Monday night marked the one-week anniversary of my Great Tumble. I decided to celebrate by watching a 30-year-old film I first saw when I was 20. Back then I was so infatuated with the film that I must have watched it 12 or 15 times in the movie theatre before owning (or renting, I can't remember) a copy on Betamax tape.

It was the 1980 film, Hopscotch, with Walter Matthau and Glenda Jackson. In 2010, the film has aged and it caused me to focus more on how life has changed in the past thirty years. Matthau is dead. Sam Waterston has aged beyond belief. The concept of a guy writing a book on a typewriter, with or without the presence of Liquid Paper, seems comical. It was almost as inconceivable as the notion of dropping coins into a phone box and asking an operator to make a "bill to" call to Salzburg, Austria.

Revisiting this film after so many years was like attending a 30-year high school reunion and realizing that those days are gone. Nevertheless, I found it an oddly comforting way to celebrate the events of the past week.

The conclusion of Monday evening without a drink was another milestone: seven days being sober.

I did have a triggering event at work yesterday afternoon. Something happened requiring me to do a rush of unexpected work late in the day when I was already tired, and I was thinking about how much I wanted to wash away that frustration after work with a tequila shot. I managed to derail that desire after a few minutes of analysis and making an effort to put everything in perspective. Attitude, and the way I choose approach the unexpected, are key. Clinging to negativity can be hazardous to your health.

After going to bed last night, I didn't fall asleep for nearly an hour. It wasn't restlessness; it was a far more relaxing evaluation of myself and my current mental state. I feel like I have been reunited with a part of myself that I had forgotten even existed. It is the me I haven't hung out with since I was in my 30s. It is the me who was completely capable of entertaining himself in the evening without the crutch of booze. It is the me who had no blog or no Facebook page. It is the me without any concept of what my life would be in my 40s. It is the me who was excited about the 21st century. It is the me of then merging with the me of now.

My evenings belong to me again; they do not belong to a bottle filled with amber hooch.

Even the depth and quality of my sleep is something I haven't experienced in years. I was feeling like the new mattress, which I purchased in November to help with my back pain, had been a waste of money. As recently as two weeks ago, I was seriously wanting to check the purchase receipt to see if I was within the 90-day return window. My quality of sleep was horrendous and some mornings I had to carefully ease myself out of bed to avoid a severe back spasm. What a relief to know it had nothing to do with the mattress and everything to do with how I was living my life.

I have also discovered that I'm no longer stressing about finances. The VISA card with a $500 credit limit no longer needs to be monitored on a weekly basis to determine whether or not I need to send a payment to avoid hitting the charge limit. I no longer fret over the debit card tied to my checking account, and feeling like I need to enter receipts in Quicken to be sure I'm not going be short when the mortgage payment is due. The Hooch Emporium, with its 5% discount for cash or debit card payments, is going to miss me. The feeling is not mutual.

I am finding it very difficult to put this feeling of freedom and liberation into words. I will keep trying.

As someone who hasn't had solid food in a week, I'm in remarkably good spirits. However, I'm keenly aware that a pile of french fries would sure kick those spirits up another notch.

First, let me be clear about one thing. I am not the kind of person who will use my personal experiences with alcohol as an excuse to get on a soapbox and start warning anyone of the need to abstain from the "evil" of it. I will save that soapbox rant for cigarettes. Or for things with which I have no personal experience, like heroin or meth.

txrad and I were smokers and drinkers when we met back in 1990. I'd only been smoking for less than 2 years, and only picked up the habit while hanging out all night in Denver coffee shops because... well, sitting around in a bohemian environment guzzling coffee and chain-smoking cigarettes seemed pretty cool.

We both started working at an advertising agency headed up by a vegetarian who was hostile to cigarette smoke. That proved to be a good fit for us because within months, we had both quit smoking and drinking, and had given up meat for a vegetarian diet -- something I'd tried several times previously and unsuccessfully.

We maintained this for years.

In 1997 we moved to Austin and we spent $0.00 on liquor, beer, wine and cigarettes. In 1998, while at a company picnic, I decided to have a glass of wine. It wasn't to celebrate anything. I simply felt like getting a little buzz going because I could see the writing on the wall regarding the company's future. Thus began some light and occasional drinking that year.

In 1999, my premonitions about the company were becoming reality. The future was uncertain, barely two years after packing up and moving from Los Angeles to Austin. Drinking increased although certainly not at any outrageous level.

The rest speaks volumes about me and how I chose to handle the stress of an unstable decade ahead.


There is something else worth noting in this chart. From 1998 through 2001, a lot of the alcohol expenditures were with meals while dining out, so the cost relative to the amount of alcohol consumed was high.

By 2002 we had largely quit dining out during the week. We were spending far too much money eating out almost every night of the week, and we decided to start cooking at home to save money. We figured we'd also save money by drinking at home. Pretty soon, what we were spending on booze far exceeded what we'd been spending on restaurant meals.

