Bar people annoy me.

I'm out with friends last night and we're sitting beside this amusement machine. I just didn't find it all that amusing. It was a variation on the typical 'strongman' game. This particular version had the strongman smack a punching bag on a short string. The object being, the harder you hit it, the stronger you were.

Is this really necessary? First of all, anyone that played this game was solidly drunk. Right off the bat they aren't going to score well. Plus this opens up the very likely possibility of some idiot completely missing the target ad smashing his hand into the cast iron of the rest of the machine.

And these winners that actually play the game. Every one of them is red in the face from too many beer. They hit the bag with such expectation. And every one of them, without variation, almost falls on his drunk face because he steps into the punch with such force. I swear some of them were inches from careening face first into a chair from swinging so hard. Then the numbers scroll up, they're a big loser, and they have to walk back, shame faced, to their group of fellow drunkards.

And while we're at it, does the machine itself have to be so annoying? I'm sitting a few feet from this machine but I really don't think it should sound like the roof is going to come down on my head. I know the point of the game is to rattle this things cage but I'm a non-interested bystander. Can we please dull the cacophony so I can enjoy my Pepsi in peace?