Don't be afraid when the mood takes you, ENJOY LIFE ...
Life's to enjoy, isn't it?
Wise words following NYE
The most important lesson learned from 2020 is RESILIENCE.
2020: The year the world learnt about resilience and
many, many other things...
Merry Christmas from A.M.
May your stocking be filled with everything that makes you happy
Here are some Christmas samplers ...
Endangered and extinct alcohol species
Observations of a Middle-aged Dragon with a tattoo:
Endangered and extinct alcoholic species
If you are a child of the 70s, 80s and even the 90s some of the alcohol you used to drink is no longer available or very scarce or considered bad-form to order and far worse to drink.
Aspersions will be cast on your character, if you're seen in public quaffing these drinks: but hey, for some of us that's nothing new!
I thought I would take you back in time, perhaps some of you may relive those simpler times when we drove drunk, in overcrowded cars with no GPS or mobile phones and we are still alive to tell the tale.
However, I'm also most likely taking you back to those; not so good mornings and days of hang-overs - where, when you woke up, your mouth did indeed feel and taste like the bottom of a cocky's cage!
I’m not providing recipes as Google has everything you need to revisit the making of these drinks especially if you want to revisit younger times or rediscover old ones. Arhh Good times....
EXTINCT or so close they are ENDANGERED:
Cherry Brandy and Advocaat:
Two dogs:
Two Dogs was a ready-to-drink beverage that was first introduced in Australia in 1993 and went on to become available throughout the world. It was a lemon flavoured alcoholic beverage that is widely considered to have been the "world’s first brewed alcoholic lemonade"[1]
(despite the pre-existence of traditional drinks like Zima), paving the way for similar products such as Hooper's Hooch and Mike's Hard Lemonade. Source Wikipedia. There is only so much longevity in the drinking public's like of souped-up lemonade.
West Coast Cooler:
West Coast Cooler is the original ready-to-drink from the 80s that has stood the test of time (well almost). Enjoy the exotic fruit flavours that complemented each giving a balanced, crisp refreshing drink. Real morning-after cocky cage stuff.... soooo sweet.
Claytons:
The drink you had when you weren't having a drink. Such a successful ad campaign that the 'whole' Claytons personna took over social commentary and became a catch-cry for something ineffective or not the 'real' deal. Like he's a Claytons boyfriend... the boyfriend you have when you're not having a boyfriend.
Cold Duck:
Kaiser Stuhl is now reduced to a range of seven wine casks and one bottle product, Black Forest Moselle.
The period 1956 to 1975 were the the golden years of Kaiser Stuhl not only a wine story but an inspiring management story. Source Wikipedia.
Blue Nun: It's hard to keep a good woman down and she's back and more Golden!!
Blue Nun is a German wine brand launched by the company H. Sichel Söhne (Mainz) in 1923 with the 1921 vintage, and which between the 1950s and 1980s was a very popular international brand. For most of its existence, Blue Nun was a single German wine, which until the late 1990s was classified as a Liebfraumilch. 
Blue Nun can be said to have been the first wine to have been produced and effectively marketed with an international mass market in mind. Source Wikipedia
Goon and the Flagon: almost extinct, or gone the way of the Dodo…
Usually and preferably filled with cheap sweet nasty wine!! And then there's that clothes line game with the bladders of goon.
Making a comeback because of the “Wheel of Goon” or is that “Goon of Fortune”
Only in Australia..... because for starters you need a Hills Hoist!
Rules of Goon of Fortune: Spin the line. Wherever the bladder lands, the adjacent person must tip their head back and take a drink. Repeat this until the last person is left standing; they are the winner! You are disqualified if you leave or refuse to take a drink.
Let's get specific:
The 70's: Those now Retro drinks:
Dust off those bottles of Crème de cacao, Creme de menthe, and Giuliano:
Remember drinking a Grasshopper, it was like dessert and a drink in one. Most notable because it has both Crème de cacao and Creme de menthe in it. But it has made a pop culture return in the popular ‘Big Bang Theory’ when one of the main characters (Raj)
was found to only be able to speak to women if he was drinking Alcohol.
Low and behold The Grasshopper was the drink that unlocked his tied tongue!
Brandy Alexander and other
heavy dessert-like drinks like a White Russian
The 80s: more than big hair and bigger shoulder pads...
