Green Faeries

A couple of weeks ago I was at a work event and ran into my friend Jeffrey. He's working on this cool event where once a month we go to a bar, have our own bartender, get a history of the bar, and try two or three different cocktails, to expand out cocktail knowledge, know the bartender, and learn a thing or two. I can't WAIT for this event to start! It's called Passport 2 Cocktails, and the first event is this Tuesday, don't you wish you lived in Seattle?

But, that's not the story to tell today. The story today is about LAST Sunday. Jeffrey mentioned when I saw him that there was going to be an Absinthe Tasting and seminar. I've had absinthe once with dad, and I'm not really an anise fan, so I figured maybe if I learn more about it, I'll find a way to like it.

Well, I find out the seminar is a part of the Washington State Bartenders Guild. A newly formed organization. You may be wondering if I'm a bartender, and you'd be right...I only make gin & tonics and pour a pint. So, I walk into the room, and realize we're in this couple's really cool loft over by Safeco Field, but we've got tables for 50 people crammed into this room. Anyway, I find a seat, and the seminar begins. It's two of the world's leading experts on Absinthe, and they both live in Seattle. Sweet! As the seminar begins, they start passing around a few different cocktails. I only drank one full "taster" and it was the Monkey Gland. Oh delicious Monkey Gland...so good! Here's a little about how it got it's name...

So, everything I could find said that Absinthe has been illegal since 1912. So, when I was at the event, the absinthe expert guys kept talking about how it was illegal, and why, (which was really lame reasoning) and now it's not. But they weren't explaining WHY it's legal again. So, during the Q&A I asked, how did it magically become legal again. Honestly, I didn't get the most exciting answer, but I guess what happened is that the outlawing of Absinthe was from an agriculture law, and way before the FDA. So when all these different organizations came under the government, the law outlawing absinthe never made it through the cracks. So, we've been missing out on this unique cocktail for years when we could have been drinking it.

While I was in WAY over my head, and tasted about 6 different brands of Absinthe, I learned that while I'm not a fan of it, Absinthe has it's place, and hopefully the novelty will wear off and distilleries will tout it's usefulness in cocktailing and beyond...

TAKE WITH FOOD!

So, a friend of mine has this company that has developed a natural cold sore medication. I take a daily pill to take care of my cold sore currently. It's really expensive, and is mostly used for the slutty kind of herpes, not the kind that you get from kissing your mom when you're 7.

So, I checked with my naturopath friend who said it seems pretty legit and I could take it. Hooray, a natural medication that isn't as expensive and doesn't make me feel trampy, YAY! I take the medication, twice a day, and it's recommended to take with food. I don't take my medications with food usually, and never have a problem. So I don't take the meds with food...

I take it Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, Wednesday night, no problem. I take it Thursday morning...pop the pill, drinking coffee, getting ready, all of a sudden...over heating...then I barf. oops, evidently he wasn't kidding when he said to TAKE WITH FOOD.

While it was nice to have a day off, I had a seminar to teach for 50 people I had to cancel the morning of. And by cancel, I mean call the office and inconvenience 4 of my co-workers to do grunt work. Blarg, what a crap day. I watched Season 3 of Weeds (yay!) and got caught up on my dvr which was GREAT however. Hank enjoyed a day to hangout at home with mom too which was good!

Merry Christmas Jeremiah!

My friend Michelle found this card for Jeremiah this year, it was too funny NOT to share...

Entourage

Alright, so clearly I just write about HBO lately...

For Christmas, my brother Jeremy and his girlfriend Cassie got Jeremiah and I season 1-3 of Entourage. I also got Weeds Season 1 from my brother Jake, which is such a great show I already owned it. So, I returned it for season 4 of Entourage.

We got back from Christmas break, and it was still snowing around here, so it was a very low-key week off. We had a great time of laying around, glass full of something, blankets piled up on the couch and we watched Entourage. In 4 days we watched over 3 seasons of it. We're now half way through Season 4. It's the most addictive show, and I love it!

