In a previous time and life I hosted a blog called Crown Lounge. It still exists, and if you Google “Harold McGruther Crown Lounge” You’ll probably find it. I relinquished that Google property in 2012 because it was inextricably linked to an ad hosting interface from which there was no escape. After a brief hiatus from daily narcissism I jumped back into the social-media fray with an Instagram account—@haroldmcgruther for those who care. When I figure out how to link that account to this WordPress blog, I will do so.

Why this, and why now? I was a copywriter before my present gig in the motorcycle industry, but that full-time vocation doesn’t afford me much time for rants and raves. As the header for this blog suggests, someday I want to own a bar. When I do, it will be called Crown Lounge, because those words paint a picture of stylish yet casual comfort I feel is missing from the modern watering hole experience. My single mom enjoyed single malt scotch in the ’60s, and often dragged me to places with names like The Dew Drop Inn, The Little Brown Jug and Uncle Cal’s to quaff and cackle with friends. I remember those smoky dives fondly, and hope to resurrect their warmth and coziness for fun and profit when work obligations, free time and finances permit. Until then, I’ll try to share stories an old drunk might tell, if he could sober up long enough to type.