Merry Drunkness!

Hey! Can you believe it's almost a week until Christmas?? Me neither! In fact, I'm in such denial that we didn't even have a tree until Tuesday. (OK, well, that's a simplification, but it's true that we didn't have a tree until Tuesday.) I did manage to make a drink, though (because I never let that opportunity pass by)! Although I didn't manage to finish this post until almost 8pm Thursday. Oh well.

Let's see what we have this week... ah, yes, just in case I don't make it next week (I have a festive plan, but no faith in myself to get it done, and I need TH's help), this week we are drinking The Santa Shot!

"Taste [sic] like a candycane"?? Yes, please.

Alright, these are three pretty simple ingredients, let's line 'em up! 'Let's? Hey, what are you guys doing?

"We wish you a Merry Christmas"
"We wish you a Merry Christmas"
"We WISH you a Merry Christmas, and a Twilight New Moon!"

Good work, boys. (I think they've been into the booze.) Nice hats, too.

Alright, ladies, all we're going to do here is layer (which is hard to take pictures of) - basically you tilt the glass to one side and slide one liquor in on top of the one before by letting it slip down the side of the glass.

1/3 grenadine

1/3 green creme de menthe

1/3 Peppermint Schnapps
(which is also good in hot cocoa)

Very festive!
Good Cheers!

Whew! Definitely pepperminty and sweet. You don't want more than one shot, that's for sure, but you will have the freshest breath of any drunk you know.

Candy-cane-a-rific!

Now, since this is the season of giving, head on over to The Bloggess and bask in the generosity. If you can share anything (whether there or by participating in a giving tree or other charitable program) this year, I encourage you to do so. TH and I are having a super hard year (as you all know), but I pulled two tags off the giving tree at work just the same because I know there are people worse off than us (and then I purchased the items on the tags and took them in to work for HR to deliver to the family - I didn't just remove two tags like some sort of uncharitable Grinch), especially since we don't have kids. So if you can, give. That's your public service announcement from yours truly.

Instead of quotes, this week I got you all Christmas cards. Enjoy!

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Whoops!! What's he doing here?


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(This is me at work, by the way)

From my family to yours:
(or I hope you had a nice Hanukkah)
(or Season's Greetings)
(Everyone covered? Good.)

MWAH!
Be safe and happy, and you might even have a surprise post waiting under your figurative tree next week. We shall see.

Stressed? I'm Here to Help, and So Is Rob

What uuuuuuuup, girlies? I don't know about you, but I have a few reasons to drink this week (despite the fact that I got so lit last weekend I was hungover for a day and a half - *waves at Mrs Fashion*). (1) Work has been crazy stressful; (2) I don't have a copy of Eclipse; and (3) did you know it's almost Christmas? FML. That's right: I asked for Eclipse for Christmas, and then found out it came out on the 4th. TH is (hopefully - if he knows what's good for him) going to get it for me, but I have 2 1/2 weeks to wait for that. So: let's drink.

I found just the thing to drown our sorrows this week - it'll cheer and warm you, and take you far, far away from your troubles. What is this magical drink? The Big Robowski.

What??!! But that rug really tied the room together!

Let's see what we're dealing with here...


Aaaah... should be easy enough. I don't have "dark" rum, but I do have "strong" rum, so I'll just use that.

Don't you feel better already?

Now, the recipe says "Some ice may be necessary," and I have found that it's always best to err on the side of ice. Especially where Edward Rob is concerned.

1 shot Jack Daniels

1 shot Goldschlager

1 shot rum (remember, strong = dark here)

1 shot amaretto

1 shot Southern Comfort

Dump Pour all 5 shots into a glass (with ice)

Add 1 can Cola

Stir (because otherwise it appears the booze is just sitting on the bottom)

Cheers!

