Inside the Mind of the Monkey

Cocktails from Quarantine

April 1, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Let’s get this out of the way right up front, I am not sure this is really a cocktail blog. The drinks info is solid, but I do wander in the narrative, making you read a bunch of extra stuff to get to the recipe. You end up with my thoughts on the events of the day or reminisces looking back on a half century of misspent youth, loosely draped around a drink made on our kitchen counter. Maybe that is your thing, I hope so. It’s got links to bars, ingredients, music and anything else I find interesting. Nobody is making any money off of them, so click if you are into it or don’t. These shouts into the dark helped provide some routine and ritual when the world turned upside down. It is my sincere hope that reading them will help keep you distracted, informed or mildly entertained, depending on your needs.

Paris is Burning

May 7, 2025 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

They say that where there is smoke, there is fire. That is mostly true, though, if we are honest, once a small fire has kicked over into a full scale conflagration the amount of smoke generally drops down as more fuel is consumed. Like the danger to follow, the smoke starts small and increases slowly until things really get going. Those first tendrils are a warning of what is to come, that is why we have firetowers. They watch for the smoke, because as long as things are smoldering you can still put the fire out. So, with a nod toward Smokey Bear and that eternal vigilance that Thomas Jefferson almost certainly did not reference, or at least not first; won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Paris is Burning.

Love & Murder

April 2, 2025 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am a big believer in strong emotions. I don’t go for a watered down, half-lived, namby-pamby existence. If you are going to feel things, lean into them. Like the man said in Ecclesiastes, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.” So, when you love, love hard. There is no glory in being timid or only giving half your heart. Go big or go write poetry about how you almost made it or how things would have been if you had only tried a bit harder. There is no sadness so bitter as failing, knowing you did not give it your all. So with a nod toward leaning in and letting your heart take the reins, won’t you join me now as we stand and make Love & Murder.

Amaretto Sour 2.0

March 3, 2025 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am still trying to figure out who I am going to be when I grow up. I know that seems a bit rich from me, as my beard continues to shift into the grey side of the spectrum, but as Idris Elba famously asked, “You do realize that you are still growing, right?” I do not yet know which direction I am heading, but I hope that it is somewhere kinder and more thoughtful. If my first half century of experience as a human has taught me anything it is that learning from your mistakes is the real key to growth. Which puts me ahead of the curve, since I have made so many mistakes in this life that I am bound to have learned something from at least a few of them. I do know this, it is important to admit when you are wrong, even if it is only to yourself. So with a nod toward past transgressions, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Amaretto Sour 2.0.

Bosun Bird

February 2, 2025 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

“That’s the thing about him, he just goes till he can’t go no more.” he said, staring toward the horizon. “As far as the sea foam shows, as long as the Zephyr’s wind blows, out there is where he goes…” he trailed off as he stumbled into memory. I was not quite sure how to take that. What did he mean? Who was he talking about? That’s when I heard that shrill whistle above the waves and looked to see a long tailed white flash wheeling on the breeze. “Ah, that makes sense then.” I thought to myself as I turned and walked back up the pier toward the comfort of land and the safety of a darkened bar. It’s funny how chance meetings work, if you let them. So, in the spirit of unintentional inspiration, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Bosun Bird.

Pete’s Word

December 13, 2024 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Sometimes a small change can make a huge difference. Adding a daily walk in to your schedule, skipping that snack or smoke, you know what I am talking about. Nearly every meaningful change, at least the kind you get a choice about, comes incrementally. Small steps, leading to new pathways to places we had only imagined before we made that first decision. The choice is the thing though, you have to decide to do things differently for anything to change. So with a nod toward experimentation, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, the Pete’s Word.

Angel Face

November 4, 2024 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I awoke this morning to discover that over the weekend the jack o’ lanterns that had invaded stately Monkey Manor have been replaced by their smooth-faced cousins. On further inspection I actually found that several of them had merely turned their faces to the wall revealing their unmarred backsides, which gave me some comfort. I just feel better with adaptation and evolution over wholesale replacement. Still, with our devils relegated to the top shelf in my office and our skeletons back in their closets there is no denying that is is indeed fall, y’all. Yes, I know we set a high temperature record here in the sultry Autumn of middle Tennessee today, but the leaves have changed and it was crisp in the early morning, so with a nod toward evenings sitting around the bonfire to come, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Angel Face.

Red Needle

October 15, 2024 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

I am bad about taking things for granted. I know that doesn’t make me special, but it is a fact of life. For someone who can be so impulsive, it is odd how much I tend to delay gratification. While a big part of my life is taking the time to appreciate things and truly savor experiences, there is a down side when you let that exquisite bottle of scotch sit on the shelf untouched, because you are afraid that the actual experience of taking the sip won’t live up to the anticipation of tracking down that elusive bottle. Sometimes, I get so focused on the potential good to come that I forget that the goal wasn’t to get the bottle on the shelf, but to enjoy what it holds inside. That’s what I mean about taking things for granted. Assuming that they will always be there when you summon the courage or energy to finally dive in. I don’t know how many times in life I have missed out on a great restaurant or exhibit that I really wanted to try only to see they are closing before I ever get around to visiting. They say that fortune favors the bold, but who favors the fellow who wants that wonderful moment of anticipation to last just a little bit longer? I wish I knew or, at least, I wish I could better recognize when the time to take the leap comes, rather than that crystal clear 20/20 hindsight of knowing when you have missed your time. So, in the spirit of trying something new, too long delayed, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Red Needle.

The World…Reversed

August 21, 2024 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Life is all about learning. Whether you like it or not. In my experience, as important as it is to get yourself a solid basis of knowledge, your education really begins once you are out of a formal school setting, exploring this big, wonderful world and all of its idiosyncrasies. I kind of love that, but then I have always hungered to know more, to understand new concepts and to dig not only into the what, but the how and most importantly, the why of most everything I encounter. The thing is, life is going to teach you lessons, over and over, so you might as well take advantage of the opportunity to learn and turn that experience into a sort of hard won wisdom. So, with a nod to just how much we have left to learn, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, The World…Reversed.

See No Evil

August 16, 2024 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

“What I want, I want now,” sang out from the television as I made my way to the bar. It made sense. The right sentiment for the right time. As much as I enjoy respectful patience and longing from afar, today I have a thirst. A particular kind of thirst that requires a particular kind of satiety. This longing is an oddly welcome pain. In some strange way hunger reminds you that you are alive. So much of life slips by in a mundane, grey sort of stumble from one task to the next, that the inner grumblings, those unsatisfied pangs, are like a wake up call. Usually, you keep them quiet, pushed down, under control, not even acknowledging their existence, making a conscious choice to not speak of this, but sometimes, well, sometimes you just need to let go and give in to temptation. So with a nod to the wisdom of Oscar Wilde and his unique self help routine, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the See No Evil.

Consensual Objectification

August 15, 2024 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

The first lesson in Robert Fulghum’s “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” is “Share Everything.” There are lots of other bits of wisdom in there like play fair, clean up your own mess, say you’re sorry when you hurt someone or hold hands and stick together when you go out in the world, but the sharing part is what always struck me. Which is funny because, as kids, we know that. From a an early age we are hammered with the message to share and not be selfish, to look out for our fellow humans and remember that we are all in this together. Seriously, this seems to be the super critical message of childhood, which is funny, since kids seem to get the importance of sharing almost instinctively. As we get older, well…maybe we can get into that later, but for now let’s focus on the positives as we stand and make the Consensual Objectification.