Thursday, February 16, 2006

BLUEBALLS BY MOTHER NATURE...

It's about 10am and the weather is simply delightful. My man AL ROKER is predicting mid 50's for today and even 60 degrees for tomorrow. And it's still February! Yet with all of this great weather we're experiencing, you know for a fact that it won't last long. Just when you are all set to enjoy the bounty that such great weather brings (casual strolling, hot chicks in fall-like attire, actual exercise, etc.), BAM! Mother Nature sends you a wake up call to remind you what the real deal is. It's been happening all winter so far, and it's set to happen again this weekend. 60 degrees tomorrow- 25 degrees by Saturday. WTF! I'm telling you, it's like the equivalent of getting blueballs. It sucks.

Last night was one of those rare nights off and I spent most of it working on some personal side projects. I also had the good fortune of running into one of my former students (or should I say she ran into me). We spent quite a few minutes catching up on things and it turns out she works in the area. She had been wondering where I'd disappeared to and wasn't sure if I was still working at Third and Long. So she took a chance by stopping in on her way home from work and happened to catch me in the middle of a shift change. Turns out she's getting married in LAS VEGAS at the end of April and wanted to send me an invitation. I'm really happy for her and all she's accomplished as she was one of my favorite students back in the day. It's always nice to see someone you've worked with doing well for themselves.

THE MOOD WHEEL

The other day I came across the infamous MOOD WHEEL. Created by MR. MAYOR OF MURRAY HILL, the MOOD WHEEL is actually one of those cardboard wheels originally created by TAZO (the beverage tea company). The MOOD WHEEL has been used for centuries to accurately pick the perfect tea to enhance a particular mood. As you turn the wheel to a specific mood, the wheel would list the following qualities: DESIRED EFFECT, PAST NAME, THINGS TO AVOID, TYPE OF CHARACTER, WHAT YOUR NEXT LIFE WOULD BE, etc, and then suggest a particular tea to suit the mood. Pretty funky stuff.

MR. MAYOR (in his infinite wisdom) altered the MOOD WHEEL to list various alcoholic drinks (as opposed to teas) to suit a particular mood. Some of his drink selections are pretty funny but ironically enough, fairly accurate. An example of the way the MOOD WHEEL works:

Current Mood: BORED
Desired Effect: INTERESTED
Past Name: LOUIE
Thing to avoid: QUICKSAND
Character: INDULGENT
Next life: CHAI WALLAH
Drink of choice: SANGRIA

Other moods include: Tired (Absolut Mandarin/Soda), Confused (Corona), Grumpy (PBR's), Puzzled (Bloody Mary), Listless (Appletini), and Smoldering (Chocotini). There are other moods listed, but I think you get the picture. In any case, every time I take a look at the MOOD WHEEL, I can't help but to get a chuckle out of it because MR. MAYOR refers to this tool almost every time he comes to the bar. He even keeps it behind the counter for reference. Funny stuff.

LITE NITE THURSDAYS continues tonight with $4 light beers (bottles & drafts), starting at 5pm. Stop by after work and take a load off your feet! See you tonite!

NUFF SAID