Merry Christmas

Here's a clip from the Trailer Park Boys' holiday special entitled "Dear Santa Clause, go fuck yourself", in which Ricky explains the true meaning of Christmas.



... and now some Christmas listening pleasures. -WARNING: the last one is by no means safe for work.

Modern Drunkard's Stimulus Plan

Frank Kelly Rich unveils his plan on how we can STIMULATE our ailing economy:

• Allow drinking on the job. So long as there isn’t risk to life or limb involved, workers would be allowed to have at it while on the clock. A pint of beer on every desk, a bottle of vodka in every watercooler, a giddy smile on every face. A great fleet of portable bars manned by singing bartenders should roll through every office building and factory like great harbingers of hope. Imagine the inspiration and motivation this would unleash. Chaps would be storming into work 15 minutes early, practically demanding to get down to business.

• Force bars to stay open 24/7. That whole “last call” thing plainly smacks of defeatism. Millions of new bartending, cocktail waitress and cab driver jobs would open up (I think we already have enough bouncers), and it would foster a real sense that the nation is ready to get rolling again, at any possible moment. It would create more opportunity for entrepreneurs to hatch those brilliant schemes that can only be incubated in bars, like topless golf courses and round-the-clock hovercraft service to Vegas. Instead of moping around at home, absorbing yet another horrific bummer from the black-hearted media, citizens would be out amongst their own, ferociously stimulating the economy. Not to mention each other.

• Every worker receives a six-pack, jug of wine or bottle of liquor with each paycheck. The effect would be immediate. It would not only serve to rid the workforce of a great deal of stress, it would instill massive amounts of consumer confidence. There’s nothing like a skinful of booze to make you want to go out and spread some capital around. It would galvanize the shiftless into getting jobs. Not to mention the boost it would give the alcohol industry—did you know the US beer industry alone employs 1.8 million people? With a little effort we can surely double that.

Read the complete editorial/rant here.

(via Modern Drunkard)

You may have noticed ...

...Blogging has been light, of late, as I've been out of the office.
I've been off to the races, and also logging in some hours at my other office-the Tin & Lint Co. in Saratoga Springs.


This local "gin mill" is reminiscent of The Park City's Golden Star--and I mean that in a good way. The bar is also the site where singer Don McClean wrote that awful song.

That is why I've not been blogging so much.

But fear not! the folks o'er at Conservative Punk have been on the case with coverage of Segway riding chimps and (more importantly) Presidential control of OUR internet.

Pointless Regulations Are Ruining British Pub Life

Nanny-State Idiocy Across The Pond:

Pubs were once one of the most autonomous spaces in Britain; now they are one of the most regulated. The traditional pub was a law unto itself—frosted glass and thick smoke gave patrons privacy from the prying eyes of the street. Police officers entered only in extreme circumstances. A typical maze of pub rooms exhibited—as Charles Dickens put it in Oliver Twist—"cunning, ferocity, and drunkenness in all its stages." There was gaming, dancing, and fighting, as well as people doing business and having affairs. Communities were often centered on the pub, known as "the local," and several districts of London—Elephant & Castle, Angel, and Swiss Cottage—are named after their old pubs. Indeed, the very name—public house—indicates that this was a place for the public, not the authorities. ...

via reasononline.

Pre-Prohibition Absinthe ads

“The absinthe made everything seem better. I drank it without sugar in the dripping glass, and it was pleasantly bitter. I poured the water directly into it and stirred it instead of letting it drip. I stirred the ice around with a spoon in the brownish, cloudy mixture. I was very drunk. I was drunker than I ever remembered having been.” —Ernest Hemingway

View more here.

via WGY.

Visit The Virtual Absinthe Museum.

Absinthe is a flavored distilled liquor, emerald green in colour, turning to cloudy, opalescent white when mixed with water.

Doyle & Debbie in NYC!

Doyle & Debbie will be on 'Conan O'Brien', on Monday Jan. 5th. Then at Joe's Pub on Wednesday and Thursday, the 7th and 8th.