I would venture to guess that 2004 was the year when drinking excessively every night of the week became the norm. That was also the year I started my own company, and by the end of 2006, that was also, for all practical purposes, needing to be shut down due to lack of clientele and clients unable or unwilling to pay their debts. My company was insolvent; I'd loaned tens of thousands to the company to keep it floating, all of which I had borrowed, and there was nothing to show for it.

And I was aware, even in 2004, that moderation with tequila was difficult for me. I tried this:



Nice try. It didn't work. So, party on! Forget about it, at least at night.

2007 brought on some new employment for both txrad and myself, but that didn't stop the drinking which by now was a well-established part of our nightly routine, and one which accounted for the 2nd largest percentage of our budget, right behind the mortgage payment.

Yes, you read that right. We have essentially been drinking (and smoking, since about 20% of this is for cigarettes) a 2nd vacation home payment every month. Or a Maserati Quattroporte payment. Pick the guilty pleasure of your choice. And this had been going on for 5 years at roughly the same level.

Trust me, I knew what we were spending. If I was able to pull together a 10-year chart from Quicken in a matter of minutes, you know I've been monitoring my spending month-to-month. I was appalled by it. But I kept telling myself I could take corrective action "next month."

It hasn't been a great decade on the political front either. And I used liquor to numb that pain as often as I could. A Bush speech was a guaranteed night of severe intoxication resulting in an inability to absorb the last half-hour of whatever he was blathering on about. Same for election years: tie one on real good at every state primary. I'd get rip-roaring drunk on Friday and Saturday. I'd get ripped on Thursday because it was Friday-eve. I'd get trashed on Wednesday because it was Friday-eve-eve. Sunday was ripe for ripping because the weekend was over. And Mondays were a perfect excuse to let hell break loose because it was simply Monday.

What I failed to grasp is that this excess would eventually take corrective action with me if I didn't act first. The first evidence of this was in March, 2008 when txrad fell down a flight of concrete stairs and landed on his head on cement. He suffered a concussion, fractured ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a speech impediment, all of which required several months of recovery. And to this day he still has a slight slurring of speech when saying certain words.

There were medical expenses he incurred which have yet to be paid, aside from what the insurance company covered. That was the same night I wrecked my car trying to drive home which was another $2,000 out-of-pocket for repairs because I was too scared to file an insurance claim given that my bumper and license plate were missing in action and probably sitting in the parking lot of an apartment complex where I plowed into a retaining wall of rock.

But the heavy drinking continued.

I always thought alcoholics and people with alcohol-dependencies were the types of people who wake up in the morning and need a beer or a cocktail, and continue drinking throughout the day and into the evening. Because I never wanted a drink in the morning or afternoon, I figured I had to be OK. I just wanted to get drunk at night.

And it wasn't enough just to get a buzz. It wasn't enough to be sloppy drunk. Something about me had to go that extra mile. You know, the point where you wake up every morning and have no idea what you watched on television the night before, no remembrance of eating dinner that was so carefully prepared, and no idea of conversations we had. Basically there was a black hole for the last hour of each previous night before I collapsed into bed. Some life, huh?

I don't think it helped that I was drinking premium tequilas which minimized hangover conditions. I rarely would have a headache the next morning. Rather, there was a dull numbness looming over me which would dissipate by mid-afternoon. I could get through the most trying workday, only to go for a replay in the evening. It had gotten to the point where I had no idea what it feels like to sleep well, to have multiple dreams, to wake up refreshed, and to have energy during the day.

And then came my accident last Monday evening in which I had an intimate moment with the concrete patio. What I apparently didn't learn in March of 2008, I think it got me this time around. I guess it wasn't up close and personal enough to witness txrad's trauma and take corrective action then. I had to go through it for myself in order to break this pattern of destructive behavior.

Tuesday night was rough in terms of breaking the habits. I was standing around in the kitchen watching txrad prepare food, and didn't know what to do with myself or my hands. When I'd reach for some water my hand would inevitably go to the spot where the shot glass has sat for the past few years. Sometimes my hand would instinctively go there when I wasn't reaching for water. And it wasn't like I wanted a drink; I felt too crappy for that. It was simply habit, as well as knowing that I didn't feel as good as I should be feeling at 7pm, and 8pm.

This scenario replayed on Wednesday night. I felt frustrated. I didn't know what to do with myself. Everything else was the same: same TV shows, txrad busy preparing food in the kitchen, but no beer on the coffee table in the living room and no shot glass of tequila in the kitchen to reward me for getting off my ass to go in there.

By Thursday night I had realized that I needed to keep a glass of water on the coffee table in the living room where I had previously kept my beer. My habit was to have a drink there within easy reach.

Saturday night I had come to the realization that I needed more changes here to keep me distracted. It's not enough to simply abstain from alcohol while doing every thing else exactly as I have done for the past 8 years or so. Watching the same TV shows wasn't cutting it because I associate almost of all of them with a steadily increasing intoxication level as the evening progresses.

