Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll All Release Endorphins

Endorphins, Good Clean Fun / By Jet Cannon

Endorphins are the good neurotransmitters just waiting to be released into your brain. They’re great for boosting our mood and relieving minor pain. Who couldn’t use more of that? So let’s review the list:

– Sex (preferably while listening to rock & roll)

– Drugs (okay, chocolate, which contains tryptophan which can release endorphins; for best results, eat during sex)

– Rock & Roll (your favorite music can drive the release of endorphins; see Sex above)

But what else besides sex, drugs, and rock & roll releases endorphins?

– Exercise (see Sex above)

– Aromatherapy (try a whiff of vanilla extract)

– Laughter (may want to avoid this one during sex)

Talk to your doctor before trying any of the above and before getting out of bed in the morning, just to be safe.

– Jet Cannon

Kiss World Museum Rivals Smithsonian

Music / By Jet Cannon

At least depending on your interests. Three tractor-trailer loads of Gene Simmons’ stuff is now on display in Vegas. Collected over 50 years, we’re certain there is no rival in terms of the variety of memorabilia. Plus guitars, leather pants, platinum records and the iconic ax bass Gene says he, “had to use against many a deranged fan.” We vaguely remember encountering that.

Anyway, Kiss fans, there’s another reason to visit Las Vegas.

Jet Cannon

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July is National Hemp Month

Good Clean Fun / By Jet Cannon

Get ready. National Day Calendar reports that July is National Hemp Month. “For more than 80 years, laws banning cannabis also exiled hemp, even though it’s not intoxicating. As a crop, it helps clean pollutants from the soil. Hemp also provides a rich source of CBD, the hottest new addition to the health and wellness world.”

The Interweb says, “CBD is used by many people — including older adults (that’s us) — to help ease pain and discomfort associated with common ailments, including joint pain, overall pain management, and anxiety and depression. However, it’s always best to talk with a doctor before trying CBD.”

Okay. Out of an abundance of caution we will talk with a doctor but we won’t be mentioning our plan to try CBD.

– Jet Cannon

Keto Kocktails

Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

Our new friend, Steve, recently shared his enthusiastic success with the keto diet. Keto is a diet of mostly good fats, moderate protein, low-carb and low-sugar. The goal is to achieve ketosis which burns fat because your body doesn’t have enough carbs for energy. Steve lost around 100 pounds over the course of a couple years.

We eventually steered the discussion to imbibing alcohol within Keto. The short answer is no beer, too many carbs, but clear liquors, while loaded with calories, are low carb and therefore keto-okay. But clear liquor and soda can get tiring so we looked up some ingredients to stay keto but tart things up in our summer cocktails…. Without sugar or carbs. We found lots of sugar-free flavorings online so we initially focused on sugar-free simple syrup and orange extract. This will allow us to cobble-up a keto Margarita by adding lime juice, a sweetener, and a triple-sec- substitute orange flavor to the tequila. Presto. Still not great for weigh loss, due to the calories in alcohol, but at least it’s a way to stick with keto. We found lots of keto cocktail recipes online so that should keep us busy for awhile.

– Jet Cannon

Binaural What??

Music / By Jet Cannon

This is a Women’s Health article by Jasmine Gomez regarding the anxiety-reduction benefits of binaural tones.

“You know that urge to turn on your headphones and zone out after a stressful sitch? Turns out, your instincts are in tune with the latest science. After participants listened to 24 minutes of instrumental music infused with nature sounds and binaural beats, those who were moderately anxious experienced a significant reduction in their anxiety, researchers found. FYI: Binaural beats are composed of two tones, one played in each ear when you’re wearing headphones. In response to these sounds, your brain creates an illusory tone—one you only think you’re hearing—that is actually the difference between the two tones. Assembling a playlist of your fave hits is always a feel-good option, but what really nets the calming perks are binaural beat–filled tracks, which induce a sense of peace, says study author Adiel Mallik, PhD, a postdoctoral psychology fellow at Ryerson University. (You can find binaural playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.) Still prefer chart-toppers? Start with tunes that reflect your mood, then progress to songs that are more soothing. Sweet symphony!”

We’ll try it out and report back.

– Jet Cannon

No Starbucks for You!

Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

We read this Mashed article Starbucks Secret Menu Iced Coffee Drinks You Need To Try Next with great excitement. Junior Mints Cold Brew caught our eye. We figured it was like ordering Animal Style for your In-N-Out burger. Not on the menu but understood. Just ask for it. Not so with the Starbucks secret menu. It’s more DIY.

“Starbucks’ Junior Mints Cold Brew can be created by asking the barista for a Venti Cold Brew, then requesting the addition of three pumps of both regular and white mocha. Then, politely ask your barista if they can add some vanilla sweet cream foam into the drink, along with two pumps of peppermint syrup and one pump of matcha, which gives this drink an extra minty green color. You can also ask for a topping of mocha crumble if you want to add more chocolate to the drink. Ask for all this, and you’ll have a minty, chocolatey iced coffee perfect for any mint lover.”