And then just lie down on the ground, because you'll be there in a minute, anyway. DAMN, this is strong. I guess it is half alcohol, but it gives you that across-the-shoulders shudder; probably we can blame the Jack for that. It also has a really familiar taste that I can't place - at first I wanted to say it tasted like candy, but I can't quite put my finger on what kind of candy. It's almond-y and whiskey-y and kind of syrup-y, but has the fizz of the cola. I wouldn't recommend it all the time, but it's not bad; it's like candy. I doubt most people have all of these ingredients, though - it's happenstance that I have Goldschlager: I meant to buy Jaegermeister but didn't make a list and got mixed up. I'm glad to have put it to good use.

So, what has you stressed this holiday season? Are you hosting your family's celebration, like TT? Swamped with work like me and Jen? Mourning baseball season, like Lisa? Tell me all about it...

If four or five guys tell you that you're drunk, even though you know you haven't had a thing to drink, the least you can do is to lie down a little while. ~Joseph Schenck

Christmas Profanity

I find this very amusing. Happy holidays! (And wait for it - not just Christmas is mentioned.)

Hey Stranger, Wanna Drink?

OK, so it's been awhile since I did a normal (i.e. sober) post, but this was too good to keep to myself. Like JJ, who posted this hilarious rant against loud-talkers, I ride public transportation to work each day. Since we moved, I wait for the bus on a busy street corner each morning, usually alone. Occasionally, an older man I have started to call my Little Buddy joins me.

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Occasionally he doesn't show.
Also, I don't know what that steaming crescent is supposed to represent. Which is kind of why I find it appropriate. Keep reading.

This guy likes to make conversation about some random shit, and I know all about where he works, how he needs to pay $160 to get his license back, how he paid $45 at the DMV to get an ID card in place of his license, how he can get me a great deal on recycled like-new appliances, and what stuff he found on sale on any given week as well as how long I have to go get the same deals. He's innocuous enough and just chatty, mostly.

Then, last Monday, he approached me and said, "Hey, I haven't had a drink out of this yet, so help yourself to some warm coffee." And, with that, he held out a mason jar full of a dark liquid. Um, no thanks, Little Buddy.

"I made it myself!"

That guy actually kind of looks like him.

So, as I'm sure you would have done, I turned down his offer. I'm sure he was just being nice and trying to share, but I watch Law & Order, thank you very much. All I could think was:

"Heh heh heh... I'll tell her it's coffee."

... and then I wake up chained to a pipe in his basement. I don't think so. That coffee's all yours.

Thanksgiving Leftovers?

Well, hello there! How was everyone's Thanksgiving? I don't know about you, but I still have stuffing in my fridge, so when I found a recipe on this site for a Cranberry Martini that uses cranberry sauce, I thought: fan-fucking-tastic!

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I can't eat another turkey sandwich, and if you can tell me another use for leftover cranberry sauce besides that, I'm all ears. So, what are we waiting for? Let's drink!


Gobble gobble!

"What the fuck is this? Butter?!"

"Oooohhhh."

2 oz vodka

1 oz cranberry juice

(I, of course, am using cranberry raspberry, because it's what I have)

1 oz... what the fuck is that? Shit, my chocolate liqueur is no bueno.

Sorry about that.

How about... 1 oz orange liqueur?

I bet that'll go better with the cranberry, anyway.

1 teaspoon cranberry sauce

...aaand I'm not opening a bottle of champagne for just that splash at the end. We're not big champagne drinkers here.

Let sit for a minute...

Shake for a minute...

And strain into a chilled martini glass.

So this is a MB-style cranberry martini. Bottoms up!

Mmm... boozy. That's how I like my drinks at the holidays. It's got a bite to it (all the vodka, to be sure), but is still fruity and rather refreshing. Plus, it looks like Christmas in my glass. Happy holidays!

WIN! (With a few adjustments.)

So, who's getting Eclipse this weekend, and from where? I told TH I wanted it for Christmas before I realized it came out three weeks earlier, so now I wait. *sigh* Let me live vicariously through you.

