aaaaaaand CUT!

How on earth has it been over a year since I checked into Martini USA?  Grad school, that's how.  Finally DONE!  And you can believe there were some martinis during the past year, particularly a night with lemon drops and a presentation.  Or was that the year before? Oy, there's no telling what shenanigans occurred through that gin and vodka and book laden time.

I can say it was the year of the Manhattan.  Not that I made it to NYC, but I got serious about perfecting the Perfect Manhattan.  And I'm not bragging - it's an actual style of Manhattan with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth.  The first one I had was at Custom Shop.  Delicious.  Makes me want to go there tonight.  But like the rest of 30 something America I am trying to cut back in the first few weeks of the new year and show a modicum of self control for spirits and eating...so I'm eating truffles and drinking wine for dinner. There may be popcorn for dessert.  So much for yoga tonight - I made it a whopping 3 days (not counting the pizza and beer on day 1).

I am making some changes this year, though let's not call them resolutions:
1. Be grateful.  My next door neighbor's apartment caught on fire and they lost almost everything.  I'm so fortunate that nothing in my place was damaged - just a little smoky.  Grateful. Seriously.
2. Go somewhere you haven't been with someone you haven't been with before.  I spent a week in Portland, OR for New Years and haven't laughed that hard, drank so much, danced so freely, and breathed so deeply EVER.  I'm still reveling in the memory (albeit a bit depressed that I'm home).
3. Sit still.  I always thought the "granola" part of yoga was too out there for me...but I've tried 4 classes in a week's time and I have learned to breathe differently.  And that makes a big difference.  Although, so does gin...hee hee hee.

 So a belated cheers to the New Year and all the mysteries it holds! 

And since there's no martini tonight, I'll rate the upcoming year:
Optimism v Pessimism = tie
Breathing skills = 10
Search for new martinis = 100 (WHOAH - that's a first)

Toyland Toyland

Just when you think you've grown up and entered the world of adults where people speak what they think and treat others with care and respect, you slip and fall into the world of dating where it's a generic playground all over again. Be fickle, change your BFF, stop sharing your toys, blah blah blah. Even the best people, despite all previous behavior as a predictor, suddenly fall into the selfish trap and conduct themselves inappropriately.  Cue your girlfriends.

Thank goodness for my two ladies, Cassandra and Kate, for accompanying my suddenly free evening while I wrapped my family's gifts and made grandma's favorite cookies (yes we ate a dozen...but there's plenty left!). And of course, Pandora and Michael Buble...

Cassandra and the PDT handbook...that's...er...Please Don't Tell (PDT) - google it...found some delicious cocktails for us.  Gin, triple sec, bitters, lemon twist. Yum. Go on with your bad self, Bluecoat.

Cocktails - 7
Friends - 1,000,000

Merry Christmas, folks.

H

Educational Martini(s)

Sometimes school is too much to handle and our team goes out for a drink after we study or work on a project.  But Thursday was a little different...maybe it's because Ke$ha was in Charlotte.

Fitzgerald's gets a lot of this post studying decompressing time, but on Thursday John was stuck in traffic so we wound up there before we even got started!  "Just one glass of wine and we're going to study" I said with conviction.  But when John arrived we didn't go to school, we stayed at the bar and the glass of wine turned into a lemon drop martini (magic).  Great sugar rim, good flavor (1/2 off helps too!), but the lemon wedge was awkward and chunky.  After an hour and once the glitterfied Ke$ha concert goers left, we did go practice our presentation; the first three times were flawless...but there was a lot of giggling. And then at 9:00 we ended up right back where we started, only 3 of us this time. And 2 more lemon drops.  My glass got larger each time, but Jessica's got smaller - weird.

Overall, 6 for the lemon drops - a little sticky!

Operatini

I went to my first opera last night, Bizet's The Pearl Fishers.  It was brilliant.  And amazing.  And impactful. I've heard of people who are overcome by emotions when listening to music and I finally understood it.  The harmonies were liquid; caressing your ears and your soul at the same time.  The story was timeless; friends torn by love - one true love and one unrequited...of course it's the same woman. The resulting anguish shared through solos and duets tore through me.  I was speechless last night but finally found my voice about it today and had to share.  Thank you, Jane, for including me in your good fortune of amazing tickets.  I have officially become an opera junkie and want to buy seasons tickets.  And for once it's not just about the clothes (although that does help the cause).

Getting dressed was a blast - playing with all the options for both Jane and I as well as doing fun makeup and jewelry.  Love being a girl.

