It's Monday morning; I wish I was drinking this right now

B/c you can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning.

I've had an itch to try this apple-infused bourbon recipe for a while now so while it was nice on Friday I took a long walk to the Binny's downtown to pick up something cheap to throw together.  I'm already off-book since I picked up Canadian whiskey, not bourbon, but what the hell.  I'm the one drinking it.

Apples, cinnamon, vanilla bean, whiskey, air-tight container.  Good to go.

The vanilla bean was too dry to cut open, it got snapped into little pieces instead.  Looked like little bugs or turds floating around.  Lovely.

I varied the recipe just a little bit more; used about a half less of an apple to try to not use the whole bottle.  95% of the CC ended up in there anyway.  But it already smells good, even if I keep forgetting to shake it.  Today will mark day 3; the recipe said wait at least 4 days, I have a feeling it will be a little longer than that.  The last time I walked to Binny's to pick something up the wife ended up going into labor that weekend, I've still barely had any of the whistlepig.  I hope this doesn't end up being a sign of something major about to happen.

Current beer-scale: 8.1 & teaching until 10.  For fuck's sake.

a serious case

of "I don't give a shit"-itis. 

I heard back in the negative for a job late yesterday and while I wasn't disappointed I admit I as a little surprised.  I wasn't overly interested in the job but believed the interview went well and thought I would hear a more positive response.  Getting a "no" takes a difficult decision out of my hands but I was still caught off-guard.

It would have been difficult b/c I admit, the any port in a storm perspective is sounding more and more appealing.  I've completely soured on where I am right now and if I was presented with another option, even if it wasn't my top choice, I'd have a difficult time saying no. 

Which is not a good headspace to be in, b/c at this point my next interview is going to feel like it's life or death.  Not a feeling that helps keep things on an even keel.  But at least I get to take a day off to do the interview.  Now I just have to not completely blow it.

Current beer-scale: 9.9.  Buried the needle, Ray.

I've created a new drink

I call it a 'slightly canadian' and the key ingredient is a splash of maple rye. Start with any other whiskey or rye you have on hand on ice,  throw some maple rye over it and there you have it.  Now to try it with every kind of rye I have in the house.

Current beer-scale: a Tuesday-friendly 7.2

Humpday grind

Ugh.

Almost got run over by some bearded douche walking home from daycare tonight. So I'm having a couple of these and trying to ignore the fact i have to go back to work tomorrow.

Current beer-scale: 9.0

And that's why

I convinced the wife to add mint to her gardening project.  Even though it grows crazy like a weed.

I do believe I will be trying this drink in mass quantities in the very near future.

Current beer-scale: a 8.9 and climbing less than 24 hours before commencement.

New whiskey time

This past Saturday night I tried a new whiskey, Redemption Rye whiskey. Let's just say that I drank a little more than usual with my dad couch crashing, and this stood out as one of the better drinks of the long weekend.


It stood out enough to pick up a bottle the next day. In fact, it stood out enough to walk down Clybourn to the nearest Binnys and pick up two bottles, one for me and one for dad to take back to MI where he and some work buddies have been building a whiskey collection for a while. It was a good excuse to get out for a while, plus the walk afforded us to drink more once he found out Goose Island had some beers worth trying.

I left the rye closed all of two days and opened it tonite. I was already a few drinks in when I tried it on Saturday and that probably colored my impressions slightly, but it stood up pretty well on its own too. At $27 its not in the same class as Templetons but definitely a big step up from the Beam I pick up so I don't drink the good stuff too quickly.

One thing that did make me laugh was the whiskey scent that escaped as soon as the plastic seal came off the metal cap. No fancy cork for this whiskey. The scent was pleasant but convinced me to put the entire bottle in a decanter that hasn't seen much use lately.

With a couple of ice cubes my drink tonite didn't quite live up to my first impressions from Saturday but there's a lot of potential. Hell, by the time Saturday night was done I was loving the Beam rye straight so I think just about anything would have gone down smooth. But there's a warmth in the initial sip that stays with you even as the ice starts to thin things out. The rye's spiciness does a lot to compensate for the overall sweetness of the whiskey that's actually only aged two years.

