Jet Cannon

Valentine’s Dud

Food and Drink / By

Whenitsknotforever.com summed up Valentine’s Day efforts that didn’t hit the mark:

“If for some reason your V-day fell short of expectations, don’t fret, because you’re not alone. According to Forbes, “for a number of people, the commercially designated day of love can actually cause stress, anxiety, unhappiness and even depression.”

Perfect.

Here’s a possible cure for that day, or weekend, after.  The Chocolate Martini from Liquor.com.

Ingredients

  • Cocoa powder, to rim glass
  • 1 ounce chocolate liqueur (such as Godiva), plus more for rimming glass 
  • 1 ounce creme de cacao (such as Giffard)
  • 1 ounce vodka
  • 1/2 ounce half-and-half

Steps

  • Add a small amount of chocolate liqueur into a small rimmed plate. Add a small amount of cocoa powder to another plate. Dip the rim of an inverted cocktail glass into the liqueur, then into the cocoa powder. Set aside.
  • Add the chocolate liqueur, creme de cacao, vodka and half-and-half into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into the prepared glass.

It’s worth a try even if you have to drink it yourself.

– Jet Cannon

Talkin’ ’bout My Generation

Music / By

Huffpost reported this about the Super Bowl halftime show:

“Two generations are claiming the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show ― and some are getting just a touch testy over it.

The show featured instantly iconic performances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Eminem and 50 Cent.

But it was a tweet about the event by NBC News that may have inadvertently kicked off an intergenerational feud as the network declared: “Super Bowl Halftime Show taps into millennial nostalgia.”

Millennials cheered, while Gen Xers (as apathetically as possible, of course) stepped in to contest the claim. 

Each side has a solid argument.

All of the key performers except for Lamar are Gen Xers by age. But the bulk of the songs played were big hits during the formative years for many Millennials. 

That led to some (mostly) good-natured discussions and jokes over which generation was best represented by the performance.”

We’re guessing most Baby Boomers are very happy to sit on the sidelines of this debate. We did like the classic cars, though!

  • Jet Cannon

Photo: CNN

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Walk to Rock

Fitness / By

US News reports that physical activity helps keep the aging brain sharp, according to the latest of many studies showing a link between exercise and brain health.

This study included 90 adults, ages 50-74, who wore devices to measure their levels of physical activity and completed thinking tests at home.

The participants did better on the tests on days when they were more active, and worse on days when they got less exercise, according to researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

A neurologist recently told us about the importance of mental exercise to help keep the brain sharp. “The brain is like a muscle. Use it or lose it.” And these studies remind us that physical exercise can help with brain function as well.

Ready, march!!

  • Jet Cannon
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Raise your glass!

Food and Drink / By

The U.S. Treasury department is investigating the $250 billion annual U.S. alcohol market and outlined reforms it said could boost competition and save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars each year.  Go Uncle Sam!

Like disappearing pubs in England, many smaller breweries in the U.S. either went out of business or were swallowed up by giant corporations.  The craft brewing revolution offset that but even those successful ones get bought up resulting in higher prices and often fewer choices.

New merger and acquisition scrutiny, different tax rates and lifting regulatory burdens to new entrants in the wine, beer and spirits market would make the market fairer for new brewers and cheaper for consumers.

Per Reuters, the two largest brewers selling beer in the United States – Anheuser Busch InBev and Molson Coors – account for 65% of U.S. beer revenues.

“American consumers, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and workers should not have to suffer under the thumb of a highly concentrated beer industry,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter. “Enforcement and regulatory authorities should have the courage to learn and the fortitude necessary to enforce the law and protect competition.”

We raise our glass!

– Jet Cannon

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Ye Olde Fighting Cocks

1 Comment / Food and Drink / By

We’re quoting from CNN:

“An English pub that claims to be the oldest in Britain is closing due to financial problems worsened by the pandemic. Ye Olde Fighting Cocks in St. Albans, just north of London, has been in business since 793 AD, according to its website. Now it has closed its doors “after a sustained period of extremely challenging trading conditions,” according to a statement from landlord Christo Tofalli, posted on the pub’s Facebook page on Friday.

Britain’s pub industry was struggling even before the pandemic, as people ditched drinking in pubs for bars, restaurants and their homes. 

Between 2008 and 2018, more than 11,000 pubs closed their doors, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics, reducing the total number by almost a quarter.

The main structure of Ye Olde Fighting Cocks was built in the 11th century and was originally used as a pigeon house, according to the local tourist board. The pub took its name from the cock fights that were held there in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Oliver Cromwell reportedly slept one night at the inn during the English Civil War.Ye Olde Fighting Cocks used to be recognized as the oldest pub in England by Guinness World Records, but the record title is now inactive, a spokeswoman for Guinness told CNN.

Record holder or not, this may not the pub’s final chapter.A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers, the brewery that owns the premises, said it was working to reopen it.”

We hope so. It’s a shame that the pub culture has faded. We need more places where locals can go to their local and everybody knows their name.

  • Jet Cannon

Photo: Wikipedia

Big Gin

Food and Drink / By

After a Dry January, we went to a steak house and asked for the gin martini that customers were excited about.  The waitress produced a Big Gin martini.  It was refreshingly flavorful without seeming like it was trying too hard.  Their web site says the flavor comes from a blend of Nine Magical Botanicals.  “Big Gin unites a blend of nine botanicals from all over the world to be distilled in the Pacific Northwest. Our 100-gallon copper pot stills bring new-fashioned flavors to life.”

