Bourbon and Bon Vivants: July 2003 Archive

Thursday, July 31, 2003

holy cow...it just took me 2 days to figure out how to fix my freakin' blog.
i never put in my username, or anything like that,
i just click on my super secret
one click button and my blog comes up
WHEN SUDDENLY, a new screen appeared and they actually wanted my info.
i was stumped.
stumped! i tell you.
thank god for the level headedness of my job
otherwise i'd would never have been able to handle the stress.

enough about that.
let's go back and review the past 2 days.

1) my new best friends J&J are in california buying me a bourbon collection.
theoretically, they are on vacation, but we all know it's about me
and my bourbon needs.

2) last night was a wallace & gromit festival at the MFA.
i would have thought the place would be overrun with children.
not true. there were several mild mannered adults
and one rather large man with a strange laugh.
he was promptly ignored.

3) WHAT is the deal with this woman giving birth on the T?
standing up, mind you. and the baby just falls out of her
and rolls against the seats until the woman bends down
and picks it up. so much for my sister's story of 6 hours of pushing.

4) the world badminton championship is going on.
birmingham, england.
i mention this only because i actually lettered in badminton in high school.
stop snickering.
it's a very elite sport.
you're just jealous, because you don't have a letter sweater with a badminton racquet on it.
ppppbbbtttt

Tuesday, July 29, 2003

met a friend for drinks last night
ordered bookers bourbon
got bakers instead.
you can only imagine the indignity.

well, maybe not.

there was a lovely little scotch buying spree yesterday
interestingly enough, it was not me on the buying spree.
gotta love when that happens.
all the benefits. none of the pecuniary demand.

yeah, you can go look that up.

Monday, July 28, 2003

took the hi-speed ferry (fairy) to p-town on saturday
instead of a 3 hour tour, it was 90 minutes
not bad.
if you leave at 7am, you arrive just as the shops open
can stay for a tea dance from 4-7
then hope back on the boat at 7:30
home by 9.

saw laura croft tomb raider II - cradle of life
yesterday.
merciful god
i don't care if that girl is crazier than a duck
she's a fine lookin' woman
and can ride side saddle with me any day.

giddy-up!

Friday, July 25, 2003

ok. let's just make a list of yesterday's events:

1) sold the condo
2) found a bottle of Glenmorangie Claret
3) crashed the beetle

to sum up. the first part of the day was very nice.
the back end sucked.
or, more precisely, the back end of the 1997 nisson in front of me sucked the front end of the baby beetle into it's fender
did we all follow that?
a woman driving a volvo stopped short in the middle of an intersection, thinking the light had turned red
the nissan behind her stopped short
i stopped short too...especially after plowing into the back of the nissan.

interestingly, i am at fault for the color-blind volvo messing up her traffic signals.
who knew?
thankfully the cop did not give me a citation.
but then again, my insurance is still going to go up and my driving record is marred.

thank god the Glenmorangie Claret wasn't in the car at the time.

Thursday, July 24, 2003

Below is the new bourbon (and scotch) list.
I am looking for:
AH Hirsch - 20yr old
Black Maple Hill Single Barrel - 20yr old
Charbay Uncut Unfiltered bourbon - in california only
Evan Williams - 23yr old
Glenmorangie - Original..may only be available in duty-free europe
Glenmorangie Culloden - 1971..this too may only be available in europe
Isle of Jura - 27yr old Stillmans Dram
Noah's Mill - 15yr old

Have found and am considering for my collection:
Glenmorangie - 1971
Glenmorangie - 1977
McKendric Western Style Leather Label - 10yr old
Midleton - 26yr old Pot Stilled
Pappy van Winkle - 23yr old

This is probably more than you ever wanted to know,
but it gives us something to think about.

Wednesday, July 23, 2003

having stormy weather in boston
(sing with me now....don't know why, there's no sun up in the sky)
ahem.
loving stormy weather
perfect reading environment.
makes me want to curl up with a book, a blanket and a bourbon
it's a crazy B-fest

reminds me of the time when i was in arkansas
and my friend tim was over visiting
it was raining so hard you really couldn't see the other side of the sidewalk
tim and i were standing in my parents garage
we stripped down to our shorts and t-shirts and we played in the rain.
(i think we were about 25 at the time)
we were giggling like schoolgirls.

there was so much rain the end of the driveway was flooded
and the overflow gulleys were full (about 3 feet deep)
so we went swimming at the end of the driveway.
it was raining so hard we didn't even see the car pull in
when the people got out, we ran up to them thinking they just wanted to join in the fun
intrestingly enough, it was friends of my parents
and they were not at all amused by the site of 2 grown people standing in front of them
in their soaking underwear.

