Jet Cannon

“Tots” Rock

Food and Drink, Recipes /

Our good friend Captain Tony never sets out to sea (inland waters) aboard his “ship” (Boston Whaler) without a supply of Pusser’s Navy Rum.  Why?  It (was) a time-honored sailors’ tradition.  Per Pusser’s web site, “Rum became an important drink for the British Royal Navy. From the 16th Century until July 31st, 1970, British sailors were given daily rations of a mixed rum called Navy Rum. These became referred to as “tots.”

Daily life aboard these ships was brutal. Not only did they have to deal with the stress of operating a ship in the middle of the ocean, where one mistake could mean death, but they also fought enemy ships “eyeball-to-eyeball.”

These sailors used to have multiple “daily tots” each day to help keep up morale. The practice was eventually halted in the 1970s when modern officers grew concerned with drunkenness and on-deck fighting. 

Here’s some good news: fans of history and rum can still order Pusser’s Original Navy Rum. It follows the same historical recipe used for hundreds of years.” 

Yo ho ho.

Pusser’s Painkiller Ingredients

  • 2-ounces (60 ml) Pusser’s Rum
  • 4-ounces (120 ml) pineapple juice
  • 1-ounce (30 ml) orange juice
  • 1-ounce (30 ml) cream of coconut
  • Freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

  • Add liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.
  • Pour into a big glass or goblet filled with ice. Grate fresh nutmeg on top.
  • Garnish with an orange slice and cherry.
  • Be careful–this is a smooth and sneaky drink. Enjoy!

– Jet Cannon

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The Only Exercise machine You’ll Ever need

Endorphins, Fitness /

Men’s Health has a great article on fitness fads.  It’s a trip down memory lane for sure and some of them really work when actually used on a regular basis. 

We think the best fad of all is the Vibrating Belt.  No, they didn’t really work from a weigh-loss standpoint but the appeal of just standing in place and losing weight is pretty irresistible.  

Not surprisingly, there are variations still out there and even some claims that the vibration can be beneficial for obese folks.  That is not an endorsement.  Just a head-scratcher.

So dig through the closet, pull out the fads you bought and get back to exercising!

  • Bowflex Home Gym
  • Tae Bo
  • Vibrating Belt
  • Body By Jake
  • ThighMaster
  • Jane Fonda Videos
  • 8-Minute Abs
  • Roller Blading
  • The Shake Weight
  • Diet Pills
  • Ab Roller
  • Wii Fitness
  • Boot Camps
  • Power Plate
  • Pilates
  • NordicTrack
  • Couch to 5K
  • Cleansing/Juicing
  • Medicine Balls
  • Richard Simmons
  • Spinning/Soul Cycling
  • Toning Shoes
  • Pole Dancing Classes
  • Sauna Suits
  • Power Balance Bracelets

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ZZZzzzz

Endorphins, Fitness /

We like sleep but sleep doesn’t always like us.  Getting enough sleep is key to heart health, eye health, immune health, productivity, coping with stress, and workout energy.  There are a number of possible causes of sleeplessness and the good news is there are answers.  See your doc for a referral to a specialist and sleep like a Baby.  Boomer. 

– Jet Cannon

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Stay Classy, Buzzed Boomers

Burgers, Food and Drink /

We often ponder what beverage to properly pair with our burgers.  Actually, we usually just grab a beer but luckily someone is giving it some real thought.  Fiona Beckett’s Matching food & wine post has some suggestions to help us up our game.

She starts with wine.  Okay, a burger is just ground steak so why not?  Cabernet, preferably, but she suggests a few others.

Next, IPA’s.  Beer.  There you go.  Right up our alley.

Stepping it up, a Manhattan.  Now we’re talking!  Gourmet burger.  Classy cocktail.  She says it really, really works.

Finally, a milkshake.  Not a big surprise there.  Burger, fries and shake.  Well, why buck tradition?

So there’s some things to try that we certainly didn’t previously consider.  Enjoy!

– Jet Cannon

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How The Boomers Save Everything

Good Clean Fun /

Here’s an excerpt from a 2013 AARP article by P.J. O’Rourke.  It’s still spot on.  To read the whole article click here.

“Yes, we’re spoiled rotten. We’re self-absorbed. And it seems like we’ll never shut up. But the boomers made a better world for everyone else. You’re welcome.

The boomers are a generation that changed the world.  We’re the largest, richest, best-educated generation of Americans, the favored children of a strong, confident and prosperous country. Or, as other generations call us, spoiled brats. Born between 1946 and 1964, the 76 million boomers reaped all the benefits of the postwar period’s extraordinary economic growth.  

