Save Me a Booth

1963 Booth's High & Dry Gin

1963, the age of "Mad Men" and last bastion of male the male controlled world... at least that's what we like to believe but those of us in the historical "know" realize that women have controlled the world from behind the scenes for thousands of years.  A fight over just one woman's affections led to the Trojan War, and later the fight over the love of Cleopatra was legendary to this day.  So don't tell me that women didn't have the power of life and death in the past.  Cut to the present and it's all about equality... unequal equality and fuzzy math.  I see it in Alaska where I work in the summertime.  See, women work up there which is fine, I'm all about equal opportunity, however don't demand a different set of job requirements "just because you're a woman".  This is neither fair nor equal.  Either you can do the job or you can't, but bending the rules doesn't apply.

I know I'll be lambasted about this in the comments... or maybe not.  I haven't written on the blog in so long I don't think anyone actually reads it anymore.  It doesn't matter, it's Friday and later today I'll be enjoying a Gin Martini on the porch whilst continuing a lecture series on World War I that I've been listening to in my spare time. Enjoy the day and don't take life too seriously, remember "There are many here among us that feel life is but a joke."

Searching For Perfection

Wow, this ad looks safe... where's Social Services? Oh yeah, it's 1920 and they don't exist yet. I love the disinterested look on the mother's face as little Suzy reaches frighteningly close to a pot of boiling oil in which mom is cooking doughnuts, presumably for breakfast the following morning. Indeed the stove seems to be a bunch of contradictions since it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon according to the clock on the wall and mother is cooking a roast in the oven, doughnuts in the pot and on the simmer is a pot of cereal (presumably some form of oats). All this actually makes sense when taken in through the eyes of early 20th century cooking styles. While quick oats were introduced in 1920, it would take some time before the market accepted them. So these were regular oats or more likely steel cut oats (ala Johnny McAnn's) which were cooked over a double boiler for many hours until done. In this time period, in order to save time at breakfast, mother would cook the oats the night before and reheat them for breakfast.

Penn Maryland Whiskey

It's kind of a whiskey night tonight well... just because.  I suppose it's because I want to celebrate my promotion at work to Asst. Department Manager but not an over the top celebration.  One whiskey I won't be drinking is the one in the ad above.  Penn Maryland whiskey was one of over 20 different rye whiskeys distilled in Baltimore, Maryland before prohibition.  After prohibition the brand returned but was snatched up by National Brands and disappeared altogether sometime in the 1960's when the taste for rye whiskey was being replaced with bourbon and the vodka crowd.

Working In Alaska

I made the decision this year to stop working in Alaska.  This comes as a result of much thinking on my part because it is quite a bit of money to be saying goodbye to but I have come to the realization that my time up there is over.  Thanks to the US Government's change in visa policy the former J-1 College Students from foreign countries that made up the bulk of our workforce are now gone and they have been replaced by US college students.  I saw the beginnings of this last year and knew it was heading for disaster with more fights, more drunken boobery and just a basketful of problems for me as night watchman to deal with.  No thank you.  I'd rather be an OFW in Kuwait or some other Muslim country, at least I'd know what I was in for.

Speaking of Kuwait, back when I lived in the Philippines I was still working in Alaska.  Twice a year I would have to fly to the US and then back to the Philippines.  It was fun at first and I loved getting flights on various airlines so I could at least say I set foot in various countries even if just for a layover.  One time I was even looking at a kuwait airways booking but that would have involved a rather long trek to the east as opposed to the (sort of) shorter trip to the west when going back to the Philippines. 

In the end I wound up going with Cathay Pacific and transiting through Vancouver and Hong Kong.  As for Alaska... well I thank you for the years of work up there it was fun and I had dreamed of going to Alaska since I was in High School but I have a new job now that I just got promoted in and maybe finally I can have hope for a career.