Drunk Dating
What's the hardest part of giving up drinking? The buzz? The relaxation? The good times? The taste? Nope. If you're single, it's the difficulty of dating, according to this guy. When I was dating, I routinely drank beforehand for two reasons: (1) I drank pretty much every evening, and I saw no reason not to drink, just because I was picking up a date later that night; (2) the reason he cites for drinking: "the easy cheats drinking had always given me: instant familiarity, the easing of tension. I wanted to feel I was making a connection, even if it was just an illusion." I met Marie in a bar, and I have little doubt that the instant familiarity on loan from beer helped us make a connection. I didn't want to break a good streak, so I habitually picked her up for dates after a few beers. Not drunk, just relaxed. After we got to know each other better, she cynically inquired about the constant (yet ever-changing) assortment of empty beer cans in my back seat. I explained to her that I didn't drive while drunk, but I did drink and drive (a practice that ought to be legal, incidentally, though actual drunk driving ought to be punished yet more harshly). She was disgusted. I responded, "Look, if I can't have a beer or two and drive, I might as well sell my car." She wasn't impressed, but we did have more dates. * * * * * * * The Wino. My diet is really killing my beer drinking, but I think I may have found a way around it: regular beer. I love wheat beer, and it's pretty much all I've been drinking for the past five years. But the preachers of this cave man diet say that, though all grain is bad, wheat is the worst. I'm hoping non-wheat beer will sit better with me. If not, I'll continue my experimentation with red wine. I picked up some pinot noir last week, and I really liked it. It's definitely my favorite red wine, with cabaret second. And it has this bonus: it fends off radiation, which is most timely given that Japanese thing. Whatta great excuse to pull a cork.