I decided what was needed was a serious distraction. Something we haven't done in awhile. I put in a James Bond flick, Casino Royale. I needed action for distraction and I needed duration to keep me awake past 9:15. It worked because I stayed awake until 10:20 and managed to finish the film. And I didn't need to jump up every 15 minutes to do a shot. (I did need to jump up every 15 minutes to pee from all the water I'm drinking, but that's OK.)

I don't even remember how long it's been since we sat and watched a DVD without losing track along the way due to intoxication.

Am I completely done with alcohol? I will probably resume having a glass of wine or two at some point. A couple of beers some nights. I don't want a bad tequila experience to ruin an appreciation of lighter adult beverages which I enjoy, but don't render me shitfaced. The problem is having tequila in the house. Even when we'd open a bottle of wine at night (which was getting increasingly infrequent), we'd move on to a beer after finishing the wine, and then a series of tequila shots until I had achieved the black-out phase.

The most-recent warning sign I should have heeded was when we discovered jumbo sized 1.5ml bottles of premium tequila at a great price. They would have been a great deal if they had lasted a month instead of 3 days.

Even some fine scotch in the house didn't get abused. I had 2 bottles of scotch sitting in the pantry which lasted for more than half of 2009 and into 2010. That was something I enjoyed sipping and savoring once a week, or sometimes once every 2 or 3 weeks. I would pour only enough for 5 or 6 sips... to warm the cockles, so to speak. But then I'd move on to the beloved tequila.

The only nights when responsible drinking would take place were those nights when there was no tequila present. And I usually went to bed feeling incomplete. I can hardly believe I allowed this to control me for so long, and at such an expense: on the finances, the "repairs," and the health.

It has also had an impact on my social life. I felt chained to the house because it was a "safe" space to drink. I didn't like going to parties because I knew I'd get drunk, and then there's the issue of driving home safely. In retrospect, I think this also had an impact on visits to my mother. I would limit my stays to one or two nights at most because I was ready to get back to my drinking and smoking routine. As a 40-something, the idea of sneaking around my mom's house or yard, trying to get a sip of booze (which I never did), or a quick drag on a cigarette (which I did do) seemed ridiculous.

I think the best plan would be to transfer the monthly filthy-fucking-cigarette budget to beer and wine. We'd be healthier and our finances would be healthier. I like beer and wine; I enjoy both. But I don't love either of them. By the 3rd glass of wine I'm pretty tired if it. Same with beer. But with tequila, an adequate amount was insufficient. Too much was never enough. For some reason, I wanted enough to escape life.

I've come to realize that life isn't that bad. I have a pretty damn good one and there is much to be thankful for including a job I love, a partner I love, a house I love, a city I love, and friends I love.

2010 is a year of change. I may not feel like it's going to be positive change for the country politically, but it can be positive change for txrad and me. Both need to happen, and I have far greater control over one than the other, so it might as well start here, at home.

Feel free to discuss. Berate me. Chafe me. It probably won't be anything I haven't already said to myself. I'm weak, but I'm getting stronger.

I may even pull out another movie tonight.

I guess I won't be going to the Lone Star Curling Club on Sunday after all. The last thing I need right now is to fall on my face again, although I do need to keep it on ice. Keep ice on it gently.



It is amazing how quickly your life can be turned upside down by one bad mistake. Monday night I was discussing with txrad how excited I was to be going back out to the curling club open house on Sunday to throw a rock or two.

We were making dinner and doing tequila shots, as usual. Shortly after dinner I walked out the back door and one second later I remember the extreme impact of my face against concrete. I distinctly heard the multiple snapping of bones.

I pulled myself up and went to the bathroom to survey the damage. Blood was running down the left side of my face. txrad was watching TV and had no idea this had happened. I was so annoyed with myself I decided to save the news for morning. I washed away the blood, applied some arnica gel to help with the bruising and swelling, and went to bed.

It was not a very good night. At some point I awoke, hoping that the memory had been a dream, but knew from my pain that it wasn't. I had busted my shit up real good.

txrad called and scheduled an appointment with a doctor yesterday morning at 10:30. The doctor referred me to another clinic where they do the CT scans. I had that done on my face and brain this morning.

I suppose the good news is that I have no brain damage and my jaw isn't broken. The bad news is that I have extensive facial damage with fractures around my sinus cavity, the eye orbit, and my cheek bone, and this will apparently require several hours of surgery.

The doctor wanted me to make an appointment with the surgeon as soon as possible but unfortunately the surgeon's office is closed on Wednesdays. Great.

Tomorrow I should be able to get in there, with any luck, and get a fuller assessment of what I'm in for this month.

This is by far the worst injury I've ever had in my life, and will be the first time I've ever needed surgery. Lots of people have had to undergo similar procedures. People have horrific car accidents, some people engage in extreme sporting activities during which time, an accident can lead to broken bones and smashed faces.

