Don't Fear the Ripper

This past weekend was as good as I could hope for considering there was no swim up bar involved. The Tiki Gal and I met up with two of my best friends from high school for lunch on Saturday afternoon. I hadn't seen either of them in a long time and it was nice to catch up. We discovered that we are all doing well and considering some of the things we got into back in the olden days, that is saying something. I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but we actually were able to get back in touch due to FaceBook. All this time, I've thought that FaceBook was the devil and now it is responsible for something good happening to me. Of course, I still have to see the "I'm going to bed now..." and "I don't feel well..." status messages from some of my so-called friends. I'm convinced that these inane messages suck out a little bit of my soul each time I see them so I'm still a little leery.

The Tiki Gal and I also went to Dale's and Carol's for drinks and cards. One evening a few weeks ago as we were discussing all the flavors of rum you can find now, Carol and the Tiki Gal decided we needed to invent some drinks using raspberry rum. After a little experimentation and only one true disaster - no matter what you add to raspberry rum and Sweet and Sour, you end up with something that tastes like a Sourpatch Kid soaked in pickle juice - the Tiki Gal and I each created a decent drink. The Tiki Gal called hers the Razzmatazz.

Razzmatazz

Color: Light orange

Ingredients: 2.5 oz. orange juice, 2.5 oz. pineapple juice, 1.5 oz. mango rum, 1.5 oz. raspberry rum.

Instructions: Shake well and serve over ice in a hurricane glass.

Taste: The mango and raspberry combine to form a slightly tart, refreshing drink.

Comments: The Tiki Gal is pretty amazing. She rattled off the ingredients for the Razzmatazz before we'd made it out of the door at the liquor store with the raspberry rum.

My first attempt was the spectacular failure involving the Sweet and Sour. My second attempt was much better.

Squeezy Squeezy

Color: Pink

Ingredients: 2 oz. cranberry juice, 2 oz. pineapple juice, 2 oz. raspberry rum, Sprite or 7-Up.

Instructions: Shake the juices and rum well and pour over ice into a hurricane glass. Top off with the Sprite or 7-Up.

Taste: Light, sweet and fizzy.

Comments: Leave out the rum and use 3 oz. of each juice to make a fun drink for your kids.

Of course, Dale and I had some beer.

New Belgium Mighty Arrow Pale Ale

Color: Golden. Carol said it was the prettiest beer she's seen.

Skunkiness: 0 skunks but the girls liked the smell. Carol hopes to find a Mighty Arrow scented candle.

Taste: Dry, sweet and fruity with a delicate hoppiness.

Comments: Mighty Arrow is not in the same class as Fat Tire but it was interesting.

Carol Rating: 1 on a scale of 1 or 5. She thought it was bitter.

Rating: 3.5 pints out of 5.

Dunkel Belgian Golden Ale

Color: Light gold and cloudy.

Skunkiness: 0 skunks.

Taste: A little hoppy and yeasty.

Comments: Carol took the Tiki Gal under her wing as a Beer Wench in Training this weekend but she has some work left to do. While Dale's beer had a slight head, mine had a meringue topping that remained even after all the beer was gone.

Carol Rating: 1. She had to eat something to get the taste out of her mouth.

Rating: 3.5 pints.

Sam Adams Double Bock

Color: Dark amber.

Skunkiness: 0 skunks.

Taste: Malty and full bodied. Smooth and creamy.

Comments: The girls thought it was either syrup or beer flavored motor oil. It was a little high on the viscosity scale but it was good.

Carol Rating: 1. The girls are not a fan of high viscosity, apparently.

Rating: 4 pints.

We also played cards. I managed a win in Cutthroat and we split a pair of games of Pitch with the girls.

The Truman Show producers must have given the writers the week off because there were only a few events this weekend that caused me to question my sanity. The Tiki Gal and I had to pick up a few things at Target. We pulled into the parking lot and were looking for a place to park when we spotted a woman that was proving the theory I explained in A Fist Full of Dollars. She was well past the age where a mini-skirt is attractive but she didn't let that stop her. Oh, no. She threw all caution to the wind and added knee high boots and a skimpy top to the outfit. The Tiki Gal and I both thought the same thing: Pretty Woman.

Later on, we were shopping in a different store. It was getting to be later in the evening so there weren't many people around. We noticed an older lady nearby but didn't pay much attention to her. A few seconds later, we hear a resounding rrrrrrpppppppp noise coming from the woman's vicinity. We looked at each other and then looked over at the lady. She was nonchalantly browsing through the merchandise as if she hadn't just gassed the whole place. The Tiki Gal and I had to get away quickly before we busted out laughing. We dubbed her the Ripper. I hope she made a lot of money for that scene.