In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!' ~ Dave Barry

Be Thankful!

Happy Thanksgiving, Twitardia!

Thanksgiving is, of course, a day of giving thanks and of coming together with those you love. It also happens to be my Twilight-iversary, as Thanksgiving weekend 2008 was when I first devoured the Saga. This year, I'm extra thankful for that lost weekend, because it led me to meet an asston of you in a little town called Forks, and gave me friendships that span great distances, but which I keep close to my heart at all times. I love you ladies.

Me with the Twitarded trinity (pre-TK), Myg, & Vitamin R

Other things for which I'm thankful, in no particular order:

- I now live less than three miles from Madison High School, where the Biology scenes were filmed.

Edward puts an end to things early.

Wait a minute... that's not right...

Stinky Bella is unappetizing to Angel Edward. Don't worry, Edward, I shower daily.

- TH is (even as I type) rehearsing a show in which he plays a character named Edward (no shit: I have my very own Edward!)

- TH (even if he wasn't playing Edward, he's my favorite)

- supportive friends and family (and kitties named Charlie)

Charlie is thankful for windows

- a home that doesn't make me or TH sad or upset or sick

- moving forward

And, of course, I'm thankful it's Thursday!
That's right, I have a drink for you on this holiday!

"Dude. Where the fuck are we?"

"This is MusingBella and TH's new place. Remember? The moving and boxes?"
"Oh yeah. Okay."

So what are we making, you wonder? I'm going to show you how to make my favorite non-coffee, non-chocolate hot Fall beverage. (A lot of qualifiers, but I don't do well picking favorites.) We're making a Chai Cider. Now, this used to be available at nationwide coffee chains, and I fell in lurve with it while I worked at them, and then they took it off the menus. They'll still make it, if you ask nicely, though. It's very simple.

Ingredient roll call:

Let's see... yup, chai and cider. We have both! We're in business.

I feel like it's missing something...

There we go - that will get me through a family holiday.
"Ta daaa!" "Ta daaa!"

Spiced Rum.
(Optional. They will probably not give you this at Starbucks, no matter how nicely you ask.)

The traditional chai cider is just half cider...

... and half chai...

Heated (the microwave is easiest)...
Wait...
Guys?

Hey, get out of there! You'll melt!

"Thanks!"
"Phew! That was a close call!"
"Yes! We are thankful you pulled us out of there in time!"

Now I can turn on the micro.
(Make sure you check for mini-Edwards, Pocket Edwards, or any Edwards at all before you turn yours on.)
Heat to taste.

And add a splash of the spiced rum at the end!

YUM!

A chai cider is spicy and warm and perfect for Fall, especially when you're having the unseasonably cold weather we're having here! Brrr! A perfect warm drink (alcoholic or no) to counteract the tryptophan sleepies.

And now, a bounty of quotes upon which you may feast!

If you count all your assets, you always show a profit. ~Robert Quillen

Cheers, Lisa!

We can always find something to be thankful for, and there may be reasons why we ought to be thankful for even those dispensations which appear dark and frowning. ~Albert Barnes

Cheers, Jen!

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. ~W.J. Cameron

Cheers, LivingWithEdward!
(And Cheers to Edward!)

Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings. ~J. Robert Moskin

Cheers, DangrDafne!

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. ~Thornton Wilder

Cheers, StarlitViolets!

Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants. ~Kevin James

Cheers to all my lovely Twitarded friends - whether you're in this or any other photo in this post, or not. MWAH! I love you ladies hard, and your friendships mean more to me than you probably realize. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!
Be Safe!

Cheers, SmartE!
(You didn't think I'd leave you out, did you???)
I think this may be the best Face in Hole ever made, by the way. You're welcome.

Got no check books, got no banks. Still I'd like to express my thanks - I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night. ~Irving Berlin

Edward's pissed: he was promised turkey and pumpkin pie. And his own special brand of heroin.

So, tell me, for what are you thankful this year?