During the Olympics I would cringe when hearing about an athlete who was competing again after x number of surgical procedures to correct this and that. And this is one reason why I would never have made a decision in life to become a race car driver, or a skier, etc. Do it long enough and sooner or later something bad can happen.

My friends, as I know now, it's really no different with irresponsible drinking. Do it long enough and sooner or later something bad can happen. I can't tell you how many times I've been en route to a liquor store and mumbling to myself that "nothing good can come of this."

And even though you know you need to clean up your life, doing so is always just one tomorrow away. Well, welcome to tomorrow.

I should be completely freaked out at the prospect of surgery. Part of me is a little anxious about it. Part of me is angry with myself and I could also sit here and continually kick myself mentally for being so stupid and irresponsible Monday night but that's not productive either. You can't change the past, as much as you might like to rewind and redo.

The biggest part of me is more focused on cleaning myself up to make sure this never happens again in the future. I'm no longer agitated about leaving my 40s behind in about 7 weeks when I turn 50. No big deal. Something about pain and the idea of facial surgery makes birthday milestones inconsequential.

The joys of still being a 40-something ended around 9PM Monday night. The time between now and my actual 50th birthday will be about nothing but recovery and progress, and living my life as a 50-something quite differently from how I lived my life as a 40-something. Time to grow up and enjoy middle-age.

The real irony here is that I was looking forward to the first week of March passing without any incidents. It was two years ago this week when I was dealing with a very similar situation with txrad, and I was ready for that 2-year anniversary to come and go. But here we are in a role-reversal. I guess the score is even now.

That post two years ago ended with this question: "Have we learned anything yet?"

Yes.

I love tequila but let's call it a tie game and forget overtime.

I love my face, my bones, and my health & well-being far more. And I love txrad. All of those things are far more important to me than any reposado or añejo.

I'm just not sure why it took an event such as this (or these) to make me put things in perspective. I never thought of myself as being one that couldn't ascend until I figured out where the bottom was.

At $30, this is more than I typically spend on tequila since some of my favorites are quite fine and sell between $17 and $24. But this is new and organic! Some guy in Texas teamed up with a Scotsman in Mexico, found an organic distillery, and are marketing this as Republic Tequila. The bottle is shaped like Texas!

Even the cap has the Lone Star on it.



Click here for the full story.

konagod: When you see a cat shitting behind the TV it probably means the litter box needs to be cleaned.

txrad: You could clean it.

txrad: They sound like U2.

konagod: Is it the Verve?

txrad: No, it's U2.

konagod: So, U2 sounds like U2. How does that relate to cat shit?

I need pot. More later, I'm sure.

New Year's Day was rather odd for me. I was not in a great mood and everything in the house was begging to either be cleaned or thrown out and I did quite a bit of both. But not enough of either. Then as the evening settled in I started the official konagod New Year Festivities with some tequila and music. That's guaranteed to be an uncertain road.

When I went to the kitchen this morning it was still dark but I could see a faint light. Then I remembered we had two candles burning last night and apparently I had found a use for my quartz and other stones.


What else did I do? I had to think for a few minutes and then remembered I called up Maurinsky on my cell phone while shitfaced. While that might not seem odd on the surface, it was the first live conversation we've ever had outside the realm of blogging. I'm sure that was a great first impression.

Thank God the holidays are over.

Forbes.com has a piece titled America's Hard-Drinking Cities and Austin is on the list. In fact, Austin may be The One.

Austin ranks high for its drinking habits across the board. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey, 61.5% of adult residents say they have had at least one drink of alcohol within the past 30 days, and a staggering 20.6% of respondents confess to binge drinking, or having five or more drinks on one occasion.

But if five or more drinks on one occasion constitutes binge drinking, or if that's considered "staggering" then hell, I binge drink every night. Define occasion. Is that like one evening? Or is an occasion a shorter span of time, like when Rachel Maddow makes an appearance on MSNBC, and you do five drinks during the time she's speaking?

When txrad and I open a bottle of wine, that's about 3 glasses each so I'm already 60% staggered. I always have a beer after my wine. It rinses away the sulfites from my mouth. That gets me 80% staggered. So if I top that off with 3 or 4 shots (my shots are probably less than half of an official bar shot) so let's just say two shots, then I'm 120% staggered.

And when Bush is doing an address to the nation, that's when I'm likely to increase my intake. Who wouldn't.

Collegiate excess has repercussions far beyond hangovers and missed classes, and should be of concern to members of the surrounding community.

What a crock of shit. The surrounding community isn't concerned because... THEY'RE ALL DRUNK! Or high. Or both.

"Binge drinking hurts not only the drinker but also others near him," says Henry Wechsler, Ph.D., a lecturer at the Harvard school of Public Health, where he was also the director of the College Alcohol Study, and author of Dying to Drink: Confronting Binge Drinking on College Campuses.

"The binge drinker disturbs the peace, through noise, vandalism and sometimes violence.

I've got one out of three covered. I will be making some noise tonight. But no vandalism or violence. I'll leave that to my neighbor, the meth addict.

