Tag: falernum (Page 1 of 2)

Bad Apple

October 31, 2025 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

It’s spooky season here at Stately Monkey Manor. The jack o’ lanterns are smiling from the porches and various corners of the house and all of our skeletons have exited the closet and are proudly on display as we celebrate the turning of the seasons on our descent into the holidays. After a week of rain and gloom, the sun is shining through the gloriously colorful fall foliage and you can taste the coming joys of fall in the air. As our calendars begin to fill with parties, parades, plays and travel of the season it is particularly nice to find myself at home this morning with little to do except figure out who I want to dress up as tonight and what I want to be if I ever grow up. So with a nod toward the years that have come before and a brave look forward to the memories not yet made, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Bad Apple.

Californian Margarita

August 5, 2022 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

I am not much of a fan of change for change’s sake, but there are times when a little new blood is a good thing. We need to experiment, to evolve, to change the status quo and make improvements when we can. As Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” So with a nod toward good intentions and the roads they pave, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Californian Margarita.

Barbados Cocktail

May 6, 2022 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Serendipity. That is what we are going to call it. After all, today’s little bit of happiness meets the definition of “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a beneficial way.” How is that different from lucky? Well, I am not quite sure, but things certainly worked out and as my father would say, I’d rather be lucky, or is it serendipitous, than smart any day. So, with a nod toward fortune smiling on us, won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Barbados Cocktail.

The Corsican

April 30, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

“If you haven’t been there, you don’t know.” I have heard that a lot in my life and it is true. There are all kinds of experiences that I cannot even begin to understand. I know what it’s like to be me, and that’s about as far as it goes. I read lots from diverse sources, and I suppose that helps. Travel makes a huge difference, it is easier to see the other when you have been the other. I think the most important thing is I want to understand, or at least appreciate, other perspectives. There is an awful lot to be said for making the effort. So, in the spirit of trying to feel what the other fella does, won’t you join me now as we stand and make, The Corsican.

Bywater

April 5, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 1 Comment

It’s hard to believe we have been doing this for nearly a year now. Who would have known that when I made that first drink for my birthday in 2020, that we would still be here making daily drinks in 2021. There’s something to be said for that, foolish consistencies being what they are and whatnot. I’m gonna take a note from those early drinks and go short on the philosophizing and long on the drink making, so please won’t you join me now as we stand and make the Bywater.

Saturn

February 18, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

Another snow day, but this time with real snow! Overnight, we got 4-6 additional inches of snow over the top of our existing way too much ice. The upshot is, we could actually play in the snow today. We made a snowman, fought with snowballs, made snow cream, sort of sledded in the kayaks, all the things we could think of. We took midday break to come inside, dry out a bit and watch NASA hit another homerun with the successful landing of the Perseverance rover on Mars. So, in honor of the folks who not only do the impossible, but do it with an audience, won’t you please join me as we stand and make the interplanetary tiki classic, Saturn.

Pearl Diver

February 16, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

A little more snow, a lot more ice, another quiet day at home with hours to fill. I could have been productive and cleaned off the desk in the office or organized the rums or dusted my trophy case, but we skipped all that in favor of blueberry pancakes, introducing the boy to The Munsters, watching YouTube cooking videos, finally finishing Ace Combat, oh and day drinking. So, in the spirit of making the most of forced confinement, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make the classic Pearl Diver.

5th Amendment

February 12, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 0 Comments

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.” Do you understand these rights? Probably not. Most of us haven’t made a close study of them. Although the rights protected are enshrined in the Constitution, they were not formalized into the “Miranda Warning” that must be issued when you are taken into custody or interrogated until 1966. Turns out things work better when people are made aware of their rights. Seems like a better focus on civics curriculum and making sure that people actually understand our founding documents and the rights protected by them would be a great place to start. I bet that if more people bothered to read the instructions for our republic, we’d have less call to have to inform them of their rights, but I could be wrong. I often am. So, in the spirit of better understanding the national EULA, won’t you please join me now, as we stand and make the 5th Amendment.

Red Light

January 27, 2021 / Monkeybrad / 2 Comments

Once upon a time, that’s how you are supposed to begin a tale, right? I am pretty sure so many stories start with that one sentence because just staring at the blank page is one of the hardest parts of writing. The getting started is daunting. In some ways it is even worse in the computer age, instead of a patient piece of paper waiting for ink, you have a little cursor winking on and off, sort of tapping its imaginary foot as you try to figure out how to begin. It reminds me of the old side scroller game “Captain Goodnight” whose title character would take out a yo-you and stand there in all his 8-bit glory playing if you weren’t giving input. I want to talk about a terrifying evening in college but it is really more than we should get into in the intro and I have already taken up a good bit of space talking about how it is hard to start, which means, we have in effect, already started, so I’ll get to the opening catchphrase and pick up the storytelling after the break. That is, if you will please join me as we stand and make, the Red Light.

Dumpster Fire

December 31, 2020 / Monkeybrad / 4 Comments

New Year’s Eve 2020

I’d like to say we made it, but there are still a few hours of 2020 left and if I have learned nothing else this year, it is to take nothing for granted. So, I am not gonna make any assumptions, but do hope that we will all make it till midnight and to see the sun rise on a new day. I have had a lot of thoughts about how to end this year and begin the next. It makes sense to look back on what was and celebrate the wins, mourn the losses, but I am not sure I can even remember who we were when this interminable year began. I am just gonna make a drink and see where that takes us. So, won’t you please join me now as we stand and make an old Uncle Monkey original, the Dumpster Fire.