Living between Wednesdays

I stole this title from another blog that I've been reading (it's called Living between wednesdays.blogspot.com) and I have to admit that it's quite appropriate. Wednesdays, more commonly known as hump days, are in-between-days. You're not quite at the end of the week, and you're not quite at the beginning either. For me it can be one of the most challenging days. Anyway, today I came into the office and Lo! I find material that I just had to share...for all you others pushing through the hump.

Ok, I know. Everyone and their granny has already blogged about this, but I just gotta chime in to quickly say that Garfield Minus Garfield is the most unexpected riot. Some old sage dude said something along the lines of "the greatest truths are the simplest, so likewise are the greatest men" and that tenet definitely applies here:

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the

Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about

schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern

life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a

journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as

he fights a losing battle against loneliness and methamphetamine

addiction in a quiet American suburb"

It's a shame that any attempt to make a Garfield Minus Garfield day-to-day calender would be cockblocked by copyright litigation. Hey I generally loathe day calendars. But seriously, I'd consider having an excuse to purchase and read the paper version of Garfield Minus Garfield every gosh darn day.

How to save a rotten day

We all have them, and I'm no exception. I normally get up at around 5 am to start my day in order to squeeze in everything that I've been must for that day. It's a pain in the ass, but it seems to be working so far. However... I'm not a drill instructor and as such I don't have the discipline to be extremely repetitive. Plus...I'm not very good at constant routine. I need and enjoy change. And I've noticed that once you get a job, the next thing you'll want is a way to get out of going. All of this combined just leads to a rotten day. So how do you turn around a really rotten day? I have many things that I do when I'm feeling not like myself.

Create Mantras: yes it seems silly. But it really helps I think. It makes you feel kinda dumb and goofy, which helps when you don't want to take anything seriously anyway. For example... today, for no real reason I shouted "Left hand green!" To me that just means to let go and just have fun.

Sit in the park and people watch: you can come up with a lot of things about people. For example girls that have long and perfectly straight hair always think they're saying "I'm a classic beauty". What it really says about them is that they are really just a total snot. Or girls that wear baby pigtails. They generally think that they're saying "Oh look at me I'm so crazy cute!" Really it just says I'm just plain crazy.

Take a walk. Sometimes it's the best way to just get out of your own head when you immerse yourself in a complete crowd.

Smile insanely. I mentioned this one earlier on in the blog. I'm telling you....try it.

phone someone: call up someone that you know will always make you feel better no matter what. For me it's always been a hand full of people that just seem to know the right thing to say

Go get a hug: I'm not a very touchy feely person, but sometimes it feels good to just hug someone. This also goes for when you should just hang out with people that love you and that you love back. It's amazing how just being with them helps you out. Even if you're doing completely stupid, like drawing on each other, it's a great way to feel better.

look: Go look at things that you really like in stores and plot ways to get it.

Buy streetsense: this is a DC thing, but there are a couple of homeless guys around that sell you newspapers. It's a great idea, a non-profit called street sense prints out the newspapers, then give them to homeless people to sell. The homeless people then get to keep a portion of the credit. I love it because it employs people, and most of the homeless that sell it are really just looking to be productive while they find a way out. A lot of them are great to talk to, and they always are really pleasant. I love buying it from them...even though I honestly don't read the articles.

Go to florists shop: Sometimes just looking at green helps you to feel better. I go in and buy myself some flowers. I deserve a little love to myself

Get some good food: I tend to get a little edgy if I'm hungry. Diabetics go through the same thing (though I'm not a diabetic). Their blood sugar gets low and it swings around their mood. I find that sometimes I feel better when I just take a bite of something I really like. Today was some Kookabura Licorice...mmmmm!

Watch birds: they are so simple and just a lot of fun. They're like miniature people, and you can always tell a character from the others.

