I am sworn to Mrs. Ashdale that while on duty (M-F, 9-5) there will be no alcohol. Duty? I'm minding the tot. This pledge seems right.
Tot and I were known to visit in local establishments during the holidays to enjoy, say, a pulled pork sandwich, a pint and a bottle of formula. And hey, it's only a stroller walk home.
Parenting at home, around 3 in the aft, those holiday leftovers in the fridge can sure look tempting. Hello there, icewine.
While we're talking about authors, ask your local library for the heartbreaking Journals of John Cheever. Nice guy. Bad drunk.
Mr. Ashdale, thank you for your reference to the great John Cheever. I went to the New York Times site to learn more about him but was annoyed by the prospect of paying $3.95 US to simply read his obituary - so I went to Wikipedia instead. Wkpd's entry points to the stock market crash of 1920 as the start of alcoholism in his family (his father). It is interesting to read this today, not just for the alcohol but because if you read the history of The Great Depression closely, you realize that that economic cataclysm was not about one moment in time but was actually a great long unravelling and then a dead zone. I wonder if we should take counsel from history here - thanks to the great literary alcoholic John Cheever - and start stuffing our mattresses with cash. As for the drinking, we've been doing it all along (as well as reading), so why stop now, when drinking is what your supposed to do during a Great Depression? Incidentally, do people read books during Great Depressions? In other words, is that industry Recession Proof? There are an amazing amount of businesses calling themselves Recession Proof these days. Surely there can't be room enough for all of them in the safe zone of this recession and coming depression?
ReplyDeletePS - Mr. Ashdale - thank you for knowing to label your first post on this blog. There are other contributors to this blog who have been negligent in this area, despite repeated hints and admonishments. As a result of your proficient blogging (the labelling), your John Cheever has earned a spot in our illustrious Drink Standings. I need to read this guy, to see for myself, just how much drink he had in him. First though, as you well know, I'll need to finish reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace - another guy who had lots of drink in him.
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