(I'm sure they were baptists)

Monday, July 21, 2003

i had a very good blog idea last night in bed
and for the life of me i can't remember what i wanted to write about
dear god.
i think i actually have blog block.
compounded with pms
leaves you, gentle reader, with one deranged author needing a snack

although, on a brighter note
i am enjoying the rug i bought at auction more.
the painting, on the other hand, needs to be burned in a religious ferver
perhaps i'll serve snacks...
marshmallows and s'mores are always age appropriate at such fires, i hear

am reading a very interesting book by Bill Maher (yes, THAT bill maher) titled,
"When you ride ALONE you ride with bin Laden"
what the government should be telling us to help fight the war on terrorism

reminds me a great deal of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States"
or "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
or "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser

so now i'm depressed, angry, hungry and in need of a nap
if you need me, i'll be searching for a banana/chocolate chip muffin under my desk

Sunday, July 20, 2003

went up to rockport today for an auction
bad idea.
i don't need anything
i need to have a yard sale, as it is
but what do i do?
i buy a rug
an incredible Mahal 8 x 10
in very sassy colours

but I DON'T NEED A RUG
for the love of god.

i even bid on a couple more
just because the price was so good.
it's the rush of bidding
it's like gambling.

man alive.

Saturday, July 19, 2003

did you know that the town of wellesley had their sidewalk sale today?
neither did i.
until i tried to drive through.
that was a mistake.
until i found linen napkins on sale.
and what dyke doesn't love her linens?

Friday, July 18, 2003

just got invited to go sky diving on saturday
and my reply:
i'd rather spend $200 on scotch, get drunk
and fall to earth from 5'6", not 10,000 ft

Carol Shields, the novelist who won the Pulitzer prize in 1995 for "The Stone Diaries"
died wednesday of breast cancer.
she was 68.

i may need a moment.

ok. the next thing is my sassy temp tattoo
lovin' it
looking fly
chics dig it.
or i assume they would, if they cared

Thursday, July 17, 2003

let's talk about women
and pooping at work.

if you are a woman, you know exactly what i'm talking about
for you fella's good freakin' luck
women don't like to poop in public
there is a very interesting dance that goes on when there is more than one stall in the bathroom at work
trying to guage when a good time to go and do your business (as they say in the dog world)
you want to go in and be undisturbed
because god forbid someone come in while in mid-dump

when you first get to work is tough, because everyone is trying to check their make-up
or do a quick pee after their commute
you can't go around 10am when that first cup of coffee hits your co-workers
and never before lunch, everyone and their sister are in the bathroom getting ready to go
lunch itself is uncertain
after lunch, everyone is back and the bathroom is full of people coming in and out
mid afternoon can be a good time, but by then it's usually too late to complete your morning consititution

frankly, i think they should make all women's bathroom's private
and perhaps install really loud music so no one can hear what's going on inside.

Wednesday, July 16, 2003

watched Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
last night on Bravo
and let me just say
if i had 5 gay men come and redo me
i'd be fabulous
absolutely fabulous
ab.fab.

sigh

walked into my first tattoo parlor last night after dinner
they are now legal in mass.
oh, don't worry, i was just browsing
i always think i'm going to get a tattoo, but just can't come up with a design
that i want to live with for the rest of my life

my favourite one last night was of tigger sitting on top of pooh.
holy cow.
how queer is that?
pun completely intended.

tattoos always get me thinking about the summer after my first year of college
i was a temp office manager (who am i kidding, i was a secretary, before the age of computers)
at the old Peter Bent building of Brigham & Women's Hospital
i would get called upon to do EKG's every now and again
squeeze gel here, attach electrode there, print out results
bada bing, bada boom

and one day i was asked to go help mrs. horowitz.
she came out in her hospital gown and i helped her onto the table
i was holding her hand when i noticed the tattoo on her forearm

at that moment, this baptist gal from arkansas,
realized the holocaust was not just a black and white documentary shown on pbs,
or the images of horror that I always assumed were far away and far removed.
this was right in front of me waiting for me to finish so she could go have lunch.

she was the person attached to that number.
she was there. it happened to her. all around her.
and now she was here.
and i have never forgotten.

Tuesday, July 15, 2003

and so...it is almost official
i have just returned from having signed the P&S on a loft in south boston.
Court Square Press
me & ben affleck and j-lo
yeah. they bought up on the 6th floor
or perhaps it was the entire 6th floor
it's all a bit unclear.

theoretically, the closing will be mid-sept

now i just need to decide what sort of floors to put in
i'm thinking bloodwood

i think it might be a good idea to open something nice for dinner
perhaps with some mint and lemon and a whole bunch of ice
pppprrrrrrrrrrr

Monday, July 14, 2003

had the first open house on sunday to sell the condo
somehow the idea of hordes of people parading through my house seems, well,
unseemly.

but i guess we prostitute ourselves everyday
some days we just get paid better

Saturday, July 12, 2003

as i was driving to get coffee this morning
i noticed a couple of guys outside trimming a hedge
and the thought ran through my head
man, that must be a tough job
because if you mess it up, you end up with a really small bush
as any woman that's ever tried to shave her bikini area
knows this to be true.

just a thought.