I stopped after one but it's only Tuesday so there's plenty of time left for an old fashioned or two in the next few days. Anything that helps you get to the weekend can only help. All in all a good purchase that might be my go-to spirit to have on hand from now on.


Current beer-scale: 7.0

Long day at work? Realtor deflate your hopes at getting an affordable offer approved? Tired of darkness and winter?

Crack a Guinness and forget it. Works every time.

Current beer-scale: 9.0

Wow. Just, wow.

Last week wasn't an easy one. Had a few drinks when I got home Friday night, had a few more after a long day in the suburbs on Saturday. Sunday was a fun day of football all day, followed by cracking open the Templeton's to get ready for Monday.

Holy Moses was that the finest drink I've ever had.

Buttery, spicy, warm, with a pleasant burn that kicks in after a long couple of seconds, if I hadn't already set the alarm for this morning I think I would have ended up drinking half the bottle in one sitting. It was a lot mellower than expected for something Prohibition-based, but I can see why they call it "the good stuff." I'm going to make sure I finish all the other whiskey in the house before I get to the rest of the Templeton's, and I might have to make another run to the liquor store that had a few left on the shelves to see if they're still there later this week. Good lord I hope they are.

Current beer-scale: 3.1

thanks but no thanks

I got a call for a second interview yesterday...unfortunately they were looking for someone willing to work saturdays. As close to desperate as I'm getting, I'm not there yet. So I thanked them for calling and said I wouldn't waste their time for a practice interview.

As difficult as it was to say no, it was the right decision. Getting a second call does up my average tremendously too, even if I didn't end up actually interviewing. I'm up to about 50 resumes out right now, and 1 out of 25 feels a lot better than 1 out of 50. Not great by any stretch, but better.

In the meantime, let's get to the weekend so I can watch some more football already. Leaves are falling apples are getting picked, and I'm in the mood to get fall-down drunk on oktoberfest.

Current beer-scale: 8.4

go cubs go

So what exactly could drive me to hammer down old style all day Friday other than a cubs game? And with great seats at that. Actually, the seats originally were merely "pretty good," but transitioned to "great" after the first inning when we made it down into the 100 level.

This was seen a lot on Friday.

I frown on scalpers, but after a liter of Strong Boch at Uberstein I was willing to negotiate a little walking around wrigley. Ended up with two 200-level seats for $100 right before first pitch. Made it in to see some parachuters landing before things got started.

Our original seats. Not bad by any stretch.

Eventually we made it down to the 100-level to watch the cubs absolutely creaming the pirates. 10 runs in the second and honestly the rest of the afternoon is kind of a blur. I admit, I feel a little like a douche considering while I was paying attention and appreciating exactly how much of a beatdown the cubs were delivering, I can't help but feel that as fuzzy as memories of the game seem I was "one of those" cubs fans on Friday.

Our new seats. I'm glad I at least have some photographic evidence that I saw this game.

Evidently I was able to text some people, one of which ended up with extra tickets to Saturday's game too so it was back for game two the next day. It was strictly a water day though, to watch a closer 3-1 cubs win. By the time Gregg closed the game I was wishing I was able to think about beer with out feeling queasy.

The bad news, in so far as my general health, was that inbetween games we had plans to go out which resulted in said coconut mojito and mad hatters. The mojito was fantastic, so much so I find myself craving one even as jets still roar by overhead. The drinking's going to settle down for a while though, as the job search becomes priority one.

I'm not sure how much time I've going to devote on the job search here...everyone knows they suck and I'm more interested in how to cope with the process vs. the blood and guts of the process itself. If anything, the bike rides will get longer as I have more anxiety to work off. So hopefully something interesting will happen out there.

Current beer-scale: 4.2

"They took the bar! The whole...fucking...bar!"

It was one of those days. Dumb emails, headdesk phone calls, not enough sun.

The bike was a chance to turn that around this afternoon, stopping to soak up some of that sun and enjoy the idea of being free for the day, nearly the week.

So thanks, I needed that. I also needed a drink, which I got in the form of some Sailor Jerry's and Bacardi w/a splash of pineapple juice. Tropical, yes. Refreshing.

Refreshing enough to at least go back to work tomorrow, and gut out one more day.

Current beer-scale: 8.8