If you're not familiar with the show, it's about a movie star who is from Queens, and when he moves out to LA, he brings his two best friend (Eric and Turtle) with him. They had lived with Vince's brother Drama for a while, but now live in Vince's house since Drama is a has-been 90's sci-fi star.

Anyway, the best part of the show is the agent ARI! Ari is the biggest ass I've ever seen on TV. He's actually the definition of a-hole. I'm sure of it. But man alive is he the best character on TV lately. So, it's busy season for Jeremiah and he's coming home late at night, but we still watch at least an episode of Entourage. Season 5 was on late last year, but isn't on demand right now, so we have to wait till it come outs...this may kill us.

Thanks for the present Jerm & Cassie, we love it!

Big Love

So, about a month ago Comcast REALLY screwed up with our bill and Jeremiah was on the phone with them multiple times to get it fixed. As part of their "oops, sorry" package, they threw in free HBO for a YEAR! The beauty of that is that we've discovered some really great shows and movies.

Best of all, we discovered the TV series Big Love. Sure, it's about polygamists in Utah, one man, three wives, seven kids. BUT OH BABY, we love this show! The first two seasons are on demand, and season 3 starts in January. Tonight we'll watch the season one finale, and if the snow continues we may just watch all of season 2 this weekend!

It's a pretty interesting show, I don't know why but Polygamy has always fascinated me (not that I want to participate) but just that whole thing that Joseph Smith decided he wanted to sleep with his nanny and then God "told him" it was OK. Thankfully years later, Mormon's realized "yeah, not so much" which I really think was a group of guys who went "you know, one is MORE than enough!" but still the idea of living "the principle" is pretty interesting to me.

A couple years ago I read the John Krakauer book Under the Banner of Heaven which is all about polygamy and child brides, etc. What I thought was interesting, and wasn't mentioned as much as I think it should have been, is that when Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped, she was taken as the second wife in this family. The problem with Polygamy isn't the multiple wives, it's the child brides. The 13-17 year old girls who are being "placed" in a man's care. And the teenage boys who are kicked out on the street because the older men don't need competition.

After reading Under the Banner of Heaven I came to the conclusion that I think polygamy should be legal, BECAUSE then polygamists can report the underage marriages that the women know are wrong, but can't currently report because they'd be in trouble too. Sure, there's a lot of problems in our country right now, and maybe polygamy isn't the biggest issue we're facing, but when you have polygamists supporting gay marriage, you know that maybe it's a sign...

Hooray for VOTING!

Today I voted! I sent in the absentee ballot, and I voted on every measure on the ballot. There's a lot of district Judge's I learned...But, that's not the story of the day. Yesterday morning, Jeremiah and I were putting Hank in the car to take him to the dog park. Jeremiah asked where my Obama/Biden magnet was on the car. And sure enough, SOMEONE STOLE IT! I figured that it must have been when I went to see Drowsy Chaperone the other night, either in the garage, or when we parked over by the restaurant before dinner.

So, it's one of two things...a McCain supporter (not my husband, I drilled him on it...) who's being a sore loser, OR a Obama Supporter who clearly needed it more than me. Anyway you look at it, I'm pretty ticked, that my magnet is missing. I was so excited for the "I told you so" magnet that I could keep on my car to spite my husband for months to come...

What a GREAT guy!

I don't usually talk about Jeremiah, he doesn't seem to like it when I do on my blogs. BUT, he did something pretty great recently...On Monday, I got back to my desk at work after lunch. I had an e-mail from him in my inbox, which was a forward from AT&T. I had some issues with my cell phone earlier in the day, and had sent him a note about it. SO...this e-mail says that an IPHONE has been ordered in my name, and will be delivered in the next few days. I immediately call him, and make sure it's real. It sure is! Happy Birthday Jeremiah, thank you so much!

So, tonight the phone arrived in the mail...I open it up, know I have to charge it, start reading directions and see I can't transfer my number to it till tomorrow. So, now I'm trying to skip out of work in the afternoon so I can come home and play with my new phone. I love it!

What a great husband I have! Happy Birthday to him, this weekend, an xbox 360 will also join our technology based family!