There are more than just bananas in there...
Tonight, I am thinking of a Christmas gift from long ago. In college, a dear friend gave me a book of poetry inscribed with one of her poems and the most lovely message. I have been carrying it around for nearly thirty years and it is in surprisingly good shape for the miles. Not sure I can say the same for myself. So, in honor of the gift and the impulse that inspires the giver please join me now as we stand and make, the Poet’s Dream.
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A date which will live in infamy, indeed. I figure y’all keep up with the news so you’re aware that this is the 79th Anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack that killed 2,403 people, when we were caught unawares by Japanese forces. It was a sneak attack that very few people considered possible and almost no one anticipated. Unlike our current situation which has been predicted since well back in the summer when folks were being pretty clear about how masks and social distancing would keep us from hitting the awful benchmark of 100,000 new cases and up to 1,000 deaths per day or roughly half our current counts. If only there was something we could have done. If only there was some way that we could make a difference now. If only there was some way to stop the day after day death rates as high as this infamous date 79 years ago. Maybe drinking will help, it’s not likely too, but it is easy, so please join me as we stand and make the Montenegro Sour.
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We have been talking about travel quite a bit lately, I guess it is true that when you can’t do something, talking about it is the next best thing. Unless you’ve got facetime, of course. The topic came around to New Orleans which was basically just a list of places where we wanted to go have a drink or appetizer or dessert or even a meal. We are strong believers in the moveable feast. Some of my very best meals ever, took place over 3-4 hours in 4-5 restaurants or bars, with lots of time to stroll the streets and laugh in between courses. New Orleans certainly lends itself to this sort of meandering celebration of decadence, with lots of incredible options and character to spare. After spending a bit of time salivating over meals and cocktails past, my father began to pine for a Milk Punch he had enjoyed at Arnaud’s and then he sent me a recipe. So, won’t you please join me as we stand and make, a Devilish Coffee Milk Punch.
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We walked up a mountain today, and back down again, just for kicks. It wasn’t a huge mountain, but the trip still put about 9 1/2 miles on the boots today and this old chassis is in need of an oil change and some lubrication. So please join me now as we stand, well, lean and make The Last Menta.
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It’s been a bit of a day and I ended up with more to do in the evening than I had anticipated, so please excuse my brevity. To be fair, I am looking forward to a drink tonight, lord knows we all need one. For the folks who are just tired of all this, nearly 3,000 people have died, today, so far, in the US alone. Over 100,000 people in the hospital tonight. Over 100,000 families praying that they get to see and hold and talk to their loved ones again and that they don’t join the over 276,000 families who have lost someone to this disease. So yeah, wear the damned mask. You didn’t come here to get lectured though, you came for the dancing monkey to say something funny. So get up, stand up and join me as we make the Banana Calling.
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Today is brain scan day which I will celebrate in the traditional manner, lying very still on the cold table and keeping my eyes closed, as one does. You may have noted that I have mentioned having a headache a few times in the last month or so. You also may not have noted it. I don’t expect folks to read closely, after all there is no test at the end of the course. Not to worry, gentle reader, you will be graded according to the capricious whims of fortune and the insight of your benevolent instructor. Do not fear this fate, it frees you to focus on learning what you wish, taking some lessons and leaving others without fear of reprimand. Not being in control of things can be comforting, if you lean into it and just accept that some things are not going to make sense or be just. To be fair, my attitude is probably affected by my attempt to maintain a zen-like calm as they take a routine look under the hood to make sure that there is nothing more sinister going on in this already not quite normal collections of impulses that serves as my brain. So, in that spirit, won’t you join me as we stand and make the traditional drink of brain scan day, the Menta Wray.
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You ever notice just how many references there are to ghosts in Christmas lore? Scrooge is nothing but one ghost story after another, each with a lesson to impart. “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” rattles off “scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmas long, long ago” as if those were staples of the season. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra would love nothing more than to sing to you once again of “The Ghosts of Christmas Past” in an attempt to pay off that over the top stage show. But if I am honest, unless you take a tenuous link to the Holy Ghost, I don’t really think of any spirits outside of those in my glass as part of my yuletide celebration. So, why am I thinking of them tonight? Well, I cried my way through the final episode of Supernatural yesterday and it left me a bit gutted. The Winchester’s have moved on, leaving us with their stories and a not so subtle reminder that things are not always what they seem, so in that spirit, please join me as we make The White Lady.
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Well, we made it to December. That feels like an accomplishment this year, though I don’t hold any hope that on January 1 we will be released from the curse of 2020. I fear it will be more of the same, kicking off with three weeks of wtf, but hopefully I am wrong and the sun will rise on 2021 with a new glimmer for all of us. The good news about making it this far is it is definitely the holiday season now. I always hold that after you clear the turkey from the table you are ready to cue the Christmas music and put up the tree, or set out the menorah or place the Festivus pole or prepare for the Yule or Kwanzaa or whatever your preferred holiday celebration calls for even if that is nothing at all. The point is there is no question that by the top of the 12th month you are free and clear to spread your brand of cheer. So, in that spirit, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make General Harrison’s Nog.
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I grew up during the closing act of the Cold War with a clear idea of who the bad guys were and no doubt that we wore the white hats and had the shining armor. I remember when the Berlin Wall fell. I remember when the Soviet Union split into 15 republics, before those splintered into even more nation states. I recall people celebrating as that world ended, not with the bang we expected, but with a whimper. It wasn’t even clear that it was really over, just one day they weren’t there anymore. As some celebrated, I remember my stoic German teacher shaking his head as he reminded me that the world had just gained 15 new nuclear powers, many with a leadership vacuum and that the world we lived in had just become much more dangerous and unsure. That realization hit me. The previous enemy understood the simple risk and complicated peace promised by the balance of mutually assured destruction. Would the new keepers of the keys respect that balance? Do we understand it yet, nearly thirty years on? I don’t know, but it has me thinking today as the snow falls outside, so won’t you please join me as we stand and make the Nuclear Daiquiri.
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We haven’t done a brunch drink in a while. To be fair, we haven’t done brunch in a while, but I felt like a bit of pre lunch day drinking, so here we are. I love the whole concept of brunch. You get to sleep in and then enjoy an extra decadent meal complete with drinks. Well, drinks from the approved list. You can’t have a martini or an old-fashioned without raising eyebrows, but a Mimosa or Gordon’s Breakfast Cup or Bellini or French 75? You can have five of those and no one will care. So, let’s add one to our approved brunch drink list as we stand and make the Mexican Breakfast Stout.
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