I decided to do a self-inflicted spa treatment today. Hair color and mud facial.



This was AFTER I spent 3 hours correcting the Excel spreadsheet error this morning, along with various and sundry other bullshit things.

My mood is slowly coming around, despite the fact that the hair color happened to miss a shock of gray hair.

I might have to go retrieve that bottle of dye from the garbage in the morning and repeat the treatment.

Lordy, I'm feeling tipsy just from completing this one from Toast who actually took the time to put in links to many of his responses.

I don't have that much time; I need to make a run to the liquor store.

1. Beer, wine, liquor, mixed drinks. Rank 'em.

Liquor (tequila!)
Beer
Wine
Mixed drinks

2. How often do you drink?

Daily from 6pm to around 9pm.

3. Favorite Scotch?

Don't have one. I'd have to start out with those little bottles like they give you on the airplane and sample a few. But honestly, I'm not that inclined.

4. Favorite Bourbon?

See #3. At least I can say I have a memory of Jack Daniels. Not my favorite stuff.

5. Favorite tequila?

Ahhh. Now we're making progress. Cesar Monterrey Reposado is about as smooth as a baby's butt. Lots of interesting flavors emerge from this one. Very complex and I feel like I'm tasting nutrients the agave plants pulled from the soil. The bottles are pretty cool but we don't drink our liquor because the bottles are cool, now do we?

When I want to go cheap, El Ultimo Reposado is hard to beat. The just redesigned their bottles after being absent from the shelves for a few weeks. Also slightly different taste. I get lots of acidic/citrus flavors. Very nice tequila and for a tad over $16 at Spec's with the debit/cash discount, it's hard to beat for the money.

When I want to go spicy, I opt for the Hornitos Reposado. A definite peppery kick compared to the above two tequilas. There are other tequilas which I think are sublime and would consider them favorites, but at $40 or more per bottle, I just can't do it.

6. Favorite Gin?

I used to hate gin when I was younger. Always thought it tasted like pine sap. Then a few years ago I tried Bombay Sapphire and found it to be palatable, and because they have all the herbs and whatnot etched on the bottle, I realized why gin tastes the way it does. Very medicinal.

7. Favorite Vodka?

I rarely drink vodka but I was impressed with the last ones I tried: Grey Goose and Tito's from right here in Austin.


8. Favorite Rum?

Toast has a pretty good answer for this one: Appleton's Jamaican rum. There's another one I have tried and thought it was OK, but honestly, a little rum goes a long way in my book.

9. Drunkest you've ever been?

I got drunk in my college dorm once and ended up riding the elevator up and down on my bed mattress -- someone stuffed me under the mattress pad and hauled me to the elevator. I couldn't have been too drunk though since I still remember people voices although I couldn't see them of course.

I was celebrating a friend's birthday back in the mid-80s when a bottle of Jose Cuervo was put in my hand with a lime. I'd never done tequila shots before and after being instructed how to do it, I held on to the bottle, determined to keep trying until I perfected the art. When I finished the bottle I was perfected. I was so perfected that I spent the next 24 hours crawling from the bed to the toilet.

The absolute worst experience though was just under 3 months ago and I blogged at length about that at Black Soap. I have no desire to go into it all again. What's odd is that my prior "worst" episodes were intentional. I started the evening with every intention of getting shit-faced. The one in early March was totally unintentional which still leads me to wonder if our drinks weren't spiked with something. It would have been worth having a blood test to find out.

10. Red or White?

Yes. Red in the cooler months and white in the summer. Simple.

11. Best wine you've ever tasted?

Someone sent me a couple of bottles of red from Tuscany via wine.com and I was blown away. Wish I could remember the name of it but since they were $50 each I won't be buying them anyway. I find that Masi Campofiorin from Italy is pretty damn good for about $16 and there is also a white Masi that was delectable. I feel the same way about wine as I do about tequila: I can taste the difference between a $50 bottle and a $20 bottle, but if the $20 bottle is real good, I'm happy with that even if the $50 bottle is exquisite.

12. Favorite type of wine?

Very hard for me to say. I'm still trying to pin it down on the whites. As for reds, it's hard to beat a nice Merlot. I do like cabs and zins though.

13. Favorite every-day red?

This is going to sound generic but I really like the Columbia Crest merlot. It's consistently way above decent. But for everyday wines, I'm usually pretty happy with the 10% discount on 6 bottles at HEB. I'm always trying something new and usually average spending about $8-$9 a bottle.

14. Favorite every-day white?

See #12. I tend to respond to those mixed varietals until I nail down my favorite. Evolution is excellent but I don't like to spend $15 or $17 on a bottle of white very often. The Masi was definitely something I'll buy again and it was around $10 with the quantity discount.

15. Best value wine?

Whatever I buy for $9 or less that I'd definitely buy again.

16. Do you drink box?

If I'm having wine at a party (like that happens often), I would. But since I don't drink wine every day I prefer the bottles. I definitely prefer those new plastic composite corks over real cork now. Much easier to remove.