Plot: I sometimes sit in the park (even when it's freezing outside) and just sit around and plot things. Most of the time when I sit down on good days, I just plot about squirrels...how to get them drunk, how to catapult them out a yard, how to make them really really dizzy....

stretch or go take a nap: For the same reason as grabbing a bite to eat, sometimes an off balance set of emotions is because you're just really tired. I can't take a nap in my office, but if you can you should. It's healthier and will help you get through the rest of the day. I close the door to my office and just stretch around or sit really quietly.

Listen to some music: But remember to keep it upbeat. You're not helping anyone feel better by being mopey. Or watch a movie; again with the upbeat material there. I know that Requiem for a dream is an awesome movie, but it's really really depressing.

Read some poetry: Even write your own, or create something. I like to do this a lot. I'll make cards, write letters, draw a picture, or just make something origami. I am not an origami wizard (far from it), but it distracts me. Sometimes I'll even make lists...since I really like to make them (I love Thursdays anyone?) and normally these "sad" lists are just things that I want to do.

Go to a bar: sometimes you just want a good drink

Dance: I dance around a lot in my room. It feels really stupid sometimes but if you force yourself through the stupid parts you eventually get to enjoy it.

Make faces at nothing and no one: I'm making one right now probably

Pamper yourself. Go brush your teeth (hey! at least you'll have good teeth right?) or just soak in a hot tub with a cup of tea and a good book. Light some candles too if you like or replace the bulb with an dark light, that's always fun.

There are tons of other things that I do when I'm having just a completely horrible day (and one day I'll share more with you), but for now I'm going to go out for a walk myself, to plot about the squirrels and people watch.

CUPCAKE MINI!!!!!!!!

Smile therapy:
If you’re feeling super crappy, crabby, or cranky, smile like crazy at everyone. Small children, small animals, and adults of all sizes will smile back at you, which may make you feel better. BUT what’s even cooler is this: if you smile a lot when you’re totally stressed or depressed, you’ll feel like a raving lunatic, which is kind of demented but really fun for variety and will definitely make you feel better

*Did you know that Tonic water glows? *

What you really need to know about Gin:
Have you ever been to a deluxe bar, which takes its cocktails seriously, and opened up the drinks menu, only to be overwhelmed with the list of Gins, vodkas etc? Well, Danearys is here to help you. As much as I can that is. This is a guide to that most sophisticated, wonderfully complex of spirits; Gin.

What is Gin?
Gin is a clear grain spirit enhanced by the fragrant juniper berry, which in Dutch is genever. Essentially you could say that it’s juniper-flavored vodka, but it’s a tad more sophisticated than that. Pervious myths whispered that Gin is made in bathtubs, on the contrary mes Amies. Gin is blended in copper-pot stills where the spirit is boiled. The botanicals-any herbs, spices and fruits that you can imagine (including nutmeg, orris, angelica root and orange peel) are added directly to the bubbling elixir. This is the most common way of infusing gin with its various flavors. However, in a few choice distilleries, these botanicals are suspended over the copper pots in copper baskets and vapor-extracted. This gives the gin a more delicate taste.

What makes a Quality Gin?
The best gins come from distillers who make their base spirit on-site, or get it from small artisans that micro manage the procedure. Smart distillers then blend the freshest botanicals with curatorial discretion. What you want is a gin that has balance, complexity and smells more like a garden than aftershave. Good gins have a good smell. In order to reveal these it’s a pretty good idea to add a few drops of water to the gin, treating it like a scotch. Just like wine, you should be able to pick out the different parts, the norm being between a citrus, sweet and tangy scent. Always avoid gins that have long lists of ingredients, as there should never be too many botanicals. Gin should always have one or two signature taste characteristics rather than a jumble of ingredients. If you can’t tell what the hell the different ones are, it’s probably not a premium gin. Avoid gins that aren’t labeled “distilled”. This means that they’re compounded mixture of tanker-truck booze, lab manufactured flavors, and will light your lungs on fire! Believe me, it’s kinda painful and sickening.

