I know it's been difficult lately to read Bar Crawl, wondering if or when Taffy would return. Well, I am back --if only to look back on my final 12 months of Bar Crawls and revisit highlights and lowlights, funny moments and endearing characters for our annual bar issue.

Nicky Blaine's

20 N. Meridian St., .(317) 638-5588, www.nickyblaines.com

Jan. 24, 2008

Every bar is a den of iniquity, but Nicky Blaine's transforms vice into high art. The faint odor of cigar smoke lingers, and the bar would be pitch-black save for red accent lights and a few subtle fixtures. I wouldn't be surprised if the devil himself were sitting next to me, sipping cognac.

8 Seconds Saloon

111 N. Lynhurst Drive, (317) 486-1569, www.8secondssaloon.com

Jan. 17, 2008

This place reminds me of the Double Deuce, the fictional setting of Patrick Swayze's timeless classic "Roadhouse." Of course, there's no mesh fence between the musicians and the audience, most of the bar's fights take place in a ring or cage, and there aren't any bouncers sporting feathered mullets and devastating kung-fu moves. But the boot-scootin' country vibe is the same.

Fox and Hound English Pub and Grille

4901 E. 82nd St., (317) 913-1264, www.fhrg.com

Jan. 3, 2008

I hate sports bars, but my job required semi-regular forays into the land of spicy chicken wings and big screen TVs. Rather than spend 40 bones on a UFC Pay Per View, I decided to get paid to watch the fights at a bar. I ended up paying, though, in the form of having to stand in a crowded bar for three hours listening to a lot of obnoxious commentary and getting heckled for my Man U scarf. I hate sports bars.

Butler Inn

5221 E. Washington St., (317) 359-6061

Oct. 4, 2007

This neighborhood dive has burrowed itself into Irvington's soil like a taproot, and is the place to go if you want to talk to Eastside old-timers, check out the bartender's artwork or throw darts.

Broad Ripple Brewpub

840 E. 65th St., (317) 253-2739, www.broadripplebrewpub.com

Sept. 13, 2007

When I arrived at the Brewpub, burned-out former Hamilton County social worker Adam Norris was celebrating his decision to move to California with friends and family. He told me that he was going to leave most of his belongings in Indiana and ship himself the essentials. "All the CDs and swords went into storage," Norris said. "I was sad to see them go."

Rockville Tavern

3 Beachway Drive, (317) 270-9361.

Aug. 30, 2007

Shortly after I arrived at this Westside party bar, I found myself in the middle of the 2007 Hunk-a-thon tour, a cavalcade of man-meat in banana hammocks. I retreated to the deck, where I found a gaggle of military vets turned aviation maintenance students, most of whom were three sheets to the wind after a rec league softball game.

Living Room Lounge

934 N. Pennsylvania St., (317) 635-0361.

Oct. 25, 2007

I was standing at the bar when Jessica Fitzpatrick turned to me and said, "I just gave a dollar to cure cancer."

"Every dollar counts," I said.

"Not for cancer so much," she said.

She then launched into a free-association monologue about curing cancer, interracial dating, the fact that she would be sleeping with her ex-boyfriend later that night, and what her Bible-study classmates think of her sexual escapades.

Birdy's Bar & Grill

2131 E. 71st St., (317) 254-8971, www.birdyslive.com

Nov. 15, 2007

After watching thousands of bands perform, I am impressed rarely. This night Lord of the Yum Yum's mouth left me slack-jawed. The artist creates loops of beats and other sounds with his voice box. I was doubled over with laughter for most of his performance, but his re-creation of the heart-extraction scene from "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was awe-inspiring.