My reviews: Brio hard soda in ‘Chinotto’ flavour! In honour of B.C.’s newest tax on sugary drinks…

So, what would be the taxes on this guy?

Ian bought me this a few weeks ago, and I was intrigued. It’s alcoholic, an Italian soda, but what on earth is it? What is it flavoured with?

Take this journey with me…

“Brio hard soda vodka flavoured with Chinotto”

Yes, I was puzzled. But ready to tackle this flavour! (though at this point, I kind of wonder if my teeth are)

A few months ago I had an epic tooth chip thanks to a freaking stealth piece of olive pit – I had discarded the actual pit, and then broke a chunk off a molar with the leftover shrapnel, and I had to get a filling to cap the broken section off. FML.

THIS weekend I chipped off a corner of my left front bottom canine eating popcorn. No major repairs needed but another filing down, but WTF>>

But I digress. This chinotto flavour was in an eye-catching tall boy can, and Ian got it from Cascadia Liquor store. It’s a super dark, almost murky beverage. You would mistake it for coke for sure. The flavour though? Undeniably NOT coke. Herby, with a subtle wintergreen tang or burn, or whatever makes root beer or sarsaparilla a thing… Makes this a thing also. It’s sweet- very sweet- and the vodka completely hidden within. It’s still fairly low alcohol and very much reminds me of an old-timey soda jerk (why did they call it that? Who is the jerk? I even went down the rabbit hole a few days ago of what an ‘egg cream’ was for a soda fountain and I was grossed out by it…), but anyways, this is pretty good!

It’s not great- funny enough I found myself missing the ‘sharpness’ and carbonation of cokes or maybe root beer, but this was worth a try for sure. It really isn’t highly carbonated, and I feel like that was really missing for me. I coincidentally have been drinking a lot of Bubly/carbonated water drinks..so…. Are those bad for teeth? Asking for a friend?!

And for those wondering what chinotto is? Well, it’s apparently a carbonated soft drink produced from the juice of the fruit of the myrtle-leaved orange tree. You would think it would taste like orange, but it doesn’t. Apparently the Italians also add quinine to their cocktails to achieve that ‘bitter’ flavour. I would say that piece was missing from this beverage as it was very sweet with only a minimal ‘otherness’ bite. I also learned that this drink was served as an alternative to orange juice (for people who got tired of only using the oranges off the myrtle-leaved orange tree???).

Interestingly, this brand – Brio- is actually known for being too sweet. Lesson learned! It is still miles ahead of the horrendous Pop Shoppe alcoholic drinks. I’m looking at you, disgusting swamp-thing nuclear waste green Lime Rickey!! GAG

My review: The Pop Shoppe’s Lime Ricky

Now, what’s the first thing you think of when you see ‘lime’? Sour? Tangy? Zingy?
Yeah me too.

Sadly, I’m here to tell you to leave this alcoholic Pop Shoppe’s Lime Rickey on the shelf. Or in my case, on the shelf of the weird dino- liquor store in the Westshore (you know the one). 

It’s not sour, it’s not tangy, it’s just very…green. Like a vibrant green that would have SImpson’s Nuclear Power Plant employees chasing after it, it’s that crazy neon toxic waste colour.

It has a vaguely bitter before-and-after taste that is rather off putting. Nothing about it screams ‘lime’ except maybe the pith of limes is bitter?

Real lime rickeys are not sweet, very lime-forward and are made with either gin or bourbon. You can’t tell what this one has (I’m guessing some sort of cheap malt alcohol, of the type found in Smirnoff Ice or those horrendous Straw-ber-itas made by Bud Light). It’s not better than a Bud Light anything. 

I also have to add that they spell Lime Ricky without the ‘e’ but conventional spelling appears to have the ‘e’ in it, so that’s staying. Another knock against them.

Weekend update: Gala cocktails, lessons, hangovers and more!

Wow. Wow. I had a busy weekend, even by my standards.

