At the bar, alcohol makes it easier, not better Looking for love in all the wrong places By Tom Mainelli Senior Editor J- 1 's—heir eyes meet across a smoky room — but only for an in stant. They both look away, a little shy but interested. Two hours later, with four more beers in ms system, ne maxes ms move. 1 hey engage in a little small talk, some awkward silence, then the exchange of numbers. Ah, romance. People are still hitting the bar scene in hopes of finding a mate — but spectators agree, the chances of finding true love are alim to none___ “I know very few people who have met in a bar and gone on to have a lasting relationship,” said Jason Ronell, a bartender at Iguanas, 1426 O St. Often people with little in common hit it off at the bar. When the partying is over, little is left to talk about, he said. “About 90 percent don’t even have a chance,” said Ronell, a UNL senior recreation and leisure major. Mary McGinn-Dewey, a bartender at O’Rourke’s Tavern, 1329 O St., agreed. “Just because you have a good time drinking together doesn’t mean you could have a good relationship together.” In fact, just the opposite will probably happen, she said. “If you go out looking for ‘Mr. Right,’ you’ll find ‘Mr. Wrong.’” Ironically McGinn-Dewey met her husband, Brad, at the bar. He was a frequent patron, and several friends at the bar intro duced the two. “It can work,” she said. “But I’m practical — I don’t rush blindly into relation ships.” Rushing blindly often means falling into the eternal bar scene stereotype — the one night stand. “One-night stands happen all the time,” McGinn-Dcwey said. I would be surprised if at least one person (a bar patron) didn’t go home with somebody else every night of the week.” These one-night stands continue to occur despite the threat of AIDS and A sexually transmitted diseases. ^ John Will now, manager at E-Z Street, 1033 O St., said he didn’t think ^B people were taking these problems seriously. “I don’t think people are as ^ scared as they should be,” he said, ’it has cooled down 'Ml# some, Dui mere are sun a 101 more one-night stands than there should be. People are still out looking for sexual partners at the bars.” Alcohol creates an environment where one-night stands are more likely, he said. “Liquor is a good icebreaker,” he said. “Things happen when you are drinking — people open up and talk to people they normally wouldn’t.” But people shouldn’t blame the alcohol for their actions, Willnow said. “Just because you’re more open, it doesn’t mean it has to be sexual,” he said. Last call is often when the people interested in one-night stands make their move, said Barb Burke, a bartender at Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St. “Last call is a really popular time for people to try and hook up with somebody,” she said. McGinn-Dewey said that many pickups occured after O’Rourke’s famous last call. i “People are always hanging around 1 outside the door, asking ‘Where’s the party?’ “That is where the trouble starts,” she i said. Some people seem to think they can make something out of a one-night stand, McGinn-Dewey said. i It isn’t very likely. i “Ninety-nine point nine percent of one night stands don’t amount to anything,” she said. “A lot of the time the guy won’t even call the girl again because she was ‘too easy.’” Reynold “Reg” McMeen, owner of Duffy’s Tavern, said the type of bar often determines the types of interactions that occur among its patrons. “We’re not really a singles bar,” he said. ‘If people get together here, it is usually after hey have gotten to know each other. After a while they become friends and maybe start i seeing each other. “We have a tavern atmosphere, which is something different from the dance club scene.” Willnow said E-Z Street considered itself i a singles club. “We are a dance club, and it is a singles atmosphere,” he said. “People do come here i to meet other people.” 1 That doesn’t mean people should expect to find a relationship by frequenting the bar, I he said. “Most serious relationships don’t develop after meeting someone in a bar,” he < said. t Michael Stock, a frequent customer at Duffy’s, said most bars ended up acting as a singles club at some point. c “Every liquor establishment turns into ‘ one on the weekend,” said Stock, a graduate c student in film and English. “It can get pretty ugly, even in here (at Duffy’s). I “The bar is generally the safe zone, but the farther you get from the bar, the more f ‘interviewing’ you’ll encounter.” Part of the problem with that whole scene, Willnow said, is that you could end up