We’re the generation that will die with the most toys.  Until that day finally comes, we’ll still be riding our bicycles, jamming in garage bands, and wearing jeans and T-shirts. We’re famously careful about the way we raise our kids, because somebody has to grow up. It won’t be us.

And what about those kids? Will Generation X and the Millennials do a better job running the world than the boomers have? Let’s hope so. But first they’ll have to move out of our basements.”

Thanks P.J.

– Jet Cannon

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Bloody Good Music

Music /

Donating blood is a nice thing to do for your community and fellow Baby Boomers.  As an added bonus, our local blood bank has a nice offer going.

“We’re giving away 4 Fly Away Music weekends across the USA. When you donate blood Sept 1 – Oct. 31, you will be automatically entered to win a 3 day weekend to see headliner artists at an iconic venue. Includes airfare, hotel, event tickets for 2.”  Cities included LA, Nashville, Miami and New York.

So check with your local blood bank and see if you’re eligible to donate.  Bloody good!

Wish us luck!

– Jet Cannon

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What? No Salute To Disneyland? What a Rush!

Music /

What marching bands do executing precise formations while playing music at the same time is pretty amazing when you think about it.  Translating formations into steps for each band member… we assume they use computers nowadays.  But still.  Amazing.

Anyway, check out the Ohio State Marching Band’s tribute to Rush. Not only is the marching very creative, the music translates pretty well.   

– Jet Cannon

Photo Rollingstone.com

 

 

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Stay Young

Good Clean Fun /

Most Baby Boomers will remember The Dick Van Dyke Show which turns 60 years old this year.  Dick himself is 95 and still going.  

That show spawned The Mary Tyler Moore Show with featured another great comedian Betty White.  Betty is 99 and still going.  She stays mentally sharp playing Scrabble.  Dick loosens the joints by doing a little dancing every day.  Whatever works!

Those shows demonstrated just plain old good clean fun.  This Betty White clip is about as racy as the shows ever got.  Censors were busy in those days.  Things have changed.

Stay young!

– Jet Cannon

Photos courtesy of Forbes.com and alchetron.com

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Better Give That Another Listen

Music /

When it comes to deciding which 100 songs are the best ever, it really depends on whom you ask.  Rolling Stone asked over 200 musicians, producers, artists, critics, journalists and music industry folks to pick their favorite 50. Then RS tabulated the results to come up with Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Songs of All Time. Here’s the top 10:

  • Respect.  Aretha Franklin. 1967
  • Fight The Power.  Public Enemy. 1989
  • A Change Is Gonna Come.  Sam Cooke. 1964
  • Like A Rolling Stone.  Bob Dylan.  1965
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana. 1991
  • What’s Going On.  Marvin Gaye.  1971
  • Strawberry Fields Forever.  The Beatles.  1967
  • Get Ur Freak On.  Missy Elliot.  2001
  • Dreams.  Fleetwood Mac.  1977
  • Hey Ya!  Outcast. 2003

Interesting.  Most of these we know and a couple of them we don’t know.  Hey, we all have our own tastes and opinions.  The nice thing about these lists is that there’s some music out there that some knowledgable people feel is pretty good and we might want to give those songs we don’t know a listen.

– Jet Cannon

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Classic Rock Lost and Found

Music /

Randy Bachman is a founding member of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  Life on the road has its ups and downs.  Guitarworld.com reports, “It’s happened, famously, to Peter Frampton and Jimmy Page. Frampton lost his beloved Les Paul Custom in a cargo plane crash in 1980, while Page lost one of his favorite Les Pauls (also, coincidentally, a black LP Custom) while Led Zeppelin traveled from Minneapolis to Montreal, Canada in 1970. Two beloved guitars, both with so much magic, lost forever. Or so it was thought.

Frampton’s Les Paul was miraculously located in Curaçao in 2011, while Page’s was re-discovered after it was taken to a Minnesota repair shop a few years ago. Both guitars would eventually, after a few twists, be returned to their very happy rightful owners.

Now, Randy Bachman can add his name to this heartwarming list. His 1957 Gretsch 6120 Chet Atkins, stolen from his hotel room in Toronto in 1976, has amazingly turned up in Tokyo, 45 years later.”

Check out Guitar World for the whole story.  

We’re happy for Randy.  Listen to one of his distinctively silky solos at minute 3:00 on YouTube.   

Keep up with Randy at Randybachman.com

Photo via Randy’s site,  Facebook, and Classic Bands.

