Friday, February 01, 2008

Democrats and garlic and tequila (oh my)

So remember when I used to post a list of five things every single Friday, and those five things actually had some sort of unifying theme to them? Yeah, I remember that, too. This is not one of those unified sort of lists, by the way. Randomness is the only theme today.


  1. With Edwards out of the race, it occurs to me that the dumbest man I have ever wasted two hours of my life with was actually right: the next president is going to be a woman or a black man! (Or, I sure hope is it, anyway.) I wonder if Mr. Nonfiction-Means-Not-True finally knows that particular black man's name by now. I sure hope so.

  2. On a related note, can I just say how very happy I am to have nerdy and civic-minded friends who actually think watching the Democratic presidential candidate debate is a valid excuse for a get-together? I am tired and groggy and nursing a food and wine hangover today (Helpful tip: garlic in the pasta, garlic in the hummus, and garlic in the guacamole is a little too much garlic for one night, unless you really still want to taste garlic in your throat 14 hours and two teeth brushings later), but for once, the grogginess and hangover isn't due to staying out well past my bedtime at a noisy concert or crowded bar. No, it's from hanging out in my living room, striving to be an informed participant in the political process. Oh, and also from hours of post-debate chatting about books and gyms and boys (OK, mostly boys). But still! Nerdy friends! I love you guys.

  3. Speaking of nerdery (Hey! Maybe there is a theme to this list after all!), I am very much looking forward to the Drunken Spelling Bee tomorrow night. I don't know that I'll actually be playing, as pre-registration was already full when I tried to sign up, but I'm preparing for the possible spell-off anyway. Also, nervous about what "dirty words" they might ask me to spell, I actually found myself looking up a few words that I haven't tried to locate in a dictionary since I was twelve years old. That four-syllable word that starts with "c" and ends with "gus"? I know how to spell it. I wasn't positive before, but I'm sure of it now. And the related one that starts with "f" and ends with "tio"? Yep; I've got that one covered, too. Because I'm extra awesome and professional, I even looked them up at work. And now I feel all dirty and wrong. (Hi, company IT manager! Have fun perusing my web use logs this week!)

  4. Just as I was starting to remember to check my blood pressure (like my new geriatric doctor recommended) every time I go to Target, it appears Target has decided not to provide free blood pressure screening machines any longer. This means I may have to visit the potentially hot and helpful firefighters for this service after all. I'll keep you posted if I do so, of course.

  5. And finally, although I may have slightly high blood pressure, my muscles are obviously still super-strong and healthy... Seeing as it has been colder than any other place on earth here lately (or so said a woman at my gym, who swears she heard it on the news), and seeing as I had some leftover limes in my kitchen that I felt the need to use, I decided a random sub-zero Wednesday was as good a night as any to pretend I was someplace tropical and mix up a margarita in my kitchen. On my first squeeze of the lime with my handy citrus squeezer, however, the handle snapped right off the cup and pinched my poor unprepared palm. Mind you, this was a metal handle fused with a metal cup. Clearly I don't know my own strength. (Shoddy workmanship could not possibly be a factor here.)


(Note: Right here is where I was going to insert a picture of the poor useless bits of broken metal as evidence of my alarming hand strength, but alas, I neglected to pull them off my camera and upload them to the Web. You'll just have to take my word for it on this.)

By the way, should you want to have a tropical margarita night yourself sometime (with or without the help of a metal citrus smasher), I have an excellent recipe for you. It is tasty and strong and sure to obliterate your unsuspecting friends, but if you're willing to take that risk, here's what you'll need:

  • Lime juice (fresh-squeezed is best)

  • Triple sec

  • Tequila

  • Margarita salt for the rim

Ratio those liquids thusly: one part lime juice, two parts triple sec, and three parts tequila. (Yes, three parts tequila. Do it!) Shake it all up in a cocktail shaker and pour in a salt-rimmed glass filled with ice. Enjoy while thinking of warm sand beaches, and don't drive anywhere for a good long while. (Safety first, safety always, my friends.)

21 comments:

Poppy said...

I reeeeeaaaaaally hope you get to play drunken spelling bee.

Aaron said...

1. Hooray, Obama! Farewell, Sunny Doodle!

2. Dude, seriously: same person and/or long lost siblings.

3. Best of luck. Be sure to get extra drunk before participating; this is one of the only "sports" which rewards such behavior.

4. There's a scene from a zombie movie that springs to mind here...but I don't want you to have anymore nightmares.

5. Have you been exposed to any gamma rays recently? Bitten by a radioactive spider? Hmm.

lizgwiz said...

Your nerdy friends sound delightful. Did you turn the debate into a drinking game? Take a shot every time a candidate says "change." Drunk in no time!

They had spelling bee nights at a local theatre here a while back. I never made it down there, but I wanted to. Maybe next time. I think I can spell the components of "69," as well. Hee.

3carnations said...

I've been enjoying ALL the debates. I watched maybe a half hour of the one last night. I think what struck me most, other than things they were saying politically, of course, was the way Obama always looked reflective while Hillary was speaking, while Hillary had a tendency to scowl or smirk while Obama spoke. What's with that?

