Whining and Dining

Here is an excerpt of a great conversation I had this morning with a friend of mine.

Xavier said (10:25 AM):
http://www.winechateau.com/
this is awesome
and shipping is often freeeee
danithius says:
oh ho? Online wine? Are they even allowed to ship to Utah?
Xavier says:
yeah
I can get a case of this really good Zinfandel I like for 65 bucks, free shipping
danithius says:
wow. How much in a case?
Xavier says:
12
danithius says:
holy wow
Xavier says:
about 5.39 a bottle
danithius says:
of that Gallo (sic?) stuff you were talking about?
Xavier says:
yeah
danithius says:
nice man
Xavier says:
oooh, spirits too
danithius says:
circumvent the Utah liquor conglomerate altogether, I dig
Xavier says:
yeah
wait
Domestic State Restrictions
Currently, we are NOT shipping to: Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah.
must be why the shipping was free
danithius says:
arrrg I knew it
hmm or those states are all the ones with puritan alcohol laws
Xavier says:
http://wi.shipcompliant.com/StateDetail.aspx?StateId=65
I got all excited for nothing
danithius says:
felony state?? geez
you can bring in up to a quart, "if all taxes and markups have been paid and clearance is received from the liquor control commission."
you've got to be kidding
Xavier says:
yeah, I learned that in my paper research
you have to file paperwork to bring a bottle of anything back with you, and pay taxes
danithius says:
I do remember... it's just so... what's the word
Machiavellian? no...
Xavier says:
ridiculous?
danithius says:
heh that works
just like they've gone to every possible extent to put a giant wet blanket upon its citizens...
Xavier says:
or perhaps, a dry blanket
danithius says:
heh touche
but seriously, I bet the people on the liquor commission point to that stipulation and go, "look, we're making every effort to accommodate our citizens"
"we're being reasonable" or something like that
Xavier says:
as long as they don't enjoy themselves
too much
danithius says:
oh of course, that goes without saying
of course you can bring in outside spirits! You simply have to visit your local liquor commission, pay the necessary markup and taxes, and fill out some paperwork to receive proper clearance
Xavier says:
and that's only because they hold a monopoly on liquor inside the state, they don't want anyone cutting in on their business
I mean their love and concern for Utah's citizens
danithius says:
uh huh
it's suffocation by bureaucracy
kind of like how the green card application process deters a lot of (legal) immigration
Xavier says:
not to mention citizenship
danithius says:
but honestly I don't think it decreases the number of immigrants much, just legal ones. You're basically forcing people to break the law
Xavier says:
anyone up for a run to Wyoming?
danithius says:
lol exactly

I may actually need to go up there this winter. Anyone need anything?

To Alcohol!

I am so happy that a doctor has confirmed by belief that it is okay to be a moderate alcoholic. What's more, it may keep me from being anxious or depressed, and in fact that hasn't been much of an issue in my life since I started drinking. I rarely drink more than a few beers, cocktails or glasses of wine, and I have never had a blackout or been too drunk to remember where my bed was. I've never had a hangover, or done something I regretted later. I've puked a few times, but that comes with learning how and what to drink. Note: whiskey and OJ is bad news, and never try and finish the rest of that box of wine by yourself, there's more in there than you think.
Granted, very few can honestly claim the things I have, in an era of binge drinking that has overshadowed the idea of moderation. Quantity over quality, it seems. That's not what drinking should be about. I've agreed for a long time that parents should drink with their kids and teach them how to be responsible. Telling them no and turning your back to them isn't the greatest way to teach a segment of our population that notoriously avoids following shallow rules that aren't actually followed by their creators. Our society is so ill-informed that, as Rassmusen reports, only 51% of them rate alcohol more dangerous than weed.
Alcohol can be dangerous if used improperly, but we need to stop looking at it like an alluring taboo. As a social lubricant and pleasant, nerve-numbing beverage, it can be enjoyed with near impunity, and it has been seen in studies that light to moderate drinkers live longer. As an adult of the proper age, I enjoy alcohol as a meal enhancement, mind relaxer and calming device. I'm aware of the dangers of consuming it, and the walls I face in society for doing such. I am informed, adult and free to make my own decisions, so I believe that I will have another. And another, and another. But that's it, because I know when to say no.

