This Side of Lost

Edit for Google searchers looking for information about Drambuie: you spelled it wrong. Try this.

Why have I had this word stuck in my head all morning? I didn't even know what it means until a few minutes ago. (Those of you who know will notice that I misspelled it, since that's how it sounds and how I originally started looking for the meaning. I'm not trying to draw any unrelated Google searchers here.) It turns out be a cool Gaelic word meaning "the drink that satisfies." A Scotch liqueur has appropriated as a brand name, unfortunately. But I think I'll keep using it in its misspelled version to describe my favorite drinks. Like orange juice. Mmmmm... drambooie.

In alcohol-related news, Samantha mixed me a drink the other day that I actually kind of liked (Bailey's, Kahlua, and vanilla soy milk on ice). Will Andrew actually cease being a tee-totaller one of these days? Stay tuned...

Most exciting event of recent times: Seeing Peter Schickele at the IU Auditorium Sunday night. For those of you who are not familiar with him, Schickele is a Juilliard-trained musician and composer who refuses to do anything serious with this talent. He is solely responsible for distributing the works of P.D.Q. Bach, the supposed last and least of J.S. Bach's children. I didn't know what to expect from a live show, but it turned out to be half-concert, half-comedy hour with Schickele and his two (also rather talented) vocalists, poking fun at every convention in classical music (and I do mean every, like the house lights going up and down and everything). Good music and bad puns abounded. A tromboon (trombone with bassoon mouthpiece) and piano variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Scintilla Scintilla) for two hands and nose were featured. Hilarious. I was very impressed and very entertained. There were many Quotes of the Week, but I can't remember any of them now.

In other news:

• School work is kind of ramping up here. The semester project for Databases actually needs to start getting built this week. I've got a library "visit" to do and write up for Coll Dev, and Info Retrieval is starting to get down to the wire as well. I may be a little lacking in posts in the near future...
• Made some of my world famous brownies for a dinner engagement Saturday night. They turned out even more fabulous than usual, thanks to the substitution of some Ghirardelli Ground Chocolate and Cocoa for some of the baking chocolate. Once again Mari outdid herself with Thai pizza. Yum.
• Saw Constantine last night. Can't say I was terribly impressed. Keanu was lackluster as usual. Rachel Weisz is hot. The casting of Tilda Swinton as the angel Gabriel qualifies as brilliant. Special effects were very nice. I think my view of graphic novels and related media has been affected by reading too much Alan Moore and Warren Ellis, whose writing is just too smart, snappy and engaging for anything else to live up to.
• Fun web toy: the Name Explorer from Baby Name Wizard. Type in a letter or two to show the changing popularity of names that start with those letters.
• I somehow missed out on ordering Girl Scout Cookies this year. Is the season over already? Someone give me a hand here. Don't tell me I won't get any Piñatas this year.

I leave you with Kenya, an old favorite of mine I re-stumbled across today. Free snorkel with every visit. Peace, all.