Good morning. The boys are watching the first Star Wars (er, actually the fourth, The Phantom Menace) while playing Nintendo DS. I should be slightly hung over, after a couple shots of whiskey last night, but I’m feeling ok.

The last couple of days have been decent. On Thursday afternoon I hit the coffee shop, turned on the Mp3 player (“In Our Bedroom After The War”) and knocked out a solid first draft of the Italy journal. After I arrived home I hung out with the boys and finished the second Bourne movie. This one was probably my least favorite of the three, although the trilogy was strong, and I can’t complain when I can find the films at the library. I hit the bedroom with “Early Bird” and fell asleep.

Yesterday morning I hit work before the storm started. I continued the “clean up my computer files” project and kept the lights low. A couple of maintenance guys were working in the bathroom, but other that the noise down the hall, the building was quiet. I left near noon. I had underestimated the snowstorm. This storm was significant. The traffic on 43 moved slowly, and I had to be careful not to ditch the car. I don’t think the speedometer reached 50. Silver dollar size flakes were falling; a beautiful storm if one doesn’t have to drive. I turned on SOTL and gutted out the commute. My oil light flashed on, too. I detoured at Costco for dog treats, fresh mozzarella cheese, and iced tea. I also considered buying Knob Hill whiskey for twenty bucks but decided against the purchase.

After I ate lunch Shadow and I walked through the snowy cemetery. I took some pics, but I don’t have them loaded onto the comp yet. I’ll post them soon. I read further in “Early Bird” (very quick book) and took T back to the cemetery for snowboarding. We struggled with the new snowboard bindings and gave up quickly. S visited friends across the street, T stayed with other friends, and N and I watched Phantom Menance. That boy is obsessed with Star Wars. I edited the Italy journal while we watched the film. M and the neighborhood kids all played in the back field until dinner time. I had a salad with the fresh mozzarella and decided to get drunk. A case of Heineken sat in the fridge, but I didn’t want just beer, and I regretted skipping the Knob Hill purchase at Costco. I drove to Vlad’s. He had Knob Hill for 28 bucks. I bought a bottle, relying on the “local business” ethos to salve the increased price, and stopped at a neighbor’s to borrow a shot glass on the way home.

I downed two shots, chased by Heineken, by 7:00PM. These are the first shots I’ve downed in, oh, probably five years, and I doubt I’ve done more than five shots (including last night’s) in the past decade. I’m not a shot guy. Hard liquor always made me sick as a teenager. However, I chose Knob Hill because the label emphasized its smooth nature, and I read “smooth” as “won’t make you gag when you drink it”. The first shot was tolerable, the second one made me jump around the kitchen until the taste disappeared. Still, I liked the buzz I got; it’s very weird to feel that drunk without beer’s bloat. Plus, I didn’t have to pee every ten seconds. I’m also curious about whiskey economics. The bottle cost 28 bucks. A case of Heineken costs a little less. Still, my two shots caused a buzz I would estimate equal to three beers. The bottle still looks full. Seems like a good deal. James warned me about cheap whiskey, and I was surprised Vlad’s stocked bottles as low as eight or nine bucks. I can’t imagine drinking that shit. I doubt it’s smooth.

I finished “Early Bird” while still somewhat buzzed. I thought the book was interesting but too staged. You’ve got this successful Jewish writer who won’t stop talking about how Jewish he is parlaying his success into a book deal through which he moves to Florida for “spontaneous” interactions with retirees. I don’t know. Rather than experience retirement then writing the book, the book was clearly in the forefront of his mind throughout the experience. “Let’s go to Florida and write a funny book about old people!” He does treat the old folks with respect, though, and he handles the balance between patronizing the elderly and not making them sound like total assholes well. Plus, the bingo scene is great.

I was up for a couple hours last night. Wish I could have slept. Depressing.

Ok, I’m somewhat caught up. More later. Have a good day. The sun is out.