Marlin Tacos and Margaritas

It's a well known fact that food on cruises is usually quite varied, plentiful and delicious. But we went to Mexico, so of course we needed to try the local fare. Our first stop was the verdant and sultry Puerto Vallerta, the southernmost stop on our trip. We got off the boat and just started walking, running into a small clan of wild iguanas on our way downtown. It was hot, but the walk was worth it, we ran into a very friendly and helpful Information lady, who pointed us to a 'clean' restaurant right on the boardwalk.
The place was small, but the food smelled good and they had an assortment of liquors so this satisfied everyone. It was called Malecon. Me and my only male travel companion ordered the marlin tacos, and of course, they were AMAZING. Wahoo's may have just gotten knocked down as my favorite fish taco. Me and someone I will refer to as my 'drink buddy' got the two for one margartia's and proceeded to get a nice healthy buzz. These things were the size of my face, like 20 oz easy and loaded with alcohol. Drink buddy didn't have anything but tortillas, and we both managed to walk out of there under our own power. Our group proceeded down to a river island covered with shops and gardens, purchasing nothing, but having an interesting chat with a shop owner about our new president and the economy, while drink buddy played with his dog.
We wandered back to the tip of the boardwalk, the other two took a cab back to the ship and me and drink buddy went back to Malecon and got some Jack Daniel's shots, then took our own cab back to the ship, stopping at the bar across the way for one more shot. Within minutes, drink buddy turned from friendly- to mean-drunk, striking me repeatedly without provocation. So I dragged drink buddy back onto the boat and put said buddy in their stateroom. Drink buddy then slept for most of the next twelve hours. But it was still worth it. I can't want for a chance to head back to that beautiful town and have some time to really learn the area. Beautiful.

Wont someone please think of the children?

What's the first thing you quick, intelligent people think of when you walk into a Chili's? If you said, it's "Hey, this place looks like a bar," you'd be correct. Or so State Senate President (elect) Michael Waddoups thinks. Apparently, he is so disconcerted at having to stand the sight of the bar area where drinks are mixed and alcohol is stored, he thinks everyone else in the state must be too.
He seems to think that if children can see the bar area they will suddenly be overcome with the urge to sneak away from their table, reach over the 18 inch barrier and slyly swipe the mixed drink they assume to be there, since we know all ten-year-old's are constantly hard up for a drink. I remember the first time I saw an alcoholic beverage mixed in my peripheral vision, a sexy little number known as a Cosmopolitan. I couldn't have been more than twelve, and that alluring ruby color of the cranberry juice shaken with vodka and triple-sec mesmerized me, and the lime garnish on the rim totally hooked me. From that day on, I knew I was destined to become a raging alcoholic.
Seriously, I know most of us are smarter than that, at least those of us that aren't his constituents. What he is proposing is the forced remodeling of every restaurant with a bar/mixing area that can be seen, to the tune of about $100 k a restaurant. Not only is this completely unfair and absolutely ludicrous, I see it as a veiled attempt to set up another hurdle to the acquisition of liquor licenses and another reason to yank them with as little cause as possible.
I'm getting tired of these Mormon repub's trying to force their views on the entire populace by legislating from the pulpit. I don't care if 50% of the population is LDS, 30% aren't even active, and the rest of the state have to sway to the whims of a bunch of rich, white, conservative, Mormon men, with little recourse. Most of the time, us heathens just roll our eyes when we hear the next fantastic idea from one of our voter-appointed asshats, which almost invariably gets shot down, but I'm starting to get pushed to the edge. Even local conservative radio personality Doug Wright sounded bewildered this morning at the comments from Waddoups. He hoped that this was merely a laboriously back-handed attempt at stimulating the construction industry in Utah instead of the fearful, intolerant, illogical ranting that it seemed to be. My words, not his.
He already has a long list of votes or lack thereof on issues that even fellow conservatives disagree with him on. Knowing the general political atmosphere in Utah, I'm not particularly surprised that this man has been elected several times, and I expect he will continue to be re-elected, thanks the obdurate, close-minded idiots in his district. There's little more that a closed mind fears than change. May Darwinism save us.

Bottoms Up

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment repealed the 18th, which began prohibition. Thus ended four years of an 'alcohol free' nation, which caused more problems than they were hoping it would solve. Instead of teaching someone to be responsible with something they really want, you just take it away, and say they can't have it anymore. Ever. Works well, right? Those of you with kids know that it ain't so easy. They will find a way to get it, and make your life miserable in the process. Our government found this out the hard way, as smuggling became rampant and basement breweries sprang up everywhere.
The harm of alcohol is not in its use (as is the case for cigarettes), but rather in its abuse. As a new generation of television-raised, Internet-refined, devil-may-care children has reached teenage-years, the statistics around the world are rising rapidly for alcohol-related deaths. The culprit for this, as I have seen, is the lack of information on the effects and dangers of alcohol being related to them by their parents and society at large. This is not a good thing, but this is an issue so multifaceted that simply banning it doesn't work, as we have seen before.
Oddly enough, the tipping state for the ratification happened to be Utah, and anyone who lives here knows its strict and archaic alcohol laws, and the recent ban of the sale on alcho-pops or 'bitch-beer' in grocery stores. We don't have any dry counties, but in most places you can't buy beer on Sunday. Because that like, totally stops people from drinking. And as the state watches its beer-tax revenue decline, watch how many legislators actually care.
So while I shake my head in sadness for the disregard teens as well as many adults show toward the same use of alcohol, I still celebrate the return of our right as Americans to purchase and imbibe alcohol, have a good time, make complete asses of ourselves, and create lifelong regrets. This is a free country, after all. Cheers.

If you're drinking along, tonight it's Steel Reserve 211, High Gravity Lager. Smooth, baby.