The Doyle and Debbie Show is sublime parody, simultaneously lampooning and idolizing country music's tradition of iconic duos and their subsequent battle of the sexes. Bruce Arntson and Jenny Littleton wield the vocal chops of vintage country stars, taking audiences on a freewheeling joyride through a wickedly funny script and slew of equally hilarious original songs.
Over the past two years, Doyle and Debbie have developed a rabid cult following in Nashville, many of whom have seen the show over a dozen times—everyone from theater-going professionals to college students who wouldn't be caught dead in a theater or a country bar.

When You're Screwing Other Women


Please tell your NYC friends to come on down!

"It’s a three-pronged attack: you feel good because stress is released, self-image is elevated, and your inhibitions get the old heave-ho."

via modern drunkard magazine

OKTOBERFEST

The 175th Oktoberfest takes place this year, September 20th - October 5th.

Oktoberfest started as a wedding celebration party. Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, who was later crowned King Ludwig I, wanted the people of Munich to share in the celebration of his marriage to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. He organized a horse race, offered copious amounts of beer and food, and invited all the people of Munich.Over time, the length of the festival was increased and the date moved backward because of the great weather at the end of September in Bavaria.

Six Munich breweries, Löwenbräu, Spaten, Augustiner, Hofbräu, Paulaner and Hacker-Pschorr, brew a special beer just for the Oktoberfest. The beer, Wiesnbier is slightly darker and stronger than a normal Pils. It is served in a one-liter-tankard, ein Mass.
30% of the year's production of beer by Munich breweries will be consumed in the two weeks of Oktoberfest.

This Wiesn-Dictionary should be a great help to those that attend.

Birthdays, Birthdays, Birthdays!

Several People were born on this date, among them are A FINE MESS blogger MC, future president(?) John McCain, Golden Star personality Bob Weber, and the late Velvet Underground guitarist Sterling Morrison.


Here's a V.U. clip for your enjoyment.

Chuctanunda Creek

The North Chuctanunda Creek flows through the City of Amsterdam, NY on its way to the Mohawk River.

A dam on Chuctanunda Creek, finished in 1875, allowed the city to become an important manufacturing area, primarily of carpets.

Last month I seized the opportunity to take a guided, educational walk along the Chuctanunda.
Although many of the sights along the way were already familiar to me from walking my dog, I gained a new respect for the rich history of the area after learning the stories behind them.

...and after the tour, I stopped into a tavern built in the '30's and learned even more of the city's colorful past.
It was a great day all around.

"People take pictures of the Summer, Just in case someone thought they had missed it

... and to prove that it really existed."
~Ray Davies


Here's my first photos of the new home.That's my window up there.



There's the yard with my dog and garage.
perhaps someday, I 'll have something to put in the garage, aside from my bicycle.













Here's my cat, Tabby, my dog Klara, and some views of my bohemian loft.
On a good day, I live in a "bohemian loft".
On a bad day, I'm merely " a male, gentile Anne Frank hiding-out in an attic".


It's a cozy little space, and it serves as the nerve center for my blogging duties.

"In this world I lock out all my worries and my fears...
... Do my dreaming and my scheming
Lie awake and pray
Do my crying and my sighing
Laugh at yesterday" ~Brian Wilson







I humbly admit that these photographs are sub-par to many of those posted recently in the blogs of my comrades, but this is only my first outing, and was accomplished for less than $10 (cost includes disposable camera, developing and photo cd).



There are still some more photos to come, but I'll end this particular post with a shot from my basement bar!
There's plenty of room,so come up and see me sometime.

Start Spreading the News...

BeerMenus.com provides detailed info, including maps and menus, on all the best beer in New York, New York.
The website started by two brothers currently lists more than 250 menus and nearly 1400 beers.
The site also includes news on upcoming beer events, including their own launch party on 5/24.
I've also included this list of the city's cheap brews, for the more budget conscious, from New York Magazine.

125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die

North Carolina-based All About Beer magazine has compiled a list of the "top 125 places to have a beer before you die."

The lists includes bars, festivals and venues from Germany to Australia and includes many places in the United States.

If I'm not mistaken, Ive imbibed at 13 of the spots on the list. 8 of these with fellow blogger MC.

Here is a list of places that didn't quite make the former list, courtesy of Modern Drunkard Magazine.