It’s like Pavlov’s dog. When we hear the James Bond twangy guitar riff, we reach for a Martini. Monty Norman, who composed the theme, recently passed away at age 94. Here’s a BBC Proms performance which, by the way, credits John Barry who did not write the theme. Monty sued and won a few quid over that. Rest In Peace Monty.
– Jet Cannon
Those amazing photos that NASA is releasing reminds us that there are an estimated 700 Quintillion planets out there…. give or take. If even 1% are habitable…… that’s a lot of earths, although we’re sure ours is the best. And you wonder why we like catching a Buzz. 700 Quintillion. That’s a billion billions. Yeah, right.
On July 10th, two talented musicians shared a birthday. Arlo Guthrie, known for songs such as The City of New Orleans, turned 75. Jerry Miller, formerly of San Francisco’s legendary Moby Grape, turned 79. Happy Belated Birthday to you both!
Arlo Photo Below: Shazam.com
Roving, Raging Correspondent Hunter S. sampled some cleverly-named cocktails and shots at The Dogtown Roadhouse in Floyd, Virginia. Try the $5 shooter Dirty Bong Water (Spiced Rum, Blue Curacao, Melon Liquor, Sour Mix). How about a Liquid Marijuana shooter (Spiced Rum, Melon Liquor, Coconut Rum, Blue Curacao, Sour Mix, Pineapple Juice)? Got the munchies? Follow those up with a Dreamsicle Cocktail (Vanilla Vodka, Moylan’s Orange Craft Soda Topped with Whipped Cream and Sugar).
Only in America. Cheers!
– Jet Cannon
Not the Hell’s Angels kind. There are Buzzed Boomers out there still riding the Harleys. But we’re talking bicycles. When the knees start to go and running, softball and high-impact sports become more painful than fun, a number of Baby Boomers have turned to bicycles as a low-impact way to stay in shape. Benefits include strengthening muscle groups used in maintaining balance and strength (ie, quadriceps), enjoyment, autonomy, and improved cardiovascular function. It will help you lose weight, stay strong, avoid chronic illness, stay mentally alert and live longer. There are some safety concerns regarding cycling for seniors, but they shouldn’t dissuade you.
Neighbor Art joined some other seniors for regular joint rides. Long John prefers solo rides and has knocked out 600 plus rides since the beginning of 2020.
There are lots more bike paths out there than when we were kids. Check it out.
– Jet Cannon
National Day Calendar says,
“On July 7th, raise a toast to the place where friends gather and memories are made. It’s National Dive Bar Day!
From the one-time speakeasy to the little hole-in-the-wall, the dive bar is like an old pair of jeans; it just fits right. During the week, we can stop in, our team will be playing on the TV, and the beverages will be icy cold. The same dart and pool leagues meet every year, and familiar faces go head to head.”
Started by Seagram’s 7 Crown, celebrate 7/7 with a Seven & Seven and support your local dive!
– Jet Cannon
We’re always watching our weight. Watching it increase more than it decreases. So we’re conscious of those calories in our cocktails. A shot of vodka has about a 100 calories. But that’s not the whole story. There are also calories in the mixers. Seven ounces of tonic will add another 90 calories. Same with 8 ounces of orange juice.
But what about mixing with diet sodas or diet tonic? Well everyone knows that diet sodas cause cancer, obesity, and diabetes. Except there is no evidence of that. So in keeping the calories down, just mixing with soda water and a little lime juice or mixing with diet drinks will basically cut the cocktail calories in half compared to traditional mixers. And that avoids the sugar. Which we know is bad. Or at least we think we know it’s bad. Hard to say these days.
– Jet Cannon
Around 74 million folks will take command of their grill, beer in hand, this 4th of July weekend and over 150 million hot dogs will be consumed. Americans will spend $1.4 million on beer and wine and another $1.9 billion on consumer fireworks. Pretty soon we’ll be talking about real money!
– Jet Cannon
We saw Brit Floyd again and it was comforting to remember that live music by our favorite bands like Pink Floyd can carry on even after the original band’s retirement (or worse). Roger Waters is touring but David Gilmour confirms a Pink Floyd reunion will never happen.
Talk about dedication to a craft. Brit Floyd brings perfection to the instruments, vocals, lighting, lasers, and ultra-imaginative video in a smaller venue than would be typical with the original band. They bring some deeper cuts not often heard on the radio. The production execution and sound are absolutely superb. Timeless, according to Maserati Mike. It took us all back to the many decades of Pink Floyd’s brilliance. Uncle Ray noted that Eva Avila nailed the humanly-impossible, incomparable solo on Great Gig in the Sky, one of the many outstanding Pink Floyd creations. See her solo here.
It was worth the three year Covid delay to see Brit Floyd again. We hope they continue, along with other tribute bands, to perform our favorite musical memories live and perfectly.
– Jet Cannon
REAL SIMPLE posed the question, “Should you be drinking water first thing in the morning?” Short answer is it’s good but not required. However, adequate daily hydration is required. The benefits of water first thing in the morning include:
– Helps you wake up
– May boost mental performance
– Cold water may boost metabolism for about an hour
– May quell hunger sensation
For adequate daily hydration, which is what matters more than the timing, how much is enough? Shoot for half your body weight (in ounces).
Final bit of advice from REAL SIMPLE, when you’re thirsty, drink up. Brilliant!
– 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
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.
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
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