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Bocce Buzz

Endorphins, Good Clean Fun /

Baby Boomers need to stay mentally and physically fit and low-impact sports like shuffleboard and bocce ball, don’t laugh, can be more beneficial than you might think.  While you’re not likely to catch an endorphin Buzz from playing bocce, there are positive mental and physical health benefits including:

  • Self Control
  • Strategic Planner
  • Social Activist
  • Improved Coordination
  • Relieves Stress
  • Increased Confidence
  • Light Cardio

Per worldbocce.org, Bocce Ball was first documented in a 5200 B.C. painting of two boys playing, which was discovered by an English scientist, Sir Francis Petrial, in an Egyptian tomb.  Bocce Ball spread throughout Palestine and into Asia Minor. In 600 B.C., Bocce was picked up by the Greeks and passed to the Romans. It was played everywhere, from the churches and castles to the city streets. People from all walks of life could play the game; young or old, man or woman.  In 1319 A.D., Bocce Ball was actually prohibited to people of lesser nobility because it was felt that it diverted attention from more important tasks, such as archery and war training. In 1519, Bocce became a public game. It was played in Flanders, Holland and Belgium.Greek colonists brought Bocce with them to what is now modern Italy. It became so popular that it was once again threatened with prohibition, as people who were playing Bocce in the streets were hitting the knees of passing noblemen with the Bocce balls.

The popularity of Bocce in America has been on the rise since it swept California in 1989. There are more than 25,000,000 Bocce enthusiasts that have heard of the sport, play recreationally, or play on structured courts in the United States today. Bocce has also become a tournament sport. Tournaments are held weekly, some carrying large cash awards for their winners. It is now a part of the World Corporate Games, is an event in the Special Olympics, and is being proposed to be in the Olympics.

Bocce can be played upon any level surface by anyone who is willing to try. It is a game for all ages, gender and athletic ability. It is a very versatile game in which the rules may be changed according to the players. Play may range from a nearly nonexistent set of rules to the strictest of tournament rules.

So, get out there and bowl some balls!  Take no prisoners! 

– Jet Cannon

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Baseball Wildcard Cocktail

Food and Drink, Good Clean Fun /

Hoping to share a clever cocktail for the baseball wildcard games, we went on the Interweb and came up with….. several drinks for which we don’t have the ingredients.  Crackerjack syrup, Cardamaro, Genever, Cynar, cherry vodka, agave nectar.  Nope.  Call us unsophisticated or just plain cheap but none of that is on the shelf.  One thing was clear.  There are a number of “Wildcard Cocktails” with very little in common.  There is no trademark on the name, it would appear.

Therefore, we at Buzzed Boomer are declaring, for this season ONLY, a free-for-all on making your own Wildcard Cocktail to your own excellent preferences and standards. We’re sure your creation will be wild and crazy good!  

Cheers!

– Jet Cannon

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Pilsner Birthday Celebration

Food and Drink /

 

Earlier this week, Pilsner beer celebrated a birthday.  On October 5, 1842 pilsner beer was born in Pilsen, Bohemia.  Now part of the Czech Republic, the beer is still brewed in Pilsen and sold as Pilsner Urquell, though it’s now owned by one of the giant beer conglomerates. The Spruce Eats published an interesting history of how this light lager came into being.  

Keys to its clean, refreshing look and taste is due to the use of light barley, soft water, and Saaz hops.  Copied all over the world, Pilsner became the name of the new style.

Happy Birthday!

– Jet Cannon

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Run Silent, run Deep

2 Comments / Food and Drink, Recipes /

For classic movie night, we pulled up Run Silent, Run Deep with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster.  What to serve with the movie was partially answered when Mrs. Gable offered the two men “gin” on a silver platter in the front yard in the middle of the day.  A bit of that is in the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKM7CzLytxc

To tart up that straight gin we looked for a Submarine cocktail online.  Sure enough.  A gin based cocktail.

Submarine

Ingredients

Add ice and ingredients to a shaker and serve in a cocktail glass.

But what is Dubonnet?  “For over 170 years, Dubonnet Rouge Grand Aperitif de France has been celebrated around the world as an authority on the aperitif tradition. Crafted from a proprietary blend of red wine, herbs and spices.”  There was no Dubonnet on the shelf so we used just a splash Compari which is Italian but similar.

After the movie, we queued up Iron Maiden’s Run Silent Run Deep with its dark but somewhat realistic chorus.  Submarine warfare in WWII was not a particularly happy place.

Runing silent, runing deep, we are your final prayer

Warriors in secret sleep, a merchantman’s nightmare

A silent death lies awaiting, for all of you below

Running silent, running deep, sink into your silent sleep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruo14UvQiOg

Check out the movie and/or the cocktail and don’t be surprised if “dive, dive, dive” gets stuck in your head.

– Jet Cannon

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