I decided I was going to gamble the chance of whatever bug was trying to burrow further into my body and was making me, for weeks now, on the verge of falling ill finally overtaking me and attempt to kill it, and everything in my body along with it, with gin and brandy. I walked into the Map Room around 8:30 and ordered a double brandy with a few plops of crushed ice and went over to the dart board and threw a few solo rounds. Some girls walked in and for a while they cackled and talked in high nasally voices and the pieces of their conversation, which became the loudest thing in the place, I was forced to overhear were about their friend's marriages and their insights as to what certain people's, known to them now only through the avenues of social media, lives were like. I decided to start in on the gin and took it with a splash of sprite and a little bitters. The girls left after about an hour and I played the juke box and sat at the bar with my elbow resting on it and my hand holding my head and I must've looked in bad shape because the bar tender had to ask me more than once if I was okay. I assured her I was fine but that I was just getting over a cold. She made sure to use precaution after that when handling my empty glasses. For a nice long while it was just me and the bartender and the songs I selected and an unceasing stream of booze lowering and rising again in my glass and it was very nice. I continued to drink to the point of having my all nerves comfortably dulled and my mind eased and well-lubricated. I finished off a few beers and left. The place was starting to get busy. Business types were ambling around and standing in circles and not noticing me what-so-ever and that's was by all means fine by me. I did attempt to start some conversation with a group of them but after a while of some ever-looming political speak I gleaned there'd be irrevocable differences of opinion between us so rather than push any topic I'd figured it'd be best to go in all good graces. I paid my tab and left. I felt as though I'd been almost getting sick for three weeks and it was a relief to wake up the next day with a hang over that after wearing off left me feeling completely fine.