Classic rock has lost another star. Alan White passed away at age 72. Best known for his drumming work with Yes and the Plastic Ono Band, White was widely respected by his fellow musicians.
We had the honor of meeting him once at a charity event. One would have never known that the pleasant fellow mixing and mingling was part of rock royalty. Rest In Peace.
– Jet Cannon
Photo: YesWorld.com
Check out this excellent Carlos Santana YouTube video featuring musicians from around the world.
Photos: YouTube & Guitarplayer.com
Ray Liotta îs gone. Far too young.
A great actor, our favorite film is Goodfellas. Tonight we’ll enjoy the film, some Italian food, red wine, and toast to one of the great Baby Boomers.
– Jet Cannon
Photos: NME.com, nofilmschool.com
May 30th is Memorial Day, a day to honor not only those who have died fighting wars in the name of their country, but also those who served and survived war.
Meanwhile, it’s a long holiday weekend with concerts and parades and social gatherings. We checked the InterWeb for cocktail ideas and found more than a few. Here’s 30. Use your Google super-computer to find the recipes or perhaps stumble on to something even better!
– Watermelon Mojito
– Boozy Cherry Bombs
– Happy Pill
– Peach Beer Julep
– Red White and Blue Margaritas
– Honey Ginger Lemonade
– Fizzy Fruity Floats
– Honeydew Margarita
– Watermelon Rum Punch
– East Bayside Cocktail
– Ginger Peach Soda
– Sweet Tea Sangria
– Bees Knees Shandy
– Summer Berry Lemonade
– Honeyed Cherry Daiquiri
– Spiked Seltzer Slushies
– Michelada
– Strawberry Jalapeno Mint Julep
– Blueberry Lemonade Margaritas
– Long Island Iced Tea
– Strawberry Daiquiri
– Rainbow Candy Pops
– Hurricane
– Ranch Water
– Tequila Sunset
– Pineapple Pina Coladas
– Cadillac Margarita
– Spiked Coconut Limeade
– Rum Runner
– Mermaid Lemonade
Nothing sounds good? Grab a beer from the cooler.
– Jet Cannon
Like cardio exercise, muscle-strengthening is crucial for staying active and healthy as we age. AARP recently published excerpts from The Whole Body Reset: Your Weight-Loss Plan for a Flat Belly, Optimum Health, and a Body You’ll Love – At Midlife and Beyond by Stephen Perrine with Heidi Skolnik. We want that book!! In the meantime, as a quick summary, resistance exercise and protein timing may provide these health benefits:
– Keep our brain healthy
– Reduce risk of future weight gain
– Keep blood pressure under control
– Slash risk of heart disease
– Beat back diabetes
– Be better poised to battle cancer
– Stay happier
Sold! Weights, yoga, Pilates, calisthenics are all good ways to build muscle mass. Talk to your doctor, blah, blah before doing anything stupid.
– Jet Cannon
May 25th is National Wine Day. We celebrate this day by exchanging gifts or, more accurately, accepting gifts. While in wine country we noticed that one of the wineries was pouring their wines using a slick-looking aerator. We commented on it, got the spiel, and our hosts bought us one! We do know that aerating or decanting a red wine will generally enhance its taste. And pulling this beauty out of it’s little case will surely impress our friends and convince them that the wine we’re serving is worthy and wonderful. For more about the Tribella see www.tribellawine.com.
Costco is offering a 24-can waterproof backpack cooler so you can get your steps in and have plenty of refreshments on hand. Genius!.
We just got back from Washington wine country where we tasted some of the best wines, arguably, in the world. The climate is ideal for grapes and the abundance of wineries means there are many varieties and choices, almost all of them excellent. With our sophisticated palate, we learned to appreciate the subtleties as we sipped wine after wine in the cozy tasting rooms. We ended up gravitating toward….. wine-based slushies. Yeah, a sweet, delicious Slurpee that may have had wine in it. They packed a Buzz, for sure. Wine tasting is really fun!
May 22 is National Craft Distillery Day.
Where are we going to be on the 22nd? Wine country. Bad planning.
Well, maybe there’s a small distillery in Walla Walla, WA. And maybe they’re open on Sundays.
– Jet Cannon
As if wine reviewers needed any help in blowing it out their…. well, let’s just say they are immensely imaginative in their descriptions.
But now they are getting help. This is from Scientific American:
“In the world of wine reviews, evocative writing is key. Consider the following: “While the nose is a bit closed, the palate of this off-dry Riesling is chock full of juicy white grapefruit and tangerine flavors. It’s not a deeply concentrated wine, but it’s balanced neatly by a strike of lemon-lime acidity that lingers on the finish.”
Reading the description, you can almost feel the cool glass sweating in your hand and taste a burst of citrus on your tongue. But the author of this review never had that experience—because the author was a piece of software.
An interdisciplinary group of researchers developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of writing reviews for wine and beer that are largely indistinguishable from those penned by a human critic.”
Lord, help us.
– Jet Cannon
May 18, 1980. With the power of a nuclear explosion, Mt. St. Helens erupted.
Tragically, fifty-seven people were killed; 200 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed. Furthermore, per Wikipedia, geologists predict that future eruptions will be more destructive, since the configuration of the lava domes there require more pressure to erupt. Despite this, Mount St Helens is a popular hiking spot, and it is climbed year-round.
We, on the other hand, commemorate this historic event with a pint glass from North Drinkware.
Says North Drinkware, The Mount St. Helens Pint is our handblown, 16 oz pint glass with USGS data of Mount St. Helens molded into the base of the glass. The details of this iconic erupted 8,366 ft peak come to life with your favorite drink in the glass.
Made in Portland, Oregon our glasses are lead-free and dishwasher safe. All glasses are handmade one-of-a-kind products that may have slight variation. Our commitment is to donate 1% of the sales of each glass to these select non-profits that are working to protect the mountains or improve the community surrounding each mountain featured in our glasses.
– Jet Cannon
Hunter S., Contributing Editor-At-Large, currently in Greece, suggested we feature a Casablanca cocktail in Buzzed Boomer. Or he just wanted us to know what he was drinking. We’re not sure. He did include a nice picture. A stickler for details, he wasn’t sure how it was made. The InterWeb has a number of Casablanca cocktail recipes and they are all completely different. In the classic movie, nobody orders a Casablanca. What drinks are specifically ordered are a French75 and a champagne cocktail. But since Rick (Humphrey Bogart) calls his bar a “gin-joint” and himself a “saloon-keeper”, we are going to drink….. gin….. when we watch or think about that great movie. No champagne added. Just ice-cold gin.
Here’s looking at you kid.
– Jet Cannon
Photos: Hunter S. and BBC
Buzzed Boomers shouldn’t eat healthy food. We need all the preservatives we can get.
We occasionally can imagine ourselves as Lord Grantham at Downton Abbey. Especially the servants bringing us cocktails. No so much all the hassles and drama. So we’re looking forward to the new Downton Abbey movie coming out.
Anyway, Parade magazine just featured some summer cocktails including The English Garden. That recipe is by Fiona, Countess of Carnarvan, who oversees Highclere Castle with her husband The Earl of Carnarvon. She writes books about gardening and cooking and running 300 room castles. But this recipe is from the BBC! (BBCgoodfood.com)
Step 3. Get out the lawn chair and signal to the servants!
Cheers!
– Jet Cannon