Cinzano: Bianco, Vermouth and much, much more
Cinzano vermouths date back to 1757 and the Turin herbal shop of two brothers, Giovanni Giacomo and Carlo Stefano Cinzano, who created a new "vermouth rosso" (red vermouth) using "aromatic plants from the Italian Alps in a [still-secret] recipe combining 35 ingredients (including marjoram, thyme, and yarrow)". What became known as the "vermouth of Turin" proved popular with the bourgeoisie of Turin and, later, Casanova. Source Wikipedia.
Experience what were thought to be such witty and funny ads.... Oh how they've aged, good thing Joan Collins has aged far better than the inane humour on show here. Oh the shame!! Watch the cringe unfold here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkjidE0WnAI
White Zinfandel:
It's actually pink and is said to be making a comeback!!
Whether adored or despised,
White Zinfandel is like Donald Trump: inescapable.
Blue Lagoon:
More than the cringe-worthy movie of the same name whose cringe-worthy-ness was lead by Brooke Shields…..
Sometimes drinks from the 80s JUST need to die... like Swan Gold:
Then Swan Premium came along, it was to compete with the top of the class, cream of the crop, best of the hops... Crown Lager.
The ads were slick and sophisticated. 'They said you'd never make it.' They hit right at the Aussie core. Unfortunately everyone in the ads (great achieving Australians: Greg Norman, Darryl Somers, Brad Hardie .. who?) seemed to fizzle as soon as they took a sip and appeared in the ads. Then eventually so did the beer... fizzled that is.
But then there was the America's Cup and that's worth looking at again as it was inspirational viewing.
Non-Alcoholic and or close extinct:
Tang: selling point Astronaut's used to drink it in space! 
Tab: The Ad with 'The Body' herself, alas even Elle Macpherson couldn't save it!
Classed as one of, if not the first, 'Diet' soda, alas.... gone the way of 'New Coke'... Dead.
Right!! Can you imagine any red-blooded Australian woman hugging her man after he's lusted after Elle Macpherson just because he's drinking a diet cola... MMMmm ads have certainly changed or is it we've got a little more sophisticated?
This is really only the tip of the iceberg! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the memories, maybe partake in some!
Dare you to…
Uber needs more Ride types: Let me explain the speed thing…
Observations of a Middle-aged Dragon with a tattoo:
Uber needs more Ride types: Let me explain the speed thing…
They have UberX: the least expensive Uber service. Then UberXL right up to UberBLACK etc etc etc.
My head nearly exploded when I had Elma Fudd as my Uber driver, taking me to the airport on a very, very tortuous and SLOW route. My 'restrained' atomic explosion of frustration being barely held back as he took every slow route and made every possible SLOW decision when stringing his way through the traffic to the airport. Like he was using his stringing to make a Macramé hanging pot holder, all those knots and twists. When all I wanted was straight and direct, like an arrow.
Right there - between internal explosions, knots and twists in my stomach and using his stringing-along for a noose, to put myself out of my misery - I decided Uber should offer more options than the type of car.
They should offer DRIVER options. All based on speed, talent and cleverness of the driver around his ability to drive and move around traffic.
The UBER driver list: Drivers rated on their speed of delivery:
The SLOWEST
When you have all the time in the world and want a nice chat with your Uber driver and enjoy a good macramé twisted pot holder - you need slow and chatty. You need the...
Grandad with a hat category: Slow and chatty
Increasing in speed from here:
Grandad no hat
Sunday Church Goer
Sunday Driver
Mum with a Minivan full of kids because she will drive safe but nudge the speed limit because invariably; she's late.
And then there's the SOCCER MUM... late for practice:
Bank Heist getaway DRIVER; just beats out soccer mum.
And the FASTEST OF ALL...
The Formula One driver category: Fast and Sexy (as opposed to Slow and Chatty)
What a joy to look at...
Mmmmm now they're going to make you forget...hang on where were you even going? As for frustration...what? That might be a whole different type of frustration... the GOOD kind... I mean just look at them they are insanely handsome... of course they'd have to be driving a fine, fine car... and then the speed will truly kick in.
I'm sure there are many more categories that could slide in between those mentioned, but you get the idea.
Either way, forget the type of car Uber offer, the one that gets you from A to B the most economical way.
Say hello to type of driver Uber offer and shake hands with less frustration and the speed you want.
Uber take notice: provide the full service with the extra categories as above.
Speed up your life into the fast lane and drop that BAD frustration...
Dare you to...