We didn't have a ton of time for dressing so we didn't start with martinis.  Our plan to go out to dinner was a little pressed for time as well, so we wound up at the concession stand ordering a martini and a pack of crackers to get us through.  Back to the martini in a moment.  The concession stands these days have a "pre-order" option for intermission!  What?!  It's fantastic.  You can tell them what you'd like and prepay and they have it waiting on a table for you once you arrive during intermission.  No line!  So of course we had to try it and it worked.

But back to the martini.  They didn't have martini glasses or vermouth.  But the very helpful bartender did chill me a bit of gin, and dress the plastic cup with a lime.  Timeless...just like the opera.

Martini - 6
Experience - 10.

Surprise!

I finished my first day of grad school yesterday. It started with a 2 hour delay. Thank you ice storm. We had a whopping 2 hours of accounting and then broke for lunch. Then quantitative methods...of which I am terrified. I have not been lulled by our gentle introduction...or the fact that I overprepared for class so I actually knew what was going on today. And then we got out 1 hour early!

So what does this have to do with martinis?  Last night I went to Zink and had a New Fashioned martini. In light of my change of lifestyle (revert to student) I'm breaking all the rules on his one. Makers Mark. Decidedly not gin. Cherry schnapps. What is that? Orange liqueur. This drink is delicious. It makes me want to change my moniker from Gin Diva to Bourbon Belle. It even makes you feel southern.  Oh - there's a cherry in it so as not to stray too far from it's old fashioned roots. But I didn't eat it.  Well, either of them.  Because of course, it was so good, I had two.

By the way the food at Zink is pretty great - very good food pairings.

Martini - 8.

Second glances (or glasses)

Tonight I took stake of the people around me. In a busy restaurant, with two different groups of people from the same company, enjoying a glass of wine (OK I had a martini), and communicating with each other in a way that is guarded yet real at the same time.  It reminds me that we have layers so much deeper than the ones we live with and publish on a regular basis. Myself included.  Should we live more openly, or are our inner selves just for that, ourselves?  Tonight I won't pass judgement on that decision; it's personal. But when we are brave enough to unmask the inner workings, sometimes we discover that we have much more in common with the people around us than we might acknowledge or want to admit.

I appreciate the folks that I work with, although they may aggravate me with their politics or strong personalities  (not that I don't have one).  The loss of a sibling and then a father (whether it's a step parent or not) is a tragedy   and a challenge for one to endure in two weeks' time. And, on a different note but adding to my sentiment tonight, I might not have known Doc Watson personally, his recent passing is poignant in my life nonetheless.  My parents knew and loved him, and it makes me proud and sad that I managed to figure that out 3 years ago. Typically if I'm home, comfortable in a post-martini state, I'm listening to some jazz and recollecting on a martini.  But tonight, Doc and the very real people in my life, take the honor.

My martini - 6.  My reality check - 10.

What do you get when you mix...

The play Cabaret, 5 martinis, two good friends, and an entertainer who prefers to sing parodies than actual lyrics?  My Saturday night.  I am so thrilled that our little morsel of the south continues to add culture, good food, and mild weather in February!

Kate and I had a wonderful dinner at Fiamma - although they are a bit pretentious (er shall I say proud of their cuisine) and then went to CPCC's performance of Cabaret.  For a serious play mixed with some wonderful music and a dancing gorilla for levity, these performers did a wonderful job.  The sets were fantastic as well.  Now why can't we drink wine in the theatre?  We should hook them up with the folks at Actor's Theatre...who knows - maybe a few more people would have laughed at the gorilla.

But after the play we went around the block to a new little spot called Smalls.  This place is serious about their food, but in a really good way.  I only tried one item on the menu (black and blue sliders anyone?  YES!!) but it was tasty.

The martini list was fun, some classic elements, some experimental.  Kate's opening act was this coconut rum based martini - never seen that before.  She adored it - I thought it was too sweet.  I had a gin and cucumber martini - good balance, a bit chunky from the cucumber puree though.  Round two - Kate: vanilla vodka and pink lemonade - she didn't love it.  I could drink it on the boat by the gallon (or one of those camel packs with the straw beside your face so all you have to do is turn your head and sip.  Is that how Cleopatra felt?).  I had the basil lemon drop.  This one was with vodka and basil with a sugared rim.  Very nice.  Kate went back to the coconut madness for round 3; I slowed down here.  And the grand finale was a custom made strawberry martini.  Cue the boat scene- repeat.  Yum.

So the martinis were good - 6.  But the atmosphere here (and the food) will definitely bring me back.  And if you go, I suggest you also bring Kate!