I went for a run in the morning, and I had my rescheduled jump lesson on Saturday, and one-zillion errands to run, and my parents needed help moving some cabinets at their house (read: heavy). What to do, what to do?

Enter my super helpful husband, who really stepped up to the plate this weekend! He dropped me off at my riding lesson, and ran all my horse errands for me, AND my parent errands too! What a stand-up guy! Did you know it is his birthday tomorrow too!

Happy 32nd birthday!! (tomorrow)

While I was jumping- and Oats was great, it was a fun and productive lesson and I learned about bringing my shoulders back on the landing-side of a jump, and it felt great!- My busy husband went to:

• Greenhawk to pick up my sedative to clip Oats,
• The feed store to buy my grain and a bag of shavings for a friend,
• My parents house, to drop off their dishes, pick up my Halloween costume, and help them move stuff,
• And then back to the barn to pick me up after my lesson and help me move the grain into the feed room.

Phew! I am tired just thinking about it.

We got home and played a bit of tennis with Gidget, just goofing off in the tennis courts, and I got ready to have some friends over for a drink before our big event- the Art of the Cocktail Gala night!

Tickets were not cheap ($65) but it was my first time going, so I was going to go and enjoy myself! We got all gussied-up, and my lovely husband again helped me out and drove us to the venue (Crystal Gardens, so close to my house) and he even picked me up again at midnight!

All jazzed up!

We had a blast! I tried so many cocktails and different types of spirits- pecan-spice whiskey, chili-vodka (wow, it was HOT!!), a Manhattan, a Rusty Screwdriver, a RumChata root beer float, strawberry shortcakes, pecans, mini pierogies, dates with bacon jam…And there was more, I just can’t remember it!

The only part I didn’t like was that I felt too rushed. They hustled us out at 9:30 p.m. and it felt WAY too early- so we went next door to the Sticky Wicket and grabbed a drink, did some dancing, and then stumbled out for some pizza. It was then I called for a ride home, and we called it a night.

So glam!

The next morning I was a hot mess. Yeah hangover city, right here…. My jaw was killing me, my stomach felt like a clenched fist all day, I was shivering and sweating. Yiiiiickkk…Still made it out riding, but it was touch and go for awhile, that’s for sure! Oats is a very safe pony and very forgiving, so he took care of me.

Too much of a good thing!

It felt just like Christmas

Borrowing a title from the band ‘Low’ for a minute for a weekend update.

The update is again, good and bad.

Can you believe this was 2 years ago?

Good: My work lunch was fun, I ate way too much and drank even more. The delight I discovered was in my work gift x-change- Fireball whiskey and hot chocolate. Mannn…Wish I didn’t know about that the next day, that’s for damn sure!

Also good: Decorating the tree! Finally had a free night (Saturday) to set up the fakey tree we got. Confession time: Also bad because I just don’t like fake trees. I am trying to be a convert because our fascist building rules say no more real trees but damn, it just isn’t the same. It looks ok though.

And great: A jump lesson on Saturday with Nicole and Oats! He was good, I was…well, less good and pretty hungover. Gak. He was very forgiving and I couldn’t see or ride a distance to save my life, despite crowing recently about how much of a rockstar we have both been in our solo jump efforts. Oh well!

Bad: My trainer’s mom died very suddenly Sunday night. She had a stroke from what I understand, and when she was removed from life support, passed away instantly. I’m very sad for Nicole and feel that life for sure has dealt her the toughest blows this 2015. From putting down her old horse of 17 years a month ago, to some relationship troubles, to getting injured a few weeks ago, to her mom passing–she has not had a good or easy time of it.

Feeling sorry.

Also bad: The weather. WTF! It was soooo insanely windy and crazy all weekend, but Saturday in particular. Last week was pretty nuts all week too. And now it is freezing again. We seem to be stuck in a cycle of windy/rainy storm cyclone, then freezing with frost on the ground, back to windy/rainy. Can I get off this carousel please?