Wow, breaking metal objects...You should enter one of those strong (wo)man contests!

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

I would've loved to have come to the debate party. Clearly someone needed to bring garlic bread. Sheesh.

Stefanie said...

Poppy--That's not how to spell "really." (See?? I'm ready!!) :-)

Aaron--At least with all that garlic, I'm maybe protected from vampire zombies...

Liz--Ha! No, we did not turn it into a drinking game, but that would have been an excellent idea.

3Cs--"ALL" the debates? Are you trying to imply that I should actually listen to what the Republicans have to say, too?? That's just crazy talk, my friend. ;-)

Bleeding espresso--Oh, garlic bread! I knew we were forgetting something! ;-) (We did have pizza, at least...)

Anonymous said...

Maybe that is why debates should be on Friday nights so we can sleep in the next day. Make sure that you vote this Tuesday on super Tuesday! Remember when you play the spelling bee that Vice-President (Quayle) insisted that potato has an "e" at the end.

3carnations said...

Well, odds are pretty good that I'll vote for a Republican in the general election, but I'm definitely still interested in what the Democrats have to say. :)

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who notices your injury came from a blender and yet your recipe does not call for one? (or was the recipe revised due to said out-of-commission blender?) I prefer mine non-blended anyway. When laziness or lack of limes abounds, I use limeade concentrate (reconstituted 2/3 of the way to accommodate future ice meltage) and make a big pitcher of margaritas and just keep it in the fridge and serve on the rocks.
I lurk on both Aaron and Noelle's blogs. Maybe they need to talk about booze more often for me to comment. :)

Anonymous said...

haha, I just re-read your post. Apparently I had the wrong impression of the pinchy metal device. I didn't read slow enough to realize it was the citrus juicer, not a blender. probably the reason I was the only one to think a blender injured you, oops.

Anonymous said...

I find it fascinating that you had Italian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican all in one night.

And we absolutely must drink your margaritas together, and I'll introduce you to the Tom Cutler Special, which involves fresca, tequila, and pink lemonade.

Jess said...

2. My friends are the same way. I miss college when we used to gather in someone's dorm room for every such event.

5. Pharmacies like CVS and RiteAid usually have those too. At least, the ones in DC do. Worth checking out.

Anonymous said...

Holy hell, I want one of those margaritas IMMEDIATELY.

-R- said...

I make my margaritas in very similar proportions. They are AWESOME.

Firemen! Firemen! (That is me chanting for you to go get your blood pressure taken at the firehouse.)

shelleycoughlin said...

I read your post and immediately left for the liquor store to get margarita fixings. We also have the most amazing margarita blender ever, so I'm prepared to enjoy some adult bevvies now. Wheeee!

Anonymous said...

I love your assumption that a Democrat will win the general election. So hopeful! I would like a margarita now, but the only one of those ingredients I have is a blender.

Anonymous said...

Okay, login wasn't blogger's fault, it was mine. I was a little trigger happy with the enter key.

Anonymous said...

They should really have blood pressure machines in neutral places like Target, because I feel like proximity to hot firefighters would seriously affect the outcome of the test.

Stefanie said...

Pete--Doh! See, that's what I'm worried about... the info said the bee would feature themed rounds with pop culture words. If we look at it that way, they might actually WANT me to spell potato with an "e"!

3Cs--I would like to say I'm interested in what the Republicans have to say, but usually listening to them just makes me mad. ;-) Good for you for maintaining a more independent stance, though. It's tough these days.

Badger reader--I prefer mine non-blended, too, which is why I didn't mention a blender. But I see you noticed that already. :-) Also, I love your comment about where you lurk, and I definitely think Noelle and Aaron should start writing about booze more.

Lara--That is a bit unusual, isn't it? It was a pretty impromptu gathering, so the snacks were what I had on hand or what people decided to bring to share. It really wasn't planned intentionally to be so international. :-) Also, who's Tom Cutler??

Jess--Yeah, it's possible the pharmacy within my grocery store has one, too. I'll have to investigate. There's a CVS just a couple blocks from me, though (which I never go to), so good call on that being a possible option, too.

Abbersnail--I wanted another one as soon as I typed that, too! Luckily I was going out for Mexican food last night anyway, so margaritas were a part of that. :-) They weren't as good as mine, though!

R--You are hilarious. I am totally hearing you chanting that. There's fist-pumping, too, isn't there?

NPW--Whoo. Hope you enjoyed them heartily.

Noel(le)--Aren't you making that same assumption? I sure HOPE it's a fair one, though as Jon Stewart said the other night, the Democrats do have a habit of flubbing up even the victories that are handed to them on a silver platter. And I'll officially stop bordering on being a political blogger... now!

Srah--I know! That's exactly what I said when my doctor mentioned the fire station option.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, bebe! You are sexy in a hat, you should wear them more often. Proselytize: no soliciting, no proselytizing, no politicking, no exceptions.

L Sass said...

I love nerd parties! I have been to more gatherings centered around political debates and History channel specials than basketball or football games.