17. Fastest you've ever gotten drunk?

Anytime I ever drank anything that had Everclear in it. And I won't knowingly do that. It's a headache guaranteed to happen.

18. Longest you've ever stayed drunk?

From one evening's consumption, when I've gone over the top, I have still been drunk when I woke up the next morning. The longest was probably about 15 - 18 hours I guess when I'd finally start to feel sober around late morning. There was a Las Vegas trip though when I was probably intoxicated for several days, since it's Vegas, and those drinks as "free" I figured what the hell, let's get up in the morning and have a bloody mary.

19. Ever do anything you really regret while drunk?

I probably should not have pissed on an interior wall in some one's house in London back the in 80s. That's something a dog would do. Aside from that, reference back to #9. I regret even going to that party.

This next section is about beers. And I'm the same way about beer as I am about wine. I like variety, even in the same evening, and I rarely pay attention to whether I'm drinking a lager or an ale. I guess that disqualifies me from beer geekdom. And we tend to stick with a bunch of our regulars from around the Austin area rather than frequently trying new beers from around the world.

20. Favorite lager?

Shiner Bohemian Black Lager.

21. Favorite IPA?

Haven't had enough IPAs to even answer, if we're referring to India Pale Ale here.

22. Favorite brown ale?

Bootlegger by Austin's Independence Brewing and Brewhouse by Real Ale Brewing in Blanco, Texas.

23. Favorite doppelbock?

Not sure I've had a real Munich doppelbock in years. There may be some American beers I've had that would qualify as a doppelbock. I googled the term and Abita Brewing Company came up. They have one called Andygator which I've never seen here. I'll definitely give that one a try if and when I find it.

24. Favorite Belgian?

A few years ago we went on a Belgian beer binge, trying several different ones after seeing a documentary on TV. I can't remember any of them off the top of my head but there was one with a pink elephant or something on the bottle -- seems like it was a hard ceramic bottle. You beer pros will probably know what it is.

25.Favorite stout?

Ahh, Guinness. But only if it's on tap in Ireland or England. Or someplace where the shit isn't pasteurized into a meaningless existence.

26. Favorite Winter Ale?

Don't have one. We've tried a few winter ales from our nearby breweries but I can't even remember what they are.

27. Favorite Scotch Ale?

Can't say for certain I've ever had a Scotch Ale.

28. Favorite Other?

Freestyle, also by Independence.

29. Favorite Brewery?

As you can see, I lean heavily to local breweries. But I really like Abita just over there in Louisiana. Their raspberry wheat beer is not too sweet with a hint of raspberry rather than being overpowering as some are. And they've just come out with a strawberry as well. If I'm drinking tequila I like to start off with the Abita raspberry before moving on to a more robust brew. But on a hot day, the strawberry is quite refreshing.

30. Favorite mixed drink?

Without a doubt: margarita. It's the only mixed drink I ever have in Austin, and that's pretty rare these days. I do like a spicy Bloody Mary though, and a Long Island Iced Tea always does the trick when you need to turbo charge a dull evening.

31. Favorite morning libation?

I've never been much of a morning drinker, but if I'm on vacation in a casino, a bloody mary is a great way to kick of a day of slot-feeding.

32. Do you suffer memory loss when you drink heavily?

Not so much. Unless I've had a huge amount of liquor. Now if I've had a lot to drink and I've smoked some dope, then yeah, for sure. I turn on my PC in the morning with dread, wondering if I put up a stupid post that I don't remember, or worse: got on someone else's blog and said something embarrassing. I'm always relieved when it's just something infantile I've said.

33. Favorite place to drink?

I never get to travel on a real vacation, but I always loved drinking in front of a slot machine. But the most relaxing is beachfront. Anywhere.

34. Favorite sports bar?

I'm not really into sports bars per se. I had many a good time at a bar in Ocean Beach throwing darts though when I lived in San Diego. Can't remember the name of that dive now.

35. Ever consider AA?

Probably not. I have to attend enough meetings at work. And AA would probably put a crimp in my evening festivities.

A quick and easy and very satisfying meal, especially while txrad is preparing dinner, or when you are ready for Hillary Clinton to accept a VP slot on the Obama ticket so we can get on with shit.

Ingredients:

Peanuts
Tequila
Beer
------------



I'm so jaded right now I don't even care what Rachel Maddow has to say.

Crossposted at Big Brass Blog

After having concrete confirmation that layoffs would begin today, txrad and I proceeded to get shitfaced last night. I figured I'd go in to work for a couple of hours, and at least one of us would be discharged, and we could both come home and take a nap to sleep it off.

Wrong.

After suffering through one of the worst days ever, the news is the layoffs have been postponed until Thursday. It's complicated and I can't go into all the details on a blog.

But I was very surprised when I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw 95% of our pizza uneaten. At least we took care of the bottle!

