The Sun is over the Yardarm (I wish)

1.  I have not died.  It just feels like it.  The start of the school year has been brutally busy.

2. In fact, the only reason I have time to write a blog post right now is because one of my students (thanks Caroline!) just sent me a link to a truly amazing bit of artwork.  You can view it here.  Ignore all the stuff below the picture—just gaze at the picture in awe.

3. And I’ll add a very quick book review so the blog post feels complete.  Bernard DeVoto’s The Hour: A Cocktail Manifesto is a classic.  A book that should be read yearly.  This is the sort of book that reminds one of what it means to be Civilized. 

Two observations:

1.  DeVoto extols Bourbon rather than Scotch.  That was quite liberating.  I too find Bourbon to be a better drink, but I always had this nagging sense that I was missing something.  But now, my Scotch trial is over.  American Bourbon is the superior drink.

2. DeVoto condemns the olive in a martini.  And he is scathing about the Dirty Martini.  I have no idea how a man wise enough to write The Hour could be so utterly wrong about the Dirty Martini.

And now back to my busy work.