  • Juniper – Pine flavored with a pinch of sprite
  • Cassia – A little sweeter than cinnamon
  • Coriander – Spicy and citrusy, nutty when crashed
  • Bitter Orange Peel – Bright and zesty
  • Grains of Paradise – Peppery and aromatic
  • Angelica – Earthy and medicinal
  • Cardamom – Sweet – spicy and resinous
  • Orris – Floral, earthy and woody
  • Tasmanian Pepperberry – Sweet, followed by a short-lasting heat

If you like gin, let’s just say they’ve really nailed it.

– Jet Cannon

Winter Olympics Cocktail

Food and Drink / By

Makeitgrateful.com provided the inspiration for this cocktail.  Grab your favorite clear liquor or beverage and drop some Lifesaver candies in the glass.  Stand and sing the National Anthem and remember that you were only a notch or two away from being an Olympic athlete, if it wasn’t for those bone spurs in your foot.

– Jet Cannon

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This Won’t Hurt a bit

Endorphins / By

It was a boring Dry January and then, due to some medical concerns, we cut out weed and caffeine.  So nothing left to catch a Buzz with except some exercise endorphins.  But finally, we got that long awaited doctor’s appointment. 

Doctor: I have some bad news and some very bad news.

Us: Well, might as well give me the bad news first.

Doctor: The lab called with your test results. They said you have 24 hours to live.

Us: 24 HOURS! That’s terrible!! WHAT could be WORSE? What’s the very bad news?

Doctor: I’ve been trying to reach you since yesterday.

– Jet Cannon

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endorphin Buzz

Endorphins, Fitness / By

With Dry January coming to an end, some Buzzed Boomers may be carrying on dry for a bit longer.  To experience that mellow Buzz without alcohol, generating endorphins via exercise is one option.  Exercise also helps with those New Year’s health and weigh-loss resolutions.

According to healthline.com, moderate exercise works just fine for generating endorphins; around 30 minutes after concluding.  That’s good news for Buzzed Boomers who need to be careful about over-exerting.  Moderate means you can still talk but might be short of breath.  And you might sweat a bit.

Covid-permitting, a small study found that group exercise was better at creating those endorphins that working out solo.

– Jet Cannon

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Weed

Cannabis / By

The Grand Cannabis State

The New York Post reports that Arizona customers had purchased more than $1.23 billion worth of cannabis products since voters approved a referendum to legalize the drug for adult use in November of 2020. More than $196 million had been collected in taxes, according to Arizona’s Department of Revenue.  Most of the new revenue was allocated to community colleges and county health departments.

The sales eclipsed the first year of adult-use sales in more populous Washington state, where we’re from, but we are not giving up!  

– Jet Cannon

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The Ventures

Music / By

Guitar World has reported that, “Don Wilson, co-founding rhythm guitarist of instrumental rock outfit The Ventures, has died aged 88.  A trailblazing instrumental rock group, The Ventures sold a staggering 100-million records during their decades-long tenure.

The band was formed in 1958 by Don Wilson and guitarist/bassist Bob Bogle, both construction workers at the time. Drummer Howie Johnson and guitarist Nokie Edwards joined shortly thereafter. While the group remains active to this day, Don Wilson was the last surviving founding member.

The Ventures enjoyed a string of hits, most notably including 1960’s Walk, Don’t Run. The track – which was originally written by jazz guitarist Johnny Smith in 1954, and later adapted and re-recorded by Chet Atkins in 1956 – was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2006 for its “lasting impact” on music. 

The band’s other notable tracks include Wipeout, Perfidia and their cover of the Hawaii Five-0 theme song by Morton Stevens. The Ventures were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 by Creedence Clearwater Revival’s John Fogerty.

Additionally, the band had a partnership with American guitar maker Mosrite, which yielded the brand’s flagship Ventures model. This electric guitar later grew to become revered in surf and punk circles, and remains a sought-after instrument to this day – Johnny Ramone’s Ventures II model sold at auction for $937,500 last year.”

Walk Don’t Run. 

Hawaii Five-O. 

– Jet Cannon

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Cannabis COVID Buzz Saw?

Cannabis / By

Two compounds isolated from hemp varieties of Cannabis sativa can block the COVID-19 virus from entering human cells, according to a new study led by Oregon State University researchers. The compounds have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection as a complement to vaccines. These cannabinoid acids are not controlled substances like THC and they have a good safety profile in humans.

So this is all about lab tests and is a long way off from being a legitimate treatment. Meanwhile, we can’t wait to see how some folks will run with this like the folks who tried hydrocloroquine or bleach and other unproven/dangerous treatments. We may finally see a Cannabis overdose.

  • Jet Cannon
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the only way to fly

Good Clean Fun / By

A recent article reminded us that infamous hijacker D.B. Copper ordered a cocktail or two before he parachuted with $200,000 from a 727 over Washington State back on November 24, 1971.  Was that cocktail:

A. Dry vodka Martini

B. Champagne in a glass slipper (in-flight service was pretty nice back in 1971)

C. Bourbon and soda

D. No cocktails served due to flu pandemic

E.  D.B. Cooper Cocktail (Columbia River water garnished with tree bark)

If you answered ,B you would be correct.  Champagne, cigarettes, and calling the “stewardess” “sweetheart”, were all part of the $20 ticket.

– Jet Cannon

Photo: NPR