So tonight I'm trying this again. We have a bottle, txrad is making veggie burgers & tots and they had damn well better start laying folks off tomorrow. Because the process of getting myself into the right mindset is expensive and unhealthy!

I'm not a big fan of Halloween like some of my friends. I never dress up or participate (aside from my Janis about 3 years ago). I enjoy celebrating Samhain in the privacy of my own home, quietly.

So when I was invited over to a co-workers house last night I was fighting the urge to stay home. I finally decided to go and I'm glad I did.

The first segment involved sitting in the driveway of her neighbor's house with a parade of children in costume coming around for their tooth-rotting treats.

The scariest thing I've seen in a long time on Halloween was her boyfriend.

He was dressed as the grim reaper with a hideously frightening mask. He was on stilts. He was drinking liquor. He was wearing a mask he couldn't see out of and it was dark. And he was walking around children. Because he was so tall, he was storing his can of beer on the limb of a tree, directly above where I was sitting.

Tell me that's not the stuff of which nightmares are made.

After the kiddies all went to bed we retreated to the backyard of my co-worker where we began chatting and passing around a bottle of Tarantula -- Tijuana style. No shot glasses needed.

Damn. That was fun. It makes me wish I had done a reprise. I probably could have had a chance of winning our company-sponsored costume contest.

I'm ready, man.

This is a pretty cool widget. Not sure how long I'll be allowed to keep it based on the Terms of Use:

Moon Module Copyright/Terms of Use -

This module, design, and code is protected under United States and International copyright laws. You are not allowed to remove any of the links pointing back to CalculatorCat.com. The text link (i.e., "moon phases") at the bottom of the module MUST remain unaltered. All copyright notices embedded in the HTML and Javascript code must remain unchanged. Also, this module may not be used on websites that have any of the following content: pornography/adult content, excessive profanity, racial intolerance, illicit drugs, hacking/cracking, or any other content that promotes illegal activity. By using this module, you are stating your acceptance of these Terms.

I guess it depends on your definition of ”excessive” as well as the definition of "illicit." And how can illicit drugs actually be on my blog? What does that mean? Am I not allowed to talk about them, pro or con, report about them, or horror of horrors, post a picture?

What about my open homosexuality? What if I'm breaking a law in some locale where this blog is read? Aside from that, there's definitely not any hacking/cracking going on here, so maybe I can skate on by this one. Just curious, what about good old-fashioned American freedom of speech? Is that a problem?

Just for fun, and because I like to know who I'm dealing with here, I went back to that moon phase site and found out the guy who created this thingey lives in Utah (that could explain some things) but he seems like a nice enough guy. Into hiking and healthy stuff and all -- your basic tech nerd. Cool. I'm feeling a little better. Just didn't want some big conglomerate Googleish beast flying up by butt for some minor Terms of Use infraction.

But since we're now on the subject, I have a question. Why is marijuana illegal, not just to consume but simply growing it can result in confiscation of your home and/or other personal property AND a lengthy prison sentence while American-style football, particularly for high school students who are too young to even buy a beer or a cigarette, is not only legal but encouraged by many parents?

I just don't get it. Marijuana never gave me so much as a headache. About the worst thing I can say about it is that I sometimes laugh at stupid stuff, and sometimes laugh at not so stupid stuff, and then I actually just go to bed and have a peaceful slumber. But I never got no friggin' CONCUSSION from it!

A recent study found that 47 percent of high school pigskin players suffered a concussion each season, according to statistics gathered by the National Center for Injury Prevention.

Thirty-five percent of players say they had more than one concussion in the same season.

Multiple concussions increase the risk of long-term damage to the brain, doctors say.

Yet, most concussions at the high school level go unreported to athletic trainers.

Anyhow, I have digressed from the entire point of this post. The full moon kicking my ass. I am still in recovery from Thursday. The big shocker was hearing the news that the biggest client at our agency is about to pack up and head to New Yawk City. And my position and future is far from certain. After a full workday feeling like an episode of the Twilight Zone (or a David Lynch film), a few of us headed out to a happy hour hosted by one of our vendors -- a local TV station.

Tequila and beers were flowing freely and generously. Too bad we all forgot to eat anything. Liquid dinners all around. And plenty of sorrows needing a quick drowning.

After about 2 hours of this, the gay bar across the street was looking mighty fine. So the six of us trotted across the street for another round. I remember feeling quite fine as I crossed the street. I even still had most of my memory. But something unexpected happened in the next 10 minutes or so.

I remember ordering something -- a beer perhaps, in this empty bar/club except for a few obvious regulars sitting around the bar area. The dance floor lured us in. Actually it was a small elevated area accessed by a couple of long steps. That's a bad idea.

I remember (s)tumbling under the swirling disco lights as I tried to navigate my way up and down. Those steps were rendered damn nearly invisible. I still don't remember what I drank and I'm sure I only had one drink, but the flood of alcohol from the previous tequila shots was hitting me like an 18-wheeler at this point.

txrad says I have a new theme song:

As we tried to leave, I had trouble finding my way out the front door. I remember going into an alcove area which was like a room of mirrors with no way out. What kind of sicko pervert would do something like this to a hapless drunk?

