Thursday Musette...

HereNT wrote in response to:

Maybe the flavors of coffee and whiskey play together well.

Maybe? I don't think there's any maybe about it. You, sir, have just inspired me to have a second Irish Coffee (Jameson, cream, and espresso) this morning!

I had the first of the flavored coffees this morning. It was Southern Comfort, and in the name of fairness, I won't mention the manufacturer. Let's put it this way - I love my children very much, and I truly appreciate the coffee as a gift - but in all honesty, this stuff tastes like it has a good dollop of floor wax in it! It tastes much like Glo-Coat smells. But like I said, I love my children very much and I'll drink this stuff just to show I appreciate their gift. Such is the life of fathers everywhere.

Sometimes it takes a while for a new flavor to become acceptable. It kind of grows on you. But this coffee won't do that. It could grow on me, but it would have to grow like a fungus. Still, I could have shiny Glo-Coated
innards.

I've had good Irish coffee. But there's no way I'd adulterate Jameson with anything but an ice cube and maybe a dash of river water. Maybe. I'd treat Bushmill's the same. But they had a whiskey in Ireland that I've never seen outside the country. It's called Paddy and it was served in every shot-and-a-beer pub I was in. Calling it whiskey may be a bit of a stretch too. It was industrial grade, or perhaps a solvent meant for removing floor wax. Regardless, after two or three shots, no one cared.

A brief note about walking and driving in Ireland: Everything you know is wrong. They drive on the left, remember. When you cross the street, you'll automatically look in the wrong direction and step out in front of a car. When you come to a cross road, you'll look the wrong way for approaching traffic. Street corners are a problem when driving too, because you'll find yourself going into the wrong lane. You'll turn the wrong way at roundabouts. This can get VERY exciting, believe me! Alcohol compounds all these problems, and alcohol is abundant. I lived within walking distance of the pub and preferred walking over driving after closing time. I never rode a bike over there because I was still recovering from a very bad crash.

Goggles

I held my nose and went into Wal-Mart. I was looking for some goggles to wear when it's cold enough to make my eyes teary. That's been a problem this winter whenever the wind comes from the side. One of my co-workers has a pair of smallish goggles, smaller than ski goggles so they offer better peripheral vision. I found a cheap pair in the big box store. My daughter scolded me for using them. "You have to wear glasses to drive, Dad, so you should wear glasses to ride too! You're always going on about how cyclists have the same rights and the same responsibilities as drivers, so you should wear your glasses!"

I locked her in the garage.

Well, no, actually I didn't do that, but it was tempting. She had a point. I'm nearsighted, but it's not so bad that I can't see well enough to ride. When my eyes tear up, my vision is blurred worse than going without the glasses, so in a sense, the goggles are an improvement. They fog up when I stop so I may put some Rain-X on them, as soon as I FIND the Rain-X somewhere in the bowels of the garage.

Way off topic!

Gran Turismo 4 is an exciting alternative to television. But it's unnerving to watch my fifteen-year-old son hurtle down the track, hitting every other vehicle and most of the inanimate objects. He calls it "winning Jordan-style" and I truly hope this isn't indicative of his attitude when driving a REAL motor vehicle.

Commuter notes

We've had unseasonably warm and dry weather in Oklahoma. I'm sure everyone is aware of the wildfires here and in Texas. But another result to the weather is the onset of 'spring syndrome' when a lot of the motorists drive around with their windows down and offer helpful advice to us cyclists. Things like "Ride on the sidewalk!" or "Get the **** of the road!" or my personal favorite "G** D*** LIBERAL!" Normally this doesn't happen until later in the year when it's warmer, so let's hope the weather turns foul soon. I'm not a big fan of riding in the rain like a Flahute, but it would be very welcome. On days like today when the winds reach 30 mph, a fire can outrun the fire department.

Bike Sluts

I followed Fritz's link over on Cycle-licious to the Slut-O-Meter. I don't know if I should be elated or depressed by a score of 8.72%. But then, it's not really important anyway.