The history of Gin:
Many people argue about the origins of Gin. As I understand it, the contention is between Italy and Holland. Italy claims that it had created the drink at the Salerno Medical School, which it had used in various celebrations. Holland claims that Franciscus Sylvius, a Dutch doctor in Leyden, created the infusion of juniper berries and distilled grain produce as a remedy for weak kidneys and stomach disorders. Either way, all sources agree that the drink was most common in Holland.

During the 30 years war, English troops fighting in the lowlands were given “Dutch courage”, and took the concoction back to England for mass production. The distillation process was fairly easy to recreate in England and various laws actively encouraged the home distillation of spirits. This mass production lowered the price of Gin and soon became a firm favorite with the poor, as it was cheaper than beer and ale, and had a warming quality. The influx of gin in the market suppressed the production of good gin, but the quantity consumed continued to rise. Suddenly the abuse of alcohol became a major social problem, leading to such terms as “down gin lane”; a description for areas that were scenes of idleness, vice, misery and death.

The problem was tackled in 1736 by passing the Gin Act, making gin prohibitively expensive. Previously a license to retail gin cost £3 ($258.87 today), to £50 ($4314.50 today). Over time the cost lowered, but only marginally. Gin became more expensive to distill, increasing quality and social rank by making it a commodity that only the rich could afford. It continued to rise as technological improvements allowed for beer and ale to become cheaper, and refined a drier gin. In the late 1800s, gin became a popular favorite in gentlemen’s clubs, where it was added to various cocktails (such as “Pink Gins”), leading to the habit of mixing gin with unpleasant tasting liquids[1]. Thus leading to today’s view of Gin.

So how do you drink it, and top choices?
Sure there’s tonic (a personal favorite), but there are other ways to enjoy your gin if you don’t enjoy the taste of quinine. Consider not mixing your gin at all. If it’s a good gin, it won’t make you feel like your liking a car battery. Make a martini but skip the vermouth, which personally doesn’t appeal to me anyway. Why mix gin with flavored wine? Gin is the Rolls-Royce of cocktail spirits, so it advocates drinking it slow and straight, or strained after some easy shaking over ice. Why shake? The shaking introduces oxygen to the drink which enhances the botanical ingredients making them much easier to recognize and to pop out. You can also add little garnishes to the drink which will melt in with the juniper; cucumber is an interesting choice, and I’ve seen several add in a couple of pearl onions.
But, Gin doesn’t follow any strict recipes-it requires juniper…that’s about it- so distillers can get creative with their blends and create specific tastes. Premium distillers make mixes that make sense, and have some uncommon but complimenting ingredients. Remember that what makes the gin a beautiful drink is the fact that they are blended with skill and intention, revealing a thoughtfulness, and complexity you won’t find in other spirits.

Suggestions:

• 
  Bluecoat: A little sugary. It’s got a lemon drop candy flavor that’s pretty light.
• Bulldog: This gin is drier than most and…exotic. This I think is because it adds a botanical called dragon eye, which in my personal opinion is awesome in an of itself
• No. 209: This is thick and very tangy…not a personal favorite but it certainly clears up the nasal passages.
• Aviation: Spicy! Not in the buffalo wing sense, but rather in the cardamom and anise sense.
• Leopold’s: I can never really put this right on place it’s always a tie between citrus and spice
• Hendrick’s: It’s got cucumber and is probably one of the best that you can start on. It’s got an unusual taste but it’s still one of the most drinkable gins.

Now these are just suggestions, I’m not saying these are the best. I’m just offering them up as ones that would make a good start for people looking for a variety of tastes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with other brands, so go ahead…raise your glass…take a sip! Gin and Tonic for me

[1] Enter the “Gin and Tonic”. Previously called “Indian tonic water”, gin was added to tonic water to disguise the taste of the quinine necessary to fight malaria in the tropics, during the campaigns of the East India Company