I also had a scrape on my elbow which I would not discover until Friday morning. I assumed I had fallen while trying to find the steps at the dance area. When I spoke to one of my friends from work who was with us, she informed me that I had actually fallen completely off the stage, and then got back up like nothing had happened and kept dancing. That probably explains the scrape, as well as all my sore muscles.

Heavy drinking and exercise don't mix. kona's new motto: exercise or dance your ass off while sober (or at least sober enough to remember what the hell you did the next day), and get rip-roaring drunk at home.

No need to walk 7 or 8 blocks to find a car that you shouldn't be driving anyway.

Another kona motto: If you are too drunk to find your car, you are too drunk to drive.

And that's illegal, isn't it?
Damn, I'm gonna lose this moon phase calculator.

Time is warped tonight.

I have rediscovered Radiohead for free.

It's too bad they are trying to fuck with everything creative that I'm trying to do.

I keep selecting photos to upload and I get different photos when I upload them.

The evil fuckers have invaded my PC!!

Never mind. I figured it out. It wasn't them evil fuckers. It was simply incompetence.
Update: AHEM! Your host here would be advise to stay away from Photobucket while intoxicated. I had it open, but I was on page 2 or 3 of my album, and each time I selected the Thom Yorke photo, all I kept seeing appear on my Photobucket page was a scene from the yard or whatever. It was bumping the last picture from page one onto the the page I was on.



I'm gonna go there again.

It was a wild night in the kona household last night....

Actually, I forgot to put out the glass recycling to be picked up on the last Wednesday in September. Oh, I put it out but it was too late to be picked up. Sometimes they do come late but I was not so lucky that day.

I left the container full of bottles at the edge of the street for the entire following week so I'd not be bothered with having to remember. Last Wednesday came and went and the friggin' bottles are still there. Our recycling and garbage service is on a credit card autopay so I know it's not a payment issue.

Bottles are now starting to accumulate in the house and it's making me insane. I need to go find a box. Because we'll certainly empty a few more tonight.

Is Office Space officist?

That scene where they are beating the printer with the baseball bat out in the field is unnerving.

I prefer more subtle methods of subterfuge.

Why can't round pegs just fall into round holes, and everyone be happy?

Maybe if I was 20 and in college I'd think Everclear was just the coolest thing. It's not.

And as long as I live, I prefer to never have this stuff pass my lips again. I particularly dislike restaurants and bars which lace a margarita with this shit. And there are a number of those establishments in the Austin area. I stumbled upon one last night.

Now I can't say with 100% certainty they used this alcohol, but I'd do a double or nothing bet on my next paycheck. It's not listed in the ingredients in the below link, but that means nothing. I've had a lot of strong margaritas and plenty that were not so strong. And I've walked out of restaurants after having two margaritas and feeling a really good buzz. But I've never had 2 margaritas and felt intoxicated, unless there was something besides the usual acceptable ingredients involved. Maybe the Espolon Silver is just nasty shit, but I'm sticking with my original belief.

Yesterday after work, we met up with a local NBC representative for drinks and appetizers. Since Matt’s El Rancho (say it with an excessive rolling R; that's fun and it's how our local radio station does it) is a Mexican food establishment, I wasn't going to have anything but a margarita or two. Our host who was picking up the tab was drinking white wine. Smart woman.

She had ordered a few appetizers as well. I started with some chips and salsa which was great. Then the allure of the queso with the dollop of guacamole got the best of me. I sunk my chip right in the middle of it and assumed what I saw as I removed the chip was perhaps bean dip. That was the wrong assumption for a vegetarian to make. Rather than make a scene in front of someone I was meeting for the first time, I just swallowed. After all, there was queso involved and it's not like I could just easily spit out a piece of meat.

The nachos were tasty but I suspect their beans have some meat base. This restaurant is probably great for carnivores. It's certainly a local favorite.

After the first margarita I was feeling quite a punch. I ordered another. And I'm glad I stopped after that one even though the waitress was eagerly promoting another round. That's rather irresponsible in my opinion, knowing the strength of those drinks.

We came home and continued drinking tequila but overall, I drank considerably less than I normally would on a Friday night. I woke up this morning feeling like I'd consumed an entire bottle of tequila and having some wicked alcohol aftertaste and cottonmouth action going on. That's not normal. And I had a headache. THAT'S not normal because we only drink 100% blue agave tequila and I rarely have headaches until I drink a LOT of tequila and don't eat dinner.

And I felt somewhat unstable for the bulk of the day. I took a nap and even had a spiraling feeling in my dream state.

Tonight I'm drinking beer and tequila in an attempt to cleanse my system of that nasty Everclear. In the future, if I'm in an unfamiliar restaurant, I will ask what's in the margaritas before ordering. This was an unpleasant shock I do not wish to see repeated. Ever. Clear?