Honestly, we’re afraid to ask our Barista for all that. Of course people do have very specific, complicated orders and more power to them. For us, “Iced Latte,” please.

– Jet Cannon

Three Dog Night ignite

Music / By Jet Cannon

Surrounded by fellow old Baby Boomers, we recently took an inspiring trip down harmony lane. Only Danny Hutton is left from the original Three Dog Night line up but his fellow new/old bandmates can still hit the high notes on the hits. The seventy-something trio and their backing band made us old folks feel better about our aches and pains as we watched from our seats, only standing for the encore. How nice! Three, four and sometimes five part harmony brought smiles to a lot of wrinkly but still rockin’ faces. Thank you, gentlemen.

– Jet Cannon

Booze and Vinyl

Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun, Music, Recipes / By Jet Cannon

Remember back in the day when a new album would come out and we’d gather at a friends house to listen to the whole thing? Both sides.

Booze and Vinyl: A Spirited Guide To Great Music & Mixed Drinks is a beautiful book by Andre Darlington & Tanaya Darlington that helps us recapture the magic of music and friends paired with mixed drinks. They’ve selected some excellent LP’s in rock, chill, dance, and seduce categories and suggested a couple of appropriate drink recipes with each.

For example, Queen – A Night At The Opera is pared with a Coronation Cocktail for Side A and a Bohemian Cocktail for Side B. The book advises that “Before You Drop The Needle”, invite guest to wear their most heinous sweaters and bring casseroles. And be sure to queue up the video of Queen at Live Aid 1985, one of the greatest live performances of all time.

Coronation Cocktail

1 1/2 oz amontillado sherry

1 1/2 oz dry vermouth

1/4 oz Maraschino liqueur

2 dashes orange bitters

Lemon twist for garnish

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Bohemian Cocktail

1 1/2 oz London dry gin

1 oz St-Germain liqueur

2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

1 oz fresh pink grapefruit juice

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Then toast to Freddie Mercury!

– Jet Cannon

A barrel full of monkeys. And Rum

Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

Who doesn’t love a classic game like a Barrel Full of Monkeys? But we’re not sure this is what Milton Bradley had in mind when they introduced the game. “152 rum, light rum, dark rum and fruit juices from the islands.” That’s what you get when you order a Barrel Full of Monkeys at The Warehouse in Marina del Rey. And you get to keep the barrel and the little monkey! Irresistible.

Jet Cannon

Puddles

Music / By Jet Cannon

We recently had the opportunity to attend a Puddles Pity Party. Puddles is either a Baby Boomer or very close, depending on the biography. His sad demeanor put a huge smile on our face. His voice and stage presence make for a very entertaining show. Check out his Stairway to Gilligan’s Island. Epic.

Jet Cannon

Li’l Woody’s

1 Comment / Burgers / By Jet Cannon

Where have we been?? Reader’s Digest just listed the best burger in each of the 50 states and Li’l Woody’s won for Washington right in our own Seattle backyard!! Yet we’d never been there. So with Maserati Mike, we immediately engaged in some cuisine research….. and also to do a little day drinking. And we will not argue with Reader’s Digest. It’s a good burger. Not a monster pile of food but just a nicely balanced and very tasty burger. The fries were plentiful and excellent. Thin, greasy perfection. And we like their style.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

The best backyard burger you’ve ever had.

Fresh food, made to order.

Positive work environment for all. No jerks.

Supporting communities in need.

Always swimming upstream.

Doing everything 100%

Doing good.

Jet Cannon

World Martini Day

Food and Drink / By Jet Cannon

National Day Calendar reminds us that June 19th was World Martini Day. Fortunately for Buzzed Boomers, Fathers Day, International Date Line considerations, and the earth being slightly off axis this year, we can still celebrate a day later! So shake or stir or have the kids make you one….. celebrate a classic cocktail with style!

Jet Cannon

Crazy Train

Food and Drink, Travel / By Jet Cannon

Have you ever felt like you were having a darn good time when you realized other people were having a much better time? We recently rode the Amtrak Coast Starlight train from Seattle to Los Angeles. Between our bar setup in the sleeping car bedroom and the drinks in the observation/lounge car, we were catching a pretty nifty Buzz as the scenery whizzed by. A chance meeting in the dining car revealed that some fellow passengers were having a really, really fun time. Much laughter and the kind of friendly banter unique to train travel led to our introduction to the Crazy Train Drinking Game. The game was much like the games we played as kids on long trips in the family station wagon. Except for the drinking part. The Crazy Train rules were simple. Take a drink whenever one of the following happened:

Tunnels & bridges
Announcements over the speaker
Train stopping traffic at crossings
Cameron (sleeping car attendant) walks by
People waving at train
“Runners” (people racing up platform to catch train)
Golf course or casino spotted

With one blank, add your own opportunity, Maserati Mike added “cows”. We learned pretty quickly that you might as well just keep your drink in your hand because there weren’t a lot of resting moments.

We usually travel by plane. Good thing. No cows up there.