Find something you love, and then come up with a way to make money doing it.

I’ve trained all of my life to write this blog. I’ve tended bar in a U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer’s club in Panama – the country in Central America, not the city in Florida. I’ve poured thousands of pints of micro-beers in Seattle, and shaken my fair share of martinis, too. On the other side of the bar, I’ve pounded cheap-ass pounders, and quaffed some pricey brew. It’s not just the buzz that keeps me hanging around ‘till last call – it’s the people. I love fast-talkin’ bartenders and buy-me-a-drink-big-boy barflies. I see better in the glare of beer-sign neon, like the smell of open barrels of peanuts and the old guy sleeping over his PBR at the end of the bar. Most of all, I love the clever conversation, crazy characters and the great gossip you find in between rounds. When the opportunity to cover the Joplin-area’s nightlife for joplinglobe.com presented itself, I jumped off my barstool at the chance. I’m Dave Woods, and booze is my beat.