Bourbon+Bavardage

Saying too much with a drink in hand. Cats, cocktails, and randomness.

[bourbonandbavardage]

5: Sing

What song or lyrics will be forever tied to 2013 in your mind? What songs are you excited to keep with you through 2014?

My anthem of 2013 is a song that actually came out a few years ago:

Admittedly, I'm a person who likes music more for melody and rhythm than for lyrics, but this is one song whose words really spoke to me, especially this verse:

Now, the world can be an unfair place at times But your lows will have their complement of highs And if anyone should cheat you Take advantage of, or beat you Raise your head and wear your wounds with pride

My song for 2014 strikes a similar chord (pun intended!):

There's a sense of uplift in these songs that really speak to me right now. Plus, they're pretty dancy, and who doesn't like a good dance party?

[gameraboy]

Sophia Loren visiting Disneyland in 1963. Via Disney Parks Blog. More vintage Disney.

[disneylandguru]

October 9, 1975 - Japanese Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagako visited Disneyland. Escorted by Ambassador Kathy Smith and Mickey, they were the first guests to ride aboard the Lilly Belle parlor car on the Disneyland Railroad.

[bourbonandbavardage]

Fun fact: the United States State Department had a desk to coordinate Disneyland trips for visiting heads of state. 

[bourbonandbavardage]

4: Rebuild

What do you plan to pick-up or rebuild this year?

I promise I won't perpetually beat this drum, but in the wake of this unexpected divorce I need to rebuild my life. Specifically, I need to rebuild my own self-confidence. I went from being (or so I thought) happily married, with two steady incomes, plans for the future, regular vacations, and lots of mutual friends and activities that gave order and structure to my days. When all of that fell away suddenly, I found myself very quickly having to re-learn how to be alone again, how to feel valued even after the experience of being discarded by someone I thought would always love me.

In all honesty, however, I suspect my self-confidence has needed some work for awhile, divorce or no. So I'm going to take this pile of lemons and make some very tasty lemonade margaritas out of them. It's time.

[downmilk-deactivated20140616]

We Heart It の ✖creepyunicornn✖ | via Tumblr。 http://weheartit.com/entry/58471600/via/tiffanys_inn3?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=image_share&utm_source=tumblr

[hahamagartconnect]

REAL LIFE INSTAGRAM

Instagram cutouts with colorful cellophane filters have been found affixed to lampposts and walls all around popular London tourist spots - left there by Brazilian Artist, Bruno Riberio (aka. Nitchows).

Nitchow’s project, Real Life Instagram offers us two very unique viewpoints - most of us spend more time looking down at our phones and capturing special moments through the lens instead of soaking it in the old fashioned way, a life where we are constantly tethered to our phones.  

On the other hand, Instagram does give us a way to stay in touch with the world, teaching us to become more observant, to pay attention to details. It’s even turned some into amateur photographers.

But where do we draw the line? When do we let real life takeover? Nitchow is hoping that his Insta Instagrams will give people pause - make them take notice of the places and neighborhood the cutouts are highlighting. It’s great to be able to use Instagram as a vehicle to connect and share but how about we put those phones down for a second and enjoy the moment.

*photos courtesy on Nitchow

[bourbonandbavardage]

We published well over a hundred cocktail recipes in 2013, many of which were delivered through one of our favorite columns, Friday Cocktails. Looking back over the year, we're hard-pressed to choose a favorite, from the a simple chai-infused hot toddy to a beet- and jalapeño-infused margarita to the witty Il Palio, which transforms as you drink it from a Manhattan to a Boulevardier.

I have a new 2014 to-do list...

[bourbonandbavardage]

3: Hasten

What new trick or shortcut did you learn in 2013? What do you want to speed up in 2014?

I'm not sure it's technically a trick or a shortcut, but I finally perfected cooking a steak at home. I'm a recovering vegetarian, so to speak, and for many years I've continued to cook only vegetarian at home. But sometimes a girl just wants a steak, and one that doesn't cost a month's rent.

The method is really quite simple: brush with olive oil, salt, and pepper, sear in a very hot ovenproof skillet, and then place the pan in a very hot oven. Cook to your desired level of doneness. (If you're like me and need a recipe in front of you, this is a good guide.)

As for 2014, I'd like to hasten recovery from a terrible (end of) 2013. Of course, I'm told these things take time, so I'm going to try and do what I can in the meantime: eat and sleep well; get to the gym and maybe even do some yoga; make thoughtful, good decisions that will set me up for as good a year as is possible. 

[life]

New York City during the great blizzard of 1947 - evocative of the scene this morning, as the city digs out from the snow. (Photo: Al Fenn—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

[bourbonandbavardage]

Baby spinach, perfect ruby red grapefruit, toasted almonds, olive oil, champagne vinegar.

Leftover grapefruit squeezed for tonight's after-dinner cocktail, the Brown Derby: bourbon, grapefruit, wildflower honey syrup.

[bourbonandbavardage]

I Was An NFL Player Until I Was Fired By Two Cowards And A Bigot

Hello. My name is Chris Kluwe, and for eight years I was the punter for the Minnesota Vikings. In May 2013, the Vikings released me from the team. At the time, quite a few people asked me if I thought it was because of my recent activism for same-sex marriage rights, and I was very careful in how I answered the question. My answer, verbatim, was always, "I honestly don't know, because I'm not in those meetings with the coaches and administrative people."

As if I didn't respect the guy before, this sealed the deal. I wish more people had such courage of their convictions.

[kitten-vintage]

[bourbonandbavardage]

Heteronormative pineapples. (I still want to go to Hawaii. Winter is for the birds.)

[rogerwilkerson]

Now’s the time to leave snow and ice behind… Florida 1952

[bourbonandbavardage]

On a day like today, I wish I could teleport myself. I'm over winter and it's barely two weeks old.

[bourbonandbavardage]

2: Remember

What did you do in 2013 that you will remember the details of forever?

I wish I had a cheerful response; after all, I've started 2014 with an honest intent to prioritize optimism over fear and regret. But 2013 will forever be remembered as the year my 11-year relationship abruptly ended with a phone call received while away on a business trip. By the time I arrived home, she was gone. I didn't see it coming.

January 1st was three months to the day. Three months in which I've been left, grieved suddenly and painfully, had fun like an 18 year-old, wrestled with feelings of depression and relief and elation and promise and worry, and got divorced. Experienced my first Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's Eve alone since I was in college, barely an adult. I've done a lot of dishes, something I had become happily accustomed to not doing. I've had to relearn how to be alone.

It would be easy to see 2013 as the year terrible things were done to me. But in answer to the question of what I did in 2013? I got up. I survived. I cried a lot. But I laughed. I made some bad decisions, made some great new friends, learned more about myself and my strengths and vulnerabilities than I ever have before. It's been humbling and terrifying and exhilarating, all at once.

[citylandscapes]

Full moon over the NYC

[bourbonandbavardage]

Breathtaking.

[theclassyfitness]

[bourbonandbavardage]

New year, old anxiety.