Friday, July 11, 2003

eagle rare 10 yr old makes a lovely summer mint julip-y type drink

tear off some fresh mint leaves
stuff those in the bottom of a glass
THEN fill the glass with ice
pour about 1/4 - 1/3 glass bourbon
fill to top with lemon seltzer
(lemon seltzer is important...regular seltzer will work, but it won't have the pazzazz)
slice a fresh lemon and run a wedge around the lip of the glass
and squeese the remainder into the glass.

sip. don't gulp.
i know you'll be tempted
but do try to restain yourself.

Thursday, July 10, 2003

so a bird flew into my office today
no easy feat
as i work on the third floor
off the atrium
through 2 doors that can only be entered by a fob
but apparently the bird liked the ficus tree in the corner
sadly it kept trying to escape through my permanently closed windows
i know just how it felt.

anyway. i called the maintenance guys
and they came up with the super high tech means of catching the bird
by throwing a shirt over it
needless to say, this drew quite a crowd
i thought about putting up a safety perimeter

finally the bird was secured in some fellow's shirt
and carried off into the hinterland
i just hope that sparrow is not on the luncheon menu for tomorrow in the cafe.

Wednesday, July 09, 2003

drove to Rhode Island to take my chance at the $250 million powerball lottery
out of 40+ tickets we got only one with the powerball number for a grand total of $3
oh, and then there was the $850 in scotch i bought beforehand at town wines in rumford
but that's a story for tomorrow...

last night, as i was getting my sushi at the market
and waiting in line when...
i dropped the sushi
splat.
on the floor.
wah.
i scooped up the container and went back to the sushi counter
and hung my head.
the guy was very nice and gave me a new batch
but still, i felt terrible.
until i went back in line
and there was this fellow, who had been standing behind me in line
and i watched him bend down
pick up a piece of yellow fin tuna off the floor
and pop it in his mouth
he looked at me and said,
"waste not. want not."
and i thought...good lord, man.

now, i'm sure the 10 second rule was not in effect here.
1) we were in a very public place
2) we are talking about raw fish
3) raw fish dropped on the floor of a busy market
4) eek. i think i'm actually wigged out by the whole incident

Tuesday, July 08, 2003

Oh boy!
The met has just added a new supscription series for the 2003-04 opera season.
Only the 2nd time in 25 years they've offered a new series.
This series of seven Saturday evenings spans the entire season. With one performance each month from October through April, it consists of some of the most popular works in the repertory: La Boh�me, Le Nozze di Figaro, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Tosca, and the new production of Don Giovanni.

Because none of the seats have been previously subscribed, this new series offers an opportunity for ticket buyers to secure excellent seating locations.
(that's their song, anyway)

Monday, July 07, 2003

another monday down.
i need to go to the library.
badly.
i haven't been eating right.
and there's been no goat cheese to brighten up my day.
whatever is a girl to do?

oh, and don't even mention that thong underwear to me again.
i swear, after the first time
it just got more uncomfortable
i don't care what the perky girls are tellin' ya
the wedgie comes
and the wedgie stays.
and when it's hot
the wedgie sticks.

hhrrrmmmpph.

Sunday, July 06, 2003

ah, the 6th of july
a party day like not other..
what? you didn't know?

a wonderful, wonderful 4th
up in nahant
vacationing.
there was singing
and dancing
and much bourbon with lime, mint and ice
meow!

Thursday, July 03, 2003

whew. yesterday was a tough day.
had a fantastic lunch at flour in the south end
great bakery. superb sandwich. homeade pop tarts. yippee!
cool enough to sit outside, warm enough to require shade.
perfect.

had a pear sidecar before dinner at copecafe in lexington
it had been a while since i'd been there
different bartender.
not quite sure what he was doing.
tasty, nonetheless, but not really a sidecar.

saw the movie, bend it like beckham.
fabulous. a really nice movie.
nice in a good way.
not that thackery's vanity fair way.

am excited about the 4th of july
who knew?

Tuesday, July 01, 2003

the circle is complete.
the final bottle of scotch has been bought
Glenmorangie - Cote de Nuits
finished in grand cru burgundy casks

help me, mommy

(as they say in Rocky Horror)

i believe the cote de nuits will be the first bottle drunk by the club of six
late september, when there is just a hint, a wee hint, of fall in the air
we'll have a dinner of venison with a sour cherry reduction
perhaps a roquefort carles for dessert
a chabrin to start off the meal, with dried figs rolled in fennel and a minervois 1999 chateau de canet

am now listening to Let the Sunshine In
and remembering when I was home one summer during college
i was dancing around the house with a friend, pretending we were both named magoo
rebecca's hair whipping all about.
i can play that song over and over, and still feel good.
of course, that was the summer of the cheap coca-cola
(remind me to tell you that story one day)

Good Reading

Previous Posts

Archives