Bad: Fake trees. Blah!

More bad: Hangovers! But they come from a fun place, so….Take what you can get maybe.

And to wrap it up: An ok ride on Sunday, can’t quite remember what we were working on but it was fine. An equine counseling session yesterday that was quite cathartic and emotional for me, so I elected not to bring that to Oats for a ride.

Instead, I worked him free-longing to do some ‘join-up’ work and it wa really nice to see him follow behind me! I was sooo late coming home though, eeek.

 

Christmas party season begins!

Last year I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to 3 Christmas parties on the same.night. ARGH!

Photo booth!

I wanted to go to them, honestly I did! So, I went to two in one night.

This year, luckily things are a little more spread out- phew! So, we went to my husband’s work party, which usually kicks off the holiday party season. The food was quite good this year, we got 3 free drink tickets each, and were completely robbed in the draw prize selection…Out of every table, everyone won at least one thing. One table even had every person from their table win a sweet draw prize! Our table? Sat there empty-handed the whole freaking night! So unlucky eh?

Silly photo booth! Note to self- strapless dresses make it look like you’re naked…

Also the cab situation- you could NOT get a cab for love or money that night. Not one. Grumble…There was a band playing and gotta love them for their ‘try’ but jeeeesh, they were pretty bad. Like, sucked the energy out of a room bad. Nobody really danced- a few made an effort, but like, the songs were all CCR or ZZ Top. Not my cup of tea, thanks!

The night went really quick though, and I enjoyed myself.

We got home around 11:30 p.m. or so, and I had my jump lesson with Oats and my trainer on Saturday at 2 p.m., so I didn’t have to really worry about waking up early hungover or anything. Not that I was…But I was congested/sinus headache from hell.

We went to my friend’s craft sale- I participated in it last year but decided selling isn’t my gig, and opted out this year. I bought a loaf of fresh bread! Love it. Then I went off to my lesson, and I’ll post more about that later…

Saturday night I went with a friend to eat at Foo’s Ramen Bar, and then go see the last installment of the ‘Mockingjay’ franchise. Good film but freaking long. Wow. Foo was awesome, the ramen is a super good deal ($13 for the special, pork belly miso ramen) and very filling and delicious. I would definitely recommend it!

Overall, a very pleasant weekend- except that I also forgot it was my dad’s birthday and my phone was acting up (again) so I missed a message from my mom telling me it was his b-day! Ack!

Happy Birthday Dad!

The Good Times are Killing Me

Literally!

When I last blogged, I was off to a wedding in Whistler, and then today, of course, is my birthday! Yay!

The wedding was really nice, a lot of kids were there, but no matter. It was a really cool venue- actually chilly- but super unique. Food was good, booze was flowing and we were feeling nooooo pain! Got some super cute photos with my friend the bride, and we danced, and then helped pack up. I even did some shots with the groom, I have a sneaking suspicion that caused some of my wilder behaviour (or maybe it was my total lack of control in general, not pointing fingers!!).

Well, tried to pack up. We were all feeling the effects of a fun day- booze- and started getting ridiculous…I got in a mild food fight with another friend, who was throwing chips I think. I tossed a watermelon chunk at him, missed him, and it hit the wall and slid down…A slimy trail of pink. Oops!

Husband came to my rescue and threw blueberries. Hah. My other friend came down to help pack up and saw us hooligans causing a riot! Whoops!

We cabbed home, safety first people, and hopped into our tub in the room. Yeah, the room was literally some sort of swinger’s paradise, with a huge four-person tub next to the second bed. ???? Well, we filled that sucker up with hot water and hopped in to play cards.

I had to casually go throw up first, and then hopped in. And then threw up afterwards…Yiiiiikes yeah it was going to be one of those *those* nights 😦

Passed out at around 3am and then woke up VERY gingerly at 9am or so. And proceed to throw up. Constantly. 

This was not going to be a fun car ride. I thought drinking water would help- it didn’t. Neither did coconut water (I took one sniff and puked) uh oh.

