Posted on 06/18/2015 8:29:27 PM PDT by SamAdams76
So I was in a hotel room earlier tonight (actually I'm still here) and I had a bottle of wine with me. And as I'm taking tomorrow off from work, I figured I'd unwind from the long workweek with a bottle of wine while listening to the Grateful Dead on Sirius Radio and surfing the Web.
But...I forgot to pack a corkscrew with me.
So I was sort of bummed out. I have this bottle of jammy red wine, packed with the flavor of apricots, berries and old shoe, yet I do not have access to it.
I suppose I could have called room service for a corkscrew but this is the Marriott Courtyard in some Boston suburb, not the Four Seasons in Manhattan, who would have immediately sent a tuxedo-clad flunky to my room to personally open it for me and decanter it.
Also, I was not in the mood to put my clothes back on and venture in the surrounding neighborhood for a convenience store that might have corkscrews for sale.
So what to do? I thought of breaking the top of the bottle in the bathtub but that would have made a lot of noise and mess and perhaps caused injury to myself. Also, I would have lost a good amount of the wine.
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that perhaps, I should attempt to push the cork down into the bottle, rather than pulling it up, as is customary to do.
Darn, I wish I had just bought a screwtop bottle of wine!
Anyway, I had a key to my house with me so I took that and started working the key around the top of the bottle, pushing the cork further and further down. Then the cork sort of hissed and some of the wine sprayed out. But the key could not go down any further. So I went to the bathroom and took the back end of my toothbrush and finally forced the cork all the way into the bottle, allowing the wine to begin flowing free.
Life was good once again.
Now I was in Boston today, a place that I used to live, before relocating to the New York area after getting a promotion at work. Compared to Manhattan, Boston is so small. It was like when you left your parents house to set out on your own and then when you come back to visit, the house seems so small. Well it was like that. Boston seemed so small today. I think you could fit most of downtown Boston into a block or two of Manhattan.
So earlier today, I was in the North End of Boston. A place where Italians used to live but now it's full of yuppies and there is an endless selection of quaint Italian themed shops, cafes and restaurants.
It was actually an excellent night. I was with my old co-workers and we hit a restaurant where we had copious amounts of seafood and pasta. Then we went to a cigar bar where we smoked $20 cigars and $15 shots of whiskey. Then around 8:30PM, we stumbled into the street and walked around Boston, through the waterfront and into Fanueil Hall.
It was a warm night and the women were out in their summer dresses and flip-flops.
Flip-flops. I've written about flip-flops before and asked why women love to wear those flip-flops. I can understand sandals and other comfortable shoes. But flip-flops just seem so uncomfortable to me.
Can anybody explain the appeal of flip-flops?
Now even when it is winter, young women like to wear the flip flops. I know this because when I am walking my dog in the mornings, I see the young girls coming out to wait for the school bus. They'd be bundled up in their winter coats and gloves and hats, but they'd be clad in flip-flops. Even in zero degree weather!
Now explain that one to me.
So anyway, let me end this particular piece by talking about Donald Trump. When Donald Trump was announcing his candidacy a couple days ago at his 68-story tower on East 56th Street, I was just a few blocks away in my Manhattan office.
My co-workers there were quite excited about the Trump candidacy and announced that they were for him and that it's about time we had a plain-speaking capitalist running for president. Somebody who was brash, arrogant and not averse to shaking things up in a big way.
Reminds me so much of 1992, when Ross Perot entered the race, and attracted MILLIONS of people to his candidacy. Even after the bizarre flame-out of that summer, he still got 20 MILLION people to vote for him in the general election as an Independent.
Which even to this day, amazes me. People are so hungry for a non-politician that they will vote for that person no matter what when the other choices are traditional politicians.
So Trump is going to definitely make an impact in this race. He will almost certainly not win but he will be a spoiler should he stay in the race to the end. I think many people here underestimate him.
I actually personally met Trump about 10 years ago. It was in Las Vegas in the Luxor hotel. My wife and I were waiting for an elevator and there he was, with a small entourage. We chatted for maybe a minute or so and he wished us good luck at the tables as we told him we were going to be playing Blackjack later that night. Seemed like a nice, down-to-earth guy at the time.
It's too early for me to decide on who I will vote for. I'm still pretty much a Cruz or Walker type. But Trump appeals to me as well. Even though I sincerely think he has no chance in hell. But then again, I thought that about other people who ended up being elected president.
How big is that bottle and what is the ABV percentage?
I hate to break this to you now, but the last Courtyard Marriott I stayed at sold wine and beer at the front desk. Had a cooler off to the side of the desk.
Oh well, I’ve opened a few bottles that way being with a girl in a remote location in my younger days.
Most Swiss Army Knives have a cork screw, useful for other things as well.
And I have several Swiss Army knives. But none of them made it into my suitcase. I will have to rectify that for the next business trip.
Trump: Huckabee can't protect entitlements like I can
All support for Trump just brings us that much closer to President Hillary.
I’m listening to Sirius as well.
The guy on Classic Rewind just suggested Ted Nugent should get in the GOP race. He said “Why not, Trump is in.
Talk about making the race fun!!
Is the Dead channel playing one of their farewell concerts tonight?
So the hotel is owned by mormons...
They sell booze just the same as any other hotel chain...
No, they played a concert from the early 1970s. I think Independence Day weekend is when they will broadcast the “farewell concerts.”
They do sell booze at many Marriotts. But not this particular one. I brought my bottle of wine from home.
Flip flops and Boston. There’s a Romney joke in there somewhere...
It is a woman thing.
For a gender that has on average at least 20 times more shoes than men, at the same time they like having bare feet and flip flops are the closest thing they can wear if they want a little cushion/protection/keep feet from street dirt.
I personally wear sandals during the warm months; less chance of exposing my toenail fungus.
(Now there's another interesting topic!)
Actually there is something even closer to barefoot than a flip flop. I don’t know what they are called, and the first time I saw them they kinda weirded me out. They look like a glove made for feet, complete with ‘toes’ instead of ‘fingers’. A woman was wearing them when I saw them.
Flip-flop season? I thought you were talking about the upcoming elections.
I saw on the ‘net a way to open a bottle of wine using your shoe!
It’s the same concept. Minimal protection, they want to be barefoot yet have protection. I just don’t get it. I like real protection around my feet.
Nice little travelogue.
Flip flops are nice for the summer when one wants to show off their fresh pedicure. But MUCH more than that, I like them for convenience of just slipping on and going as I am ALWAYS running by the skin of my teeth. There’s no need for socks; although, I have done that with them and had my feet looking like a camel’s toe or a geisha girl’s feet and totally embarrassed my daughter. But what are mom’s for? And flip-flops don’t have to be plain and ugly. Some of mine have sparkles and rhinestones on them. :)
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