Category: happiness

Whisky Wind-down, 23: Drinking Buddies

On a snow-covered table, Peppermint Jack, the Christmas Jester, cavorts with friends, all of whom have been into my bottle of Talisker Storm.

Today’s dram: Talisker, Storm

Today’s tasting notes: It’s all peat and brine, and I rather enjoy it.

Today’s thoughts: My first experience with Talisker was The Distillers Edition, a bottle of which I opened the day I received news of a friend’s death, and thereafter it became a whisky I went for in melancholy times.

When I received this bottle of Storm, I therefore made a point of waiting to open it on a happier occasion. Said occasion was playing board games with a whisky-loving friend.

Today’s short entry excuse: It’s a post-snow day, and I spent it lazing about before taking in an annual party with friends. Good friends. The sort you go out on a post-snow day for.

Today’s toast: To good company. May you have it and be it.

Unsolicited Advice: Valentine’s Day (Couples Edition)

Love is, mostly, personal.

I say “mostly” because, well, hell, look around you today — there’s probably something shiny, red, floral, or made of chocolate staring at you from where you sit, subtly implying or outright declaring that you, too, should have such or give such or somesuch …

Hell with that. 
Unless, that is, what you really want is something shiny/red/floral/chocolatey, in which case, have it. 

If, on the other hand, you’d prefer, why not something personal? 
My wife and I celebrated this day eight years ago with a full-on Thanksgiving-style turkey dinner, and that remains my favorite Valentine’s Day observance so far. 
We didn’t even call it Valentine’s Day; we called it Day [#], where [#] was the number of days we’d been together as a couple. 
Every Feb. 14 since, we’ve observed Day [#] basically the same way. 
In so doing, we took something general and made it something mostly our own. 

I say “mostly” because, of course, we are still hewing to a date on a calendar, even if we call it by another name. 
Mind you, when a random July day rolls around and a turkey dinner sounds wonderful, Day [#] is there for us, too.