We made it to the car, and I was ok for a minute until I realized I was ‘ok’ when the car wasn’t moving…Once it started moving, I had to get husband to pull the car over so I could throw up on the side of the road. ARGHHH

I had the bright idea to take a Gravol, which seems like a good thought…Until I took it and puked immediately. Shoot!

So, that’s how the ride went…Drive for 20 minutes, pull over to throw up. Until the highway was shut down due to a major car accident. So, our ride went from driving = throwing up, to crawling/stopped on the highway= throwing up.

It was the LONGEST car ride ever. And the worst, for me, my friends and husband. I still feel sooooo sorry for those horrible retching noises.

Oh, and did I mention that we couldn’t stop on any shoulders for a lot of the traffic shutdowns, so I had to puke in tupperwares? And I emptied one of them out the window, to the HORRIFIED stares of nearby motorists, also crawling by at 5km/hr…Eeek

Things got better on the ferry, even though I had the shakes pretty bad. Poor husband had to empty my puke tupperwares at the ferry terminal.

I slowly felt ‘not worse’ (can’t even use the term better, ugh.) and we made it to the husband’s parents farm to pick up our critters, raid the garden, and drag ourselves back to the city! 

I didn’t eat a single thing yesterday, was pretty dehydrated too. This morning it felt like my taste buds died somehow, because breakfast didn’t taste like anything and I didn’t finish it. Coffee also tasted weird. Lunch was better, ate all of it.

Stomach is still kind of angry at me…

I can’t even look at photos of alcohol/wine without cringing.

That’s it, I am NOT drinking again. And it’s my birthday! boo hoo hahaha.

 

Too much happiness: VIC Fest edition

This weekend I was lucky enough to get tickets and go to the annual VIC Fest, a cultural/wine/beer/food/music event that happens every year- and I have gone every year too, this is my fourth!

And for some reason, EVERY year is a ridiculous shit-show and I get seriously messed up. Last year I ended up with sunstroke (combination of hot/sunny and too much alcohol), and this year it was just flat-out alcohol. So stupid.

I was having a GREAT time, so good in fact, I didn’t realize how drunk I was becoming…

It should have been a clue that I kept dropping my drinks. Yeah, a cider went to the ground and I went and immediately bought another one, and that one seriously FLEW out of my hand! Like magic! Like the fates were telling me I was drunk enough! Except I didn’t get the message, and bought more…

Yikes.

By the time Said The Whale came on, I was full-on sloshing around. Laughing, crying, kind of a total mess. Having a lot of fun though, and I thought they were great!! We left when the festival ended and I went to a friend’s place, and had another drink…Yeah you can see where this is going…

We went to Canoe Brewpub for an afterparty and listened to some band playing. They were nice, sort of country? Things were getting VERY blurry by that point…I had another cider…

And hit the minuscule dancefloor, after telling off some guys (can’t remember what I shouted at them..???) But they were laughing, so it must have been funny to them! The band finished up, and my friends went to continue the party at Lucky Bar. I was way too out of it to even think about continuing on so I called my husband and he picked me up. Thank god too, because I could barely read my cell phone.

We got home, I think I said something about wanting french fries, so I toasted some bread, ate it, and then promptly ran to the bathroom to throw up. Missed most of the toilet, unfortunately…Well, unfortunate for Ian haha.

I didn’t even brush my teeth.Yuck. My clothes were all over the apartment- jeans in one bathroom, socks in the hall, belt on the floor in the bedroom, t-shirt in my bathroom, bra in the hallway. Yugh.

Had a pretty lousy sleep and woke up feeling worse than death. Was supposed to go for a run in the morning, but I couldn’t even crawl to my cell phone (wherever the hell it was) so Ian ended up texting for me. I think I made it out a bit before 12…To go throw up again. BLAH.

Spent the day feeling sorry for my self-inflicted misery.

It was a fun night through!